Climbing The Ranks As The Best Doctor

Chapter 1: Shen.

Shen was a man of principle. 

Ambition. 

He did his best to get whatever it was that he desired, morals be damned. It mattered not if he was right or wrong, or had, say, slightly taken advantage of a certain woman's compromised state the night before – like the one currently looming over him, drenching him in ice water without even a good morning.

"YOU!" she shrieked, the water jug wobbling precariously in her hand, splashing onto the bed and floor.

"Yes, me! Hi, The name's Sh..."

"You rapist! What did you do to me?" she screamed, her voice reaching a pitch usually reserved for shattering glass.

Shen blinked. Once. Twice, before slowly lifting his hands in supplication, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, sweetheart, let's not jump to conclusions because I did no such thing."

"Yes, you did! You lying, low-down, son-of-a… Where are my clothes? My bag? And who sent you to assassinate me, or rape me?" She was officially on a roll.

Shen rolled his eyes, mentally calculating the odds of successfully calming her down before she summoned the hotel staff.

“Fine, then, let's take a quick question: Where exactly were you last night?" He asked her.

The woman didn't respond, looking weary as she stared at Shen.

Shen sighed and sat up fully, pulling off the wet bedsheets and rising to his feet, ignoring the way the woman scuttled from him.

With a wide yawn, she sauntered over to the wardrobe (doing his best to ignore the water squishing between his toes) and retrieved her clothes. 

The woman immediately snatched them and ran into the bathroom, clutching the blanket like a lifeline. 

Shen just huffed. 

A few moments later, she emerged looking less like she might murder him. 

"So?" he prompted.

"What do you want?" she hissed, her eyes darting around the room until she spotted her bag and lunged for it but stopped herself as though she just remembered something.

"You don't remember, do you?" Shen sighed dramatically, then took a step towards her, "You were drugged, how and by whom I don't care. I also do not know why, but again, I don't care. But what I do know is that you came to me, begging. Pleading that I, the epitome of chivalry and rugged good looks, take you home. Away from the danger, you said. I, of course, initially refused, but then you promised to reward me with a night only with the most beautiful woman in the city. And I'd have you know, I didn't think it was you right until you took off your top……. Which was amazing,” Shen grinned, adding a wink for good measure.

"No..." She paused in confusion.

"Yes! Think about it!" he urged.

The woman squinted, her brow furrowed in concentration. "The club… I was at the club," she said slowly.

"Good! Good! And we're in the room lodged in the same club!" He pushed, watching her face wrinkle in confusion as fragmented memories flickered across her mind like a broken strobe light.

"I… I drank something that made me dizzy," she said, glaring at him as if he were personally responsible for the spiked drink.

The man immediately refuted.

"Wouldn't know. I wasn't there. You met me at the entrance on your way out," Shen added helpfully.

She looked away, a blush creeping up her neck. "Perhaps… perhaps you are right. I remember being drugged and… approaching a certain man for his help. But did you need to take advantage of me in such a… manner?"

Shen shrugged a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Hey, lady, even if it happened again, I would have done the same thing, darling! Like they say, opportunity knocks but once," Shen eyed her body once more, earning another glare.

She quickly grabbed her bag and rummaged inside, pulling out a wad of cash before thrusting it towards Shen.

"Here! Take it!" she commanded.

Shen looked at the money with disdain. "What's this for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your silence! Not a word about this must ever leave your lips, much less this room! Do you understand?" She stared at Shen, her eyes narrowed to slits.

But Shen slapped her hand away, sending the money fluttering to the floor like confetti. 

"I have no need for your money. I’ll do as I please," he responded, crossing his arms.

The woman seemed aghast. "Is that not enough for you? Just how much does one need to pay for a man's silence these days?" She hissed, then muttered under her breath, "Ugh! Poor people."

She dropped the remaining bundles of money on the bed and pulled out even more cash. 

Shen only felt more insulted. Was she trying to wallpaper the room with her wealth?

"You will stop this foolish act of yours this instant," Shen commanded, his voice suddenly sharp. The woman looked stunned as if he'd just spoken to her in Spanish. 

She looked at Shen in disbelief, dropping her bag with a thud.

"Do you have any idea of who I am? Or who my grandfather is?" she asked, her voice dripping with arrogance.

"A spoiled brat, for sure," Shen snickered. 

She looked visibly irritated by that statement but continued her tirade.

"I am Rosa. Rosa Han. And my grandfather is Master Han. The ruler of the Han Group and Dynasty. The head of our clan and the Prime of this region! Who do you dare think you are?" Rosa glared at him, puffing out her chest like an indignant pigeon.

"And I… couldn't care less!" Shen chuckled, leaning against the wall with an air of utter nonchalance. 

Rosa, as she had revealed, looked visibly hurt by his statement, as if he'd just kicked her favourite puppy. 

Never had she been so thoroughly disrespected in her life!

Shen, on the other hand, looked at her with amusement.

She looked as though she was in distress, agony. 

The sight of it all gave Shen just as much pleasure as he had gotten from her last night. 

Maybe even more.

"You're going to regret those words," she spat, her voice laced with venom.

Shen shrugged and wandered about the room, examining the questionable artwork on the walls. 

He had other things to think about, like finding a decent breakfast buffet. 

He ignored Rosa for the time being.

"Don't ignore me, you gremlin! Accept this money! Use it however you wish! Buy a new set of clothes and change from the garbage you are wearing!" She cursed at him, her voice rising in volume with each insult.

"The audacity of this peasant! Ignoring the name of my family! I could lift your entire family from poverty with a snap of my fingers, yet here you stand, disrespecting the Han family!"

And ….Shen had had enough. 

He stopped his faux art critique and turned to her with a cold stare.

The woman fell silent, her eyes widening as the tall man walked up to her with deliberate steps.

“Wha-?”

Before she could finish he rushed up to her and pinned her to the bed with both hands on her wrists. 

“Hey!”

She struggled to free herself from his grip but to no avail. 

"Listen here, you Han brat. I do not care who you are or where you come from. Neither do I give two fucks about how rich you are. I won't be accepting your money, and this shall be the end of our conversation." He said, releasing her and standing up.

Turning on his heel he was about to leave,

his mind filled with thoughts of breakfast and other pressing matters when he saw Rosa struggling to breathe. 

Purple lines began appearing on her neck, spreading down to her chest like a grotesque vine.

Shen froze. "Thousand Arts Poison…" he whispered, his eyes widening in alarm.

 He quickly rushed to her side and, without a second thought, pulled down her top, revealing her perky breasts and chest in the process.

It was indeed The Thousand Arts Poison, unmistakable in its gruesome display.

 Before he could make a move, Rosa slapped him across the face with such force that it echoed through the room, leaving a red welt blooming on his cheek.

"You disgusting molester! Get your perverted hands off me!" she screamed.