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

Chapter 182 A Stranger's Phone Call at a Class Reunion

Sure enough, it's still the most comfortable place to sleep in China.

Li Xiaoen woke up at eight o'clock in the morning as usual, but felt refreshed and energetic. He yawned, stretched, and pushed open the door.

He didn't see anything first, but what reached his ears were two voices laughing and talking in the living room. He frowned and walked over.

"See, I told you so, Sean woke up."

Turning her head to look at him, Meng Wanyu smiled and nodded to Gu Menghua, then stood up. "You two can chat anytime. I'm going to work now."

"Well, goodbye teacher."

Standing up, Gu Menghua smiled gently and nodded, then shifted her gaze to Li Xiaoen, who was standing there in a daze.

"Breakfast is ready on the table. Why don't you chat with Menghua?"

It was Friday, and she still had to go to class. Meng Wanyu came over, gave her some instructions, picked up the bag her son had bought yesterday, and left with a smile.

Li Xiaoen turned his gaze back to his mother as she closed the door, and saw Gu Menghua slump her shoulders.

"How did you come?"

"I came to find you."

Gu Menghua smiled and moved a short distance in front of Li Xiaoen, looking him up and down. "Xiaoen, you seem to have gotten stronger and taller."

"What are you looking for me for?"

Li Xiaoen frowned slightly and changed the subject. Looking at the girl in front of him, he almost thought that what she said at the beginning of the semester about being just friends was an illusion—do ordinary friends do that?

Admittedly, the two were only classmates who studied and prepared for exams together from beginning to end.

"At this time, all my high school classmates studying in China are in class, so I can only hang out with you?"

Ignoring Li Xiaoen's attitude, Gu Menghua smiled meaningfully and looked at the decoration and furniture in the living room.

"I don't have time to play anymore, I still have school projects to do."

Taking a deep breath, Li Xiaoen shook his head, turned around, and walked into the washroom.

After a quick wash, Li Xiaoen sat down at the dining table for breakfast and couldn't help but glance at the girl sitting quietly on the sofa watching TV.

"Go back, I don't have time to keep you company."

"Yeah, that's okay."

Gently smoothing her brand-new dress, Gu Menghua didn't press the matter further. She smiled and nodded, then walked to the dining table. Suddenly, she turned around, placing her hands on the table. "Sean, I have a request. I wonder if you can grant it?"

"..."

"You go ahead and say it."

Li Xiaoen had a headache. He put down the bun he had half-eaten; he had lost his appetite.

"Isn't tomorrow Saturday?"

Gu Menghua looked over expectantly with her bright eyes, and Li Xiaoen then noticed that her already beautiful face was covered with exquisite makeup. "Let's have a get-together with our high school classmates. Those of us in Yuecheng can come over, as well as Wenli and Liangpeng. I've already made plans with them."

"A class reunion?"

Li Xiaoen was stunned for a moment, and his gaze towards Gu Menghua became somewhat meaningful. It was not good to say this directly, but he insisted on saying that he was agreeing to her request.

"Sure, we'll talk about it in the class group later."

Li Xiaoen nodded; this was already within his plan.

He attended a public high school in Yuecheng, where most of his classmates were from Yuecheng. After the college entrance examination, most of them also chose to go to university in Guangdong Province, so they could get together anytime.

"It's been mentioned in the class group chat, but you just haven't been checking it."

With a smile in her eyes, Gu Menghua gave a soft hum, took out her phone, woke it up, tapped it twice, and handed it to Li Xiaoen.

The chat group on his phone screen was rapidly popping up with new messages that made him want to chime in, but Li Xiaoen's gaze was still irresistibly drawn to the girl's slender, rosy fingers holding the phone. He turned his head and looked helplessly at Gu Menghua.

What message did you just send?

"Ha ha……"

Without answering, Gu Menghua chuckled, withdrew her hand, turned, and walked back towards the door. "You'll see for yourself later. See you tomorrow, Sean..."

"..."

Unable to resist, Li Xiaoen raised his hand to rub his forehead, shook his head, and got up to start clearing the dishes.

He felt it was necessary to clarify their relationship with Gu Menghua.

Unperturbed by the other party's suspense, Li Xiaoen briefly mentioned the gathering in the class group chat, chatted with a few classmates for a bit, and then returned to his room to sit in front of the computer.

It was true that he was busy when he told Gu Menghua earlier, but it was also a lie. His reasoning model was nearing completion, and he was about to start writing his thesis. He just had plenty of time and could coordinate his schedule freely.

After a day of focused work, Saturday morning arrived, and he quickly tidied up and went out.

To be honest, the weather in Yuecheng was really not good. In mid-December, he was wearing short sleeves and light trousers and was still feeling very hot on his way to the subway station.

Should I buy myself a car?

Under the already scorching morning sun, Li Xiaoen glanced at the cars parked along the roadside and pondered.

Unfortunately, Yuecheng is not America. Yuecheng has a well-developed transportation network, with a wide subway coverage area. At the very least, you can call a ride-hailing service, public transport, or shared bicycles. The necessity of a vehicle is not very high. On the contrary, you will face the trouble of traffic jams and parking.

Oh well, he'll have to go back to school in a month anyway, and buying a car might just cause his parents more trouble taking care of it.

Shaking his head, Li Xiaoen gave up the idea. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he walked into the subway station and felt the cold air conditioning blowing on his face.

The gathering was held in a commercial area not far from the university town, on the fifth floor of a commercial building. It was essentially a karaoke bar with a buffet.

While communicating in the group, Li Xiaoen had just entered the commercial building when he saw a young man who had been waiting there. He excitedly greeted him.

"Isn't this our student from the US, a top student from Princeton?"

The young man chuckled and teased, looking him up and down in surprise, then exclaimed, "Holy crap, Sean, how did you get so big?"

Does eating beef every day in America really make you stronger?

"This is the result of controlling diet and exercise."

Li Xiaoen looked at Dong Liangpeng's helpless explanation, walked with him up the escalator, and raised his chin.

"How's it going on your end? How's it progressing with Wenli?"

Dong Liangpeng was his deskmate for two years in high school, while Chen Wenli was Gu Menghua's deskmate. The two girls sat in front of them, and the four of them were quite familiar with each other.

They had chatted occasionally about their studies on WeChat, so Li Xiaoen asked about something the other person had been keeping to themselves.

"There's no definite answer yet. Wenli said she needs to think about it and spend more time together."

Dong Liangpeng shrugged, somewhat dejected. "I'm at South China University of Technology in University Town, and she's at Sun Yat-sen University, studying at the Haizhu campus..."

“We were busy with club activities in our freshman year, and I only saw her a few times throughout the semester. It really felt like we were in a long-distance relationship.”

"Then let's go out more often."

Li Xiaoen shrugged; that was all the advice he could offer.

"Hey Sean, what's going on between you and Menghua?"

Without dwelling on his own affairs, Dong Liangpeng leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "I heard from Wenli that you two had a falling out?"

"What's wrong?"

Li Xiaoen rolled her eyes. "We're just ordinary friends."

Upon hearing this, Dong Liangpeng's eyes widened suddenly. "Studying in America, you've fallen for a white girl?"

"what are you talking about?"

Li Xiaoen's face darkened, and he had no choice but to briefly recount their conversation at the coffee shop at the beginning of the semester. "It doesn't make sense..."

Dong Liangpeng fell into deep thought, his gaze lowered, muttering to himself, "I heard from Wenli that Menghua has always liked you. There must be some hidden story, Sean!"

"You watch too many melodramatic TV dramas."

Li Xiaoen rolled his eyes, too lazy to dwell on the topic any longer. The two of them arrived at the private room of the banquet hall and pushed open the door to enter.

"Yo~~"

"Our Princeton graduate has arrived..."

Upon seeing the familiar faces sitting on the sofa, they greeted them in drawn-out voices.

"Long time no see, everyone."

After waving hello, Li Xiaoen and Dong Liangpeng chose an empty seat and sat down under the many gazes focused on them.

"Wow, Sean, you look even more handsome after your trip to America."

The girl on the side immediately leaned over, her eyes filled with surprise.

"Is it possible that I was always this handsome? It's just that you didn't have good taste back then?"

Li Xiaoen smiled and gestured with his chin towards the girls, "Besides, you've all become more beautiful. When I first came in, I thought I'd walked into a peach orchard. How come I suddenly see so many fairies..."

This is the truth. Perhaps it's because after the college entrance examination, they have more time and money to go to university and learn how to do makeup and dress. This may not be true for boys, but most girls look much better than they did in high school.

His teasing remark earned him eye rolls from several girls, who looked at him with curious eyes. "Hey, Sean, how's your study abroad life in America?"

"Have you experienced racial discrimination? I've seen many news reports and short videos of Chinese people being bullied."

Is Princeton's campus beautiful? Is the academic environment difficult?

"By the way, Sean, is it really true that there are shootings every day in the US? Have you ever fired a gun while you were in the US? What was your experience like?"

The girls chattered incessantly, asking questions, and even Dong Liangpeng, who was sitting next to them, chimed in.

“The differences between states and even between communities in the United States can be huge. I didn’t encounter that situation in New Jersey.”

Feeling helpless, Li Xiaoen helped answer their questions one by one, satisfying their curiosity.

"Hey Sean, in America, are relationships between men and women really as messy as they are in American TV shows?"

Chen Wenli, who was sitting to the side, tugged at his arm and asked.

Previously, it was she who pulled Gu Menghua to sit next to him, and it was Dong Liangpeng who gave up his seat—now the two girls were sitting in the middle, and he sat next to Chen Wenli.

Glancing at his classmate who had forgotten his principles for the sake of a pretty face, Li Xiaoen then explained, "I can only say that different groups of people and communities have very different views."

Suddenly remembering Daniel's ex-girlfriend, Sean Lee replied, talking about American religious families and open-minded young people in big cities on the East and West coasts.

"Since you know so much about this, you haven't actually experienced it yourself or participated in it, have you?"

Chen Wenli narrowed her eyes slightly, asking suspiciously, but Gu Menghua immediately tugged at her arm. She still insisted, "You're both studying in the US, and both on the East Coast. You and Menghua can look after each other..."

"I understand, but it's just from what others have told me or what I've seen from other people's experiences."

Li Xiaoen replied helplessly. Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, he had no choice but to get up and say, "I'll go get some food."

……

"Sean, don't worry about her. Wenli was just standing up for Menghua."

Outside the private room, in the self-service area, Dong Liangpeng caught up and comforted her, "She's Menghua's best friend, and she's always thought highly of you two."

"Don't worry, I know her personality, she sat in front of me for two years."

Li Xiaoen rolled her eyes and comforted him in return. Speaking of which, Chen Wenli started talking about his relationship with Gu Menghua as soon as the four of them got to know each other after the seats were assigned in the second year of high school. She was the kind of person who didn't hide anything and couldn't keep any thoughts to herself.

"You'd better hurry up and take her in, and then tell me the truth I told you before."

Upon hearing this, Dong Liangpeng opened his mouth, but was completely speechless.

After grabbing some snacks, Li Xiaoen returned and sat down in a spacious, empty spot on the other side, where several male classmates immediately gathered around.

So, while he was eating, he started talking to them about various things in America, and was even surrounded by people singing a few English songs.

There was nothing to show off or brag about; the group of more than ten classmates simply chatted and laughed about various aspects of their university life, sharing their complaints and anecdotes.

As he expected, most students in college only had a few friends in their dormitories or clubs, and their relationships with classmates were much looser than in high school.

While listening to a classmate's long-winded complaints about pursuing girls, Li Xiaoen was getting a little bored when his phone suddenly received a call from an unknown number. He glanced at the number and saw that the location was in Yuecheng. He got up and went outside to answer it.

"Sean, where are you? Come pick me up at Baiyun Airport."

As soon as he answered the phone and put it to his ear, a clear, pleasant, and familiar voice came from the other end, in English. Li Xiaoen froze on the spot.

"Hey……"

"can you hear me?"

"Sean, I know this is your phone number. Don't think you can get away with it by staying silent..."

The person on the other end of the phone never mentioned his name, but the increasingly cold voice revealed his identity with every word. Li Xiaoen took a deep breath and sighed helplessly.

"Sufeier, why are you here?"

"Can't I come?"

Instead of answering, Su Feier asked, "I've never been to Yuecheng before, so I'm here for a visit. Why not take advantage of this free tour guide?"

"You're really being rude to me."

Leaning against the wall, Li Xiaoen was both amused and exasperated, and let out a helpless sigh.

"Hurry up! Come pick me up!"

When Suffer's voice came over, Li Xiaoen could imagine the girl's cold, oval face and the frowning look in her eyes as she looked over.

Why do I miss you so much after only seeing you for two days?

Li Xiaoen thought to himself, he knew very well that he didn't have that kind of fetish.

"Wait a moment, I'll be right there."

He nodded in response to Li Xiaoen, then turned around to greet his classmates in the private room before leaving.

"Menghua, has Sean been avoiding you and ignoring you?"

Originally, Chen Wenli wanted to pull Gu Menghua to sit next to Li Xiaoen, but seeing this, she hurriedly pulled her back, wanting to get up and catch up.

"Wenli..."

Gu Menghua quickly grabbed her best friend's arm, gently shook her head, lowered her gaze, and whispered, "Actually, the problem between him and me is mine."

Upon hearing this, not only Chen Wenli, but even Dong Liangpeng was stunned.

Upon arriving at the airport, Li Xiaoen spotted a girl sitting quietly in the lobby who subtly attracted a lot of attention. He walked over to her.

"Sufeil..."

Li Xiaoen called out.

Sophie looked up, got up, pushed her suitcase over, frowned, and her first words were something else entirely.

"Why is it still so hot here even though it's already December?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoen paused for a moment, then burst into laughter twice.

"There's nothing we can do about it, that's just how it is here, Sophie."

"Welcome to Yuecheng, China..."

(End of this chapter)