Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

Li Xueyue suddenly jumped out of bed, her heart pounding against her chest. With shaking hands, she tried to reach out to comb her hair, but found it tangled. She pulled her hand out angrily, but frowned in pain. She jumped in fear when something fell out of her hand. She smiled nervously, laughing at how stupid her behavior was.

"I'm safe here," she told herself, even though she suddenly didn't feel that safe. Goose bumps rose up her arms as a breeze blew past her. She swallowed and began frantically rubbing her shaking arms, which were soaked with cold sweat.

Suddenly, her own hands turned into thick, hairy hands that did not belong to her.

"No!" she screamed, dropping her hands and backing away. She gasped in panic, her eyes darting from the white sheets to where she last saw those male hands. They were caressing every inch of her body until she was nearly in tears, kicking and screaming for mercy.

"Don't do this, don't do this..." She covered her face with her hands and shouted. Before long, the silent night was filled with soft sobs and heartbroken sobs. She was not crying for her dignity being trampled on, she was crying for the little child in her dream who would never heal from the emotional scars.

No matter how hard Li Xueyue tried to go back to sleep, she couldn't fall asleep. Finally, she gave up and began to read silently, hoping that the sun would rise much faster than usual.

Soon, Li Xueyue found herself reading the same sentence five times in a row. She still couldn't understand it. Realizing it was impossible to focus on anything but the nightmare, she put the book down and walked to the bed.

“What is this…?” she asked curiously, realizing that there had been something on the blanket. She walked closer to her bed. It was Yu-Jen’s hairpin.

"This must have been something that fell off my head and frightened me," she sighed, picking it up. She turned it between two fingers, looking at the blurry reflection in the silver rim of the roaring lion. She held it against the window and her eyes widened at the sight of the rising sun.

Li Xueyue immediately went to the window and watched as the dark sky began to glow a soft blue. In the background, birds stretched their bodies and began to chirp. Their songs slowly encouraged the sun to rise higher and higher until dawn arrived.

Finally it was morning and a new day began.

"I didn't expect I would miss this," she said thoughtfully, continuing to twirl the hairpin in her hand. She watched the silver glitter, the dazzling light dancing on the floor. She smiled secretly, clutched the hairpin to her chest, and hugged it tightly. Li Xueyue absentmindedly hoped that it was not the hairpin in her arms, but the person who gave it to her.

- - - - -

When the maids entered her room and began to help her dress, they were not surprised to see her awake before them. This was usually the case. It was no secret that their young lady rarely got a good night's sleep. It was as if such a thing was in her dictionary.

Li Xueyue silently asked the maids to wash off yesterday's makeup on her face, wash her hair thoroughly, and then comb out all the tangles.

After taking a shower in the morning, she sat in front of the dressing mirror. A maid was blow-drying her hair, another was dressing her, and another was choosing an outfit. It took a team to help her get ready.

While they were still busy preparing her, Li Xueyue reached for the drawer where some small jewelry and trinkets were kept. From brooches to ribbons, everything inside was neatly arranged, but only one thing caught her attention, which was a ring that fit her finger perfectly.

She picked it up and held it up to the light, watching as the sun soaked the glittering topaz, turning it from a shimmering dandelion yellow to molten gold. She heard soft gasps from the maids who couldn't help but stop and marvel at the gorgeous ring.

As Li Xueyue bathed in the sunlight, they understood what the design inspiration of this ring was. Her eyes sparkled in the morning sun, turning

The brown spheres turn the color of fallen leaves in autumn.

"Miss, this ring is so beautiful." One of the maids praised earlier. She was so fascinated by the ring that she didn't realize that her words were inappropriate.

Li Xueyue disagreed. She preferred their small talk to their usual silence. "Someone told me that this topaz resembles my eyes, although that's a bit exaggerated."

"It does not seem so, mademoiselle," said the same maid cheerfully.

Li Xueyue did not respond. She just turned the ring in her hand over and poked it. Unconsciously, a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"Excuse me, young lady, is this what Madam bought for you?" asked another maid, this time doing Xueyue's hair.

"What are you discussing?" he asked at the door.

Li Xueyue knew without even looking that Li Chenyang was always the last one to get up but the one who dressed the fastest. He entered her room without knocking, which he didn't need to do anyway.

Before he reached her, Li Xueyue put her finger around the ring and placed her clenched hand in her lap. She smiled at him nervously, her heart beating with fear when their eyes met, and he raised his eyebrows, suspicious of her.

"Just the ladies talking about jewels," she replied, motioning for the maids to start fixing her appearance.

"What's that in your hand?" Li Chenyang thought, a small smile on his face. He leaned his hips against her vanity and watched a maid pick up a crimson sheet used to color her lips.

"Too bright," he chided. "A rose-pink would suit her better. Try a different color."

The maid bowed her head, "I'm sorry, Master." She rushed out, knowing that he was the brother with the worst temper in the family. He might look calm and collected, but he was the most intolerant to servants.

Although Li Xueyue is kind-hearted, she would never go against her Chen Ge in front of the servants.

"Excellently?" he asked again, in a gentle but impatient tone.

Li Xueyue shook her head and released a little daughter. “Believe me, you won’t be interested in this.”

"I will," he said, "because it's a ring." Li Chenyang gave a tight smile that was too sweet to be genuine.

Li Xueyue sighed softly. He was uneasy about the ring, or perhaps, he was angry that she didn't respond. "You don't have to worry about that."

"It belongs to that rat, doesn't it?" Li Chenyang frowned and crossed his arms in annoyance.

"A rat? Who are you talking about?"

"Yu Zhen, who else?"

"He is not a mouse." Li Xueyue frowned and held the ring in her palm.

"How did he give you the ring in the first place? I don't remember a proposal. He had the courage to put the ring on you without even asking for his parents' blessing."

"You think too much. It's just a simple gift." Thinking back to yesterday's events, she sighed.

The thing Yu Zhen had thrust into her hand was this ring, which could have been easily hidden, and what puzzled her was how perfectly and comfortably it sat on her finger, as if he had already known her size after holding her hand once or twice.

"Or maybe it's a love ring." Li Chenyang sighed and held out his hand. "Give it to me. I'll give it back to him when I see him in the palace."

Li Xueyue stared at his outstretched hand. With each passing second, her brows began to draw together, and her lips pressed down into a soft, hesitant frown.

It felt just like when Li Wenmin asked her to give him Wen Jinkai's pendant during Chunbi. Couldn't her brother trust her with men?

"Xueyue." Li Chenyang coaxed, "I'll simply return it, nothing else."

Li Xueyue shook her head, covering her chest with her hands, her heart beating violently.

"Xue Yue." He tried again, this time his voice was lower than usual, and his tone was full of warning. He didn't quite accept her disobedience. "Give it to me."

"No." She glared at him as his friendly gaze turned cruel. It was the first time she had ever seen him angry about something, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.