Chapter 6: Force them to marry that lovesick fool, Shen Shuyi? That is absolutely absurd!

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When Shen Shuyi heard the task assigned by the system, her vision went dark again and again.

If it wanted her to kiss Pei Dongzhou, the system might as well kill her outright. That would be more straightforward.

She spent an entire hour slumped in despair, utterly bereft of the will to live.

At last, she asked with a trace of hope, “What happens if I fail the task?”

[Immediate execution.]

“If you want me dead, just say so!” Shen Shuyi exploded. This was plainly an impossible task.

Pei Dongzhou detested her to the very core. Getting close to him was already difficult enough, let alone kissing that twisted two-faced man.

“Can we negotiate? What if you change the target to Pei Nanzhou?”

[No.]

Shen Shuyi continued pestering the system. “My dear system, stop making me pursue men. Give me a task involving building a career instead, will you?”

Why did it insist on assigning her such a lewd task? She was not that kind of person.

[The host must pursue men in order to survive.]

“But I can’t handle these deranged male leads!” Shen Shuyi felt like crying.

[Just think about the fact that you have only ten days left to live. Then you will be able to handle them.]

Shen Shuyi: ...

As it turned out, the potential of a person facing a countdown to death was boundless. Shen Shuyi truly came up with a plan: to cooperate sincerely with the female lead, Xia Nianchu.

Xia Nianchu wanted Pei Dongzhou’s body and hoped to become the heir’s wife. Shen Shuyi, however, wanted nothing more than to kiss Pei Dongzhou once.

As long as she inhaled a single breath of the male lead’s aura, she could live.

But Xia Nianchu had to be the one to propose the cooperation. Only then could Shen Shuyi avoid arousing suspicion.

The following day, every eligible young man in the Pei family was summoned to Crane Longevity Hall, where the old lady lived.

At present, the marquis’s residence had four eligible young men: the four brothers Pei Dongzhou, Pei Nanzhou, Pei Xizhou, and Pei Beizhou.

The old lady’s gaze settled on Pei Dongzhou’s face. She felt that the eldest was unlikely to marry Shuyi. He would inherit the title of marquis, while Shuyi was an orphan. No matter how much she cherished the girl, she knew there was little hope of Dongzhou marrying her.

As for the other three brothers, Xizhou was the most good-for-nothing. Perhaps she could persuade him to marry Shuyi?

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If he married Shuyi, perhaps Xizhou might still have a chance of abandoning his dissolute life outside.

Seeing the old lady studying the four brothers with a complicated expression, Pei Dongzhou asked gently, “Grandmother, why did you summon us here?”

The old lady sighed softly. “You brothers grew up together with Yijie, and you could be called childhood sweethearts. She has a good disposition, and she is all alone in this world. Now that she has reached a marriageable age, Grandmother was thinking that we should keep the benefits within the family...”

The Pei brothers straightened their backs at once.

Had Grandmother lost her mind? She actually wanted them to marry Shen Shuyi, that lovesick fool? This was absurd!

Pei Dongzhou was the first to react. He maintained a gentle and amiable expression as he said, “I am already discussing a marriage arrangement, so I cannot help you, Grandmother.”

The other brothers all turned to look at him, realizing that the heir had immediately extricated himself from the matter.

Pei Dongzhou did not want anything to do with Shen Shuyi, and neither did they.

Pei Nanzhou seldom interacted with Shen Shuyi, but he felt it necessary to make his position clear. “I have no intention of marrying. It would be unfair to delay Cousin Shen.”

The old lady instinctively looked toward Pei Xizhou. “Xizhou, what do you think...?”

Pei Xizhou replied without the slightest haste, “I spent the night at the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion. I am terribly tired, so I shall go and catch up on my sleep.”

Before the old lady could say another word, he sauntered away at an unhurried pace.

Even if every woman in Great Qi were to die, he still would never marry Shen Shuyi, that fickle, lovesick woman.

Pei Beizhou and Pei Nanzhou also found excuses to leave Crane Longevity Hall. Only Pei Dongzhou remained seated in his original place.

The old lady let out a long sigh. “This old woman knows it is unrealistic. But Yijie’s health is poor, and I thought that a wedding might bring her some good fortune and perhaps help her recover. I am old, and when a person is desperate, she will try any remedy. Forget it. Pretend I said nothing.”

Pei Dongzhou knew that the old lady felt guilty toward his maternal aunt. He had heard that she had left home in a fit of anger. At the time, she had already been pregnant, but the identity of the child’s father was unknown. No matter how much the family pressured her, she refused to reveal who her lover was.

A family scandal could not be made public. Grandmother had planned to send his aunt to an estate and quietly force her to abort the child.

Who could have known that his aunt would receive word in advance and flee the capital herself? She was gone for five years.

By the time Shen Shuyi was four, Grandmother received a letter from her aunt. By then, the woman was already gravely ill. When Grandmother went to bring Shen Shuyi back, she was still too late to see her daughter one last time.

Because of this guilt toward her daughter, Grandmother indulged her niece excessively, raising her at her side until the girl became spoiled and willful.

“For now, finding a renowned physician to treat Cousin is what matters most. Do not worry, Grandmother. The heavens favor the virtuous,” Pei Dongzhou said, soothing her.

The old lady was dispirited, and she knew she had been asking too much. “Very well. Once Yijie’s health improves, Grandmother will see to her marriage. Dongge, when you have time, go and keep Yijie company for a while. I fear I cannot look after her properly every day, so help her as much as you can. That child has had such a difficult life. I owe her a great deal.”

The face that appeared before Pei Dongzhou was Shen Shuyi’s ever-changing countenance. He answered in an indifferent voice, “All right.”

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After leaving Crane Longevity Hall, Pei Dongzhou paused briefly before making his way toward Fusang Court.

Inside Fusang Court, Shen Shuyi was pondering how she could kiss Pei Dongzhou.

The matter of singing a love song to Pei Nanzhou could be put off for a while, but the task of kissing Pei Dongzhou could not be delayed.

Only nine days remained. How was she going to make Xia Nianchu take the initiative and seek her cooperation?

She had already sent A-Jian out of the marquis’s residence to buy the medicine in secret. Normally, Shen Shuyi should have purchased something so important herself, but at present she became breathless after taking just two steps. Her health would not permit her to overexert herself.

Just as she was drawing up a plan in a small notebook, A-Jian’s lively voice rang out. “Miss, I am back.”

Shen Shuyi took the packet of medicine from her hands. “Are you certain this is what I asked for? You did not get it wrong?”

“I paid a great deal for this precious item. There is no way I could have made a mistake.”

The moment A-Jian finished speaking, Pei Dongzhou’s voice suddenly sounded from nowhere.

“What precious item?”

Shen Shuyi’s hand trembled, and she nearly dropped the packet.

Was the heir a ghost? He made no sound at all when he walked.

Pei Dongzhou was tall and long-limbed. The moment he entered, the spacious room seemed to grow cramped.

His gaze landed squarely on the paper packet in Shen Shuyi’s hand. She immediately hid it behind her back, too guilty to meet his eyes. In a voice soft as a mosquito’s buzz, she asked, “Why has Cousin Heir come here?”

The male lead had actually delivered himself to her door. Should she take advantage of the opportunity to drug him in his tea and knock him out?

If she rendered him unconscious, would she not be able to kiss him while she had the chance?

But his favorable impression of her was only two points away from the execution threshold. If he lost consciousness in Fusang Court, he would certainly realize that she had drugged him. Her life would still be over. It was not worth the risk.

Pei Dongzhou looked at Shen Shuyi’s bowed head, his gaze inadvertently falling upon her pale, jade-white neck. The slender column of flesh was almost painfully white, as though it might snap with the slightest bend.

He calmly looked away. “What guilty deed has Cousin committed that she dares not meet my eyes?”

Then he lightly lifted the hem of his robe and took his seat with effortless elegance. “Let me have a look at the precious item in Cousin’s hand.”

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