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

Chapter 284 The Playful Isolde

At 5 p.m., Li Xiaoen left the company and drove back to school.

After parking the car, on the way to the teaching building, Li Xiaoen and Su Feier bumped into each other from a distance. At the same time, their eyes widened and their pace quickened.

As he approached, Li Xiaoen smiled, but before he could speak, Su Feier didn't stop and suddenly threw herself into his arms. The sweet fragrance filled his nostrils, and he couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

Looking around at the several figures watching him, Li Xiaoen gave a strange smile, raised his hands, and wrapped them around the girl's slender waist.

"What's wrong? Aren't you afraid that someone will find out today and tell your father?"

Li Xiaoen said slowly and with amusement.

"He's probably just being stubborn right now."

Releasing the young man's embrace, Sophie rolled her eyes and snorted, "He's just an old stubborn man, inflexible and unwilling to adapt. Now that he sees how well your company is doing, he just won't admit it..."

"What do you mean?"

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow. He had been focused on his work at the company lately. Although he chatted with Suffer and Victoria on WhatsApp every day, it was limited to a few words of concern and sharing. He didn't know the specific situation at Suffer's home.

“I went home these past few weeks, and during dinner my mom brought up your company’s achievements, but he just pretended not to hear, like he was deaf…”

Waving her hand in reply, Sophie simply said, her voice filled with indignation.

"Perhaps your father needs me to achieve better results."

Li Xiaon was both amused and exasperated by Su Feier's leaky behavior, and offered to explain, "Although my company is doing fairly well now, it might not be considered very important by your father, a successful and outstanding entrepreneur. Don't worry about it."

Suffer could say those things, but he couldn't agree with them.

"Humph……"

As they walked with the young man towards the parking lot, Su Feier glanced at Li Xiaoen and scoffed, "Weren't you supposed to be so arrogant and haughty? Why are you so cautious, polite, and sycophantic now?"

"Then tell me why?"

Li Xiaon chuckled in return, draping an arm over Su Feier's shoulder, and said with a grin, "He's your father..."

Upon hearing this, Sophie fell completely silent.

"..."

"Don't put it over there, it's hot."

Sophie shook off the young man's arm from her shoulder and rolled her eyes at him with displeasure.

"If it was hot, why didn't you say so from the beginning?"

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow with amusement, looked up at the sky and the flowers, trees and shrubs around the campus, and took a deep breath, "Summer is almost here before we know it."

These words made Sophie turn her head to look over.

Do you feel it's fast or slow?

Are there any different ways to describe these two feelings?

"No."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I'll ask whatever I want, is there a problem?"

Sophie rolled her eyes, her gaze towards the young man filled with disdain. "Have you been using your brain too much lately, going through all that scheming and backstabbing when negotiating deals with others? You have to scrutinize every word someone says, trying to find out the hidden meanings or probing questions..."

"Ha ha……"

Faced with Su Feier's merciless criticism, Li Xiaoen laughed twice. After not seeing her for a long time, the girl was still the same as before, which made him feel emotional.

It had only been a month or two, but in his subjective feeling it had been a long time. Was it because he had experienced too many things?

Li Xiaoen thought to himself, walked to the car, and thoughtfully opened the car door for Su Feier.

With her long, swan-like neck arched and a smile on her lips, Sophie bent down and sat down.

By the time she got into the driver's seat, Suffer had already set the navigation route to her home on the center console. Li Xiaoen started the car and drove out of the school, heading towards a villa estate in the suburbs of New York.

"Oh, yes."

With music playing in the car, Li Xiaoen suddenly remembered something. "Sophie, take a look around and see if there are any good boutiques or specialty stores nearby. Let's buy a bottle of wine and take it with us."

"No need to buy any gifts."

Sophie shook her head. "We have everything at home, and we even have a cellar for storing wine, with all kinds and flavors."

"You can have some at home, but I can't just not send any, can I?"

Li Xiaoen shrugged. "I can't possibly go to your house empty-handed when your mother invites me, can I?"

"Why not?"

Suffer asked casually, then suddenly remembered visiting Li Xiaoen's house during winter break, and her voice grew softer and softer.

"Ha ha……"

Just then, Li Xiaoen's chuckle rang out, and Su Feier's face flushed slightly. She glared at the young man.

"Oh, yes."

Hearing himself say that, Li Xiaoen realized what was going on. "Su Feier, you said it was your mother who invited me. What's the situation with your father?"

"Just as I told you before, I neither object nor refuse."

Sophie shook her head in frustration, her face slightly somber. "He either ignores you at home, or just gives a brief greeting, or he's busy with work at the company and doesn't come back until late at night on a Friday afternoon."

"Ha ha……"

Li Xiaoen chuckled twice, one hand on the steering wheel, the other reaching out towards Su Feier to grasp the other's hand resting on his thigh, without saying another word.

Su Feier glanced at Li Xiaoen, took a deep breath, and looked back at the road ahead, stopping herself from complaining about her traditional and stubborn father.

A luxury sports car sped along the highway, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it. Inside, melodious music played softly as the two people held hands, quietly looking ahead at the road.

Snapped.

Where are your hands?

Suffolk slapped Li Xiaoen's hand, which had moved to his thigh, and glared at the young man through gritted teeth.

……

This was Li Xiaoen's first time visiting Su Feier's house. According to the navigation, there was no road nearby. It was only with Su Feier's guidance that he drove to a large bronze metal gate with many openwork carvings.

The gate opened from the inside, and Sean Lee drove in. He immediately saw the gentle and elegant garden scenery of the entire estate, and in the distance, directly ahead, a luxurious three-story mansion with a European classical style. Unlike the simple and austere style of Serafina's estate, everything here exuded a soft, artistic atmosphere.

"Your home is beautifully decorated."

Li Xiaoen smiled and said to Su Feier, following the directions of a security guard in a suit, that he should park the car under a canopy near the garden.

The canopy is next to a small house and extends all the way to the main house, providing shelter from the wind and rain to the center of the manor.

Even so, Li Xiaoen and his companion did not choose to go inside the house, but instead went to the garden outside, passed the gate and the wide square in the center of the main house, and headed towards the main entrance.

It was almost seven o'clock in the evening, and as summer approached, the sky was still shrouded in darkness. The fountain in the center of the square, gushing upwards, illuminated the area with a soft blue light, creating a beautiful scene reflected in the night.

The color was just like the bright color of the eyes of the Sophie family; it was extremely beautiful.

Li Xiaoen subconsciously turned his head and saw Su Feier looking into his light blue eyes, and couldn't help but smile.

Although it's not quite a success yet, the fact that Sophie's mother invited her here despite her father's objections is a decent step forward.

"Sean, welcome, welcome..."

A joyful shout came from ahead. Li Xiaoen turned around and saw Sophie's mother, Isolde, and brother, Jasper, coming out to greet them. They quickened their pace and went to meet them.

"Good evening, Ms. Isolde, Jasper..."

Li Xiaoen greeted them with a smile, then looked at the two of them and handed them a bottle of red wine he had bought. "Thank you for the dinner invitation tonight. This is a bottle of red wine I brought. Please accept it."

"Hehe, okay, okay..."

Looking up at Li Xiaon with eyes full of joy and satisfaction, Isolde reached out and took the gift, handing it to his son. He then warmly invited Li Xiaon into the house, saying, "Xiaon, it's been about six months since we last met. You look taller and more handsome."

"Isolde, you look even younger and better than I have in the past few months."

Li Xiaoen smiled and flattered him, but he didn't feel any guilt.

Given that she gave birth to such good-looking siblings as Sophie and Jasper, it's not too surprising that Isolde is also good-looking. Based on genetics, Sophie's father probably wasn't bad-looking either.

Invited into the main house, Li Xiaoen was immediately drawn to the interior decoration and design. He looked around with admiration and appreciation in his eyes.

The living room features a high ceiling, with a large, unified mural hanging on one of the walls. Below it are several luxuriously decorated sofas of high-quality fabric and a unified style. Opposite the sofas is a large television screen embedded in the wall, and on one side is a lush green garden and lawn outside the house.

The ceiling and corners were decorated with exquisite and natural carvings. Along the way, Li Xiaoen even saw many famous and expensive paintings. The decorations scattered around included flowers and plants, cut stones, and even ancient Chinese porcelain. Every little thing looked pleasing to the eye, with a grand yet elegant style.

Li Xiaoen couldn't help but take a deep breath, his heart filled with emotion.

"Sean, what do you think of the decorating style of our house?"

Isolde gestured for Sean Lee to sit on the sofa, smiling as she raised her smooth chin.

"Well, it's very beautiful."

Li Xiaoen smiled and nodded honestly, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings again. "I really like this style."

"Ha ha……"

Upon hearing this, Isolde grinned from ear to ear, raising her hand to cover her mouth, but her joy was still evident in her smiling eyes. Li Xiaoen looked at Suffer and Jasper in confusion, only to see the two of them pursing their lips and showing a helpless smile.

"Sean..."

Quickly regaining his composure, Isolde waved his hand with amusement, "You know what? The entire decoration of this house was done according to the style that Sophie's father liked."

"is it?"

Raising an eyebrow, Li Xiaoen looked around at the group. "It seems Mr. Marceau is a man of excellent taste who knows how to enjoy life."

"Sean, are you praising yourself?"

Seeing the young man's eyes turn both reproachful and helpless, Isolde chuckled and was about to speak again when some noises came from the direction of the door, so she had to stop.

Under the watchful eyes of several people, a middle-aged man dressed in a shirt and trousers, with a suit jacket and tie draped over his arm, stepped into view.

His eyes were a uniform blue, his hair was meticulously styled, his skin was fair, and his face had sharp features. Even though he had entered middle age and his face was no longer as youthful as before, one could still see the handsomeness he had in his youth in his eyes and brows.

This is the image of an elite older white man in most people's minds.

"Wow, what a coincidence?"

Isolde exclaimed playfully, glancing mischievously at Sean Lee, "Sean, Louis was eavesdropping on us just now, and he couldn't resist coming out as soon as he heard you praising him."

"Ha ha……"

Li Xiaoen could only manage a forced smile in response, without saying anything more.

Even though she is already a mother of two children in their early twenties, Isolde still has this playful and willful personality. I imagine she was probably even more so when she was younger. Did Sophie learn her personality from her?

Unable to suppress a mental grumble, he exchanged a glance with Lois, and as the other person approached, Li Xiaoen stood up and extended his hand.

"Good evening, Mr. Lois."

From the moment he saw the four people sitting in the living room, Lois's gaze remained fixed on Sean Lee. Seeing this, he glanced down and, feeling the gazes of his wife and children, reached out his hand as well.

Good evening, Sean.

With a faint smile and a nod, Lois gestured to the sofa, "Welcome to our family's dinner party."

Immediately, Lois lifted his leg and sat down alone on a semi-enclosed single sofa, without saying a word, and the living room fell into an eerie silence.

"Sufeil..."

It was Isolde who broke the silence first, pulling Sophie's hand to stand up. "We invited Sean over today. Come with me to the kitchen to cook a big meal..."

"But Sean..."

Pulled to her feet, Sophie finally realized what was happening. She tugged at her hand and turned to look at Sean Lee. After receiving a look from Isolde, she could only purse her lips and give up struggling.

"You two chat, I'm going to the kitchen with Sophie."

Looking back at the three of them, Isolde gave them a few instructions before pulling the extremely reluctant Sophie away from the living room.

After a brief period of excitement, the living room fell silent again.

Unlike Sean Lee's calm demeanor and Jasper's intriguing glances as he looked at the two of them, Lois took a deep breath, raised his hand with a headache, and rubbed his temples.

Just now, his beloved daughter, whom he had spoiled for over a decade, gave him, her old father, a warning look in front of everyone, all because of this young man he had known for less than a year.

He is a Chinese citizen.

"Cough cough..."

After clearing his throat twice, Lois looked up at Sean Lee and spoke first, which made both of them pause for a moment, "Sean, the matter that Suffer gave me before, about Suffer's uncle Samuel ordering arson, was it you who helped investigate?"

(End of this chapter)