Chapter 240: It seems that he really knows he was wrong

The extended Lincoln limousine sped all the way along the highway from the airport, and finally arrived at a beachfront villa on the edge of the San Francisco Bay.

This was specially chosen by Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing for the arrival of Tang Ran's adoptive parents. Like the purpose of the Lincoln limousine, there was no ostentation, just to show the two elderly people that Zhou Ming is capable of taking care of Tang Ran, but now that things have been clarified, and they understand that Tang Ran's adoptive father also has a high status in the real Tang Clan ancestral hall, this villa is simply a residence.

After a 15-hour long-distance flight, coupled with the jet lag since arriving in San Francisco, Tang Jun, who had never experienced anything like this before, simply could not adapt.

On the bus, he was able to hold on because of the joy of seeing Tang Ran, and because he had something he had been holding back for more than 20 years that he wanted to tell Tang Ran. But now that all the secrets had been told, and with the sudden relief, the intense fatigue came like a tidal wave. So after arriving at the villa, Tang Jun went directly to his room to rest.

After settling Tang Jun, Zhou Ming, Lin Muqing and Tang Ran sat in the living room on the first floor. They talked about what had just happened, and Tang Ran couldn't help but shed tears again, which surprised Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing.

'Ranran, Uncle Tang really loves you, as does your biological father. Maybe the way they chose to do things was not good, but in the end they were both thinking about your future. Now that everything has been said, what is there for you to be sad about?' Zhou Ming fumbled around, trying to comfort her, but Lin Muqing gave him a dirty look in response to his attempts at consolation.

Tang Ran shook her head and said, 'Brother Ming, I'm not sad. I'm very happy. Not only do I have parents who love me, I also have a brother like Ming who cares so much about me, and a cousin like Muqing. I feel very blessed!'

Tang Ran turned to Lin Muqing and said, 'I know that you and Ming are very close. Sometimes I hate myself for making things difficult for you, but I can't help it. I don't know why I am so dependent on Ming. Every day I feel so sad when I can't see Ming. I believe you, Muqing, must have had this experience too.'

'Therefore,' Tang Ran said as if she had made up her mind, 'I don't ask to compete with you for Ming Ge哥, and I don't ask Ming Ge哥 to love me more. I just want him to share a little of his love for you, just a little for me, okay? If you two get married in the future, I...I can be the younger one. I don't want any status, as long as I can stay by Ming's side!'

Hearing Tang Ran's resolute declaration, both Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing were shocked. Lin Muqing looked at Zhou Ming doubtfully. She wondered how this guy, who was neither tall nor handsome and wasn't particularly charming, could make the young girl Tang Ran fall in love with him like a madwoman.

In fact, not only did Lin Muqing not understand, even Zhou Ming himself was very puzzled. He could only shamelessly say that it was his protagonist aura!

But in fact, it is easy to understand. First of all, when they were in Nan Jiang, Zhou Ming left a deep impression on the young girl who was still inexperienced at the time by demonstrating his maturity and erudition, not to mention that he also helped her out of Wei Hua's trouble; now that they have arrived in San Francisco, Zhou Ming has helped her step by step. These things have all been like nails, imprinted on her heart, forever branded, and they simply cannot be removed.

Moved by this, Lin Muqing also said to Zhou Ming, 'I don't care about anyone else, but if you dare to let Ran Ran down in the future, I definitely won't let you go!'

Hearing Lin Muqing's words, Zhou Ming suddenly had a very strange feeling. He couldn't think about how Lin Muqing and Tang Ran had stood on the same side. Could it be that Lin Muqing had really agreed to Tang Ran's proposal to be the younger one? But the idea of having two sisters with completely different styles was quite appealing. Of course, it was just a thought, after all, sleeping with the same person within a short period of time was impossible.

Time passed. By noon the next day, Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing arrived at the St. Nara Private Dining Room in Union Square. As they walked to the door, they saw Edward being interviewed by reporters.

'What I want to say is that I may attack the members of Congress in the coming period of time, or I may directly participate in the presidential election. It all depends on whether I have the qualifications. Because even though I am now in second place in Massachusetts, I still have opponents catching up. I need to prove myself even more, not only to all the voters who support me, but also not to aim too high...'

Edward suddenly stopped here because he saw Ming Zhou and Muqing Lin walk in the door. So he quickly ended the media interview and came over to invite Ming Zhou to the booth.

'I didn't expect the governor to be so busy that he still managed to give an interview to the media during mealtime,' Ming Zhou teased.

Edward shrugged and replied, 'Actually, even I didn't expect it. It's just that the reporter happened to be dining at this restaurant and he happened to recognise me, so he went about doing his job. As for me, I was just here to greet you.'

Zhou Ming replied that he was honoured, and then they went to the private room together. This private room was, unsurprisingly, a presidential deluxe private room, and what was unexpected but reasonable was that as soon as they sat down in the private room, the restaurant manager came over.

'Hello, dear Mr. Edward, welcome to the St. Nain Private Dining Room. As the manager of the restaurant, I would like to invite you to take a photo with me. I believe this will make our restaurant even more beautiful. I would be very grateful if you would. Of course, I can also waive part of your meal today, although I know you don't care,' the restaurant manager said very politely.

It cannot be denied that the restaurant manager's approach was very clever. Edward may only be the governor of Massachusetts for now, but who knows what he will become in the future? What if he succeeds in running for president? Even if he doesn't, having the opportunity to get a photo with such a figure will more or less publicise the restaurant.

Edward subconsciously glanced at Ming, and before Ming could say anything, the manager quickly responded, 'My dear sir, I can believe that you are a rare friend of Mr. Edward's, but I believe you must have a very broad mind and be able to tolerate being a little late for lunch, right? Or we can wait until you have finished eating first. What do you think?'

Zhou Ming helplessly spread his hands: 'You have already said this, what else can I say? I agree with your photo together.'

'You are a very generous Chinese gentleman!'

The manager praised Zhou Ming, then couldn't wait to take a photo of himself with Edward with his camera. After getting his wish, the manager exchanged pleasantries with Edward before exiting the private room and wishing Edward a pleasant lunch.

'I never thought that the governor was really that famous, and that he could attract this level of attention in San Francisco,' said Lin Muqing.

Edward still said, 'Maybe it was just an accident.'

Then they sat down again. Edward exchanged a few words with Louis, who had been very much in the background, and then said directly to Zhou Ming, 'I'm sorry that we're meeting here now, but the situation in Brighton is in a very bad situation, and I know that in the past, we have not handled some things to your satisfaction. But now we really need you to lead our alliance out of this difficult situation.'

These straightforward words surprised Ming Zhou and Muqing Lin. Although they knew exactly why they had come to San Francisco, they never expected them to be so direct. Could they have just spent a little more time talking about other things? This approach is completely submissive for representatives of such a large family as they are.

Seeing the surprise on Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing's faces, Edward sighed and said, 'In fact, we also want to look down on people and give give orders. But the current situation is such that even a king cannot keep his crown. I just hope that you will not give up Brighton because of San Francisco.'

With these words, Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing suddenly understood why they had been so humble. It was the Downes family.

Originally, since all their assets were in Brighton, they had a trump card in their hands, so no matter how the cards changed, they were confident. Even if they blatantly drove Zhou Ming away to reap the benefits, . Zhou Ming will choose to swallow his anger for the sake of his business in Brighton, but the situation has taken a 180-degree turn with Zhou Ming's arrival in San Francisco.

As members of the same large family that controls the consortium, Edward and Louis also knew that the Downes were looking for an heir. However, they were on different sides of the Pacific Ocean, so they didn't interact much. They were just in the same circle, and they knew some of the same information.

It is also for this reason that they know exactly what Ming Zhou is doing in San Francisco.

As old hands at this, they don't believe that Ming Zhou is helping Ran Tang out of humanitarianism. There must be some underhand deal going on behind the scenes. Perhaps this Ran Tang is Ming Zhou's lover. Although this is an exaggeration, but it is not impossible. After all, these days, using any means to succeed is not a rare story. Doing the right thing and having a clear conscience is something that only appears in fairy tales that deceive children.

Now that Tang Ran has successfully inherited the Tang family, if Zhou Ming wants, he can completely abandon Brighton and come to San Francisco. At least there is no obstacle from the Addams family here.

But Zhou Ming can leave at any time, but what about the three families? They will have to face the retaliation of the Adams family head-on, which is the last thing they want to see. That is why they had to chase Lin Muqing to San Francisco, and personal dignity and so on are all insignificant compared to the future of the family.

As a governor, Edward undoubtedly knows how to weigh the pros and cons, and he doesn't care about face or anything else. Therefore, in front of Zhou Ming, he simply discarded all the thinking baggage of an aristocrat and governor, and put on an attitude of begging for favours. Louis, on the other hand, was a bit more reserved due to his noble French lineage, so he knew better than to make his presence felt.

However, Edward was straightforward, but it was very boring for Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing. How come the noble Mr. Governor, who had just faced the reporters and the restaurant manager, had become a scoundrel in front of them?

Facing this situation, doesn't it make him seem like he's saying, 'I haven't even made a move yet and you're already lying down?'

Zhou Ming was originally prepared to engage in some more tussles with Edward and Louis, and get to know the two family representatives better, but it seems that there won't be any chance of that now.

But I have to say, they are doing the right thing. If they still cling to their big family identity, it will be meaningless to solve the problem. On the contrary, letting go of this , they can fight lightly. It seems that it is not unreasonable for them to be able to jointly control the Brighton Consortium with the Addams family and compete with each other for so many years.

However, their doing so also revealed their intention of not knowing that their focus was still on Brighton, so there is no reason to reject the benefits that come knocking at the door.