After all, why would his own relatives speak badly of him?

The crowd peered at Yao Yan, wondering this very same thing.

President Wen did not appreciateYao Ran's remarks. He harrumphed and said, "Since you are all President Yao's relatives, how is it that you don't even know his identity? The way I see it, it's your family that's more suspicious."

Yao Ran was rendered speechless.

It was true that she didn't know Yao Yanvery well, but forPresident Wento put so much faith in him that he was willing to speak up for her cousin in public… DidYao Yanhave another, more prominent identity?

Yao Ran thought back toOld Madam Yao's words and her reaction when she sawYao Yan.

She was both relieved and overjoyed that her grandson was able to come to her special day.

Surely, if she wasn't aware of Yao Yan's other identity,Old Madam Yaowouldn't have been so excited by his attendance.

​ Going off from this presumption, it would seem that only Yao Ran was unaware of Yao Yan's other identity.

Yao Ran grew irritable at the thought.

Things were spiraling out of her control and worse still, she had no idea who Yao Yantruly was. LikeQin Man,Yao Ranalso thought that her cousin was just a lazy bum.

When she recalled their past treatment of him, a keen sense of foreboding came over her.

Yang Ming, who stood watching from the side, noticed the shift in President Wen's expression. He knew that something was not right.Just what in the world was going on?

Was President Wenimplying this other identity ofYao Yanwas so profound that even he would personally seek out a cooperation?

Yang Ming thought back toPresident Wen's manner towardYao Yanthis entire time, and felt that he was missing something. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

But then another realization hit him, and it sent a shiver down his spine. He had never investigated the people of the Yao familybeforehand.

He usually looked into the backgrounds of a banquet's guests as a precaution, so as not to offend them in any way.

This time, however, he had chosen to be lax, since this was simply a small birthday party hosted by the Yao family.

It was nothing like the grand gatherings back at the capital, and Yang Minghad presumed that there was no one in this banquet he would want to befriend, anyway.

And so, he didn't send anyone to investigate these people. He hadn't seen the need to do so.

Obviously, it was a grave mistake on his part. Even Yao Ranseemed oblivious about her own cousin's identity, and she was about to dragYang Mingdown with her for her blunder.

If this young master from the second branch was really as powerful as he was made out to be, then he was completely done for.

Yang Ming grew anxious. "Yao Ran, do you honestly not know who your cousin is? You share the same surname, so how can you be worse than an outsider?"

Even President Wenknew about this matter, yet the entireYao familywas clueless. It didn't make any sense.

Yao Ran was already annoyed as it was, but after getting scolded byYang Mingin front of so many people, she was incensed.

She had come here today to make a glorious reappearance, not to make a fool of herself.

"How am I supposed to know when he took great lengths to hide it from me?"

Yao Ran snapped impatiently, her face filled with grievance.

Yao Yan barely even acknowledgedYao YuanandQin Manas his elders. How could they be expected to know the details of his life?

Yang Ming shook his head in frustration.

This Yao Ranwas really useless!

He now saw it as his good fortune that Old Madam Yaohad not agreed to their marriage. And since he had already obtained the medicine, the research institute was well on its way to dissecting its properties.

Even if he broke their deal now, neither Yao Rannor her parents could do anything to him.

At the end of the day, Yao Ranwas not qualified to be his fiancée, after all.

They would have had a good relationship with mutual benefits, but she had made him lose so much face today. Perhaps he had overestimated her value.

But now that he had made up his mind, he needed to revise his plans and look for another, better fiancée.

Yang Ming's thoughts immediately drifted off to the other young miss of the Yao family. If he remembered correctly, her name should beYao Tang.

Just a while ago, he had heard someone mention that she had gotten a perfect score in the recent Math Olympiad Competition.

Now, that was a person who was genuinely proficient in academics.

Additionally, before this whole debacle, he had also heard that Yao Ranhad almost becomeYang Nian's fiancée. However, after spending some time in the same school and getting to know both girls,Yang Nianhad eventually chosenYao Tangfor himself.

If even Yang Nianwas propelled to go against his family's arrangement, then thisYao Tangmust really be something.

The more Yang Mingthought about her, the more curious he got. Judging by what little information he had gathered,Yao Tangwas definitely a more suitable candidate thanYao Ran. Moreover, her older brother, Yao Yan, held a mysterious identity that even the mighty President Wen revered. And all the notable men in suits who had paraded their gifts just now all had something to do with Yao Tang.Yang Ming could use these elements to his advantage. They would help him a lot.

Certainly much more than anything the brainless Yao Ranhad to offer.