Chapter 23 - A Childs tale (2/2)

The girl nervously looked at Lei Xing and then looked down and twirled her fingers, ”Ev-even so, thank you...you...you could get in tr-trouble for this...I'm sorry...”

Lei Xing looked at her and scoffed, ”What trouble could those little brats possibly cause me?”

The girl nervously glanced at Lei Xing, ”Even so...”

”What's your name?” Lei Xing asked.

”Ah? Uh, my name is Li Ru...” The girl timidly answered.

Lei Xing thought for a moment, ”Li Ru...Ahh you're the daughter of the maid, right?”

The girl froze and felt a bit panicked, and lowered head even further.

”Doesn't that mean that you are the oldest daughter of this family, why are you letting that brat, Li Jiao bully you?”

The girl looked up at Lei Xing in surprise.

”Is it because she had backup? But even then, you could have at least tried to scratch out their eyes or kick them and done some damage, your hands and feet are not decorations...even when you begged, they didn't let you go, so why be submissive...when you attack them once, at least tomorrow they will think twice before coming your way. if you don't have the will to fight to save yourself, who do you want to do it? It's your life.” Lei Xing coldly said and then sighed. The girl, Li Ru stared at Lei Xing with a wide-eyed blank expression.

”Hey, that's too much, she's just a child.” Ah Jin spoke up, jabbing Lei Xing's arm.

Lei Xing rubbed her arm, ”So what? Heaven helps those who help themselves. If she can't fight for her own life, what's the point of living it then. Children are so stupid.”

”You're also a child.” Ah Jin pointed out.

”But I'm not stupid like them.” Lei Xing retorted with a pout.

The next moment the girl in red, Li Jiao and her group returned, this time with an older boy. They stopped in front of the three of them and Li Jiao spoke up pointing at Lei Xing, ”Ge, she is the one who pushed me because of that useless good for nothing over there.”

**(Ge/Gege = older brother)**

Lei Xing coldly stared at the group, Ah Jin calmly looked on while Li Ru was shaking.

Li Ru stepped forward and said, ”Gege, she-” The moment she spoke the older boy gave her a heavily slap and angrily shouted, ”How dare you use that filthy mouth to call me that?!” Li Ru fell to the floor, held her face shivering as tears rolled down her face. The other children around him all smirked.

Lei Xing glanced at her on the floor and sighed.

The older boy looked back at Lei Xing and said, ”How dare you come to our house to cause trouble? Do you not know how to fear?”

Lei Xing scoffed and coldly looked at him, ”Fear? Fear what?”

”How dare you - !” The older boy raised his hand.

Lei Xing calmly said, ”It is you who doesn't know how to fear. Let that hand touch me and you will get a lesson on it.”

”What?!” The older boy was fuming but yet seemed hesitant as he looked at the little girl's confident and unflinching face.

”Ge! What are you doing? Look what she did to my face!” Li Jiao spoke up beside her brother, displeased with his hesitation. The older boy glanced at his sister's scr.a.p.ed face and felt conflicted, just as he was about to decide to hit...

”Xing'er, there you are! I have been looking for you.” All of them turned towards the voice.

”Ge!” Lei Xing happily shouted and hopped over to her brother with a happy childish smile on her face, Lei Yong smiled at her and then looked at the scene and asked, ”What is happening here?”

The older boy quickly dropped his hand and turned to smile at Lei Yong but before he could speak, Lei Xing tearfully began, ”Ge! They are bullying me...I was just passing by when I saw Li Jiao and her group bullying that weak little girl and felt that I could not just walk away...” Lei Xing paused for a bit and hiccuped, ”So I politely asked them to stop, and then Li Jiao wanted to hit me, I was so scared that I covered my face...and then I heard her scream and saw her on the floor. She accused me of tripping her and then ran away and now came back with her older brother...and..and...and he wants to hit me...I am so scared...thank heavens, you came...I am so scared...” Lei Xing pitifully finished hugging her brother burying her head in his bosom. The others who were watching this scene all looked at her in disbelief.

...Who is scared? Who bullied...?...

Lei Yong patter her head and comforted her and then glared at the older boy, ”Li Bao, what is the meaning of this?”

Li Bao bowed towards Lei Yong, ”Young master Lei, I apologize. I was not aware of the full story and acted foolishly out of concern for my sister. I apologize on behalf of my sister and younger cousins, they are still young. I hope you will not hold it against them. Miss Lei, I also apologize for scaring you.” He also used a hand to bow Li Jiao's head down and motioned for the others to follow.

Lei Xing scoffed in her mind. Lei Yong patted Lei Xing's head, ”Xing'er, what do you think?”

Lei Xing turned her head, while still hugging her brother and scanned the crowd and covertly smirked at them, which caused the group to grit their teeth and then said, ”It's okay, let's not worry father and mother. It's best to just let it go...”

”You heard her, you can go, but there better not be a second time.”

”Definitely won't be.” Li Bao bowed again, grabbed his sister and walked off with the rest of the group.

After the group was out of sight, Lei Yong poking her head, ”Xing'er, what trouble did you cause again?”

Lei Xing pouted and released Lei Yong, ”I didn't do anything...this time.”

”So you were really bullied?” Lei Yong asked in disbelief.

”Who can bully me?” Lei Xing indignantly said, proudly raising her head.

Lei Yong laughed and pat her head, then looked to the side and saw Li Ru sitting on the ground with wet clothes and sighed. He walked towards her and stretched out a hand to her, ”Here.” Li Ru flinched and then stared blankly at his hand, he smiled at her and motioned for her to take his hand, she looked at him and then hesitantly held his hand.

Lei Yong pulled her up and then removed his outer robe and hung it over her, and turned to Ah Jin, ”Ah Jin, take her to go find a change of clothes and also have them prepare some soup to warm her.”

Ah Jin bowed and then held the shaking Li Ru to leave, after they took a few steps, Li Ru suddenly turned back and bowed to Lei Yong and quietly said, ”Thank you.”

Lei Yong smiled, ”It's nothing.” Li Ru glanced up at him, then quickly looked down with her face redder. Then she turned to the side and saw Lei Xing leaning on a pillar calmly looking in her direction and shrunk back a bit and then bowed towards Lei Xing, and left with Ah Jin.

...

Li Ru finished narrating the events of that day and continued, ”...You see my mother had died during my birth and my father and the others...didn't care much...that day was the first time someone was ever on my side and the first time someone told me there was another way I could live my life...the first time someone held out a helping hand to me...” She quietly finished with a smile.

Lei Xing had been engaged in the story and felt sorry for Little Li Ru and said, ”You've had a hard life...”

...Haah, all this is the man's fault...Don't cheat !and if you cheat, own up to the consequences -_-)'...The child didn't help you conceive itself, why be angry with it?...haah, and here I am in a harem, the center of cheatdom...

Lei Xing sighed and then reached for the plate of snacks Li Ru brought and then her hand slightly froze when she noticed the ring color was a greenish-blue, and she swiftly moved to grab her teacup instead.

...What is this meaning of this?! -_-)' Did she come to tell me a sob story so she can poison me? Really?! But two attempts in one day...isn't that too much?!!... On another note, she's a stellar actress, got me tearing up and stuff...actually I didn't...That's not the main point! She actually tried to poison me with a sob story?!...