A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Old Master was enraged for the next few days.

Li Lei tried using a few different strategies to get to his grandfather. This time, he brought a cup of tea to his room and smilingly said, “Grandpa, don’t be too angry, it’s not good for your health. Here, have some tea. Xiao Ling has a lot of strengths, could you try and accept her?”

“Accept, my foot!” Old Master spat.

Li Lei smilingly left the ceramic teacup on the wooden desk and made his way behind Old Master. He began massaging his shoulders gently. “Grandpa, so you dislike Xiao Ling because you’re afraid she will jinx me? Look, we’ve been together for so many years, but we’ve been fine, right? … Well, at least in recent times.”

Old Master glared at him. “Who knows when her widow’s curse will act up?! Can’t you just stay away from her and like another woman instead? There are so many women in this world! And so many of them can bear kids!”

The smile on Li Lei’s face slowly disappeared upon hearing that.

His voice was gentle and sincere. “Grandpa, allow me to say this — you loved Grandma so much, if Grandpa had a destiny like Xiao Ling’s, or if Grandma could not bear children, would you have abandoned her back then?” Their love was one to be envied. Although Grandma looked old and ugly when she was ill, she always remained the most beautiful woman in Grandpa’s heart.

Old Master slammed the desk, spilling some of the tea. “Bastard!”

This bastard of a grandson, how could he compare a woman like Ye Xingling to his precious Ah Wan?! That woman was too wretched for this! Old Master’s eyes were wide with fury as he pointed a trembling finger at his grandson. “Shut up!”

He shouted so loudly that even the butler standing at the entrance was startled.

The butler wiped some sweat off his forehead and took a peep at the study room, which was shut. What was going on inside? Old Master had always loved Second Young Master. Given the way he scolded him, it must have been something serious.

Was Second Young Master… alright?

In the study.

Li Lei kept his head low as he looked at the spilled droplets on the desk.

He knew that comparing Grandma to Xiao Ling was sure to anger Grandpa, but this was the only way he could think of to let Grandpa understand just how important she was to him.

He looked up and calmly faced Old Master.

The study was silent for a while.

Old Master Li’s pants slowed down. “Your Grandma was such a brilliant lady. She was smart and gentle, could cook and clean, and yet was completely unmoved even if she had knives against her throat. What about Ye Xingling? Unrefined, arrogant and impulsive, what strengths does she have?!”

Li Lei smiled slightly. Thinking of that girl was like thinking of all the good in the world. “I like her that way,” he said softly. “I love her.”

Love did not require a reason.

Old Master glared so hard at him, it was as if he wanted to bear a hole in his grandson.

Li Lei went on, “Grandpa… you say that she has a widow’s curse, but that actually isn’t so scary. If she passes on before me, then the curse is off, right? And if she passes on after me… don’t you think that the one who leaves first is luckier?” They wouldn’t have to bear with the suffering of losing a loved one.

Old Master turned away.

“Get out.” He said after a long silence.

Li Lei bowed towards his back view before taking his leave.

“Young Master.” The butler greeted him at the door and looked at him with some worry.

He seemed to be in deep thought and only noticed the butler moments later. He simply waved his hand, signaling that he and the person inside were both alright.

He had already made his point clearly.

Whether or not Grandpa would accept it was another matter.

Completely unaware of the battle that took place over on this side, Xia Ling spent her days happily.

Ever since the day the reporters captured photos of Li Lei asking her out for dinner, the public was even more excited about them getting back together. They even came up with reasons to justify why Xia Ling was a better match for him as compared to Su Tang.

As she was in better spirits, her appetite increased as well. She even put on a little weight and outgrew some of the clothes from the previous year.

She took Li Lei along to go shopping for new clothes and was captured by some reporters again. When the photo reached Su Tang, she ripped the photo apart.

Xia Ling did not know that.

But she wouldn’t have been bothered anyway.

She did whatever made her happy. This time, she really did not give a hoot about what the Li family elders thought of her — anyway, even if she did, would it make a difference?

Who knew, the winds blew the other way.

That day, Li Lei came to look for her happily. “Xiao Ling, the begonias in my family’s villa have bloomed. Grandpa plans to hold a mini garden party for everyone to admire the flowers. It’s tomorrow, and he’s inviting you.”

Xia Ling was shocked, and her first thought was —”How’s Old Master planning to humiliate me this time?”

Li Lei was a little hurt. “Actually, Grandpa isn’t as bad as you think. Over this period of time, I’ve been trying to appeal to both his emotions and logic. He’s finally agreed to try accepting you, which is why he’s inviting you for this party.”

Xia Ling was half doubtful. Since when was Old Master Li so reasonable?

Li Lei said, “Grandpa has loved me a lot since I was young. As long as I insist on being with you, he’ll eventually be the one to give in. Xiao Ling, our Shaohui will be able to regain his identity in no time. By then, we’ll be a big happy family.”

Xia Ling looked at him and nodded.

That’s right, there was still Little Shaohui.

If Old Master did not want to accept her, that couldn’t be helped. But since he was already trying, why should she reject that? In any case, he was Little Shaohui’s great-grandfather, it wouldn’t be good if their relationship was too strained.

She asked, “Can I bring Little Shaohui along?”

Li Lei said, “Well, I feel that we should do it step by step. Let Grandpa accept you first, and then accept Little Shaohui.” Old Master was already very turned off by the fact that she could no longer bear children. If she brought “someone else’s child” to meet him, Old Master would be even more upset at her.

It would be better to slowly introduce the child after he had accepted her.

By then, Shaohui’s identity might have been announced, and it’d be a celebration for everyone.

Xia Ling thought for a while and decided there was no need to subject the child to his potential humiliation — if Old Master decided to pull a long face at the both of them during the party, wouldn’t it be too hurting for Little Shaohui?

He was her precious, how could she bear to see him being put down in any way?

Hence, on the second day, she left Little Shaohui at home while she changed into a beautiful dress that she conscientiously picked, applied some make-up, and then followed Li Lei to visit Grandpa.