My absurd experiences in North America over the years

The bedroom door wasn't closed properly, and the living room window was open.

The wind outside rushed in, causing the door to sway slightly. The curtains were drawn tightly, but a small sliver of the orange streetlight shone through the gaps into the room.

Lucy wrapped her arms around Li Fu's neck, her breathing rapid.

"Answer my question first..." Her voice was soft, but it carried a deliberate, coquettish seriousness.

"What's the problem?" Li Fu didn't want to worry about anything else right now; he was completely enraged.

At this point, she must be executed on the spot.

Is "sleeping" a verb or a noun?

Li Fu lowered his head, his nose touching hers.

Their breaths mingled, and a warm, sweet scent that belonged only to her made him want to explode immediately.

"It depends..." His voice was muffled, "You could interpret it as the first half of the night being a verb... and the second half being a noun..."

"Why?" Lucy pressed one hand against his head, her breathing extremely unsteady, her chest heaving violently.

"We're sleeping now, and we'll be sleeping after we fall asleep, so wouldn't you say we're... exercising?" Li Fu raised his head temporarily.

He even gave a very serious explanation.

Lucy wanted to say something, but her lips were immediately sealed shut.

The kiss was slow and gentle, like the rising tide, first washing over her ankles and calves, then her knees, and finally her whole body.

It subtly and slowly engulfed her, little by little.

Until she could barely breathe.

The streetlights outside cast a blurry spot of light on the curtains. The wind squeezed in through the cracks in the window, causing the curtains to billow slightly before falling back down, just like the rhythm of the two of them, moving forward and backward with perfect measure.

When the wind is strong, the curtains keep billowing.

Li Fu's movements were fluid and rapid, and Lucy's reactions and emotions were like a curtain being drawn up to its peak.

When the wind is calm, the curtains sway only slightly.

Lucy can take a short break, using gentle movements and light kisses to prepare for the next wave...

The phone screen on the bedside table lit up and then went out.

Someone may have sent a text message, but they're too preoccupied to care right now.

The blanket slid off the foot of the bed and onto the floor, and no one picked it up.

One pillow was on the headboard, another had somehow flown to the side of the wardrobe, and the third was trapped under the bodies of two people.

The bed frame made a soft, rhythmic sound, like a small boat gently rocking on a calm sea.

The sound wasn't loud; it was somewhat drowned out by the wind outside the window and the noise of traffic on the distant highway.

Only in this room, in this small world enveloped in darkness and the warmth of each other's bodies, can one hear clearly.

Lucy's fingers gripped Li Fu's back, her nails leaving shallow marks on his skin.

Those marks didn't bring pain, but rather a deeper, more real sense of touch.

Time passes slowly.

Slow enough that they could hear the intervals between each other's heartbeats, slow enough that they could feel the sweat sliding down their skin, slow enough that they could feel each other's every throbbing of their bodies.

After an unknown amount of time, the "little boat" finally stopped rocking.

The intertwined figures stopped changing their movements and postures. The blanket had been picked up from the ground and placed over the two of them at some point.

Lucy lay on Li Fu's chest, her golden hair cascading over his shoulders and the pillow.

Her breathing was light and even, carrying a sense of languidness and exhaustion after a period of satisfaction.

Her fingers were still resting on Li Fu's collarbone, the fingertips slightly bent, like a kitten still clutching something in its sleep.

Li Fu stared at the ceiling with his eyes open.

There was nothing on the ceiling, unlike his old rented room which was covered in mold.

He looked down at the girl in his arms.

Lucy buried her face in his neck, revealing only a small patch of her forehead and a few strands of golden hair.

In the dim light, you could vaguely see that her eyelashes were very long, her lips were slightly parted, and her breath touched his collarbone, warm and soft like a baby's, without any defenses.

Li Fu reached out and brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear, his fingertips touching her earlobe, her ear feeling slightly cool.

Lucy seemed to feel his touch in her sleep, murmured softly, then nestled her face into the crook of his neck, her fingers sliding down his collarbone to rest on his chest.

Li Fu smiled slightly; the warmth he felt at this moment was so real, something he had never imagined before.

He closed his eyes.

I don't know when, but the light outside the window slowly turned grayish-white, and then light gold.

The sun rose from behind the hills to the east, shining on the palm leaves, on the glass windows of the apartment building across the street, and through the gaps in the curtains of this bedroom.

Then draw long, narrow, golden shadows on the floor.

When Lucy woke up, the bed next to her was empty; Li Fu was nowhere to be found.

She reached out and touched the sheets; they were cold. The person had been gone for a while. She turned over and buried her face in the pillow he had slept on.

It has a faint scent, like cotton cloth that has been dried in the sun.

That's his scent.

She closed her eyes and lingered in that atmosphere for a while.

Then I heard faint sounds from the kitchen, like the crisp sound of a spatula hitting the edge of a pan, the crackling of oil in the pan, and the sound of the refrigerator door opening and closing.

The sounds blended together, like a chaotic symphony in the morning, but it was very reassuring.

Lucy sat up in bed and put on one of Li Fu's large white T-shirts.

There were still some faint red marks on her skin, like marks left by forceful kisses, faintly visible in the morning light.

Her legs and back were a little sore, but the soreness wasn't uncomfortable; it was a very comforting and reassuring feeling.

She walked out of the bedroom barefoot on the carpet.

There was no one in the living room. The kitchen door was ajar, the range hood was whirring, and aromas wafted out from under the door: the caramelized smell of fried eggs, the savory aroma of bacon, and the wheaty scent of toasted bread.

Lu pushed open the door and leaned against the door frame.

Li Fuzheng was standing in front of the stove, wearing a gray T-shirt and black sweatpants, with slippers on his feet that didn't look very comfortable.

His hair was unkempt, sticking up in a messy manner, with a few strands hanging down in front of his forehead.

These things inexplicably made him look several years younger than usual, like a big boy.

Lucy walked into the kitchen, hugged him from behind, and pressed her face against his back.

The T-shirt was made of thin fabric, and she could feel the warmth of his back and the crisscrossing scars.

Li Fu's back looked like a map drawn with scars.

"What did you do?"

Lucy's voice muffled against his back.

"Fried eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee," Li Fu said, unsure of what to make.

Anyway, there are only a few Western dishes.

"Why are you up so early today?"

"I've always had the habit of waking up early."

This is not something Li Fu is making up.

In my past life, it was out of necessity to work.

The original owner's habits were formed through martial arts training and his time in the military.

"You're really bragging. The other day, it was already high in the sky and you were still sleeping," Lucy snorted.

"That's not my fault. Someone doesn't let me rest every night. After intense exercise, I need to catch up on sleep, right?"

Lucy blushed and bit him on the back, not too hard, but enough to leave a faint tooth mark.

Li Fu pretended to be in pain and hissed.

He turned around, "picked" Lucy off his back, placed her on the bar stool next to the stove, and pressed his forehead against hers, nose to nose.

"Stop fooling around, it's time to eat."

Lucy smiled, her face beaming with happiness and contentment.

The two sat down at the table, with two plates in front of them. The fried eggs had golden-brown edges and were crispy, while the yolks were still runny. When you poked them with a fork, the orange-yellow egg liquid flowed out and soaked into the bacon and toast.

The coffee was freshly ground, with a rich aroma, and white steam rose from the rim of the cup.

This breakfast was prepared with great care.

"What time did you get up?" Lucy forked a piece of bacon and stuffed it into her mouth, her pretty face puffed out.

"It seems to be six o'clock," Li Fu said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"So early, you're only sleeping for a little while?"

"That's enough," Li Fu said, sounding quite energetic.

"Enough what? You were up to last night..."

"What happened last night?" Li Fu looked at her, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Lucy blushed again.

She put the bacon off her fork into her mouth and stopped talking.

You must be exhausted after all that last night!

But how could I say that out loud?

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the blinds, casting long, thin streaks of light on the bar counter.

The band of light moved slowly with the sun, from the bar to the coffee cup, and from the coffee cup to Lucy's fingers, making her nails sparkle.

"Lee," Lucy suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

"You promised me last night that you wouldn't interfere with what Winslop wanted to do anymore."

Li Fu's finger paused on the coffee cup for a moment.

He was silent for a moment.

The sunlight shone on his profile, turning his eyelashes golden. His expression was calm, so calm that it revealed no flaws.

"I've thought about it seriously, and you're right. As long as you don't accept his invitation, he shouldn't have a chance."

Lucy stared at him for a few seconds, as if trying to determine if he was lying, but his face was like a wall, devoid of emotion or any clues.

"That's good. I don't want anything to happen to you," she said, looking down and poking at the remaining egg yolk on her plate with her fork.

No matter how powerful he was, she was still terrified.

They didn't have to take the risk in the first place.

Li Fu remained silent.

He picked up his coffee cup and took a few sips.

The coffee was bitter, without sugar, but he was used to it; bitter things were more stimulating.

That's how I lived in my past life.

When Lucy finished eating and went to take a shower, Li Fu stood on the balcony, holding the unfinished cup of coffee, looking at the distant horizon.

The Los Angeles skyline isn't high; in affluent areas, palm trees are even taller than many buildings, their canopies swaying gently in the breeze like a group of people dancing a slow dance.

When Lucy came out of the shower, he was no longer on the balcony.

The kitchen was spotless, the stove was gleaming, and there wasn't a single dirty dish in the sink.

The coffee machine has been turned off, the remaining hot water has been poured into the sink, and a faint aroma of coffee still lingers in the air.

On the sofa in the living room was a neatly folded coat, his dark gray trench coat, folded squarely like the standard way a quilt is folded in a military camp.

Lucy walked over wrapped in a bath towel, picked up the trench coat and hugged it to her chest. The fabric smelled fresh, mixed with the scent of laundry detergent and sunshine. She buried her face in it and took a deep breath.

Whether she admits it or not, her so-called "seeking fun" has crossed the line.

This is definitely not just a simple attraction because he's handsome.

She might really have fallen in love with him.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

It was news from Li Fu.

"I'm going out to run some errands, I might be back very late."

Lucy stared at the message for a few seconds, then replied, "Be careful."

In reality, it seems unlikely that Li Fu could have any safety issues. She used her family connections to get Li Fu a visa, which should arrive tomorrow.

What problems could there be if I have a valid visa?

She didn't ask where they were going or what they were doing.

She wouldn't ask if he didn't tell her.

At that moment, Li Fu was sitting in a gray Corolla.

The car was parked in an alley outside the Winthrop villa, about two hundred meters from the main gate, just enough to see a corner of the black iron gate.

The car windows were tinted dark, making it impossible to see inside from the outside, but from the inside, everything on the street was clearly visible.

He leaned back in his seat, pulled his baseball cap down low, and closed his eyes.

He wasn't trying to catch up on sleep.

Instead, we wait patiently.

He was waiting for Winslop to come out so he could figure out all his movements and habits.

The other party will probably come out in about ten minutes.

In the shadows of Los Angeles, he began a silent hunt.

In this world, very few of the enemies he hunts survive.

Winslop was on his death list.

Li Fu made detailed notes in his mind.

For example, what time Winslop gets up, what time he leaves home, which route he takes, which gas station he goes to, which coffee shop he stops at for a few minutes, who he comes into contact with, and the probability of him skipping class...

He picked up these details one by one, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and pieced them together to form a complete portrait.

Winslop has very regular habits.

He would show up at the school on Mondays and Wednesdays for about two hours, no more, no less, and he had already earned credits for some of his major courses.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he usually stays in his Beverly Hills office, dealing with his family's businesses.

On Friday afternoons, he would go to a private club called "Oak" to play squash. After playing, he would spend twenty minutes in the sauna and then go to the bar for a couple of whiskeys.

Sometimes he doesn't go anywhere on weekends, and sometimes he drives to Malibu.

Malibu is a coastal city in California, about a 40-minute drive from Los Angeles.

It is known for its magnificent Pacific coastline, tranquil private beaches, and top-tier mansions, making it unique among the affluent areas of Los Angeles and even the entire United States.

Li Fu noticed that when Winslop went to Malibu, he was accompanied by only one assistant or bodyguard.

Instead of driving that conspicuous Maybach, he opted for a low-key black BMW X5.

He didn't linger in the upscale neighborhoods of Malibu, but instead drove straight to the pier, rented a small boat, packed his fishing gear, and went out to sea to fish.

Winslop at sea is a completely different person from Winslop on land.

He didn't have that fake, all-knowing smile. He was just wearing an old hoodie, his hair was a mess from the sea breeze, and he had a focused, even pious, expression on his face as he stared at the sea, waiting for a fish to bite.

Li Fu really didn't expect that the kid was actually a "fisherman," which seemed to provide him with the perfect place and opportunity to strike.