“I should’ve known it all along, but what’s the point of just having a hunch? He’s the boss, the big spender, the heavenly Bodhisattva who’s been supporting us—how could we afford to offend him?”

Liu E fumed.

But Liu Qingqing shook her head. “Mom, that’s not what I’m talking about. What I mean is, haven’t you noticed that my maternal uncle’s feelings for my aunt are a bit strange?”

“How do you mean?”

Liu E pressed further.

She had never thought her brother-in-law’s affection for his sister was odd; on the contrary, she believed he truly and wholeheartedly loved little sister Liu Qinxin. Otherwise, after all these years, there wouldn’t have been a single flower or plant by his side.

At first, she had assumed he was only after little sister’s beauty, but after several rebuffs in front of that man, even that notion was completely dispelled by Liu E.

Liu Qingqing rubbed her forehead. “From our perspective, Uncle really loves Aunt with every fiber of his being—he’d do anything for her. But have you noticed that there are a few very important things Uncle hasn’t done for Aunt, or perhaps never even considered doing?”

“What are they?”

Liu E asked.

Liu Qingqing replied, “First: marriage, official status. After driving that crazy woman surnamed Song out, Uncle did bring Aunt, cousin Jiajia, and cousin Lai Lai back into the Ming family. Yet after all these years, he still hasn’t formally married Aunt—not a single marriage certificate, not even a legitimate, recognized status for her. As a result, now the ladies of the entire neighborhood and the prominent families in Ningcheng all treat Aunt like a third party, and look at Jiajia and Lai Lai as illegitimate children, completely ignoring Aunt, Jiajia, and Lai Lai.”

“Your aunt has explained this to us—it’s that damn Ming Kai. She says that before he died, that wretched Ming Kai planted some sinister trap: no matter where he is, whether he’s alive or dead, as long as this world hasn’t ended, if your uncle dares to marry your aunt, he’ll ruin your uncle’s reputation and make your aunt and your cousins objects of universal scorn,” Liu E explained.

Liu Qingqing frowned slightly, and before her eyes suddenly flashed the image of an exceptionally handsome man—years had passed, yet he still looked so dashing, so full of vigor, so… infuriating!

Even if he were dead, utterly dead, never to rise again, and could only appear in her memories, he still wouldn’t give her the respect she deserved.

Liu Qingqing clenched her teeth, waved her hand to shatter the fantasy before her, then said, “That’s it? Ming Kai is already dead, reduced to ashes! He can never come back! And yet Uncle and Aunt are still afraid of him? Is that funny?”

“No, it’s not funny—it’s true! The year Ming Kai first died, your aunt tried several times to persuade your uncle to go get married, and each time they happily held hands and headed to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register. But every single time, something unexpected would happen.”

“What kind of accident?”

“I remember the first time your aunt took your uncle to the Civil Affairs Bureau—right as they walked in, someone bumped into him. At the time, they thought it was just an accident, but when your uncle picked up the photo that person had dropped on the ground, he was instantly terrified.”

Liu E recalled.

Liu Qingqing, unaware, quickly asked, “What kind of photo was it? Who was that person? Why did your uncle get scared just by looking at a photo?”

Liu E whispered, “It seemed to be a picture of your uncle and your aunt… well… that sort of thing… and the angle was extremely tricky.”

End of Chapter 184: Counterattack 110