It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Annie, grinning, tugged at me and said, "Don't worry if you get lost. I'm very good at finding my way around. If all else fails, I can just carry a sign with the address on it—look, like this."

As she spoke, her sharp eyes spotted a belt loop on the table. Without even looking, she put it on her head, saying as she did so, "Look, I can hang the tag around my neck like this, so I'm not afraid of losing it. If I get lost, I can show it to passersby... Wait, why is there a rope at the back of this belt loop...?"

Li Cheng was too late to stop her and watched helplessly as Annie put the dog collar on the table around her neck, one hand still examining why there was a rope attached to the back of the collar...

???

Li Cheng opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Faced with this unknown entity that acts faster than it thinks, he really didn't know what to say. Since he couldn't do the splits, he might as well just keep smiling.

However, seeing the red and black leather collar, symbolizing restraint, around the wheat-colored neck that symbolizes wildness, paired with Annie's face full of excitement and curiosity, whether innocent or ignorant, one has to admit that it has a strange and bizarre beauty.

Just like thousands of years ago in the wilderness, when human ancestors first tamed a wild lone wolf...

Just now.

"Annie, are you in there?"

With a question, the half-closed door creaked open from the outside, and a middle-aged gentleman with deep-set, dignified features walked in.

He glanced around the room and saw his daughter and Li Cheng standing in the corner, a smile appearing on his lips.

But then, upon closer inspection, when he noticed that Anne was examining a sturdy thin rope, one end of which was connected to the red and black leather collar around her neck, his smile froze.

Stoller: ?!

Seeing Annie's father suddenly burst through the door, and the old gentleman's expression as if he had seen a ghost, Li Cheng broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if he had been caught red-handed doing something wrong.

He quickly explained, "Wait a minute, Mr. Stoller, it's not what you think."

The newly tamed wolf, still bewildered, was asking Li Cheng, "Hey Li Cheng, why is there a rope attached to the back of this apron you bought...?"

Mr. Stoller gave Li Cheng a deep look, then silently turned and left—although he didn't know why he had originally come to see Annie, he had clearly given up and was now planning to go out for a walk to clear his head.

Young people are playing too flashy.

He couldn't quite handle it and needed to walk around a couple of times to calm down.

Chapter 363 Hidden Boss Li Cheng

The collar was bought by Li Cheng while he was shopping, and he intended to give it to the dog that he had given to the naughty child.

Before the dog could even use it, Annie got to try it out first.

Originally, it would have been fine if they had been the first to experience it, since the dog wouldn't have minded anyway. But Mr. Stoller just happened to barge in at that moment and witnessed his daughter with a collar around her neck. His first reaction was probably that he had tricked Annie into wearing it. It was truly an unexpected disaster.

It feels a little numb.

Li Cheng waved his hand helplessly and said to Annie, "Alright, stop demonstrating. I'll take you with me—but don't bring your brothers, it's not convenient."

"No problem, no problem, they don't speak French anyway."

Anne promptly forgot about her good buddies and happily agreed—it was great to have someone she knew to guide her. Compared to going to Paris with her bunch of semi-literate followers, she would be completely clueless. Besides, she knew Li Cheng and Newton's group quite well and got along with them.

One more member of the tourism... no, I mean business trip group.

After fooling Annie, Li Cheng ignored the grinning primate and rushed out of the room, stopping Viscount Stoller, who was about to go out for a stroll, at the front door.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Stoller."

Li Cheng said, "I have something important to discuss with you."

Stoller had just witnessed a shocking scene: his daughter wearing a collar around her neck, a sight that still left him deeply moved.

It's really... so strange.

How can this be so strange? What are young people thinking these days? Even though it's good enough that someone wants his silly daughter, and Li Cheng seems to be a very outstanding young man, this is a win-win situation, but the collar play... well, it's still...

Hey!

Therefore, upon seeing Li Cheng, Stoller merely glanced at him sideways and said rather irritably, "Let's talk as we walk."

"Um, this is quite important."

Li Cheng hesitated for a moment, but still seriously expressed his hope that they could talk indoors if possible.

Seeing his serious expression, Stoller realized that he might not be there to explain what had just happened, but rather to have something important to say, so he also became serious.

"Okay, come with me."

As Stoller spoke, he led Li Cheng back into the house from the main entrance, into the study, and instructed the servants not to disturb them.

At this point, Li Cheng stopped being mysterious and spoke frankly: "Mr. Stoller, as you know, I have been unable to stay in London for a long time due to some reasons, so my subordinates are in charge of the flying shuttle loom business for me."

“Roy, right? He’s a good young man, but I don’t need any more manpower, so you can poach him if you want.” Stoller nodded, not too concerned. “As for the loom business, every London merchant has heard of it, and I’m no exception—besides, I’ve invested a little, and now I’m getting dividends for free, which is pretty good.”

Thank you for your understanding.

Li Cheng wiped away his cold sweat: "As you can see, the flying shuttle loom is overwhelmingly more efficient than the female weavers. That's the power of the machine. But have you ever thought about why spinning, which is also part of the textile industry and is the process before weaving, can't be made more efficient by machine?"

"Yes, I've considered it too. In fact, it's not just me; quite a few other people have considered it as well."

Stoller wasn't too surprised: "But this kind of thing isn't so easy. It took so many centuries for the flying shuttle loom to be invented, which shows how difficult it is. Plus, I don't know much about the textile industry, so I didn't put too much effort into it."

He paused, then suddenly realized something and looked at Li Cheng with a surprised expression: "Wait a minute, is what you meant to say?"

"Yes, I have already conceived of a machine that can improve spinning efficiency."

Li Cheng smiled slightly: "I'll name it Jenny... Wait, let's go with the Louise spinning machine."

Jenny isn't a very auspicious name; it evokes the image of a shrewish, compass-like housekeeper. It would be more interesting to name her after Louise Anderson, daughter of the Earl Anderson, a former London textile magnate, and both names sound like lovely little girls.

Who is Louise?

Stoller was taken aback.

"Louise Anderson, the daughter of the Earl Anderson, a former London textile tycoon, was a lovely little red-haired girl."

Li Cheng touched his nose, a little guilty, and said, "This naming is very meaningful, isn't it?"

Stoller didn't pay attention to this detail; he turned to other questions—why was Li Cheng talking to him about this?

investment?

This young man is no longer the penniless lad who first arrived in London. He no longer needs financial support, and may even have more assets now than he did, so investment can be ruled out.

If the goal is to use this opportunity to get early shares and dividends as a reward, there's no need to be so serious; a casual mention would be more effective.

Stoller, with his simple mind, didn't understand Li Cheng's intention, so he asked directly, "What do you want to do?"

Li Cheng patiently waited for him to finish thinking and ask a question before answering: "I hope you can establish a company, independent of the original weaving guild, and be responsible for its daily operation and management. In addition, I hope you can announce to the outside world that you invented the spinning jenny, and do not mention my name for the time being."

Ok?

Stoller was taken aback, but he immediately understood part of Li Cheng's intentions, while a barrage of questions arose within him.

However, instead of interrogating him one by one, he looked at Li Cheng with a half-smile and asked in a joking tone, "So this is your hope—to poach my people first, and now you want me to work for you?"

"Ahem, how can this be considered making you work for me?"

Li Cheng coughed a few times and said awkwardly, "It's mainly to repay your trust and investment in me back then. I won't take a single penny from you, and as you know, this will definitely be a very profitable deal."

At present.

The weaving business is now mainly managed by Roy, with Veronica as the primary supervisor and the other members of the textile guild as secondary supervisors.

On the surface, it appears to be a very reliable structure. He and the princess have a... well, I mean, a close working relationship, currently in a honeymoon phase, with both sides trusting each other deeply and even further increasing their trust and contact.

but.

One day eventually.

When the unbreakable alliance is about to crumble, Princess will no longer be Princess, and Li Cheng will no longer be Li Cheng. The two will then clash fiercely on ideological grounds.

After all, what Li Cheng really wanted to do was to go against the royal authority...

Thinking of this, Li Cheng sighed inwardly, hoping to resolve this hidden danger ahead of time through his own efforts.

At least don't end up being the mastermind behind everything, or a hidden boss in the DLC, jumping out to deliver a crushing blow when the protagonist is celebrating victory...

Chapter 364 What I Didn't Do for My Best Friend

With the advent and development of the loom, the speed of manual spinning gradually became unsustainable, making the emergence of the spinning machine almost inevitable.

In its original history, the spinning machine was invented in 1765 by weaver James Hargreaves, 32 years after the invention of the flying shuttle in 1733.

—Incidentally, Mr. Hargreaves also failed to obtain a patent for the spinning machine, which shows that Great Britain's performance in terms of being unscrupulous remains consistent, befitting its status as one of the first two capitalist countries and the birthplace of the First Industrial Revolution.

Back to the topic.

As the upstream industry of the loom industry, the spinning machine and the loom have a mutually reinforcing and restraining effect on each other, and their relationship can be described as very close.

Li Cheng was uneasy about leaving Roy alone to handle such a powerful weapon, especially since there was a possibility of future conflicts with the princess. That's why he wanted the trustworthy and respected Viscount Stoller to be in charge of this task.

Compared to entrusting it to someone you don't know very well.

Not only did Stoller provide Li Cheng with initial assistance, making him trustworthy, but he was also...

Whether to avoid suspicion or save face, Roy, as the one who switched jobs, would certainly find it difficult to maintain a close relationship with Stoller, which could serve as a check and balance.

For Stoller, however...

This is a sure-fire way to make money; he only needs to send a few subordinates and take on a little extra responsibility to participate in this vast market.

The two quickly reached an agreement.

In the ensuing conversation, having accumulated considerable experience in the textile industry, Li Cheng and Mr. Stoller quickly finalized the company's general structure after discussing a few more details. Mr. Stoller would be responsible for daily operations and finances, contributing management and capital, while Li Cheng would be responsible for determining the overall direction, contributing technology and capital.

After settling this matter, Li Cheng prepared to leave.

But then, Mr. Stoller suddenly changed the subject and casually asked, "By the way, how are things going with you and Anne?"

He originally didn't intend to pry into the young man's private affairs, but the impact of that collar.jpg image was too great, so he couldn't help but ask a question.

Upon hearing this question...

Li Cheng initially thought it was just Annie's group of friends talking nonsense, so he paused in his relaxed posture and his expression turned somewhat surprised: "Where did you hear about this?"

"I have my own way of finding out."

Stoller kept everyone in suspense, then stared intently at Li Cheng: "Don't interrupt, tell me what's going on between you two, like when you plan to get married."

"Pfft...cough cough."

Upon hearing that he was going to marry Annie, Li Cheng, who was trying to feign composure, nearly spat out his water... Marry Annie?! Who would marry a primate whose actions are faster than their brains?! Putting aside how embarrassing it would be, the basic intelligence of their future children couldn't be guaranteed!

To clear his name.