Chapter 73: Conditions

Hearing Chen Che's words, Zhang Shouhang was furious; the thing a man can least tolerate is having a "meadow" on his head.

However, Chen Che not only said it, but also wrapped his arm around Cheng Kexin's waist right in front of him.

He himself had never even touched a single finger of Cheng Kexin's, yet he was being held by the waist so unscrupulously by this bastard!

This was equivalent to Chen Che dancing on his lightning; it was a tremendous insult!

Zhang Shouhang stood up shakily and said angrily, "Kid, just because you are Li Qingyan's junior brother doesn't mean I wouldn't dare touch you! This is Shanghai. As the saying goes, a powerful dragon doesn't suppress the local serpent; even if you are a dragon, you'd better coil up obediently on the Zhang Family's turf!"

"And..."

Zhang Shouhang's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "Take your hand off, you bastard!"

Chen Che smiled slightly; not only did he not take it off, he deliberately held her even tighter.

Cheng Kexin's face flushed slightly, and she said, "Zhang Shouhang, let's call off the engagement; it's better for both you and me."

Seeing Zhang Shouhang grinding his teeth in anger, Chen Che added fuel to the fire, saying, "That's right, you should just call it off. Could it be that Young Master Zhang has some special hobby, like liking green hairstyles?"

"Oh!"

Cheng Kexin suddenly let out a soft cry, knitted her brows, and gave Chen Che a reproachful look, yet there was not a trace of anger on her face; instead, there was more shyness and tenderness.

Zhang Shouhang was so angry he was fuming, wishing he could bite Chen Che to death.

He saw very clearly that Chen Che's hand, which had been on Cheng Kexin's waist, moved down to her plump, rounded buttocks and gave them a firm squeeze.

And Cheng Kexin, far from being angry, actually leaned closer to Chen Che, as if cooperating with him to be even more wanton.

"You bastard, I'll kill you!"

This blatant provocation was more than Zhang Shouhang could bear; for a moment, he even ignored the pain in his crotch as he lunged at Chen Che with a twisted expression.

"Slap!"

Chen Che didn't even change his posture; he swung his other hand in a wide arc and slapped him across the face.

Zhang Shouhang's body tilted, and he plunged headfirst into the flowerbed, falling flat on his face.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...

A burst of hurried footsteps approached; Cheng Family Patriarch Cheng Honglin and the couple Cheng Weijun arrived at the back garden upon hearing the commotion.

"Divine Doctor Chen, what is this..." Cheng Honglin asked as he looked at the scene.

Chen Che smiled and said, "It's nothing, just a game between young people."

Cheng Weijun discovered Zhang Shouhang with his head stuck in the flowerbed and his rear end in the air, so he hurried over to help him up.

"Young Master Zhang, are you alright?"

Cheng Weijun helped Zhang Shouhang wipe the filth from his face, but was pushed away by the latter, who angrily scolded, "Your Cheng Family really has some nerve! What? Because Chen Che saved the Patriarch's life, you want to marry Cheng Kexin off to him as a thank you? And you dare to lay a hand on me; you really have the guts of a bear!"

Cheng Honglin and the couple were all stunned; hearing Zhang Shouhang say this, they finally noticed that Chen Che had been holding Cheng Kexin the entire time.

Swish, swish, swish...

All eyes were focused on the two of them; Cheng Kexin felt a bit embarrassed, but she knew this was a rare opportunity to get rid of the engagement, so she didn't pull away from Chen Che.

Chen Che seemed to deliberately respond to the confused gazes of Cheng Honglin and his son, saying straightforwardly, "Grandpa Cheng, Uncle Cheng, and Auntie, Xinxin and I are together; you should cancel the engagement with the Zhang Family."

Cheng Honglin and the couple were shocked at the same time.

Zhang Shouhang was dealt another heavy blow!

Xinxin!

A form of address he was never allowed to use, yet Chen Che called it out so naturally and so affectionately.

What was even more infuriating was that after hearing it, Cheng Kexin actually had a face full of happy smiles!

Zhang Shouhang's face turned livid; the anger and humiliation in his heart reached their peak at this moment!

"Divine Doctor Chen, you aren't joking with me, are you?" Cheng Weijun couldn't believe it. "It's fine for you young people to play around, but please don't lie to us; we can't accept that."

"Dad, it's true. The one I like is Chen Che, not Zhang Shouhang. This marriage, let's just call it off." As Cheng Kexin spoke, she leaned even closer to Chen Che.

Cheng Honglin remained calm on the surface, but his heart was churning with no small waves: "Divine Doctor Chen, Xinxin, is what you both said true?"

"Of course it's true, and Xinxin and I have already consummated our relationship; she is already my woman."

Fearing they wouldn't believe him, Chen Che deliberately squeezed Cheng Kexin's waist hard, used his other hand to pinch her fair chin, and kissed her.

"Pop!"

Their lips touched and parted, yet it made a distinct sound.

The dual impact of sight and sound was undoubtedly a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely into the hearts of the Cheng father and son.

Cheng Kexin, who was watching the show from the pavilion, turned her face away, deliberately refusing to look.

Li Qingyan narrowed her beautiful eyes, gazing at those two figures, and whispered with a laugh, "Little bastard, you really dared to kiss her!"

The one bearing the greatest impact was undoubtedly Zhang Shouhang; his eyes were spitting fire, and he could no longer stay.

"Fine, fine, fine. Since that's the case, then the engagement is hereby cancelled. I've learned my lesson, but today's matter isn't over; Chen Che and the Cheng Family, you all just wait for me!"

Zhang Shouhang left while cursing and swearing; even Cheng Weijun, who wanted to see him off, was shooed away.

Cheng Honglin's face was full of anger, yet he still controlled his tone and said, "Divine Doctor Chen, you saved my life, and I have been thinking about how to thank you, but by doing this, isn't it a bit inappropriate?"

"Old Master Cheng, let the younger generation make their own decisions regarding their marriages; you forcing a match and binding them together is completely pushing Xinxin into a pit of fire," Chen Che said.

"That is the Zhang Family, the number one family in Shanghai! If my granddaughter can marry into the Zhang Family, that is her honor, and even more so the honor of the Cheng Family; how can it be a pit of fire?!"

Cheng Honglin retorted.

Chen Che said, "Old Master Cheng, don't forget, Cheng Kexin is your granddaughter; she is a person, not a pawn for family marriage alliances."

"This is the private business of the Cheng Family; I ask that Divine Doctor Chen not interfere."

Cheng Honglin's face was livid, but hindered by Chen Che's talent and the debt of saving his life, he had to speak politely: "The Cheng Family will not blame Divine Doctor Chen for today's events, nor will we ask you to take responsibility for anything. I only ask that you stop pestering my granddaughter. Of course, you saved me, and the Cheng Family will still thank you."

Cheng Honglin paused and continued, "Divine Doctor Chen is young and promising; sending some money as a token of gratitude is ultimately superficial. To be honest, I really didn't know what gift to send Divine Doctor Chen for a moment. But now I know."

"Since Divine Doctor Chen likes the women of my Cheng Family, then I will betroth my little granddaughter to you as a token of gratitude. That way, we will be one family in the future, and you will also have a share of the Cheng Family's assets."

Cheng Honglin's words were astonishing.

Chen Che let out a cold laugh: "I have truly witnessed the heartlessness of the Patriarch of the Cheng Family."

Cheng Kexin did not know when she had already become tearful; she had originally been moved by Chen Che helping her, but was then pierced to the heart by Cheng Honglin's words.

She gave a bitter smile and asked: "Grandfather, have you ever truly loved us?"

"As members of the Cheng Family, one must be prepared at all times to sacrifice for the Cheng Family!"

Cheng Honglin's voice was low, permeated with unquestionable majesty.

Hou Huili pulled hard on Cheng Weijun, her expression one of both shock and absurdity.

Who uses their own granddaughter as a thank-you gift!

Cheng Weijun's brows were tightly locked; although he felt his father's words were somewhat unpleasant, he ultimately found the approach understandable.

Li Qingyan, inside the pavilion, looked displeased; she turned her head to look at Cheng Kexiang and asked: "Is your grandfather always such a jerk? He didn't even ask you a single word before giving you away!"

Cheng Kexiang clenched her delicate fists, her face full of disappointment. She strode over and stood on the same front as Cheng Kexin:

"Grandfather, I understand your idea of wanting to use my sister and me to tether the Zhang Family and the Divine Doctor Chen. But we are people, not objects. You can arrange our marriages, but you need to ask whether we like them, whether we are willing."

"Kexiang, you must know that there are many things where it is not up to whether you like it or whether you are willing."

Cheng Honglin remained in a high-and-mighty tone, completely ignoring his granddaughter's reasonable plea.

"It seems there is no point in saying more."

Chen Che helped Cheng Kexin wipe away her tears and continued: "Then may I ask the Patriarch of the Cheng Family, exactly what must be done for you to stop interfering in the marriages of Cheng Kexin and Cheng Kexiang?"