It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

"I was planning to wait until you relaxed a bit before suddenly breaking free, but I couldn't wait for a long time and ended up falling asleep. So you used me as a pillow and slept like that all night!"

"Um....."

Li Cheng pondered the whole story for a moment, then said, "So I was drunk?"

Annie immediately flew into a rage: "Or am I drunk?"

Li Cheng quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, that's not what I meant... Thank you for taking care of me last night, but don't worry, let me try to remember what happened, I can't quite recall."

"It doesn't matter about the front, since you helped me a lot during the day anyway. The sofa can be washed."

Annie seemed unconcerned about the first half; she was angry about the second half: "But you went too far with that last thing! We were just pretending to be lovers for a bit, and you actually held me and slept with me all night..."

Li Cheng wasn't really listening to what Annie was saying; he was trying to recall what had happened the night before.

With the reminder of the keyword "drunk," he finally remembered something from his forgotten memory bank, which had been lying in a corner, and the name of that thing was...

The fruit of life.

By the way, his memory seems to have become blurry after drinking that cup of Fruit of Life. He remembers that Agnes initially poured him a cup as an apology. At the time, he was in a good state, only a little dizzy, so he didn't suspect that he was drunk.

Later, Holly came to find him and took him to see Veronica.

Then, as they were chatting, Veronica suddenly poured out two glasses of that "Fruit of Life," and the two of them drank it all in one gulp.

right here!

The situation is quite clear: the problem lies in those three cups of the Fruit of Life, especially the last two. Although it's unclear why this wine is so easy to get drunk on, he definitely became completely intoxicated after drinking those two cups.

And it wasn't just him; Veronica seemed to be drunk too.

A glint flashed in Li Cheng's eyes, as if he had grasped the truth, and then he felt a dull ache in his testicles.

Holy crap, what kind of lousy wine is this?! Three glasses and I'm drunk! I've had a couple of glasses of other wines before, but not two and I'm already drunk! This should be renamed "Water of Life"! No wonder it's supposedly a winemaking idea stolen from Russia!

That brat was definitely up to no good! He poured himself such an intoxicating drink! And then claimed his mother sent him to apologize – clearly trying to get me drunk so he could laugh at me!

Although I was careful and only had one drink, I might have been able to handle the rest if it weren't for her drink! We wouldn't have both gotten drunk!

As for what he did specifically while drunk...

Li Cheng recalled that at first they seemed to be just chatting, but he forgot what they talked about. It seemed to be quite whimsical, but the problem arose later... well, later...

Fragments of memory flashed through Li Cheng's mind, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

It seems, perhaps, possibly, probably... that after getting drunk, I might have had a minor physical altercation with Her Highness the Princess...

Chapter 196 Whoever Dies First Gets a Set

Port of London.

Beside a merchant ship that was part cargo and part passenger, a green-haired girl held tightly to the hand of a silver-haired girl. The way they looked made it seem like sisters were going through a life-or-death separation.

"Teacher, are you really leaving London?"

Qiong looked reluctant to part.

Lavoisier smiled at his students: "I'm not leaving for good; I'm just going on vacation for a while. Besides, I've already handed over the workshop to you, so I can leave with peace of mind."

Lavoisier was a responsible person; it wasn't her style to simply wash her hands of a task once it was entrusted to her. Moreover, the production and storage of ether itself was inherently dangerous, involving the use of flammable ethanol and corrosive concentrated sulfuric acid.

So after deciding that she would be leaving Cambridge for a while, she first relinquished her original teaching duties to others, and then spent more than half a month handing over her original ether production work.

Only after everything was explained did they begin packing their bags and preparing to leave, which led to today's farewell scene at the port.

However, just as the two were performing a sad and reluctant farewell between teacher and student, a voice that was extremely out of place suddenly rang out nearby.

"Ladies, do you need to act so sad?"

Mitchell couldn't help but complain, "Professor Lavoisier is just going on vacation, is it really necessary to be so serious? I'm here on official school orders, responsible for exchanging advanced experiences at Lincoln University!"

Mitchell, Annie's former mentor, a player who just coasts along; I'm mentioning him again in case some people have already forgotten who he is.

He stood alone to one side, looking particularly lonely, completely out of place with the two of them bidding each other a reluctant farewell.

"Who are you calling a lady?" Joan put her hands on her hips and glared at Mitchell with a rather forceful expression, showing none of the respect she had shown Lavoisier. "You should call them both 'Miss'! My teacher and I are both very young and unmarried!"

Is this the point we should be focusing on?!

Mitchell, rather annoyed, changed his tune: "Yes, ladies."

Joan nodded in satisfaction, then her expression softened: "Professor Mitchell, my teacher has been under your care all the way."

Mitchell's expression also became more serious, and he nodded: "Don't worry, I'll take care of Professor Lavoisier on the way."

It was extremely dangerous for young and beautiful women to travel alone, especially since there were no cell phones for emergency calls or effective investigative methods in those days. While the Middle Ages may have seemed peaceful and prosperous due to frequent wars and constant invasions of homes by armies, that was only in a relative sense.

Therefore, Lavoisier did not rashly leave alone, but carefully studied the route from London to Lincoln, and finally managed to match the timing of his mission to Cambridge with that of Mitchell, and the two traveled to Lincoln together.

Mitchell didn't object. Compared to going to Lincoln all alone, having a companion on the way was much better, not to mention that it was a very beautiful girl.

"Teacher, please take care of yourself on your way home. Remember to eat on time, and wear more clothes as it gets cold..."

At this point, Joan started rambling on and on, while Lavoisier stood there listening somewhat awkwardly, occasionally glancing at Mitchell beside him with an apologetic expression.

For a moment, it seemed as if their teacher-student roles had been reversed.

This wasn't a one-off occurrence; it happened frequently. After Joan became Lavoisier's lab assistant and spent some time with him, she realized just how careless this brilliant chemist was in his daily life.

She only had a few white lab coats, which she washed and wore in rotation. In the end, Qiong couldn't stand it anymore and dragged her out to order several new ones.

Her eating habits are irregular, especially when she is doing experiments, she often forgets about lunch. Now, she is only able to avoid having to eat two meals a day because she is reminded at fixed times every day or brings her own lunch.

Needless to say, the house is not clean. Fortunately, we hired a part-time maid who comes to clean the house regularly every day and also packs up the clothes that need washing.

As for going out, that's impossible, and I never actively seek out social opportunities. Every day is just a routine between home and school, and I have very few friends. Occasionally, in my free time, I'll talk to Joan about the tough times when I first came to London, and casually mention the name of a certain red-haired man.

In short, because Lavoisier truly lacked a nagging, motherly figure in his life, Joan, either forced or willing, began to help take care of Lavoisier's life due to the lack of a niche, and over time she really developed the habit of being a mother.

Thinking about this, Qiong felt resentment towards Li Cheng.

He has so many beautiful girlfriends, yet he doesn't bring them home to take care of them. Instead, he leaves them in Cambridge to fend for themselves. He barely sees them a few times a month, and now they've simply disappeared.

I really don't understand what's so good about that kind of scumbag, that makes the teacher so obsessed with him.

Pah!

If Li Cheng could hear Qiong's true feelings, he would definitely feel wronged. He originally only wanted to bring back a capable employee, but he ended up with a girlfriend for no reason. He had no choice but to try to handle it quietly.

Moreover, he was staying at Newton's house temporarily at the beginning, so is it appropriate for him to bring a woman back with him?

all in all.

Because she thought all men were bad, Joan's gaze towards Mitchell became subtle: "Professor Mitchell, don't get any funny ideas about the professor. My father knows the president of Lincoln University."

Upon hearing this, Mitchell finally couldn't help but complain: "Miss Joan, I'm in my forties, and my son is about your age."

Lavoisier couldn't stand it any longer and coughed lightly, saying, "Ahem, Joan, Professor Mitchell isn't that kind of person."

Qiong shook her head seriously: "Teacher, who can say for sure? I've heard that men, no matter how old they are, always prefer women in their twenties. Be careful not to be taken advantage of on the street."

Mitchell, standing to the side, was so angry he was practically spitting out his nose. Even the best-tempered man has his limits; a clay figure has a temper, and a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a living, breathing human being.

I'm a professor, can't you show me a little respect?

But after thinking about it carefully, he realized that the student named Joan had a father who was the president of the Royal Society, so he gritted his teeth and endured it.

So Mitchell changed his words to: "Have you finished explaining? Can we board the ship now?"

Joan waved her hand: "Okay, go ahead."

I held back... Mitchell's lips twitched, and he said helplessly to Lavoisier, "Professor Lavoisier, let's get on the ship."

Lavoisier nodded and said, "Joan, see you next time."

After saying her final goodbye, she followed Mitchell onto the passenger ship bound for Lincoln. Joan stood in the harbor, watching as the two stepped onto the cargo ship via a makeshift plank erected on the shore, and then disappeared off the deck.

Although she was tempted to ask Mitchell to help the teacher carry her suitcase, she thought about it and decided against it. Mitchell usually lived a very healthy life, but he was over forty, not a young and strong man.

"The teacher is gone. Although I no longer have to remind her to dress and eat every day, I still feel a little lonely."

Joan shook her head and muttered to herself, "Never mind, I'll go home and stay for a few days too."

------

Lincoln.

Anne currently lives in a two-story house and employs a maid who is nearly 40 years old to clean, do laundry, and cook three meals a day.

The sun had already risen for some time, and Anne should have gotten up long ago as usual. So, after waiting for a while without seeing anyone, the maid took the initiative and knocked on the door.

"Annie, are you up yet?"

She didn't address her as Miss Anne, at Anne's own request. She felt it sounded more intimate, and fewer words meant it was quicker to say, in case anything happened—though she didn't know what situation would be so urgent that saying a few more words would cause a delay.

However, judging from the current situation, Li Cheng believes that her decision is undoubtedly wrong.

Because he forgot to call out those two words, before Li Cheng could even stop her, the maid pushed open the door without permission, exposing the two men's less-than-respectable side to her.

"hiss--"

After seeing the situation inside, the maid gasped.

Inside the room, Li Cheng was only wearing his underwear and was mostly naked, while Annie, though dressed, was also quite disheveled, practically exposing herself—but that wasn't the key point. The key point was that the two of them were crammed onto a single bed.

But on the floor next to her, the makeshift bed she had laid out herself last night was all alone, with no one there.

'No wonder I woke up so late; it wasn't because I overslept, but because we were being intimate.'

The maid gave a knowing, knowing smile, then quickly composed herself: "Annie, breakfast is ready, enough for two. Remember to eat—I need to go out now to prepare ingredients for lunch, it'll take me a little while."

Anne turned her body towards the door and answered in a drawn-out tone, "Okay—I understand—"

The maid gave another eerie smile, closed the door, and left.

After the footsteps faded into the distance, Li Cheng wore an extremely annoyed expression: "The maid you hired..."

Annie frowned, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong with Aunt Lisa? She's a very nice person. She often brings me homemade snacks."

Li Cheng shook his head: "It's not that she's bad, it's just that it wasn't appropriate for her to barge in without asking. And judging from her expression, she clearly misunderstood us. Women her age are especially gossipy, and soon everyone on your street might know that you slept in the same bed with a man—and that's a conservative estimate."

"Tch, is that all?"

Anne didn't take it seriously. She waved her hand and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I'll explain it to Aunt Lisa later. It's very simple."

I can't feel at ease at all!

Li Cheng's lips twitched, but Annie's attitude was particularly firm and she was completely unmoved, so he gave up.