The cellphone was placed on the dining table.

Zhang Mama, “anxiously” rushing to answer it, suddenly stood up in one swift motion. But for some unknown reason, she wobbled twice as she rose, and inadvertently spilled more than half a cup of water onto Liu Qingqing’s body—drenching not only her outer garment but also the clothes underneath.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry, so sorry, Qing Qing! It’s all my fault—I lost my balance and spilled the water on you. Are you all right?” She poured some of the water into her own hand to check the temperature before finally letting out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness the water wasn’t scalding; if it had been, your aunt would’ve been heartbroken!”

“It’s fine, Auntie,” said Liu Qingqing, standing up.

Zhang Mama also rose to her feet and called out to Zhang Yang in the kitchen, “Yang Yang, come here quickly! Hurry, hurry—I accidentally spilled water on Qing Qing. Take her inside right away and help her change her clothes.”

“Auntie, it’s really nothing. Don’t blame yourself—it’s just a little tea water; it’ll dry on its own in a bit,” replied Liu Qingqing.

Liu Qingqing still didn’t notice anything amiss. She assumed Zhang Mama was blaming herself for spilling the water on her, so instead of reproaching or suspecting her, she even comforted her.

Hearing this, Zhang Yang in the kitchen dropped what he was doing and hurried over. “What happened?”

“Nothing serious.”

“But what are you saying, child? How can it be ‘nothing’? Luckily the water wasn’t hot; otherwise, your aunt would be in big trouble!” Zhang Mama’s face was filled with remorse. She immediately pushed her son to take Liu Qingqing back inside, reminding him, “We don’t have any of Qing Qing’s clothes at home, so just use yours to change her. Once she’s changed, put the dirty clothes in the washing machine, and when they’re done, bring them to me—I’ll blow-dry them for her!”

“Auntie, there’s no need to go to all that trouble. I can just use the hairdryer…”
“Why make it such a hassle? We’re family—there’s no such thing as ‘too much trouble.’ Now, hurry up, dear. You don’t need to do anything; let Zhang Yang handle it.”
Without allowing them to argue, Zhang Mama pushed the two of them into Zhang Yang’s bedroom, watching intently as Zhang Yang led Liu Qingqing inside and closed the door behind them.

The moment the door shut, Zhang Mama visibly relaxed. She immediately turned her gaze toward Liu Qingqing’s bag on the sofa, rummaging through it like a secret agent—snapping photos of the ID card inside, taking two quick shots, then quietly slipping it back where it belonged.

Meanwhile, Liu Qingqing remained completely unaware of what was going on.

She wondered whether her future mother-in-law had heard some strange local custom somewhere and was using this method to foster closer communication between her and Zhang Yang, or perhaps even to test things out before marriage.

Although she wasn’t as obsessed with the men around her as she had been with Ming Kai, nor had she ever truly fallen deeply in love with anyone, she certainly didn’t dislike them—and in fact, she even liked one of them a little. So she had no objection at all to spending time alone under the same roof with him. During the changing-of-clothes ritual, she even allowed herself a bit of playful intimacy, half-heartedly giving in once again.

However, in order to maintain her image in front of her future in-laws, Liu Qingqing kept herself—and the man beside her—in check just as they were about to… well, you know.

That night, she stayed late at the Zhang household, and it was Zhang Yang who escorted her home.

At the same time, the quick-thinking Zhang Mama also began her own move.

First, she quietly persuaded her husband to hand over their son’s ID card, then promptly bought two tickets for the next day’s train to Ningcheng.

End of Chapter 200: Counterattack 127