CHAPTER 781: CHAPTER 781: STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS

"Dad, you’ve really misunderstood," Tang Min anxiously tried to explain, but feeling guilty, she couldn’t find an excuse at the moment.

The man, upon hearing Tang Zhengyuan’s words, lost face to stay any longer, made an excuse, and ran away.

"Lu Ming." Tang Min turned around and wanted to chase after him; she dared not look directly into Tang Zhengyuan’s eyes, afraid of facing Tang Zhengyuan alone.

"How dare you still call for others? You are already engaged. In the past, that meant you were already married. Being engaged and still holding hands with another man, do you want others to know that I, Tang Zhengyuan, have raised such a shameless daughter?" Tang Zhengyuan rebuked in a low voice.

Besides the families of Tang Zhengde and Tang Mingli, there were other neighbors around; if this got out and reached the ears of the Gao Family, the face of the Tang Family would be utterly lost by Tang Min.

"You must not be like your mother. Listen to your dad. Gao Bin is a good boy; marrying him, you’ll surely live well in the future," Tang Zhengyuan earnestly persuaded.

"How am I like my mom? What did I do with him?" Tang Min’s complexion changed; she and Lu Ming had just been close, but, she had always maintained her bottom line in matters she shouldn’t delve into.

But Tang Zhengyuan’s words made it sound like she, Tang Min, had done something disgraceful.

"After even holding hands, what more do you want?" Tang Zhengyuan raised an eyebrow, but his heart slightly relaxed, relieved that Tang Min had not gone to the final step with him.

"Dad, I don’t like Gao Bin. Gao Bin is like a dumb gourd, he can hardly utter a word half the time," Tang Min truly disliked Gao Bin.

When with Gao Bin, he would stammer and struggle to speak upon seeing her, let alone sweet-talk her. Even just chatting with Gao Bin, all he could do was offer a silly smile or simply say ’yes,’ showing no opinion of his own.

But Lu Ming was different. Lu Ming knew how to pamper her. Being with Lu Ming, Tang Min felt cherished and meticulously cared for, making her feel like a little princess.

"Xiao Min, since you are already engaged, just carry on. Gao Bin may not be much of a talker, but he’s honest and dependable, much better than that pretty boy just now," Tang Zhengyuan had a very bad impression of Lu Ming.

Even knowing that Tang Min was engaged, he still kept wooing her.

"Dad, you can’t talk about him like that," the moment Tang Min heard Tang Zhengyuan’s words, she immediately got angry and stubbornly said, "I want to break off the engagement with Gao Bin."

"No way, don’t even think about it," Tang Zhengyuan immediately interrupted her, his hands trembling with anger, pointing at her and saying, "Tang Min, did you meet with your mother before New Year? Did your mother tell you to choose that pretty boy?"

"No," Tang Min retorted furiously, "My mom isn’t like you; she supports my choices."

"I must break off the engagement."

The more Tang Zhengyuan wanted her to be with Gao Bin, the more he disparaged Lu Ming, the more Tang Min felt the answer to her previous wavering choice.

If she were to be with Gao Bin, her entire life would be like stagnant water, utterly dull.

But just thinking about Lu Ming, Tang Min felt very happy.

’Slap.’

Tang Zhengyuan, driven by anger, threw a slap, saying, "You have no choice but to marry Gao Bin."

"I won’t."

Tang Min was equally stubborn; Tang Zhengyuan’s words failed to make her comply, instead strengthening her resolve to be with Lu Ming.

"It’s my life, not yours to control."

Tears in her eyes, Tang Min turned to leave.

How could Tang Zhengyuan let Tang Min walk away at this moment? He stepped forward, grabbing her arm, saying, "If not me, then who? Should we let your mother take care of you?"

Veins on Tang Zhengyuan’s forehead throbbed as he watched Tang Min refuse to listen; he was furious, wanting to hit her hard to make her understand that marrying Gao Bin was her only path to happiness.

"That’s my mother too." Tang Min angrily wanted to leave, using all her strength to push Tang Zhengyuan away.

Tang Zhengyuan was unprepared and had no idea that Tang Min would push him.

Tang Zhengyuan, who was already over fifty and unguarded, was directly pushed to the ground by Tang Min.

"Xiao Min, don’t leave." Tang Zhengyuan fell to the ground, sweating coldly from the pain.

However, Tang Min didn’t listen at all, pushed him away, and ran off, completely unaware that Tang Zhengyuan had been pushed to the ground.

The ground in winter was icy and cold; the wind blew, and Tang Zhengyuan’s pain numbed him as he watched Tang Min’s departing figure. The warmth in his eyes gradually dropped bit by bit.

"Dad."

Tang Xian saw Tang Zhengyuan had been gone for a long time and out of concern, came out to look for him, only to see Tang Zhengyuan sitting on the ground, his shadow elongated by the moonlight.

"Dad, what happened?"

Tang Xian hurriedly helped Tang Zhengyuan up and asked, "Dad, can you stand up? It’s so cold on the ground. Xiao Xian, I’m fine, just leg numbness." Tang Zhengyuan’s voice was filled with deep fatigue, as if he had aged several years in just a moment.

"Dad, I’ll carry you." Tang Xian picked up Tang Zhengyuan and walked towards Tang Zhengde’s house.

"Elder brother, what happened?"

Tang Zhengde saw Tang Zhengyuan being carried back, his voice causing everyone in the room to crowd around.

"What happened?"

"Did you fall?"

Everyone asked anxiously and with concern.

Tang Zhengyuan sighed, saying, "Don’t worry about me, I’m fine, just numb legs."

"How did you fall? Where’s Xiao Min?" Tang Zhengde was reassured a bit only after confirming Tang Zhengyuan’s legs were just numb.

"Sigh."

Tang Zhengyuan sighed deeply, the people in the room were all family, there was nothing embarrassing to share.

He spoke about what he had just witnessed.

Tang Xian suddenly stood up and said, "Dad, I’ll go find Xiao Min."

As the words fell, Tang Xian turned and ran out to search for her.

"Xiao Jun, Xiao Qiang, you guys go with him," Tang Zhengde called out.

Tang Jun and Zhang Qiang also followed out; in the cold winter night, having more people was safer.

"This Tang Min, the older she gets, the less appropriate she behaves," Granny Tang said angrily, her face changing. Her previously good mood had completely shifted, and she added, "Zheng Yuan, although I haven’t met that pretty boy you mentioned, Gao Bin is a good kid."

"I also think Gao Bin is good, and he treats Xiao Min well," Wei Jiajia spoke up. Even though she hadn’t been in the family for long, she had met Gao Bin a few times and heard from her sister-in-law Zhang Hualian about how Gao Bin had secretly helped Tang Zhengyuan with hospital visits.

Tang Yue sat on the side, also shocked deep inside. This Tang Min really had... audacity.

Not to mention it was 1992, even in the future, being engaged yet being with another man, that was adultery, despised by society.