It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Chapter 175 A Resolute Gaze

Inside the office.

"Keep an eye on Agnes. It's fine if she goes outside to play for a while, but make sure she doesn't shake off her guards."

Chairman Smith instructed his male servant: "Last time, I may have been too close to her, which caused her to rebel and make such a fuss."

Although he initially said he would lock Agnes up for a month, he still felt a little reluctant. In addition, his wife pleaded for her, so after assigning her an extra month of homework, he released Agnes after only two days of confinement.

The personal male servant assured him confidently, "Master, rest assured, I will not let Miss run away this time. Moreover, I have already assigned a very loyal slave who has been trained since childhood to protect Miss."

Having learned from his previous experience, the personal male servant felt he had gained a significant advantage.

Seeing this, Smith nodded in satisfaction: "That's good—you can go now, I need to attend to my guests."

"Yes," the personal male servant replied.

......

Outside the Chamber of Commerce.

After hearing Li Cheng's boastful lines, Darlena's shocked expression was perfectly timed, flawlessly conveying disbelief, shock, confusion, and a hint of fear and cowardice that she tried to hide but couldn't quite conceal.

Li Cheng had initially thought that Darlena was the kind of person who wasn't very capable, but now it seemed that if she were to unexpectedly go bankrupt one day, she could easily work as an extra to pay off her debts.

The employee standing next to him couldn't help but think that Li Cheng's words were cool, but his performance was much worse than Dalena's. He only showed a shocked expression for less than a second, and did not play the role of the onlookers cheering him on.

As for Annie, she's still playing the role of a 'big investor,' but because she doesn't know what expression to make, she just keeps smiling.jpg.

But inside, she was thinking like crazy: "Wow, is this what showing off is all about? No wonder his grandfather is a Shakespeare; Li Cheng's words are so cool... I really want to learn that. Right, I need to write this down and say it sometime."

Glancing at the reactions of the others out of the corner of his eye, Li Cheng was quite satisfied with his results this time.

At this point, saying anything more would be superfluous, so he turned his head without looking back and strode into the Carter Chamber of Commerce, leaving Darlena still in shock.jpg.

......

Since it wasn't his first time here, Li Cheng walked in with ease.

I thought I would reach my destination smoothly, but unfortunately, I hadn't walked two steps when I bumped into a familiar brown-haired, blue-eyed little girl—the one who had been hiding in the men's restroom, Smith's daughter.

Agnes was humming a tuneless melody as she skipped and hopped outside, wanting to go for a stroll. Behind her followed closely a two-meter-tall, muscular black man who was assigned to protect her, his steps steady and powerful.

The two people, one big and one small, one black and one white, standing together, truly exemplified the meaning of contrast, the tale of a loli and a beast.

Incidentally, there weren't many black slaves in Europe; African black slaves were mainly transported to plantations in the Americas. However, a few wealthy people still used tall black slaves to display their status and power, which is why Smith's personal valet was arranged that way.

Upon seeing Agnes, Li Cheng immediately thought, "Holy crap!"—what happened to the promised month-long confinement? How could this brat be released so quickly to wreak havoc on society? Smith, you're such a terrible teammate!

Li Cheng tried his best to pretend he didn't see the other person, thinking it would be best if they just brushed past each other.

But Agnes clearly had a deep impression of Li Cheng. The sound of running water in the men's restroom that day was unforgettable for her, so as soon as she saw Li Cheng, she screamed: "It's you! That pervert who peed in front of me!"

???

So you can't say anything nice?

Li Cheng glanced at the two-meter-tall, muscular black man behind her, his lips twitched, and he quickly shouted, "Who are you? How dare you, at such a young age, slander someone's innocence out of thin air? I have no grudge against you, why are you framing me the moment we meet?"

"I framed you?"

Agnes's blue eyes widened in disbelief. "Is repeating what you did considered framing you?"

No sooner had the other person finished speaking than Li Cheng felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Annie staring at him in shock: "Li Cheng, this little girl looks even younger than Newton!"

Snapped--

Li Cheng slapped her on the forehead and shouted angrily, "A little girl you've never even met has turned you to your side with just a few words?"

Anne suddenly realized what was going on, then turned and glared at Agnes: "Who are you? Although Li Cheng is indeed a lolicon, I almost believed him, but how could you frame him?"

Li Cheng: ...Is this fucking helping me?

When Agnes saw Anne criticizing her, she frowned and asked, "And who are you? Why are you speaking up for that pervert?"

"why?"

Upon hearing the question, Annie suddenly realized something, her eyes gleaming as she got excited—she had just been thinking about how to practice, and this was a perfect opportunity to put her skills to use! She hadn't expected to be able to apply what she had just learned so quickly.

She initially wanted to imitate Li Cheng's hands-in-pockets pose, but today she was wearing a light blue dress to join in the fun. So after groping around for a while and finding that the dress didn't have pockets, Annie had no choice but to cross her arms over her chest—which wasn't too bad, if you ignored her earlier groping.

"You ask me why?"

Having successfully completed her pose, Annie felt much more confident. She said in a nonchalant tone, "I, Annie, do not need to explain my actions to you."

Agnes: ? ? ?

I was just asking why, why is this person so arrogant?

Although his tone and posture were quite appropriate, this wasn't about showing off, it was downright stupid... Li Cheng almost couldn't resist slapping Annie on the forehead to bring her to her senses, but he ultimately suppressed the urge to do so.

However, this interruption clearly caused Agnes to lose interest in pursuing the matter. She led her black bodyguard towards the door, muttering as she went, "Tch, two idiots. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you off the hook."

Annie: Li Cheng, she's insulting us.

Li Cheng: Shut up, who do you think killed him?

The two continued walking inside, but unbeknownst to them, Agnes was stopped again by her personal male servant as soon as she reached the door.

Agnes asked, puzzled, "Uncle Jules, why are you stopping me? Didn't you say before that I could get out as long as I was willing to take this big oaf with me?"

"I'm so sorry, miss."

The personal male servant said sincerely, "Master also instructed that you can only go out to play after you have completed the extra homework he assigned."

Agnes exclaimed in shock, "But that's a month's supply!"

The personal male servant didn't speak, but gave her a firm look.

Chapter 176 What a pity!

After getting rid of Agnes, the two quickly arrived at the office and met with Chairman Smith.

"Mr. Banana, it's been a long time."

Smith was much more enthusiastic this time than the last time he came; he even opened a bottle of French wine from last year.

After all, he was only polite on his first visit because of the president's letter of introduction and their relationship. Now, however, Li Cheng has brought him real financial benefits, so he is naturally more polite.

Li Cheng didn't stand on ceremony and drank the wine in one gulp.

Unfortunately, he really didn't know anything about wine, and felt it was pretty much the same as what he occasionally drank when he was craving wine at home.

Incidentally, wine preservation standards were poor at this time; after three years, it was basically just vinegar. Therefore, fresh wine was actually much more valuable than aged wine... although most of the 82 Lafite that we can't finish drinking in the 21st century was also newly made.

After finishing this toast, it was time to get to work.

Newton's territory is just beginning to take off, and he lacks capable subordinates, so he has to do everything himself. Previously, he had exchanged numerous letters just to coordinate between the two sides, and some things simply couldn't be explained in person.

To be honest, it's quite troublesome, but London is really not a suitable place to develop coal and iron-related industries. Just transporting coal and iron ore would cost a lot of money, not to mention that there's a boss, Edward I, sitting in the city.

after a while.

Just as Annie was listening, her eyelids started to droop and her head was nodding, looking like she was struggling to fall asleep but not quite.

"Then, it's a pleasure to cooperate."

Li Cheng made a concluding remark, signaling the end of the conversation and giving Annie a much-needed boost.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Banana."

Smith smiled back; the two had been having a pleasant conversation over the past period of time.

Li Cheng used modern thinking to analyze the market and future direction for him, as well as the bright prospects of coal. He listened and nodded repeatedly, and his impression of this young man changed a lot. From the original 'pretty boy' to 'pretty boy with some ability', he has now evolved into 'pretty boy with sharp eyes and means'—in short, the suffix 'pretty boy' is impossible to get rid of.

Li Cheng was also very satisfied. He admired Smith, a businessman who was purely focused on business and who considered making money as the most important thing. Smith was also very easy to deal with.

In his vision, coal, iron, and steel should be developed step by step.

First, we started with coal, something familiar to everyone, to improve the economy of Newton's territory and provide jobs for the inhabitants, letting them become familiar with the daily routines of workers. We also recruited blacksmiths to practice their skills. This task has been nearly completed over the past two weeks.

So the next step is to expand the coal market. He certainly can't do it alone, so it's imperative to recruit a few people to help him.

Furthermore, while steel is certainly valuable, Li Cheng will not be producing it on a large scale for at least a year and a half. Instead, he plans to spend time developing machinery and firearms first, and then move on to steel production.

After all, technological advancements in this area cannot be pursued haphazardly like advancements in consumer technology; the main objective is to maintain a leading edge in technology.

Methods like developing roller presses using the principles of water-powered steel forging to mass-produce steel plates are examples of this. If they were developed too early, others would simply copy them and use them to forge plate armor, further expanding the knightly class and strengthening the king's military power.

Just as Li Cheng was lost in thought, Smith spoke up again.

“Next month, the Chamber of Commerce will hold a large banquet as usual, inviting most of the wealthy merchants in Lincoln City, as well as some nobles.” Smith picked up the wine on the table, took a sip, and said with a self-deprecating smile, “Although most of the nobles will not come, unless they are also doing business with the Chamber of Commerce.”

Li Cheng casually remarked, "Maybe they've changed their minds this year?"

"How could that be?"

Smith shook his head: "Let's not talk about that. If you want to come, I'll send you an invitation."

"it is good."

Li Cheng agreed immediately. Although he disliked banquets that emphasized etiquette, their cooperation had only just begun, and it would have been inappropriate to refuse.

"See you then?" Smith smiled.

"See you then." Li Cheng nodded.

Annie was supposed to leave by now, staring expectantly at Li Cheng, waiting for his command so she could dash out—Li Cheng's last conversation with Smith was quite interesting, with all sorts of boasting to gain the other's trust, but this time it was mostly business. This was extremely unfriendly to Annie, leaving her almost completely bewildered.

But then Li Cheng suddenly remembered something and asked, "President Smith, I remember you seem to have a daughter?"

!!!

Smith's smile froze instantly, and alarm bells rang in his head—what the hell is this pretty boy asking? My daughter is indeed adorable, but she's still so young! I absolutely cannot allow this!!!

However, although in his mind Li Cheng was basically synonymous with the words "loli fetishist" and "pretty boy," he certainly couldn't say it out loud.

"Yes."

Smith thought of a roundabout way to achieve his goal. He forced a smile and said, "I do have a very young daughter named Agnes, but my wife is spoiling her rotten. She's too naughty and disobedient, and her manners training isn't very good. She doesn't know how to behave, and she often doesn't do her homework... So what do you need her for? I'll pass on the message later."

Li Cheng was a little confused. He thought to himself that Agnes was indeed being too mischievous by hiding in the men's restroom to escape to play. But why was he, as her father, constantly talking badly about his daughter?

He put his doubts aside and replied, "Well, it's nothing. I was just curious—by the way, will Miss Agnes be attending the banquet next month?"

Smith firmly shook his head: "I'm very sorry, my daughter is too young to participate in this kind of social occasion."

He had originally planned to take Agnes to banquets this year to meet more people, but after hearing Li Cheng's question, he completely gave up the idea—who knows what this pretty boy might do if he took a fancy to his daughter.