Tang Zhiyi, who hadn't expected Tang Sheng to say that, suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with astonishment.
"Sir, your tea is ready."
Just then, Aunt Liu knocked on the door of the study.
Aunt Liu put the tea out and left. Tang Zhiyi stood there, stunned, not knowing what to say.
"I... Meng Wan... after all, she's been classmates with the other students for two years, so naturally they're closer." Tang Zhiyi made an excuse, even forgetting how to address her.
"So you can't compete with her, so you can only take your anger out on people who are lower in status than you?"
"I...I'm sorry," Tang Zhiyi apologized instinctively. She lowered her head and didn't see the disappointment in Tang Sheng's eyes.
"Apologize for what?" Tang Sheng's expression was authoritative without his anger. He stared at Tang Zhiyi as if she were his subordinate, without any of the warmth that should exist between father and daughter.
"I shouldn't have taken my anger out on the maid after being upset at school." Tang Zhiyi lowered her head, concealing the resentment and humiliation in her eyes.
"wrong!"
Tang Zhiyi was puzzled but dared not refute. Tang Sheng left his seat and stepped forward. Tang Zhiyi became even more afraid to look up, and could only stare at the leather shoes standing in front of him.
“Raise your head.”
Tang Zhiyi trembled in fright, but still slowly raised her head and forced herself to look Tang Sheng in the eye. Her eyes were full of avoidance, but they reminded Tang Sheng of a pair of calm eyes that were so calm that they had no fluctuations, like a stagnant pool of water that no one could stir up.
“You can bully the servants, but the premise is that you can’t let anyone catch you doing anything wrong. If you want to have a place in the class, then fight for it yourself. Use money, use connections, use everything you can to turn people into your connections and secure a place in the class. I don’t care what methods you use, I just want one result.”
Tang Zhiyi's eyes were filled with disbelief, but Tang Sheng just looked at her coldly.
“I don’t care what you were like before. Now you’re surnamed Tang and you’re carrying the Tang family’s name, so you have to behave and act in accordance with the Tang family. I can’t accept someone who has taken the Tang family’s name and yet has defeated my Tang family. I don’t need that either. Do you understand? If you can’t do that, I don’t mind bringing Tang Wan back.”
"I can do it, I will." Tang Zhiyi could no longer hide her ambition when she heard the last sentence. She clenched her fists, her eyes filled with determination and ruthlessness.
Tang Sheng expressed his satisfaction. "I'll contact a wedding planner for you. Tomorrow's family reunion banquet is very important, so don't make any mistakes."
"Yes." Tang Zhiyi finally smiled.
Tang Sheng nodded and waved her out. The study door was locked, and Tang Zhiyi's legs went weak; she almost tripped and fell.
"Meng Wan! I am the eldest daughter of the Tang family. You are destined to be nothing more than my stepping stone. You will bear all the pain alone!" She flung her hand and left the study.
One night, each with their own thoughts.
The next day, the brother and sister took the bus to school as usual. When others saw them again, they didn't react as strongly as before. Although the incident at the food street had been circulated online, Meng Wan had anticipated it and had already covered it up before it escalated.
Everything remained calm and peaceful.
As soon as she entered the classroom, someone greeted her.
"Thanks for yesterday." The advantage of having a wide network of contacts is that it saves time and effort in whatever you do, and the results are also good.
"But it's a matter of just talking, much easier to handle than those celebrity gossips. I should thank you for bringing me those things."
Meng Wan smiled slightly, but didn't say anything more.
"Classmates, I apologize for what happened yesterday. These are some liqueur-filled chocolates that my father specially asked someone to bring back from abroad. If you accept them, I will consider it as your forgiveness for my rudeness yesterday."
Tang Zhiyi wore a sweet smile and spoke in a soft voice that made it hard to refuse. She held a box of chocolates, but apart from Sun Lu taking one, no one else touched them, and the atmosphere was eerily quiet.
Tang Zhiyi's smile froze for a moment, and she turned her gaze to Meng Wan.
"Wanwan, I was wrong about what I said yesterday. I'm sorry, can you forgive me?"
Meng Wan looked at her with a half-smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Tang Zhiyi maintained the posture of holding the chocolate box, and as time passed, the corners of her mouth became slightly stiff.
"If you accept it, then I'll take it as you forgiving me, please." Tang Zhiyi's affected tone gave Lan Xing goosebumps, and her face showed undisguised disgust.
Meng Wan smiled and reached out to take it, but Lan Xing's expression suddenly changed. "Wan, you..."
Meng Wan patted Tang Zhiyi's leg with her other hand and picked up a chocolate with her other hand. She waved it in front of Tang Zhiyi, still wearing that ambiguous smile.
Tang Zhiyi's lips twitched, and she gripped the corner of the box tightly. She took a deep breath, and when she turned to look at the others, she had already composed herself.
"Wanwan accepted them all, everyone don't need to worry, they're not poisoned." Tang Zhiyi said this, and the others naturally didn't want to make the situation too awkward. After accepting the chocolates and saying a few more polite words, they left. Peng Zhe did accept them, but he immediately gave them to someone else. Only Lan Xing didn't accept them.
Meng Wan toyed with the chocolate in her palm, lost in thought, while Lan Xing simply snatched it away. Meng Wan chuckled, but offered no reproach, her expression subtly one of indulgence and tolerance.
"What's she up to? She's like a completely different person overnight. Is she possessed?" Lan Xing tossed the chocolate onto the desk, leaned close to Meng Wan's ear, and rubbed his arm. His expression and tone revealed his disgust, which he neither wanted to hide nor could hide.
Meng Wan chuckled, "Who knows?"
Lan Xing raised an eyebrow and stopped talking about Tang Zhiyi.
"My husband asked me to attend the family reunion banquet tonight. I heard that the two from the Tang family are coming back today."
"Go ahead, tonight should be quite interesting," Meng Wan said meaningfully.
"Really?" Lan Xing's previously uninterested face instantly lit up.
"Those two are a madman and a little madman."
"But I remember Tang Sheng is known for being very concerned about his reputation. Would he allow them to act wildly at such an important occasion as the family reunion banquet?"
Meng Wan raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips. She said nothing, yet she said everything.
Lan Xing also smiled and said, "Then I'll have to sit in the front row tonight and enjoy the view."
Time passed slowly, and finally, school was over. Lan Xing didn't drive her motorcycle today; her driver was already waiting for her at the gate. As for Tang Zhiyi, she was picked up by the Tang family driver in the afternoon, undoubtedly to prepare for tonight's banquet.
"I'm leaving now, I'll give you a live stream later."
Meng Wan chuckled and waved goodbye to Lan Xing, while Meng Zhili also came out of the school gate at that moment and walked towards her.
"Let's go back too."
"I have to go somewhere and will be back later, so I won't be with you."
Meng Zhili was taken aback. "Is it because of the family reunion banquet?"
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