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

Chapter 245 Bush
The next evening.

Li Xiaoen dressed neatly and headed out to Suffer's dormitory.

Even from outside the door, he could vaguely hear the noisy television coming from the living room on the first floor. He knocked on the door, pushed it open, and walked into the living room. His eyes met those of two girls sitting on the sofa who turned to look at him, and his guess was confirmed.

"What about Sophie? Isn't she ready yet?"

Stepping into the living room, Li Xiaoen gestured with his chin toward the two girls, Serafina and Mary.

"Yes, they said it will be down soon."

Mary nodded slightly in response, but Serafina didn't react, staring straight at him.

"What are you looking at?"

Li Xiaoen looked down at Serafina, "Is he too handsome? Did he amaze you?"

Why didn't you wear the outfit we picked out for you before?

Serafina didn't answer but asked a question in return.

"They're all evening suits, is there any difference?"

Shrugging, Li Xiaoen walked to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of soda water, and looked back, "Do you need anything?"

"No need, no need."

Mary shook her head. Serafina didn't answer. Sean Lee didn't ask any more questions. He closed the refrigerator, sat down on the sofa, and smiled and nodded at Mary. "Mary, you look beautiful in your evening gown today."

"Oh, thank you."

Mary chuckled and nodded.

Serafina frowned slightly, about to say something, when she heard several footsteps coming from the stairs. Looking up, she saw that Sophie had already tidied herself up and was coming down the stairs with the handrail.

Wearing a fitted black dress, the girl was radiant and beautiful. As she walked down the steps, it was as if the world had shone a spotlight on her, constantly attracting people's attention.

Her pretty face was lightly made up, a rare sight indeed. Her lips were rosy red, and she smiled slightly as she looked down at the young man who had arrived at the stairs and was reaching out his hand to her.

"Does it look good?"

Suffer reached out and placed her hand in the young man's, her red lips parting slightly.

"very nice."

Li Xiaoen nodded sincerely in agreement. As the girl walked down the stairs and looked him up and down, he sighed, "It's just a charity gala hosted by Serafina's family. Your elaborate attire might steal the show."

"Am I not already eye-catching enough in normal times?"

Standing on the first-floor floor, Sophie looked up at the young man.

"There's no point in saying that, is there?"

Helplessly shrugging his shoulders, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

Who says American girls are all carefree, straightforward, and outgoing? They're just as good at agonizing over topics like, "Am I not pretty normally?"

Suffer smiled faintly, gave a light hum, and turned to walk toward Serafina and the other girl who had stood up from the sofa.

"Look at my outfit, don't you think it looks good?"

As she spoke, Suffer raised her hands in the air and spun around in front of them, a sight that Li Xiaoen found extremely amusing.

"Sean, help me put on my shoes."

Just before leaving, Su Feier handed Li Xiaoen a shoebox, a rare, gentle smile on her lips.

Do you need help putting on your shoes?

Raising an eyebrow, Li Xiaoen glanced subtly at the two girls, Serafina and Sufi, who were standing there dumbfounded. He shook his head helplessly and squatted down in front of Sufi as her eyes suddenly turned resentful.

He could understand Suffer's intentions. Although he felt that it was unnecessary for her to do so, he didn't mind accompanying her if it would make her feel at ease and happy.

Reaching out to grasp Suffer's smooth, fair foot, Li Xiaoen took out a brand-new high heel from the shoebox and slipped it on her.

"Um……"

After putting on her shoes, Sophie stood up, walked up to the young man, looked up to compare her height, and nodded with a smile, "Even with high heels on, there's still quite a difference, but the height difference is just right."

The two stood close together, inches apart. Li Xiaoen could easily kiss her full, red lips with just a lowered head. The girl's meaningful remark left him momentarily stunned.

"It's getting late, let's go."

Satisfied with the young man's reaction, Suffer patted Li Xiaoen's chest, turned around gracefully, and grabbed his arms with both hands.

"Etc., etc……"

Pulled forward a couple of steps, Li Xiaoen quickly said, "Let me go wash my hands first, okay?"

"..."

"Sean..."

The smile she had maintained since coming downstairs froze, and Suffer turned to look at the young man beside her with resentment.

Regardless of Suffer's reaction, Li Xiaoen felt uneasy about driving to the banquet. She quickly turned around and went to the restroom.

When he returned, he noticed that Suffer's smile had faded, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Let's go."

Rolling her eyes, Sophie turned and greeted Serafina and Marie, who were standing to the side staring at each other in silence.

With Victoria absent and having publicly announced their relationship to two girls, Sophie naturally took the passenger seat. Serafina didn't want to drive, and the two-seater Aston Martin wasn't big enough, so Sean Lee drove his first car, a Maserati GranCabrio, instead.

The banquet was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York, a place that Sean Lee was already very familiar with.

After opening the car windows to let in the evening breeze, and being stopped by several girls who were worried that the breeze would ruin their hairstyles, the group arrived at their destination without incident.

It was nearly mid-March, and at 7 p.m., the sky was completely covered by twilight. The spacious parking lot outside the venue was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

The fact that such a large outdoor parking lot could be built in this prime location speaks volumes about the scale of this place.

After driving through a passageway with only a few people passing by, Li Xiaoen parked the car at the first spot he saw and got out with a few girls.

The outdoor plaza area was quite large, and there were many well-dressed men and women with graceful figures standing in the open space chatting, all with smiles on their faces, each one looking quite spirited.

This must be his first time attending such a large, high-level banquet, right?
His gaze unconsciously swept over the parked luxury sports car. Li Xiaoen took a deep breath and thought to himself, when his arm was suddenly bumped, which brought him back to his senses. He noticed the gazes of a group of people not far away.

"Sophie, it seems you're dressed too beautifully; you've attracted so much attention as soon as you arrived."

Ignoring the stares of the crowd, Li Xiaoen gave Su Feier a teasing laugh.

Perhaps still afraid that her father would find out about their relationship, Suffer didn't hug his arm as intimately as she did at school; otherwise, it might have surprised them even more.

“Perhaps, but I think they’re looking over for another reason.” Sophie smiled and glanced at the young man. “You’re Chinese, driving a car that’s only worth two hundred thousand US dollars, and you’re with three such beautiful girls. To them, that’s what’s more eye-catching.”

"Soon, they'll have someone investigate your background. Hopefully, they won't find out anything you're up to."

Do I have those things?

Sean Lee raised an eyebrow. Professor Sedgewick had already resolved the issue of delivering takeout, eliminating any potential problems. Perhaps the only thing that might make him resented was his greedy behavior.

But it's not illegal. Although it might attract the resentment of suitors like Matthew, it's just a matter of dealing with whatever comes his way.

"Since we've attracted so much attention, why not give them a bigger shock?"

Li Xiaoen gave Su Feier a meaningful smile and was about to reach out when he saw the girl's eyes widen. He quickly quickened his pace and took the lead.

This was the first time Li Xiaoen had seen Suffer so nervous and evasive. He found it amusing, but felt even more uneasy about the legendary father of the real estate tycoon.

He had met Suffer's brother and mother, and neither of them objected to his relationship with Suffer. The only thing missing in their relationship was Suffer's father.

During his casual conversation with Sophie, the girl mentioned it briefly, but immediately changed the subject to her father's conservative, old white ideas and beliefs.

Without thinking twice, Li Xiaoen quickened his pace and followed.

Upon arriving in front of the crowd, the first person to be greeted was Serafina, who was walking to the side with a rather indifferent or even annoyed expression.

"Congratulations, Serafina, your network security business has really seized a great opportunity this time."

A beautiful woman wearing a red halter dress that revealed a deep cleavage of white skin smiled and nodded in greeting.

"Thank you, it's just that I happened to be in that situation."

With a reserved smile, Serafina nodded in agreement, her obedient demeanor prompting Sean Lee to glance at her sideways.

Immediately afterward, while the others were greeting Serafina, the woman turned her head to look at Sophie and Lee Shawn beside her.

"Sophie, is this...your boyfriend?"

"Just good friends."

Suffer forced a smile in response, which surprised Li Xiaoen greatly.

Who exactly is this woman in front of me?
Not only Serafina, who is carefree and disdainful of many etiquettes, but even Sophie, who is always proud and arrogant, is being treated with such care?
As he pondered this, Li Xiaoen also sensed the woman's gaze as she turned to look at him carefully, and he took the initiative to extend his hand.

"Hello, I am Sean Lee, from China, and currently an international student at Princeton University."

"Hello..."

With her head tilted back, she gave a long, meaningful hum, then smiled and nodded, extending her soft, white hand. "I am Christine Bush. As for my status, just consider me an elder to the girls."

The surname Bush, and the fact that several young ladies treated it with such care and seriousness—while sorting through all the information so far, Li Xiaoen suddenly had a bold guess in her mind.

He knew from a young age that the United States had two presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Could this woman be from one of the four major political families?

"oops……"

The hand clasped with the young man's still radiated heat. Christine couldn't help but look up at the handsome face of the young man lost in thought, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. "Is it because your hand feels so good that you don't want to let go?"

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Suffer again.

"Sophie, aren't you going to put your boyfriend at ease?"

"Oh, sorry."

Quickly regaining her composure, Li Xiaoen released her hand from her grasp. "I was a little distracted just now, please forgive me."

"Ha ha……"

Christine raised her hand to cover her mouth and let out a clear, melodious laugh, causing her ample bosom to tremble, which was quite eye-catching.

Taking a deep breath, Li Xiaoen forcibly suppressed his instinctive reaction to look over, keeping his eyes fixed on the woman and Su Feier. The woman's words had left Su Feier stunned.

"Your mother and I are good friends. Is there anything you're hiding from me?"

With a hint of coquettishness in her eyes, Christine glared at Sophie.

"no……"

Sophie didn't know what expression to make at this moment. "I can only say that we are good friends for now."

"Okay, call me whatever you want."

With a helpless sigh, Christine looked at Sean Lee with an approving smile, "A man as outstanding as Sean is a rare find, the kind of man Suffer can fall for. Sean, you need to work harder..."

"I will,"

Suffer didn't speak, nor did she confirm their relationship. Li Xiaoen could only smile and nod in agreement, "Actually, I'm pursuing Suffer, but for now we're just good friends."

"Oh, are you speaking up for Sophie?"

Christine raised an eyebrow with amusement and nodded repeatedly. "She is indeed quite excellent in terms of conversation and social skills. No wonder she can win over Sophie."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Li Xiaoen nodded. Just then, a loud shout came from the stadium, attracting the attention of everyone in the area.

It was Seraphine's uncle, Mr. Henry.

Upon arriving at the house, Henry first nodded to Christine and the other older men and women before looking at Sean Lee and his group.

"Long time no see, Sean. Tonight's auction is for charity. Besides a lot of high-value artifacts, there are also many items at lower prices that you young people might like."

“I’m looking forward to it, Mr. Henry.”

Smiling and nodding, Li Xiaoen reached out and shook hands with him. The familiar manner between the two made everyone around them widen their eyes.

"Henry, do you still know Sean?"

Christine's expression was somewhat strange.

“Serafina brought some of her friends to our base before. Sean’s shooting and fighting skills are really good, and he’s also very smart.”

Henry laughed heartily twice, patted Sean Lee on the shoulder, and sighed, "It really is the world of young people now..."

"is it?"

The others around them looked over with surprise. Christine raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with doubt as she looked at Sean Lee. Instead, she looked at Sophie and said, "Sophie, your boyfriend is indeed very outstanding."

Christine repeated the same sentence again, this time facing Sophie, which suddenly added a strange twist to the atmosphere of the conversation.

"Sean, is he Suffer's boyfriend?"

Henry raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise.

(End of this chapter)