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

Chapter 185 Sophie's Little Thoughts

After hanging up the phone, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Su Feier.

"Are your parents here to see me?"

Sophie was clever and immediately understood. Her heart tightened, and she tentatively asked.

"Well, it ultimately depends on your wishes," Li Xiaoen nodded.

"..."

Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Su Fei'er paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Sure, we'll have to meet sooner or later, won't we?"

"That's fine."

Li Xiaoen smiled.

Suffer is right. After going through so much together, although there were some conflicts at the beginning, now they can only be seen as interesting stories from when they first met. He can't let go of her at all, and it's only a matter of time before he meets her parents.

Having made his decision, Li Xiaoen no longer hesitated, started the car, and drove home.

"Eh……"

Sophie suddenly spoke up, "Let's go buy some gifts for your parents."

"also."

Li Xiaoen nodded, turned the car around, and drove towards the nearby commercial plaza.

"Do we really need to buy something so expensive?"

To Li Xiaoen's surprise, but he quickly understood why Su Feier didn't let him pay this time. Instead, she paid for it herself and bought some tea and wine at his suggestion. Then she took him to a Chanel boutique.

"I just brought back bags and watches from the US for them when I came back."

"Can't there be more than one?"

Sophie turned around and looked at the young man with a puzzled expression. "It's a good time to change things up and change your mood every day."

"..."

"What you said makes a lot of sense."

Li Xiaoen paused for a moment, then nodded.

Is this the difference between his and the young lady's ideas?

His only thought about these luxury items was their practical value; having one more would be unnecessary, and he didn't think about that aspect at all.

Coming to his senses, Li Xiaoen met the girl's disdainful gaze and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Come on, take a look. Does your mother like this style?"

Smiling, Suffer picked up an exquisitely designed handbag and handed it to her.

……

The door was unlocked in the morning. Li Xiaoen easily turned the doorknob, exchanged a glance with Su Feier, and pushed the door open to enter.

"Dad, Mom, I brought Suffer back."

He called out towards the living room inside, and immediately saw two people hurrying towards him.

The three of them exchanged a glance and froze on the spot.

"Hey, you're already here, why did you buy so much stuff?"

The two snapped out of their daze and came forward with smiles. Li Hongyi nodded in acknowledgment, while Meng Wanyu looked Su Feier up and down with delight and took the various shopping bags from her hands.

Seeing his delighted expression, a stark contrast to his attitude towards her on the phone not long ago, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

"Hello, Uncle, hello, Aunt..."

Sophie gave a sweet smile, nodded, and to Li Xiaoen's surprise, spoke in somewhat broken Chinese. Then, she looked over and said in English, "Sorry to bother you..."

"No, I asked Sean to bring you back."

Without Li Xiaoen translating, Meng Wanyu smiled and waved her hand, speaking fluent English, which surprised Su Feier.

"My mother is an English teacher."

Li Xiaoen offered an explanation.

"Oh, Auntie, you're so beautiful and look so young."

Suffer nodded, then responded with a practiced smile. Meng Wanyu then invited him to sit on the sofa in the living room. Li Xiaoen was somewhat taken aback as he watched the two chatting enthusiastically.

"Let them talk, Sean. Come with me to cook."

Only then did Li Hongyi speak.

To Li Xiaoen's surprise, the kitchen had already prepared various steaks, bread, and even salad greens. After discussion, the two ultimately chose steak.

Although they occasionally cook Western food as a meal, this is the first time they've had such a complete set of dishes, which shows that the two elders rushed to buy it after learning that Suffer was coming.

"Sean, tell me honestly, the watches and bags you bought for us when you came back to China, were they paid for by that girl?"

While grilling his steak, Li Hongyi glanced over and casually asked, "Judging by the girl's appearance, she doesn't seem to come from an ordinary American family, does she?"

"That's my own money, the money I earned."

As expected, Suffer's natural aura of a young lady was unmistakable, and Li Xiaoen rolled his eyes, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Why do you say that? Is your son that kind of person?

"Moreover, I showed you the specific investment returns when I returned and gave you the watches and bags."

"Ok."

Li Hongyi nodded and sighed, "You're an adult now. Your mother and I believe in the education we've given you all along, and we also believe that you have your own judgment."

"You can decide for yourself who your life partner is. An American girlfriend is fine too, we support you."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoen felt a pang of sadness. Only then did he give up the idea of ​​sending some money home. His studies abroad were no longer a source of financial burden for his parents, which was enough for them to live comfortably.

After all, teachers and staff members of an organization have secure, government-funded jobs, and transferring money to them would only increase their stress.

"Your words are enough."

Li Xiaoen nodded with a helpless smile, "If all else fails, I'll come back and sponge off you old folks."

"Smelly boy..."

Li Hongyi couldn't help but laugh and curse.

To be honest, they are a loving couple who have been together for nearly twenty years. After finishing a certain amount of work, Li Xiaoen was kicked out of the kitchen. Just then, she saw the two people chatting on the sofa in the living room, their enthusiasm gradually fading.

Li Xiaoen walked over and sat on the sofa next to him. Only then did he hear the two women chatting about various skincare and cosmetic products, which he found somewhat amusing.

"I'm going to help your dad. You keep Suffer company and have a chat."

After nodding and greeting Su Feier, Meng Wanyu said something to Li Xiaoen and got up to go to the kitchen.

No, she's probably going in again to exchange information with her father and discuss something, right?

Turning around from his mother's retreating figure, Li Xiaoen's expression turned strange.

"I didn't expect your family to have such a nice atmosphere."

Suffer then chuckled and spoke up. This was her honest opinion. The young man's parents both looked like intellectuals and were quite good-looking. No wonder they raised such an outstanding and handsome child as Li Xiaoen.

"I'm alright. What were you and my mom talking about earlier?"

Li Xiaoen couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Nothing much, just some skincare products and such."

Sophie replied with a smile, "We had a very pleasant chat."

"Was this something you planned from the beginning?"

Li Xiaoen narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Su Feier's expression with suspicion.

When Suffer went to buy gifts before, she went around to several different brands of skincare products. Given the girl's intelligence, he felt that his suspicion was very likely. "Besides, when did you learn how to address unfamiliar elders in Chinese?"

As is customary, and as Li Xiaoen initially learned upon arriving in America, unless they specifically studied Chinese, aside from a few swear words, foreigners only know basic phrases like "hello," "goodbye," and "thank you." "Guess?"

Sophie didn't answer. Instead, she smiled, stood up, and looked around. "Where is your room? May I take a look?"

"..."

"Come this way."

After a moment's hesitation, Li Xiaoen led the girl into his room.

"Hmm...it seems pretty normal."

After scanning the room, Sophie nodded, moved over to a large photo album fixed to the wall, and opened it.

Each page of the album is separated and sealed with thin, transparent tape. As you turn the pages one by one, you see all sorts of certificates and photos of Li Xiaoen from childhood to adulthood. Even online electronic certificates are printed out and photographed at the time.

Looking at the photo, one could vaguely make out the handsome features of the young man in the small child's face, smiling brightly while holding a trophy bigger than himself. Suffer blinked, feeling her heart skip a beat.

"I never knew you were such a good student since you were little."

Turning his head to glance at the young man, Sufiel smiled and teased him.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Li Xiaoen shrugged. Seeing Su Feier turn around and watch with great interest, he had no choice but to go out and bring her a glass of water.

"Sean..."

As soon as Li Xiaoen arrived at the dining table, Meng Wanyu called out to him, "Suffolk is in your room, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Li Xiaoen nodded. "What's wrong?"

"Such a nice, beautiful, and polite girl, treat her well, okay?"

Meng Wanyu gave a solemn instruction.

She knew in her heart that her son had always been popular with women since he was a child. He had a sweet tongue and knew how to please girls. As he grew older, he became a womanizer. She didn't want her carefully raised son to become a scumbag.

Upon hearing Suffer praised for her politeness, Li Xiaoen's expression turned somewhat strange, only to be immediately slapped by his mother.

"Do you think I, your mother, can't see through Sophie's initiative?"

Naturally seeing through her son's thoughts, Meng Wanyu rolled her eyes. "It's you who will be living with her in the future, not us. We've only just met. The fact that she's thoughtful and tries to make us happy shows respect for us because of you. That's enough."

"As for your private life, that's up to you to handle. Your father and I trust your upbringing. You're an adult now and have your own independent thinking."

"..."

Why does it feel like I've suddenly been force-fed dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection)?
Just as Li Xiaoen was caught between laughter and tears, Meng Wanyu leaned closer with a smile and spoke.

"Besides, if you miss out on that girl, you'll never find one prettier than her in your entire life, you know?"

"Mom, your son isn't bad either, is he?"

Li Xiaoen looked over in puzzlement. Although, apart from Victoria, he had never seen another person with a charm value of 14 points.

Since acquiring the ability of the People Lens, he uses it to look at anyone who stands out, whether it's a beautiful girl he sees in everyday life or a famous actress known for her sexy looks that he happens to see at the airport. The highest he can get is only 13 points of charm.

According to the panel notes, 10 points is the average line, while the allure of 14 points is probably close to the limits of human potential—a conclusion he has been exploring all along.

"Humph……"

Seeing her son's expression, Meng Wanyu gave a mischievous snort, went back and forth to the kitchen, and handed a fruit plate to Li Xiaoen, "Here, this is freshly washed fruit, take it home."

"Ok."

Li Xiaoen shrugged, took the fruit plate, turned around and went back, glancing at Su Feier who was still watching with great interest his childhood exploits, his thoughts a jumbled mess.

Suffer is very clever. He has seen all the little tricks Suffer has been up to in order to achieve his goal, which always makes him both amused and helpless.

It was only after his mother reminded him that he realized that, given the premise of a girl's unwavering affection for him, her little schemes were insignificant. Her main purpose was probably to get to know him better and improve their relationship.

Unfortunately, at this stage, the facts of the system cannot be spoken aloud.

With a sigh in his heart, Li Xiaoen placed the fruit plate on the table, plucked a grape, and offered it to Suffer's lips.

"Here, Sophie, this is the fruit my mom washed."

"Oh, thank you."

Sophie nodded, opened her mouth and bit off a piece, then pointed to a page in the photo album.

"I didn't expect you to post the math competition results from this semester?"

"Sharing the good news with my mom and recording it has become a habit."

"Yes, that's a good habit."

Suffer nodded with a slight smile, then turned to the previous page. "You also recorded the champion's ranking in the elementary school children's table tennis competition in your neighborhood?"

"of course."

Not understanding Suffer's mixed feelings of laughter and tears, Li Xiaoen nodded, "Don't underestimate this competition just because it's only for elementary school students. I'm also in sixth grade, and I only won the championship by barely exceeding the age limit for participating. The competition was fierce."

"..."

"Ok."

Thinking of this sport that was so popular throughout China, Suffer nodded helplessly, "And, this..."

The two ate fruit and chatted casually until Meng Wanyu called out from outside the door to invite them to lunch.

Sitting down at the dining table, watching Li Xiaoen go in and out of the kitchen bringing out various Western dishes, Su Feier smiled. With nothing else to do, she noticed a kettle on the side of the table and started to pour water to wash the cutlery and bowls placed there.

"Hey, Sufeil..."

As she walked out of the kitchen, seeing Su Feier's actions, Meng Wanyu quickly said, "The dishes and chopsticks at home have all been washed and disinfected, there's no need to wash them like this."

As they spoke, they approached, and Meng Wanyu, both amused and exasperated, took the kettle from Su Feier's hand.

"Oh, that's it..."

Facing Meng Wanyu and the astonished gaze of Li Xiaoen who had just come out, Su Feier felt her face getting hot and quickly nodded.

"Sophie, I didn't expect you could use chopsticks?"

At the dining table, the four chatted and ate. Meng Wanyu was somewhat surprised to see Su Feier's clumsy use of chopsticks.

“I ate Chinese food a few times in New York and learned how to cook it back then.”

"You'll learn how to do it after just a few tries?"

Meng Wanyu paused for a moment, then glanced at Li Xiaoen sitting to the side and laughed, “Su Feier, you’re so smart, unlike Xiaoen. It took me several days to teach him the correct way to use chopsticks.”

"Oh, is it?"

Sophie nodded, then looked at the young man beside her with a meaningful smile.

"Yes, Sophie, you're really smart."

Li Xiaoen nodded, "Aside from this skill, you'll also know how to wash dishes and chopsticks at home without water after experiencing it once."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xiaoen let out a low hiss, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Su Feier glare at him.

Looking down at her son's thighs under the table, where Su Feier's arm was hanging down, Meng Wanyu pursed her lips and smiled meaningfully.

……

After finishing lunch, Meng Wanyu was about to take her husband out.

"Sophie, Sean, we're going out for a bit. You two can have a good chat at home, or you can go out for a walk. Remember to lock the door when you go out."

"I got it, Mom."

Li Xiaoen helplessly raised her hand, rolled her eyes at her mother's teasing gaze, and said, "You two go and enjoy your time together."

"Hey...you brat..."

Upon hearing this, not only Meng Wanyu, but even Li Hongyi, who had been merely listening, couldn't help but laugh and curse.

(End of this chapter)