Rebirth: The Villainous Young Master in a Novel

Chapter 9: The Peach Blossom Curse

Shen Xiaoyan was taken aback. “Why should I compensate you?”

“Dr. Shen, are you really clueless, or are you pretending not to know? A big part of the conflict between me and Ye Tian was because of you.”

Song Shicheng smiled meaningfully.

The cause of the conflict that day was simple: Young Master Song had been coveting Shen Xiaoyan’s beauty, hoping to win over both sisters. After repeatedly being rejected, he noticed how close Ye Tian and Shen Xiaoyan were. He then cornered Ye Tian in the stairwell, warning him to stay away from Shen Xiaoyan with the classic threat of “making sure you can’t survive in Huahai City.” Naturally, he was mocked and humiliated, which led to the fight and his subsequent defeat.

Although Shen Xiaoyan was naive, the author had also endowed her with the trait of being “clever and perceptive.” After a moment of thought, she vaguely guessed the truth, and her delicate face instantly flushed with a captivating rose-red hue.

“Then… what kind of compensation do you want?”

Although she didn’t want to get involved in the rivalry between these two men, Shen Xiaoyan also didn’t want the righteous Ye Tian to suffer because of her. She had no choice but to suppress her emotions and continue negotiating.

“That depends on your sincerity, Dr. Shen.”

Song Shicheng put on a serious expression. “Money? I certainly don’t need that. In other words, as long as the compensation makes me happy and satisfied, that’s enough. For example…”

He trailed off, saying nothing, but his eyes lingered on Shen Xiaoyan with interest.

Shen Xiaoyan, however, sensed his ill intentions. She immediately clutched the collar of her white lab coat, as if trying to shield herself, and took half a step back, angrily retorting, “You pervert! Shameless! Dream on!”

Song Shicheng raised an eyebrow, his smile growing even more mischievous. “I haven’t said anything yet. I was just thinking that if Dr. Shen could be a little nicer to me in the future, I might show some mercy and let Ye Tian off the hook. Unfortunately, it seems your thoughts are a bit… impure.”

Shen Xiaoyan’s face turned crimson as she realized she had been teased and toyed with. She stomped her foot, ready to confront Young Master Song.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ve made myself clear. Let the law decide what happens.”

Song Shicheng suddenly seemed disinterested and waved his hand. “Now, I want to be alone.”

Shen Xiaoyan glared at him for a long moment, but in the end, she didn’t ask who “alone” was. She puffed out her cheeks and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Song Shicheng scratched his head, feeling deeply conflicted.

It wasn’t that he had nothing better to do than play the role of a spoiled young master. He simply wanted to test Shen Xiaoyan’s “limits.”

The situation was clear.

Although the system hadn’t specified a deadline for completing the task, Shen Yixian’s earlier words indicated that the wedding date was fast approaching. If he couldn’t change the engagement and win over Shen Xiaoyan before then, he was doomed!

Time was tight. Not only did he have to figure out how to cancel the arranged marriage between the two families, but he also had no chance of slowly winning Shen Xiaoyan’s heart through indirect tactics.

Since the usual “reformed playboy wins the beauty” trope wasn’t going to work, he had no choice but to try some “unconventional methods”!

In other words, he would use external pressure to force Shen Xiaoyan to be with him.

That’s why he had used Ye Tian as a bargaining chip to test Shen Xiaoyan.

But her fierce reaction proved that this plan was completely unworkable.

First, Shen Xiaoyan and Ye Tian were still just good friends at this point. Second, Ye Tian’s current situation wasn’t dire enough to make Shen Xiaoyan submit to him over this.

With a sigh of frustration, Song Shicheng opened the system mall again, hoping to find a breakthrough among the few available items.

“If I eat the [Turtle Jelly] and then sweet-talk Shen Xiaoyan, will she fall in love with me immediately?”

“Or should I go all out and exchange for the [Golden Scale Tonic], using physical actions to make her submit to me?”

After pondering for a long time, Song Shicheng suddenly noticed something in the corner of the [Consumable Items] section.

[Peach Blossom Curse Pendant], exchangeable for 1 fortune point.

Description: This pendant is cursed. When worn by the character, it will cause emotional disputes and make marriage difficult for five minutes. Use with caution.

Song Shicheng had noticed this item earlier but hadn’t paid much attention to it. He didn’t even think he’d have a chance to use it.

In other novels, the protagonist’s cheat abilities usually boost their romantic luck. This was the first time he’d seen something that caused romantic misfortune. He had no idea what kind of twisted logic the system was following.

But now, Song Shicheng changed his mind.

Since he had no chance of wooing Shen Xiaoyan for the time being, he at least needed to make sure his engagement with Shen Yixian fell through. That would buy him more time to complete the task!

“Rather than waiting to die, I might as well take the initiative!”

With a determined heart, Song Shicheng exchanged for his first item ever.

—

Meanwhile, Shen Yixian had no idea that Young Master Song was racking his brains to break off the engagement. She was in her office on the top floor of the hospital, having a heart-to-heart with her father, Shen Guotao.

“My daughter, you’re getting more and more beautiful. I’ve always said that if you paid more attention to your appearance, your suitors would fill up all the hospital wards.”

Shen Guotao puffed on his cigar, looking at his daughter with a kind expression.

Shen Yixian shrugged indifferently. “What’s the point of having so many suitors? I’m not going to get involved with any of them. I’ve known that since I was nineteen.”

Shen Guotao’s smile faded slightly. “What? Are you still holding a grudge against me for breaking up your relationship back then?”

“No, I’m not. I know you did it for my own good, to prevent me from marrying the wrong person.” Shen Yixian smiled, though she couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

Back then, she had been naive too. In college, she had fallen in love with a poor but talented senior. The relationship had caused a rift between her and her family. Eventually, Shen Guotao staged a scenario that revealed the senior’s true nature—hypocritical, shallow, and only interested in using her as a stepping stone to climb the social ladder.

That heartbreak had left a deep scar on Shen Yixian, making her bitterly resentful of all poor people.

Shen Guotao nodded thoughtfully. “Then… are you unhappy with this arranged marriage?”

Shen Yixian still seemed indifferent, as if discussing something trivial that had nothing to do with her. “Whether I’m happy or not doesn’t matter. Do I have a choice? In our circle, marriage is often beyond our control. Since that’s the case, I might as well pick someone who’s at least decent-looking. Song Shicheng is tall and handsome, and although his family’s business isn’t doing well right now, it’s still a good match for me. After we get married, our families can join forces, and there will be plenty of opportunities to make money. Who knows? We might even take advantage of the Song family’s current troubles to gain some benefits. That’s what you’re thinking too, right?”

Instead of getting angry at Shen Yixian’s almost rebellious words, Shen Guotao responded sincerely. “Xiao Xian, you’ve got it wrong. I do love money, but I’m not so heartless as to sell my daughter. You’re my precious daughter, and of course, I want you to marry happily. Otherwise, how could I face your mother’s dying wish?”

Shen Yixian’s cold expression finally showed a hint of emotion. She looked puzzled. “Dad, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“What I mean is, if you really don’t want to marry into the Song family, that’s fine. I won’t force you.” Shen Guotao spoke magnanimously.

Shen Yixian hesitated. “But… you already made the agreement with the Song family and announced the engagement to the public.”

“Yes, I did announce it.” Shen Guotao flicked the ash from his cigar and said nonchalantly, “But I only said I’d marry off a daughter. I never specified which one.”

Shen Yixian was so shocked that goosebumps rose all over her body. She exclaimed, “You can’t possibly mean…”