When he heard his beloved granddaughter's words, Qiao Qinghe suddenly had a conflicted look appear on his face as he began to doubt his actions. Yet despite this, he forced himself to make a decision as he spoke in a gruff tone.
"Fenyi! I already made the mistake once of allowing you to date that scoundrel Luo Jun from the Crimson Sand Sect because I thought that if you were able to win him over, he could help remove the poison from Qiao Liang by trying to convince his father…
"But we both know what happened. Not only did he not fall for our schemes, but even you were implicated in their dastardly plot and were poisoned as well. I will not entrust my beloved granddaughter to any more people with nefarious intentions"
Despite this, Qiao Fenyi shook her head, anger clouding her features. She was about to speak up in defense of Huang Shi when, all of a sudden, she felt a tug at her arm, which instantly caught her attention as she looked to her side.
When she saw the person who had stopped her from acting, she was shocked as she realized that it was her own father, Qiao Liang.
"You shouldn't interfere in this, Fenyi… even though it doesn't seem like it, your grandfather truly does care for you. What he's doing right now is testing whether or not this Huang Shi is someone who is deserving of your affection."
"After all, what happened with Luo Jun is something that deeply scarred both me and your grandfather… because the two of you really did seem so happy at the beginning…"
Qiao Fenyi suddenly felt her body shake as tears almost fell down her cheeks when she remembered the earlier days of Luo Jun courting her… trying to win over her affections.
Truth be told, if it wasn't for the fact that Luo Jun had actually been aiming to poison her all along as a form of leverage against one of the most critical powers of the Azure Dragon Sect for the sake of their Luo Clan, she and Luo Jun might have truly ended up with one another.
After all, despite the fact that she hadn't technically dated anyone yet, she had already realized for herself that despite her strong nature, she was very vulnerable to the sweet and loving actions of others.
Which was why she had been so shocked by Luo Jun's betrayal. It had broken her heart deeply, and even though it had happened while they were still in their early teens and were basically just kids, that scar had remained within her heart all this time, causing her to subconsciously reject all men regardless of their intentions.
It was basically a way to protect herself.
But now… I've opened myself up again… what if he's also like Luo Jun? Will he also betray me down the line like him?
With this, she chose to remain silent and simply stared at the confrontation between him and her grandfather, waiting for the outcome.
When Qiao Qinghe noticed that his beloved granddaughter had started to grow quiet, he nodded his head slightly before shifting his attention back toward Huang Shi.
"Alright, brat… it seems my beloved granddaughter really does like you, seeing that she is willing to stand up for you like this. Maybe you aren't complete trash like the rumors say…"
"But… you must know that Fenyi is not an average woman. Once you are able to completely remove the poison from her body, she will essentially become a different person! Her talent will rise, and her future will become bright!"
"You will have many enemies, and some of them may even try to take her away from you by force. You have to be able to prove that you can protect her when push comes to shove… and that you won't betray her like that bastard Luo Jun…"
"So here's the deal… and don't act dumb. I know I'm right, and you've already figured out that I'm also at my last legs when it comes to my spiritual energy reserves. If you can last the next two minutes in the presence of my spiritual energy pressure… then I'm willing to compromise and will try not to interfere with the relationship between you and my granddaughter…"
"However, if you lose… and you kneel down before I run out of my spiritual energy… then you will make sure that my granddaughter and my son-in-law will be completely cured within the next couple of weeks. After this, you will no longer disturb my Fenyi any more than you already have…"
"This is my answer to that so-called bet that you wanted to happen… I hope that you agree to it like a man…"
[DING!]
[Quest – Breaking The Old Man's Pride has changed to Winning Over The Old Man's Trust!]
[Reward: 4500 Points]
What the fuck, system? Why did the reward for the quest drop? Isn't the change a good thing?
[Responding to host: The system primarily rewards scumbag-like actions. Winning over the trust of Qiao Qinghe and falling for his plot isn't really a scummy thing to do!]
Huang Shi's eyes flashed as his expression changed, as suddenly all the puzzle pieces seemed to click inside his mind.
This fucking old man… he's playing me? No, he was testing me!
Shit… of course. This damn old man basically acted like he was crazy to rile me up and push me into this situation to try and stir up my pride…
If I refuse this bet, it would mean that I willingly gave up my chances of being together with Qiao Fenyi and have proven that I am the kind of person who would leave or betray her down the line like Luo Jun.
But if I agree here and I lose… I'll have to cure both Qiao Fenyi and her father for free!
Shit… I was going to cure Fenyi for free and act like I was going to charge for the curing of her father before suddenly changing my mind in the middle to earn some more brownie points… but clearly I can't do that now.