A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling smiled coldly. “Look how weak you are.”

She didn’t raise her voice, but in the chilly wind, her words felt just like another lump of salt to their wounds. “If you’re courting death, don’t drag me into the picture. You’re expecting me to take the blame with my reputation? I’m sorry, your worthless lives do not deserve to corrupt my hands or my name.”

Li Xiaoyao was bursting with anger. How he wished he could take a piece of flesh off her! She actually implied that their lives were not even as valuable as her reputation?

Who did she think she was?!

Yet, however angry he was, he could do nothing about it.

On their end, Li Lei was gently draping a sweater over her shoulders. “The wind here is pretty strong. Don’t mind these insensible brats, let’s go.” He didn’t even glance at the rest of them.

She looked at him and smiled, before walking off as he said.

“Ye Xingling!” Li Xiaoyao was still screaming weakly from the coast.

She stopped and turned around.

“Ye Xingling,” Li Xiaoyao was panting as he uttered each word arduously. “You’d better listen, the Li family doesn’t welcome you… and never will! It’s you who broke the rules of the ancestors, who caused chaos in the family, who made Second Young Master turn against Old Master!”

“You’re really a windbag.” Li Lei said before Xia Ling had a chance to. He looked coldly at the half-dead being on the shore and said, “Toss him into the sea.”

He was really enraged now, and wouldn’t mind taking a life.

A few of the subordinates who followed them here walked over and were already carrying Li Xiaoyao to the sea.

Li Xiaoyao had been tied up the whole night, and his wounds were still raw. Throwing him into the ocean would mean certain death. He closed his eyes.

Xia Ling shouted, “Don’t kill him.”

Li Lei said, “I won’t allow anyone to be rude to you.” Even in a family like the Lis, death was considered a heavy penalty. It was seldom issued, especially when it involved someone like Li Xiaoyao who grew up in the household since he was a child. Li Lei was using this punishment to serve as a warning to everyone else. He needed to let them know just how important Xia Ling was!

But Xia Ling said, “He isn’t worthy to die for me.” She did not like to watch people die. Even though she had numerous enemies, and wished that misfortune would befall them, death was never on her mind.

After all, she was a celebrity in the entertainment industry and wasn’t used to such situations.

Li Lei raised his hand slowly, signaling for the subordinates to put him down. “Today, I’m letting you off on Xiao Ling’s account.” He made sure everyone was listening. “From now on, Xiao Ling’s order will be my order as well.”

The subordinates bowed in understanding.

He turned around and held Xia Ling’s hand. “Let’s go.”

He was taking a lot of effort to secure her position. He was willing to be the bad guy while letting her be the good guy who pleaded for leniency. If breaking the rules could make them respect her and be grateful to her, he was more than willing to do so.

He knew Li Xiaoyao very well. Although he claimed to hate Xia Ling to the core, something would’ve changed the moment she saved his life. Li Xiaoyao was extremely loyal, and this was evident from how he stood up for Su Tang this time at his own risk. Now that Xia Ling had saved him, he owed her a favor, whether he liked it or not.

He had her to thank for his life.

He would find a chance to return this favor, and until then, Xia Ling would not die. There was now one less enemy against her and one more loyal bodyguard.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

Li Lei’s spirits were lifted on the way back, as the golden sun began to rise.

But Xia Ling was a little moody. Li Xiaoyao’s last words to her kept echoing in her head: because of her, Li Lei had turned against Old Master Li, he had become unfilial.

The price he paid was too hefty.

Back at Thunderous Yard, she had breakfast with Li Lei with a heavy heart, before going back to the room to rest.

Li Lei had just taken over the “throne” and was extremely busy. After telling her to have a good rest, he set off for a busy day.

Xia Ling tossed and turned in bed but could not fall asleep.

She called a maid over. “Tell me about your Young Master and Old Master.”

“Young Master and Old Master?” The maid was stunned.

Xia Ling said, “Just speak the truth, I won’t punish you.” She knew the maid had considerations. It was said that Old Master being placed under house arrest by Li Lei had become a hush-hush topic in the Li family.

The maid hesitated. “Miss Ye, I’m not too sure…”

“Not too sure?” She smiled. “I don’t like it when people lie to me, it makes me mad. If I’m mad, Li Lei gets mad too, and I heard he’s into killing recently.” She wouldn’t believe that this maid could be unsure about their relationship. When she brought Xia Ling clean clothes the previous day, she had just said that she watched Young Master grow up.

As she guessed, the maid bent over slightly and asked, “Miss Ye, what would you like to know?”

“Just tell me about them, it’s your call.” She had no idea what she wanted to know exactly.

Hence, the maid began her story. “Old Master really loves Young Master. Among all the grandchildren, Young Master was the only one who was raised by Old Master personally. He always saved the best food and toys for Young Master and was only friendly to him. When it came to the others, he hardly ever smiled or said a word…”

Once she started, she could barely stop. “Young Master lost his mum when he was five, and he almost lost his life when First Young Master pushed him into the pond in winter. It was Old Master who watched over him by his bedside, feeding him his every meal and painstakingly nursed him back to health.

“Young Master was extremely playful when he was seven and had accidentally knocked over a whole room of antiques. Those were Old Master’s favorite, and everyone expected him to punish Young Master harshly. But all Old Master did was ask if he was injured…

“When he was 12, Young Master killed someone for the first time, and it was an assassin. The assassin’s dagger was just an inch from Old Master’s heart—if Young Master had just been a split second slower, Old Master would have been gone. That was the first time I saw Young Master cry so loudly. With the assassin’s blood still on his face, he bawled his eyes out and asked Grandpa not to die…

“When he was 13…

“When he traveled…

“When Young Master returned and established Skyart…”

The maid went on and on.

Xia Ling was almost in a daze. She had always known that the two of them were close, but hearing about all these anecdotes really touched her. It was no wonder Li Xiaoyao and the rest were so against her—the grandfather and grandson were on such good terms until she came between them as an “outsider.”

Moreover…

She looked out the window for a while—that old man must be feeling pretty down.

She instructed the maid. “Take me to see him.”