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

Chapter 179 Hiking, Winter Sunrise
It was already mid-December, and at 5:30 a.m., it was still dark. The alley between the dormitories was lit by dim yellow lights, and the surrounding area was deserted and desolate.

When his knocking went unanswered by Suffer, Li Xiaoen leaned back and looked through the curtains to see the lights on inside before he was sure enough to knock again.

"Sophie, I'm here..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door in front of him opened, revealing the girl's figure wearing a windbreaker and pants.

"Oh, it's Romeo..."

Sophie looked up and said slowly, "Your Juliet isn't here."

"There's no need to say that."

Li Xiaoen shrugged, smiled and looked at the girl with her arms crossed in front of her chest, "I'm here to see the bad woman, I have a date with her."

"I'm sorry, she's not here either."

After muttering something, Su Feier was about to close the door when Li Xiaoen quickly pushed her into the room. He lowered his head and kissed her red lips, the cool touch fleeting. "Alright, hurry up and get ready to leave, lest the organization's captain call to urge us on."

After staring at the young man for a while, Suffer rolled her eyes and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

After putting down his backpack in the living room, Li Xiaoen followed him inside.

"Did you make me any breakfast? I haven't had breakfast yet."

"We only have coffee. For breakfast, you can toast two slices of bread yourself."

With a casual reply, Sophie poured coffee into both cups and pushed one of them towards her.

"Ok."

Sophie was being difficult, and it was unrealistic to expect her to go to the same lengths as Victoria to prepare a lavish breakfast for him. Sean Lee shrugged, put two slices of bread into the machine, and then took a sip of coffee.

Feeling the silky and fragrant rich flavor in his mouth, he couldn't help but take a deep breath and nod repeatedly.

"I didn't expect you to make such good coffee, Suffer. On such a cold December morning, a cup of this is really refreshing."

"Um……"

Nodding casually, Suffer lowered her head and pursed her lips, but a slight smile still crept onto her face.

That's what she thought too; the fact that the young man could think on the same wavelength as her undoubtedly made her happy.

"Would you like to wear a couple more layers?"

After a quick breakfast, the two of them headed out with their backpacks. It was still dark. Feeling the cold wind blowing on their faces, Li Xiaoen turned his head and asked, "Don't worry, don't worry about the weight or space. Once it gets warmer, you can leave it to me."

"No, I'm just not used to it yet, I just came out from indoors."

Sophie had already put on the hoodie, shook her head in reply, and exhaled a puff of white mist as she spoke.

Even so, she moved closer, her body pressing against him.

Li Xiaoen opened his arms and pulled the girl into his embrace. He shook his head helplessly. "Why don't you wait until next semester, when the weather is warmer, to go?"

Not only is the weather cold now, but his original flight home had to be rescheduled because of this.

No sooner had he finished speaking than he felt a moderate elbow strike to his abdomen. Fortunately, with his stamina reaching 12 points, his muscles had become much thicker, so he was no longer worried about the impact.

"Sean, you've gotten even stronger..."

A surprised voice came from inside her arms.

"Yes, it's the result of exercising and controlling my diet all along."

Nodding in response, knowing that Sophie often touched his chest and abdomen, Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow again, "Sophie, do you know? I exercised for you..."

"Humph……"

Suffer gave a soft hum, seemingly unsure of what to do, as she felt the young man's scent and warmth envelop her. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but it made her feel at ease. She couldn't help but prop herself up on her arms and bump into him again.

"This is perfect enough. Don't build up any more muscles. That won't look good."

It would take at least a year for a normal person to achieve this physique and results. She had personally witnessed the changes in Li Xiaoen's body from the beginning of the school year to now, and she was amazed by the young man's talent for physical training. She was really afraid that if the young man continued to train, he would eventually become one of those big guys.

It's fine as it is now; it looks tall and strong without being exaggerated.

"I think so too."

The girl acknowledged the training's effectiveness, and Li Xiaoen nodded with a smile, "For you..."

He had barely finished emphasizing the words when he was bumped again.

The two walked slowly to the school parking lot, waited a moment to confirm that everyone had gathered, and then boarded the bus with the group.

This hiking activity was originally scheduled before the final exams, but it was postponed to after the final exams because of the need to prepare for them.

Because some of the students who signed up had already left school, and the departure was scheduled for 5 a.m., the number of participants was reduced by almost half. However, those who did participate were undoubtedly experienced students or students with a strong desire to hike.

Even though Meng Yufan, the senior student from China, had gone home this time, and Li Xiaoen only knew Su Feier in the whole team, he was still completely at ease.

In the middle-to-back position, Suffer sat on the inside first. Li Xiaoen placed their backpacks on an empty seat on the other side of the aisle before sitting down. Immediately afterwards, the girl next to him pulled his arm into her arms.

"Um……"

He should probably feel lucky to have such a beautiful young lady from such a wealthy family be so close to him.

The girl rested her head on his shoulder, and Li Xiaoen smiled, pursing his lips, and also rested his cheek on her head.

The place we went to was a hilly forest in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, about a two-hour drive away.

After yawning, Li Xiaoen closed his eyes. Just as he was plunged into complete darkness, the system screen immediately appeared.

[Virtual Time Pool LV1: ...]

[Current Virtual Time Pool Charge: 100%]

[Note: The system will be powered based on specific host behaviors]

During his previous interactions with Sophie and Victoria, the system had popped up a charging notification. To his surprise, last night, when the group raised their Cokes to toast Daniel's cheating girlfriend, a charging notification also appeared...

He successfully replenished his energy within a month, and with the monthly opportunity, he now has two more chances to draw a prize.

[100% charge consumed. Congratulations, host, you have obtained an Advanced Virtual Work Card x1]

[Congratulations, host, for consuming one fishing opportunity this month and obtaining a status buff card x1]

[Status Enhancement Random Buff Card: After use, all obstacles can be ignored, and one status effect of the host will be randomly enhanced.]

[Advanced Virtual Job Card: Ignores all obstacles and automatically simulates the host's employment in the current environment, with an hourly wage of $216/hour]

"..."

Suddenly opening his eyes, Li Xiaoen froze on the spot.

He caught fish both times; is he incredibly lucky?
The hourly wage for the "Advanced Virtual Job Card" is $216, compared to the minimum hourly wage of $14.13 for the "Lower Job Card" and $27 for the "Middle Job Card." This "Advanced Job Card" is almost equivalent to the hourly wage of a high-level white-collar worker in Manhattan.

Suddenly recalling a joke he'd made with Victoria, Li Xiaoen thought to himself and immediately used the two cards he'd just put into his system inventory.

He currently has only two states: one is the triggerable protective shield, and the other is the daily eight-hour wage income from the employment card. He can accept either one.

[Status Enhancement Random Buff Card successfully used. Congratulations, host! The triggered protective shield has received a buff. The current usable quantity is 3.]

[Advanced Virtual Work Card successfully activated; current earnings +$257.13/hour]

After carefully examining the system screen and panel for a while, Li Xiaoen frowned slightly and took a deep breath.

So, can he now completely relax and achieve financial freedom without any worries?

He earns over two hundred dollars an hour, and doesn't have to pay taxes. Excluding capitalists, he earns more than the vast majority of workers in America—and the key is, he doesn't have to do anything; he just sits around and earns money every day.

Earning so much money every day with no cost can really make people lose their fighting spirit.

Feeling a little deflated, Li Xiaoen quickly recovered, bit her tongue lightly to regain her composure, and immediately calmed down.

That's not enough. For most people in the world, this result would be sufficient, but for him, it's far from enough—it's just an extra high-level white-collar salary, which is not only unacceptable to the behemoth in Victoria, but also to the Sophie family.

Taking a deep breath, Li Xiaoen stopped thinking and slowly closed her eyes again.

"Sean..."

Just then, a faint call came from Sophie beside him.

"Ok?"

"Was it you who shot that drone at the dormitory building last night, angrily denouncing the cheating woman?"

"Ok?"

It was still a soft hum, but Li Xiaoen's tone was noticeably different. He looked up and opened his eyes, only to see the girl still with her arms crossed and head bowed. He had no choice but to lean closer again.

Why do you say that? Were you there last night?

"No."

"Then why would you suspect me?"

"Someone capable of doing something like this, yet the security detail didn't find a single suspicious person afterwards..."

Sophie said slowly, "And I remember you bought a drone."

"The chain of evidence in this inference is somewhat weak."

Unable to tell whether Sophie's previous words were a compliment or an insult, Li Xiaoen nodded seriously, "But it's already very good. You did a great job, Miss Holmes."

"to be frank!"

Sophie hugged her arms tighter.

Using his Insightful Eye to survey the entire carriage, and seeing that no students were seated in the two nearby rows, and that the two were keeping their voices down and communicating without worrying about any risk of leaks, Li Xiaoen leaned against Su Feier's head and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Humph……"

With a soft snort, Sophie lowered her head even further. "How could you possibly hide something like this from me?"

"Yes, you are right, Miss Holmes."

Li Xiaoen nodded helplessly, "I have a small request, I wonder if Miss Holmes would be willing to grant it?"

"What request? You're in big trouble if you make me angry."

"My arm is a little cold. Since I'm being so honest, could you put it inside your coat?"

"..."

Frowning and pondering for a moment, Sufi reacted and gripped the young man's arm tightly with both hands. "If you don't have it, then forget it."

Shaking his head helplessly, Li Xiaoen didn't mind and rubbed his head against the girl's. "We got up too early this morning. All the other students are still sleeping. Let's catch up on our sleep too."

His arm didn't hurt at all. It was a bit cold in the morning, so he was dressed warmly. That's why he didn't feel anything when the girl held him in her arms.

No sooner had he finished speaking than two sudden zipper sounds startled him awake. What he saw was the girl putting his arm inside the zipper before slowly zipping it up again.

"and many more……"

Li Xiaoen quickly spoke up, pulled his arm back, waved his hand under the girl's angry glare, took off his large, thick coat and covered them in front of each other, before handing his arm back over from under the coat.

"Humph……"

Rolling her eyes, Sufiel felt a familiar, warm scent wafting towards her, and abandoned the idea of ​​zipping up her pants, instead hugging the young man's arm tightly again.

[Virtual Time Pool: Successfully charged: 30%]

Seeing the message that suddenly popped up on the screen, Li Xiaoen paused for a moment and immediately deleted it.

"Let's catch up on some sleep, we're going to be walking for a long time later."

After saying this softly, Li Xiaoen leaned towards Su Feier and closed his eyes.

"Sean...Sean..."

After an unknown amount of time, Li Xiaoen heard Su Feier's soft call in his hazy consciousness. He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, only to see the rising sun on the horizon outside the car window, and the warm and gentle morning light radiating outwards.

"So lovely……"

Sophie leaned against him, chuckling softly as she spoke.

Perhaps only in this subconscious moment would she show this soft side, Li Xiaoen thought to himself. Without lingering on the touching touch in the girl's arms, he pulled his arms back and, as she turned around in surprise, he turned and hugged her tightly.

Feeling the girl in his arms stiffen slightly, Li Xiaoen grabbed her hands, pressed his face against her head, and took a deep breath.

"Well, it looks good."

"Humph……"

Smiling with her lips pursed, Sophie leaned completely into the young man's arms. "Say thank you."

"Thank you, Sophie."

Smiling and nodding in response, Li Xiaoen then noticed the other students gradually waking up in the carriage, and the quiet carriage gradually became lively.

"You were the first to discover it?"

Li Xiaoen couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you asleep?"

"I fell asleep, but I remember watching the sunrise. I was a light sleeper."

Sophie nodded and answered honestly, "Otherwise, why would I ask you to thank me?"

"That's not necessarily true. You're the daughter of a capitalist, and based on past experience, you can be quite ruthless."

Li Xiaoen chuckled, ignoring the girl's entanglement under his coat, and let out a long sigh, "Even if she's ruthless, I still like her."

"Sophie, I like you."

It was just a casual remark, but Suffer, who was being held in his arms, suddenly felt all her strength drain away. She tilted her head and leaned on the shoulder that the young man had extended in front of her.

"Yes, I like you too. I like you even more than you like me."

Do we really need such a strong competitive spirit even for these things?

Li Xiaoen was both amused and exasperated, but a warmth welled up in his heart. Just then, the system comments that suddenly appeared in front of him made his face stiffen.

[Virtual Time Pool: Successfully charged: 50%]

The energy that had just been used up had been recharged to 80% in the blink of an eye, even so, Li Xiaoen still took a deep breath and impatiently removed it.

Without saying anything more, Li Xiaoen hugged the girl in his arms tighter.

Unlike the other excited and noisy students in the carriage, the two held hands under their coats, silently watching the rising sun. Bathed in the morning light, they finally felt a touch of natural warmth.

Li Xiaoen suddenly remembered the last time, which was during the hike at the beginning of the semester. The sun was out then, and the two of them were still at odds.

Thinking he could make a lighthearted joke, he realized that Suffer had already closed her eyes and was leaning closer to him unconsciously. He couldn't help but smile and shake his head, maintaining the position without making any further movements.

After a two-hour drive, on roads far from the New York metropolis, the bus came to a stop on a somewhat desolate sandy plain.

"Still sleepy?"

While the team leader was still giving instructions on hiking precautions, Li Xiaoen stretched his limbs, which were feeling uncomfortable from sitting in the car for so long, and looked at the sleepy-eyed girl beside him.

"Because of a good back cushion, my sleep quality is still very good."

Shaking his head, Sophie yawned and stretched, raising his hands to yawn.

"That's good."

Nodding, Sean Lee extended his hand to the other person, "Thank you, one hundred dollars."

"Just for a short time, about an hour, and you want a hundred dollars?"

“Miss Sophie, you should know that this is already a 50% discount for you.”

Upon hearing this, Sophie narrowed her eyes slightly, said nothing more, turned to look at the lush and dense forest not far ahead, and took a deep breath.

"The air here is so fresh."

"I'll remember that you can buy on credit."

Ignoring it, Li Xiaoen smiled and nodded, earning a sidelong glare from the girl.

After only a short while, the group began to form a long line and set off one after another. Unlike last time, Li Xiaoen deliberately slowed down this time and lagged behind the group.

Are you afraid that something like last time will happen again?

Suffer asked curiously. She knew that the young man had a mysterious caution and steadiness when it came to safety. Thinking this, she realized what was going on and patted the young man's arm again through gritted teeth.

"Do you have some misunderstanding or stereotype about America?"

"How could a country that attracts so many people from all over the world to work or live here be dangerous?"

"Ha ha……"

Finding Suffer's indignation somewhat amusing, Li Xiaoen shrugged helplessly. "I know what you're saying. Perhaps it's the influence of the movies and news reports about you that I've seen since I was a child. Do you know the short phrase that summarizes the stereotypes about America in China?"

"what?"

"That's right, free America, shootings every day."

"..."

“The differences in safety between different states, and even between adjacent streets, are significant,”

After a moment of contemplation, Sophie pursed her lips and explained, "Aside from the business competition at Serafina Manor, have you encountered any shooting incidents in New Jersey and New York?"

"And the news effect!"

Sophie added, "Anything that makes the news is something that is rare in daily life or something new. To regard the news as a country's daily routine is the most foolish thing to do."

“I’ve always known these things.”

Li Xiaoen nodded in agreement, "Life is only once, so it's always good to be on the safe side, isn't it?"

The United States practices a federal and state-level governance structure. Apart from national affairs being managed by the federal government, each state independently enacts its own laws. Due to differences in development and geography, the population structure of each state varies greatly, resulting in differences in the level of law enforcement management.

Living in such a free country, the trigger-based protective shield on him is all the more precious—he should feel lucky that the buff he received earlier instead of an hourly wage increase.

"What you said makes sense."

Tilting his head and sighing, Suffer also shook his head.

"Moreover, walking slowly allows you to better appreciate the scenery. Hiking shouldn't just be about walking; otherwise, why not just use a treadmill in the gym?"

Li Xiaoen chuckled and comforted her, "Come on, Su Feier, look over here."

Hearing this, Suffer turned her head and saw that the young man was holding a camera in front of her, which startled her.

Li Xiaoen pressed the open button, and a crisp click sounded as he brought the camera to his face.

"How about it?"

Realizing what was happening, Suffer leaned over to look. Seeing that the image in the camera was blurry and she could only vaguely make out her own features, she nudged the young man and said, "Delete it quickly."

"Ha ha……"

Laughing twice, Li Xiaoen, not going along with Su Feier's wishes, raised the camera to avoid her hand, saying, "A camera is for recording life, why get hung up on a meticulously prepared, exquisite appearance?"

"Don't you Americans pursue true and natural beauty?"

"With a little tidying up, isn't life still life?"

Having failed to snatch it, Sophie glared at him, "That photo is so blurry, do I really look like that?"

"No, but it's hilarious."

Li Xiaoen smiled and shook his head, then nodded, and hurriedly took a step back to avoid Su Feier's kick.

"Sophie, do you know? I'm going to take pictures of the most beautiful girls in the world for this album."

Li Xiaoen gestured to the camera in his hand, "Now congratulations, you've gained my approval. Come on, stand in the sunlight..."

"My beauty is a fact, and I don't need anyone's approval."

After glancing over, Sophie still lifted her leg and stepped into the sunlight.

"Why does this sentence sound so familiar?"

Feeling a bit strange, Li Xiaoen raised his camera and faced Suffer, who was standing in the sunlight.

The winter morning sun shone on the evergreen forest that stretched across the hills, making every strand of the girl's hair clearly visible. Her fair face, bathed in the morning light, appeared even more radiant and beautiful.

Li Xiaoen was momentarily stunned by what he saw.

"Wait, Sophie..."

"I'm just out hiking, traveling, and relaxing. Please don't look at me like that..."

(End of this chapter)