The deal

"I cannot do that now. Lu Tian is my friend and whoever did that to you is his enemy I will have them find the person but I will handle it differently without including him."

Her smile broadened but her eyes only got sadder. She did not want to blame Lu Tian for what happened but she wanted justice as much as that might sound crazy as she was someone very significant compared to them.

She was willing to make him pay or he had to bring that mid-aged man that had warned her off. She was angry.

"You must not do anything or even think of doing anything. I heard from my brother that this is not the first time you got beaten up like this and only one of them got punished."

She looked away with a winced at the mention of what happened to her in the past. "You should not bring up such painful memory," she told him dismissively as she did not want to keep seeing him in her room.

From what she has been forced to learn, rich men like this do not take their women seriously at all and the money they make is more valuable.

"I am not saying it to hurt you. I am only saying it to you because I want us to make a deal. You are the first woman who is not of the high class that my mother had found likable," he told her sincerely as he took her hand in his large ones.

She turned and looked at him in shock. She pulled her hand away when she saw that look in his eyes. The look tells her that they want to use her to her their advantage while claiming that she will not lose anything in the process.

At this point, she was being to believe the rumors about him.

"I will not hurt a woman," he told her seriously as he took her hand again in his hand. "Could you believe that?" he asked her seriously as he looked into her eyes with his grey sad eyes.

She swallowed when she met his gaze. "I was asked to have a boyfriend or simply be in a relationship or I do not know what will happen to me next."

"Yes, that is what you want, right?" he asked with a smile showing he was pleased that she was not getting too emotional about everything.

"Yes, that is what I want. I am sure they will not believe it if it is someone else. Someone like you who is cold to most ladies would be the perfect candidate if you learn how to be nice to be alone in the public," she told him seriously.

He was very pleased by her sensibility as his grip on her hand tightened slightly. "I am very happy to hear that from you. I will make it work as what I want will not affect what you want."

She nodded and avoided his persuasive gaze that was as warm as his hands holding hers.

"I will give you want and more. The prestige of being my woman is boundless. I will bring two men who have hurt you out and have them get punished for their crimes. I will do that for you as a gift for our engagement."

"Engagement?" she asked shocked by everything that had happened.

"Yes, engagement. My father was sick. My mother lied about the accident but my father is dying. You will be able to be with me while he gets treated and hopefully survives it.

"During that time, I would be able to do something my parents wants. They want me to marry despite knowing that I swore never to get married when I was younger."

She swallowed as she could feel the emotion in his voice even though she had looked away to avoid seeing it in his eyes.

"Are you in?" he asked her releasing her hand and raising his hand towards her for a handshake. She shook his hands with him when she saw his hand raised.

Do you call the deal insulting? To her, it was not because she was simply making progress from one step to another. She was pleased by it all. She would be able to keep her head on her neck and still get some benefits.

"No . . . no sex, please," she told him seriously with a shy tint of pink on her cheeks.

The older Mr. Shen was forced to look away as he could not but find that as one of the many ways women use to seduce men.

He laughed it off while keeping his gaze off her despite how much he wanted to see her face again due to curiosity. For him, he has seen many women do that to get his attention but he has never been so influenced by that as he found it to be unhealthy looking.

Hers was different it was a very healthy shade of pink that made him conclude that she was healthier than those many women he had seen before even though she was in the hospital sick while they weren't.

She saw him clear his throat as he released her hand and she could not hold back a smile. "You must be shy too," she told him playfully.

He laughed it off and met her gaze as he realized he had looked away for too long which was so unlike him. "We are going to sign a contract as soon as you get discharged and then make our relationship public. At least let people see what we want them to see."

She agreed with him wholeheartedly as she took notes to ensure she does not lose for any reason at all.

A knock had them pulling away from their hands which were close to each other. "Sister," the person who knocked called out as she walked in with a basket of fruits.

"I heard you wanted a boyfriend and I made a list of people who could be your boyfriend," Ruoruo announced enthusiastically but stopped as she took note of the man sitting on the stool beside her sister's bed and they were so close you can't help but suspect something was going on between them.

"She does not need the boyfriend she has a fiancé now," Mr. Shen replied to her sister with a warm smile.

Her sister paused as that smile must have succeeded in making her heart flutter like it was meant to.