A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

He tried ways to soothe, her but they were futile. She was trapped in an old nightmare and could not see a trace of light.

Li Lei became anxious and held her even tighter, ignoring the stench of blood that stained his body. He only kept repeating, “It’s okay Xiao Ling. I’m here.”

Outside the trap, someone dropped a ladder down.

The people above the trap did not know the situation inside it. The teacher of the few kids, Li Shiyuan, thought that Xia Ling was only frightened and did not take it to heart as he shouted at the hole. “Young Master Lei, bring the person up.”

Li Lei lifted his head and looked at the ladder. “Drop a hanging basket down instead.”

Considering Xiao Ling’s condition, how could she climb out? In the dim light, the girl in his arms was covered in blood and tears. She looked like a monster who had crawled out of hell. He had never seen Xiao Ling like that, and his heart hurt so much it was difficult for him to breathe. He tried to use his sleeve to wipe off the stains but could not remove any of them.

Li Shiyuan frowned. Was the girl in the trap so weak that she could not even climb up the ladder?

A few adults and children from the Li family who heard the news were surrounding the trap. At that time, they had disdainful expressions. They did not know if the girl really had no fighting power or was pretending to be weak in front of Li Lei. Even a random group of ordinary passers-by on the street would not be able to think of any reason for her to not be able to climb up the ladder.

What was the point of her acting weak?

The Li family was involved in the triad and was a large, violent clan. They looked down on delicate girls who could be easily blown away by a gust of wind.

A few family members started whispering to one another. “She’s not suited to be Brother Lei’s girlfriend.”

Many people nodded their heads in agreement.

Li Lei was the younger grandson. In the future, he was likely to inherit the family business, and his girlfriend would possibly be the next mistress of the Li family. How could he choose a person that required a basket to get out of the trap?

Above the trap, the people were complacent, and there was no hanging basket to be seen. Li Lei was very anxious. “Hurry up! If you don’t send the basket down now, you will get it from me later!”

True rage could be sensed from his voice, and it scared the people above the pit. Why? What was the rush even if it was for such a weak lady? They had not seen Li Lei in true anger for many years.

However, seeing that he was exceptionally furious, the people above the pit did not dare to slack off anymore.

They were very clear of how scary Li Lei was. Even though he seemed to have a good temperament usually, his cruelty and mercilessness that year was enough to make anyone’s feet tremble. They would rather provoke Li Feng.

The hanging basket was quickly released.

Li Lei carefully carried Xia Ling and entered the hanging basket. Then, he called for the people above the trap to pull them out.

As soon as he stepped on the surface, everyone was shocked. That girl was crying brutally in Li Lei’s arms. The nails on all of her ten fingers were ripped apart, and the blood and flesh were too ghastly to look at.

She was not pretending to be weak. She was terrified… which was why she broke her own fingers?

A few children looked at one another strangely.

“Hey.” Li Xiaolong pulled on Li Xiaoxing’s sleeve. “Do you think she is afraid of the dark?”

Li Xiaoxing was also a bit frightened. She broke ten of her own fingers, so it must be very painful. There was some uneasiness in her heart, but thinking about it again, she became more disdainful. “Scared of the dark? Even a three-year-old child from our Li family is not afraid of the dark! I don’t care if she is acting or if she is really scared. The fact remains that she is too useless and is not qualified at all to be with Uncle Lei!”

Li Lei did not hear the conversation between the two children.

Now, he was focusing entirely on Xia Ling. Under the bright sunshine, he could see her appearance more clearly. Her hands were hurt very badly, and he did not dare to imagine what sort of trauma she had experienced in the past.

“Call a doctor!” He carried her as he strode towards his yard.

The doctor arrived quickly and conducted a preliminary examination on her. Besides her fingers, she was not hurt elsewhere. However, Xia Ling continued to tremble and cry in his arms. Her eyes were misty, and her mouth was mumbling something. Her tears uncontrollably fell down like she was being trapped by a horrible demon.

“I think Miss Ye’s is mentally unstable. How about I give her a sedative shot?” The doctor suggested.

After hearing the doctor’s words, he looked at the softly whimpering girl in his arms and shook his head. The sedative shot had side effects. He would rather spend more time comforting her and making her feel truly safe than harming her body on impulse.

He hugged her and let the doctor treat and bandage her fingers. After that, he instructed him to leave.

There were only two of them left in the Thunderous Yard.

As Er Mao came over, his amber eyes looked at her with some concern.

Li Lei could clearly understand what she was mumbling about. “Stop… Let me go… Blood… So much blood…”

She had been soaked in blood, and her originally blue knit sweater had become dark red. Li Lei frowned, carried her to the bathroom, and put her in the bath.

His bath was as large as half a room, and the water was from the hot spring nearby. Once a person entered it, they immediately felt comfortable and relaxed. As the gentle water brushed against their bodies and clothes, soon, the initially clear water turned blood red. After some time, the red color faded and the original clear color was restored.

Xia Ling was not trembling as much anymore, and her had tears dried up, but she was still muttering. “Blood, blood…”

Li Lei frowned and helped her wash her face and her hands. Looking at her blood-stained clothes, Li Lei realized that the situation was rather difficult. In the bath, their bodies were very close, and he could clearly feel the delicate lines of her body like a beautiful and soft flower; it lightly tugged at his heartstrings.

He took a deep breath and suppressed the heat in his body as he carried her to the shallow water.

“Xiao Ling,” he said. “There’s no more blood. You’ll be fine after a shower. Just be good and sit here. I will find someone to give you a bath, alright?” He really could not bring himself to take off her clothes because he was scared that he would not be able to control himself and do something impulsive.

In the warm pool of water, her body was just next to him, and he felt that he could not tolerate it any longer. Staying there for another second would drive him crazy.

However, Xia Ling grabbed his hand tightly. “Don’t go, I’m scared…” She was confused and did not recognize who the man in front of her was. She only felt that there was a faint light in the boundless blood and darkness she was in. That man was so warm and bright, and she could not help but rely on him. “Don’t go…” She cried again.

Li Lei took a few more deep breaths and used all of his willpower to tell himself to remain calm and in control. Otherwise, he would have pushed her into the water and taken advantage of her. He wanted to push her away, but she kept begging him with tears in her eyes such that his determination amounted to nothing. He could not hold back any longer.

What should he do?

Li Lei was heartbroken. He had never encountered such a dilemma since he was a child. If Xiao Ling were still conscious, she would definitely not have agreed to give her body to him in such a scenario. Anyway, no matter what, their first time had to be on a romantic night in a well-decorated room and in a big soft bed…

Wait, stop. Why was he lost in his imagination?!