It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

As originally invited, he was to attend a banquet hosted by the Carter Chamber of Commerce today, and he could take the opportunity to mail the letter.

Chapter 183 Experienced Driver, Take Me With You

Lincoln.

The mansion of Chairman Smith.

The open space outside the gate was filled with all kinds of four-wheeled carriages, all of which looked exquisite and luxurious. Even the few ordinary ones had intricately patterned and brightly colored badges printed on the outside of the carriages.

Although Li Cheng didn't ride in that dilapidated carriage that let in drafts from all sides, he was still extremely conspicuous among this group of luxury cars—to put it metaphorically, it was like an Audi mixed in with a group of Rolls-Royces, or a husky mixed in with a pack of northern wolves... The former describes appearance, the latter describes temperament.

"A miscalculation."

Li Cheng looked at his beat-up little car and wondered if he should get a new one; it was really embarrassing to drive this one around.

Fortunately, no one recognized him or greeted him, so Li Cheng walked in on his own. But as he walked, he felt something was off—there were just too many people.

Smith had told him that in previous years, only a few businessmen with good relationships would attend the Carter Chamber of Commerce's banquets, but seeing the bustling scene outside, he thought it was a banquet hosted by the Garcia family.

Moreover, didn't Smith say that no nobles would come? Now, Li Cheng has only glanced at them briefly and can see at least four or five.

"What's going on here?"

Li Cheng stopped by the roadside, frowning as he looked around at the crowd, trying to spot anything suspicious.

He was very unhappy about this unexpected situation and suspected that old man Smith might be secretly planning something big. But since he was already here, he should at least go in and say goodbye before leaving.

Shaking his head, Li Cheng started walking again towards the banquet entrance.

"That red-haired guy!"

Just then, a male voice rang out from not far behind him, but Li Cheng didn't pay any attention, since not many people on Lincoln's side knew him. As for the redheads, although they were few in number, they weren't nonexistent.

"That tall, handsome gentleman with fiery red hair!"

The voice sounded again from behind, but this time it addressed him differently.

Li Cheng turned his head and began to search for the source of the voice calling him.

He looked around and noticed a young man walking towards him from not far away. He looked to be around twenty years old, and his clothes were made of a nice but not complicated material. He had blue hair and a somewhat shy and youthful face.

Li Cheng looked at the unknown guy who had suddenly appeared and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"Hello, hello, my name is Leon Walker, my father is a baron..."

After a lengthy self-introduction and producing badges and other items to prove his identity, the young man named Lyon finally got to the point.

He said, "Excuse me for stopping you, but may I ask if you are attending the banquet hosted by the Carter Chamber of Commerce alone? I noticed that you are all alone without any companions and are heading towards the gate, so I assume you are planning to attend the banquet."

Li Cheng hadn't expected that this would be noticed. He nodded, "Yes."

"Great!" Leon clenched his fist excitedly. "Could you take me with you? Not for free, I can pay you, or I can help you with anything I can."

Li Cheng was stunned. "Your father couldn't get an invitation?"

What exactly happened? How could a baron be unable to obtain an invitation to a banquet hosted by a branch president of a chamber of commerce?

Is the Carter Chamber of Commerce really that powerful in Lincoln? But it doesn't seem like it. Besides, if Chairman Smith were so capable, why wouldn't he go to London or overseas to start a business and stay in Lincoln as a minor branch chairman?

Am I the one with the problem? Or is there something wrong with this banquet, or perhaps something is wrong with Smith?

"Oh, forget it."

Lyon shook his head and sighed: "My father could probably do it if he wanted to, at least he could have someone take me—but he won't help me. He's too old-fashioned. I have to figure it out myself."

Li Cheng finally couldn't hold back any longer. He was curious about what was so special about this seemingly ordinary dinner party. He asked, "Why are you so eager to attend this dinner party?"

"You do not know?"

Lyon looked even more confused than he did.

Li Cheng: "I don't know."

Lyon: "And what do you know?"

Li Cheng honestly replied, "I know this is a dinner party that Smith hosts every year."

After hearing this, Leon lowered his head in deep thought, and only looked up after a moment. Just as Li Cheng thought he was about to explain, Leon spoke with a serious expression: "Who is Smith again? That name sounds familiar."

???

Li Cheng stared at the man in front of him in shock and explained, "Smith is the head of the Lincoln branch of the Carter Chamber of Commerce, one of the many chambers of commerce in London. He is the one who hosted this dinner."

Lyon then realized, "I was wondering why that sounded familiar. It turns out it was a banquet he hosted... Uh, don't look at me like that. Not many people who come to this banquet are there for Smith. It's normal that I don't remember him."

With his explanation, Li Cheng finally understood the mystery behind the banquet.

Logically speaking, the banquet hosted by the Carter Chamber of Commerce was really unremarkable, but Anne just happened to be kicked by Lady Luck this year and inexplicably became a sensation in Lincoln City.

Seeing this, Chairman Smith felt it was a good opportunity to raise the profile of the Carter Chamber of Commerce, so he approached Anne and discussed having her perform at the banquet.

Anne had met with Chairman Smith several times with Li Cheng and knew that he was the money-making sucker Li Cheng had found. In addition, Smith had also helped her with the arrangements for the 2.2 Lincoln Square incident that made her famous (listen to that, it's almost in history). So she readily agreed.

This is the famous Lincoln, whose free performance reportedly attracted half the city's residents to watch—Miss Anne herself performing on stage!

You should know that Anne still remembers that she has a biological father, so she doesn't dare to flaunt it in public. Even if she agrees to perform for a few nobles (they pay too much), she only sends a few newly trained actors from the theater to perform.

This was the first time Anne had personally taken the initiative, which made it all the more precious.

As a result, many nobles who had nothing to do all day, especially their children, came to attend Smith's small banquet that they would normally look down upon.

It wasn't that they particularly wanted to see Annie perform; it was mainly that they'd have something to brag about later, like checking off a popular tourist attraction. The key was checking off the attraction rather than actually going to enjoy it.

After Li Cheng understood the general situation, he painfully covered his forehead... "I was wondering why it was so crowded today, with so many nobles, and why it wasn't what Smith had agreed on."

He suddenly remembered that when Smith said, "Although the nobles are almost certainly not coming," he had casually remarked, "Maybe they've changed their minds this year." Little did he expect his jinx to come true, and in such a bizarre way at that...

Lyon continued rambling: "That's why I had to come, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise when my friends are bragging, and being laughed at would be a minor issue... Hey, what's wrong? Headache?"

Li Cheng silently released his hand from his forehead: "It's nothing, I'm just a little numb. Let's go in quickly."

"What about this matter?"

Lyon said with some concern.

"I agree."

Li Cheng waved his hand somewhat listlessly: "But don't tell anyone that I brought you in. You can say that you sneaked in on your own. Anyway, whatever happens to you, don't let me have anything to do with it."

Leon was immediately thrilled and thanked him repeatedly, "Thank you, thank you! You're such a kind person!"

Ah, I've got my second "good guy" card in my life. The first one was from Louise... Li Cheng squinted, but didn't pay much attention. Instead, he led the "check-in" enthusiast Leon directly to the main gate.

The male servant at the door stopped him, saying, "I'm very sorry, could you please show me the invitation?"

"Give."

Li Cheng took out an invitation from his pocket and handed it to the servant, then pointed to Lyon next to him, "This is my friend."

Lyon gave a timely smile.

The male servant at the door didn't seem to mind, but when he opened the invitation and saw the name, his eyes widened and he immediately bowed: "Welcome, esteemed Mr. Banana, Chairman Smith has been waiting for you for a long time!"

In President Smith's view, Annie had already been seduced by Li Cheng, so Annie's agreement to perform at the banquet was most likely due to Li Cheng's approval. Therefore, he was very grateful to Li Cheng and specifically instructed the male servants at the door to be more respectful to Li Cheng.

"I understand, I will go see him."

Li Cheng said rather indifferently, then took the invitation and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

If Li Cheng had initially planned to try attending the banquet, now he was truly prepared to go in, find Smith, say hello, and leave—he didn't even want to see Annie, and it would be better if he didn't see her at all, to avoid the hassle.

But when Leon heard their conversation, he was somewhat surprised.

After all, in his opinion, Li Cheng, who came to the banquet alone without any attendants, was at most a merchant's son, but he did not expect that he would receive such different treatment from the male servant at the door.

The man who had just gone in was the son of a viscount, yet the male servant at the door merely nodded. Now, however, he bowed deeply to Li Cheng...

Could it be that his father's title is higher than that of a viscount?

Chapter 184 Dislikes All of Them

Could it be that his father's title is higher than that of a viscount?

With this question in mind, Lyon discreetly scrutinized Li Cheng. He saw that Li Cheng was dressed in a double-breasted suit, wearing a silk soft hat, and a pair of rather strange black-rimmed glasses on his nose. His overall appearance was refined and cultured, but his long red hair was a bit too bright and seemed slightly out of place.

His attire was perfectly normal, nothing special... If one had to point out anything unusual about him, it would be that he showed absolutely no respect or caution towards the noblemen around him, clearly indicating that he was no ordinary person.

Lyon had met at least once any of the nobles in Lincoln, whether they were big or small, but he had never met anyone named Li Cheng before, so the other party was definitely not a local.

Furthermore, the fact that the Carter Chamber of Commerce was able to persuade Miss Anne, whom even the Garcia family couldn't persuade, to hold this banquet that attracted so many nobles suggests that there might be something unusual about this banquet.

Could it be... that a major drug has arrived?

Lyon's mind raced for a moment. He glanced at the pattern on the floor and then at the many other nobles around him who were also checking in. He temporarily abandoned his idea of ​​leaving and decided to follow this man to find out who he was and what kind of powerful drug he was.

As Lyon followed him all the way, Li Cheng frowned deeply: This guy hit on me on the street, stared at me all over the door, and then followed me inside. He's very suspicious.

Could it be... that this person is male?

Li Cheng shivered, quickly stopped, and turned to question Leon, "Weren't you going to see that Annie? Why are you following me?"

"Forehead......"

Lyon couldn't think of a solution for the moment, so he made up an excuse: "Miss Anne's performance hasn't started yet, so I just wanted to take a walk with you, sir... By the way, I don't know your name, sir. Could you tell me?"

Changing the subject, asking for my name... Holy crap, is he a real male ketone? I was just kidding! If you really want to be a male ketone, please stop hitting on me and go be a priest at church!

"I'm just a small businessman; my real name is not worth mentioning."

Li Cheng replied vaguely, "But if you really need a name, you can call me Banana."

Small businessman?

Lyon's first reaction was disbelief, so he simply cut to the chase: "Mr. Banana, a small merchant wouldn't have such a respectful servant at the door. I guess you must be the son of some count from out of town."

The outsider guess was right. What is this count's son up to? Could it be that the news of my framing Anderson has reached here? But what does Albert Leegan's bad deeds have to do with me, Banana King?

Seeing that the other person was not a man and was just curious about his identity, Li Cheng breathed a sigh of relief: "So that's what it is. I think you misunderstood. I am indeed from out of town, but I don't have an earl father."

"The reason why the male servant is so respectful is actually quite simple: I know President Carter of the Carter Chamber of Commerce, and I am currently doing business with Branch President Smith, so his male servant is more respectful to me."

This explanation was reasonable, and Lyon nodded in acceptance, feeling much more relieved.

As for the small businessman, while I'm grateful to him for bringing me to the banquet, there's no need to develop a deeper relationship with him.

Thinking of this, Leon said in a relaxed tone, "Then I'll take my leave now. If Mr. Banana needs any help in the future, you can contact me."

Li Cheng didn't seem to mind: "Then I'll thank you in advance."