It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

As mentioned earlier, there were many noble ladies and young ladies present, who came specifically for Annie. The more they admired Annie before, the more bitter and resentful they looked at Li Cheng now.

On the contrary, all the men present, especially those with wives, daughters, or lovers, looked at Li Cheng with not a trace of jealousy, but rather with a hint of encouragement and admiration...

Oh, and aside from the guy who was harassing Annie, his eyes were practically spitting fire.

Annie noticed the strange expressions on the faces of the people around her and quickly gave Li Cheng an apologetic look: "It was an accident, an accident. I just saw you over here and did it in a moment of panic."

Li Cheng: "Fine, fine, knowing you is my bad luck. I'll lend a hand this time."

After a brief exchange of glances, Li Cheng grasped the general situation and knew that the most important thing at the moment was to be decisive, since Annie had already used the excuse that he was her lover.

So, under the admiring (♂) or envious (♀) gazes of everyone, he took a step forward, shielding Annie behind him with his body, striking a classic pose from a horror movie, and shouted:

"Stop! What do you want to do to my lover?"

To be honest, Li Cheng felt a lot of pressure doing this, after all, it was Annie! And she was even dressed in men's clothing... Is that considered a tomboy trait? Will I ever find a normal, high-quality adult female by my side?

"Your lover?"

Kevin, standing before me, was a typical aristocratic disciple: pale-skinned and unsteady on his feet, yet he had an unpleasant, sullen face that everyone disliked, as if the world owed him hundreds of thousands of pounds from the moment he was born.

Whether others owe him or not is unknown, but the Garcia family can indeed provide him with several hundred thousand pounds.

Li Cheng glanced at Annie, who no longer even wore women's clothing, and said against his will, "Yes, that's right, Annie is my lover."

"Then why, in all the information I've gathered, have I never heard of anyone like you working for Annie?"

Kevin raised an eyebrow, then slowly relaxed it: "But it doesn't matter, Miss Annie and I are already halfway there, you have no chance, get out of the way and don't block us."

It's only half done?!

Li Cheng was immediately alarmed: "Which half?"

Kevin scoffed dismissively, "Which half could it be? It's the half that will become my wife—so you'd better get out of the way. I'm a member of the Garcia family. If you dare to steal my betrothed, don't blame me for being impolite."

???

After hearing this, Li Cheng was completely stunned, as if he had seen Annie in a completely new light.

He first subtly pulled his arm out of Annie's arms, then looked at her with a mixture of shock, confusion, and doubt... I never expected this! I thought it was some melodramatic harassment plot, but it turns out you were the one who deceived this pretty boy's feelings first? Huh?

Everyone looked shocked and began to whisper among themselves.

"I never expected the truth to be like this, it's a complete reversal."

"Yes, yes, at first I thought the Garcia family was bullying others, but it turns out that this Miss Anne was in the wrong first."

"In the end, he's just an actor."

Of course, there were also those who defended Anne.

"You men shouldn't talk nonsense! Annie is innocent! I will always believe in Annie!"

"Exactly, do you know how hard Annie's brother works?"

......

Faced with so many disdainful glances and discussions, and even a shocked look from Li Cheng, Annie immediately felt like a turtle leaving the house—she couldn't hold back any longer.

Her short, brown hair stood on end, making her look like an enraged lion. She roared at Kevin, "What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard? When did I become your half-wife???"

"When?"

Faced with Annie's questioning, Kevin straightened his clothes and said proudly, "I've already agreed, that's half of it. As long as you nod your head, we can go to the bishop to officiate the wedding, and you can become my complete wife anytime."

Everyone: ? ? ?

Such a sharp and insightful half-solution immediately quelled Annie's anger. On the contrary, she even felt a sense of superiority from the intellectual superiority she had gained, which was quite rare for her.

Are you crazy? According to this logic, every woman in the world is your wife?

Annie was about to casually curse Kevin when she suddenly noticed that Li Cheng's gaze was wandering around the dining table, as if he was looking for something, so her attention was instantly drawn to him.

Annie: What are you looking for?

Li Cheng: "Looking for peaches."

Chapter 186 Radical Plan

Although to Li Cheng, Annie, and even some people present who didn't know Kevin, Kevin's half of his speech sounded like the ramblings of a mentally unstable person, Leon secretly frowned.

'Kevin, relying on his Garcia family background, acts recklessly and has done many outrageous things, but he's not stupid; on the contrary, he has his own ideas.'

'While "halfway done" might sound like a joke at first glance, what if Kevin isn't joking?'

'Maybe that's really what he's thinking. He feels that since he's taken a liking to this young actress named Annie, half the battle is already won. The rest is just a matter of her obediently nodding in agreement, or even if she doesn't, he has ways to handle it.'

'Should we remind that guy named Banana? If I were him, I'd definitely give up on that actress named Annie and walk away; that would be the best course of action.'

The thought flashed through Leon's mind, but he quickly dismissed it: 'Forget it, Kevin's right here. Who knows what he'll think when he sees me go up? If I'm unlucky, wouldn't I just needlessly make an enemy? My dad would kill me if he found out.'

After making up his mind, Leon decided to stay quietly to the side, but his gaze toward Li Cheng held a hint of pity.

This small businessman from out of town is going to suffer for getting into this mess for no reason.

......

Li Cheng was standing in a corner of the hall. There weren't many guests there originally, since it was too far from the temporary stage and they couldn't see Annie's performance.

But as Annie moved toward a building in this direction, and as the argument between Li Cheng and Kevin drew in, numerous businessmen, aristocratic scions, and the actors and staff that Annie brought with her began to congregate there, it seemed poised to become another stage.

"What happened? Annie, are you alright?"

A male staff member from the theater approached and inquired about Anne's condition with concern.

Annie waved her hand dismissively and said, "It's nothing serious, it's just that this lunatic named Kevin is bothering me again."

"Entanglement?"

The staff member glanced hesitantly at Kevin, then said to Annie, "Um, why don't you consider granting Young Master Kevin's request? I think he's actually quite sincere..."

Upon hearing this, Annie immediately put her hands on her hips and glared at the other person: "Are you kidding me? Have you been bribed by Kevin?"

The staff member said awkwardly, "No, but I'm doing this for your own good. You see, Kevin is quite a catch, and he seems genuinely interested in you, so I think..."

Almost everyone in the theater knew everything about Kevin.

After all, Kevin's actions were quite high-profile. After meeting Annie once in person, he launched a fierce courtship campaign, sending various people to deliver gifts. And it wasn't just a casual fling; he was acting as if he wanted to marry her properly.

It can be said that Kevin played a part in Annie's current popularity. After all, it's natural to become interested when you learn that the eldest son of the Garcia family has fallen in love with a famous actress.

After hearing the theater staff's thoughts, Annie became even angrier: "Considerate my foot! Didn't I already say that I hate those pretty boys the most? Especially a crazy pretty boy like that!"

In her eyes, Kevin was a lunatic—who in the world would immediately declare their intention to marry upon meeting someone? There should at least be a process of communication, right? Especially since this guy looked so sickly...

Moreover, the peculiar aesthetic popular among the nobility was not to Anne's liking at all. In her eyes, this kind of physical condition, where one's arms are so pale from years of not being exposed to the sun that one can see the blue veins, is extremely unhealthy.

Let alone running around with her outside, I'd probably be out of breath after just a few steps.

The staff member was verbally abused and stood aside in shame, not saying a word.

Kevin stood there quietly, letting them talk, until finally he spoke again, saying, "Are you done talking? You can tell me your answer now, right?"

Annie gave her a look of intellectual disdain: "Don't you feel ashamed to say that? How could I possibly agree to something like this?"

You think I'm joking?

Kevin glanced at Anne and said seriously, "I never joke. I've had people inquire. Your full name is Anne Stoller, and you are the daughter of Viscount Stoller, who lives in London. Although I don't know why you're hiding your identity and opening a theater in Lincoln, it doesn't matter."

? !

Upon being suddenly revealed to be her true identity, Annie's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Kevin.

Kevin continued, seemingly oblivious to his own words, "How could I not investigate something like this? Although the Viscount's daughter is still not good enough for our Garcia family, and some people in the family oppose my actions, I don't care. I never look at a wife's background when I choose one."

"Anyway, in Lincoln, no one is more powerful than our Garcia family."

Kevin's powerful speech drew nods of approval from the crowd, who began to murmur amongst themselves.

"That sounds really domineering, no wonder he's from the Garcia family."

"Miss Anne is actually the Viscount's daughter? I never expected her to have this identity; it's completely beyond my expectations."

"Young Master Kevin has investigated so thoroughly without making a sound. It seems he might be serious this time... But then again, Miss Anne is quite different from ordinary noble ladies, so it's normal for Young Master Kevin to take a liking to her."

Anne was also shocked. She had thought Kevin was a mentally unstable lunatic who wanted to marry her after only two meetings, but now it seemed that Kevin was perfectly normal and that the clown was actually herself.

The sense of intellectual superiority that she had previously found hard to obtain vanished instantly, and Annie frantically turned to someone she thought had a higher IQ for help.

Annie: Holy crap, what do we do about Li Cheng? This guy not only investigated me so thoroughly, but he's also such a show-off!

Li Cheng: How should I know? Your slick move has forced me to confront you head-on, which is really troublesome... By the way, let me ask you first, you really don't like Kevin, right? Actually, he seems like a pretty good catch.

Annie: Li Cheng, stop joking! For Newton's sake, give your brother a hand!

Li Cheng: Okay, okay, stop dragging me into this.

......

Although Li Cheng had promised Annie he'd help her, he didn't really have a good idea. At most, he could add a hidden setting to Annie: a preference for women. This would discourage Kevin while simultaneously unleashing the aristocratic young lady's... well, you know. Given Annie's current fame, Kevin probably wouldn't be able to just forcibly take her away.

Of course, Li Cheng had another more radical approach, but he hesitated for a moment about whether he should use it.

What should we do...?

Just as Li Cheng was considering which method to use, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a Taoist figure out of the corner of his eye.

The figure appeared only briefly, but upon seeing it, Li Cheng felt reassured and stopped worrying. He took two steps forward and said frankly, "Mr. Kevin, you can't force things. Annie has already said she doesn't want to be with you, so why be so aggressive?"

"Who are you to talk to me like that?"

Kevin glanced at him dismissively.

Who I am is irrelevant.

Li Cheng simply smiled and said, "Anyway, it won't be more powerful than the Garcia family, will it?"

He meant it as a sarcastic remark, but Kevin actually nodded seriously after hearing it: "That's true. Although I don't know where you came from, since I've never heard of you and you're here to attend this banquet, you're probably a businessman. You're quite good. If you obediently cooperate and step aside, I might consider letting the Garcia family cooperate with your business."

Many businessmen present were envious upon hearing about this good news. The Garcia family practically controlled the entire city of Lincoln. Forget about cooperating with them; just getting a tax reduction would be a huge benefit. Many businessmen had gone out of business because of Lincoln's heavy taxes.

Hold on, don't say yes!

These businessmen were all speaking out for Li Cheng, a typical case of feeling more distressed seeing others make money than lose it.

After making a promise that who knows if it will come true, Kevin's voice suddenly turned cold: "But if you don't know what's good for you and still insist on that ridiculous claim that you're Anne's lover, don't blame me for being impolite—in Lincoln, I have a hundred ways to make you disappear without a trace."

Chapter 187 One of the things I, Banana, love to do most