It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Mitchell became increasingly anxious and knocked on the door. His previous quiet waiting was not an act of giving up, but rather an attempt to listen for any strange noises inside. Clearly, the sounds made by Li Cheng and the other man did not escape his ears.

Sure enough, it was inside... After confirming this guess, Mitchell became even more determined to prevent the tragedy from happening, and even had a faint martyr's glow on his face.

Although he hadn't known Li Cheng for very long, and they had only become truly close during their chat yesterday afternoon.

in the room.

"I forgot about this super third wheel again..." Li Cheng looked annoyed and let go of the little foot he was holding.

Lavoisier quickly pulled her foot back and curled it tightly in the crook of her knee. After doing all this, she relaxed and patted the blanket, saying to the person inside with a bit of annoyance, "Stop playing around. Go and explain things to Professor Mitchell first."

Li Cheng's head slowly emerged from under the covers, revealing a rather pained expression: "Okay."

Today, he experienced once again what the saying "too clever by half" means. However, this wasn't the first time, and he was already used to it.

"I'll go open the door."

Feeling somewhat disheartened, Li Cheng got out of bed, put on his trousers and a warm shirt, and went to open the door.

Good morning, Professor Mitchell.

Li Cheng tried his best to make his face look less dark, and even managed to force a faint smile.

You ruined my good time, and now I have to force a smile on my face...

—Wait, these two lines actually sound a bit like lyrics. Could it be that I actually have a bit of musical talent? It's a pity that Bach, Handel, and a bunch of other scientists weren't born yet, otherwise I could have challenged them to a duel...

When Mitchell saw that it was indeed Li Cheng who opened the door, his face immediately turned serious and solemn, revealing for the first time a tiny bit of the authority that belonged to an elder:

"Li Cheng."

This time, he didn't even add a title, but called me by my name directly, which shows how serious the situation was: "Do you understand what you're doing? You might regret this for the rest of your life."

"Of course I understand, but that was before."

Li Cheng casually closed the door behind him to prevent the old man from peeking in: "Just a short while ago, the situation changed slightly."

"What changes?"

Mitchell's heart skipped a beat, and he had a vague idea—what other changes could have allowed the siblings to fall in love without restraint?

It can only be that a neighbor named Charlie lives next door.

"My conversation with you yesterday afternoon was enlightening and made me think about other possibilities in life."

Li Cheng revealed a serious expression: "Just as you reminded me, after careful observation, I discovered that I look slightly different from Lavoisier."

This might not need a reminder; anyone with normal intelligence could see it at a glance... Mitchell subtly sized up the red-haired youth before him and nodded, saying, "There are indeed some slight differences. Your observation is very keen."

"Right?"

Li Cheng stroked his chin, deep in thought, and said, "So I was wondering, could it be that either Lavoisier or I were actually adopted? Then I remembered that my father, Lavoisier's father, wasn't silver-haired, and Lavoisier's mother didn't seem to have silver hair either..."

"You never suspected anything all these years...?" Mitchell was deeply shocked, then pressed, "And then?"

A glint flashed in Li Cheng's eyes as he continued, "Then, early this morning, I couldn't resist the urge and went straight to Lavoisier's room to get to the bottom of things."

Is what you can't control really just your inner impulse? It's clearly the impulse of your youthful passion... Mitchell's lips twitched: "Looks like Mr. Li Cheng, you've gotten a satisfactory answer?"

"more or less."

Li Cheng straightened his collar and slowly exhaled: "After confirming with Lavoisier, I learned that my father's wife was actually infertile, and that Lavoisier was an abandoned child who was adopted. I immediately felt relieved... no, I felt a great weight lifted off my shoulders, and I hugged her tightly."

Why is it so boring? Just how twisted are your tastes? And no wonder you have this illegitimate child; so your wife couldn't have children?

"In short, that's when you come to knock on the door."

Li Cheng shrugged and concluded, "I was worried you might not believe such a coincidence, so if you don't believe me, I can explain further..."

"No, no need."

Having vented so much internally, Mitchell was a bit exhausted and didn't care whether it was really such a coincidence. He waved his hand and said, "No need to say anymore, I'll believe whatever you say."

Chapter 221 Taking a Walk is Good for Your Health

After hearing Li Cheng's story of "lovers becoming siblings but not quite," Mitchell chose to give up the struggle and, with a complicated expression of "the entertainment industry is really messy," chose to leave the chaotic little detached house.

Who am I, where am I, what am I doing.jpg

As they were saying goodbye at the door, Li Cheng politely asked, "Would you like to stay for breakfast?"

"Thank you for your kind offer, but it's not necessary."

Although eating something before leaving would make him feel better, Mitchell resolutely shook his head, determined not to linger there for even a second longer. At the same time, he was also afraid of being forced to stay under some strange pretext, so he fled quickly without waiting for Li Cheng's reply.

Watching the figure quickly disappear from sight, Li Cheng sighed that health preservation was indeed useful before returning to his house.

Lavoisier had already gotten up, and even though she had only tidied her hair a little, she was still radiant.

Although they were finally alone and no one would disturb Li Cheng's good time, the girl before him was practically a piece of meat on the table, ready to be devoured at any moment. Li Cheng wasn't as impulsive as he had been that morning; instead, he wanted to wait for the right moment to give Lavoisier an even more perfect first experience.

After a quick wash, Lavoisier prepared a very simple breakfast: bread, porridge, and smoked meat, just like the night before. Although she had learned a few cooking skills from Joan, she hadn't had time to prepare any ingredients, and that was all there was in the kitchen.

"When shall we leave for the theater?" Lavoisier suddenly asked during breakfast.

What theater?

Li Cheng chewed on his bread and mumbled a question in return.

?

Lavoisier blinked, puzzled. "Didn't you say yesterday that you'd take me to visit Lincoln today and to see a play at the very popular Little Hollywood Theatre?"

Little Hollywood Theater?

Li Cheng then remembered the 'win-win plan' that he had completely forgotten—that was to have Annie pretend to be his girlfriend so that Lavoisier would judge him as a scumbag and then leave.

The plan was perfectly envisioned, but a small mishap caused the entire operation to collapse midway, resulting in failure before any preparations even began...

Therefore, Li Cheng had no intention of admitting that he had ever had such a failed plan, comparable to an assassination by the CIA. So he stubbornly said, "No problem, Professor Lavoisier, but I have some business to attend to this morning. I need to deal with the president of Lincoln University and the others. I will be free this afternoon."

By creating a time difference, Li Cheng went ahead to lay the groundwork and avoid any awkwardness from an accidental encounter—what a master of time management! (Tactical lean back)

Anne is indeed quite troublesome. She seems to have always stood firmly on Newton's side and has made declarations such as "You can't let Newton down."

Fortunately, she wasn't that clever, so starting with this easily persuaded minor leader was a good choice, much easier than directly confronting the ultimate boss, Newton.

Huh?

Li Cheng suddenly realized something was wrong—I was clearly standing on the side of Newton, the boss waiting to be challenged, so how did I suddenly get whitewashed and join Lavoisier's player camp?!

"With the president of Lincoln University?"

Lavoisier, drawing parallels to Li Cheng's position as university president, asked, "Is this a very important matter? Could it be related to Cambridge as well?"

"No, no, no, it has little to do with Cambridge."

Although nothing is really going to happen yet, it's a male instinct to brag in front of attractive women, and it's unavoidable.

So Li Cheng pointed to the ground and said mysteriously, "It's related to the city of Lincoln. If this is done, Lincoln might become a free commercial city in the future."

"That's amazing?"

Lavoisier exclaimed in surprise, then lowered his head with a hint of guilt: "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were going, and I even forced you to stay with me."

"Hehe, it's okay, it's not that urgent."

Seeing that he had successfully used work as an excuse to fool Lavoisier, Li Cheng waved his hand: "We were originally supposed to go yesterday, but it was delayed by rain, and we can't go any later this morning. So I can only take you this afternoon—consider it an employee perk."

Lavoisier was not pleased upon hearing this; instead, he frowned deeply, as if deep in thought.

Li Cheng thought she didn't understand the term, so he explained, "Employee benefits are some benefits given to employees in addition to their salary. Just like how a master would give gifts to the male and female servants he employs during holidays, that's what employee benefits are."

"Um...that's not what I wanted to ask."

Lavoisier narrowed his eyes, as if he had thought of something: "I'm just curious, did you give female employees this kind of benefit before?"

"No, you're the first one."

Li Cheng spoke with absolute certainty, and he wasn't just making things up; it was truly the first time he had personally distributed employee benefits.

Lavoisier pressed further: "And Newton didn't have that either?"

Li Cheng reacted quickly, replying in a flash: "Of course, she's not my employee and isn't entitled to employee benefits."

Let alone going out to the theater where there are many people, Newton often didn't even want to go out to sunbathe in his own yard. How could she possibly grow taller if she stayed in her room all day doing experiments and math problems?

—So, your small stature is largely your own fault! Stop taking your anger out on others! It's time to learn to take it in stride. Even I, as an indirect victim who's often mistaken for a lolicon, am pretty much used to it!

Thinking of this, Li Cheng glanced at the well-developed Lavoisier in front of him and asked with an investigative mindset, "Do you usually go for walks or sunbathe outside?"

"Hey, wanna go for a walk?"

Lavoisier recalled for a moment, then said uncertainly, "...occasionally?"

She was also someone who spent all her time in the lab, but due to the pressures of life, she still had to go out and move around. Unlike Newton, who was waited on hand and foot and never had to leave the house, she still had to do things like buying groceries and bread.

Of course, more importantly, she was still living in France during her crucial growth and development period, and she didn't enjoy spending so much time in the lab as she does now. She still frequently went out for walks and chats with her parents and friends.

"Taking a walk is good; it's good for your health."

After hearing this, Li Cheng uttered a vague remark, then swallowed the last bite of bread on his plate, wiped his mouth, got up from the wooden chair, and said, "Stay home and wait for the employee benefits. I'm heading out now."

He then hurried toward the door—he had to be quick, in case Lavoisier suddenly decided to go find David.

"Wait a moment!"

Lavoisier hurriedly got up and walked quickly to Li Cheng, his expression serious and earnest.

Li Cheng's heart skipped a beat: "What's wrong?"

"There's still one thing I haven't done."

As the silver-haired girl spoke, she carefully straightened the corner of his clothes—which didn't need straightening—as the faint morning light streamed in through the window. Then, she smiled and said, "I wish you success at work. I'll be waiting for you to come back."

Chapter 222 The Desolate Theater

The air outside was exceptionally clear after being washed by midnight. You could easily spot the horse-drawn carriages speeding by at the end of the street. The coachmen, dressed in uniform black and red suits, were out early to make a living, driving their four-wheeled carriages through the streets and alleys.

Compared to earlier public carriages, horse-drawn carriages first appeared in 1588, stemming from envy and imitation of the royal four-wheeled carriages. However, private carriages symbolized status and wealth, which many people could not afford, so some people began to engage in the business of renting out carriages.

By 1620, the first fleet of four-wheeled carriages appeared in London, and the industry began to develop rapidly. In 1654, the British Parliament passed an act to regulate carriage rentals and issued operating licenses to carriage owners.

"Pause!"

Out of aversion to the muddy roads after the rain and out of respect for his clean trousers, Li Cheng chose to hail a horse-drawn carriage, which carried him leisurely toward the Little Hollywood Theater.

Li Cheng originally thought that with Annie's popularity, the theater would be bustling with activity, if not completely empty. However, when he arrived at the theater entrance, he found that it was not quite what he had imagined.