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

Chapter 178 A Few Things About the End of the Semester

After Thanksgiving, there was a short period of intense and tedious review, followed by the final exams for each subject.

Following Professor Alaric's instructions, Sean Lee entered the password into a safe in his office before he could retrieve several thickly wrapped paper bags. A strong smell of ink and paper filled his nostrils.

If nothing unexpected happens, these exam papers were put into the safe as soon as they were printed, not long after.

Li Xiaoen thought to himself, and according to the invigilation time and classroom arrangement, he arrived at the second-year calculus exam room fifteen minutes before the exam started.

As with the other exam rooms, the classrooms were noisy with students, some chatting about their holiday plans, others cramming at the last minute, and anxiously asking questions about the exam topics.

Even at a prestigious university like Princeton, the scene before exams is the same.

Li Xiaoen sighed inwardly, without making a sound to disturb them. He went straight to the podium, put down the sealed bag of exam papers, picked up the chalk, turned around, and wrote the subject and time of the exam on the blackboard.

There wasn't much information about the exam, only the subject and time, but as he slowly finished writing and turned around, the noise in the entire classroom suddenly subsided.

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Sean Lee. Professor Alaric is unable to proctor the exam and specifically asked me to help out. This has been approved by the Dean of Academic Affairs."

Facing the surprised and puzzled gazes of the entire classroom, Li Xiaoen murmured, glancing down at the time on his phone, "There are still thirteen minutes left. I suggest everyone sit quietly in their seats and talk in hushed tones until the exam starts on time."

Upon hearing this, the hushed noise in the classroom seemed to be switched on again, and then it rang out.

Li Xiaoen didn't care. He sat down on the podium and leisurely looked at the various students on the steps. He was quite moved.

This was his first time proctoring an exam, and he never expected it to be such a novel experience—an exam that others faced with tension was, to him, an insignificant trifle, a routine matter.

Admittedly, although he was in charge of proctoring, he was actually only responsible for collecting and distributing the exam papers and handing them over to another teacher who helped grade them. Princeton implemented an unproctored "honor code" mechanism, which required students to sign an integrity pledge and ensured the authenticity of the exam only through random checks and spot checks of the exam papers.

His gaze drifted away, and noticing the stares fixed on him, Li Xiaoen turned his head and saw Amelia sitting quietly in the corner.

Oh, so this girl with glasses is a sophomore.

Li Xiaoen gave a meaningful smile, but unfortunately, the girl in the distance rolled her eyes and looked away.

In any other situation, he would definitely go over and tease the other person.

Shaking his head helplessly, and seeing that it was almost time, Li Xiaoen stood up and tapped the blackboard, which solidified the atmosphere in the classroom, which was noticeably more relaxed than before.

After opening the sealed packaging bag and distributing the test papers, Li Xiaoen had completed half of his work.

The questions on the test were even simpler than those in the competition, and some questions even had simpler conditions modified. Li Xiaoen glanced at them briefly and lost interest. He sat on the podium, propped his chin up, and scanned the students who were engrossed in answering the questions.

Feeling a bit bored, Li Xiaoen suddenly thought of something and got up to walk over to the seats on the upper steps.

After passing Amelia's seat and stopping, Lee Shawn looked down at her for a while.

"Ugh……"

With a sigh of regret, Li Xiaoen took another step and walked away.

He slowly walked around and inspected the area, then stood next to the girl again, repeating the same action as before. When he saw Amelia frowning and looking down at the test paper, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but find it a little funny.

Just as he was about to try it a few more times, a sharp pain shot through his foot when he stood in that spot again, causing him to hiss loudly. Without saying anything more, he quickly pulled his foot away from the girl's foot and strode toward the podium.

Avoiding Amelia's angry glare, Lee Shawn shrugged and sat back down on the podium.

With nothing fun left, he yawned, propped his chin up, and suddenly noticed two classmates whispering to each other in the back row. His brows furrowed slightly.

"Cough cough..."

After coughing twice, Li Xiaoen still never imagined that he would be doing such a thing one day. "Although I am here to proctor the exam in place of Professor Alaric, and Princeton's exam proctoring system is based on the 'honor code' and everyone is expected to comply, if I find any students cheating, I will report it to the provost."

The United States places great importance on the fairness of exams, and is especially known for its universities' zero-tolerance policy of expelling students who are found guilty of cheating. This simple statement made all the students in the exam hall tense.

From then until the end of the exam, Li Xiaoen did not see any more students who obviously cheated. After a moment of contemplation, he gave up the idea of ​​exposing the two students he had personally witnessed who were suspected of cheating.

As he bent down to organize the exam papers, a figure with a furrowed brow stood up beside him.

Turning his head to glance at Amelia, Li Xiaon nodded to greet her, "You're also a student on the professor's competition team, come and help tidy up."

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly stepped back with one foot to avoid being trampled.

Looking up, Li Xiaoen met a pair of slightly narrowed, annoyed eyes. He shrugged helplessly. "I was just tired and yawning. I didn't mean anything."

"I haven't even asked yet! How did you know you were talking about that?"

Gritting her teeth and glaring, Amelia picked up a neatly arranged stack of exam papers and slapped it at the young man, sneering, "Are you admitting it without being asked?"

"..."

After tilting his head and pondering for a moment, it seemed to be true. Li Xiaoen had no choice but to give up explaining, raised his chin, and forced a smile, "You are also a member of the competition, and you even got fourth place in the individual competition. This kind of test is nothing to you. I was just joking with you to relax."

"Still not as good as someone else."

Gritting her teeth and staring intently at the young man, Amelia gave a light, angry snort. "They're all so capable they can proctor exams for professors, and they even use their proctoring status to play pranks on people, or subtly hint at cheating to scare them..."

Li Xiaoen was taken aback upon hearing this, then shook his head and sighed, "I really did see it..."

He was speaking when two male students walked over with their backpacks, forcing him to stop.

"Sean, are you Professor Alaric's teaching assistant?"

The two students, carrying backpacks, stood in front of the podium. They were the two students Li Xiaoen had seen whispering to each other earlier.

He casually handed the test paper to Amelia, which earned him a glare from the girl. Li Xiaoen smiled and shook his head.

"No, Professor Alaric asked me to proctor the exam, and it was also approved by the Dean of Academic Affairs. Is there a problem?"

The atmosphere visibly grew increasingly tense. Amelia, who was helping to organize the test papers, looked over with wide, concerned eyes.

The two exchanged a glance, and one of the boys' expressions darkened.

"Professor Alaric entrusted this task to you. You should do your best to do what you are supposed to do, instead of using this position to show off."

"The school doesn't need invigilators, so what did you mean by shouting that during the exam?"

"is it?"

Completely surprised that the other party would turn the tables, Li Xiaoen shrugged casually. "Leaving aside showing off and bragging, since the professor entrusted me with this task, I should fulfill the responsibilities of his position, such as..."

After a pause, Li Xiaoen looked at the two casually, "Whether you cheated or not, I have the right to investigate and supervise you two individually, and if cheating is confirmed, I will expel you from school."

Upon hearing this, the two fell silent, their brows furrowing as they looked at each other.

"Sean, first place in the PUMAC Mathematics Competition individual competition. You can check it on the school website. Is that enough?"

Just then, Amelia, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up, causing all three of them to look over in surprise.

The two boys realized what had happened, lowered their heads, and ultimately said nothing more before turning around and quickly leaving.

So, directly raising a banner is this effective?

Turning his gaze away from the departing figures of the two, Lee Shawn's expression became subtle, and he couldn't help but glance at Amelia.

"You're quite smart."

"Thank you for the compliment."

With a soft hum, Amelia turned her head to the other side.

"Thanks for your help."

Ignoring it, Li Xiaoen put the test paper back into the paper bag, waved, and turned to leave, saying, "Goodbye, have fun during winter break."

"Eh……"

Upon hearing this, she quickly turned around, but could only see the young man's dashing departing figure. Amelia took a deep breath, picked up her backpack, and left alone—she still wanted to confirm with Li Xiaoen whether the two students had really cheated.

For several days in a row, Li Xiaoen didn't have to take exams or do practice questions. Instead, he had to go to several exam rooms to distribute and collect exam papers. The initial novelty wore off, and he finally understood the boredom of the exam room teachers looking out of the classroom and hoping for the task to end.

After finishing their psychology fundamentals exam on the last afternoon, under the glow of the setting sun, Li Xiaoen drove Victoria and the other girls to a nearby small airport.

"Parting is such a sweet sorrow."

Looking at the small private plane that was already quietly parked ahead and had started moving, Li Xiaoen smiled and shook his head, sighing.

"Mr. Sean, we're not Romeo and Juliet, are we?"

Victoria casually handed her suitcase to the woman who came down from the plane, suppressing her reluctance, and swept her long hair behind her back, saying with a smile on her lips.

The young man's words were the same lines spoken by Romeo and Juliet in the play when they said goodbye.

"of course not."

Li Xiaon shook his head. "See you next month, beautiful witch."

"Humph……"

With a soft hum, Victoria, barely satisfied, turned around and bid a reluctant farewell to the girls. Just before boarding the plane, she turned back and shouted, "Remember to chat a lot in our group chat..."

"it is good--"

With drawn-out sounds, the group waved goodbye with smiles, watching the plane slowly move forward until it took off.

"Finally, the exams are over..."

Yawning, Li Xiaon couldn't help but glance at Serafina and Mary, "Have you decided where to go for your winter break trip?"

"It's not decided yet."

They exchanged a glance and shook their heads regretfully. "With none of you three around, there's no point in us two going out to play."

Why does that sound so strange?
Li Xiaoen hesitated for a moment, then escorted the girls back to their dorms. When he opened his own door, he was surprised to find Michael and his two companions in the living room as well.

"what happened?"

As he stepped inside, he saw Daniel sitting on the sofa, hunched over with his hands covering his face, and Michael and Malcolm with slightly furrowed brows. Shawn Lee couldn't help but ask.

"Daniel got dumped by his girlfriend."

Malcolm opened his mouth but couldn't speak. Michael then looked up from his phone and replied, "Even the money I borrowed for my plane ticket back to Seattle was stolen."

"You tricked them?"

After a moment of surprise, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but glance down at Daniel. Seeing his dejected look, which seemed to be questioning the meaning of life, it was indeed consistent with the experience of losing both money and love. "Isn't Daniel's girlfriend a student at Princeton? Is there nothing you can do about it?"

"Actually, it's not really a lie."

Malcolm forced a smile and explained, "According to Daniel, Olivia asked him to spend money on her, and he impulsively bought it after she acted cute."

"..."

"I should have told you sooner."

With a strange smile on his face, Sean Lee looked at Daniel helplessly and sighed, "Didn't Michael say before that Olivia changed several boyfriends in just a few months of school? You shouldn't have invested so much real emotion in her."

"Yes."

Michael nodded in agreement and offered a reassuring sigh, "But Daniel, you don't have to be like this. At least you made it to base, so you didn't lose out, right?" "I never intended for our relationship to last long!"

Upon hearing this, Daniel suddenly raised his head as if his hair had been bristled. Only then did the others notice his pale face and bloodshot eyes, which startled them.

His expression was clearly agitated. Daniel gritted his teeth and gasped for breath as he spoke, "She's been asking me to buy her food for the past few days. We're a couple, so I did it out of concern. But after several days, do you know what I found when I went there at noon today?"

After a pause, Daniel looked around at the three of them, organized his thoughts, and took several breaths before finally exhaling, "She was having an affair with a man in the dorm, and I was the one who brought them food!"

"I can break up with her if she wants, but she and that guy have been sleeping together all along, and I even helped feed those two sons of bitches. I want to kill someone just thinking about it!"

He roared angrily, and as soon as he finished speaking, the entire living room fell into a deathly silence.

"Oh my god..."

Even Michael frowned and exclaimed in surprise, while Sean Lee and Malcolm were speechless.

So, is this the kind of love that I saw in American TV dramas or sitcoms back in China, the kind that belongs exclusively to this free country?
Li Xiaoen frowned uncomfortably, feeling a mix of emotions. After studying abroad peacefully for several months, he had finally begun to see some of the stereotypes he had been presented with.

"Don't worry, Daniel."

Michael waved his hand reassuringly, "I'll edit the lines I'll use to curse that bitch later, so you can vent your anger."

"Should we still go to their door to demand justice face-to-face?"

Sean Lee raised an eyebrow. After all, according to what Daniel had said before, their financial dealings didn't amount to fraud. At most, it was just like infidelity, which could only be condemned on a moral level.

"of course not."

Michael smiled slyly, "I have a loudspeaker in my dorm. Let's go down to their dorm building and shout it out so everyone knows about it."

"If you tell anyone about this, aren't you putting Daniel in a very difficult position?"

Malcolm also exclaimed in surprise, which made Daniel's gloomy face freeze for a moment, and he looked over in shock.

"No, can't I just not mention Daniel?"

Michael spread his hands to explain.

"Instead of doing this, you might as well just vent your emotions and call her a bitch. That would be much more satisfying."

Li Xiaoen answered helplessly, then turned to look at Daniel and Malcolm, receiving their unanimous agreement before adding, "Or perhaps, should we have Malcolm write a rap that mocks her?"

“Hey, I can’t, I can’t rap.” Malcolm quickly shook his head, rejecting this stereotype.

"How about we go to their dorm building tonight and yell at them?"

Clearly, the pent-up resentment had finally found an opportunity to vent, and Daniel looked over with some interest. "When the school security came looking for us, we hid in the garden next door."

"That would be too conspicuous and too obvious."

Not minding helping Daniel vent his anger in this way, Li Xiaoen stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before looking up and raising an eyebrow at the three people's expectant gazes. "You guys forgot, I bought a drone before."

"You mean, send a drone with a loudspeaker to yell at her?"

Michael paused for a moment, "Then I have to shout there too?"

"you're so dumb?"

The three turned to look at Michael blankly, but Daniel finally spoke up and cursed, "Isn't it a wireless, WiFi, or Bluetooth amplifier?"

"Mine is wired!"

Michael glared at him. "If you have money, go buy it."

These words left Daniel, who didn't have a single coin in his pocket, speechless.

"I'll pay for the megaphone."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Sean Lee waved his hand helplessly and took over the conversation, handing Daniel two hundred dollars. "By the way, I'll book your plane tickets back to Seattle for you too."

He's rich now, and he'll be even richer in the future. Given the current relationship between them, he's happy to help.

Upon hearing this, Daniel and Michael exchanged a glance, then quickly stood up and leaned against each other, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces.

"Boss, we're following you from now on! Just let us know if you need anything!"

"Hey hey hey..."

Frowning, Li Xiaoen took a step back and waved her hand dismissively, "Don't touch me. Is that tears and snot on your clothes?"

"It's not like I was the one who got dumped..."

Michael paused, glanced down at his clothes, and then angrily grabbed Daniel by the neck. "You son of a bitch, when did you get my clothes dirty?"

……

The evening arrived as the group busily made arrangements.

In a dark corner of the garden outside the dormitory building, Li Xiaoen fixed the loudspeaker to the drone, operated it to take off, tested it, and then controlled it to fly into the sky.

"Daniel, which dorm room is your girlfriend in? Are you sure she'll be in her dorm tonight?"

"She's on the eleventh floor, in the third room from the left! I'm sure she's in her dorm!"

Daniel nodded firmly, as if just realizing what she meant, then quickly explained, "Don't say that, I have nothing to do with her anymore!"

"I know, I even took time off to go to GAP for them back then."

With a chuckle, Li Xiaoen piloted the drone in the direction Daniel had indicated, stopping a short distance from the dormitory building. He turned to Michael and Daniel and said, "I've altered the voice on the loudspeaker. You guys remember the things to keep in mind when you're swearing, right?"

"I know, but I can't reveal the other person's name or identity."

Daniel could not hide his excitement and nodded emphatically to Michael.

It was only after Li Xiaoen's earlier reminder that he realized that as long as the specific person's identity was not revealed, no matter how fiercely they cursed, the consequences would not be too serious if they were found out later.

"Alright, it's your turn to perform."

While keeping the drone suspended in the air, Li Xiaoen raised his chin at the two of them.

His body trembled with excitement. Daniel had just opened his mouth to speak into the microphone when Michael leaned in close.

"Cheating bitch, money-scamming bitch, f**k you..."

"Give me back the money I got to go home..."

The loud noise emanating from the drone's speakers startled the entire dormitory building, causing the lights in the previously dark dorm rooms to come on and fill with a cacophony of sounds.

"You son of a bitch, I'm the one who got cheated on, why are you grabbing the microphone like that?"

Daniel snapped out of his daze, pushed Michael away, then leaned down into the microphone and yelled, "You cheating bitch, your genitals stink so badly, I always manage to suppress my disgust..."

"You money-grubbing bitch, do you desperately need that money to treat your specific illness...?"

"You cheating bitch, f**k you, f**k you, f**k you..."

Standing to the side, Shawn Lee initially thought that was all Americans said when he heard Michael swearing, until he heard Daniel's all-out outburst, at which point his eyes widened.

I must say, it's quite aggressive.

Some of the details Daniel mentioned disgusted him, but certain features of the other person's private parts clearly pointed to the target of his insults, making him nod repeatedly as he listened.

Olivia knew they were insulting her, but the others didn't. The message was precisely targeted at the right person, but she couldn't stand up to defend herself or defend her rights. Standing up would almost be tantamount to admitting it. Even so, the others could deny it outright. After all, who knew she was the only one with these characteristics?
No wonder he was able to get into Princeton University.

Li Xiaoen sighed inwardly, when Malcolm, who had been keeping watch, rushed over.

"Quickly pack your things and run! The school security is coming!"

Only then did the group snap out of their daze, frantically packing up and hiding. They operated the drone to land in the park to conceal their presence before controlling it to fly back. Taking the microphone from the megaphone, Li Xiaoen quickly walked towards a dark corner of the garden.

In just about ten seconds, Li Xiaoen walked out again under the astonished gazes of the group.

"Sean, you've only been hiding for such a short time, aren't you afraid of being discovered by the security guards during the search?"

Daniel cried out in alarm.

"Don't worry, I'm confident, you don't need to worry."

In reality, it's storage space. Li Xiaoen nodded and smiled reassuringly, "What do you need to worry about when I do things?"

"That's true……"

The group exchanged glances, then nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on, let's celebrate the end of this semester and have a happy holiday."

Smiling, Li Xiaoen took a can of cola that Daniel had prepared beforehand, opened it, and lifted it into the air.

"Ha ha……"

The group exchanged glances, then picked up their own cans and brought them over, clashing them together violently.

Despite the noisy search outside the garden and the commotion of the students in the dormitory, they were now quite excited. Even Malcolm, who usually only smiled reservedly, burst into laughter.

"cheers--"

As they strolled leisurely back home, just outside the garden, they heard a shout.

"Hey... what are you guys doing?"

"We took a walk in the park as a farewell chat before the winter break."

After glancing at Daniel and the others, Sean Lee took the initiative to answer.

"You were chatting goodbye, and then you went out into a garden full of mosquitoes at night?"

The guard frowned suspiciously, scrutinizing the group as he looked them over.

"Is there anything strange?"

Sean Lee shrugged. "Believe it or not, we're going to take a dog named Bruce on a trip later and have him drive?"

"..."

His expression turned strange, but the guard finally waved his hand helplessly, "Be careful, and go home early after the exam."

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

……

The next day.

Li Xiaoen got up early, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and knocked on the doors of two girls' dormitories.

Victoria has gone back; he came to see Sophie—today was the club's last hiking activity of the semester.

(End of this chapter)