My absurd experiences in North America over the years

At nine o'clock in the morning, the sun was shining brightly.

Li Fu drove Lucy to the UCLA campus. He parked the car in the parking lot outside the campus and glanced at the passenger seat.

Lucy was fixing her makeup in front of the small mirror on the sun visor. Today she was wearing a white knit sweater and light blue jeans, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail. She looked clean and fresh.

And this is exactly what Li Fu liked best.

"Hey, is there something dirty on my face?" Lucy noticed his gaze and glanced at him sideways.

"No," Li Fu shook his head, "smooth and delicate, so beautiful it evokes pity."

"You smooth talker," Lucy snorted, tossing her lipstick into her bag. Then she turned around, grabbed his collar, and pulled his face toward her. "You're not allowed to say things like that to other girls."

Li Fu didn't reply, but instead gave Lucy a deep kiss that almost suffocated her.

"Ugh, my lipstick!" Lucy angrily punched his shoulder, but the force was so weak it was like a tickle.

Essentially, this should be considered acting cute or coquettish.

Once the two had caught their breath, Lucy checked the time and realized they were almost late; there was no way they could make up for it.

She was both angry and anxious, so she pulled Li Fu in front of her and mischievously kissed his cheeks repeatedly.

Soon, Li Fu's face was covered in lipstick marks, making him look like a little kitten.

"You dare kiss me, huh!"

Lucy was finally satisfied and got out of the car.

Li Fu glanced at the car in the rearview mirror, could only wipe her face with a wet wipe for now, and then drove Lucy into the campus.

The handsome men and beautiful women attracted a lot of attention.

Many people noticed the red marks still visible on Li Fu's face.

Lucy smiled secretly, as if it were "revenge" for his act of ruining her lipstick color.

Li Fu didn't care at all.

"Study hard, I'll come pick you up this afternoon," he said, ruffling Lucy's blonde hair.

Lucy waved goodbye to him with a hint of reluctance.

Never before had she wished for fewer coursework sessions and for time to pass more slowly.

Li Fu watched her figure gradually disappear under the sycamore tree until she entered the teaching building, at which point he turned his gaze away.

He returned to the parking lot outside the school, ready to leave.

At that moment, a Maybach sped up and approached.

Li Fu instinctively made a defensive movement.

Because he did not have a passport, he could not purchase a gun through legal channels, so he was not armed, but he carried two daggers with him.

It can be used as a throwing knife when necessary.

The Maybach's window slowly rolled down, revealing Winslop's face.

He was wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt underneath, no tie, and the top button of his shirt was undone.

His expression was calm, still as if he had everything under control.

"Mr. Li, do you have time to chat?"

His speech and manners remained as polite as ever.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Li Fu's tone was calm, but he did not lower his guard.

Winslop got out of the car and got straight to the point.

He pulled out a check, held it between two fingers, and handed it to Li Fu.

The check reflected a blinding white light in the sunlight.

Li Fu had excellent eyesight; he saw a string of zeros after the number 2.

It should be 200,000.

"This is two hundred thousand US dollars. I think you understand what I mean," Winslop said, looking at Li Fu with an air of complete confidence.

"What?" Li Fu frowned slightly.

Is this an attempt to bribe him?

"Resign from your bodyguard job, leave Lucy, and never appear by her side again. This $200,000 is compensation for you," Winslop stated bluntly.

Li Fu looked at the other person without saying a word.

He wondered what this wealthy young man was really up to.

Winthrop thought he was hesitating, so he decided to add fuel to the fire, "I know you're an undocumented immigrant hiding in Los Angeles. Two hundred thousand dollars can get you the best lawyer to help you get your status sorted out, or you can go back to your home country and that money will last you a long time."

Two hundred thousand in 2006 had purchasing power several times, or even ten times, that of twenty years later.

It's definitely attractive.

Therefore, Winslop's tone was very calm, like an experienced hunter negotiating with his prey.

"What if I refuse?" Li Fu probed.

Winslop was still smiling, but his tone had turned colder. "Then I'll have to take another approach. You know, deporting an illegal immigrant isn't difficult. I just don't want to escalate things to that point."

He acted very well, as if he sympathized with the plight of undocumented immigrants.

However, this was undoubtedly hypocritical; what he was worried about was Li Fu's sudden counterattack.

If Li Fu were just an ordinary person.

ICE has already come knocking.

The $200,000 threat and the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) threat are a combined attack that directly targets the most vulnerable points of undocumented immigrants.

Li Fu remained silent for a long time.

He was thinking of countermeasures and also engaging in tactical maneuvering.

Winslop mistakenly thought he was still hesitating. "Don't worry, you take the money and leave. We won't have anything to do with each other anymore. You go your way, and I'll go mine."

This was his last bit of patience.

Li Fu reached out and took the check. "OK, I accept."

Winthrop's smile finally became a little more genuine. "I'll give you some time. It's best not to show up next to Lucy tomorrow."

In other words, he thought he was being very kind by giving Li Fu a day to pack his luggage.

Li Fu nodded calmly, without any emotional fluctuation.

Winslop took a deep drag on his cigarette, his tone suddenly becoming very casual, as if he were talking about something insignificant.

"I think you should understand what the consequences would be if I took my money and didn't leave. I'm not threatening you, just giving you a friendly reminder. You know very well what the nights in Los Angeles are like."

After saying that, he left, and the Maybach quickly disappeared around the corner of the street.

Sitting in the car, Li Fu held the check in his hand, watching the Mercedes disappear in the direction it had gone, and complained that his experience was too "cliché".

Time flies.

At 5 p.m. sharp, he appeared at the UCLA campus gate.

When Lucy came out of the teaching building, the setting sun shone on her, making her long hair glitter like gold.

Li Fu did not get out of the car; he would not easily show his face in public again.

Lucy opened the passenger door and got in, leaning back in her seat and letting out a long sigh. "So tired!"

The senior year of college in the US is different from that in China.

General education courses (non-major courses) are generally completed in the first and second years of university, while the third and fourth years focus on major courses (major courses).

Most schools have interconnected professional courses, and some advanced majors require prior foundational courses. Therefore, unlike in China, senior students cannot directly go for internships; they also have to take on many professional courses.

Either complete your credits and meet the graduation requirements before starting your internship.

Lucy doesn't need an internship, but she still has a lot of academic pressure.

At least those professional courses need to be attended.

"It's okay, I can help you relax tonight," Li Fu said, patting her head gently to comfort her.

"Relax? Why are you even going to a bar?"

This is the most common way Lucy can think of to relieve stress.

"No! I'll give you a Chinese massage," Li Fu said with a smile.

"What's Chinese massage?" Lucy had never heard of it before.

"You'll see when we get back," Li Fu said, driving through the streets of Los Angeles. "It'll make you feel great."