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

Chapter 275 Adherence, or Rigidity?
In India, there are three types of drivers soliciting passengers at airport entrances.

One method relies entirely on people actively soliciting customers by walking up to passengers who are standing idly at the airport entrance, looking around or fiddling with their phones, and enthusiastically greeting them.

The second approach combines the Uber app with human solicitation, using Uber accounts to increase passenger trust and thus attract more customers.

The last type is the simple and unpretentious Uber ride-hailing service.

There are three ways to attract customers, with safety and comfort increasing in that order, along with cost.

A special note: For women and men with fair skin, for safety reasons, only Uber should be considered, and be prepared to record conversations at all times.

After waiting for a short while at the airport entrance, a stretched Mercedes-Benz SUV finally arrived in front of the three of them. This information was provided to Li Xiaoen and his companion by Professor Phyllis in this short period of time.

Now, sitting in the car leaving the airport, Amelia still sat close to Sean Lee, her pretty appearance prompting Professor Phyllis to jokingly tease her friend.

The woman who drove over was a middle-aged woman of the same age as Professor Phyllis. She had fair skin and neatly combed short hair that shimmered white under the lights with hair wax.

In particular, when the two greeted each other familiarly and hugged, and looked at each other for the first time, Li Xiaoen vaguely sensed some unknown meaning in it.

These are all trivial matters. What should be giving Li Xiaoen a headache right now is the young woman, Dia, sitting on his other side, who is currently holding her phone and talking incessantly.

Professor Phyllis's good friend is named Avika, and Dia is his niece. They heard that he was coming to say something and wanted to go with him to pick him up at the airport.

Both men were Brahmins and lived in an affluent area of ​​New Delhi.

"Sean, do you know that all the girls in our class are your fans? We've read that comic of you playing the villain over and over again online."

She must have dressed up deliberately, as Dia wore a simple white T-shirt paired with high-waisted slim-fit jeans, with the hem of the shirt tucked into the jeans, looking simple, capable, and stylish.

In particular, when Dia came close to him, a slightly pungent perfume scent wafted in front of Li Xiaoen, causing him to cough twice involuntarily at first.

Dia's English was surprisingly fluent. He excitedly held up his phone, and on the screen was the website where George, the chubby boy from Seton Hall University, published his comics. Judging from the account displayed, he had obviously given his character a lot of extra money.

“Thank you, thank you for your support.”

Li Xiaoen forced a smile and nodded repeatedly. Even though he prided himself on being eloquent, he didn't know what to say in the face of such an overly enthusiastic fan.

"Sean, the author of that comic, did he obtain your permission and pay you a certain percentage of the royalties before he included you in the comic?"

Dia quickly asked seriously, "It's been circulating online that we've been asking him to make a statement, but he's remained silent, neither admitting nor denying anything. If we can't support you, we must unite and sue that company, demanding compensation!"

"Yes, the author did ask me for permission."

Is this what it feels like to be an idol? He, the person directly involved, isn't worried about the authorized publications, but his fans are already calculating the gains and losses for him.

Feeling something was off, Li Xiaoen quickly waved his hand and replied, "That comic is so popular online, of course I know about it."

"Okay, that's good..."

Dia breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then excitedly tapped her phone to bring up the front-facing selfie camera, looking over expectantly, "Sean, let's take a picture together! I'm sure my classmates will be green with envy when I post it online!"

"Yes, of course."

Li Xiaoen nodded in agreement, leaned forward, and smiled.

"..."

In India, even in the affluent areas of New Delhi, the sky was overcast. After encountering a few policemen in familiar beige uniforms patrolling with long sticks at several gradually cleaner intersections, the vehicle stopped in front of a rather spacious two-story luxury house with a courtyard.

The style of the residence is different from other buildings along the way, and it looks quite like an old-fashioned English European style.

Even so, after parking the car in the inner courtyard and walking along the long and wide cement road lined with various flowers, trees and shrubs, Li Xiaoen still saw many distinctive Indian gray brick walls and dark-skinned servants standing in place, holding tools and staring intently at him.

Although it's called a mansion, it's obviously not comparable to the detached villas in upscale American communities, let alone the estates of other rich young ladies.

"Sean, do you have anything else to do after you're done with your work?"

Dia excitedly grabbed Lee Shawn's arm and pulled him inside, even past Professor Phyllis and his companion who were walking ahead chatting happily. "Would you like to take a look around sometime? I can be your guide and show you around..."

She had a smile on her face until she saw a middle-aged woman in an old-style Indian dress and a headscarf ahead. Under the woman's slightly furrowed brows and gaze, Dia quickly and reluctantly let go.

"Welcome everyone..."

Turning her gaze back, the woman's face immediately lit up with a bright smile. Standing beside her, a rather thin middle-aged man in a striped shirt and trousers smiled and invited Li Xiaoen and the other two into the house.

The house was simply furnished, lacking the modern or luxurious feel one might expect. A quick glance around the living room revealed a familiar family home, almost identical to his home in Yuecheng.

Professor Phyllis hugged the woman, and as they talked, they walked into the living room, where they saw several of her family members.

Li Xiaoen sat quietly on the sofa, intending to be a listener, but unfortunately, he was mentioned every time. Under the gaze of many people, he could only smile helplessly and give a reply.

Only then did Li Xiaoen learn from the group that this was their old family home, and that they also owned other properties, mostly high-rise luxury apartments in Mumbai or New Delhi.

A lively commotion erupted from the kitchen, and soon a young woman wearing an apron came out to inform them.

As she was being warmly invited to the dining table, Li Xiaoen noticed several figures filing out of the kitchen.

Their skin was all dark, their bodies were hunched and their heads were down, as if they dared not look up at anyone. They hurriedly moved their feet and walked towards the door.

"They, and those people I saw when I came in earlier, are they all your family's servants?"

Li Xiaoen couldn't help but ask Dia, who was standing beside him, out of curiosity.

"Yes, don't worry about them, they'll leave the house after they finish their work."

Dia glanced at the retreating figures of the servants in the distance, waved dismissively, and said with a grin, "Sean, of course, if you want to eat my cooking, that's fine too."

"Next time, if there's a chance next time."

Li Xiaoen nodded in response, but then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Diya, may I ask how much their monthly salary is?"

“Well, actually, they don’t get paid.” Dia pursed her lips, tilted her head back and pondered for a moment before giving her answer, “However, our family will provide them with safe accommodation, food, clothing and the like, as well as the living and education of their children. We will even help them take them to the hospital if they get sick.”

"I see."

Isn't this just like the servants of wealthy families in ancient China or Europe?
Li Xiaoen nodded, his thoughts somewhat complicated.

"Dia, will their children still stay here and continue working as servants?"

"Then it depends on their talent and choices."

Dia answered readily, "If they discover any talent in their schooling that allows them to pursue further education, we will support them. If they don't want to stay at home when they grow up, we will also give them some money to leave."

"However, geniuses are only a tiny minority. In the end, the vast majority of them will come back and continue to work for our family."

Dia added, "We'll have to consider whether or not to keep them, and we'll need to conduct an evaluation."

Whether it was due to the habits of the high-caste wealthy class or to take care of the three guests, the Diya family used knives, forks, and spoons to serve them Indian specialties, unlike what others had heard about the Indian custom of eating with their hands.

Aside from a lot of various kinds of porridge, the overall taste of dinner was quite good. It was somewhat different from the Indian restaurants I had eaten in America, but not by much, and it wasn't as exaggerated as American Chinese food.

"Amelia, would you like some water?"

The dinner table was bustling with activity, and everyone was chatting happily. After responding to the greetings from several people his age, including Dia, Li Xiaoen noticed Amelia sitting beside him, quietly eating and only giving brief replies when approached. He held up a wine glass and waved it in front of her.

"This is India, where there is no law requiring one to be 21 years of age or older to drink alcohol."

As if only then realizing it, Amelia opened her eyes wide, silently looking at the clear wine glass filled with wine in Lee Shawn's hand, pursed her lips, and still firmly shook her head.

"Even in India, do you still have to abide by American laws?"

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with emotion and respect as he looked at Amelia.

Whether it was due to a problem with his social circle or because the Prohibition law did not apply to ordinary American youth, Amelia was the first American peer whom Shawn Lee knew well who strictly adhered to the law.

Needless to say, Sophie, Amelia, and the other young ladies were seen drinking wine, whether in their private dormitories or at various parties in New York. It wasn't a lot, but they did drink some.

Daniel and Michael, two playboy friends from the West Coast, were seen by Sean Lee more than once partying with women in their dorm room, drinking and having fun.

As for Malcolm, he saw him drinking once, but he didn't know if he was encouraged by Daniel and the other man or if he was forced to drink.

It's admirable that someone who has been restricted from doing something insignificant for so long, once the restriction is lifted, doesn't have the slightest urge to try it.

When Sophie followed him back to Yuecheng in China, they would drink on the streets. When he came to America to study, he would practice shooting. All of this was to satisfy the novelty of trying something new for the first time and breaking taboos.

Amelia didn't answer. She looked up at Lee Shawn silently, and under the young man's watchful gaze, she reached out and took his wine glass, then placed it on the other side, further away from him.

"You won't drink it, and you don't want me to drink it either?"

Li Xiaoen's expression turned strange. He wasn't a drunkard; he could drink if he wanted, but it didn't matter if he couldn't. He smiled, shrugged, and didn't take it back.

"Hey……"

Using a fork, Li Xiaoen picked up a piece of carrot from a lump of yellow paste, put it in his mouth, took a few bites, and swallowed it. He leaned towards Amelia, saying, "Amelia, I think you'll definitely be a very strict person in the future, either a teacher, a team leader at the company, or a mother..."

"hiss……"

As she said this, Li Xiaoen shook her head slightly and quickly, "Just thinking about it makes me feel a little sorry for your future child."

Amusement flickered across Li Xiaoen's face. He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and sat back down, pulling his foot out from under the table.

“Come here, Sean…”

Just then, Dia, who was sitting on the other side of Sean Lee, finally seized the opportunity, poured himself a glass of wine and handed it to him, saying, "You can't drink in America, don't you want to have a little more here?"

"I'd like to propose a toast to you. Would you like to have a drink with me?"

"Okay, okay, I'll drink it, I'll drink it..."

He quickly brought the other person's glass to his mouth, as if to feed him, but pushed it away. Li Xiaoen took it firmly and clinked glasses with Dia, both amused and exasperated.

However, just as he took a sip, a sharp pain shot through his lower back. Li Xiaoen grimaced, turned around and glared at Amelia, then reached back and pulled her hand away.

"What are you trying to do? This isn't illegal. If you're not going to drink, are you going to stop others from drinking?"

Li Xiaoen laughed helplessly and angrily, "So old-fashioned and stubborn, anyone who didn't know better would think you were some ancient relic from the Middle Ages."

Feeling resentful, Amelia looked up and opened her mouth, but when she tried to speak, she didn't know what to say. So she let out a breath and turned to face the other side.

"boring……"

Shaking his head and sighing, Li Xiaoen turned around and clinked glasses with Dia, who had been waiting there watching.

After a satisfying meal, it was already 11:30 p.m.

Declining the Dia family's invitation to stay overnight, Li Xiaoen and his two companions settled into a nearby upscale hotel, accompanied by Avika.

As usual, upon entering his room, Li Xiaoen activated his [Eye of Insight] and scanned the room. When his attention fell on Amelia's room, which was just one room away, his body suddenly paused.

Quickly realizing what was happening, without even putting down his backpack, Li Xiaoen immediately went out and pushed open the door to Amelia's room.

“Amelia…”

"..."

"what--"

(End of this chapter)