Rebirth: The Villainous Young Master in a Novel

Chapter 7: An Unconventional Fiancée

———

It wasn’t that his memory was poor, but rather that a book spanning hundreds of thousands of words inevitably included countless characters. Many minor characters, like Ye Wensheng, were either briefly mentioned or made a fleeting appearance before being forgotten. As long as they weren’t part of the protagonist’s camp, there was no need to remember them in detail.

The woman before him was undoubtedly one of those fleeting characters—more accurately, a member of the antagonist’s camp. Her purpose was to serve as a stepping stone or background for the protagonist!

She was also Shen Guotao’s daughter, named Shen Yixian, the eldest in the family. She was portrayed as a haughty, domineering rich second-generation heiress, a classic femme fatale who took pleasure in bullying the poor and trampling on their dignity.

In her only appearance in the novel, Shen Yixian was depicted as trying to drive out impoverished patients who couldn’t afford medical treatment, hurling insults and disdain at them.

At that moment, the righteous protagonist, Ye Tian, naturally stepped in to stop her, even daring to rebuke Shen Yixian for her lack of humanity.

Enraged, Shen Yixian was about to fire Ye Tian when a high-ranking government official suddenly fell ill at the hospital. Thanks to a recommendation from the internet tycoon, the official specifically requested Ye Tian to treat him.

Later, Ye Tian miraculously cured the official with ease. Seizing the opportunity, he exposed the incident of the poor patients being driven out of the hospital, thoroughly humiliating Shen Yixian.

In the end, under the government official’s intervention, Shen Yixian not only received a scolding from Shen Guotao but was also forced to abandon her decision to fire Ye Tian.

As for the engagement between Shen Yixian and Song Shicheng… that was purely an oversight!

When writing this part, the original intention was to pair up these two “villains” so that the protagonist, Ye Tian, could deal with them together. Thus, the idea of a marriage alliance between the Song and Shen families for mutual benefit was introduced. Little did he expect that he would now be caught up in this mess himself!

Is this the so-called “fiancée trope”?

However, in other novels, the protagonists’ fiancées are usually stunningly beautiful, virtuous, and kind-hearted goddesses. Who would have thought that the one before him would be such a venomous and ruthless character?

Seeing the myriad of expressions on Song Shicheng’s face, Shen Yixian expertly flicked the ash from her cigarette and said with interest, “You’re not playing the amnesia card, are you?”

“It’s just the aftereffects of a concussion. Please bear with me, Queen Xian,” Song Shicheng quickly deflected.

“Good, at least you remember my nickname. That’s enough,” Shen Yixian said, dropping the subject.

Thankfully, he remembered Shen Yixian’s nickname… Song Shicheng sighed in relief while stealing a few more glances at her. He noticed that her appearance seemed slightly different from how he had described her in the novel. If he recalled correctly, he had written her as slightly overweight, but the woman before him was undeniably a tall, rich, and beautiful socialite.

“Uh… have you lost some weight?”

“You just noticed?”

Shen Yixian’s mood instantly brightened. She straightened her graceful figure, tilted her pretty face, and smiled. “I just finished a few rounds of slimming and beauty injections. Combined with some strict dieting and exercise recently, the results have been pretty good. After all, our wedding is coming up soon. With so many guests and media attending, I need to look my best.”

“Ah… I see. You’ve really put in the effort, huh?” Song Shicheng felt a bit embarrassed. So, it was the result of some minor cosmetic procedures.

But thinking about it, it made sense. She had plenty of money, and her family was in the medical business. Tweaking her appearance was probably a breeze for her.

As the saying goes, there are no ugly women, only lazy ones. Any woman who knows how to dress up, accessorize with luxury brands, and slim down a bit can easily become a beauty.

Besides, Shen Yixian and the female protagonist, Shen Xiaoyan, were sisters. If Shen Xiaoyan was naturally stunning, how bad could Shen Yixian’s base appearance be?

Previously, he had described Shen Yixian as slightly overweight purely out of the “villains are ugly” trope.

Thankfully, this villainess had worked hard to reshape herself, sparing him from marrying an unattractive woman… However, Song Shicheng couldn’t shake a faint sense of unease, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong.

As he was lost in thought, the hospital room door opened again, and several doctors and nurses walked in, including Shen Xiaoyan!

“Manager Shen! You’re here!”

The medical staff quickly bowed and greeted her.

Shen Yixian merely nodded slightly, leisurely puffing on her cigarette while giving Song Shicheng a teasing glance, as if mocking him for his earlier “joke.”

Only Shen Xiaoyan hesitated, smiling awkwardly as she reminded her, “Sister, this is a hospital room. Smoking isn’t really appropriate here.”

“Oh, I forgot there might actually be someone who would lecture me.”

Having been publicly reprimanded, Shen Yixian rolled her eyes in annoyance and casually stubbed out her cigarette in a flowerpot. She then said nonchalantly, “Dr. Shen, you’re really dedicated to your job. If everyone in the hospital were like you, Chairman Shen and I wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

Although her words sounded polite, everyone could tell they were laced with sarcasm!

“Sister, I was just suggesting… I didn’t mean anything else…” Shen Xiaoyan said timidly, clearly intimidated.

“Dr. Shen! In the workplace, please address me properly.”

Shen Yixian’s face turned stern, her eyes cold as she spoke sharply, “Although we are related by blood, I don’t want to bring personal relationships into work. I’ve told you this many times before. I hope this is the last time!”

Shen Xiaoyan shrank back, nodding meekly.

Song Shicheng watched this scene unfold and sighed inwardly.

Of course, he knew why the relationship between Shen Yixian and Shen Xiaoyan was so strained.

Although they were both Shen Guotao’s daughters, their statuses were quite different.

According to the novel’s character settings, Shen Yixian was the daughter of Shen Guotao’s first wife, making her the legitimate heiress. She had been doted on since childhood and quickly rose to a high position in the family business after graduation, managing several hospitals. This Qingmao Hospital was entirely under her control, a clear sign of Shen Guotao’s deep affection for her.

Shen Xiaoyan, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Her mother was a woman Shen Guotao had taken in after his first wife passed away. She came from a humble background and didn’t even have a formal status!

In ancient terms, Shen Xiaoyan would be considered a concubine’s daughter, with little to no benefits or inheritance rights. Now, at Qingmao Hospital, she was just an ordinary junior doctor, constantly subjected to her elder sister’s hostility and bullying.

Why did the author set it up this way?

Because making the female protagonist a junior doctor made it easier for her to have daily interactions with the grassroots protagonist, Ye Tian. Later, after enduring humiliation and mistreatment at home, Shen Xiaoyan would rebel against her family, join forces with Ye Tian, and together they would rise against the antagonists like Song Shicheng and Shen Guotao.

Of course, at this point in the story, Shen Xiaoyan and Ye Tian’s relationship was still pure—perhaps a few heartbeats, a few blushes, and some budding feelings, but she remained chaste and untouched…

*Ding! Love main quest issued: Marry the female protagonist, Shen Xiaoyan. Note: This quest is marked as red and must be completed. Failure will result in the character’s deletion!*