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

Chapter 54 People looking at the scenery

The next day, Saturday morning.

It was only 5:30 in the morning when Li Xiaoen got up, counted all the items that might be needed for hiking, and then packed them up and put on his backpack and went out.

It was still dark, and the entire world was shrouded in the hazy night. Dim lights illuminated the road ahead, and the coldness that had accumulated overnight penetrated through the clothes and into every pore of the body.

Li Xiaoen couldn't help but let out a breath and rubbed his shoulders vigorously with both hands.

Walking towards the parking lot next to the school gate, Li Xiaoen ran into a few club members who also got up early and greeted them.

Looking at their bulging backpacks and heavy steps, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but feel a little lucky.

He stuffed all the heavy items such as tents, sleeping bags, quick-drying clothes, and lighting equipment used for hiking into the storage space. Although the backpack behind him looked as big as others, its actual weight was much lighter.

Perhaps this is when the limited storage space can come into play.

This hike requires staying overnight and returning at noon the next day. Staying overnight is quite difficult, so the activity requires registration - Li Xiaoen naturally chose to participate, even though there will probably not be many people who can participate this time.

When they met in front of a moving bus in the parking lot, Li Xiaoen's eyes unconsciously glanced at Sufeil, who was standing aside, fully equipped with even complicated equipment.

She wore a straight soft shell windbreaker with two collars standing up to cover her white swan neck, professional hiking pants that were tailored to fit her body and slightly loose, and exquisite new hiking shoes on her feet.

Although the outfit covers her from head to toe, from a distance she has an inexplicable curvaceous beauty, especially her two long, straight legs that exude charm all the time.

Not far from Sufei was standing a familiar boy, who was none other than the "stupid knight", Benjamin, whom he had met once before in the basic psychology class.

Aren’t there many other suitors? Didn’t Sufir tell them?

Li Xiaoen secretly thought about it and couldn't help but sigh.

Without exception, the equipment they wore was of different colors, making them very different from other club members who were wearing equipment given by the club.

That's all, but he still has to go to so much trouble to grab the club's freebies and ruin his hiking boots?
It's so boring.

Li Xiaoen withdrew his gaze, found an open space to put down his backpack and wait. Before he stood up, the light in front of him was immediately blocked by two figures, and it became completely dark.

Li Xiaoen frowned and just as he straightened up, he saw two girls approaching him.

"Sean, what a coincidence, you're joining this hike too."

"Well, good morning."

Li Xiaoen nodded in response. He remembered these two girls. They were classmates in the basic calculus course and were also members of the club. But embarrassingly, he couldn't remember their names.

"Please take care of me during this hike." The girl took the initiative to stand nearby and said with a smile.

Unconsciously drawn to the sight, Sufeier noticed Benjamin's gaze beside him and quickly turned around to glance at him impatiently, "Standing is fine, but could you please not get so close?"

"This……"

Benjamin was stunned for a moment, and lowered his head to measure the distance between him and Sophiel. It was clearly as far as two people's body length away.

"well."

Before Sufeil's gaze suddenly became sharp, Benjamin nodded quickly and moved back further.

After everyone had assembled, they boarded the bus. As it started, they finally breathed a sigh of relief and cuddled together for a nap. Because the bus was so sparsely populated, Li Xiaoen sat alone in a row, lost in thought as he watched the scenery near the campus recede into the distance.

The hiking destination was the Catskill Mountains in New York State, a mountainous and forested area about a three-hour drive from Princeton - which is why they got up so early.

This was his first time leaving Princeton and traveling to other states in the United States. He was about to visit and see the country's landscape with his own eyes.

Fortunately, he took action, even if it meant getting up in the early morning before dawn and heading out for a three-hour drive.

A hint of paleness appeared on the horizon, and the first ray of sunlight at dawn shone on his face, finally making Li Xiaoen, who was alone, feel a little warmth. He smiled, took out the Bluetooth headset from his bag and put it on his ears, then looked back at the scenery outside the window.

He was looking at the scenery, and the people looking at the scenery were looking at him.

The first bright morning light appeared on the horizon. Sufeil, who was sitting alone in a row of seats, poked his head out from his large and warm coat, turned his head to look at the scenery on the horizon, and was suddenly stunned.

Not far from the seat across from me, the young man was bathed in the morning sun's rays, the sunlight highlighting his high nose bridge and the curves of his perfect face. At that moment, he stared blankly out the window in the dappled sunlight, his whole body exuding a mature and melancholic temperament.

Suddenly noticing the gaze behind him, Li Xiaoen couldn't help but turn around and meet those aqua blue eyes.

Coming back to his senses quickly, Sufeil frowned again unconsciously.

"..."

Inexplicable woman.

Li Xiaoen complained in his heart, turned around, and his hand, which was about to knock on the window railing, paused unconsciously.

Okay, no more beats.

Li Xiaoen clasped his hands in front of him, listened quietly to the music and looked at the scenery outside the window.

As time passed, the sunlight became stronger and warmer. The light came and the temperature rose. The originally quiet bus gradually became lively as more and more people woke up. Li Xiaoen had no choice but to silently take off his Bluetooth headphones.

"Sean, do you want to eat squid? It's delicious."

The two girls in the back seat laughed and played foolishly for a while, then suddenly stood up and handed a bag of opened squid shreds to Li Xiaoen in the front.

Li Xiaoen looked up and reached in, "Thank you."

However, what his hand touched was not some squid strips, but a small hand with distinct knuckles. Li Xiaoen's face froze.

"Ha ha……"

The two girls burst into unrestrained laughter and then took their hands out from under the big bag. "Just kidding, this is just a joke..."

"Here, I'll give you some real squid strips."

As they spoke, they passed another bag from their legs to Li Xiaoen, but Li Xiaoen picked it up with one hand and took it into his own.

"Hey... Sean, why did you take them all?"

Faced with four small hands reaching out to snatch the bag back, Li Xiaoen hid the heavy bag in his hands behind him.

"You'll have to carry such a large package later anyway, so I'll be kind enough to help lighten your burden."

(End of this chapter)