Was her ankle not sprained?
Was it all some weird hoax, after all?
That would mean that Yao RanandYang Nianwere really doing something else when they were alone in the room…
Doctor Bai scowled in obvious displeasure. “If you refuse to believe my judgment, then there’s nothing I can do about it. You may go to the hospital right now and take an x-ray to see whether I’m telling the truth or not.”
Yao Ran acted like she was cornered and didn’t have any other choice. She nodded her head unwillingly. “All right, I’ll follow your advice and go to the hospital later…”
“Ranran,” someone from the crowd spoke up. “Since the doctor says that you have a fracture, you should get that checked as soon as possible. How can you put this off for later? Unless, of course, you’re really not hurt. What were you and Yang Nianeven doing in this room, then?”
“That’s right, the doctor himself told you that your injury is serious,” another person chimed in. “How can you not believe him? Do you realize you’re only contradicting yourself?”
“Hey, hey. Could it be that you and Yang Nianare intentionally hiding something from everyone here?”
The guests voiced out their suspicions without restraint.
This was exactly what Yao Ranwanted to achieve.
She plastered a sheepish smile on her face and changed the subject. “Isn’t it about time for the dance? Aren’t you guys going to resume the party? Look, I can’t hold you up like this.” And then she added, “Besides, I can’t possibly go to the hospital when the whole district has been sealed off.”
That last remark was, of course, meant to fuel everyone’s assumptions some more. She made is sound as though she was trying to delay the hospita visit on purpose.
“It’s all right,” Yang Nianfinally said. “You’ve fractured your bone. That makes yours a special case. Everyone knows you can’t be the criminal, anyway. I’ll vouch for your clearance and have someone take you to the hospital. Our family wouldn’t dare to prolong your suffering and keep you from getting treated in time.”
Through it all, Yao Tanglooked on with a bored expression. She even yawned once or twice.
As a matter of fact, she could have left if she wanted. No one would be able to stop her.
But if she slipped away now, the head of the Yang family might realize that the person they were looking for was her.
She could only endure and cringe in silence, or she would risk exposing herself to Yang Jiang.
In truth, she hadn’t expected the man to pin the blame on another person and cast his net over the subdivision to try and catch this so-called thief.
Well, at least she was safe for the time being. That didn’t necessarily mean that she wanted to stay for the rest of the party, though.
“I can’t be the criminal, either,” Yao Tangpiped up. “May I also be excused?”
Wang Si turned to her in surprise. Several questions were dancing on the tip of her tongue. Was Yao Tang annoyed by the show? Why didn’t she have even the slightest interest in this juicy piece of gossip? She had been itching to leave since the beginning…
‘Perhaps, it’s because Yao Tangis a student achiever, unlike most of us here.’
More importantly, she had been dragged into this issue repeatedly, despite her obvious resistance.
Wang Si couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for her newfound friend.
Yao Tang was forced to stand here and witness this distasteful scene, getting unexpectedly involved herself. She must be feeling terrible.
Although, to be fair, if her family didn’t have any dealings with the Yang family, Wang Siwouldn’t have come to the banquet, either.
“Are you hungry?” Yang NianaskedYao Tangin a gentle and endearing tone. He deliberately ignored her comment.
“There’s cake downstairs. I’ll have someone send it up. Or if you want to eat something else, just tell me, and I’ll get the kitchen to make it right away.”
Yao Tang frowned. “There’s no need for that,” she grumbled.
“The district is indeed sealed off,” the butler said slowly, his voice carrying over to the crowd. “If Miss Yao Ran’s injury were any less severe, the community administration would never agree to excuse her from the investigation.”
Then, he specifically addressed Yao Tang. “I can only say that you haven’t been around our Young Master that long, so you may not know his character very well. If you did, I’m sure you wouldn’t be so resistant toward him.
“Since this engagement has long been agreed by the two families’ elders, the Yang family naturally takes it seriously and would never dream about dishonoring the arrangement.
“We respect the Young Miss’ sentiments, of course. However, we hope that you can spend some time with the Young Master first. If you still cannot accept him after getting to know each other, then maybe you can bring it up to the elders and have the engagement canceled. Until then, please do not have any prejudices against Young Master Yang.
“The criminal we are hunting down is armed. We wouldn’t dare to let you walk out under such dangerous circumstances.”
The butler looked sincere in his concern for Yao Tang, so much so that even the guests were moved.
Not only that, but they also realized just how much the Yang family valued Yao Tang.
The butler had never spoken with such reverence to Yao Ran, or indeed, to any other outsider.
Some of them envied Yao Tangfor that and began sizing her up discreetly.
Yang Nian paid them no mind and called the maid over. “Go and take the custom-made cake from the fridge and bring it here.”
The maid nodded and wasted no time scampering downstairs.
She returned shortly after, carrying a pink box. “Is this it, Young Master.”
“Yes.”
Yang Nian took the box and opened it, revealing a delectable strawberry cake.