"I really had no interest in becoming the Mafia King. I just wanted to set bro free and...and I wanted to return his warm smile again."

"Yes. But your silence worked the opposite. Maybe Dad felt that he disappointed you or maybe he felt that he snatched the position from you. You didn't make up with him so maybe he misunderstood that you resented him. You worked hard but in the end, you couldn't beat the fact that he is the eldest son. So maybe your feelings warped into hatred for him was what he might have imagined," Lihua said.

Jiang Weiyuan's lips parted in a small O, feeling incredibly shocked.

He couldn't face Jiang Weizhe because he was embarrassed that he lost and couldn't save him in the end. Everything amounted to nothing.

But it never crossed his mind that Jiang Weizhe might have misunderstood him.

"That's why I said that you should have confessed everything. Every last feeling with which you tried to help him. Dad felt lonely because he thought that he truly lost you in this whole mess of the Mafia King's position. That's why he is so tightly holding onto Mom."

She softly flicked his forehead and he looked at her in a daze.

"The problem with every family member in this house is communication. Nobody wants to talk to one another. Nobody wants to share their feelings which leads to others wrongly assuming your intentions. I don't believe that you would be so heartless not to feel anything when Aunt Xiurang was suffering."

He froze. His gaze darkened and a blazing fury burned in his eyes.

"Of course, I was mad at Li Tingzhe. He dared to cheat on my sister. Without Old Madam's knowledge, I had secretly duped his company, making him lose a lot of deals worth millions. I am sure bro did too. Naturally, I wanted to help her divorce that bastard. But even uttering that word was a sin here. I was afraid that Old Madam would kick her and Fai out of the house or force her to stay abroad or worse send her back to Li Tingzhe again."

Lihua said, "So you care for her but did you ever express your feelings to her? Even if you couldn't make her divorce him, did you ever say that at the very least, you were making Li Tingzhe's life miserable to take revenge for her?"

Silence. He averted her gaze.

Her mouth twitched.

"It's the same with Jiang Li. He just assumed that Jiang Lanying would start hating him because of his condition. He even thought that she might leave him in frustration."

Somehow, the more Lihua talked, the more unbelievable and frustrating she felt. "Ahhh! It's really communication! Communication is the key to healthy relationships. That's why everything is in such a deadlock in this family!"

She fumed and put her hands on her waist.

"So now tell me Uncle. What do you learn and what should you be doing now?" She narrowed her eyes.

Jiang Weiyuan pursed his lips. He gloomily lowered his head, feeling ashamed of himself.

"I should talk to bro and Xiurang."

"Wrong! First, you will never blame yourself for hurting anyone, especially Dad. You won't beat yourself over it, okay?"

One could imagine a glasses-wearing Lihua, who was correcting Jiang Weiyuan as if she was a teacher.

"Then you will confront Dad and Aunt Xiurang today and confess that you always meant good for them. You might have acted indifferent, but you really cared for them. They should 'know' this and they won't until you 'tell' them."

The emphasis on know and tell rendered him speechless but also embarrassed.

"Y-you are right indeed."

"En," she nodded. "And since you address Mom as your sister-in-law, it means that you accept her, right?"

"Of course," he smiled. "Bro's choice can never be wrong."

"So who will let her know that the family she is thinking of hating her actually likes her a lot?"

He froze.

"So you need to tell Mom too that you really like her! You always did. Of course, all the family members should express this, especially since it's her birthday today."

He nodded.

Lihua beamed and patted him hard on his shoulder. "Good, good! I am proud of you! Today is the day when the whole family will be reunited!"

The door slightly opened and Wei stepped in, looking for his wife.

Lihua turned and eagerly waved her hand. "Wei!"

Jiang Weiyuan straightened up.

He was about to say when his sharp eyes noticed slight wetness in the corner of her eyelashes. He froze but immediately regained his senses.

He hurriedly walked over to her side and grabbed her arm. "Why are you crying? Are you hurt anywhere? Did anybody say something to you?"

His gaze fell upon Jiang Weiyuan who seemed a little abnormal with his body language.

His eyes clouded with killing intent. "Did you make her cry?" His low voice brought incredible pressure in the atmosphere that almost froze the air.

His brow slightly twitched. He couldn't even deny it because indeed, his story had brought her to tears.

"That…"

His expression darkened. "Let's talk, Uncle."

Lihua said, "Wait, wait! Halt halt! Time please! Uncle didn't make me cry!"

"But you were crying. You are not hurt anywhere. So Uncle definitely did something. What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything. He just told me about the past between him and Dad. That just made me...cry a bit," she sniffled. "So don't worry, I am fine! Alsooooo, you shouldn't be here! Aren't you preparing for Mom's gift? We don't have much time."

He lowered his gaze and gently held her hands. "You weren't there with me. I want to do it with you."

KO!

Lihua wanted to faint from the cuteness overload.

"I will come with you!" She grinned and pinched his cheeks which lifted his mood instantly.

She turned. "Uncle, you know what you have to do, right?"

Jiang Weiyuan's gaze was fixed at her as he nodded. "Yes, I do."