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

Chapter 267 Did you see that giant up ahead?

Philip is the eldest son of the current Queen of England and first in line to the throne.

This was the information Li Xiaoen knew; his impression of it was only a few words on the internet. Now, he was seeing it with his own eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you surprised?"

Noticing Sean Lee's reaction, Philip tilted his head and asked again.

"To be honest, I was quite surprised."

Li Xiaoen took a deep breath, smiled, and shook hands with him. "Seeing is believing. Prince Philip seems more approachable and kind than I imagined."

"Seeing is believing..."

With a slight frown, Philip repeated the sentence, nodding repeatedly, "That's a very good point."

"We've only just met, and you could say you're friendly. But how did you see that I'm outstanding?"

"Believe me, sometimes a person's body language and eyes convey more and more truth than their words."

Seemingly being tested, Li Xiaon raised an eyebrow, answered with a smile without changing his expression, and then glanced past Philip to look at the two companions behind him, "These two are..."

"Oh……"

Coming to his senses, Philip chuckled and introduced them, "These two are my friends, Richardson and Lambert."

“Hey, Sean…”

Only then did Richardson lift his eyes from the horse beneath Lee Shawn. "Is that the hurricane you're riding, the one that's so hard to tame and has stumped countless experts?"

"You can ride on it so quietly, is there some kind of technique?"

"This is a hurricane."

Li Xiaoen glanced down, nodded in agreement, and then resorted to his old excuse, "I've felt close to animals since I was a child, and maybe that's why."

"is it?"

Upon hearing this, Philip and the other two widened their eyes in surprise.

“Sean, after hearing your reason, even if Philip really likes this horse, he has no choice but to give it to you.”

On the other side, Lambert chimed in with a chuckle, glancing mischievously at Philip, who remained smiling throughout.

"Really? This is Prince Philip's mount?"

Li Xiaoen paused for a moment.

"No, don't get me wrong."

Philip waved his hands repeatedly, laughing as he explained, "I just really liked this horse before, but I couldn't tame it. I even invited a few experts to come and take a look, but who knew you would gain Hurricane's trust as soon as you arrived today."

“You are Victoria’s friend, and also my friend. It’s your skill that this horse took a liking to you. I’m giving it to you on behalf of my family. If you don’t have a place to keep it, you can board it here. Come visit often…”

"Um……"

With unreadable thoughts in his mind, Li Xiaoen did not refuse, "Then thank you. Please forgive me if I bother you again in the future."

"Ha ha……"

Philip laughed twice, looking over with amusement. "We'll have a chance later."

What does it mean?
Li Xiaoen's heart skipped a beat. Before he could think about it for a moment, Philip spoke up to say goodbye, pulling on the reins and leading his two friends away on horseback.

Although I couldn't quite understand what the other person was saying, at least it wasn't expressing hostility.

Watching the three figures gallop away in the distance, Li Xiaoen thought to himself, seeing that it was time for Victoria and the other two girls to finish class, he turned around and was about to go back to the horse farm when two more figures came galloping towards him in the distance.

It was those two girls.

So, did Philip and his companions leave because Victoria arrived?

Li Xiaoen pondered for a moment, then spurred his horse to meet the two girls.

"I was just about to come find you guys."

As he approached, Li Xiaoen shifted his gaze from the white horse to Victoria's form-fitting long-sleeved shirt and trousers, which accentuated her perfect figure, and he couldn't help but admire her.

Victoria has always preferred various skirts, with dresses and skirts in all sorts of styles. Even when she wears pants, they are mostly loose, comfortable, and casual. Even Lee Shawn, who has had physical intimacy with girls, was seeing her in a form-fitting outfit that accentuated her enviable figure for the first time.

"Stop staring at me like that, or I'll stab you to death!"

Charlotte stared intently at Sean Lee, her eyes narrowing. Finally unable to bear it any longer, she drew the sword from her waist, pointed it at Sean Lee, and said fiercely, "Let me tell you, I've been practicing swordsmanship since I was a child. I can easily find the most painful, yet non-fatal, spots on your body to strike!"

After glancing at Charlotte, Sean Lee pointed towards Victoria.

"Victoria, has this guy taken some kind of gunpowder? Or is it just a simple hormonal imbalance?"

"Sean..."

With an angry shout, Charlotte gripped her longsword tighter, as if about to stab the dissolute man directly.

"Alright, you two, shut up."

Feeling a bit of a headache, Victoria quickly spoke up to ease the tension, then immediately asked Sean Lee her most pressing question, "Sean, did Philip say anything to you just now?"

"Oh, he brought two friends over to say hello to me."

Li Xiaoen nodded in response, gesturing to the hurricane beneath him, "Watch me tame this horse, let them learn about it."

"Is that all?"

Victoria tilted her head suspiciously, her eyes clearly probing as she looked at Sean Lee.

"It's like we're meeting up and getting to know each other."

Sean Lee shrugged. "Philip also gave me the horse."

Victoria glanced down at Hurricane, the horse under Li Xiaoen's horse, which was noticeably larger than the other horses. She had heard of it before and was somewhat familiar with it. She slowly fell into deep thought.

"It's nothing. Even if something happens, it's a good thing. Don't worry."

Li Xiaoen smiled and offered a word of comfort, but seeing the girl still lost in thought, he called out loudly, "Victoria..."

"Oh, what's wrong?"

Coming to her senses, Victoria turned her head to look at the young man.

With a chuckle, Li Xiaoen pulled on the reins, making the hurricane pace and spin in place, while pointing in a direction and shouting at the top of his lungs even though he was very close to the girl.

“Victoria, do you see that giant over there?” Victoria opened her eyes wide and looked up. She saw a large windmill standing on a high slope in the distance on the vast grassland ahead.

"Ha ha……"

Sean Lee laughed twice more, then casually pulled the longsword that Charlotte had just sheathed from her waist. What came out of his mouth again was a shout in Spanish.

“I am libertad, Victoria, es uno de los más preciosos dones que a los hombres dieron los cielos; con ella no pueden igualarse los tesoros que encierra la tierra ni el mar encubre.” (I am liberated like the wind! The world's treasures cannot match the glory that eradicates injustice!)
Having said that, he jerked the arm holding the reins, and the horse beneath him first raised its two front legs and let out a sharp neigh. The moment it landed again, it launched itself and galloped toward the large windmill in the distance.

He charged forward with his sword in hand, quickly disappearing into the distance, and only then did his shout echo.

"charge--"

Staring blankly at the young man's departing figure, Victoria felt a little dazed, a strange emptiness in her heart, and a sense of loss spreading through her.

She always knew that the young man did not belong to anyone; he belonged only to himself. Even if he had not met them, he would have lived his life alone, without hesitation, freely and happily—their wealthy family backgrounds were, on the contrary, the reins that bound and restrained him.

Why, even though she had always known this fact in her heart, did she feel a strange fear that the young man had gone far away and would never return?

Not only Victoria, but even Charlotte beside her, showed no anger at having her sword taken away. Instead, her eyes, which were fixed on the departing figure, were filled with emotion.

……

"Hello, Mr. Sean."

Time was running out. After the three of them rode back to the stables and returned the horses, a staff member respectfully handed them a business card with both hands. "This is a business card that Prince Philip asked me to give to you. Please accept it."

"Well, thank you."

He immediately received stares from two girls. Li Xiaoen nodded and turned to greet them. "I have an appointment with a professor from Cambridge University this afternoon. Shall we go out for lunch together?"

"Oh, sure."

Without a second thought, Victoria nodded in agreement. Her obedient and compliant demeanor, which made Sean Lee raise an eyebrow.

He couldn't help but glance at Charlotte beside him, who had become much more obedient since he returned the longsword. The girl looked up and met his gaze briefly before quickly looking away, which only made him feel more uneasy.

"Have you...done something bad behind my back?"

Looking at the two of them scrutinizingly, Li Xiaoen pursed his lips and gave a strange smile.

The only answer was two pretty eye rolls.

After having lunch at a long-established, authentic British restaurant near UCL, Li Xiaoen dropped the two girls off at school and then went to Cambridge University in Cambridgeshire by himself.

Upon arriving at the school, I first met a doctoral student who had made an appointment to meet me at the school gate. While admiring the campus scenery, I walked towards the school's laboratory building. The first room I entered was a small conference room in the corner.

Upon entering, Li Xiaoen paused for a moment.

"We meet again, Sean."

He was sitting in a chair, but when he saw Li Sean Philip, he immediately stood up with a smile and came to greet him.

"Is the Cambridge University lab that Professor Sedgewick introduced, the one that collaborates with my studio, yours?"

Li Xiaoen asked in surprise.

The people in this meeting room were clearly led by Philip, who had also risen from the head seat earlier, the significance of which was self-evident.

"You might be surprised, but it's not impossible, is it?"

Philip smiled and shrugged, shaking hands familiarly with Sean Lee, then leaning forward to pat him on the back with his other hand. "Here, we're partners. I'm just an investor, nothing more."

"Sean, you work in computer science and algorithm optimization, so you should know the scale and development prospects of the AI ​​industry in this era."

Turning around, Philip gestured for Sean Lee to sit down, his voice gradually becoming low, "I don't know if you understand the economies of various countries around the world, but with your abilities, you can easily find out with a little online research that the future of England is not very bright."

"During the 08 financial crisis, our market rescue measures may not have been perfect. Constrained and hampered by this, we have found ourselves increasingly struggling..."

Seemingly having finally found an outlet for his emotions, Philip sighed with considerable emotion, "Sean, you know, thanks to the early development advantages of the several industrial revolutions in modern times, the whole of Europe has accumulated a large amount of capital and wealth, which has enabled us to maintain our current generous welfare and high quality of life..."

"Europe is now far behind in the field of AI, and we in England also want to catch the fast train of this new industrial revolution!"

"A new industrial revolution?"

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow, his expression somewhat strange.

Even someone as experienced in this field as him wouldn't have such confidence, yet this English prince, who is clearly an outsider to the investment, believes it?
Could it be that he knew some special cutting-edge information because of his status and position?

"Man proposes, God disposes. What this era will be like ultimately depends on our own creation."

Philip smiled and nodded. "Sean, let's work together!"

"..."

"I came here to find a laboratory at Cambridge University to collaborate with."

"It's not just that."

Philip explained with a serious expression, "I think our cooperation can go deeper and cover more areas!"

"Tell me more specifically?"

As expected, Li Xiaoen was surprised upon hearing this. He took a sip of coffee and nodded.

"We entrust you with the full management and coordination of this laboratory at Cambridge University. In England, and indeed in all places where we have influence, we will help with publicity and promotion under the name of the Cambridge Laboratory. Depending on the situation, we will also provide you with substantial financial support each year!"

Philip took a document from his secretary, glanced at it, gave a brief reply, closed it, and handed it to Sean Lee. "When our cooperation expands, I'll need 50% of your studio's shares. Of course, we can sign a contract that doesn't interfere with company decisions."

Why is it someone else eyeing that small studio's share of the business?
"Thank you for thinking so highly of my little studio."

Li Xiaoen looked helpless, took the contract, and chuckled inexplicably before sighing, "But after hearing what you said, I feel like my studio is just working behind the scenes for free. It doesn't have the glamour on the surface, and in the end, I have to give away half of the shares for nothing..."

"Sean, you need to think this through!"

Philip's face darkened. "You need to understand, even with the help of other friends, it's almost impossible for you to quickly grow your business, establish a foothold, and make your studio bigger and stronger in this environment dominated by American internet giants who are always watching you!"

"Only with our official support in England, do you have any leverage to fight back, do you understand?"

“I foresaw this long before I even started the studio.”

Li Xiaoen smiled and shook his head frankly, "The road ahead is fraught with difficulties and long, but I'm trying my best..."

Just from those few words, Philip was suddenly stunned, and it took him a long time to recover. When he looked at Sean Lee again, his gaze was filled with even more caution and seriousness.

"Sean, you're even more ambitious than I imagined..."

(End of this chapter)