Song Ren sat in front of her desk at one of the pharmacies she manages. It was her favourite store, though she does not know, particularly why. She dismissed the overnight manager so she could take the night s.h.i.+ft.
What made Song Pharmaceuticals a successful company was that their pharmacies were opened day and night and encouraged walk-in"s providing affordable medicine for all patients.
Song Ren was looking over essential doc.u.ments related to the company, as she placed a palm over her head, unable to comprehend the news she received that night.
Her palm was also sore. She had never hit someone hard before in her life, but she was glad it was her brother, as he would forgive her, eventually.
In the past, she always thought her brother would be the next Chief Executive Officer, and she would be there to support him, not lead. She never thought of herself as a leader.
Her troubled thoughts were interrupted when she heard a customer walk in, "h.e.l.lo—Su Feng?" she greeted and questioned.
Su Feng changed from his eveningwear and wore something that screamed wealth. He wore a sandy coloured Brunello jacket over a black cashmere cardigan.
He looked as das.h.i.+ng as the day she met him, but that was in physicality, as Song Ren finds him repulsive in every other way.
"Why are you here?" she asked, irritated. She began to sort bottles of pills on the shelves neatly to keep busy.
Su Feng scoffed a laugh, "I suppose coming to propose would not suffice as an answer?" he said.
Song Ren paused, to turn to him, laughing in ridicule. "And here I thought proposals were to be romantic, and yet you haven"t kneeled, nor do I see a ring, and we are in the middle of a pharmacy."
Su Feng"s expression changed, "If I were to buy you a ring and kneel, will you accept?" He asked with a deep and smoky yet playful tone. He was testing her, toying with her as he did in the past.
Song Ren felt like trembling, but she stopped herself from shaking. She recalled all the times he tormented her.
Song Ren gave him a harlequin smile and said, "Su Feng, do me a favour, and f.u.c.k off." Song Ren returned to shelving the bottles of medicine. But Su Feng clenched his fist, seemingly hurt and irritated.
"Xiao Ren, you will be mine whether you like it or not, I will make sure of that," he said with cool determination.
Song Ren gritted her teeth, "Why bother? I do not understand why you are h.e.l.l-bent on marrying me now. You hated me in high school. Perhaps you feel like marrying me out of spite?" she then walked behind the counter. "I didn"t think that after years of graduation that you still feel like tormenting me," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose in between her eyes.
"I don"t want to torment you anymore," he began, "but for the sake of both our companies and families, we must do this."
Song Ren narrowed her golden-brown eyes and met his ice-blue eyes, "I don"t understand how you"re okay with an arranged marriage with me. I will only agree with my terms and conditions because I hate you."
Su Feng looked at her thoughtfully, his face hard and taut, yet devastatingly handsome. "If it"s you, I"m willing," he said without restraint. Song Ren glanced at him with the glare of a hawk, questioning.
Did she hear that, right?
"Well, don"t suppose that I would swoon," she began mockingly. "In my view, marriage is a transaction, and I see that you have a similar perspective as well. As long as you"re okay with marrying for real business, I will accept any future proposals."
Su Feng smiled, "I will marry anyone eligible indeed. But who said I would propose to you?"
Song Ren gritted her teeth. This guy was trying to make a fool of her!
She smiled and said, "You"re right — silly me. I suppose, I, too, will agree to any marriage. Perhaps I"ll marry the son of Lu Honghui, the owner of several hospitals throughout the country. His son is around my age looking for a potential wife. I wonder if he"ll agree."
Su Feng clenched his fists tightly before gritting out, "You will marry me, and that"s final."
He stormed out of the pharmacy, and Song Ren found herself smiling broadly. Song Ren smiled because she felt like she won, but she quickly frowned, shaking her head. How did she end up agreeing so quickly? Song Ren rubbed her temples.
Su Feng was someone she heard of since they were children. He was the son of their family"s rival, and he enrolled in her school when they were older.
They were fifteen when they met, and since then they competed, and no one surpa.s.sed them as the top of the cla.s.s. They never got along, and now they were to marry.
Song Ren had always known she would marry for business, but she never imagined it would be Su Feng.