Chapter 4

Even if the deceased wasn’t my own relative, the dead should be treated with dignity. Whoever it was, they didn’t deserve to be humiliated like this.

I stared straight at Laura, my voice trembling as I suppressed my anger. “How are you… laughing?”

Laura looked completely calm. She even chuckled as she replied, “This is supposed to be a celebration of life. Do we really need a bunch of people crying their eyes out for it to count as respect? Besides, your mom loved lively gatherings when she was alive. I’m just respecting her wishes.”

“A celebration of life?” I stepped closer and questioned, “This is a funeral. It’s a place for people to mourn, yet you turned it into this mess. You even defaced the memorial portrait so badly that no one can recognize who the deceased is anymore… and you call that respect?”

My voice kept rising until I was almost shouting. “You’re not comforting the dead. You’re insulting them!”

Anthony was stunned for a moment after being scolded, but soon enough, he smirked.

“Oh come on, why are you being so old-fashioned? It’s just a dead person. Why make such a big deal out of it?”

He looked completely unconcerned.

At that moment, I suddenly laughed and said, “If you don’t care, why should I bother interfering? Fine. Let’s do it your way and have a celebration of life.”

Laura paused for a second, her brows knitting slightly. She clearly didn’t notice the chill hidden in my words.

Instead, thinking that I had finally agreed with her, she smiled.

“Felix, you should’ve been this obedient and sensible earlier. Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll treat you well.”

Seeing that I wasn’t resisting anymore, Anthony immediately cheered and brought in a group of weird friends from who-knows-where. The only thing missing was someone starting a dance party right beside the urn.

I quietly turned and sat down, watching the ashes sticking to the bottoms of their shoes. My expression remained indifferent.

Right on schedule, the funeral celebrant walked in, holding a funeral service program in his hands. The moment he saw the scene in front of him, he froze in place.

“Well? What are you standing there for?” Laura said calmly. “Get started.”

The funeral celebrant forced himself to begin. “Everyone… today we gather here to… uh… celebrate the life of the deceased…”

A few people below couldn’t hold back their snickers.

“I’ve been to prank weddings before, but messing around at a funeral? That’s a first!”

“If the deceased knew her funeral was being turned into this circus, she’d probably never rest in peace!”

“Not even in death can she find peace. She must have plenty of enemies!”

Anthony laughed smugly and deliberately tried to provoke me.

“See? Even the funeral celebrant said it’s a celebration of life! Honestly, you’re just so uncultured, shouting your head off earlier. This kind of thing is popular overseas!”

Laura also glanced at me with disdain.

“Some people are just too stubborn. The person is already dead, yet they insist on putting on a bitter, grieving face. Who are they trying to impress? We went through so much effort to prepare such a thoughtful funeral for his mother, yet he still doesn’t appreciate it.”

I didn’t get angry. Instead, I spoke slowly and calmly. “My mother definitely wouldn’t like this ‘thoughtful’ funeral. As for whether your mother would like it, I wouldn’t know.”

Laura’s expression suddenly darkened.

“What do you mean by that?”

I simply smiled and didn’t answer.

She snorted. “You think being sarcastic will bring your mother back to life? How ridiculous.”

Seeing this, Anthony immediately grabbed Laura’s hand affectionately.

“Ms. Laurie, ignore him. He’s just jealous of you!”

At that moment, the funeral celebrant cleared his throat and moved on to the next part of the ceremony.

“Next, we invite the relatives and friends of the deceased to come forward and pay their last respects.”

With that, the main doors opened slowly, and a middle-aged couple walked inside. The moment Laura saw them, her face froze.

I stood up and walked toward them.

“Dad. Mom. You’re here. The funeral was Laura’s idea. She said her mom liked it this way.”