967 Pride and Regrets
Jiang Wan was indignant! Her chest heaved up and down with outrage. She usually never bothered to argue with Qin Man when the latter was on one of her tirades, but this matter concerned Yao Tang. As her mother, Jiang Wan naturally wouldn’t let it slide.

“Yao Tang is my daughter now,” she retorted, putting her hands on her hips. “So what if she didn’t take the college entrance exams? Even if she dropped out of high school, our family wouldn’t give a damn.

“I don’t care how good or bad she does in her studies. As her mother, I only wish for her to be healthy and happy in life.

“I am not like you. You’re incapable, and so, you seek to compensate for your insecurities through your daughter, forcing her to do things she doesn’t want to do just to feed your ego. If you really want to be superior to others, then stop abusing your daughter and strive for it yourself!”

These words struck a nerve in Qin Man. She pointed a trembling finger at Jiang Wan and said, “How dare you speak to me like that? I am still your sister-in-law! Such foul manners… I shall teach you a lesson today!”

Unfazed, Jiang Wan simply rolled her eyes. “Teach me a lesson? Are you unaware that your husband’s business now relies on our family for support?
“I think we both know that if things had been left with your husband, given his paltry abilities and connections, the Yao family would have long since collapsed. I admit that I’ve never measured up to you in terms of wealth or power, but I never really cared about that. You’re the only one who does.

“I used to feel sorry for Tangtang for having you as her mother. You were so biased toward your adopted daughter that you even threw out your own flesh and blood.

“But now that things have come to this, it’s clearly better that Tangtang came to us. If she stayed with you, God only knows what kind of torture or neglect she would have to endure!”

Jiang Wan took a deep breath and waved her hand at Qin Man. “Well, I have spoken my piece. If there is nothing else, please leave. I am going to have lunch.”

Not only was Qin Man’s purpose foiled, but she had also been dealt a verbal lashing. She had no choice but to leave, albeit begrudgingly.

But even on her way home, Jiang Wan’s words kept repeating inside her head.

Qin Man hated to admit it, but she did know that she had done wrong by Yao Tang. Worse, still, was that Yao Tang proved to be a much better daughter than Yao Ran.

If she had only accepted Yao Tang and taken good care of her, she would have been a proud mother whose daughter could do no wrong. But Qin Man had pushed the girl away without even giving her a chance.

She had already begun to regret it in the past, though her pride had held her back. Qin Man foolishly presumed that Yao Tang still craved a mother’s love. And she was Yao Tang’s true mother, was she not?

Qin Man thought that if she softened a little to Yao Tang, the girl would return to their household and go on to bring glory to their name.

But Qin Man had been mistaken. Yao Tang had her own pride, too. And she didn’t care about Qin Man or Yao Yuan, regardless of their blood ties.

A bitter smile passed over Qin Man’s face as she realized that Yao Tang’s personality was quite similar to her own.

In fact, she had been a bit of a romantic when she was young. How had she become so jaded and ambitious?

Was it because everyone else around her kept comparing their social standings and competing amongst themselves? Had she become so drunk in vapid flatteries that she had eventually grown to crave them?

Her youth felt so long ago now, her past ideals from another lifetime.

Meanwhile, a heated discussion was brewing on the Internet regarding the level of difficulty of this year’s college entrance exams. At one point, the students began asking who was in charge of the questions, and why they were so hard this time around.

After getting wind of this, someone from the national council called Yao Tang.

Yao Tang answered the call with a weary tone. “Yes, is something the matter?”

Her mood had sunk when she had first seen the name flashing on her screen. She hoped that she wasn’t needed yet again.

The man on the other end was sharp enough to take the hint. He instantly switched to a coaxing tone. “It’s like this, Yao Tang. A lot of people online are currently complaining about the level of difficulty of the exams. As the facilitators, we feel the need to let everyone know about your contribution to the whole process. What do you think?”

Yao Tang understood his intention right away. He wanted to announce to the public that she was the person in charge of the questions everybody was complaining about.

“Sure, go ahead.”

These exams were taken by students all over the country. There was no reason for her to hide her involvement. She was not afraid of being questioned. After all, she had done nothing wrong. Her conscience was clear.

The man sounded pleased and relieved by her decision. “Don’t worry,” he quickly reassured her. “We will keep an eye on the forums and make sure that the comments don’t go out of hand. If anyone tries to slander you, we will take legal measures to defend your name.”

Yao Tang sighed. “All right, I trust you. You may deal with this matter as you see fit.”