It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Li Cheng's reasoning came out off the top of his head: "I plan to use various means, such as exposing my own shortcomings, to gradually make Lavoisier give up on her own initiative, so that she will not have any psychological trauma. In short, it's a 'win-win plan'."

Mitchell seemed to understand something and said, "So you don't even peel the oranges and have people spit out the seeds just to show your laziness; while pulling me to reminisce about the past and ignoring Lavoisier is to show your selfishness."

ha?

Mitchell's focus surprised Li Cheng. After a moment, he said, "That's about it. According to my research, laziness, lust, poor hygiene, selfishness, gluttony, and irritability... as long as you do these things, you can make most women give up."

Mitchell nodded admiringly: "You've sacrificed a lot of your image for your sister, but... why did you put laziness first?"

As a seasoned slacker, he clearly cares a lot about this.

"It sounds natural, don't worry about the details."

Li Cheng changed the subject in a serious tone: "In short, I have kept this matter a secret and have not let Lavoisier himself know about it, so you must not let it slip later, understand?"

Chapter 217 Angels and Heaven

Dinner was very simple: bread porridge cooked with water, two pieces of chopped bacon, a small amount of pickled vegetables, and a large glass of light beer.

One of the most annoying things about winter is the lack of enough vegetables, which is why almost every culture around the world has developed pickling as a technological innovation. Taste aside, at least it provides some vitamins.

At the dining table, the three quietly ate their own food, but every now and then, they would glance at the others, lost in thought.

Mitchell glanced at Lavoisier.

Lavoisier glanced at Li Cheng.

Li Cheng glanced at Mitchell.

It is said that a triangle is the most stable structure, so this kind of triangle should be the most stable one.

But as they continued to glance at each other, the three of them gradually realized... something seemed a little off?

Mitchell glanced at Lavoisier because of Li Cheng's fabricated story of lovers ending up as siblings. Although it sounded absurd at first, upon closer inspection, anything is possible in this world, so there was no need to take it too seriously. Besides, it seemed that Li Cheng had no motive to deceive him.

Lavoisier glanced at Li Cheng because the thought of the two of them sleeping together that night made his heart flutter, and he couldn't help but steal a glance at Li Cheng.

Li Cheng glanced at Mitchell, worried that the old man might blurt out his fabricated sibling story—lying was a minor matter, but if he were misunderstood as trying to trick Mitchell into sleeping with him, things would get really messy.

In short, the three, each with their own ulterior motives, noticed that others were also glancing around, which puzzled them greatly, but for various reasons, none of them asked directly.

The eerie atmosphere ended after dinner.

Winter days are already short, and with the young, dark clouds still persistently spewing their liquid, the sky darkens early.

"It's a bit boring."

Li Cheng leaned back listlessly.

He'd been chatting with Mitchell for almost the entire afternoon, and he was completely fed up with talking about bonsai, but then he realized that if he didn't chat, he'd just have to sleep, especially since he was sharing a bed with a middle-aged man...

To be honest, I'm not really willing.

So he asked Lavoisier, "Do you have any playing cards?"

"what?"

Lavoisier had been sitting quietly on the sofa, lost in thought, with a slight blush occasionally rising to her cheeks. So she hadn't heard a thing—the thought of sleeping in the same bed with Li Cheng that night made her a little nervous, and she couldn't help but imagine what she would do and say in advance.

Seeing this, Li Cheng repeated the question: "I'm asking if there's anything in the room, like chess, playing cards, or novels, something to pass the time."

Upon hearing Li Cheng's question, she remembered that she had indeed found a deck of cards in the house. If the three of them played cards, it could have kept them occupied for a long time. But how could she waste such precious time playing cards?

After a moment's thought, Lavoisier decisively shook his head: "Didn't find it."

Seeing that there were no books, no cards, and no chess pieces, Li Cheng felt quite disappointed. Having nothing else to do, he stood up and said, "Never mind then, let's get some rest."

coming soon!

Lavoisier took a deep breath, straightened his disheveled skirt, and replied somewhat excitedly, "Well, then we..."

"Then let's go back to our rooms and rest."

Mitchell answered first, sharing his health secrets with a smile: "Going to bed early and waking up early is a very good way to maintain good health."

Although he was a night owl in his previous life, Li Cheng still chimed in, "Professor Mitchell is right. As the saying goes, 'Work at sunrise and rest at sunset,' following the body's rhythm is the only way to maintain good health."

"We must learn to get closer to nature."

"That's absolutely right, that's absolutely right."

The two stood up from the sofa and left the living room chatting and laughing. Judging from the direction they went, it seemed they were going to sleep in the guest room, leaving Lavoisier sitting blankly on the sofa, not having realized what was happening.

So, the "we" in that context wasn't referring to me, but to Professor Mitchell?

Realizing this, Lavoisier fell into deep confusion.

Why? Why did it turn out like this? No matter how I think about it, something just doesn't feel right!

Unable to accept this, Lavoisier quickly got up and chased after the two, shouting, "Wait! Wait!"

Li Cheng and Mitchell had just arrived at the guest room door and hadn't even opened it when they heard Lavoisier's shout and stopped in their tracks, seemingly wondering why she had suddenly called out to them.

"Is there a problem?"

Li Cheng asked politely, "It's getting late, you should rest too."

Lavoisier grabbed Li Cheng's arm, trying to lead him in another direction: "You've gone to the wrong place, my room is over there."

But Li Cheng remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch, and replied, "I haven't gone to the wrong place. I'm resting in the guest room with Professor Mitchell tonight—we'll be having a long talk by candlelight."

A late-night conversation by candlelight?

Are you kidding me? You've been chatting for an entire afternoon, haven't you?

"why?"

Lavoisier finally couldn't hold back any longer. Her bloodshot eyes, now even redder with anger, widened as she loudly demanded, "We haven't seen each other for so long, shouldn't you be with me tonight?"

If it were a normal man, he would have already given in and agreed to his girlfriend's request, "Can't you spend some time with me tonight?"

But Li Cheng remained unmoved, saying as if facing a willful child, "Tomorrow then, we're in the mood today."

"?"

Lavoisier found it very difficult to understand, but seeing that Mitchell had made up his mind, he could only turn to Mitchell for help, hoping that he could be more understanding.

If Mitchell were to follow his own inclinations, he would have been understanding and suggested that Li Cheng accompany Lavoisier. However, given Li Cheng's previous absurd claim that "true love conquers all," his gaze towards Lavoisier now held a hint of pity, a touch of reluctance, and a trace of sympathy...

It's too awful.

Mitchell glanced at Lavoisier with a complicated expression, trying to explain: "I'm sorry, Principal Li Cheng and I do have some important topics to discuss."

real or fake?

Unable to get any help, Lavoisier was furious, but could only turn away helplessly and indignantly.

Li Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that pretty figure leaving.

Good, tonight will pass peacefully.

Although the bed in the guest room was a little cramped, it wasn't a big problem; I could bear with it for one night.

Mitchell, being the kind-hearted type, said with some reluctance, "Professor Lavoisier seems quite dissatisfied. Will your approach really be effective? Won't it leave an even deeper shadow? Shouldn't we consider a gentler approach?"

Li Cheng said confidently, "Don't worry, I have my own plans."

We'll lay our cards on the table tomorrow, and we'll see how things go after we get through this.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade them, Mitchell didn't want to get involved any further, since it was the other party's family matter, and a super complicated and twisted one at that, involving either husband and wife or siblings.

The two remained silent after that.

Li Cheng simply took off his outermost coat and went to bed to rest, falling asleep shortly afterward...

It seems that tonight will just be dealt with like this.

------

late at night.

Room.

"Phew~~~ZZzz"

"Phew~~~ZZzz"

"call....."

Amidst a series of thunderous roars, Li Cheng abruptly opened his eyes. His dark pupils reflected bloodshot veins, making him look like a demon from hell.

"Hmph! Hmph!"

He roared inwardly, sat up with a ferocious expression, and looked at Mitchell, who was making deafening noise next to him. He felt an urge to tear him to pieces.

Are you kidding me?

It's just snoring, is it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it?

Li Cheng considered himself to have a pretty good sleep quality, but he never expected that the old man's snoring would be so loud, waking him up from his two-hour nap.

Actually, Mitchell doesn't usually snore that loudly, but she had been seasick for several days on the ship, and after disembarking, she contacted her classmates to try to help Lavoisier find her old friend, so she was very tired.

In addition, the bed in the guest room was indeed not big, and it was extremely awkward for two big men to sleep together. Under these circumstances, the snoring was particularly loud today.

Calm down, calm down... maybe it'll be fine in a bit.

Suppressing his criminal impulses, Li Cheng lay back down, trying to ignore the noise.

"Phew~~~ZZzz"

"Phew~~~ZZzz"

"call......"

The snoring lasted for an unknown amount of time, which seemed to Li Cheng as two hours, but it could also have been only half an hour.

what! ! !

Li Cheng roared inwardly, abandoning the possibility of falling asleep directly, and instead began to consider whether there were other methods.

Wake up Mitchell?

It's no use; I'll just fall asleep again and be woken up by snoring.

stay up?

Modern people stay up late because they have phones, computers, and a plethora of entertainment options. Now, are you really going to lie motionless for hours, listening to snoring and spacing out? You might as well just kill me.