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

Chapter 215 My life is over
The snowstorms this year subsided earlier than usual. In early February, the late winter snowfall in New Jersey began to decrease, and tonight it stopped completely, leaving only a vast expanse of white.

Like Sophie, Victoria also came out on the weekend wearing a loose-fitting nightgown, a scarf tied in front of her, and a soup spoon in her hand. She noticed the two of them standing blankly at the door and gave them a somewhat incomprehensible look.

"What are you doing standing at the door if you're not coming in?"

"We were just getting engrossed in talking about serious business."

Li Xiaoen smiled helplessly and explained, stepping into the living room and glancing at Su Feier beside him, "After today's meeting, we also finalized the cooperation with Su Feier's internet company."

"is it?"

Victoria raised an eyebrow in surprise, a bright smile spreading across her face. "It seems we were right to decide to have dinner to celebrate tonight."

"Yes."

Suffer chimed in, smiling with pursed lips, then turned and leaned close to Sean Lee. While the young man was still in a daze, Suffer reached out and grabbed his tie, saying, "Sean said the speech was absolutely perfect..."

As she spoke, she casually straightened the young man's tie, but with one hand above and the other below, she tightened her grip on his neck.

"Sufeil...Sufeil..."

Feeling a little uncomfortable, Li Xiaoen quickly raised his hand to adjust his tie, trying to gain some breathing space. "The meeting is over, so I don't need to wear a tie anymore, right?"

"Oh, that makes sense."

Sophie's eyes widened, but her hands didn't loosen their grip at all. "But I think a tie looks better when it's worn neatly..."

"Alright, now that you're back, relax and don't worry about whether it looks good or not."

Noticing the entanglement between the two, Victoria quickly spoke up, "Sean, come into the kitchen and help me out."

"Oh, okay."

Li Xiaoen looked up and responded. Only now did the pressure on his neck ease, and he quickly raised his hand to take off his tie.

Turning back from Victoria's retreating figure as she walked into the kitchen, Li Xiaoen looked at Su Feier and met the girl's rather cold, light blue eyes. His head, which had just begun to feel better, started to throb again.

"How dare you push me away!"

Clenching her teeth, Suffer looked up and glared fiercely at him, reaching out to touch Li Xiaoen's lower back again, but the young man noticed and quickly stepped back to avoid her.

Just as they were about to press forward, the young man shouted something behind him and turned to flee towards the kitchen.

"Victoria, is there anything I can help you with?"

Silently watching the young man's departing figure, Suffer narrowed her eyes, took a few deep breaths to calm her irritation, and then followed him.

"You're finally here."

Turning around, Victoria casually scoffed. Seeing that the young man had already taken off his coat and tie, her doubts lessened. She smiled and waved, "You'll know what I need your help with when you come over."

"Is it that mysterious?"

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow, rolled up his shirt sleeves and walked over. "Let me tell you in advance, I've been in meetings all day and I'm exhausted. The only thing I can do to help you right now is to be a taste tester."

"Don't worry, we will definitely not let our Mr. Sean get too tired."

Victoria couldn't help but give a coquettish laugh and roll her eyes at him. Then, she shoved a long, thin, serrated knife into the young man's hand.

"Is this... a saw or a knife?"

Li Xiaoen examined the object in his hand with surprise.

"It's a knife!"

Victoria replied with a laugh, "This is a baguette knife."

"Cut a slice of bread, about one centimeter thick, and I'll spread some sauce on it and put it in the microwave to bake."

"Okay, sir!"

Li Xiaoen raised the hand holding the serrated knife and pretended to salute in front of him.

"Since you say I'm your superior, then you must obey my orders unconditionally, right?"

Instead of correcting the young man's antics, Victoria tentatively asked a question.

"Hmm...that's not necessarily true."

Pretending to ponder for a moment, Li Xiaoen chuckled and answered. As expected, a look of reproach appeared on the girl's pretty face, but then, unexpectedly, she composed herself, making him raise an eyebrow.

Only then did some movement come from behind. He could hear the approaching footsteps and the beeping of a machine. Li Xiaoen quickly composed himself, straightened his back, and looked back at the kitchen counter.

Before him was a long baguette that Victoria had handed him early in the morning. He had eaten this kind of hard bread a few times before, but this was the first time he had cut it by hand. He couldn't help but examine the serrated knife in his hand, put it down and tapped the baguette, making a crisp, clattering sound.

The expected hardness even gave him the urge to pick it up and try it out as a weapon.

Adhering to the principle of minimizing her presence, Li Xiaoen suppressed the thought, washed her hands and dried them with kitchen paper, then took a baguette in one hand and a serrated knife in the other, and cut off a slice. As soon as she put it aside, Victoria took it and spread the jam she had prepared earlier on it.

Perhaps because he had started working seriously, Suffer quietly made fruit tea, occasionally glancing at the oven below, and didn't say anything that made him tremble with fear.

The three of them worked together diligently to prepare dinner, and the atmosphere gradually eased and became much warmer.

"Sean, what's fun about this seminar you guys are holding?"

Feeling quite comfortable with the current scene, Victoria turned her head curiously to look at the young man, taking the initiative to break the silence.

"It's just a technical exchange meeting, what's so fun about that?"

Sean Lee shrugged, cut off a piece of hard bread, and, somewhat bored, instead of handing it to Victoria, took a bite, making a crisp sound.

I must say, after eating so much soft bread like toast, it's nice to have a bite of this hard bread once in a while. It has a unique texture and flavor.

Li Xiaoen was a little surprised, and the girl immediately raised her arm and bumped his shoulder in dissatisfaction.

Why did you hit me?

Li Xiaoen smiled helplessly at the girl, "You want some too? Just say so if you do."

After saying that, he cut off another piece, picked it up, and held it to Victoria's mouth.

Victoria opened her mouth, glanced helplessly at the young man, pursed her lips, and still took a bite of the bread.

She hadn't originally intended to eat bread, but when the young man offered it to her mouth, she accepted it anyway. As she savored the rich wheat flavor of the bread, Victoria felt a little strange.

Li Xiaoen had no idea what Victoria was thinking. He didn't dare to delay and quickly cut off a piece and handed it to Suffer.

"..."

After glancing down briefly, Suffer did not accept the offer, creating an awkward moment.

"Sufeil..."

Still in his seat, Li Xiaoen spoke up, "Do you know when Professor Stella from Harvard has scheduled a meeting with him to discuss collaboration?"

Upon hearing this, Sophie glanced over to the side, finally opening her mouth to take the piece of bread, eating it while looking over.

"Actually, Professor Stella didn't tell me anything about the agreed-upon date."

Faced with an inquiry and a meaningful look, Li Xiaoen chuckled and replied, "The professor said to tell him when you plan to come, and he will check if the timing is suitable."

Even so, Li Xiaoen waved his hand, "He also said that it's basically possible anytime on a weekday afternoon."

Only then did Sophie, who knew the answer, nod casually and turn back to fiddle with the fruit tea in her hands.

Does this mean I've passed the test?

Li Xiaoen lowered his head and began cutting the baguette again. He thought to himself that although he had fed Suffer in front of Victoria and was now receiving a faint glance from her, at least the reason was still acceptable.

Just as he was feeling relieved, Suffer suddenly handed him a glass of orange-yellow juice from the other side.

"This is... freshly made fruit tea?"

Without waiting for Victoria's stunned gaze, Li Xiaoen leaned back slightly and asked tentatively.

"you are right."

Sophie nodded, took the cup and handed it in a little more, "It's your turn to test the poison."

Sure enough, he couldn't expect Sophie to calm down for even a moment.

Thinking to himself, Li Xiaoen raised his hand to take the cup, but as expected last time, Su Feier dodged it by stepping back and then came around to his lips.

"..."

Two pairs of gazes, one cold and one hot, stared at him from the left and right, and Li Xiaoen was momentarily stunned.

There wasn't much time to think, or rather, there was no need to think. What he had said to Suffer earlier was true: he supported any action the girl took to pursue their relationship.

Li Xiaoen took a deep breath and, with Su Feier's "help," lowered his head and drank the cup of fruit tea.

The frustration in her heart immediately dissipated, and for the first time that night, Sophie smiled.

"Sean, how does the fruit tea I made especially for you taste?"

"tastes good."

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Li Xiaoen forced a smile, as if Su Feier had seen through him. He noticed the look of relief in the girl's eyes.

Ding.

A sudden, ethereal sound came from the oven below. Sophie's eyes widened slightly. She turned around, bent down, put on thick gloves, and took the steak out and placed it on the counter in front of her.

"Should we have Wellington steak again tonight?"

Li Xiaoen chuckled to ease the atmosphere, then glanced at Victoria, who was standing there dumbfounded.

Avoiding the young man's gaze, Victoria took a deep breath, trying to calm her discomfort. She then saw Sophie looking around and skillfully picking up a pair of chopsticks to arrange the steak on the grill. Victoria's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sophie, do you know how to use chopsticks?"

"Oh……"

Looking up, ignoring the young man's stern gaze, Suffer smiled and nodded at Victoria behind her, "Yes, but I've only just learned it."

“During winter break, I went to Chinatown in New York twice with Sean. I learned it while eating authentic Chinese food there.”

With a smile playing on his lips, Sophie looked up at him and said, "My talent is pretty good. I only learned it a few times before I had a general grasp of it, don't you think, Sean?"

"Yes, you are really talented."

At this point, Li Xiaoen was completely disheartened. He forced a smile and nodded in agreement.

Is this not only a hint at their relationship to Victoria, but also a retaliation against his previous mockery of her for not knowing how to use chopsticks? It's truly killing two birds with one stone.

He strongly suspected that the oven's timer was deliberately set by Suffer, precisely at this exact moment. Letting out a long breath, Li Xiaoen didn't choose to run away. He turned to look at Victoria, but for some reason, upon meeting her dazed gaze, the girl quickly lowered her head and looked away.

"This Wellington steak isn't just served with mushroom sauce; I also added some chopped nuts and foie gras. For the final flavor, you can choose the red wine sauce made at our usual traditional French restaurant..."

Seemingly oblivious to the change in the atmosphere between the two, Suffer smiled and murmured, "There are quite a few flavors, so I'll use you as a guinea pig."

"Okay, I'll try it later."

Without refusing, Li Xiaoen nodded in agreement, but her mood was still quite depressed.

The cooking process finally ended in a lukewarm atmosphere. After Suffer carried the steak to the table, Sean Lee looked at Victoria, who was focused on putting ice cream on the cooled toast slices, and called out softly.

“Much profit… … ”

Victoria didn't respond, keeping her head down and focused on her work. Unable to bear the young man's constant gaze, she reluctantly straightened up and looked over.

When she met the young man's burning, dark eyes, she felt a sudden panic and quickly turned away.

Staring intently at the girl's fair and beautiful profile, her long golden hair pulled back, and her delicate ears faintly reddening between the strands of hair, Li Xiaoen took a deep breath. Forgetting all about teasing her, he asked softly.

"Victoria, why won't you look me in the eye?"

Startled by what she heard, Victoria glanced at it briefly, then quickly turned her head back in fright.

She was torn between her hands, gripping the scoop from the ice cream tub tightly.

Victoria opened her mouth and finally let out a soft, barely audible sound.

"Your relationship with Suffer has suddenly become very good."

"It does not matter……"

Frowning slightly, Li Xiaoen listened carefully to the girl's words before shaking his head and saying, "The important thing is, do you know why I wanted to stay and talk to you?"

"You know, I also want to go to Chinatown with you for Chinese food, right?"

"You should be able to clearly sense how I've treated you since we met..."

As he uttered those words, Li Xiaoen subconsciously moved closer, only to be startled by Victoria's sudden reaction. She turned around, raised her hand, and pushed him away.

“Much profit… … ”

Caught off guard, Li Xiaoen exclaimed in surprise, but his steps, still following the girl's momentum, led him helplessly out of the kitchen.

After pushing the young man away, Victoria walked back with her head down in deep thought, her heart filled with mixed feelings, a bittersweet mix of sweetness and overwhelming sorrow. She couldn't help but raise her hands to touch her face, which slightly reduced the heat on her face.

This was the first time in her life that she had felt so troubled by her identity. Even though she had been restricted from doing the fun things she liked many times before, she had never felt this way.

Victoria felt a bitter taste in her mouth, which gradually filled her heart. She was just fine as things were. She was really afraid that the young man would say something that would make their relationship irreparable—even if it was the sentence she had been waiting for and longing for.

Thinking this, Victoria couldn't help but recall what Sophie had done not long ago, and her heart sank.

Please forgive my selfishness.

After pondering for a long time, Victoria murmured to herself, took a deep breath, and roused herself.

At the dining table outside the kitchen, Suffer, with a smile on her face, leisurely and neatly set out the tableware for the three of them. Noticing Li Xiaoen coming out of the kitchen, she looked up at him.

The young man's face showed helplessness and a headache, but she couldn't help but purse her lips and smile.

"If you don't want to, you can say so, and I won't bother you anymore."

Li Xiaoen glanced at Su Feier, but did not answer. He hesitated and remained silent, which startled Su Feier, who was suddenly taken aback.

"Are you really hesitating?!"

With an incredulous gasp, Suffer, who had been calm and collected, suddenly became furious and breathless. She gritted her teeth and glared at the other person with resentment. She looked down at the table, searching for something, and picked up a large bottle of freshly made fruit tea, intending to throw it at the other person.

"Oh...just kidding, I was just joking."

Li Xiaoen quickly stepped forward, took the fruit tea from the girl's hand, and explained with a wry smile, "It was a joke. You asked it yourself. If I hesitated, you would get anxious..."

Feeling a huge sense of relief, Suffer glared fiercely at the young man, then quickly grabbed his lower back and twisted him with all her might.

"Okay, didn't I explain?"

Gripping in pain, Li Xiaoen quickly reached back to support Su Feier's hand, blaming himself for his subconscious teasing.

"I told you from the beginning, you're just a tool!"

Staring intently at the past, Suffer gritted her teeth and spat out each word.

"That's how you put it; it's different here."

Li Xiaoen shrugged helplessly. "Suffolk, you know I'm a very greedy person. I would never willingly give up on any of you."

He chuckled as he spoke, but Li Xiaoen's face suddenly tightened. He quickly turned around, and the stark contrast between his front and back appearances startled Su Feier.

A moment later, she saw Victoria come out of the kitchen and couldn't help but give the young man a disdainful look.

"Come on, let's eat together. You must be hungry by now that it's so late."

Seemingly oblivious to the two figures standing so close together, Victoria smiled and greeted them, placing a slice of bread she had baked on the table. "Sean, you can try this, it's delicious."

"I've had something similar with toast and ice cream back in my hometown."

Following up on Victoria's topic, Li Xiaoen took the opportunity to move away from Suffer and sit down on one of the chairs. "Let this gourmet try your cooking."

With only three people around, he was finally safer at the large dining table, no longer caught in a pincer movement. He picked up a small piece of toast and took a bite.

"How about it?"

As she untied her scarf, Victoria looked on with expectant eyes.

"Very tasty."

Chewing slowly on the cool, crispy bread slices, feeling the rich fruity aroma spreading in his mouth, Li Xiaoen nodded affirmatively.

Is evaluation really that simple?

Victoria smiled and raised an eyebrow. "No wonder so many people online aspire to be food critics. If that's all there is to it, I think my cat could do it too..."

“This was my childhood dream, Victoria.”

Li Xiaoen solemnly explained to Victoria, "If you really want to make a comparison, please give an example of a person."

"A gourmet's dream?"

"Yes."

Li Xiaoen nodded solemnly, "You know, when I was a kid, I watched a food show. There was an old man on the show who called himself a food connoisseur. He could travel all over the world and eat all kinds of local delicacies. I dreamed of having a job like him back then. That kind of life must be very comfortable."

"And then, is the only evaluation one thing: 'It's very delicious'?"

Victoria took a bite of a slice of bread, tilted her head, and imitated a cat's meow, which was quite adorable. "My cat also makes a meowing sound when it eats delicious food."

"This isn't about judging whether the food tastes good or not."

Meeting the girl's smiling, emerald-green eyes, Li Xiaoen sighed helplessly, reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Please wait a moment, let me Google some professional terms for evaluating food."

"Reviews found online are unnecessary."

Rolling her eyes, Victoria reached out and grabbed Sean Lee's phone, then sat down next to him.

At the same time, Suffer also sat down on the other side, and Li Xiaoen was squeezed on both sides again, causing him to suddenly feel dizzy.

"Don't you...feel it's crowded?"

Forcing a smile, Li Xiaoen asked tentatively.

"Sean, this fruit tea is delicious."

Suffer poured herself a cup of fruit tea, took a sip, and her eyes lit up. She looked around and, finding no other cups, simply handed over her own.

"..."

"Didn't I already try the fruit tea?"

Carefully choosing his words, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but exclaim in his heart, "This isn't just a hint, it's an open announcement!"
"is it?"

Sophie raised an eyebrow, hesitated for a moment as if recalling something, then handed the cup in a little further. "I forgot, try again..."

On the other side, Victoria's heart sank. In her confusion, she searched around and, despite her embarrassment, handed over the half-eaten piece of bread she was holding.

"Sean, this slice of bread comes with a different kind of jam, would you like to try it?"

"what?"

Li Xiaoen turned his head and looked over again, bewildered.

My life is at an end...

With a silent shout, Li Xiaoen gritted his teeth and pondered for a moment. Then, with a determined heart, he took a bite of the bread slice in Victoria's hand, chewed it quickly like swallowing a date, and before he could even swallow it, he turned his head and, under Su Feier's slightly narrowed gaze, drank the fruit tea in one gulp.

"Um……"

Ignoring everything else, Li Xiaoen, his mouth still bulging, nodded and let out a muffled exclamation, "Toasted bread and fruit tea are a perfect match, complementing each other perfectly, it's really delicious..."

Muttering to himself, Li Xiaoen swallowed the food in his mouth, looked around, and then noticed that the two girls were both frozen in place, staring blankly at him.

"What's wrong?"

Li Xiaoen broke the silence, "Bring up anything else you have. This gourmet and poison-tasting expert will help you taste it."

Realizing what was happening, Victoria took a deep breath, her expression quickly composed, and she stood up to pick up a knife and fork to cut the steak on the table.

"Let's eat, or it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Unable to resist swallowing, Li Xiaoen turned to look at Su Feier. The girl glanced up, then casually looked away, also looking at the steak on the table.

"..."

Is this a case of heaven one moment and hell the next?

Li Xiaoen was feeling conflicted, and with a persistent toothache, he couldn't help but raise his hand to rub his forehead.

He didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong, but he couldn't refuse in that situation, even if he made all sorts of excuses. Since he had accepted it, he had to accept it all; there was no other way.

After this incident, Victoria's gaze no longer held a smile, and Sophie only occasionally glanced over, her eyes filled with a nonchalant sneer. The entire dinner ended in an eerie atmosphere.

After helping to put all the dishes into the dishwasher, and seeing the silence that followed, Li Xiaoen immediately said goodbye.

(End of this chapter)