Chen Xian Yan was quiet for a moment before she cautiously asked, "What are you basing your reasoning on that you would want me to make it up to you?"
"Doctor Chen, are you truly muddleheaded or you're just pretending to be muddleheaded? Are you feigning ignorance? The conflict between me and Ye Tian started mainly because of you in the first place," Song Shi Cheng said with a meaningful smile.
The conflict the other day started because Young Master Song had also wanted to covet the beautiful Chen Xiao Yan and had the intention of possessing both sisters. After being repeatedly rebuffed, he had asked Ye Tian to meet him by the stairwell when he saw how good the relationship was between Ye Tian and Chen Xiao Yan. The meeting was for the sole purpose of warning Ye Tian to stay away from Chen Xiao Yan.
What followed next was the standard plotline threat of I'll make sure you won't be able to survive anywhere in this country which was then followed by a stream of insults. It's also what had caused the conflict to escalate. Although Chen Xiao Yan was pure and innocent, the author had also endowed her an intelligent trait. After giving it some thought, she could pretty much figure out how the whole thing went down. Her beautiful face, which could charm anyone, turned bright red.
She didn't want to get involved in a conflict between two men that started due to jealousy. She also didn't want the upright Ye Tian to be harmed because of her. Thus, she could only suppress her conflicting emotions.
"So, how do you want me to make it up to you?" she asked.
"Doctor Chen, it fully depends on how much sincerity you're willing to show," Song Shi Cheng said and then continued with a serious expression, "I'm definitely not interested in money. So long as you can make me happy, let's say…"
He stopped mid-sentence and let his gaze casually fall on Chen Xiao Yan. She noticed that his eyes were filled with improper intentions. She covered up her neck and chest with her hands and took a few steps back.
She then angrily exclaimed, "You rogue! You're extremely shameless! Don't even think about it!"
"I haven't even said anything yet. I was actually considering being lenient with Ye Tian if in the future Doctor Chen would show me a smile whenever we met. It's unfortunate you would accuse me of having impure intentions," he said with a lift of his eyebrow and a laugh.
Chen Xiao Yan's face was even redder now that she realized was being teased. She almost wanted to stomp towards Young Master Song and chastise him.
"Let's not mention the matter again. Haven't I already made it clear? We'll let the legal system take its course," Song Shi Cheng said unhurriedly. "Can I have some peace and quiet now?"
Chen Xiao Yan ended up glaring at him without saying a word. In the end, she didn't even bother to reply to him and left the ward, slamming the door shut as she did. Song Shi Cheng could only scratch his head. He was at a loss. It was not that he was trying to be a playboy while flirting with Chen Xiao Yan. He was using this as an opportunity to test out her current bottom-line.
The current situation was pretty obvious now.
Although the system had not given him a deadline for his current mission, he knew that the wedding between him and Chen Yi Xian was quickly approaching as per their previous conversation. If he couldn't change the marriage agreement before the event happened and win over Chen Yi Xian instead, he would definitely die.
Time was not in his favor. He couldn't consider how he could annul the marriage agreement and his original intent to win over Chen Xiao Yan's heart slowly was no longer an option. Since the approach of the prodigal son turns over a new leaf thus winning the beauty's heart wouldn't work, he could only resort to using underhanded methods.
The most likely way to do so was to coerce Chen Yi Xian into being with him. It was for this reason that he had used Ye Tian as a bargaining chip. However, this approach would not work given how hostilely she had reacted.
First and foremost, Chen Xiao Yan and Ye Tian were only colleagues. Secondly, Ye Tian's situation wasn't exactly perilous. Thus, these two factors alone wouldn't be sufficient enough to coerce Chen Xiao Yan into submission.
Song Shi Cheng sighed. He could only open up the [Mall] interface and hoped to find a breakthrough with one of the few available items.
"If I were to eat Wang Ba Jelly, will she immediately fall in love with me if I were to confess my undying love and devotion?
"Or should exchange for a Golden Scale Tonic? Maybe it will be more practical for me to force myself on her leaving her little choice but to submit," he thought out loud.
As he continued to weigh his options, an item under the [Temporary-Effect] category suddenly caught his attention.
Love Life Calamity Pendant, redeem with 1 Destiny point.
[This is a cursed pendant. Once worn, the character will suffer from a love life calamity within five minutes. Please exercise caution when using this item.]
Song Shi Cheng was well aware that this item existed but he had disregarded it since he had never thought there would ever come a day when he would need to use it. In other novels, the Protagonist would usually get a cheat-like item to avoid a love life calamity. This was the first time he had seen an item which caused a love life calamity. He was wondering what sick thought the system had when it had created such an item.
Song Shi Cheng had now changed his opinion about it. Although there was no way he could win the heart of Chen Xiao Yan for the time being, at the very least he would be able to annul the marriage contract between him and Chen Yi Xian. With this, he would gain a significant increase in the amount of time he had to complete his mission.
"Rather than sit and wait, I might as well take the initiative!" He said firmly.
Song Shi Cheng steeled himself and prepared to exchange for his very first item from the [Mall].
*****
In an office on the top floor of the hospital, Chen Yi Xian was having a discussion with her father Chen Guo Tao. She had no idea that Young Master Song was currently racking his brain trying to figure out how to annul their marriage contract.
"My daughter is getting prettier by the day. I have repeatedly said that you have been neglecting your image. Otherwise, the number of suitors you would have could easily fill up the whole hospital," Chen Guo Tao said.
He was smoking a cigar and looking at his daughter with warm eyes.
Chen Yi Xian indifferently replied, "What's the use of having many suitors? Not like I can be in a relationship with anyone of them. I already accepted my fate when I was nineteen years old."
Chen Guo Tao smile gradually subsided, "What? Are you still upset with dad for forcefully breaking up your old relationship?
"Not anymore. I know you did it for my own good. You're just preventing me from committing myself to the wrong man," she said.
Although Chen Yi Xian was smiling at her dad, she was lamenting on the inside. Back when she was in university, Chen Yi Xian was still young and innocent. She had fallen in love with a very talented but poor student. She had a huge argument with her dad because of the matter.
Later Chen Guo Tao had created a ploy to reveal the poor student's true colors. He was a pretentious, frivolous profit-seeker and was using her feelings to help him climb the social ladder. The whole situation had taught Chen Yi Xian an unforgettable lesson in regards to love. Sadly, it was to such an extreme that she came to hate all poor people!
Chen Guo Tao could only nod as he asked, "So, are you not satisfied with the current marriage arrangement?"
Chen Yi Xian remained indifferent when she answered almost as if the matter had nothing to do with her, "Does it matter whether I'm satisfied or not? Do I even get a say in this? In our social circle, we don't get to choose how we live our life. Since that's the case, I might as well settle for someone appeasing to the eyes. Song Shi Cheng has quite a decent height and decent looks.
"Although their family is currently suffering some setbacks, it's more than enough for me. Our two families will form a strong alliance after we get married. We will have a lot more opportunities to grow our fortune. We might even get a chance to fish in the troubled waters and swallow up a huge chunk of benefits from the Song family. That's exactly what you're thinking right, dad?"
Chen Guo Tao didn't get mad at Chen Yi Xian for questioning him and just said, "Little Xian, you've got it wrong. As much as your dad loves money, I would not go to the extent of sacrificing my own daughter in pursuit of it. You're my treasured daughter. Of course, I hope you will have a happy marriage. Otherwise, how could I ever face your mom who has passed away?"
Chen Yi Xian who had been indifferent the entire time finally got emotional and asked in confusion, "Dad, how come I don't fully comprehend what you're trying to tell me?"
"What your dad means to say here is if you don't want to marry into the Song family, that's fine too. Dad will not force you to do so," Chen Guo Tao said sounding fair and decisive.
Chen Yi Xian was hesitant when she asked, "But… haven't you already come to an agreement with the Song family? Not only that, the marriage has already been announced to the rest of the world too."
"Yes, I did make an agreement with them." Chen Guo Tao lowered his head to tap off the cigar ashes before he continued, "I only said that I would be marrying off my daughter, but I didn't explicitly state which daughter of mine was getting married."
Chen Yi Xian was shocked as she muttered, "Are you considering…"