It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

"But she did push it away."

"If I remember correctly... the two were lovers."

"Yes, they admitted it themselves."

"The lovers are very close."

"Lovers will last forever."

"But now Miss Anne has pushed this gentleman away, simply because of a slightly intimate hug..."

"And... less than ten minutes of caressing."

......

Kevin was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, then burst into laughter and extended an inviting hand: "Well done, Miss Anne. Stop playing these boring lover games. Come to me. I, Kevin Garcia, am the best choice for you."

Damn, this teammate is hopeless! What on earth is this idiot thinking?!

Under the barrage of strange gazes from all directions, even Li Cheng's old face couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

This was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation, like a young boy confidently confessing his love to his crush in front of the whole class, only to be cruelly and mercilessly rejected in public – a situation with a maximum social death factor.

Tired, destroy it.

Li Cheng felt an urge to simply leave, but his remaining rationality told him that if he left Annie there and Kevin lost control of himself, some unpleasant CGs might occur.

Haha, all the eroge I play have pure love endings! I can't even finish all the CGs!

Even if my teammates are terrible, I'll drag them back today!

Although he had already lost face, Li Cheng still tried to reach out and pull Annie's arm, wanting to take her away from this troublesome place.

Just then, an uninvited guest suddenly darted out from the side, leaping between Li Cheng and Annie to stop him from pulling Annie away. This man was one of the nobles who had previously sided with Kevin. Seeing this, he thought it was an opportunity to show his loyalty to Kevin, so he decisively stepped forward.

"Hehehe, wait a minute."

He chuckled slyly and said, "Miss Annie is clearly unwilling, so why are you forcing her to go with you? Is there no reason to do that?"

Chapter 189 Scars in the Heart

The situation changed too quickly. The lovers who were just being affectionate suddenly turned against each other in public. While everyone was excited, many people looked at Li Cheng with pity.

That's terrible. Is there anything worse than being betrayed by your lover in front of everyone? Well, it seems there is, like being betrayed by your wife.

...I seem to have gone off-topic. In any case, everyone felt very sympathetic to Li Cheng's situation, while their impression of Annie plummeted.

After all... no one wants something like that to happen to them.

"Shameful, shameful."

"God will punish a woman who lacks integrity."

Even the fervent female fan who had been speaking up for Annie's brother showed a hint of wavering: "How could this be? Annie's brother isn't that kind of person! I believe her!"

The woman next to the fan, who had been listening for a while and was already annoyed, sneered, "Otherwise what? If it were you, would you rather lower yourself to follow a nobody businessman, wandering from city to city, constantly facing discrimination and oppression; or would you rather marry into the Garcia family and rise to the top, becoming someone no one in Lincoln would dare to mess with?"

The crowd argued endlessly.

But as the center of the discussion, Li Cheng didn't think too much about it; he felt there might be some misunderstanding.

Annie can be a bit silly at times, but she's definitely a very nice person. She never refuses a friend's request for help. Li Cheng didn't believe that someone like her would betray her lover in public for the sake of power.

Besides... the two of them weren't even in a romantic relationship to begin with! The idea of ​​betrayal is simply impossible from the start!

Li Cheng's gaze passed over the sycophant blocking his way and looked at Annie behind him. He asked with a puzzled expression, "Annie, are you feeling unwell?"

Yes, that was the only possibility he could think of.

After all, it was the dead of winter. Even though the fireplace with honeycomb briquettes was providing light and heat, Annie was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt and had just done strenuous exercise. She was feeling hot and cold all the time, which might mean she had caught a cold and was not fully conscious.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Kevin sneered and arrogantly raised his head: "Water flows to low places, but people choose to climb higher. Compared to a useless little businessman like you, Miss Anne would certainly choose me. She has already made her position clear."

He felt incredibly happy at that moment, and all his previous gloom vanished.

Lover?

What a joke! You've already been pushed aside, what right do you have to bring this up? Looks like it's still my victory, Kevin Garcia's victory in the end.

Li Cheng didn't answer him. Instead, he glanced at Kevin, who was looking smug not far away, then at the sycophantic man blocking his way, and then at the onlookers around him who were either pitying or sympathizing with him. He suddenly felt that the scene was quite ridiculous, even unreal.

The classic trope of two men vying for his affections in female-oriented romance dramas actually happened to him.

Moreover, the woman in question wasn't some stunning beauty, nor the only daughter of a duke or a princess, but rather the daughter of a viscount—Anne Stoller, who was, in fact, a complete idiot.

I really don't know what's the point of arguing about.

He'd looked at Anne's face at least eight hundred times, if not a thousand, and he really couldn't see anything special about it.

Even that time when he was tricked by that old scoundrel Therese, when Li Cheng accidentally entered the locker room with the broken lock, he accidentally saw half of Annie's naked body. Although her skin was very good and her figure was also quite good, it was still above average. There was no need to fight over it like that.

But Kevin, who is, after all, the young master of the Garcia family, now looks like a smug little man, as if he has won a great victory.

To be honest, it's a little numb.

......

As the true center of attention, Annie knew she had made a mistake the moment she stretched out her arms.

After he first tricked Li Cheng into pretending to be his lover, and Li Cheng generously helped him, his subsequent act of pushing him away was the best example of a terrible teammate.

Even without looking up, Annie could guess that Li Cheng was looking at her with a very, very disappointed expression and was about to turn away.

Anne had seen that look of disappointment in her father's eyes before.

Mr. Stoller had high hopes for his only daughter and wanted to raise her into a well-mannered, gentle, and virtuous lady, so he hired a tutor to provide her with guidance.

History, grammar, philosophy, mathematics, dance, painting, music... teachers taught with great care, but in the end, they all gave Stettor the same four words: "Find someone else."

Stoller's eyes went from initial encouragement to gradual numbness, and finally to unconcealable disappointment and complete surrender.

Anne saw all of this and kept it in her heart, but she never mentioned it to anyone. She remained the same Anne who seemed incredibly happy, as if no troubles would linger in her heart for more than three seconds.

But beneath that optimistic and cheerful exterior lies a heart that has suffered repeated failures and is riddled with cracks.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. For example, a certain person with a reading addiction has extraordinary analytical and observational abilities, but can't even tie their shoelaces.

Actually, Annie has her strengths too. She has great stamina, is very flexible, masters various sports quickly, and enjoys running freely in the sun.

Unfortunately, in this era, there was really no place for her to utilize her talents; she couldn't even become a sports student. Anne could never erase the shadow buried deep in her heart, the shadow cast by those who loved her—her deepest obsession.

Prove yourself!

Therefore, after accidentally discovering her talent as an actress, Annie's obsession exploded, and she used almost every means and did her best to learn the skills required for acting.

Although she knew her father would be furious when he found out, and although she knew she could live a comfortable life relying on her father's wealth without having to do anything, Annie still persisted in secretly working hard.

Li Cheng once thought that once Annie got tired of it, she would give up acting.

But what he didn't know was that for Annie, this was no longer just a hobby, but a desperate need for her to prove herself by becoming an excellent actress, to prove that she wasn't a...useless good-for-nothing.

Everything was going well.

With Sister Therese's meticulous guidance, Li Cheng's advice and help in covering up the situation, the book "On Acting and Cultivation," the cooperation of her theater colleagues, and her own hard work, everything started to get better.

She achieved success in London and Lincoln, slowly healing the cracks in her heart while waiting for the moment to reveal everything to her father.

But Annie didn't expect that in such an unexpected situation, she would once again be met with a disappointed look, especially from her good friend Li Cheng, who was very loyal and had always sacrificed himself to help her.

Annie didn't dare to look up.

She was afraid to see the disappointment in Li Cheng's eyes, afraid to reopen the wounds buried deep in her heart.

Then, Li Cheng's voice rang in her ear: "Annie, are you feeling unwell?"

The tone lacked the intense disappointment Anne had expected; instead, it conveyed only simple doubt, and a hint of trust beneath that doubt.

Chapter 190 Why are you so skilled at this?!

Hmm, this isn't quite what I expected.

Upon hearing Li Cheng's question, Annie was taken aback, then looked up with a puzzled expression, meeting Li Cheng's gaze. They entered into a unique exchange of glances.

Li Cheng: What's wrong? Did you eat something bad?

Annie: It's nothing, it's nothing. I just suddenly remembered something that made me unhappy.

Li Cheng: ?

After the strange exchange, Annie's lips curled into a wide grin, revealing a bright and sunny smile that made one feel as if they were on a hot summer day with an endless beach and ocean all around.

Li Cheng was stunned. He wondered if the child had really eaten something bad, as he could laugh so happily even when thinking about something unpleasant.

What he didn't know was that in that brief moment, Annie's psychological trauma was suddenly healed. Although it wasn't completely healed, at least she wasn't afraid of seeing the disappointed looks in other people's eyes anymore.

It has to be said that mental illness is a very mysterious thing; anyone can get it.

Even a girl like Anne, who comes from a wealthy family, has a loving father, and is as happy as a little mare, is still traumatized by her father's unintentional gaze during her childhood.

While a single glance or word can cause a problem, it can also heal it, and Li Cheng has just happened to do just that.

To get back to the point, although Annie's hidden psychological trauma has been resolved, the two are still in a very awkward situation.

The onlookers, thinking Annie had abandoned Li Cheng, were pointing and whispering about her.

Kevin was beaming with pride.

The lackey stood between the two, with his companions watching them menacingly.

Anne then realized how much trouble her behavior had caused the two of them.

Actually, pretending to be lovers isn't difficult for Anne's acting skills. For example, on the makeshift stage just now, when Anne was impersonating Romeo, she made many vows of eternal love.

I just hadn't thought about it for a moment.

Now that Anne has a change of heart, she naturally wants to quickly change their impression of her.

At this moment, Kevin walked towards her with a smug smile, extending his arm in an inviting gesture: "Come with me, you will become my wife, and at the same time, you will become the next mistress of the Garcia family."

He was confident of victory, after all, Annie's actions just now were extremely deceptive.

"Pah! You wish!"

To everyone's surprise, Anne turned away from Kevin's outstretched arm and firmly rejected him.

Not only that, Annie also pushed the sycophant blocking their way toward Kevin. The sycophant and his companion were completely focused on Li Cheng and were not on guard against the sneak attack from behind. They were pushed toward Kevin and the two collided.