Manipulative Harem God

Just as Zhang Wei's hands were about to part from Liu Ling'er, the tranquility of the room was shattered by a resounding boom.

"Where is that quack doctor!"

Both occupants of the room turned towards the source of the commotion, exchanging a look, perhaps a silent agreement that peace had just taken an unscheduled vacation.

"You are that quack retending to be a doctor?" Xiao Yan's gaze, sharp and accusing, darted between Zhang Wei and Liu Ling'er.

Unfortunately for him, Zhang Wei's position—sitting close to Liu Ling'er's legs in what could only be described as an ambiguous posture—did little to clarify the situation.

"You!!?" Xiao Yan's face reddened with anger, his emotions a turbulent sea.

The damsel he had silently vowed to protect and for whom he harbored secret affections seemed to have been claimed by another.

"XIAO YAN! I WARNED YOU NOT TO DISTURB DOCTOR ZHANG!"

Bang!

Liu Dongzi's reprimand, coupled with the sudden thwack of his walking stick, seemed less about defending a professional and more about disciplining a misbehaving puppy that had gotten too excited.

"Ah!? —grandpa!?" Xiao Yan, momentarily transformed from a would-be defender of virtue into a chastened schoolboy, could only gape as his legs bore the brunt of elder discipline.

His pale face, a canvas of shock, confusion, and dawning realization, might have told a bystander that he was reevaluating several of his life choices at that moment.

....

"W-Why are you beating me?!" Xiao Yan's cry, filled with both pain and bewilderment, echoed through the room as Liu Dongzi wielded his "holy stick of judgment" with an intensity that seemed to transcend the heaven.

"Who the hell is this clown...?" Zhang Wei, thoroughly perplexed by the unfolding scene, turned to Liu Ling'er for some semblance of explanation, only to see her wearing an expression that mirrored his confusion.

"He is... Xiao Yan," Liu Ling'er began, her voice trailing off as she shared a snippet of family history. "My father took him in as an adopted son five years ago, because..."

Before she could finish, Zhang Wei's hand was over her mouth, stopping her mid-sentence. "So he wanted a replacement in case something happened to you, and due to the curse, your father wasn't able to have another child?" he deduced, his question causing Liu Ling'er's complexion to turn a shade paler.

With a hesitant nod, Liu Ling'er confirmed his suspicion, her admission barely audible before Xiao Yan's shrill cry filled the air.

"Bastard! Who are you calling a replacement! I am also a legitimate son of the Liu family!" he barked, his words momentarily pausing Liu Dongzi's disciplinary actions.

"Shut up, you imbecile! If not for my son, I would kill you today!" Liu Dongzi's rebuke was as sharp as his stick was merciless, each subsequent strike landing with increased ferocity.

"Argh! Grandpa! Listen—ahhh!" Xiao Yan's protests devolved into pained yelps as he attempted to evade the relentless onslaught, rolling around the floor in a display that was pathetic.

....

"Father! What are you doing?" The alarmed shout echoed through the hallway as Liu Cong made a hasty entrance, drawn by the Xiao Yan's unending screams.

His eyes widened at the domestic battlefield before him.

"Father you say!? You dare to defend this imbecile, after he's interrupted Ling'er's treatment?" Liu Dongzi, momentarily caught off guard by his son's arrival, could only cough and step back, as if physically distancing himself from the accusation.

Xiao Yan, seizing the moment, sprung to his feet, his clothes hanging in tatters. "Who's stopping sister's treatment? I was merely unmasking this Quack saving her from potential mishaps!" he declared, oozing a misplaced confidence that only served to darken Liu Cong's expression further.

Without hesitation, Liu Dongzi delivered another righteous thwack.

Bang!

"Bastard! You dare call Doctor Zhang a quack! Your whole lineage consists of quacks! Your ancestors are the original quacks! Don't undermine the monumental effort it took to bring Doctor Zhang her" Liu Dongzi's voice dropped into a mix of exhaustion and outrage.

"SCRAM!!!"

BANG!

"AH!?" Xiao Yan's retort was cut short as Liu Dongzi, driven to the brink of endurance, kicked him out from the room, his chest heaving from the exertion. "Scoundrel! Don't you dare return!"

"Father! Ah—" Liu Cong's attempt to mediate was abruptly silenced by a sharp cry of his own.

"It's your fault he's here! Fix this mess, or I'll throw him out "Father! Ah—" Liu Cong's attempt to mediate was abruptly silenced by a sharp cry of his own.

myself!" Liu Dongzi, sparing no one from his wrath, turned his stick of judgement towards Liu Cong, who flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger before hurrying after his adopted son.

....

"Doctor Zhang! I apologize for the disruption. My son is unable to see that he is being misled. He's fixated on the Liu family's fortune, yet, tragically, my son is too blind to recognize it," Liu Dongzi lamented, turning towards Zhang Wei to offer his apologies.

Zhang Wei, his expression contemplative, posed a question that echoed through the room. "Did your granddaughter fall ill after you adopted him, or was it before?"

??

The suddenness of the question caught Liu Dongzi off guard, his confusion mirrored in Liu Ling'er's equally perplexed gaze.

!!

The shared moment of realization between grandfather and granddaughter opened a new vein of suspicion.

"No way..." The thought barely escaped Liu Dongzi as he grappled with the implications, but Zhang Wei, keen to avoid further disturbances, gently ushered the elder out. "Old Liu, for now, leave this matter aside. Whether or not he is involved is irrelevant to me. My focus is on healing your granddaughter."

"T-Thank you, Doctor Zhang! I will certainly investigate this matter further. And if I find that scoundrel responsible..." Liu Dongzi's eyes sparkled with a menacing promise, yet Zhang Wei, prioritizing the need for peace and concentration, closed the door firmly behind him, ensuring a quiet space free from further interruptions.

As the door clicked shut, the room returned to a state of calm, leaving Zhang Wei and Liu Ling'er in a bubble of tranquility, ready to focus on the healing process without the shadow of family conflicts over them.