"You scoundrel Ying Chen! So you were deliberately playing us!"
"Fine, you want to act shamelessly? So will we! Today, we're not leaving! If you've got the guts, kill us! If you can't, we'll never be done with you for good!"
After being rendered speechless for a moment, Min Ziqiong's parents began to act shamelessly.
The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, simultaneously lay down in the courtyard.
They didn't stop even after lying down, instead shouting at the top of their lungs, "Min Ziqiong, come out quickly and see! See how your own parents are being abused! If you have even a shred of conscience, you'll come out and take a look! If you have no conscience, then you can wait to visit our graves this time next year!"
With this shout, Min Ziqiong could no longer pretend to be dead.
She had no choice but to push open her bedroom door and come out.
She was wearing a pajama set, her graceful figure subtly visible even beneath the loose garment.
Because she had removed her makeup before bed, her face was bare at the moment.
But precisely because of this, she exuded a beauty that was pure and clean.
Even Ying Chen couldn't help but glance at her a second time.
However, it was only a single glance.
In the eyes of an ancient monster like Ying Chen, who had lived for two thousand years, even the most beautiful skin was merely a fleeting illusion, destined to wither and turn to dust sooner or later.
None of it was worth dwelling on.
"Dad, Mom, Nannan is already asleep. I hope you can keep your voices down and not wake her."
Min Ziqiong, with a stern face, walked up to her parents and said.
Upon seeing Min Ziqiong's attitude, her parents became both angry and indignant, "What do you mean? Are you saying that our being bullied is less important than Nannan sleeping?"
"Come, open your eyes wide and look! Look at these injuries on your mother's body! I don't believe you have a heart of stone and don't feel any pain!"
Min Ziqiong's father pointed to her mother, who looked pitiful, and said.
He thought this would surely awaken Min Ziqiong's filial piety, but to his surprise, Min Ziqiong remained expressionless. "I heard everything you said just now, every single word. It was my mother who actively requested Ying Chen to examine her to prove she wasn't a ghost. How did it turn into Ying Chen bullying you in your mouths?"
"Alright, it's getting late. You should go back! Otherwise, I'll call the police."
"..." Min Ziqiong's parents could hardly believe their ears.
The two looked at each other, seeing a trace of disbelief and shock in the depths of each other's eyes.
Was this still the daughter they knew?
Had even their previously foolproof tactic of self-harm no longer worked?
Most critically, Min Ziqiong had suddenly become as hard as stone, not only showing no sympathy for them but also threatening to call the police and drive them away!
"Xiao Qiong, how have you become like this? You've changed, become a stranger, as if you've been replaced by someone else. Mom and Dad don't even recognize you anymore!"
"Xiao Qiong, do you have some hidden reason? If you have a hidden reason, tell Mom and Dad, and we'll support you! Were you coerced by this fellow? If you were coerced, blink your eyes..."
Unexpectedly, Min Ziqiong didn't blink but instead forced her eyes open wider and said, "I have no hidden reason, nor was I coerced!"
"If there is any coercion, it's from you! Coerced by this warped sense of family affection!"
"Didn't you already declare that you've severed ties with me? Don't you think I'm a disgrace to the Min family? Haven't you always put a heavy shackle on me to control me?"
"Before, you thought I was a burden and unhesitatingly kicked me out of the house; now, you think there's profit to be made from me, and you're playing the family card again. Am I that cheap? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will?"
"I'm sorry, from the day you published that notice in the newspaper, there's been no going back! Before, you thought I was a burden, but now, I think you two are my burdens!"
"I want to shake off you two burdens, just like you shook me off back then!"
Having said this, Min Ziqiong seemed to have finally poured out the words that had been buried in her heart for years.
She took a deep breath.
Then, she gave her parents a deep look and walked back into the bedroom without looking back.
Her parents were left standing there, stunned.
They looked at their daughter's retreating back, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Even more so, they felt anger and disappointment.
When had the daughter who could only be scolded by them now dared to scold them?
When had the daughter who could only rely on them now dared to call them burdens?
This was utterly intolerable!
Min Ziqiong's mother, furious, forgot about her theatrics and leaped up from the ground.
She was about to rush forward to settle accounts with Min Ziqiong.
But after taking just two steps, she was stopped by Ying Chen's hand.
"If I were you, I wouldn't be in the mood to worry about these things right now," Ying Chen said, looking at Min Ziqiong's mother with a half-smile.
Min Ziqiong's mother looked at Ying Chen suspiciously and asked, "What do you mean?"
"The meaning is very simple. Although you didn't die, and I don't have to bear any legal responsibility, I genuinely thought you were dead at the time, and I was truly scared. So, the Yuan Liquid and the formula I gave you back then were indeed genuine!" Ying Chen said leisurely.
"Impossible!"
Upon hearing this, Min Ziqiong's father also sprang up from the ground and retorted.
"Heh heh." Ying Chen cast a meaningful glance at Min Ziqiong's father and smiled without speaking.
This expression immediately made Min Ziqiong's mother suspicious.
She quickly pressed Ying Chen, "What exactly do you mean, speak clearly!"
Ying Chen shook his head and then sighed heavily, "Forget it, I didn't want to say anything. Because once certain things are revealed, they become particularly awkward. They can also cause problems in the relationship between the two elders..."
"But Auntie, you won't leave without getting an answer, so I have no choice but to tell you truthfully."
"Let me put it this way: the Yuan Liquid and the formula I gave you are definitely real, but after they passed through your hands, whether they remain real is another matter."
"I've said enough. If I say more, I'll be the villain."
"Uncle, Auntie, it's getting late. You should go back early and get some rest. Goodbye."
With that, Ying Chen turned around and walked away.
For a moment, only Min Ziqiong's parents were left in the courtyard.
They looked at each other.
After a long while, they suddenly pointed at each other's noses and shouted, "It was you!"