Manipulative Harem God

"Patriarch!!"

"Patriarch!"

A chorus of panic shattered the silence, slicing through the air as Zhang Wei's brow arched skyward.

He turned, eyes sweeping over a swarm of guards clad in sleek black suits as they flooded in.

"Doctor Zhang! Please, save my daughter!" The voice, old yet infused with desperate vigor, clung to Zhang Wei's legs.

"..."

Silence descended, thick and suffocating, as if the very air dared not stir.

"Doctor?" Lisa's interjection floated in, tinged with a bewilderment that might as well have come with its own question mark.

Before the echo faded, another character entered stage left.

Tang Dexin's eyes found Zhang Wei, and his sigh of relief was almost loud enough to have its own script. "Master Zhang, your timing is impeccable!"

"Master Zhang?"

"Master Zhang?"

Amidst the echo of his title, Zhang Wei's eyes flickered, irritation flashing. "Zhang! Zhang! Zhang! Would silence be too much to ask for just a moment?"

Bam!

"Argh!"

"What!?"

"Impossible!"

"Patriarch!"

Under the collective gaze of astonishment, Zhang Wei's leg lashed out, sending Liu Dongzi tumbling.

"Argh!" As the old man recoiled, a shiver of inward disgust ran through Zhang Wei.

"Old fool, have you no shame at your age? Next time, pick on someone your own size—perhaps an old grandmother!"

Zhang Wei's words dripped with scorn, his disdain a growing force as the guards scrambled to Liu Dongzi's side, lifting the humiliated man from the floor.

....

"Master! That's Patriarch Liu!" Tang Dexin raced over, his voice laced with urgency as he tried to mend the rapidly unraveling scene.

"Patriarch Liu?" Zhang Wei's eyebrows ascended once more, an icy hush blanketing the room. Unperturbed, he shrugged off the gravity of the name. "Patriarch or not, the old coot was making unsolicited advances."

"What!?" Liu Dongzi, caught in the crosshairs of accusation, could barely muster his defense, his body trembling as he struggled to his feet. "D-Doctor?" His protest was weak, disbelief threading through each syllable.

Zhang Wei's lips twisted into a sly grin, a hint of malice playing at the edges. "What doctor? Brazenly preying on the youth in the light of day, Patriarch Liu, have you no shame? Flaunting your... peculiar tastes so openly! We must call the authorities! This egregious violation by a man of his standing must not go unreported!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Patriarch! Wait, we can talk—"

"No need," Liu Dongzi brushed off the hand of his confidant with a shrug, taking a solitary step towards Zhang Wei.

Releasing a heavy sigh at the sight of Zhang Wei's smug smile, he thought to himself, 'This man is not simple.'

Zhang Wei stood his ground, curious about the old man's next move yet bracing for whatever scheme might unfold.

But instead of a ploy, Liu Dongzi approached, bowed deeply, and pleaded, "Doctor Zhang, I beg you, save my granddaughter! She is the Liu family's last beacon of hope! Grant us this favor, and our family will remain eternally grateful to you!" Tears streamed from his eyes, dotting the floor beneath him.

Zhang Wei's expression flickered with a hint of disdain, then curiosity. "Your granddaughter?" he inquired, his interest now piqued.

Tang Dexin chimed in, "Yes, Master. That's precisely why I sought you out yesterday. Patriarch Liu's granddaughter has been bedridden for ages, and now, some nefarious forces are threatening to take advantage of the Liu family's desperation. I've examined the girl myself but found nothing out of the ordinary. You're our last hope to prevent the downfall of the Liu family."

....

"What!?"

"The young miss of the Liu family is bedridden?!"

"Someone wants to take advantage of it??"

"I get it, that's why the Liu family's influence has been waning day by day. Have you heard about the curse—"

"Shh! They might hear us!"

Behind the reception desk, two ladies whispered among themselves, their voices a mixture of concern and curiosity.

But they weren't the only ones buzzing with speculation; the discovery of the Liu family's plight seemed to have set the entire place abuzz.

Liu Dongzi's decision to expose such a vulnerability in public was bold indeed, and now, the room was ripe with whispers, making it clear that if Zhang Wei declined the request, opportunists might swarm to exploit the Liu family's misfortune.

The murmurs and not-so-subtle glances cast towards Patriarch Liu Dongzi and Tang Dexin only served to darken their expressions further.

Meanwhile, Zhang Wei, adopting the pose of a sage by thoughtfully stroking where a beard might have been, contemplated the situation with an air of detachment.

"Where is your granddaughter currently, old man? I might as well gather some good karma once in a while," Zhang Wei finally said, his words igniting a spark of hope in the elder's eyes.

System, [Correction: The young master wants to pluck new flowers for addition to his collection, not karma!]

Zhang Wei, mentally adding to the system's correction, 'You forgot to include Money!'

_____

Inside a Rolls Royce speeding towards the Liu family manor, the atmosphere was charged with a peculiar blend of anticipation and intrigue.

Zhang Wei occupied the plush back seat, his presence alone an evidence to the weight of the situation, while Lisa sat beside him, her curiosity about his medical prowess unabated.

Patriarch Liu Dongzi took the co-pilot seat, his posture stiff with anxiety, as Tang Dexin trailed in a convoy of six sleek black Rolls Royces, their procession rolling through the streets of Qingyun.

The spectacle did not go unnoticed; whispers and speculation spread like wildfire, ensuring that the entire city was abuzz with the news.

"Old Liu, you mentioned your granddaughter is bedridden. What exactly did you mean by that?" With some distance still to cover before reaching their destination, Zhang Wei seized the moment to delve deeper into the matter at hand.

His inquiry was not just out of professional curiosity; it was also driven by a territorial instinct.

In his domain, he was the lone shark; others were mere fish, not permitted to prey upon the desperate.

Only he shall be allowed to prey!

Unaware that he was essentially striking a deal with the devil, Liu Dongzi's eyes brimmed with sorrow as he began his tale, "My granddaughter, Ling'er, five years ago..."