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

Chapter 257 Cooperation with Universities, England +1
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"Sean, welcome..."

As soon as Li Xiaoen arrived at the university gate at the scheduled time, Professor Stella greeted him with a smile as soon as he got out of the car.

“It’s been a long time, Professor Stella.”

He extended his hand to shake hands with him, and Li Xiaoen smiled and nodded in greeting.

"It's only been two months since the last meeting in New York, it doesn't seem like that long, does it?"

Professor Stella gave me a meaningful look. "It may have been a long time for you, after all, you must have been through a lot. Now you're coming to me as a partner."

"It was just an idea, something I thought I'd give it a try."

What was said in jest was taken to heart by the listener. Recalling everything that had happened since the start of the semester, Li Xiaoen felt a complex mix of emotions and sighed with regret.

“That’s a great idea. I have quite a few students in my studio who are your loyal customers.”

Professor Stella waved his hand dismissively, then his gaze fell on the young, pretty girl who had gotten off the car with him earlier and was now quietly following beside him. He paused for a moment, then asked, "Is this... your new girlfriend?"

That morning at Princeton, even a professor like him knew about Lee Shawn singing and running with Victoria.

"normal friend."

Li Xiaoen corrected, "I'd say we'll be partners in the future."

"Oh, so you're here to conduct an inspection?"

Despite saying that, Professor Stella remained as talkative as ever. Without waiting for Sean Lee's reply, she gestured towards the school gate, "Come on, Sean, come and see our Harvard labs..."

Following leisurely behind the two, Catherine looked around at the Harvard campus, but eventually her attention was drawn to the old man and young man chatting happily ahead, and her thoughts became increasingly complicated.

Professor Stella of Harvard is known in academic circles for his eccentric temperament. Because of his personality, many people have spent money but still failed to get a collaboration opportunity. But now it seems that he is treating Li Xiaoen with great enthusiasm.

Sure enough, even in academia, the rule of the strong prevailing prevails.

……

Snapped.

A crisp sound rang out from the quiet office. Suddenly, a folder was slapped onto Catherine's chest, who had been sitting quietly to the side. Inside were signed contracts.

Are they treating her like a secretary?
Catherine glared at Li Xiaoen with displeasure, took a deep breath, and reached out to take the folder in front of her.

"Are you talking about opportunities to collaborate with small companies?"

Professor Stella took a sip of coffee and began to ponder. She picked up her laptop and opened her email. "I do have it, but I'm not sure if it will be helpful to you."

"Besides, Sean, are you sure you want to waste your time on this little bit of money right now?"

As she spoke, Professor Stella suddenly looked up, her eyes, hidden behind her transparent glasses, filled with a look of deep thought and confusion.

He paid attention to Sean Lee and knew that with the other's intelligence, he wouldn't waste time by picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon. But based on what he heard from Sedgewick and what he saw now, he thought that whether the young man was working part-time at Apple or taking on small company collaborations, he was wasting his life.

“Professor Stella, for us, there are different sizes of business, but that does not affect our ability to take on any of it.”

Li Xiaoen smiled meaningfully.

“Sean, you want…”

Upon hearing this, Professor Stella unconsciously recalled the wildly popular app from the youth, and suddenly paused, "Are you trying to create a personalized, independent ecosystem of push notification algorithms?"

It's important to understand that for a typical internet platform website, each advertisement it accepts represents a valuable business partnership, and the partner is naturally a sizable company.

Similar to Facebook, it uses the website's algorithm to accurately push ads to the target audience, but the number of ads is still limited, and it is a push mechanism for a group of like-minded people. What he calls a personalized and independent ecosystem, on the other hand, is to segment the audience down to the individual level.

"The goal is far-reaching, the task is arduous, but I am working hard."

Li Xiaoen took a deep breath and smiled.

This time, Professor Stella stared blankly at Sean Lee, remaining silent for a long time before nodding, lowering her gaze, and rapidly typing on the computer again.

"I'll pack up all the incoming packages and forward them to you. Given the current size of your studio, you definitely can't take them all. You can decide based on the situation and just pick a few to try."

As she spoke, Professor Stella also looked up and said, "Sean, I look forward to the day you achieve that."

As soon as Li Xiaoen stepped out of the school and got into the car, a folder was slapped against his chest.

"You really think I'm your secretary?"

Catherine glared at her resentfully.

"You insisted on coming along, and even said that people would see you as my secretary and that it would make me look good."

Li Xiaoen replied helplessly, casually placing the folder in the middle storage compartment.

Contracts are used as a legal binding force to enforce compliance. As long as both parties clearly understand and fulfill their respective contributions and rewards, there is usually no need to verify them.

Moreover, his relationship with Professor Stella can be described as both mentor and friend, and the contract he signed will be of greater help to his work, so he doesn't need to worry about being taken advantage of.

"What I mean is to let others see it, to let them think that it's none of your business!"

Catherine rolled her eyes and snorted, "You should be grateful that I, such a beautiful woman, am following you so closely..."

"Yes, yes, thank you."

Li Xiaoen gave a helpless reply, started the car, and drove off in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?"

Noticing the different directions, Catherine, who was initially indignant, felt a sudden tightness in her chest.

"Are you nervous?"

With a sneer, Li Xiaoen glanced at the navigation route he had entered on his phone and teased, "Catherine, did you know that some secretaries of big company bosses also work as their personal assistants?"

"What do you want to say?"

Catherine frowned.

"I really wanted to tell you that we were going to a hotel, so I booked a high-floor room with a king-size bed and a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window."

Li Xiaoen sighed and stopped teasing him. "I see there's a company nearby that Professor Stella has sent a request for cooperation with. Let's go check it out first."

"what company?"

When the topic of cooperation came up, Catherine's big, bright eyes widened.

"I think it's a niche second-hand transfer and sales platform, basically acting as a logistics and middleman."

With a shrug, Li Xiaoen replied.

The location was about sixteen miles from the university. Li Xiaoen made an extra phone call to the other party on the way before he felt at ease to go there.

It was a large open space located on the edge of a desolate residential area, consisting of a tall, two-story warehouse covered with corrugated iron and a small wooden house next to it. Li Xiaoen parked at the door according to the map address, and looked left and right, and was at a loss for what to do.

"Is this the secondhand sales platform you mentioned, the partner of your studio?"

Turning her gaze away from the desolate landscape around her, Catherine asked with a faint smile.

"This can be described as a minimalist style of pragmatism."

Li Xiaoen gave a simple affirmation, and as soon as he opened the [Eye of Insight], he noticed two middle-aged men in suits walking quickly towards him through the door.

"Hello, I'm Charlie, the business manager at Ovishin."

As soon as I got out of the car, the middle-aged man in the lead reached out his hand.

After shaking hands and exchanging greetings, Li Xiaoen and his companion walked towards the wooden house. "Your company doesn't seem to have many people."

His gaze swept around, and Li Xiaoen casually mentioned it.

"We don't have much online business. Our online specialists handle the data. Most of our other business is just logistics."

Charlie chuckled. "That's why we approached Professor Stella at Harvard to see if we could develop an online business."

"Well, that's understandable."

According to what the Eye of Insight saw, Li Xiaoen nodded repeatedly in agreement, but at a certain moment, he unconsciously paused.

"what happened?"

The sudden movement drew the attention of the others.

"It's nothing, just a leg cramp."

He shook his head in response, and as the other party opened the door, Li Xiaoen thanked them and stepped inside.

……

"Sean, do you see something wrong with this company?"

Just ten minutes later, Sean Lee quickly ended his meeting with the other party. After getting back into his car and leaving, Catherine finally couldn't help but speak up.

"There's something strange about this company."

Li Xiaoen glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "Didn't you notice that they were all carrying handguns?"

"is it?"

Catherine was suddenly stunned.

"Their clothes were loose and made of soft fabric, and the outline of a pistol could be seen when they made certain movements."

Actually, he saw it with the Eye of Insight. Inside that large metal warehouse, he also saw a lot of addictive illegal items hidden among the second-hand goods. Li Xiaoen sighed seriously, "They're just working. Everyone carries a gun. Either they have a problem, or their company has a problem."

"Whichever option it is, leaving as soon as possible is the best choice."

"Um……"

Looking up at the young man's profile, Catherine gave a soft hum, nodding her head repeatedly, and then suddenly broke into a bright smile, "Sean, it really makes me feel safe coming out with you."

“If you don’t come out with me and stay home obediently, you won’t even be in danger of going into that company.”

Li Xiaoen chuckled dismissively, then his shoulder was slapped with a crisp sound.

"What do you mean? You don't want to come out with me?"

Rolling her eyes, Catherine scolded, "I don't know who it was that introduced me as his secretary to others, with such a smug look on their face."

"Really? Who is it? Who's so shameless?"

As Li Xiaoen spoke with righteous indignation, he stopped his car at a fruit stand by the roadside just as he was slapped on the shoulder again.

"Hello, I'd like to cut one box of all kinds of fruit for me."

There was even a police car parked next to the fruit stand, with two burly policemen standing beside it. Li Xiaoen rolled down the car window and nodded at the Mexican owner.

The sudden movement attracted the attention of two police officers. They leaned forward towards the car window, and when they noticed Li Xiaoen's face, their wariness lessened considerably.

"Show us your driver's license."

Even so, they tapped on the car window and spoke, then noticed Catherine sitting in the passenger seat, and both of them froze for a moment.

"Is something wrong?"

Having noticed their arrival early in the morning and their changed reactions, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but turn around and glance in Catherine's direction.

"Oh well, never mind, it's nothing."

The policeman shook his head, waved his hand, and walked away, saying, "Please be careful while driving."

"..."

"If I'm not mistaken, they didn't believe the car was mine at first?"

His expression turned strange for a moment, then Li Xiaoen spoke slowly, glancing back at Catherine, "But seeing you dispelled my doubts, and I was even afraid you would cause trouble?"

"Maybe."

Catherine gave a casual reply, her fingers twirling her loose, golden hair that cascaded down to her chest. "But thinking about it, it's impossible. I'm just a lowly secretary; how could I possibly have that kind of power in America..."

His expression quickly faded, and Li Xiaoen silently looked at Catherine, even receiving a teasing glance from her.

Only after the fruit stand owner called out to him did he turn around, take the cut fruit, pick up a piece, put it in his mouth, and quickly start the car.

"I have to work. If you want to go back, drive yourself."

Upon arriving at the studio, Li Xiaoen waved to Catherine and walked upstairs on his own. "I can go to the other schools myself tomorrow and the day after."

"Sean..."

Holding a half-eaten fruit box in her hand, Catherine quickly called out, only to be met with a wave of the hand from the young man who didn't turn around, causing her face to darken slightly.

She quickly composed herself, turning around gracefully in a moment and walking towards her car parked not far away. At the same time, she took out her phone and made a call. Her red lips parted slightly, but there was no trace of the flirtatiousness she had shown when talking to the young man earlier.

“Investigate the Ovisin Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, twelve miles from Harvard University.”

For several days, he first communicated by phone. Although he encountered setbacks at various professional laboratories of Ivy League universities, Li Xiaoen still managed to secure three cooperation contracts thanks to his excellent presentation at the exchange conference in New York.

With Evan's full dedication, the professional knowledge of all members in the studio increased visibly. With the added boost of two "Advanced Learning Domain Auras," the studio began to operate rapidly and systematically.

The app has been updated again, with a more personalized push notification mechanism, which has revived its previously waning popularity. After discussions with Ivan, a similar plugin for a computer browser has also been launched.

On the sixth day of spring break, Sean Lee arrived at a detached villa twenty miles from Princeton, carrying a large box of fruit gifts.

"Sean..."

Sitting on a deckchair in the front yard, Professor Sedgewick had the air of a retired Chinese gentleman. Upon seeing the visitor, he stood up happily, raised his hand in greeting, and quickly approached.

"Professor Sedgewick."

Li Xiaoen smiled and nodded, gesturing to the gift box he was holding, and sighed, "I should have come to visit you on a regular day, but now that my green card application has been approved, it seems like I'm only doing this for personal gain."

Regardless of whether it's domestic or international, the relationship between university teachers and students is basically just a temporary estrangement at the undergraduate level. It's only at the master's level and above that the relationship deepens as both parties spend more time together and collaborate more closely.

Although he was still a freshman, he was very grateful and close to Professor Sedgewick, who had helped him a lot all along.

"Hey……"

Laughing, Professor Sedgewick gave him a helpless and worried look, patting Sean Lee's arm repeatedly, "I know you've always been busy. Don't worry, I'm just happy and satisfied that you could come."

"Come on, after I got your call, my wife started making lunch and baking walnut pie."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."

Raising an eyebrow, Sean Lee smiled and nodded, then walked into the house at Professor Sedgewick's warm invitation.

"Sean..."

First, he went to the kitchen to greet his professor's wife. He was flattered and accepted the coffee that Professor Sedgewick had handed him. He then sat down with her in the living room. Professor Sedgewick's first words were spoken with a smile.

"I have a friend at Cambridge University in England who is in the same major. Has your studio considered collaborating with them?"

(End of this chapter)