925 Yang Ming Learned Something
Yang Ming leaned over and grabbed Yao Ran by the chin, forcing her to look at him. His eyes flashed viciously, but a touch of desire was also present in their depths.
“Mark my words, if the data is gone, your existence will no longer have any value. Besides, didn’t I tell you that we’re going to discuss the deal? I have something else in mind, you see.”
Yao Ran trembled under his gaze, her tears streaming freely down her cheeks. She mustered all her courage and spoke through gritted teeth.
“What is it?”
Seeing that she had become more compliant, Yang Ming gestured at the two other men to leave. Then he took his handkerchief out of his pocket and gently wiped Yao Ran’s tears, as if he was handling an exquisite doll.
“Give me the rest of the data, and I’ll make an announcement saying that you are my beloved sister. That way, you will still be under my protection. You may not become my fiancé, but no one in the entire City A would dare to look down on you.”
So he was planning to recognize her as his nominal sister? Yao Ran considered her options. Yang Ming had a point—although she would not marry into the Yang family, this arrangement would still give her more or less the same benefits.
More importantly, she had no way of knowing what he would do to her if she refused. She had always known Yang Ming to be ruthless and unpredictable, but she had never really understood its extent. Now that she had experienced it for herself, the only thing she felt toward him was fear.
Yao Ran bit her lip and nodded reluctantly.
“That’s just the first part, though. I’ve recently heard about something very interesting. Do you want me to share it with you?” Yang Ming was obviously in a good mood now. He released his hold on Yao Ran and even smiled. He didn’t give her a chance to respond and added in a light tone, “I learned that you are, in fact, not a daughter of the Yao family.”
His words hit Yao Ran like a lightning bolt. ‘I’ve been found out!’
To think that the matter had reached the ears of an outsider. She was going to lose face in society! Worse still, she might get sent back to that dirty village hut and lose all everything she had acquired when the Yao family had taken her in—wealth, reputation, popularity, everything!
Yao Ran was more scared than she had ever been.
“You… Who did you hear that from?” Her voice was shaking uncontrollably.
“Why, your dear adoptive father, of course! I had a meal with him a while ago, and we drank a little. His lips just went loose.”
“No, that’s impossible! Dad would never tell anyone! He said so himself.” The mere thought of being betrayed by the person she was closest to was like a physical blow to Yao Ran.
Yang Ming smirked, satisfied by her reaction, but not nearly satisfied enough. He drew closer to whisper in his ear. “Why would it be impossible? He also talked on and on about how much he regrets listening to his wife and sending Yao Tang to live with his brother’s family, just to keep you as their daughter. He said that Yao Tang is better than you in every way, that she would have brought more honor to the family than you could ever hope for.”
“That’s enough! How is that good-for-nothing wench better than me? She’s just a nameless bumpkin from some mountain village. All she knows is tricks and seduction. She can never compare to me!”
Not wanting to hear what else he had to say, Yao Ran covered her ears and screamed as she shook her head back and forth.
“All right, calm down and be good. Our Ranran is certainly the best girl in the world, hmm? While Yao Tang is just a nobody from the country. Of course, she cannot compare to my Ranran.”
Yang Ming took her into his arms and stroked her back, his words of comfort a double-edged sword laced with threats.
Yao Ran was spiraling into despair. Nobody should have known about this!
Her emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride since they’d started this conversation, and she was exhausted. She pulled back and looked at Yang Ming in a mix of fear and defeat.
“What is it that you want?”
A sinister smile appeared on Yang Ming’s face. Now, this was more like it. He glanced at Yao Ran’s plumped lips, then down to her ample chest. He made no effort to conceal the lust in his eyes.
“I will come and find you tonight,” he said before nibbling on her earlobe
Yao Ran stiffened, her jaw hanging open. She wanted to say something, to push him away, but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything.
Her face had gone red, but it wasn’t from the embarrassed delight that usually plagued young people experiencing puppy love. Rather, it was from shame and outrage.
Yang Ming fondled her for a while before letting her go.
“Come on, it’s time for us to go out. I still have an announcement to make.”
Moments later, Yao Ran stood among the crowd like a mindless zombie as she listened to Yang Ming speak up on the stage. He spun a tale about they had hit it off at their first meeting and immediately became good friends. He claimed that they always helped each other during tough times, and that Old Madam Yao’s birthday banquet was no different. Yang Ming declared that he considered Yao Ran a sister, and that the talk of marriage between them was nothing more than a scheme to protect her.
Qin Man and Yao Yuan couldn’t believe their ears, but they didn’t have the nerve to walk up to Yang Ming and demand an explanation. And so, they turned their questions to Yao Ran.
“Ranran, what the hell is going on?!”
