“You can’t stand them! You can’t stand a single one of them! You think they’re just ordinary-looking, that they lack talent, and even that they’re not funny—that’s all part of your criteria for sifting through them. And yet you stubbornly turn a blind eye, insisting on marrying that dashing but utterly unremarkable Ming Shuo.”

“My maternal grandparents refused to give their blessing and even told you that Ming Shuo is no ordinary man. But you wouldn’t listen! Do you think they were trying to harm you?”

“You just took advantage of the fact that you’re their only daughter—their most precious treasure—and did whatever you pleased, threatening and pressuring them time and again. If they didn’t agree, you’d threaten to die right in front of them.”

“Fine, since you’re their one and only darling, your maternal grandparents finally gave in under your pressure and let you marry that damned man.”

“And then what happened?”

“And then what?”

“Were you happy?”

“You’re the apple of the Song family’s eye! The pride of the Song clan! My maternal grandmother cherished you so much she was afraid you’d melt in her hands—she called you her little treasure! So what did you gain after entering the Ming household?”

“Ma Fengying, that spiteful, mean old hag—despite having nothing at all, she still insists on putting on an airs of an ancient imperial consort, bossing you around and claiming it’s ‘setting rules.’”

“Ming Xia, that clueless, thick-headed fatso who’s as dumb as a pig, whose meager knowledge isn’t even enough to write her own name—yet she still has the nerve to shout at you.”

“And my father—your so-called ‘perfect’ choice—well, he’s always been the ultimate ghost, never once stepping up to say a single word in your defense.”

“Can you see it? Can you really tell the difference? Have you figured it out yet?”

“You haven’t!”

“Not only have you not figured it out, you’ve actually sunk yourself and destroyed the very foundation of your family!”

“Time and again, under Ma Fengying’s constant probing, you’ve given in, repeatedly tearing down your own moral底线, letting that old hag trample both you and the entire Song family’s dignity underfoot. And when your maternal grandparents tried to help you, instead of being grateful, you kept blaming them and hurting their feelings!”

“For so many years, do you really think my maternal grandmother died of illness? She was such a health-conscious person—how could she just suddenly fall ill and die? The Song family had plenty of money to pay for her treatment and medicine—so why did she suddenly get sick and die? Your grandfather kept it hidden; do you really think you’re innocent?”

“Mom! Stop fooling yourself! My maternal grandmother—your own mother, the gentlest elder in the world—she was literally driven to death by you, her beloved daughter!”

“Even when she was on her deathbed, you, her dear daughter, were still playing the role of a virtuous wife, a good mother, and a dutiful daughter-in-law in your husband’s family, never even making it to the hospital to see her one last time!”

After all these years, Ming Yue finally tore open with her own hands the scar that her grandfather had spent a lifetime trying to hide.

She ripped it open right before her mother’s eyes, blood staining everything.

And she didn’t even spare her younger brother.

Suddenly, her younger brother Ming Yao burst into tears again, remembering his maternal grandmother, a figure that was already beginning to fade from his memory.

Their mother, Song Hui Yun, froze in shock, her face as pale as paper, her whole body trembling, tears pouring down like a torrential rain, and she began muttering “Mom…” incoherently.

Ming Yue’s eyes were slightly red, and a trace of tears seemed ready to break free. But she refused to give in.

No matter what, she wouldn’t let them show in public.

She lifted her head high and forced them back.

It took her quite a while to apply a tiny bit of painkiller—or maybe some antiseptic alcohol—to the wound. “Your grandfather plans to keep this a secret for the rest of his life,” she said. “He doesn’t want you to know. He’s worried you’ll blame yourself. He’s afraid this will make you feel guilty…”

End of Chapter 128: Counterattack 54