It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

"It's nothing, thank you for your concern."

Li Cheng smiled rather reluctantly: "I agreed to a small favor just to make up for someone's psychological trauma and to show my sincerity."

The two had a secret meeting earlier on the sofa in the living room.

After an hour of secret planning, Phillips agreed with Li Cheng's suggestion and expressed his willingness to be the candidate for the Anglo-French marriage and marry Princess Veronica.

So here's the question: Did Li Cheng go to all this trouble just to cuckold himself?

Of course not!

Therefore, after conspiring with Phillips, Li Cheng made an additional condition to her: this marriage was purely for show, and apart from the nominal marital relationship, neither party would interfere in any aspect of their lives—in short, it was a sham marriage.

Although Phillips is probably not sexually interested in Veronica, and Veronica probably isn't interested in Phillips either, it's still necessary to win her over nominally...

While Phillips agreed to Li Cheng's conditions, he also reciprocated with a condition.

First, Phillips claims that one of the things she hates most is being called by her original name, Phillips, when she was still known as Phillips.

Therefore, Li Cheng's actions caused her great psychological trauma, and she needs compensation.

It's not hard to understand. Just like when someone with money powers dresses up as a giant black bat and goes out to right wrongs at night, they probably wouldn't be happy if someone yelled at them, "Hey, Bruce, what do you think of the weather tonight?"

As for the method of compensation...

That's why Li Cheng was depressed—just think about it, what kind of compensation would a cross-dresser be most willing to propose?

No, no, no, it's not about selling one's ass. That's absolutely impossible; that would cross Li Cheng's bottom line as a human being.

Okay, I won't keep you in suspense any longer.

It's actually quite simple: Phillips insisted that Li Cheng wear women's clothing once to heal her emotional wounds.

Women's clothing is nothing to worry about; it's just a piece of cloth. You can put it on in the blink of an eye. Besides, it's for a top-tier cross-dresser, so there's no need to worry about ridicule or disdain.

The problem is, this isn't just any women's clothing; it's something I have to wear to accompany Phillips to a salon party! The level of embarrassment is off the charts! Even though Phillips repeatedly assured that he would only choose one salon party with very ordinary attendees, and that he wouldn't have to do anything but walk around, it's still just too much!

Although reluctant, Li Cheng understood that this was a way to deepen the trust between the two parties.

They've fought side by side, slept together, shared the spoils, and studied together... These four ironclad relationships embody the principle that humans develop a sense of identification and solidarity towards those who have committed wrongdoings together.

There's a similar saying in American culture: "The only thing that can truly unite a group of good friends is a corpse in the backyard," often shortened to "Backyard Secrets."

While shared ideals can achieve the effect of unity, and even become more unbreakable and more able to withstand tests—for example, in the classic prisoner's dilemma, if neither A nor B admits to the crime, they are sentenced to 1 year, the one who accuses the other is acquitted, and the accused is sentenced to 10 years, but if A and B accuse each other at the same time, they are sentenced to 8 years.

Under such a test, secrets from the backyard are hard to keep; only shared ideals can withstand the test.

Needless to say, the even more rigorous life-or-death tests, such as the phrase "comrade-in-arms," ​​can bring together soldiers from all over the world who are complete strangers to join the International Brigades in Spain, fearless of death.

But all things considered, it's still easier and faster to do bad things together... Besides, the two aren't mutually exclusive, are they? You can have shared ideals and commit crimes together at the same time.

Look at what that guy with the mustache did, isn't it just to make Nami... cough cough cough, stop, we've gone off on a tangent.

In conclusion

After quickly engaging in the above mental preparation, Li Cheng successfully made himself feel better.

Actually, when you dress up as a woman with a purpose, it doesn't seem like such an unbearable thing. Just like when an assassin needs to disguise himself by wearing women's clothing, he usually doesn't have much of a psychological burden, right?

With so many thoughts running through his mind, Li Cheng recovered from his previous state of overwhelming negative emotions and successfully adjusted his mindset in a short moment.

Mrs. Hudson breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him return to normal, but then she immediately noticed the neatly packed luggage and wooden crates in the living room, and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Mr. Orenki, what's going on here?"

"move place."

Li Cheng's words were concise and to the point.

Mrs. Hudson immediately became agitated: "Why? Is there something you're unhappy about here? Is there something wrong with the house?"

The problem? The main problem is the living environment; I'm a bit dissatisfied with my neighbors...

Li Cheng glanced across the street before quickly looking away, and then said in a serious tone, "I'm not dissatisfied with the house, it's just that I need to move to a place closer to my workplace because of work."

Is that so?

Hearing this explanation, although still somewhat disappointed, Mrs. Hudson replied, "Well then, I wish Mr. Orenkey all the best in your work..."

She sighed and shook her head, saying, "It's a pity. I had so many questions I wanted to ask you. Your advice really helped me a lot. Now I can have pleasant conversations with Mr. Anderson all the time..."

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng's mind immediately stirred.

He didn't care about the landlady's love life at first, and he only occasionally acted as her advisor because he was bored.

But now that it has been learned that the middle-aged tycoon is actually his old nemesis Anderson, the nature of the matter has taken a slightly different turn...

Hmph, you didn't expect that, did you, you old man? Not only does your daughter have to call me brother, but I might even have been the one who introduced you to your wife and secretly encouraged you. See if you'll be furious when you find out.

Li Chengchang couldn't help but smile with pleasure as he imagined that scene.

He had already kept his distance from Anderson to avoid provoking him, but who could blame him for having just encountered a small matter that was causing him a lot of psychological stress and was looking for someone to vent to?

Offending someone once is the same as offending them twice.

As the Earl of Anderson, whose biggest competitor in the London textile industry, and who had been constantly at odds with his employee Roy in London, resorting to all sorts of underhanded tactics, including hiring people to cause trouble, and who ultimately refused to admit defeat, the highest respect he could give was to drive him to his wits' end (Liu the Electrician was furious).

After thinking it through, Li Cheng reassured him, "Please don't worry about this. I'll give you an address after the move. You can contact me anytime if you have any questions, whether by letter or in person."

After he finished speaking, he paused, then casually inquired, "By the way, since you've talked to that wealthy gentleman so many times, did you hear anything noteworthy?"

Chapter 295 Louis XIV

While Li Cheng was moving, someone else in another part of Paris was also considering moving.

Louvre.

Located on the north bank of the Seine in the heart of Paris, France, the palace was originally built in 1204 and rebuilt by order of Francis I in the mid-16th century.

The Louvre has a long history and a rich collection of sculptures and paintings. Its architecture is also extremely exquisite. The most famous feature is the magnificent 300-meter-long corridor, which is very long, filled with trees, birds and dogs, and even allows people to ride horses to chase foxes in the corridor.

Everything was fine, except... Louis XIV didn't like it here.

As the King of France, Louis XIV's preferences were the root of everything. Whether it was the psychological trauma left by the slinging incident when he was ten years old, which led him to flee Paris overnight, or whether he genuinely disliked the Louvre for not being grand enough, he was indeed considering building a new palace more suitable for his status.

"Versailles Palace seems quite nice..."

A dignified adult male sits casually on a large velvet-cushioned chair. He wears a white coat embroidered with gold thread and a red cape, with black wide-soled high heels, dressed in a very trendy and fashionable style.

His name is Louis Dieudonné Bourbon, i.e., Louis XIV, and he is currently considering a plan to relocate the royal palace:

"Versailles is indeed magnificent. In that case, to showcase royal grandeur, the Palace of Versailles must be renovated and rebuilt, transformed into a palace befitting my image..."

Just then, a servant came to report, interrupting his train of thought.

"What is it?" Louis XIV asked.

“His Highness Philip wishes to see His Majesty,” the attendant replied.

“Let him in,” said Louis XIV.

A moment later, a handsome young man walked in through the open door with his head down, taking each step cautiously—it was none other than Philip I, the younger brother of Louis XIV, who had just left Li Cheng's place that morning.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," Philip greeted with a simple bow.

"Philip, you're coming to me now because you've come to a realization?"

Louis XIV did not respond to Philippe's greeting, but instead directly asked his question.

His tone and every move exuded the aura of a superior. Even though he wasn't as good-looking as Philippe at first glance, he could still gain the upper hand with this aura, making it easy for people to recognize that he was the center of attention.

To be fair, Louis XIV wasn't ugly, but the problem was that compared to the handsome Philippe, he was relatively unattractive.

First, there's the hair. Philippe had long, shiny, golden hair that shone brilliantly in the light; while Louis XIV lost almost all his hair as a teenager while being treated for typhus.

It is well known that hair loss is the enemy of a man's appearance. Apart from a very few exceptional men who can pull off a bald head, most men's appearance will decline rapidly after they go bald.

Louis XIV was the same; unable to bear being bald, he wore wigs for many years, but wigs are ultimately still fake.

Secondly, there's height. Although both brothers were below average height, Louis XIV was still shorter than Philippe. Even when Philippe was in his prime and often walked with a slightly hunched posture, he was still taller than Louis XIV.

To counter this, high heels were almost always by Louis XIV's side.

Although high heels were not invented by Louis XIV, and there are records of high heels before him, he is indeed the most famous man to wear high heels.

As for his appearance, let's not even go there. Philippe was so handsome that he could pass for a woman just by changing his clothes. He was one of the most handsome men in high society. In this respect, Louis XIV was far inferior.

"Yes."

Faced with Louis XIV's imposing and sharp gaze, Philippe could not meet his eyes and could only stare at the crimson carpet on the ground in front of him, replying, "I have thought about it carefully these past two days and have decided to follow His Majesty's arrangements."

Why did you suddenly change your mind?

Louis XIV suddenly asked, "Your attitude wasn't very satisfactory a couple of days ago, and we even had a small argument about it. Why the sudden change of heart?"

He paused, his tone softening considerably: "Don't be so formal, we've been brothers since childhood. If you don't want to do this, I won't force you, and I'll find someone else who's more suitable."

"It's not that I'm unwilling."

Philip said calmly, "It just suddenly occurred to me that for my brother's ideals, it wouldn't hurt for me, as the younger brother, to make a small sacrifice—besides, I am indeed the most suitable candidate for marriage, as His Majesty's younger brother, to marry the King's sister."

Louis XIV narrowed his eyes, slightly disbelieving the reason.

It's common for brothers born into royalty to be wary and suspicious of each other; those with close relationships are the odd ones out.

Although Louis XIV himself did not have any ill feelings towards his younger brother, and even felt a slight affinity due to their blood ties, coupled with the affection he had built up over their childhood, he now doted on Philippe quite a bit.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept negotiating with Philip regarding the marriage; he would have issued an order long ago.

Even though Louis XIV favored Philippe so much, even though Louis XIV had a firm grip on power in France and could not threaten him, and even though Philippe almost never showed any inclination to get involved in politics or the military—Louis XIV still remained wary of Philippe.

Regardless of Philip's true intentions, his agreement to the marriage was indeed of great help to Louis XIV.

The attitude of Britain has always been Louis XIV's biggest concern. If Britain and France could become allies in this way, it would greatly help his future plans to attack Spain and his ideal of natural territories. It can be said that it is a solid cornerstone for him to lay the first step in his grand undertaking, and its significance cannot be underestimated.

In his excitement, Louis XIV quickly put aside his slight wariness about Philippe's change in attitude.

It's just a wedding, what's wrong with having a few little schemes?

Although this statement has a somewhat threatening connotation, Louis XIV's thinking was not far off.

After all, compared to the respectful relationship between Princess Veronica and the current King Edward, Philip I's relationship with Louis XIV was not bad, and Philip never had any thoughts that were detrimental to Louis XIV.

However, Philip was unwilling to be forever overshadowed by his brother's brilliance and unable to do anything. He also wanted to have some achievements of his own, but Louis XIV was always wary of this.

Unless a specific situation arises where Philippe is indispensable, Louis XIV would not be forced to let him take over; otherwise, he would probably never have a chance in his lifetime.

Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Philip's lips.

"Very good, as expected of my younger brother."