It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

That's absolutely outrageous!

Does he really require you to beg him to even pat your head?

Chapter 87 A Decisive Battle Between Top and Bottom

In the office.

The two sat facing each other across a narrow, brown wooden desk.

The man had short, neat red hair, a regular face and features, and a relaxed and carefree expression, seemingly indifferent to the current situation.

The woman had striking long silver hair, and her fair face was adorned with exquisite features. Her gaze was gentle, and a smile played on her lips, as if she were enjoying a pastime.

At the same time, each of them reflected the other's complete image in their pupils.

If an unsuspecting person were to stumble in, they would surely assume the two were having a lighthearted and pleasant conversation. For example, chatting about the weather, colleagues, or amusing recent events... in short, nothing serious.

wrong!

Big mistake!

A silent war is raging, and it has already entered its most critical stalemate stage!

Their current posture is merely a disguise, just as tigers sometimes deliberately lie on the ground and doze off, but in reality, they are already prepared to attack...

If the prey is distracted or relaxes its guard for even a second by this posture, they will launch a deadly attack in an instant.

That's how it is now. Although the losers don't have to pay the price with their lives, it seems like they've only taken a step back and suffered a small loss.

But as the saying goes, one step back leads to another, and what awaits him/her in the end is the bottomless abyss of life. As the saying goes, when two forces meet, one of them will inevitably... cough cough.

Although the situation may seem like it will remain deadlocked forever, this high-intensity situation actually requires a high degree of concentration and focus and cannot be maintained for long.

At that time, the one who relaxes first will reveal their weakness.

The outcome will be decided soon.

One second... two seconds...

A minute quickly passed, and Lavoisier's facial muscles began to stiffen, making it difficult for him to maintain his smile.

Two minutes later, Li Cheng's eyes began to sting, and he desperately needed to relax.

Both sides showed obvious signs of fatigue, yet neither was willing to back down, insisting on what they believed in. In such a head-to-head confrontation, who would be the first to give in, or would they each take a step back?

Who wins? Who loses? Who attacks? Who defends?

Finally, after staring at each other for a full three minutes, Lavoisier was the first to give in. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she shyly shifted her gaze for a second—after all, this was the first time Lavoisier had ever stared at a man for so long.

The flaw lasted only one second.

But that was enough. Even if it was just for a fleeting second, it was the opening that would decide the outcome. The two men, realizing this, reacted differently.

“I lost…” Lavoisier clenched his small fists on his knees with a hint of resentment.

“We won…” A relaxed smile appeared on Li Cheng’s lips.

The outcome is decided.

The winner is—Li Cheng!

'well......'

After sorting out his disheartened thoughts, Lavoisier sighed inwardly as if resigned to his fate and began to comfort himself—oh well, it doesn't matter, let him win this once, it's not the first time anyway.

Thinking this, she said in a weak, defeated tone, "Well, as for a reward, a pat on the head would actually be fine."

? !

However, Li Cheng, who was originally the victor, adopted a posture as if facing a formidable enemy upon hearing these words. His lips, which had been relaxed and smiling, were now tightly pursed together.

what happened?

Didn't Li Cheng celebrate his victory? Why is he so nervous?

Let's rewind a few minutes.

Lavoisier was taken aback by Li Cheng's counterattack, but then his fighting spirit was ignited, and he smiled.

However, Li Cheng mistook Lavoisier's smile for a mockery and quickly changed his mind, which led to the stalemate between the two.

Therefore, for Lavoisier, the request to be touched on the head was not a white flag of surrender, but rather a resounding clarion call for another attack.

That's it!

The tide of battle has turned dramatically! Will Lavoisier be able to seize this rare opportunity and stage a comeback?

------

On the other side of the desk.

'So that's how it is. Her smile earlier wasn't mocking; she was deliberately letting me know she knew my purpose.'

Li Cheng pursed his lips, his brows furrowed: 'The moment I chose to change my mind, he used my 'reward' to force me to agree to a head pat, thus achieving a humiliation akin to a miniature version of social suicide.'

'She even used her feminine advantages, deliberately adopting a pitiful posture to force me to submit... No, I absolutely cannot agree; if I do, I've lost.'

But then, something occurred to him, and he smiled easily: 'It's a pity he didn't know when to stop; he overdid it.'

"what happened?"

Perhaps Li Cheng had been thinking for too long, because Lavoisier had already raised his head again and was looking at him with a confused gaze... I've already given up, can you hurry up!

"Here we go again..." Li Cheng smiled slightly upon seeing this and unleashed his prepared killer move: "Touching someone's head isn't appropriate, it's a bit too intimate."

That's right, that's his ultimate attack.

Ultimately, the two were still in a state of ambiguity, as if they had started dating but weren't. He jokingly asked, "Want me to pat your head?"—a question he could easily retract. Perfectly fitting the ambiguous state, yes.

But Lavoisier's deliberate, submissive demands are like a straight ball that can't be retrieved at all—no!

？ ！！

Upon hearing this, Lavoisier was deeply shocked.

Touching someone's head is not okay, it's too intimate?

What do you mean?

Could it be... that I got dumped?

Did he think my previous actions were like an annoying guy acting on his own?

No, I don't believe it. This guy sometimes looks at me with a lecherous expression!

Lavoisier raised his head somewhat reluctantly, wanting to confirm Li Cheng's attitude.

Li Cheng was pleased with his brilliant counterattack when he saw her looking at him with resentment, so he subconsciously responded with a slightly provocative expression.

!

That expression... Sure enough, this wicked bastard is up to no good!

Could it be that... my confrontational attitude just now angered him, so I have to adopt a more humble attitude?

How could this person be so awful?

I already admitted defeat, okay?

Lavoisier felt an indescribable sense of grievance, and his red eyes became increasingly moist, until they gradually showed signs of tears.

Li Cheng noticed Lavoisier's unusual behavior and was greatly alarmed.

What's wrong? Why does it suddenly look like I'm about to cry?

A woman's tears, like a woman's hair, are something useless yet important.

Li Cheng thought for a moment, sighed, and decided to back down.

He said, "No, just pretend I didn't say anything. What you just said is fine."

Li Cheng's subtext was an affirmation of Lavoisier's direct offensive, which was tantamount to acknowledging the ambiguity in the information exchange between the two.

This is a significant step backward. To use an analogy, it's like revealing your urgent need for the product when haggling.

However, to Lavoisier, it had a different meaning.

Sure enough, this guy's goal was that he thought what I said earlier wasn't enough!

This is absolutely horrific!

But... what can I do?

Lavoisier bit his lip reluctantly, hesitating repeatedly over a choice, but ultimately compromised.

As mentioned at the beginning, if you retreat one step, you will retreat every step of the way.

Once the initial battle is decided, the attacker and defender are determined, and the loser will forever sink into this abyss called life.

It's not quite right to say it's decadent, after all, many people are born to be submissive, and being dominant for too long... it's nice to change your mood, right?

In short, having no other choice, Lavoisier raised his head and looked at Li Cheng, his beautiful red eyes filled with tears of grievance.

Then, amidst the other person's confused gaze, she cried out in despair, "Please, please, touch my head!"

Chapter 88 The main characters and supporting characters are often confused

Afterwards, Li Cheng went to see Miller's secretary to discuss his ideas for transforming Cambridge.

Universities in this era were in a very primitive state, far removed from the modern universities that integrate teaching and research in later generations. Curriculum design was chaotic, management was unclear, and job evaluation was arbitrary.

The above is all fine, but the biggest problem is that universities in this era are only responsible for teaching and do not undertake scientific research tasks, which is a huge waste of university resources.

Some professors may conduct their own research, but that has nothing to do with the university; at most, the university will provide some support.

Therefore, Li Cheng's idea was to gradually transform Cambridge and begin to let professors take on research tasks.

"This will cause a backlash."

Miller listened quietly to Li Cheng's idea and stated in a normal manner, "Many professors are recommended by bishops or nobles. They have powerful backgrounds, and dismissing them will cause a lot of trouble."

“I never said I was going to fire them.”

Li Cheng shook his head: "We don't need to touch the professors. Instead, we will set up a separate title of 'research professor' to appoint those talents who are dedicated to scientific research. At the same time, we will give them stipends based on the projects they undertake. This way, we won't attract the attention of those who are just here to gain fame."

One significant difference between the feudal era and the capitalist era is that reputation sometimes far outweighs money. Some nobles who unexpectedly went bankrupt were even willing to take on debts beyond their means in order to maintain at least a semblance of a decent life.

Okay, I know what you're trying to say. There's no such storyline. At most, only a very small number of nobles would choose to marry their daughters to merchants.