It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Phillips has been quite busy lately.

After all, marriage alliances between nations are no longer simply for the purpose of marriage, but have many political motives.

For example, consolidating domestic political stability, finding partners or powerful allies to rely on; establishing military alliances to achieve a powerful alliance; maintaining relations between two countries and seeking support from other nations strategically; and using marriage alliances to find political allies and stabilize one's rule...

It's very troublesome and tiring, and it has nothing to do with love.

So Phillips was initially reluctant.

Whoever wants to be a mascot can be one; she certainly doesn't want to.

Unlike the traditionally respectful relationship between brothers in England, Louis XIV had a deep brotherly affection for Phillips and was very tolerant of his younger brother in all aspects except for matters of power. Therefore, she had the right to make her own choice in this matter.

However, after learning some inside information from Li Cheng and combining it with his own understanding, Phillips changed his mind.

She recognized this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which is why she took the initiative to undertake this thankless and arduous task of marriage.

A British prince.

She needs this identity.

The kings of both England and France took the matter very seriously and demonstrated remarkable efficiency. Once the matter was finalized, the King of England immediately sent an envoy to France to convey his message, hoping to complete the marriage as soon as possible and wishing that the two sides could get married by the end of the year.

Fortunately, thanks to Phillips's efforts, the actual revised plan was changed.

The specific plan is too lengthy and involves many aspects, so we will not go into it for now.

To put it simply, the two parties got engaged first.

With this plan temporarily finalized, Phillips finally had some free time.

So she took some time to go to her private villa on Narcissus Street, changed into a pretty brown dress, put on a white straw hat for sun protection, and then left the house satisfied.

Amidst the astonished gazes of passersby on both sides of the street, her mood gradually improved.

Energy +1

Energy +1

Energy +1

Enjoying the stares of passersby, Phillips walked with reserved and elegant steps to 14 Tulip Street, gently pushed open the door that was slightly ajar, and the scene inside was immediately revealed.

In the middle of the yard, on the weedy grass, there was a small round table with a kettle and several teacups on it, and next to the table was a large wooden recliner.

A man with bright red hair was lying on a deck chair, and a cute little girl with similar wine-red hair was nestled in his arms.

The man seemed to be talking to the little girl about something interesting, his mouth never stopping, and occasionally he would stretch out his arm, which was resting on the back of his head, to gesture. The little girl listened with sparkling eyes and an interested look on her face, only asking a couple of questions when the man stopped.

The two, engrossed in their conversation, were unaware of the arrival of the guests.

Phillips walked a short distance away from the two of them.

At this point, Louise asked about a hidden joke in the story that she didn't understand. Li Cheng leaned close to her ear and whispered it to her, which tickled the little girl and made her giggle.

Unable to bear it any longer, Phillips coughed lightly:

"Uh...cough cough cough."

"Holy crap?"

Li Cheng then noticed someone standing next to him. Startled, he immediately straightened up and complained, "Why didn't you knock before you came? You suddenly ran up to me and startled me."

"The door is open."

Phillips first pointed to the open courtyard gate, then to the little girl still sitting on Li Cheng's lap, and said with a forced smile, "And I've been standing for a while now. It's because the designer is too focused."

She's been so busy these past few days, she's barely had time to breathe.

This person, however, seemed quite relaxed, enjoying playing with the little girl.

Li Cheng smiled somewhat awkwardly, stretched out his arm, put it under Louise's armpits, and carried her like a doll to an empty seat next to the large recliner. After placing her there, he stood up.

no way.

Louise's body was soft and had a sweet fragrance.

Holding her in the sun, chatting casually, telling stories that the blonde little girl had long since grown tired of hearing, and regaining the expectant and adoring gaze from the red-haired little girl—it was truly a very pleasant and relaxing thing.

Because it was so pleasant, this had become Li Cheng's regular activity these past two days.

The main problem was that the little girl was so energetic that she didn't take a nap at all, and Li Cheng felt bad about just sending Louise home after getting a free lunch and going back to his room to sleep. So he brewed a pot of milk tea and lay on a recliner to while away the time after lunch.

Besides, what's wrong with siblings sitting together and chatting?

In broad daylight, there's nothing that can't be seen by others; even if it's sent to the radio station, it can't be banned.

Oh, by the way, in passing.

Ever since that day when Hook, the caring older sister, came to visit and gave Louise some psychological counseling, her problem seemed to have really been resolved. She returned to being the kind of sister that everyone wanted to get close to, without any of that subtle aggression.

As for the specifics of the conversation...

Although he was genuinely curious, he decided not to pry into such private topics between girls.

As long as the result is good, that's fine.

As an aside, out of gratitude to Miss Ketone, Li Chengxin made several leather suits and, wearing women's clothing and his own face, peeled oranges for Miss Ketone—peeling apples was a bit too hard on his hands, so peeling oranges was more suitable.

"what's up?"

Li Cheng composed himself and asked, "Or are you just here to sit for a while? If you want to chat, I have some freshly brewed milk tea that I can make you a cup of—I make this kind of milk tea myself, I guarantee you've tasted it before."

He had already been informed of the latest news about the marriage alliance, so Phillips' personal visit must have been for other reasons.

"Then let's have a drink."

"Row."

Li Cheng then turned around and went back into the house to find the cups—the two cups on the table belonged to him and Louise, and although neither of them had been used today, it would be strange to give either one to Phillips.

Louise then realized that Phillips was an acquaintance of Li Cheng. She put on a demure expression and timidly called out, "Hello, my name is Louise."

She paused, then added with a hint of envy, "Sister, you're so beautiful."

She's not my older sister!

If Li Cheng were here, he would definitely add that thought to himself.

To be fair, Phillips originally had fair and delicate skin and exquisite features. Coupled with her carefully chosen outfits and the dazzling confidence that radiated from within, she was truly beautiful to both men and women.

"Hmm? You have good taste."

Phillips' eyes lit up, and he reached out a fair hand to ruffle her fluffy hair.

But seeing the little girl obediently letting her pat her head, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Recalling how the little girl had nestled in Li Cheng's arms just now, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

What happened to the promise that he and that princess were truly in love?

Why are you having so much fun playing with this little girl? You seem to have forgotten all about Ying.

There must be something going on inside!

Phillips fell into thought.

Whether Li Cheng and the princess were truly in love was something Phillips didn't care about.

After all, even if two people are deeply in love, it has nothing to do with her. The marriage was only her own choice after learning some inside information and analysis about Li Cheng, and it was based on considerations of self-interest.

But she was genuinely interested in the intricacies of the story, what you might call a gossipy nature.

Chapter 329 No Peeking Allowed!

There are many ways to interpret the Eight Trigrams.

Asking the parties involved seems like the most direct approach, but it often doesn't yield accurate results, and you don't get the full satisfaction of just being a bystander.

Moreover, sometimes, you don't necessarily need to know the details of gossip.

What is the purpose of the Eight Trigrams?

It's about building one's happiness on the gossip of others.

Phillips' dark purple eyes gleamed as he quickly devised several plans to successfully build happiness on gossip.

The cross-dresser is thinking...

Because he was too engrossed in thinking.

Phillips even forgot to pull his hand back, continuing to rub Louise's head and unconsciously pinching the little girl's bouncy cheeks.

On the surface, it's a heartwarming scene of cute girls cuddling together, but in reality, it's a cross-dresser. Moreover, this cross-dresser's eyes are staring straight at the little girl in front of him, with a strange smile on his lips, as if he's plotting some not-so-good conspiracy in his mind.

When Li Cheng found the water glass and brought out a stool, he took in this scene.

Holy crap!!!

Alarm bells rang in Li Cheng's mind. He immediately put down the stool, rushed forward a few steps, rescued Louise from the cross-dresser's clutches, and pulled her behind him, using his body as cover to protect her.

Careless.

He had become accustomed to Phillips's questions about gender, but forgot that Louise was unaware of this and would be deceived by the cross-dresser's exquisite disguise, thus lowering her guard.

Although, for the time being, Phillips does not seem to have shown any interest in women, but rather prefers to dress up nicely and go out for a stroll, enjoying the attention of male and female (especially male) pedestrians.

But who can say for sure about this?

These days, even women are cheating on men who dress as women, so cross-dressers aren't necessarily 100% trustworthy.

Li Cheng became increasingly wary as he thought about it.

As for the person being protected, Louise was startled by his actions.

But after instinctively reaching out her little hand and tightly gripping Li Cheng's clothes, shaking her head left and right to observe her surroundings, and finding nothing unexpected, she suddenly felt a little confused.

it's wired.

Why is the brother so nervous when the beautiful blonde sister is just touching her head?

Is this what they call...?

possessive?

A French word she had recently learned suddenly popped into the little girl's mind, and she started shyly tapping her toes on the spot.

Phillips had also snapped out of her immersive thinking. She looked at Li Cheng, who was on high alert, and paused for a moment: "Don't be so nervous, Mr. Designer. I'm not going to do anything to little Louise."

God is my witness.