It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Haha, actually, her status doesn't matter. Who can compare to her brother?

Having made up his mind, Phillips told the driver to go back to the villa to rest, and then set off with anticipation toward Tulip Street next door.

Chapter 289 The Person We're Really Looking For

No. 14 Tulip Street.

The morning temperature was just right; the soft sunlight illuminated objects clearly without being as intensely bright as at midday. Li Cheng, squinting in this perfect light, packed his luggage.

He didn't bring much with him; besides a few changes of clothes, he mainly had several large boxes of heavy old magazines and newspapers, so he gathered them all together in less than two hours...

Stop! The author who could type those two lines must be an idiot. Writing web novels in this format would take at least three years of brain hemorrhage to produce.

Getting back to the main point, after Li Cheng took Louise home, he was shocked to discover that the two actually lived next door.

Across the street lived Anderson, his sworn enemy and a doting father. He figured he couldn't stay here anymore and was going to pack up his things so he could leave at any time.

"No, what a coincidence..."

Li Cheng still can't understand how such a coincidence could exist. How did he and that guy Anderson manage to pick the exact same street across from each other, from hundreds of streets in Paris?

But after thinking about it for a long time without finding a solution, he could only attribute it to luck—it has to be said that a speck of dust in probability can become a mountain range for someone with bad luck...

Tap tap tap...

There was a knock on the door. Li Cheng got up and opened the door, only to find that it was Phillips.

Today, she is wearing Li Cheng's meticulously designed women's clothing (can you believe how awkward that is?), which not only fits her better in terms of body shape and bone structure, but also makes up for the last flaw with the PAD, making her practically flawless.

Good morning, Mr. Designer.

Phillips greeted him with a bright smile, extending a clean and delicate white hand forward.

"Good morning, Miss Creditor. How does it feel to wear your new clothes?"

Li Cheng felt that this scene was familiar, and decisively ignored the small hand in the air.

"I don't feel anything special, after all, I wear different clothes every time I go out." Phillips withdrew his hand imperceptibly, as if nothing had happened.

"Hehe, is that so?"

Li Cheng's lips twitched, and he turned and walked into the house.

Oh, these damn rich people are so wasteful... What, me too? Never mind then.

"Just kidding, just kidding. This outfit is extra comfortable and fits me perfectly. I really like it." Phillips followed behind, and seeing that Li Cheng didn't respond, he quickly walked around to Li Cheng's left side and asked, "Is the designer angry?"

"No," Li Cheng replied.

"Are you angry?" Phillips walked around to the right again.

"No," Li Cheng replied.

"Are you angry?" Phillips circled back behind Li Cheng, standing close to the back of his neck, at a distance where a slight slowdown would result in a collision.

I'm angry, you jerk! If you come any closer, I'll really get angry!

Li Cheng immediately felt a chill run down his spine and quickened his pace towards the direction where he was gathering his luggage.

Phillips then noticed the several boxes laid out on the living room floor. She walked over to one of the boxes, which wasn't completely packed away, squatted down to examine it closely for a moment, and then exclaimed in surprise:

"Hey, designer, are you planning to move?"

"Pretty much, I'm prepared to move at any time." Li Cheng didn't intend to reject the idea.

"Why?" Phillips asked.

"That's a long story..."

Li Cheng walked to the window, turned his back, and asked, "Let me ask you this first: do you believe that encounters between people might be predestined?"

"No, I don't really believe in these things."

"That's what Phillips replied."

"Actually, I didn't really believe it at first, mainly because something very coincidental happened." Li Cheng sighed and looked wistfully at the villa at number 13 across the street. Although it looked no different from before, he knew clearly that a little girl with red hair lived inside.

"what?"

Phillips blinked, as if realizing something, and said, "Are you saying... that my meeting with the designer was actually a sign of fate?"

Li Cheng: "?"

"Oh my, you really know how to talk, I almost fell for you." Phillips covered half his cheek, making a very fake shy gesture. "By the way, with your smooth talk, Mr. Designer, you must have successfully fooled quite a few beautiful ladies, right?"

"No, I wasn't talking about you."

Li Cheng took a deep breath, trying to calm his blood pressure: "And I've never lied... no, that's not the point."

"So how many people were actually deceived?"

Phillips persisted, "Based on the designer's description, he should have at least recently encountered one somewhere..."

"Let me guess, did the designer bump into the girl who was scammed nearby and, fearing she would come looking for him at his home, hastily start making preparations to move?"

After she finished explaining her speculation, she asked for confirmation, "Am I right, Mr. Designer?"

"Why don't you talk a little longer, and then I can take your turn?"

Li Cheng said expressionlessly.

"Hehehe..." Phillips stuck out his tongue. "Just kidding, don't be angry, don't be angry."

Even though he knew the other person was deliberately trying to be cute, Li Cheng actually found it quite adorable, and his anger subsided somewhat uncontrollably, which was undeniably a sad state of affairs.

"One reason is indeed similar, but it's not because I'm afraid of any mistress coming to my door."

After calming down, Li Cheng continued, "It's just that a middle-aged gentleman I know well happened to move into the villa across the street (emphasis). We had a small misunderstanding before, which caused a little friction, so he might have some resentment towards me and might need to vent a little."

"What do you mean by 'minor friction'?" Phillips asked.

"It's just kidnapping, extortion, and fraud," Li Cheng said casually.

Phillips paused for a moment, deciding it was best not to make any expression.

But aside from complaining about that statement, she was also a little confused as to why the designer in front of her was suddenly so frank, talking about his seemingly less-than-positive past without any hesitation, and even directly telling her the location of people who knew her.

"In conclusion, this is one reason."

Li Cheng didn't stop to wait for her to digest the analysis, and continued, "But there's another main reason for moving."

He turned around and stared directly at Phillips with sharp eyes: "I've found the person I really came to Paris to look for, so I don't need to stay any longer."

Chapter 290 You can find commonalities simply by stripping everything bare.

The person Li Cheng was truly looking for was never Louis XIV.

In the eyes of that radiant French king, his existence was so insignificant that even if he tried his best, he could not forcibly change the mind of this king who was already in the most powerful country in Europe, who had unparalleled ambition, and who was now at the most energetic and enterprising age of his life.

He might pique Louis XIV's interest, or even gain his favor, but he couldn't possibly change Louis XIV's own will.

Does Li Cheng have to gamble everything on so-called probability?

I'm betting he'll grant my humble request, that he won't let the cuckold's horns fall on my head.

is it possible?

Impossible. Nobody wants to gamble their future on someone else's decision.

Therefore, the person Li Cheng was really looking for was not Louis XIV, but his brother, Philip I.

......

No. 14 Tulip Street.

With his back to the open, drafty window, Li Cheng, with his fiery red hair, stared sharply at Phillips, who had brilliant blond hair and noble purple eyes, a few steps away, with his unfathomable black eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Philip I."

As he spoke, Li Cheng's sharp gaze softened, and a smile appeared on his lips: "Although we've met many times before—right, Miss Phillips?"

When his identity was exposed, Phillips did not show any panic, shock, or feigned composure. Instead, he stared directly at Li Cheng with genuine, curious eyes.

"How did you recognize me?" she asked.

“There are three main points,” Li Cheng replied.

"Which three points?" Phillips pressed.

"The first point is the name, which is the simplest."

Li Cheng raised his index finger and shook it from side to side: "Philip, Phillips, two such similar names, it's hard not to make me think of—Miss Creditor, don't be so casual about naming your child next time."

"Okay, maybe I was a little too casual about the name..."

Philip Stan readily admitted his mistake, then bit his lower lip in distress: "So, Mr. Orange, what kind of name do you think would be more discreet?"

"Forehead."

Li Cheng's expression froze for two seconds after hearing this, realizing that his naming skills were probably on par with this effeminate man's. Apple (Aber) → Banana (Banana) → Orange (Orunki), gradually turning yellow from the outside in—it was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

"Ahem, and then the second point is appearance."

He abruptly changed the subject: "To be fair, you did a perfect job in this respect. Almost everyone who sees you would find it hard to associate Phillips with Phillips."

"How did the designer figure that out?" Phillips asked cooperatively.

"I guess it was just luck."

Li Cheng smiled slightly: "As a fashion designer, I happen to be quite good at drawing, and I've also painted your portrait before, so I can use some studio techniques to find commonalities between the two."

"for example?"

"For example, if you simply rearrange the drawing of yourself on the paper and remove details such as clothing and hairstyle, leaving only the most basic human model, it is easy to see the similarity between Philip and Phillips."

Li Cheng paused for a moment: "As for Philippe's portrait, I came to Paris specifically to find Philippe, so I naturally did some research beforehand."

Phillips lowered his head slightly, as if deep in thought, keeping his hat from falling off, and said:

"So, what the designer means is that if you strip me naked, you'll see what Philip and I have in common... Hmm, thinking about it that way, I'm a little embarrassed~~~"

Hey!!! A human model doesn't mean being stripped naked, don't use such easily censored language! And what do you mean by having something in common with Philip? Don't talk like you're two different people!

Phillips, perhaps imagining that scene, blushed suspiciously: "If the designer really wanted to strip me naked..."

I absolutely, utterly don't want to, you bastard!

Phillips pouted unhappily: "Hmph, they've already done similar things secretly..."