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

knock knock.

Knocked twice.

There was no response from inside the office for a long time. Li Xiaoen frowned slightly and was about to reach out to try to open the door a crack when the door opened.

Only a narrow gap was visible, and Amelia alone occupied the entire space, staring wide-eyed at him.

"Is something the matter? Where is Professor Avery?"

After making eye contact with the other person, Li Xiaoen looked up and peered into the office through the gap above their head, but unfortunately, he didn't see anyone.

Just as he was about to say something more, Amelia reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him inside before he could react.

"..."

"Amelia?"

His body tensed abruptly. Li Xiaoen's gaze swept across the office, but he didn't see Professor Avery. Before he could react for a moment, Amelia suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly with both arms.

"So, you were the one who called me?"

Li Xiaoen suddenly came to his senses and let out a long sigh of helplessness.

Why are all American girls like this? Sophie is like this, and now Amelia is the same.

"Do you not like it?"

Amelia's muffled voice came from his arms. Li Xiaoen looked down and met her smiling, gray-brown eyes. "Don't tell me you want my mother here?"

"I should say, that's what I thought."

Li Xiaoen corrected him, and was about to speak again when Amelia immediately stood on tiptoe and covered his mouth with her tongue.

"Sean..."

Her eyes quickly became glazed over, and Amelia clung to Sean Lee's figure. "So much time has passed, don't you miss me?"

This heartfelt call went unanswered. Amelia's head briefly detached from the young man's neck, and she looked at him with a slight frown.

"..."

"Scumbag!"

Noticing the young man's strange expression, Amelia coldly rebuked him.

Why are you clinging to me, you scumbag?
Li Xiaoen shrugged helplessly, inwardly grumbling.

"As you should know, I've been very busy lately."

"Excuse."

Amelia rolled her eyes, pursed her lips under the young man's helpless gaze, and casually hummed, "I don't ask anything of you, as long as you can satisfy me when I need you, that's enough."

Li Xiaoen: “???”

Is this the kind of thing a good girl, an American nerd, would say?

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow, and then Amelia immediately led him to a small break room inside the office.

……

When Li Xiaoen came out of the office, it was already six o'clock in the afternoon.

I went back to my dorm, took a quick shower, and before I even had time to eat, I rushed out again and drove towards New York.

There was a business exhibition and exchange meeting on computer artificial intelligence being held in New York these past two days. He had asked Catherine to take a few HR and software colleagues there early in the morning. Now that the exhibition has come to a perfect end, Shawn Lee, as the boss of a startup company, needs to go there as well.

This exhibition and exchange event is more commercialized than the previous conference led by Professor Sedgewick, which was more academic and university-oriented. It can be said to be a significant opportunity for various startup network intelligence companies to showcase themselves.

Similarly, the conference also included companies that need to use artificial intelligence, including companies from various industries, and even foreign companies from other countries.

Of course, there were also many experimental teams from other universities and laboratories under internet giants at the venue. However, if they were to win awards, only their leaders would likely be present. Only startups like his would need their bosses to make an appearance, partly to gain recognition.

Initially, Li Xiaoen wanted Catherine to do it for him, but after being persuaded by her to do so, he agreed. Catherine suggested that it would make him look good, generate buzz online, and also promote BanYan.

Sure enough, as expected of someone with a media background, although he would think of this aspect when promoting the company, he wouldn't think of it in this kind of academic and boring meeting. Catherine really has a keen sense of news.

"Sean, are you here yet?"

The phone rang suddenly, and Li Xiaoen answered it on the car's central control. Catherine's voice came through the car immediately.

"I am going there."

Li Xiaoen answered casually, seized the opportunity to turn the steering wheel, and quickly escaped the impending traffic jam in the evening rush hour traffic. "How's the situation on the ground?"

"Is the party about to start?"

Catherine's voice seemed to come from near and far, as if she were turning her head to look around, "You, just going back to school to get a dispensable certificate, is taking up so much of your time?"

"Relax, there's no need to be so impatient."

Of course, he couldn't tell her the reason. Li Xiaoen smiled and comforted her, his voice as calm as ever, "Catherine, let me ask you, what serious consequences will we face if we miss this party?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Catherine's voice came through.

"We are a startup company. The company's momentum and publicity require the accumulation of every step. That's why you arrived at the gala on time and appeared on stage in front of so many people and media cameras. Is that enough?"

"Yes, that's enough, and it definitely makes sense."

Li Xiaoen nodded repeatedly, "But now that it's confirmed I'm only just heading to the venue, why be in such a hurry? That won't solve anything..."

After these words, there was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Li Xiaoen chuckled and then said, "Besides, I might be able to get there in time. You just need to keep your expectations up and wait for the hero to appear at the most critical moment."

This time, Catherine still didn't answer. Li Xiaoen glanced at the central control screen from the road ahead to make sure the other party hadn't hung up. Just as he turned his gaze back to the road ahead, Catherine let out a strange sigh.

"Oh, I think I shouldn't have gone to a tailor. I should have gone to a welder and had them weld your mouth shut."

"Once it's really closed, you won't hear me praising you anymore."

Li Xiaoen chuckled, then suddenly remembered something and said with a grin, "Hey, Catherine, I've thought of an even more explosive idea, one that'll really ignite the internet. Want to hear it?"

"Ha ha……"

Catherine let out a cold, emotionless laugh. "I don't want to."

"Then listen carefully."

Li Xiaoen coughed twice, and his shameless words made Catherine on the other end of the phone roll her eyes reproachfully. "You all leave the venue now, and we'll meet at a restaurant in New York as a celebration for the successful conclusion of this exhibition."

"As for the final awards ceremony at the exhibition, we will simply skip it, which will definitely be a hot topic online!"

"Yes, that's a good suggestion. Keep it for when it only concerns you."

Catherine was silent for a moment, then replied softly, "Please remember to invite me. I'll be wearing a gown, sipping red wine, and quietly watching your performance."

“Haha…” Li Xiaoen laughed twice, “If my insignificant thing can make the beautiful Miss Catherine smile, then it’s worth it.”

"Glib tongue..."

“Hey, Catherine, if I really can’t make it, you go up.”

Li Xiaoen smiled and offered a talkative suggestion...

They bickered back and forth until a staff member from the venue came looking for them, at which point Catherine hung up the phone. Sean Lee casually played music on the central control panel and opened the canopy.

With the wind blowing all the way, it wasn't until 7:30 p.m. that Li Xiaoen arrived at his destination, the Javits Convention Center, the same place as before.

Unlike last time, after parking his car in the parking lot and verifying his identity at the entrance, Li Xiaoen had just entered the gala hall when he was greeted by Serafina's uncle, Henry.

"Ha ha……"

Henry Lang smiled and walked towards him, accompanied by several middle-aged men in suits. Before he even got close, he opened his arms and hugged Li Xiaoen. "Now that you've started your own business, you're a very busy person. I only just saw you after the party started."

"Long time no see, Mr. Henry."

Li Xiaoen nodded with a smile, "Going back to school took some time."

After saying that, he shifted his gaze to Mr. Henry's companions on either side.

"Come, let me introduce you."

Henry laughed twice before introducing Sean Lee and his friends, patting Sean on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. "Let me tell you, Sean is my niece Seraphina's classmate. He came to our base to practice shooting and combat skills through Seraphina. His talent is even greater than his entrepreneurial talent..."

"Actually, I practiced fighting and firearms with toys when I was a kid."

Li Xiaoen forced an awkward smile and waved his hands repeatedly at the two middle-aged men who were staring intently at him with strange looks.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, under the watchful eyes of everyone around them, Li Xiaoen and Henry walked together toward the party venue.

"Sean, congratulations..."

Just as he picked up a snack from the self-service table and hadn't even satisfied his rumbling stomach, another burst of hearty laughter came from the other side. Li Xiaoen turned his head and saw Suffer's brother, Jasper, walking over with several friends.

"..."

Are you trying to stop people from eating?

With a lot of complaints running through his mind, Li Xiaoen had no choice but to put down his fork, place the plate back on the table, and reach out his hand.

Matthew's sister?
After Jasper introduced them one by one, Sean Lee shook hands with a young woman, his gaze towards her carrying a somewhat inexplicable meaning.

Matthew was the college classmate who, at the beginning of last semester, was instructed by Sophie to cause trouble for him and chat with him at that French restaurant. He hadn't seen him for a long time, but in this situation, he saw Sophie's sister first.

However, judging from the relationship between this woman and Jasper, he inexplicably felt that the other party was somewhat obsequious. Now, under his gaze, the woman lowered her head slightly and forced a faint, apologetic smile onto her face.

Jasper specifically mentioned this, which clearly indicates that he had investigated and learned about the trivial matters between him and Matthew.

"We're all young people, it's normal for them to be hot-blooded. Once we talk it out, everything will be fine."

Jasper offered a reassuring remark to smooth things over, then turned his gaze back to the woman.

"When I get back, I will definitely have Matthew come to apologize to you in person."

The woman nodded quickly and responded promptly.

"No need, no need."

Li Xiaoen quickly waved his hand, looking at the two of them with helplessness, "Actually, if you hadn't brought it up, I would have almost forgotten about it."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Xiaoen felt a little strange.

The way he's saying this makes it sound like he has immense power now, capable of easily inflicting heavy losses on others.

"Jasper, what was with that congratulation you gave me at the beginning?"

Without any hesitation, Sean Lee picked up some beef from his plate and asked Jasper as he ate.

"do not you know?"

Jasper's eyes widened, and seeing that Sean Lee still looked puzzled, he laughed out loud, "Looks like Catherine didn't tell you the good news."

"Your company secured a cooperation order from Qatar in the Middle East during the exhibition."

Li Xiaoen: “???”

"really?"

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow. Only then did he realize the envious glances he was receiving from those around him, and a sense of emotion welled up inside him.

"Mr. Li, congratulations."

Just then, two familiar voices came from the other side of the ear. They were Hobson and Tulls, from two top financial management groups, who had come to the company to discuss cooperation before and were used as tools for Li Xiaoen's publicity company.

"Thank you."

After shaking hands with them, Li Xiaoen quickly processed the information, his expression returning to normal. "You're here... to observe startups that you could invest in and collaborate with?"

"you're right."

The two smiled helplessly, their gazes towards Li Xiaoen filled with melancholy.

If BanYan were to truly cooperate with them and seek equity financing based on their current market conditions, the cost would be far greater than what they initially agreed upon.

Could it be that the price they offered was too low?
"Mr. Li, this is my business card. Let's chat sometime..."

“Mr. Li, our team also has deep expertise in computer algorithms, and many members have experience working at Google and TikTok. We would like to join you…”

"Mr. Li, could we take a photo together and get your autograph? My daughter is a big fan of yours..."

"..."

The conversation had barely paused when one of the people standing nearby seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation, which immediately attracted the attention of the others who had been waiting for a chance to join the fray.

"Thank you, thank you for your affirmation."

Unable to eat in this situation, Li Xiaoen had no choice but to put down his plate and reluctantly raise his hand to eat.

In the end, it was Henry and his men who helped him out of the predicament. After thanking them, Li Xiaoen activated his [Eye of Insight] to locate their company and where Catherine was sitting, and walked over.

As they walked along, the crowd grew quieter as they went further ahead, with everyone sitting quietly in their places. Li Xiaoen, dressed in casual clothes, immediately attracted everyone's attention and followed them.

His tall figure moved with incredible speed, and from a distance, the youth's slightly immature face made everyone feel a sense of loss, and an indescribable sense of defeat permeated their hearts.

The creator of the wildly popular BanYan, the biggest winner of this exhibition, is an excessively young man.

More importantly, his looks and physique are also excellent... (End of Chapter)