C14 14

The response left Ming Chengkang and Ye Tang momentarily frozen, unable to utter another word. They had unilaterally decided to give Jiang Yining the status of a foster daughter and had asked her to keep it a secret. At the time, she had agreed without protest. They had assumed she would understand their predicament. Little did they know it would turn into an irrefutable reason they could not dismiss. Under the table, Ming Qingcheng's hand was clenched tightly, while her right hand rested gently on Ye Tang's, soothingly saying, "Dad, Mom, let's not rush into this. Sister has just had a major change in her living situation and hasn't settled in yet. Once she's adjusted, we can revisit the issue. Wouldn't that be better?" Her words seemed to soften Ming Chengkang's expression a bit. He shot a stern look at Jiang Yining and gave a cold grunt, signaling the end of the discussion for the time being.

The matter was temporarily put to rest. Because Jiang Yining refused to change her surname, Ming Chengkang felt he had lost face. After dinner, he returned to the company. Ye Tang felt stifled as well. Making her biological daughter an adopted daughter was something the Ming family was in the wrong about, and she had no way to blame Jiang Yining for it. Over the next few days, Ye Tang deliberately kept her distance from Jiang Yining, waiting for her to soften first, hoping she would come to her senses on her own.

​