Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

Li Chenyang was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "If he asks about your biological mother, it means he knows that you two have similarities."

"That is to say..." Li Xueyue swallowed her saliva. "He has doubts about my identity. He is about to find out my true identity."

Li Chenyang nodded stiffly. "Exactly. This is a problem for us."

Li Xueyue bent down to pick up the fallen scroll and handed it back to him. He took it and tightened his fingers around it.

"Now, for Lord Li Daojun, we should keep a low profile, don't talk to him, don't look at him, just treat him as if he doesn't exist. If you see him, go in the opposite direction. We shouldn't give him any chance to think about you or talk to you."

Li Xueyue nodded. "He's mainly in the palace."

"I know, that's why we'll have another reason not to let you in."

Li Chenyang didn't want to think about what would happen to Li Xueyue if her identity was revealed. If people knew that she was not only an illegitimate child, but also the product of rape, and that her biological father wanted to send her to Han, she would be ruined. It is cruel for children to pay for their parents' sins, but society has never been kind.

"What do you think he will do with this information?" Li Xueyue asked loudly, even though she was already guessing the worst outcome.

"Nothing good will come of this," Li Chenyang pointed out. "He's not the kind of man who cares about his family, especially this one. Now, you're a burden to your father."

Li Xueyue swallowed her saliva. The last thing she wanted to do was to bring disgrace to the Li family. "Lord Li Tao can use me as a bargaining chip. If he knows that Mu Yihua is my mother and I am the second daughter of Viscount Bai, then Lord Li Tao will always be against us."

"The truth is terrible. It will never go away." Li Chenyang sighed. "I will let my father know about this, so just stay here, okay? I know you are smart and will keep this secret, but I don't know if King Li Tao will keep it to himself."

He cursed himself for what he said at Ning Huabing's banquet. Originally, he wanted to overturn Viscount Bai's treatment of his second daughter and make the society question her identity. And when their curiosity got the better of them, Li Chenyang was about to reveal that Viscount had ordered the beating of his so-called daughter.

Li Chenyang didn't expect Xueyue might be involved.

Li Chenyang had intended to keep Xueyue's identity a secret. Even if Lord Bai revealed that Li Xueyue was his daughter, who would believe such a foolish thing? She didn't look like him at all, only a little like his wife. Li Xueyue looked too much like Lord Li Chenyang, and people didn't think she was a Bai.

Now, another question arises: Li Daojun's speculation. Whether he knows Li Xueyue's identity or not, this issue will become a big deal sooner or later.

"Don't think too much about it for now. I'll talk to my father about this."

“I’m sorry for bringing you a burden.” Li Xueyue blurted out suddenly. She had been wanting to say this. She was carrying too many burdens, and she didn’t realize how much of a burden this would bring to the family.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't expect this."

Li Chenyang looked around. Was she... apologizing to him? For what? ! This silly girl! He stamped his feet at her and glared at her in dissatisfaction.

Li Xueyue huddled in her chair, trying to shrink herself as small as possible. Regret weighed down her shoulders, and guilt twisted her heart.

Her eyes watered at the thought of hurting the people who had helped her. She felt her face getting hot and her throat getting clogged.

The Li family had been nothing but good to her, and now look at the trouble she had brought them. She would become the reason they were laughed at by the other nobles.

She was startled when Li Chenyang raised his hand but put it close to her forehead. She bit her tongue to stop herself from sniffling or sobbing. She didn’t want to cry. Not here. Not now. She didn’t want him to comfort her because everything was her fault.

"Idiot." Li Chenyang gritted his teeth and hit her hard on the forehead.

Li Xueyue covered her head and screamed in pain. She blinked her eyes, and the waterworks started. Tears dripped onto her Hanfu, and soon she was crying like a mess.

Li Chenyang panicked. Did he use too much force and hurt her? He didn't know what to do. He had never comforted a crying girl, let alone a sister. "X-Xueyue?" He stammered, bending down to her height, but she was bent over and covering her face.

"Does it hurt?" He reached out and awkwardly grasped her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry..." She sobbed, struggling to speak or breathe.

"What?" Li Chenyang frowned. "I should apologize for hitting you so hard. Why are you crying like this?"

He shook her but she still held her ground. She refused to let him see her crying face and continued to hide behind her hands. He felt his heart break as he felt her body tremble and heard her hiccups and gasps.

“I… didn’t mean to be a burden…” Li Xueyue choked and wiped her tears hard. Damn it! Damn it! She really wanted to yell at herself for being such a crybaby. Now, he had to forgive her. She didn’t want that. She didn’t want him to feel guilty for her problems.

Li Chenyang blinked his eyes quickly to show that he understood. Is this kid crying because he feels like a burden? ! His confused expression became more serious. He put his arm around her shoulders and forced her to look up at him.

"Don't blame yourself for this." He frowned. "None of this is your fault. You won't pay for your parents' sins. You didn't ask to be born in those circumstances. You didn't cause what happened between Li Taojun and Mu Yihua. You don't deserve anything that happened in that family."

Li Xueyue stared at his shoulder, not daring to look him in the face with his pressure-filled gaze.

Li Chenyang shook her gently again. "Silly girl, silly girl, how can you blame yourself for this?"

"Because I was a mistake."

Li Chenyang's expression softened a little. He wiped her wet cheeks and flicked her forehead, causing her to scream.

"Even if you weren't the planned child, it wasn't your fault. You played no role in what happened that night."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to feel sorry for myself—"

"Don't apologize." Li Chenyang ruffled her hair. "Is this why you're crying?"

Li Xueyue nodded quietly, her eyes fixed on the floor. After he had drilled those things into her mind, she no longer had the confidence to face him.

Li Chenyang smiled and shook his head. "I really don't understand how your brain works. You are always afraid of becoming a burden to us. Did we ever tell you that you are?"

Li Xueyue bit her lower lip and shook her head. They had never told her this, but she had believed since she was a child that she was nothing more than a burden to others. A mistake had caused the rift between Viscount Mu Yihua and Viscount Bai Sheng. She had heard this many times, and it was time for her to accept this fact.

"That's right. We never said such a thing." Li Chenyang put his hands on his hips and looked down at her like a disappointed mother. "Xueyue, don't think you will drag us down. We never thought of such a thing."

He pressed his index finger to her forehead, forcing her to look up at him. His serious expression cracked when he saw her little pout. He smiled softly.

"You're such a fool." He shook his head. "The next time you think you're a burden, I want you to tell your demons to go to hell, because that's where they come from. Got it?"

She nodded.

When he looked at her, she nodded again. "I see..." she whispered.

“Now, let’s enjoy the rest of the afternoon, shall we?” Li Chenyang smiled with satisfaction. “Our tea and snacks are getting cold.”

"Okay," she muttered.

"Don't worry, I won't call you greedy." Li Chenyang laughed and placed plates of snacks in front of her.

Li Xueyue reached for the plate and handed it to him first. He laughed at her antics. The eldest had to eat first, which he found an annoying tradition and was rarely followed in this family. He didn't know why she followed him. So, he picked up a cookie and stuffed it into her mouth.

"We are a family and we don't have to follow etiquette at home."

Li Xueyue chewed the biscuit slowly. "I almost forgot."

"Well, start taking notes." Li Chenyang joked, walking back to his seat. He called a maid to replace the pot of cold tea with a pot of freshly brewed tea. Then, they fell into a comfortable silence, waiting for everyone to go home for dinner.