It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Behind him, the sounds of two people playfully joking could be heard, making his figure appear even more desolate.

Chapter Fifteen: Unexpected Ending

bathroom.

Newton and Anne, both completely naked, were soaking in a large wooden tub, looking quite content.

Newton remarked, "It's been a long time since we two bathed together."

“Yes, we used to bathe together all the time.” Annie said, then suddenly stood up from the tub, splashing water as if she had just remembered something.

She said smugly, "Come on, let me give you a back rub, something you haven't done in a long time."

Newton did not answer; her mind was completely captivated by Anne's bosom.

She hadn't paid much attention to size before, but now, looking at Annie's thick, swaying fat exposed to the air, and recalling how Li Cheng stared at her during a previous game, Newton felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart.

It hurts here in my chest...

To prevent himself from suffering an even greater blow, Newton quickly stood up and pressed Annie back into the tub: "I'll give you a back scrub today, I have something good."

As she spoke, she stepped out of the bathtub and took out a pale yellow, square-shaped object from a small metal box she had brought into the bathroom.

"What's that for?" Annie asked curiously, pointing to the pale yellow square. "You didn't tell me before when I asked you—well, you've learned to keep things from me now."

"I'm not hiding it from you, it's just..."

Just as Newton was about to say everything, he suddenly remembered Li Cheng's instructions: Don't act too deliberately; it's best to let Annie ask a few times on her own initiative.

She could only suppress the urge to introduce it again and said, "This is for bathing, it can make you very clean."

How clean is it?

"It's very clean, extremely clean, much cleaner than pig pancreas."

"Really? Then let me try it?"

Newton picked up a dark blue towel, wet it with water, applied soap to it, and then moved behind Anne.

Although Anne's face had a healthy tan, the skin on her back was remarkably fair, comparable to that of Newton, who rarely exercised. This suggests that she was of pure lineage and was Mr. Stoller's biological daughter.

"How do you feel? Are you comfortable?" Newton asked while rubbing his back.

“This is nice, it’s so smooth.” Annie’s voice came from the front. “Hey, right there, push harder, it feels good.”

Newton was a little confused: "That's it?"

Annie was a little puzzled by her best friend's question and asked in return, "Huh? That's all? What else do you want?"

----------

at the same time.

Li Cheng sat in the room, reading a book by candlelight.

Although he appeared calm, he hadn't turned a single page of the book on the table for a long time, and his left hand kept tapping the table with his fingers.

He is waiting for news.

Li Cheng prepared soap as a stepping stone, aiming to establish his own factory rather than making a one-off deal.

He needs to find a powerful backer first.

Newton's age, appearance, and the talent she displayed at Cambridge University led her to make many acquaintances, whether willingly or unwillingly. Among these classmates were nobles, businessmen, lawyers, and elites from various fields—a resource that could be utilized.

Stoller Anne was the most suitable partner that Li Cheng and Newton selected after careful discussion.

Mr. Stoller was a major shareholder of Richmond Bank and, although his title was not high, he wielded considerable influence in the City of London.

At the same time, Mr. Stoller had been widowed for many years and had no intention of remarrying. He had only one daughter, Anne, whom he doted on and rarely imposed any strict restrictions on. Instead, he let Anne do what she liked best.

Anne, having been well-protected since childhood, is the same type as Newton—not very scheming. Moreover, the two were close friends in school, and Anne was one of the few friends Newton got along with very well, which put him at ease.

Most importantly, Anne also had a reason to prove herself to her father.

Thinking of this, Li Cheng murmured, "I hope Newton behaves naturally..."

Everything that happened after we arrived at Annie's house was planned out in advance. The excuse that we were staying there because the house wasn't ready was just that—an excuse.

His real goal was to get in touch with Mr. Stoller through Anne, gain his connections and financial support, but he didn't want to appear too obvious.

Taking a bath is a great opportunity.

After exercising, Newton and Anne would take a shower, and it's quite normal for close female friends to shower together.

Soap is used when taking a bath.

This is a win-win situation: it lets Annie experience the magic of soap firsthand and also prompts her to ask Newton about its origin. This way, Newton can casually mention that Li Cheng made it recently, and that it's not available elsewhere...

After that, things should fall into place naturally. Anne will likely approach Li Cheng to discuss a collaboration, and at the same time, persuade Mr. Stoller to invest in her 'entrepreneurial plan'.

This was the plan that Li Cheng had previously explained to Newton.

To summarize, it's about first seducing her, then coaxing her into doing it herself, and finally getting Annie to come forward and make the move...

Li Cheng hoped to present himself as someone without many ulterior motives during their first meeting. This would minimize Mr. Stoller's wariness, preventing him from interfering with Anne's chances of self-reliance and instead offering only financial assistance and protection.

Although Newton expressed slight opposition, feeling that it was unethical to use such tactics on her best friend, Li Cheng persuaded her by saying that "this can only benefit Annie and not harm her."

...That's how it should have been.

After meeting Annie in person, Li Cheng felt that she was unreliable to an extreme degree and he found it difficult to trust her.

Knock knock knock—

A knock came at the door.

Li Cheng's spirits lifted, he decisively closed the book, opened the door, and sure enough, he saw Newton.

Newton had just finished showering and was wearing a simple white nightgown. His bright blond hair was still a little wet, and his face still had a blush from the hot water.

"Close the door quickly, so no one can see us." She said, bending down and slipping through the door.

Why does it feel like they're having an affair...? Li Cheng closed the door, a strange feeling rising in his heart, but he immediately put it out of his mind.

He asked eagerly, "How is it?"

Newton shook his little head from side to side, a look of bewilderment on his face.

Li Cheng didn't understand and continued to ask, "What exactly happened?"

“Anne used the soap and felt great, but…” Newton said slowly, “but she said, could I send her a few more bars to use in the future…?”

"and then?"

"It's gone."

That's it?

Li Cheng was instantly dumbfounded: "Didn't she ask where the soap came from? Wasn't she even a little bit curious?"

Newton shrugged: "Didn't ask."

This is ridiculous! What's with this tone of asking friends to bring back more local specialties? They really have no business sense at all!

Li Cheng slapped his forehead, revealing a look of despair.

"What should we do next?" Newton blinked innocently and asked, "Should I just talk to Anne directly? She'll definitely agree; we're very close."

"The problem isn't Anne, it's her father, Mr. Stoller..."

Li Cheng had a bit of a headache: "Forget it, I'll find an opportunity to talk to her directly. You don't need to worry about it for now."

Chapter Sixteen: Unauthorized Reading Prohibited

"Cambridge University originated in 1209 when two philosophers from Oxford University were accused of murdering a sex worker and were sentenced to death by hanging by the local court. In protest, Oxford teachers stopped teaching and left, some of whom came to Cambridgeshire and founded a university."

"It's impossible to know who was right and who was wrong back then. Two years ago, one of our history professors even had an argument with Oxford about this."

Newton explained.

"Hmm, and then what happened?"

Li Cheng asked somewhat perfunctorily.

He wasn't interested in Cambridge's history; he was just there to borrow the library. Asking about Cambridge's history was merely a casual conversation tactic to avoid being stopped and questioned by the gatekeeper.

As expected, the gatekeeper saw Li Cheng chatting and laughing with two familiar students, Newton and Anne, and dressed quite well. Therefore, although he didn't recognize them, he didn't stop Li Cheng and let him in.

After entering, the three split up. Li Cheng went to the library, Newton went to the office building next to the library, and Annie went to find her close classmates to ask whose parents worked in the municipal government... After all, it was really inappropriate to ask her dad to help her with something like copying homework.

Li Cheng went straight to the library.

"Student ID".

As a result, the middle-aged woman sitting by the marble pillar at the library entrance, with a small wooden table in front of her, gave Li Cheng a rude awakening on the spot—she recognized people but not people, unless they looked very familiar.

"You go first."

Li Cheng first dismissed Newton to attend to his own business. Then, seeing that no one was around, he took out a gold and silver note from the Ritzman Bank that he had prepared and quietly handed it over... The Bank of England wouldn't be established until 1694, at which time the pound sterling would be issued. For now, they could only use the gold and silver notes issued by private banks.

Don't give me that!

Faced with this egregious act of bribery, the woman righteously rebuked him, then glanced around to make sure no one was watching before swiping the gold and silver scrolls into her sleeve.

Then she took a wooden plaque from the drawer of the wooden table and asked, "Name, age."

Those without library cards need to get temporary cards, which usually require a professor's approval. But where could Li Cheng find a professor to approve it in such a short time? He could only bribe the old lady—but this bribe couldn't be given casually. Li Cheng had to offer something worth more than a few books for the old lady to believe he had no intention of stealing them.

“Aber Lee, 23.”

"Okay." The woman wrote her age and name on the sign, then registered it in a small blue notebook before handing the wooden sign to Li Cheng. "Take this sign; it's valid for one month."

Li Cheng took the sign and noticed that it was surrounded by potholes, looking as if it had been chewed by a dog. It looked awkward no matter how he looked at it, so he casually asked, "Where did this sign come from?"

This middle-aged woman was also very honest: "It's been chewed by a dog, take it or leave it."

It looks like it was chewed by a dog; it must have been a dog tag before.

Li Cheng disdainfully wrapped the dog tag in a handkerchief and carefully put it in his pocket. In this era, there were no napkins, so he had developed the good habit of carrying a handkerchief with him... anyway, he didn't have to wash it himself.

Stepping into Cambridge's library, one is greeted by rows of neat bookshelves, densely packed with all kinds of books. Occasionally, one can see many students moving among the bookshelves, searching for the materials they need.

Li Cheng's purpose in coming to the library was very simple and pure—to learn about the writing habits of this era.

Although the selected foreign classics he had read in his previous life were still in his mind, the evolution of language is a long process, and the classics have been revised many times. The grammar, format, word usage, descriptive style, and even popular terms are different from those of that time. You can imagine what it would be like if a modern person wrote a novel not only in classical Chinese but also misused idioms.

[At night, Li Cheng lay in bed and saw a beautiful picture. He was delighted and immediately took the initiative to...]