America: I came here to study, not to show mercy.

Chapter 165 Halloween 2
"Sean..."

After rummaging around in the storage room, Victoria saw the young man sitting quietly on the sofa looking at his phone, occasionally tapping the screen. She sat down next to him and tugged at the hem of his shirt.

"Shall we go out and have some fun together?"

“Beautiful witch, it’s not polite to look at other people’s phones without permission.”

Turning off her phone screen, Li Xiaoen turned her head to look at Victoria.

He was just chatting with Daniel and the others, discussing the fashion show after dark. There was nothing shameful about it, but he still wanted to tease them a little.

"When your phone is lit up, people will naturally look over there."

Sitting on the sofa, Victoria explained helplessly.

"Oh, so Miss Witch's true identity is a moth?"

Li Xiaoen muttered to himself, his brows furrowing.

"What kind of teasing words are you thinking of now?"

Rolling her eyes and scolding, Victoria pushed him twice, "Are you going to agree or not?"

"Alright, alright."

Li Xiaoen nodded helplessly and stood up, sighing, "I hope that if I do as you say, Miss Witch will release my gentle Princess Victoria."

"Sean..."

She gritted her teeth and spat out a sound, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Ha ha……"

Li Xiaoen laughed twice, picked up the girl's large magic hat from the side, and pressed it on her head. "Let's go, there are already quite a few activities starting."

Victoria hadn't taken off her purplish-black witch's robe since he came in; she only took off her magic hat, which looked surprisingly good. Given the prevalence of outlandish clothing in America, she would have turned heads even if she wore it alone for everyday life.

"Sean, aren't you going to wear your pumpkin head?"

Noticing that Sean Lee was walking out like that, Victoria quickly called out to him.

“I really want to wear it, but it’s not dark outside yet, and the flame decorations I made will look out of place.”

Li Xiaoen shrugged and gestured to his previous masterpiece.

"..."

"I suspect you did it on purpose."

After a moment of contemplation, Victoria pursed her lips and muttered a complaint.

"Why don't you take a guess?"

Li Xiaoen bent down and teased, but seeing the girl's face darken, he quickly explained, "You also thought it looked great when we saw the effect in the darkroom, so you can't go back on your word."

"Okay, it's not like you have to wear it."

With a helpless sigh, Victoria turned around and pulled Sophie along with her.

Upon arriving at the door, Li Xiaoen waited quietly for the two girls to examine their outfits in the full-length mirror before leading them out.

The soundproofing of Princeton University's dormitories truly lives up to its reputation, as stated in the dormitory description. Just stepping outside, the normally normal sounds of laughter and chatter outside suddenly become noisy and disruptive, blasting straight into your ears.

Li Xiaoen looked around, exchanged a glance with the two girls, and then walked towards the grassy area where the crowd was the most dense and where different stalls were set up.

On the grass and in the bushes, goblins or skulls with ferocious faces peek out. The streetlights cast a dim yellow light, veiled by a thin veil and long hair, swaying in the autumn wind. On the grass in front of other dormitories nearby, there is a bloody "murder scene," with the "victim" tilting their head and awkwardly beckoning to passersby...

People come and go, including many dressed as ghosts and monsters. They gather and chat, creating a joyful and harmonious atmosphere in this place filled with faintly eerie music.

"Sean, it's so lively!"

Victoria's eyes were glued to the various novel and interesting Halloween costumes, and she excitedly grabbed the arm of the young man beside her.

"Yes, it's quite lively."

Li Xiaoen nodded, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over the Silent Hill nurse not far away, Tomie in her JK uniform, and even the tall, imposing Madam. Suddenly realizing the two pairs of eyes fixed on him, he looked over.

"..."

"Um……"

After a moment of hesitation, Li Xiaoen let out a long sigh, gestured towards a small stall on the grass where the two girls were standing, and took the lead in walking over there.

"Let's go check out that stall; maybe there's something interesting there."

"Is this what men are like?"

Turning their gaze away from the back of the young man walking nonchalantly ahead, the two girls exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison.

The crowd gathered in front of the stall was overwhelming. Li Xiaoen looked over and his gaze immediately became fixed.

Before the stall stood a figure dressed in an intricately patterned dress, adorned with an exquisitely designed silver hairpin, and wearing a brightly colored mask with a ferocious expression. She was dancing to the accompaniment of ancient and melodious chanting.

He couldn't help but take a deep breath, staring intently into the distance.

Only after the music ended, the dance finished, and the crowd gradually dispersed did Li Xiaoen walk through the crowd and stand in front of that figure.

"Senior, are you from China? Is this Nuo opera from our region?"

Li Xiaoen asked in surprise, speaking in Chinese.

The figure looked up, removed her mask, revealing the face of a typical Chinese girl. She smiled and nodded, answering in Chinese as she walked back to her stall.

“Yes, it’s good that you recognize me, Sean.”

"Senior, do you know me?" Li Xiaoen was taken aback.

“On the East Coast of America, among the Chinese students studying abroad, who doesn’t know you, Sean?”

The Chinese senior student chuckled and nodded. "My name is Gan Wanhui, and I'm from Jiangxi Province. I've heard Meng Yufan mention you before."

"Li Xiaoen is from Yuecheng."

Li Xiaoen smiled and nodded, "I remember, Jiangxi Province is the birthplace of Nuo Opera, right?"

"Yes, that's rare. Sean, you know quite a bit about Nuo opera."

Gan Wanhui was somewhat surprised, "Nowadays, very few young people understand this, let alone international students, it's even more rare."

"I understand what you mean. I've only seen it before and have a basic understanding of it."

Li Xiaoen nodded and smiled helplessly. Noticing the two girls who had come to her side, she couldn't help but ask, "Senior, do you sell Nuo masks at your stall?"

"Nuo masks cannot be worn casually."

Gan Wanhui smiled helplessly and said, "Usually, it is only worn during sacrifices or performances, on special occasions. My father and others have repeatedly told me that Nuo opera is too solemn and should not be overly entertaining."

"Understandable."

Looking at the exquisite mask that his senior had taken off, Li Xiaoen nodded seriously, though he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

There may be many shops selling or making them online, but the patterns he saw were not as exquisite as this one.

In a foreign land, he preferred masks with Chinese cultural elements to various clowns and faceless men's masks.

“There’s no other way. Nuo opera needs to be passed down, but we also need to avoid it from becoming too entertainment-oriented. I understand their thoughts and have communicated with my father and others many times.”

Seeing Li Xiaoen's expression, Gan Wanhui shook her head with a sigh, "So, I'll take advantage of this Halloween to perform here at Princeton."

"I see."

Li Xiaoen nodded, unable to help but feel a deep respect for the Chinese senior student in front of her.

"I want to buy a mask for my girlfriend to wear?"

Having already noticed the two pretty white girls beside the young man, Gan Wanhui asked mischievously, switching back to English this time, which surprised all three of them for a moment.

"Friendship."

Faced with two burning gazes fixed on him, Li Xiaoen explained helplessly.

"Okay, okay, friend."

With a chuckle, Gan Wanhui already knew that this Chinese junior was very popular with girls. After arriving at the booth, she stood next to a Chinese companion.

"We don't have Nuo masks, but we have other Chinese masks here. Do you see any you like?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoen lowered his gaze, scanning the dazzling array of masks on the table before looking at Su Feier, who had come to his side: "Take a look, is there any you like?"

Victoria is dressed as a witch, while Sophie is dressed in everyday clothes. Wearing a mask is not troublesome and may allow her to participate more in Halloween.

Sophie nodded, her gaze sweeping over the masks on the table. She picked up a red and white half-mask that only covered the eyes and forehead and examined it closely.

"This is a mask of the nine-tailed fox in our Chinese culture, representing a beautiful and alluring female character."

Gan Wanhui smiled and reminded her, "It suits your appearance very well."

"Um……"

With a soft hum, Sophie nodded and smiled, "I bought it."

"Junior, and this pretty girl, which one do you want?"

Nodding, Gan Wanhui shifted her gaze to Li Xiaoen and Victoria.

Leaving the stall, unlike when they arrived, besides Victoria, Li Xiaoen and Su Feier each wore an exquisite mask. The two, who were already outstanding in temperament and had perfect figures, attracted a lot of attention.

Victoria looked up at the two people dressed similarly, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Because she was dressed as a witch, wearing a mask would clash with her appearance, so only Sophie and Li Xiaon, who had nothing, bought one. Li Xiaon bought a silver Qilin half-mask.

Whether they were stunningly beautiful or fiercely menacing, the two of them looked surprisingly well-matched when they walked together.

Curious, the group wandered around and eventually came to a "food area" with several stalls.

The stall attracted many people, but most of them just watched from a distance, discussing and exchanging ideas in hushed tones, with very few people actually coming forward to discuss or buy anything.

On the table were bloody "kidneys," "brains," "intestines," and various other organs, as well as various "human limbs" displayed separately and hanging on iron hooks. The scene made everyone frown.

"hey-hey……"

The person laughing behind the stall was a large, fat boy wearing a white mask and a blood-stained apron. He was holding a obviously fake chainsaw and waving it above his head.

Is this Leatherface Babu?

Li Xiaoen thought to himself, if nothing unexpected happens, the stall is probably filled with bread, but it's so good and so realistic that no one is buying it.

As expected, because it was too realistic, it was reported by students, and a staff member from the student organization department in charge of organizing the Halloween event came. The "leather-faced" guy who was just shouting immediately apologized with a wry smile, and even picked up a knife to cut open those creepy things, revealing the truth of the cake inside.

An outstanding pastry chef can indeed make such a realistic cake, Li Xiaoen thought to himself. After safely seeing off the staff, the "leather-faced" man behind the stall began to actively call out to the crowd to buy.

"Do you want some?"

Li Xiaoen turned to look at the two girls, who both shook their heads in unison. "Then let's go to the next stop."

Wandering around the entire meadow, walking along some of the surrounding paths, and entering the school's old Gothic buildings, the three of them bought some colorful sugar-frosted "poison apples" to try, participated in a pumpkin lantern carving competition, bent down to bite apples into the water, experienced a live horror movie simulation, and went to a haunted house...

The afternoon flew by, and night slowly enveloped the world, gradually bringing the Halloween atmosphere at Princeton to a climax.

At Victoria's prompting, the three returned to their dormitory and had just finished a quick dinner when Serafina and Mary seized the opportunity to barge in.

"Where did you go this afternoon? I've looked everywhere for you and can't find you. No one answers the phone!"

Serafina protested indignantly.

She wore a blood-red dress and her face was painted deathly pale, making her look like a vampire. In contrast, Mary wore a coat and trousers with gray fur, and looked like a werewolf.

The three stared in surprise at Serafina and Marie, then burst into apologetic laughter.

"Sorry, my phone was on silent this afternoon, so I didn't hear your call."

Victoria apologized first, then laughed and said, "The festival night is even more lively, it's not too late for us to go for a walk now."

Before entering the haunted house, we were asked by the staff to silence our phones, and once we started playing, we didn't look at our phones for the entire afternoon.

“Come here, Sean.”

Victoria held the pumpkin head out to Li Xiaoen, smiling sweetly, "Now that it's getting dark, you should wear it, right?"

"It's not dark enough yet, the fluorescent light isn't bright enough."

Li Xiaoen glanced at the sky outside and muttered to himself. Noticing the girl's face darken, he could only chuckle and put the pumpkin head on.

"Wow, this pumpkin head is actually quite cool."

Serafina and Marie looked up and couldn't help but sigh.

"This is a work that Sophie and I meticulously crafted."

Victoria nodded proudly, took Sean Lee's arm, and walked outside. "Come on, Sean, let's go outside."

"Ah...Victoria, the pumpkin head you carved is so beautiful."

Following the girl's lead, Li Xiaoen walked towards the outside, and said in a drawn-out voice with a smile, "By the way, Serafina, help me write a piece of paper that says 'Designed by Victoria' and stick it on the back of this pumpkin head."

"Shut up! That's not what I meant!"

Victoria turned around, gave a coquettish scolding, but couldn't suppress her smile. She then grabbed Li Xiaoen's arm with both hands and quickly led him out of the playground.

As autumn nights fall in late October, a cool night breeze blows incessantly, and the pale blue "flames" on the pumpkin head "rise" and the fluorescent light outlines the unevenly carved holes on its left and right sides, adding a touch of bizarre eeriness to the familiar horror.

The group immediately attracted the attention of many passersby, some of whom even took out their phones and snapped photos incessantly, with flashes going off continuously.

Li Xiaoen turned his head helplessly to look at the girl next to him, then simply raised his arm and put it on her shoulder, leaning his body close to hers, and facing all the cameras, he made a peace sign.

"A bizarre pumpkin-headed monster, and an evil witch..."

"Sean, can't you stand up on your own?"

With a coquettish laugh, Victoria tried to push the young man away from her, but to no avail. Helplessly, she slumped her shoulders and forced a smile as she faced the flashing cameras.

"Your aesthetic sense is absolutely terrible. Can't you use any other hand gesture besides the peace sign?"

Victoria glanced at the young man's other hand and muttered a helpless complaint.

"Does it matter?"

Li Xiaoen laughed twice, tilted his head, and tapped the tip of the girl's big magic hat with his pumpkin head. "Beautiful witch, being happy is the most important thing. Who cares about what pose looks good or what pose makes a picture?"

"Humph……"

With a soft hum, Victoria turned her head away noncommittally, but ultimately couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

After a brief display of his skills, Li Xiaoen raised his hand and pulled Victoria away from the crowd, disappearing into the thronged grassy field.

“Sophie, Serafina, Mary…”

Only after they stopped did Victoria realize she had pulled her arm away from the young man's and quickly walked over to her three friends. "Did you take a picture of me and that pumpkin-headed Sean just now?"

"Here, take a look. And take a picture of it for me while you're at it."

Serafina handed the phone to Victoria, chuckled, and quickly walked to Sean Lee's side, raising her hands to grab the young man's neck and leaning her head over.

"hey-hey……"

Startled by the hand that suddenly surrounded his neck, Li Xiaoen quickly pulled it away and took a half step back. "Taking pictures is fine, but why are you choking me?"

"I am a vampire."

Seraphine's expression darkened slightly as she explained with displeasure, "What's the point of just standing there blankly? You know you're supposed to be posing with Victoria."

"There's some truth to that."

Li Xiaoen nodded seriously, "But why am I the victim?"

"Otherwise, what specific pose could a pumpkin head like you possibly have?"

Serafina narrowed her eyes slightly.

Unfortunately, I do have it.

Li Xiaoen chuckled, drew the lightsaber he had prepared from his waist, lit it, twirled it casually, and held it against Serafina's neck.

"The holy sword slays the vampire, this pose is pretty good too."

"Victoria, are you done taking pictures?"

While Serafina was stunned, Sean Lee turned to look at Victoria.

"It's done."

Victoria held up her phone and nodded with a smile.

"It's my turn now."

Realizing what was happening, Serafina removed the lightsaber from her neck, gritted her teeth, glared at the young man in front of her, quickly walked closer, jumped onto his back, and still peered at his neck.

"Seraphina, you actually bit me..."

Feeling a warm, wet sensation on her neck, Li Xiaoen cried out and swayed from side to side. It was only with the help of other girls that she was finally freed from her ordeal.

Victoria didn't capture this pose, but Mary did, and Serafina was extremely satisfied with it.

Next, there was Mary. To Lee Shawn's surprise, Sophie didn't choose to take any individual photos with him.

After strolling around with a few girls and playing around with the various newly added attractions for a while, Li Xiaoen led them to the center of the meadow, in front of the festively decorated catwalk.

At this moment, students dressed in various costumes were walking back and forth on the stage, which was lit up with lights. Each uniquely designed costume would elicit a lot of exclamations.

"Sean, do you want to go up?"

Victoria turned her head in surprise and asked.

No prior registration is required for these festival fashion shows. With the aim of celebrating the festival, any student who is interested can take turns walking the runway as long as they line up.

"I made an appointment with some friends to go up there."

Li Xiaoen nodded, then looked at the girls and asked, "Are you coming too?"

The suggestion was met with a resounding rejection from all the girls, but Li Xiaoen didn't mind. He briefly said goodbye to them and headed towards the long queue at the back of the show.

"Sean..."

From afar, just as he caught sight of a figure with white and blond hair, Li Xiaoen saw Daniel and the other two waving at him.

How did you know it was me?

Li Xiaoen walked over and asked in surprise.

Daniel and his friends were unaware of the pumpkin head incident, and his lightsaber remained hanging at his waist, undrawn.

"I could tell just by the way you walked over."

Daniel looked helpless, and his voice sounded somewhat sour.

Just as Sean Lee frowned in confusion, he heard Malcolm chime in with amusement.

"Sean, Daniel is right. Your body proportions and the way you walk are perfect and handsome, just like a model."

"is it?"

Li Xiaoen paused for a moment, then turned to look at Daniel with a look of horror.

"Hey hey hey..."

Daniel's face darkened. "What kind of look are you giving me? I've never said anything like that. We know each other so well, do you think I wouldn't recognize you, even if you didn't know your brain?"

"makes sense."

It was just a joke, so Li Xiaoen nodded indifferently before finally taking a closer look at the three people's outfits.

As mentioned before, Daniel is the white-haired Sephiroth, Michael is the blond Saber, and Malcolm, the black man, is a Jedi Knight dressed simply in a black robe. Without exception, all three wear masks drawn for their respective characters.

Although it's quite obvious up close, there's a small distance between the runway and the audience, so it shouldn't matter.

Meanwhile, the three of them also looked at the pumpkin head on his head and couldn't help but be amazed. After asking a few simple questions, Daniel ran towards the dormitory.

"Your masks and costumes don't seem to need fluorescent powder."

Looking left and right at Michael and Malcolm, Shawn Lee sighed helplessly.

Daniel and Michael insisted on adding him because they thought his pumpkin head looked cool with the blue light.

"Who cares? Isn't it cool to be covered in blue flames?"

Marco waved his hand dismissively, then, as if struck by a thought, his eyes widened with excitement.

"Hey, I know a classmate who's in charge of the lighting on the catwalk. When the four of us go up for the show, I'll ask them to turn off the lights, okay?"

"Once it gets dark, our fluorescent powder will be even more noticeable, and it will definitely shock the entire audience!"

(End of this chapter)