Yu Qi sat comfortably between Ming Yue and Su Xiao at the long dining table, waiting patiently for Grandpa Tang to arrive for dinner. At the moment, only Grandpa Tang was missing from the room. All the other members of the Tang Family were present, except for the grandfather himself and that weird medical genius, Tang Qin Hao.
Grandpa Tang had specifically requested every single member of the Tang Family to gather together for dinner tonight because he had something of utmost importance to say to all of them. Tang Qin Hao had casually ignored his grandfather's strict request, using the professional excuse that he had an emergency surgery to perform tonight.
When Grandpa Tang later verified the hospital schedule with Tang Han Lee, it appeared it was entirely true that he was trapped in the operating theatre tonight.
"I heard all about your incredible exam results, Yu Qi. A perfect score across every single subject. Not many people in this nation can ever achieve such a feat. Congratulations." Tang Jung Wen said warmly to Yu Qi.
"Thank you very much, Uncle Jung Wen." Yu Qi replied, smiling gracefully. She knew it must have been Grandpa Tang who enthusiastically spread that news to everyone the moment he got the chance.
"Seriously, Yu Qi. You are just so incredibly clever." Ming Yue praised her, her eyes shining with genuine admiration.
"Another brilliant genius appears in our family. It is definitely something for all of us to be immensely proud of." Tang Jang Qin added with a nod.
"You know, Little Sis, if we are being completely honest, the very first genius in this household was actually me." Tang Jin Wei spoke up, puffing out his chest with immense pride.
"Yeah, yeah... A genius in flirting with random girls, you mean." Tang Han Lee instantly interrupted, popping his brother's bubble without hesitation.
"Right, right... Wait, what the heck?" Tang Jin Wei stammered as he suddenly realised his older brother was making fun of him right in front of everyone.
Yu Qi and the rest of the adults burst into hearty laughter. This lively, comforting scene continued seamlessly until Grandpa Tang finally reached the dining room and took his designated seat at the head of the table.
"Before we begin to eat, I have something very important to tell all of you." Grandpa Tang began to speak, his voice commanding the room's attention. "Yu Qi dear, you are now officially a legal member of the Tang family, Tang Yu Qi. Consider this my personal gift to you for your successful final exams and your upcoming entry into Starlight University."
Yu Qi was completely dumbfounded by what she had just heard. She did not react at all to the monumental news, rendering her temporarily speechless. She just sat frozen in her chair, blinking her eyes in utter disbelief.
"Welcome officially to the family, Tang Yu Qi." Tang Jung Wen said, lifting his crystal glass to toast Yu Qi with a proud smile.
It took a few more seconds for Yu Qi to finally finish processing the heavy weight of what Grandpa Tang had done. "Grandfather... how exactly did you manage to do it? I mean, without getting the official consent from that family..."
"I personally went to see that wretched family and secured their legal approval. At first, they did not seem to want to give up their rights or sign their approval at all. But after I threw a few severe threats their way, they eagerly signed the papers on the dotted line. So, it is completely settled now. From this day forward, you are Tang Yu Qi." Grandpa Tang announced.
"Thank you so much, Grandpa." Yu Qi whispered, tears of absolute relief and gratitude spilling over her eyelids.
Ming Yue gently reached over and wiped the tears from the girl's eyes. "My dear child, you are truly our family now. Don't cry. I will take wonderful care of you from now on."
"Thank you, everyone." Yu Qi said, thanking the warm family once again from the bottom of her heart.
"Excellent, now let's eat before the food gets cold." Grandpa Tang announced happily.
They proceeded to eat their dinner in a very joyful and festive mood. Ming Yue and Su Xiao kept doting on Yu Qi, continuously piling mountain-sized portions of delicious food directly into Yu Qi's small bowl. Seeing this, Tang Jin Wei immediately began to whine and complain, pointing out that his own mother had never once acted this affectionate when she was with him.
"Mum, you have never put food in my bowl like that in my entire life." Tang Jin Wei grumbled, pouting.
"That is because you are not a sweet young girl." Ming Yue shot back casually.
"What? What does that have to do with anything?" Tang Jin Wei asked, completely bewildered.
"I simply really like having a daughter." Ming Yue replied with a smug grin.
"But I am your biological son!" Tang Jin Wei protested dramatically.
"Jin Wei, you can always go ahead and change your gender if you truly want to experience that kind of treatment." Tang Han Lee smoothly joined the conversation, keeping a perfectly straight face.
Tang Jin Wei stared at his brother. "I see... Wait, what the heck? Are you completely crazy?"
Yu Qi burst into a fit of giggles upon hearing that incredibly sharp remark from Tang Han Lee.
"Have you already officially selected your university?" Tang Han Lee inquired, completely ignoring his younger brother's dramatic outrage as he turned his attention back to Yu Qi's future plans.
"Yes. I have chosen Starlight University." Yu Qi answered honestly.
"Oh, that place happens to be our old alma mater." Tang Jin Wei chimed in, suddenly excited again.
"Really? Wow. So, that means you two are actually my senior brothers." Yu Qi was surprised.
"I assume you must have selected that specific university primarily because of their renowned medical course, right?" Tang Han Lee made a highly educated guess.
"Yes, that's exactly why." Yu Qi smiled innocently, her eyes twinkling.
"She is my personal disciple, after all. Of course, she would choose to take a prestigious medical course." Grandpa Tang proudly interjected, stroking his chin.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... You win." Tang Jin Wei muttered, completely giving up on trying to win any argument against his grandfather tonight.
He was quickly getting used to seeing his grandfather fiercely doting on his new little sister. What was worse, his own mother and Auntie Su Xiao had also been completely brainwashed into the doting club too.
"Yu Qi, remember this well. From this day onward, your name is Tang Yu Qi. If you ever find yourself facing any kind of trouble out there, just remember to use the Tang Family as your absolute backing." Tang Jung Wen said, his tone turning fiercely protective.
"Thank you, Uncle Jung Wen. I promise I will work hard and never do anything to embarrass our family name." Yu Qi made a solemn, serious vow.
"Don't become too tense about it, dear. Just focus on being yourself." Tang Jang Qin gave his gentle advice.
"By the way, how long do you plan to stay here in the city this time?" Tang Han Lee asked, directing his question toward Grandpa Tang.
"Maybe for about three days or so. After that, I will head back to the countryside." Grandpa Tang answered casually.
"Great! That means we can finally hang out together with Yu Qi. Last time she visited, she followed Father straight to the hospital, and we didn't get a single chance to properly bond with her." Ming Yue said, planning the days ahead.
"Yeah, that's true. So, starting tomorrow, Yu Qi's schedule will belong entirely to us." Su Xiao agreed happily.
"Well, it all depends entirely on Yu Qi's own wishes." Grandpa Tang said, taking a sip of his tea.
"Don't worry, Aunties. We will definitely hang out and have fun together tomorrow." Yu Qi promised with a bright smile.
"Honestly, Grandfather, you should just permanently move back and stay here in the city." Tang Han Lee began to talk seriously, his expression shifting into his doctor mode. He added bluntly, "You are already getting quite old, you know."
Grandpa Tang instantly bristled. "Hey! I am still exceptionally young and sprightly, you know!"
Tang Han Lee let out a long, heavy sigh. His stubborn grandfather was always acting like this.
"It is simply not good for your health to stay out there working continuously. I know for a fact that when you stay at that countryside estate, you don't take resting seriously at all. You constantly neglect your posture, you skip your proper breaks, and bla... bla... bla..." Tang Han Lee began his lecture.
The long-awaited, dreaded health lecture from Tang Han Lee had officially begun. At the very start, Grandpa Tang tried his best to fiercely fight back, but after a few more undeniable medical facts dropped from Tang Han Lee's mouth, Grandpa Tang just sat there in absolute defeat, quietly accepting his lecture.
The rest of the family members were already entirely too familiar with this painful scene. Without saying a word, they all quietly and stealthily began to excuse themselves from the dining room.
Tang Jin Wei quickly grabbed his new little sister's arm, pulling her along to run away from that dangerous place as fast as possible. He knew very well that if he got caught by his older brother's line of sight, he would also end up suffering a severe lecture right alongside Grandpa Tang. The best and only solution was to quickly flee the scene.
Yu Qi secretly laughed to herself as she watched Grandpa Tang being completely forced to sit there and endure Tang Han Lee's endless, methodical nagging. She suddenly remembered what Feng Yue had told her before about the sheer terror of Tang Han Lee's lectures.
"Brother Jin, is Big Brother Han Lee always that terrifyingly preachy?" Yu Qi asked curiously once they were safe.
"Yes! The absolute second he starts lecturing someone, you just run for your life. Otherwise, you will easily become his very next victim." Tang Jin Wei answered her question with complete, deadpan seriousness, without a single trace of a joke.
Yu Qi thought about it for a moment, finding their family dynamic to be incredibly endearing and funny.
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko**