Chapter Sixty-Six: Gaining Trust

The crowd around was abuzz with speculation. Those privy to some of the Shi family’s secrets were deeply puzzled; they simply could not fathom the reason behind all this. Not long ago, Yan Yuanqing had just ruined Shi Chenren’s plans, yet today, Shi Chenren had come bearing gifts for Yan Yuanqing?

Though the name on the signboard was not Yan Yuanqing’s, anyone with a bit of insider knowledge knew that Yuan Hongyu was his apprentice. As far-fetched as it might sound, it was nonetheless the truth.

At this moment, Yan Yuanqing’s brows furrowed slightly. “Master, what exactly is Shi Chenren up to? Why has he suddenly come to bring us a gift today? What is your relationship with him now?” Yuan Hongyu dared not accept such a gift outright; who knew if this was a fox paying respects to a chicken for New Year’s? As the saying goes, when you accept someone’s favor, you become indebted; taking this gift recklessly would be most improper.

“My relationship with him is nothing special,” Yan Yuanqing replied, “but I can more or less guess why he is making this show of goodwill.”

“If he’s giving it for free, then accept it. If we return the gift in public, it would be a direct slap in Shi Chenren’s face, leaving no room for maneuver.”

“Yes, Master!” Soon, under Yuan Hongyu’s arrangements, the automatic full-body massager was placed in a corner of the main hall, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

The commotion soon died down, but everyone present continued to discuss the incident from time to time, trying to guess what relationship Shi Chenren, the gift-giver, had with this clinic.

Meanwhile, back at the Shi residence, a subordinate knelt before Shi Chenren. “Master, they accepted the gift—and quite quickly at that!”

Shi Chenren smiled in satisfaction. “Ha! So they took it. This shows that Yan Yuanqing isn’t particularly on guard against me. If you ever have any good ideas on how to win Yan Yuanqing over, bring them to me. The most important thing for us now is to gain Yan Yuanqing’s trust! Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir!”

Over the following week, Yan Yuanqing received countless benefits from Shi Chenren. Small gestures included assistance with household matters, such as restoring the kitchen’s supply of various dishes to his family. Larger ones even involved Shi Chenren speaking on Yan Yuanqing’s behalf before the head of the family.

Each time Shi Chenren acted in such a manner, everyone found it utterly incredible. With things as they were, Yan Yuanqing finally agreed to meet Shi Chenren privately. After all, when the other party had gone to such lengths, perhaps even old grudges could be somewhat set aside.

“Yuanqing, the last time we sat together like this was years ago, wasn’t it? When you first arrived in our family?” Shi Chenren picked up the teapot and poured tea for Yan Yuanqing himself—a gesture that left no room for reproach. The two savored their tea in silence.

“That’s right,” Yan Yuanqing replied.

Shi Chenren laughed. “Hard to believe all these years have flown by, and now you’ve become quite the famous physician in our family!”

Though Yan Yuanqing kept a polite smile on his face, inwardly, he was utterly unmoved. He firmly believed in one saying: when someone goes out of their way to curry favor for no reason, it’s either treachery or theft.

After he had foiled such an important plan of Shi Chenren’s, instead of seeking revenge, Shi Chenren had continued to show him kindness—something was clearly amiss. Yan Yuanqing did not believe Shi Chenren was the sort to be magnanimous enough to admit his mistakes, let alone take the initiative to correct them.

He was just like the rest of his family—rotten to the core. The rivers and mountains may change, but a man’s nature is hard to alter.