He hoped that the restaurant staff was smart enough not to commit the same blunder that had occurred at Chunlai Hotel.
Otherwise, he would be risking his own neck by even suggesting it in the first place.
Over at the front seat.
Yao Tang calmly glanced at the girl beside her.
Unlike her, Yao Ran's expression wasn't too good. She seemed to be distracted and deep in her own thoughts.
"What's the matter?" Yao Tang asked as she stepped on the accelerator.
Yao Ran's heart jumped to her throat. She turned to Yao Tang and asked, "Sister, do you really not want to know why Mom and Dad do not like you? If you want to know, I can tell you right now."
She stared at Yao Tang intently, as if afraid to miss any subtle shift in the latter's expression.
Yao Ran refused to believe that a child who had lacked love from a young age wouldn't want to know why. Even if Yao Tang didn't care much about Yao Yuan and Qin Man, she should be a little curious, at least.
After all, she knew them to be her biological parents.
The fact that they had no affection for their long-lost blood daughter should make anyone wonder.
Yao Tang kept her eyes on the road, her face remaining blank.
She looked like she hadn't heard anything at all.
But Yao Ran wasn't about to give up just yet. "Do you truly not want to know?" she pressed. "I can tell you everything—why Mom hates you, your whole background…"
She was desperate to pique the other girl's interest.
No, more precisely, she wanted to lead Yao Tang by the nose.
Unfortunately for her, Yao Tang wasn't taking the bait. "No, I don't want to."
Yao Ran was caught off-guard by her cold response.
By then, she was running out of options. There was only one other way left. Since the matter of her family didn't move Yao Tang one bit, Yao Ran could only try to tempt her with something else.
Gritting her teeth, she took out a small bottle that contained a pale green substance and showed it to Yao Tang.
"This is a potion I took from Madam Meng's hospital. This is the latest product of years of experiments that her hired experts have conducted. It's supposed to expedite the bones' healing process, and is said to cure fractures and the like.
"You and I both know that no such medicine is currently out on the market. This vial of potion is one of its kind. If it were to be sold to a large pharmaceutical, it would surely fetch a hefty amount of money. I will give this to you, but you must promise me one thing."
Yao Ran leaned over in anticipation, expecting Yao Tang to jump at the opportunity to make some money.
To her dismay, Yao Tang still appeared uninterested. She merely frowned and glanced at the bottle in Yao Ran's hand.
"Well? What do you think?"
Yao Ran's grip on the potion tightened as he hoped fervently that Yao Tang would take the bait this time.
Yao Tang only had to say yes, and Yao Ran's efforts for today would be rewarded. If she were lucky, she might even squeeze out a few additional favors from the other girl.
As for the money, it meant nothing to Yao Ran. She had grown up in luxury, after all.
But for Yao Tang, it was probably a big deal.
There was no reason for her to reject this over. She must have spent a large sum just to come to Beijing, right? She was probably in dire need of funds at the moment.
What Yao Tang said next shocked Yao Ran to her core.
"You're nothing more than a test subject for other people to experiment their drugs on."
Yao Ran had surmised as much, but she didn't know how Yao Tang had figured it out. Yao Ran knew why Madam Meng and Meng Ling were so generous to her. She had also eavesdropped on the doctors' conversations and knew her purpose for being there.
She was indeed a test subject.
At this point, Yao Ran became frightened that Yao Tang would turn her away.
"I assure you, I want none of the profits that would come from selling this medicine. I'm okay as long as my ankle is cured. All I want is for you to arrange a quiet and secluded place for me to recuperate while I'm being treated. I don't need anything else."
It wasn't as though Yao Ran had never thought of selling the potion and taking the money for herself. It was just that she knew for a fact that Madam Meng would come after her for revenge, and Qin Man would be furious at her as well.
She might as well let Yao Tang do the dirty work.
In this case, if things went awry, she could push all the blame on Yao Tang and avoid the consequences.