Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

After a long day of archery practice with Wenmin, an awkward dinner, and a jasmine-scented bath, Xueyue fell exhausted on her bed. During dinner, the Duchess was very attentive. She kept filling Xueyue's bowl with rice, but when Wenmin joined in, Li Chenyang stood up suddenly. The lively discussion subsided with his sudden exit.

Thinking of Li Chenyang's cold face, Xueyue groaned into her pillow. 'What did I do wrong? ' She complained to herself. Not wanting to dwell on the issue any longer, she lay down on the bed. Calmly relaxing her body and closing her eyes, she fell into a terrible nightmare, an unforgivable beating, full of pleading, screaming, and a man's hand too close to her body...

"No... stop it, I didn't do that!" Xueyue muttered in her sleep: "Let me go, who are you?!"

Xueyue gasped and sat up abruptly in her bed. She was panting and her heart was beating faster than a horse in an open field. She believed the gods were playing a very cruel joke on her. First she had endured a lifetime of abuse and now she was forced to repeat it every night? What kind of sick and twisted joke was this?

"I need some fresh air," she said to no one in particular. She climbed out of bed and grabbed a random scarf from her closet. It was made of the finest cotton and embroidery, but she had never been one to understand expensive clothes. To her, they were all the same, including this shawl.

Changing her indoor slippers into outdoor slippers, Xueyue left the room and headed straight for the garden. The pleasant sight calmed her beating heart. The rich scent of lavender eased her anxiety. Pushing open the creaking garden door, she decided to walk towards the central pavilion.

Her fingertips brushed over every flower she saw as she slowly walked towards her destination. Sitting on the cold, hard bench, her body curled up into a small ball. She leaned her head against a sturdy pillar that supported the pavilion's roof and marveled at the night sky.

Tonight, the sky was starless. Even the moon was hiding from her. The blank and gloomy canvas reflected her conflicting emotions. Her eyes lost focus as her thoughts drifted to the Viscount. She knew nothing about her sordid birth and questioned his cruelty and abuse. He was always devoted to Tianai, but spared no effort for Xueyue. Thinking of Tianai also reminded her of Zheng Leiyu... the first man who broke her heart. She thought about how gentle and kind he was to her in a world where everyone seemed bent on destroying her happiness.

Zheng Leiyu adored her. One time, he even stole her first kiss. But the naive Xiao Xueyue didn't understand the emotions in his eyes. She didn't understand lust and desire. When he tried to make a move on her, she pushed him away, and it was the first time he fought back against her. She still remembered the night she found Leiyu and Tianai together.

Wandering in the dark hall, Xueyue was confused by the soft sobbing coming from the other side of the corridor. Out of curiosity, she witnessed Leiyu and Tianai's passionate physical entanglement on the bed.

Bai Tianai was a very smart girl who was good at speaking, unlike Xueyue who was taciturn and clumsy. She persuaded the Viscount and the Zheng family to unify. Not long after, someone proposed to her.

Xueyue thought of the meek and kind Leiyu. She realized what a self-conscious man he was. He lacked any athletic talent she liked. While she excelled at archery, horseback riding, and swordplay, he excelled at poetry, writing, and literature. Anything he deemed "unsuitable for a woman," he would force her to stop practicing. She wanted to please the dazzlingly beautiful older boy, and she immediately agreed. The sparrow clipped her wings to join the swans, and in the process, she drowned.

"You cried."

Xueyue's heart jumped when she heard the sudden voice behind her. She turned around and saw Li Chenyang holding a lantern in confusion. He was wearing a nightgown and his long hair was tied up with a thread. His face was tired and messy... as if he had also experienced a nightmare.

"I cried..." Xueyue repeated his words in confusion, pressing her hands to her face. Her cheeks were indeed stained with tears. She lowered her head and turned away from him. She didn't want him to see her so weak.

"Here, use this," he whispered, thrusting a handkerchief in front of her, and she glanced at it in confusion. Her eyes moved from the handkerchief to his cold face.

"Thank you..." Xueyue took the handkerchief with both hands and said gratefully.

Li Chenyang watched her wipe away her tears before turning his head and walking to the other side of the pavilion. He sat down on the cold bench and looked at her conflicted expression. He asked himself, "Was I too harsh on her at dinner?" He remembered the lecture his mother had given him after trapping him in the study. She accused him of being rude and mean.

Li Chenyang asked if it was because Xueyue complained to the Duchess, but the princess revealed that Xueyue had not said anything about him.

Instead of crying to the Duchess, Xueyue kept silent about the way her twin brothers treated her.

He was grateful for her silence. Even so, Duchess Lee thought quickly when she noticed his cold behavior. The Duchess knew her young son was harsh with girls, but she hoped he would respect Seol-Yul.

Li Chenyang asked hesitantly in a low voice: "Are you crying because of me?"

Xueyue raised her head and looked at him in confusion. She tilted her head to one side with a puzzled expression on her face. "Huh?"

Li Chenyang cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's okay," he muttered.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear you the first time."

"Have you forgotten what I said?" Li Chenyang crossed his arms and muttered.

Thinking quietly, an idea suddenly emerged in Xueyue's mind. She comforted him: "If you ask me why I'm crying, don't worry, it's not because of you."

Li Chenyang's head slammed into hers. This time, he didn't know how to respond. He looked at her quietly, and she also looked at the sky. He wondered why she didn't rush to pay attention to her appearance. Her hair was messy, and her shawl didn't match her pajamas. Her lack of consciousness made her look even more charming, and he knew it would be a problem in the future. Once a suitor saw her, the Li Mansion would be lively. He sighed. How tiring.

The longer he looked at her, the less he liked her indifference to him.

Among the nobles, the twins were very popular. For Li Wenmin, it was his carefree smile, the twinkle in his eyes, and his charm. For Li Chenyang, it was his silence and mystery. He was always very quiet and rarely spoke to anyone except his brother and parents. Many mothers hoped that their daughters could marry into the Li family because the Li family had very good wealth and reputation.

Li Wenmin was a man who seldom got angry. Even when he did, he always tried to hide it with a smile. Li Chenyang, on the other hand, had a dark look in his eyes and a disapproving frown. For some strange reason, many women didn't mind his distant behavior. In fact, they seemed to be more attracted to him because of it.

When Li Chenyang gives others cold and contemptuous looks, girls will flock to him even more. He hates women who care about him too much, cling to him, and like to talk - except for the Duchess. But Xueyue is different... It's like she doesn't care about him at all. The idea that she won't talk to him unless he talks to her first bothers him. For him, it's always the girl who strikes up a conversation first, not the other way around...

Li Chenyang stared at himself silently, but Xueyue was completely oblivious to the battle in her mind.

Xueyue was too focused on her own battle.

Hating that she didn't look at him or argue with him, Li Chenyang racked his brains to think of something to say. He suddenly thought of the silly nickname that Wenmin asked Xueyue to call him. He opened his mouth and closed it again.

He didn't want to force her to say anything she didn't want to say.

Xueyue stood up suddenly, and Li Chenyang was startled. He watched her dust off her pajamas.

"Where are you going?" he asked immediately as she walked towards the pavilion door. She did not look at him until he spoke to her.

Xueyue turned around. She said in a confused voice, "Go to my room...?"

"Oh," he replied. "Good night." He nodded, seeming satisfied with his performance.

"Good night, Master Li," she said softly, and then walked away.

He frowned as he watched her disappearing back. Was it just Master Li…? Wasn’t it Brother Chen? Or even Li Chenyang? Suddenly, he was irritable, but he didn’t know why. “I didn’t care about her before, why do I care about her now?” He complained in his heart. He shook his head and sighed. Maybe a good night’s sleep would make him more rational.