My absurd experiences in North America over the years

The old Corolla sped along, the burnt smell from the tires rubbing against the ground seeming to linger in the air for a long time.

The suffocating sense of oppression only gradually subsided when the gray sedan came to a steady stop in the underground garage of Lucy's apartment building.

Li Fu did not turn off the engine immediately, but instead cautiously observed his surroundings for a few minutes before turning to the passenger seat after confirming that it was safe.

Lucy remained in the same position, her hands gripping the seatbelt tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

From Li Fu's perspective, her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes were somewhat dazed; she was clearly frightened.

Who could remain unmoved when a pampered young lady, who had been well protected by her family, was so close to death for the first time in her life?

Li Fu reached out and gently covered the back of her hand, trying to comfort her.

Lucy grabbed his hand immediately, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood. She snapped out of her fear and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, we're home now and safe," Li Fu said in a deep and steady voice.

Lucy unbuckled her seatbelt and almost stumbled into Li Fu's arms. She didn't cry, but her whole body was trembling.

Li Fu gently patted her back, as if comforting a frightened kitten. After a moment, he helped Lucy upstairs and into the apartment.

Lucy's emotions stabilized a bit, and when she got home, she sat on the sofa with a less pale face.

Li Fu went to the kitchen, poured a glass of warm water, and took out some over-the-counter sedatives from the medicine cabinet to help Lucy calm down.

Lucy obediently took the glass of water and sipped it slowly. As the water gradually warmed up, the panic in her eyes was slowly replaced by deep exhaustion.

Li Fu then took out medicine and gauze to treat the wounds on her neck.

The cut made by the switchblade was not deep, and the bleeding had stopped, but it still needed to be disinfected and simply bandaged.

Lucy was very well-behaved and completely cooperative throughout the entire process.

After finishing his business, Li Fu turned around and picked up the trench coat hanging on the coat rack. "You rest first, lock the door, and I'll go deal with the trash."

Although his tone was calm, Lucy sensed the murderous intent hidden within it.

"Are you going to see Winthrop?" Lucy's voice was a little hoarse. She stood up abruptly, walked over quickly, and grabbed his arm. "No, Lee, you can't go."

Li Fu turned to look at her. "He almost killed you today. If this threat isn't completely eliminated, he might resort to even more insane methods tomorrow. Those gang members are just his tools. I have to kill the man holding the knife."

"I know... I know it was him..." Lucy said emotionally, tears welling up in her eyes, "But I was more afraid that something would happen to you. They outnumbered us, and when you saved me just now, I was really afraid you would get shot..."

Li Fu's heart softened upon hearing this. At that time, Lucy was almost on the verge of death, and she was still worried about him even when she was on the verge of death.

He held Lucy's trembling shoulders and gently stroked her hair. "You have to believe me, I really am a professional. In my eyes, those street thugs are no different from lambs to the slaughter."

He had told Lucy many times that he was a professional.

But those times he was either trying to look cool or to liven things up, but this time he was serious.

In a direct confrontation, he certainly couldn't eliminate a large number of enemies, but killing wasn't like fighting in a ring; he possessed the ability to kill the vast majority of people in the dark of Los Angeles.

Even if they are political or business celebrities or gang leaders.

"No, don't go," Lucy said, shaking her head repeatedly with tears in her eyes. She didn't want Li Fu to risk his life for revenge.

Looking at her tearful appearance, Li Fu resisted the urge to kill Winslop.

He thought for a moment and decided to tell Lucy the truth, but not about the unrelated White Party.

This party is still a legitimate gathering for the wealthy and famous, at least on the surface. Telling Lucy won't do any good; it will only cause her unnecessary worry. It's better to keep quiet for now.

He told her about what he had seen on Winthrop's private computer and the whereabouts of the $500,000 he had tracked down.

The truth is harsh; it's hard to say whether the outside world is exciting or not, but it's certainly full of dangers.

Even if you are the daughter of a political or business family.

When Lucy heard that the enemy had deliberately staged a car accident to kidnap her and then film those...dirty videos, she was shocked and covered her mouth, her pupils contracting sharply.

To be honest, she did have a vague idea that Winslop might have malicious intent.

But hearing such specific and cold-blooded details still made her feel a chill and nausea.

"This madman..." She looked at Li Fu and gripped him even tighter. "Now that you know everything, you can't take any risks. This is Los Angeles. His family is very powerful, with top-notch lawyers and countless underhanded methods."

She was worried that Li Fu would get caught up in it.

Li Fu didn't speak, but gently comforted Lucy.

Winslop's actions were indeed extremely ruthless, and his family was indeed very powerful.

But killing him wasn't that difficult; he had thoroughly investigated the guy whose full name was Chad Winthrop and his family.

The Winslop family is a relatively radical faction within the Democratic Party. On the surface, they champion freedom and openness, but behind the scenes, they are the most greedy speculators.

Winslop's willingness to do anything for a ticket to the White Party is practically a family tradition.

This guy is patient and steady in his actions, and he does have some excellent qualities, but he is proud and looks down on people of low birth. His family's servants and his assistants suffer as a result.

Li Fu had many ways to seize the opportunity to hunt.

"Have you been investigating white parties lately?" Lucy suddenly looked up at him.

Li Fu's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't told Lucy about this, and he didn't know how she knew.

Was I talking in my sleep?

Lucy took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind. "Actually, I heard some inside stories about the White Party last year. It's not an ordinary gathering of rich people and celebrities. To be precise, it may be a 'sacrifice' ritual for the real power holders."

Li Fu looked at Lucy in surprise.

This political family's heiress doesn't seem to be some naive and innocent girl at all.

Often, she's just not interested.

His investigation over the past few days revealed that the Winthrop family had likely encountered a bottleneck. According to polls, Winthrop's uncle, a member of parliament, might find it difficult to be re-elected, and the family business had also run into some trouble.

His eagerness to get a ticket to the White Party may be related to his family's difficulties.

Lucy unfortunately became his prey.

"So, how dare he use you as a sacrifice?" Li Fu felt that something was wrong.

“No, he didn’t use me as a sacrifice. Those conspiracies dare not be brought into the light, and I will not be a sacrifice,” Lucy gently shook her head, “because I am the daughter of the Forrest family.”

This was the first time she mentioned her surname to Li Fu.

Li Fu pretended to be somewhat surprised, but he actually knew Lucy's identity.

That's why the phrase "How dare he?" was used.

Lucy's family is far more powerful than Winslop's.

Her uncle is the current Senate Majority Leader, the third-ranking official in Congress, and her father is the chairman of the board of directors of HCA Corporation.

My brother is a member of the House of Representatives from Tennessee and the chief advisor to the Senate Health Committee.

She comes from a truly top-tier family.

Just a month ago, she was under her brother's close protection, with bodyguards and drivers readily available. The reason why Li Fu was hired as a bodyguard later was due to Lucy's resistance to the family's control.

She wanted a period of true freedom, and in exchange for complete obedience to her family's arrangements after graduation, she gained the precious opportunity to have complete freedom.

Then came the hiring of Li Fu as a bodyguard and the subsequent series of events.

Li Fu probably knew all of this.

If the employer investigates him, it's impossible for him to know nothing about the employer.

"Do you know the Forrest family?" Lucy asked, hugging Li Fu and pressing her cheek against his chest.

Li Fu nodded slowly. "I've heard of it."

He might not have known about this family in his previous life in China, but it would be almost impossible for him not to know about them in America.

The Forrest family has ties to both politics and business, and enjoys considerable prestige not only in Tennessee but also on the East and West coasts.

In the political arena, there is a family icon, Cole Forrest, who controls legislative power and the core network of the Republican Party, and serves as the Senate Majority Leader.

In the business world, there is American Hospitals – the largest private hospital group in the United States.

The Forrest family are Republican conservatives and are an important part of the medical complex that Li Fu had heard about in his previous life.

To be honest, he was quite shocked when he conducted the investigation. If we consider their status in 2006, she was even more noble than Ivanka.

However, he is now at peace.

Lucy's "innocence" must be part of the family's political assets and must not be tarnished.

He could imagine that if Winslop's plan succeeded, Lucy would be taken away in that car accident, then those obscene videos would be filmed, and she might even become addicted to drugs...

Things could get completely out of control.

On a smaller scale, it will be a massive political struggle.

On a larger scale, this could affect the Forrest family's standing in both political and business circles, potentially impacting her uncle Cole Forrest's political career and causing fluctuations in the family company's stock price.

The political forces behind the scenes might even use this as leverage to force the Forrest family to make concessions on key bills.

This is the cruelty of political struggle.

In the context of electoral politics, so-called "family scandals" can be extremely powerful.

Compared to Lucy, Winslop is merely a glamorous tool, completely unworthy of being compared to her.

"I understand what you mean. This struggle could be very complicated," Li Fu took a deep breath and gently patted Lucy's back to comfort her.

"No, you don't understand," Lucy gently shook her head.

What she really meant was that things had escalated to a point where many things were no longer under her control.

It's very likely she'll be leaving Los Angeles soon.

"Don't do anything, just stay with me, okay?" Her voice carried a hint of pleading.

"Okay, I'm not going anywhere," Li Fu agreed.

Upon hearing this, Lucy's tense body instantly collapsed, and tears slowly welled up in her eyes and onto Li Fu's shirt.

The two embraced on the sofa for a while when suddenly there was a rapid and forceful knocking on the door.

Red and blue police lights flashed outside the window, their light shimmering through the gaps in the curtains.

"Hello, we are police officers from Los Angeles County Headquarters. Please open the door and cooperate with our investigation."

A polite voice came from outside the door; they probably didn't know Lucy's identity yet.

However, there could be no poor people in this apartment building.

If they know your identity, you should be even more polite.

Li Fu gently patted Lucy's back, got up to open the door, but he wasn't entirely unprepared. He checked through the peephole first, and then opened the door with his hand hidden in his sleeve, holding a weapon.

Four fully armed police officers, three men and one woman, stood outside the door.

When they saw that it was Li Fu who opened the door, they instinctively put their hands on their holsters, but after seeing the white girl inside, the middle-aged police officer in charge immediately raised his hand to signal his men to relax.

"Hello, this is Inspector Miller from the Los Angeles Police Department," the middle-aged officer said with unexpected politeness, even a hint of caution. "We've received several calls about shootings and hostage situations. Are you alright?"

This is to ask the person concerned if they are allowed to speak.

Li Fu leaned against the doorframe, observing the scene with a detached eye. He couldn't help but find it amusing.

That's what makes America special.

In the slums, the police are like uniformed robbers, always swearing and ready to shoot at any moment, like an "FBI Warning" to civilians.

However, when they arrive in affluent neighborhoods like Beverly Hills and Malibu and face the powerful elite, these law enforcement officers, representing the state's violent apparatus, immediately transform into obsequious waiters.

The biggest joke on the internet is that "no one is above the law" in America.

The police here are employed; they know very well that offending a slum thug might at most result in a complaint, but offending a powerful or influential person...

Their retirement savings and careers could vanish in an instant.

Lucy remained calm, indicating that she was in good condition.

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation," Inspector Miller then began his routine questioning. "Miss Forrest, according to witnesses, a gray Corolla crashed into the van... And who is this gentleman?"

He didn't even look Li Fu in the eye, as if he were just an insignificant background figure.

"He's my friend and bodyguard," Lucy said before Li Fu could speak, her voice weak but firm. "He saved me. Those people... tried to kidnap me, and my bodyguards fought them to protect me."

Inspector Miller gave Li Fu a deep look, but did not delve into why those gang members were all accurately shot dead.

In this day and age, when it comes to political and business families of the Forrest caliber, the police prefer to downplay the matter.

"Understood. To protect the bodyguard who fought bravely for his employer," Inspector Miller closed his notebook, his tone official and smooth. "This was a serious gang attack. We will apprehend the escaped suspect as soon as possible."

He then looked at Li Fu, this time much more politely, "As for this Mr. Li... thank you for your heroic act."

Li Fu nodded slightly, indicating that it was his duty.

The police left quickly, and the way they verified Li Fu's identity was very perfunctory. Before leaving, they even took the initiative to call a tow truck to deal with the Porsche stuck in the middle of the road.

The apartment was quiet again.

The local news channel on TV had already begun broadcasting the shocking "highway hijacking" that had gripped Los Angeles.

"This afternoon, a serious gang-related hostage situation occurred on a main thoroughfare in the city. According to police, the victim was a female university student. Several assailants were killed, but one suspect remains at large and police are conducting a full-scale manhunt..."

"This has blown up too much," Lucy said, leaning on Li Fu's shoulder, her voice tinged with sadness. "My family will find out soon."

Li Fu didn't know how to comfort her, so he simply stroked her long hair gently.

What will happen when they find out?

It's not hard to guess that they'll probably let Lucy leave Los Angeles, right?