My absurd experiences in North America over the years

Santa Barbara's nights are much quieter than Los Angeles'; after all, it's a small city with a relaxed pace of life.

Besides tourists, the people who come here are mostly wealthy retirees, and of course, students from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Li Fu held Mei Mei's hand as they walked along the coastal street. At this time, there were few pedestrians, and the light from the streetlights cast long shadows on the dark pavement.

The sound of waves crashing against the shore rose and fell in the distance, and a few tourists strolled along the beach.

The entire neighborhood is leisurely and quiet, with a feel reminiscent of a movie town.

They had originally booked a high-end restaurant, but because the long wait would affect their experience, they had to find a small restaurant near the beach instead.

The restaurant was quite crowded, with almost all the tables on the terrace occupied.

The two had no choice but to go to a small private room on the second floor. The view from the room was quite good, and they could see the scattered fishing lights on the distant sea.

To avoid attracting attention, Taylor Swift wore sunglasses the whole time, and pulled the hood of her trench coat down low, only revealing the lower half of her face. She only took off her hood when she got to the private room.

When she looked down to flip through the menu, her long hair fell down and covered her profile, making it difficult to recognize her from the side.

The restaurant waiter had been there once and had no idea that the guest next to him was a nationally renowned superstar.

Li Fu didn't care anyway. He was very famous in the industry, but he was just average among ordinary people, and very few people could recognize him.

At that time, streaming media and social platforms were still in their development stage, and he neither used Facebook nor Twitter, nor did he deliberately market himself. To put it another way, it wouldn't be a big deal if he were recognized.

There are people who follow celebrities, but I've never heard of anyone following a stock trader.

They ate their meal very slowly, which took more than an hour; the good taste of the food was secondary.

Taylor Swift was very happy today. They ate and chatted, talking about everything from her future concert tour plans to the first drafts of several new songs she's currently writing.

Li Futai understands her ideas and is clear about the format and scale of her future tour.

Although he mostly listened and only occasionally chimed in, the effect was astonishing. He almost always hit the nail on the head or inspired Taylor Swift.

For example, further integration of popular music, and performing with local "artists" during world tours.

At this moment, Taylor Swift would always gape in surprise, and then this would quickly turn into happiness and approval. In her opinion, there was no one in the world who understood her better than Li Fu.

This is the very best gift God gave her.

After the two finished their meal, Taylor Swift put her sunglasses and trench coat hood back on, and Li Fu casually glanced at the restaurant entrance.

At that moment, an Asian man wearing a dark jacket stood at the door, holding a cell phone, as if waiting for someone.

Li Fu's gaze swept calmly across the area without lingering, but his sharp eyes still detected a problem.

The other person's phone camera was likely on, as their arm was swinging in their direction.

Taylor Swift sensed something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I thought I saw someone I knew," Li Fu replied casually, then led her into the car, preparing to leave this seaside town.

Taylor Swift hummed a song, preparing to enjoy the last leg of their journey; they were very close to home.

But Li Fu had already started the engine, yet instead of driving out of the parking space, he took out his phone to send a text message.

Taylor Swift noticed his expression was more serious than before and couldn't help but ask, "Is it about work?"

She worried that her pursuit of romance might interfere with Li Fu's work.

"No, Thompson sent a text message asking about my schedule for the next few days so he can make arrangements," Li Fu put her phone back in her pocket and affectionately pinched her cheek.

Of course, the text message was indeed sent by Thompson, but it didn't inquire about his upcoming schedule.

Thompson, as their personal assistant in charge of security, had been following them all day to ensure Li Fu's absolute safety.

Li Fu told him to pay attention to the Asian face he saw at the restaurant, guessing it was probably Japanese.

Americans often have difficulty distinguishing between Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese, but the differences are actually quite obvious. If you pay a little attention in China, you can usually tell them apart.

Li Fu recognized him at a glance.

The text message he just sent was instructing Thompson to see if there was a chance to capture the other party alive and find out who the mastermind was if they continued to follow him.

If they are right-wing elements of Japan, then deal with them directly.

Li Fu drove his Bentley slowly out of the restaurant's parking lot in the night, constantly checking the situation behind him through the rearview mirror.

With his counter-surveillance skills, few people can escape his observation.

Sure enough, a dark-colored sedan quickly followed. The other driver was quite skilled, keeping a respectful distance of two or three cars at a time.

However, from Li Fu's perspective, the traffic in Santa Barbara at night was very sparse, and that car had been following for a while, making it too conspicuous.

He tested the waters by occasionally changing speed or taking a detour, and the other party would follow.

This shows that the people tracking them are somewhat skilled, but not many.

Li Fu did not choose to speed up and shake off his pursuers. He maintained a steady speed and drove along the coastal highway without streetlights for a while before slowing down near a bend.

He needs to create opportunities for Thompson.