Chapter 855 — Guan Xin's Father
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Isn't that just stating the obvious? I know that much already!" Kang Jingming snapped. "What I need right now is a workable plan I can actually put on the table, not this kind of theoretical analysis from you! I'm out of time, don't you understand? The situation is this: my family is pressing me hard, and if I really can't get those formulas this time, my standing in the Kang family will plummet overnight. And you two idiots, without me backing you up, won't be swaggering around so high and mighty anymore either!"
"That..." Wang Shubin and Zhu Xiaozhang only realized, upon hearing this, how serious the matter had become. Indeed, if Kang Jingming fell out of favor in the Kang family, then the two of them, his underlings, naturally wouldn't be able to summon the wind and call the rain the way they did now.
At that thought, Wang Shubin drew a deep breath and began to rack his brains for a countermeasure.
Seeing him in thought, Kang Jingming did not disturb him. Among the three of them, Wang Shubin was the only one who could be called a strategist, so everything still depended on him.
"I've got it!" Wang Shubin suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Young Master Ming, all the signs suggest that Guan Xin is a good girl of the well-behaved type, and girls like that always listen to their families. So if we go straight to the Guan family with a proposal of marriage, there should be a certain chance of success! Think about it — you are the grandson of the renowned physician Kang, and Guan Xin is the granddaughter of Doctor Guan. Yours would be a union of the strong with the strong. I don't think Guan Xuewen would object, would he?"
"Your idea has some feasibility, but you need to understand this clearly: I'm going after Guan Xin not to marry her. I only want to use her to wheedle those formulas out of the Guan family. If I can have some fun along the way, so much the better; if not, no loss. But marriage is absolutely out of the question!" Kang Jingming said. "Once I've got the formulas out of them, how could I possibly marry her? And even if it were a fake marriage, my grandfather would have to put in an appearance. I can't very well go barging up to Guan Xuewen to propose like some fool, can I? Do you think Guan Xuewen would believe that?"
"That..." Wang Shubin hesitated. "Young Master Ming, how about this — you go pay a visit, saying you only want to have more contact with Guan Xin and make friends with her? It's not a formal proposal, but it's still a hint. I imagine Guan Xuewen won't refuse outright, and that way, your getting close to Guan Xin will be perfectly proper and justified?"
"Hmm... that makes sense!" Kang Jingming nodded. "But I'm not familiar with Guan Xuewen, and I've never even met him. What if he objects when the time comes?"
"That... I think, Young Master Ming, since you're not formally proposing, only suggesting that you'd like to make friends with Guan Xin, Guan Xuewen will be constrained by appearances and probably won't turn you down to your face. As long as he doesn't refuse, the thing can be done," Wang Shubin said. "Of course, if Guan Xuewen is strongly opposed, then even if you did win Guan Xin over, he would find some way to break the two of you apart, and he certainly wouldn't hand the formulas over to Guan Xin so easily!"
"You're right! The key is still the Guan family's attitude! Then shall we go pay Guan Xuewen a visit?" Kang Jingming nodded. "I'll have to discuss it with the family first. I can't go empty-handed — I'll need to bring some gifts."
As the three of them were talking, the hospital reached quitting time. Guan Xin and Li Xiaomei walked out of the hospital, and as they neared the entrance, Guan Xin said to Li Xiaomei, "Xiaomei, take the commuter bus by yourself today. I have something else to do..."
"Oh? A date?" Li Xiaomei was slightly taken aback, then looked at Guan Xin with a teasing smile. "Don't tell me it's with that Kang Jingming?"