“This is hard to say,” Jiang Feng said.

Ming Yue went on to recount some past events. Jiang Feng nodded in agreement, and the idea of breaking the deadlock in his mind grew even stronger. Then, half-supporting and half-carrying Ming Yue, who was still drowsy and not fully awake, he slowly walked into the room.

Lin Xi and Xiao Hu had just returned at this moment and were sitting on the sofa chatting. Seeing Ming Yue come back, Lin Xi immediately stood up, wanting to do something, but Jiang Feng stopped her with a look. Lin Xi smiled, quickly lowered her voice, and sat back down, only asking in a low voice after Jiang Feng had brought Ming Yue closer: “What happened?”

“Sister Lin, I’m fine—just a bit tired and leaning on him,” Ming Yue said, opening her eyes and stepping out of Jiang Feng’s embrace. She hugged her laptop and sat down beside Lin Xi, yawning as she asked, “Did the Elder Zhang Couple stop us?”

“Yeah,” Lin Xi replied. “At first they were quite hesitant, but you know who our Xiao Hu is—he fooled them in no time, leaving them completely bewildered, and they turned around and headed home right away.”

Lin Xi couldn’t help but heap praise on her own Xiao Hu. Xiao Hu immediately lowered his head in embarrassment, feeling very shy.

“Did they say anything?” Ming Yue asked.

Xiao Hu and Lin Xi both shook their heads. “Not really—though they were curious about who we are. That Zhang Mama had a keen eye; she actually recognized Sister Xi as the very woman who used to play the role of the salesperson back then. After some hesitation, she asked us about it.”

“What did you tell her?” Ming Yue asked casually.

Lin Xi smiled. “What else could we say? We admitted it—and even made up a lie, saying we were here to get revenge because we had some grudge against Liu Qingqing.”

Hearing this, Xiao Hu burst into laughter and rolled around on the floor. Under the curious gazes of Jiang Feng and Ming Yue, Xiao Hu finally managed to compose himself a bit and retold to them exactly what Lin Xi had said to fool the Elder Zhang Couple. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but laugh again.

It turned out that Lin Xi had told a grand, sweeping story, weaving one tale after another: how she was a victim deeply wronged by the Liu family. Back then, she, her mother, and her father had once enjoyed a happy, harmonious family life—until one day, her beloved father met Liu Qingqing’s mother. From that moment on, her father seemed like a walking corpse, soulless and empty inside. Not only did he spend all his time hovering around Liu Qingqing and her mother, but he also began to pay less and less attention to her and her mother. What’s worse, he would even beat and kick them because of Liu Qingqing’s mother’s constant scheming and instigation.

Her and her mother’s happy life plunged into darkness, and there was no happiness left. That woman surnamed Liu not only stole her father away, but also drove her mother so mad that she fell ill. Before long, her mother, battered by one blow after another, became depressed and sick. Two years later, unable to bear the hardships of life any longer, she succumbed to depression and passed away, ending her short life. And from that day on, she became an orphan without a mother, having endured countless trials and tribulations, constantly suffering bullying and scorn from others. To make matters worse, Liu Qingqing’s mother drained her father dry within a few years, and eventually kicked him out. With nowhere to go, her father’s personality changed drastically. Unable to find Liu Qingqing’s mother, he started taking out his anger on her, beating her whenever he felt upset—on one occasion, he nearly beat her to death. How could she possibly avoid resentment, hatred, or revenge under such circumstances?

End of Chapter 242: Counterattack 169