Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

The two stared at each other for a long time, and the atmosphere became cold and unfriendly. A dull silence fell between the two, and neither of them wanted to back down. They were not in the nature to give up, mainly because Li Chenyang and Li Xueyue were too competitive and stubborn.

"give it to me."

"Do not."

"Li Xueyue!" He was annoyed and finally decided that enough was enough.

Li Chenyang grabbed her shoulders and forced her to crane her neck to meet his gaze. At this moment, she despised her average height. When they sat down, he was taller.

At least, Yu Zhen would hold her neck or lower his body to make her more comfortable. Thinking of his shallow smile and gentle touch, she couldn't help but feel her face blushing. Why did she think of him at this time?

"I won't ask any more questions. Give me the ring now."

"I do not want."

Li Chenyang frowned at her words. It was one of the few times she stood up to him. "Do you realize how bad it is to walk around wearing this ring when you haven't even announced it to him publicly? People will talk!"

Li Xueyue shook her head. She didn't care what others thought of her. Rumors and gossip couldn't feed her. Her eyes dropped to the ground, because she did care about one thing: the reputation of the Li family, and she was always careful not to let herself be dragged down.

"Don't be stubborn. If you want something made of yellow stone like topaz, then I'll buy the whole set for you!"

"But I just want this ring..." She whispered, her voice a little hoarse at the end. Li Xueyue didn't want to get emotional about this topic, but she couldn't help herself. Just like Li Chenyang said, this could be the promise ring that he would come back to her. A promise that he would wait patiently for her, no matter if it took weeks, months, or even years.

Promises are nothing but sweet lies.

She had told herself so, but strangely, Yu Zhen's promise to her sounded too real for her to not believe him.

Li Xueyue knew that she was stupid and that the world was too cruel to her, but she didn't care.

She only wants Yu Zhen.

Even if loving him might bring her pain, and even lead to Wuyi's tragic death, she doesn't care. If loving him is like knocking on death's door, then she will open it and run down the steps to hell. If it means she can have him, then the consequences don't matter to her.

"Xueyue." Li Chenyang tried again, and this time, his voice softened.

He couldn't bear to see her trembling lips. She was trying too hard to be strong even though the tears were about to fall.

Li Chenyang could see that she was sleep deprived more often than usual. She was more erratic and moody now. Her shoulders sagged, dark circles under her eyes, and she looked tired. She was a growing panda.

"Please," he whispered. "Leave it to me. I only have your best interests at heart, and I would never do anything that I knew would hurt you."

Li Xueyue believed him. She would always believe in her brother Chen, no matter what kind of man he would become in the future.

Even if he became a cruel prime minister who beheaded anyone who angered him, she would still believe in his kindness, not because she didn't understand, but because she cherished him too much.

"Please," she pleaded, "I just want to keep this ring. I-it's the only thing that can reassure me that he will come back for me."

"He hasn't left yet, you can ask for something else." Li Chenyang said. "But not this ring. There has never been this ring."

"Brother Chen..." She lowered her voice, "I don't want anything else except this."

"Okay then." Li Chenyang frowned and straightened his back. "Then give me his pendant and hairpin."

"What? No, I can't!" She sighed, surprised that he knew such things.

"I'm testing you." Li Chenyang's face was gloomy.

Li Xueyue froze and her eyes widened in horror. It was the first time she saw him look at her like this. He was really angry with her.

"But thank you for telling me how shameless it was for him to give you a gift of affection. Either you hand over the ring, or you hand over both the pendant and the hairpin."

"But why?" Li Xueyue asked as she stood up, hoping to escape from this room, even though this room originally belonged to her. He would not let her stand. Seeing that she was about to stand up, he pressed his hands hard on her shoulders and pushed her to the ground.

"What would you choose? A ring or a pendant and a hairpin?"

"Neither."

"Snow Moon——"

"Why are you like this?!" she yelled, her voice rising an octave. She rarely raised her voice to him, and the sound surprised him.

Li Xueyue had had enough of this mess. Even though the tears threatened to fall from her face and she was afraid of angering and disappointing him, she continued to disobey his orders.

No matter what he said to her, she would not give up these things. Because she knew that once she was separated from them, her brother Chen would burn it. He would get rid of it because Li Chenyang was the kind of person who feared the worst.

Li Xueyue knew deep down that he was not angry, but afraid. He was afraid that she would follow Li Minghua's footsteps and give herself to a man who seemed to have promised her everything, but ended up disappointing her. He was afraid that she would fall into a loveless marriage because her first encounter was rainbows and butterflies.

Li Xueyue refused to give up these things. What if Yu Zhen left without telling her? What should she use to remember him?

Li Xueyue wanted to rebuke his behavior, but she couldn't do it. She didn't dare to scold him, and she even had the heart to scold him - this was something she would rather die than do.

"You're really, really..." She struggled to find the right words, "mean. You're being really mean right now. I don't like it."

“Meaning?” Li Chenyang repeated in disbelief. Even now, she still took the time to worry about him tirelessly instead of worrying about herself. Was she worried that yelling at him for his rudeness would cause him to hate her?

"Yes, I mean."

Li Chenyang sighed in frustration. "Xueyue, stop making things harder for me." He groaned. "Don't be so dramatic."

She shook her head and refused to listen.

"Be good," he scolded, and when she narrowed her eyes at him, he made a soft 'tsk'. "Xueyue, we don't have time for this. Breakfast is ready and everyone is waiting for you."

Li Xueyue kept her mouth shut and refused to look at him. She kept her eyes on the ground, hoping that it was his face that she was glaring at.

Suddenly, there was a timid knock on the door. Li Chenyang let out an angry sigh and straightened up.

"Come in," he shouted, frightening the poor messenger on the other side of the door.

He was even more annoyed when the door opened. Standing in front of it was a shy and hesitant maid, young and new to the profession. She lowered herself as low as she could.

"Second Young Master, Miss." She greeted. "Someone wants to see our Miss——"

Li Xueyue didn't need to be told twice before she jumped up from her chair, surprising Li Chenyang. In the blink of an eye, she ran past him and rushed out the door desperately.

“Hey-!” Li Chenyang yelled, angry that she did such a thing. He ran to the door, turned his head to the outside, and found that she had already left.

"Why on earth is she so fast?!" he groaned, slamming his fists into the wooden frame of the door.

The loud creaking made the maids scream, and they all jumped when he turned to glare at them. He didn't need them screaming so early in the morning, especially when he had every ounce of patience left.

"Damn it, Xueyue," he huffed, walking out the door and down the hallway. "Why don't you know I'm just trying to help you?"

Li Chenyang continued to complain in a low voice, cursing Yu Zhen, Di Yu, and Yu Zhen again. That person can rot in the underworld, but what about Xue Yue? She deserves to reach the highest realm of heaven.

"You're going to get hurt if you stay with him," he grumbled, letting out a long sigh that he'd been trying to hold back throughout the conversation.

"I just…" He trailed off, noticing something on the floor.

Li Chenyang bent over and picked up the lavender ribbon. His face wrinkled as he tried to smile. He clutched the ribbon that clearly belonged to Li Xueyue. He closed his eyes and pulled the ribbon close to his chest.

"I just want to see you safe and happy, why can't you understand?"