As Lei Xing was watching the nervous girl in front of her, trying to decipher what was going on with her, Xiao Ruo and Ah Jin walked in with tea and snacks and placed them on the table beside Lei Xing. Noble consort Li glanced up at them and perked up, "Ah! You are Ah Jin, right?"
Lei Xing immediately glanced at Ah Jin, who bowed towards Noble consort Li in greeting, "Do you two know each other?"
Noble consort Li spoke up first, "Ah? Uh no, not really...I just remember that she was with you then...so I remembered...and so..." Again her voice was getting smaller and she seemed uneasy and looked down
Lei Xing sighed.
{...This is painful to watch...am I really that scary?...}
Lei Xing finally couldn't keep watching her and said, "Ah, I'm sorry I don't remember you." Noble consort Li looked up at her with a crestfallen expression, seeing this Lei Xing quickly added, "You see, I had an accident, so there are some things I don't remember..."
Noble consort Li's expression brightened, "Oh, so that's what happened...It's okay..." Then she smiled brightly at Lei Xing. Lei Xing was waiting for her to continue, but she just stood there smiling at her.
{...This is really awkward...}
"How about you sit and have some tea?" Lei Xing said motioning to the seat on the other side of the table with the tea and snacks.
"O-okay, thank you." She finally sat down, Xiao Ruo filled the teacups and she picked up a cup and sipped it, then looked at Lei Xing, "I've always wanted to meet you again...I thought to visit, but my circumstances didn't really allow to..."
She looked at the cup in her hand with a bittersweet smile and then looked up at Lei Xing with a bit of tears in her eyes, "That was the first time anyone ever stood up for me...I know you said you didn't...Oh, right, you don't remember..." She looked down at the cup again.
"You can tell me about it." Lei Xing said to her with a small smile.
{...I want know now, it seems highly interesting ⚆ _ ⚆)...}
Noble consort Li looked up and smiled, "Of course, I will be glad to." then she sighed and began, "It was when I was 9 years old, then my father still had a position in the capital, we were hosting a birthday celebration for my grandmother...at that time..."
...
"You useless, stupid fool...what are you doing here?" A little girl dressed in a beautiful red gown, shoved another slightly taller little girl who was wearing a simple blue dress. Behind them were a group of five lavishly dressed little boys and girls who were cheering on the one dressed in red.
"Maybe she lost her way." Another little girl jeered.
The girl in red scoffed and shoved again, "I am talking to you...don't tell me you lost your way, even if you lost your way, you shouldn't be so stupid as to have to wound up here."
"I...I...grandmother asked me to - " The girl red sent a heavy slap across her face, stopping her words and shouted, "Don't lie! Why would our grandmother ask to see your useless self...Speak the truth, aren't you trying to ruin the birthday celebration?!"
"I'm not...she really..." The girl in blue tried to feebly protest.
One of the boys came forward and grabbed the girl in blue's hair bun and pulled at it, "Stop lying! How could our grandmother bring you out to embarrass the family? Don't you know there are many important guests here today? And you still had the nerve to show your stupid face!"
The girl in blue screamed and cried and weakly tried to push his hand, but another boy came forward and grabbed her hand, then the girl in red gave her another slap.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." The girl repeatedly pleaded through tears.
"You're sorry? Sorry about what?" The girl in red asked and then slapped her again and kept slapping, "Sorry about? Talk!"
"I'm sorry for coming out...I just wanted to -"
"Wanted to what? Show that you exist? In case, you have forgotten, you are a servant and nothing more...your wants shouldn't have anything to do with us!" The boy holding her hand said while twisting her arm, causing her to cry out in pain, the other children all laughed as the boys released her. The girl rubbed her arm and pitifully looked at them.
"What are you looking at?!" The girl in red asked and then shoved her hard, the girl in blue stumbled back and fell into the shallow pond behind her causing the other children to howl in laughter.
"Can you all shut up?!" A voice boomed behind them. The children turned to see a lavishly dressed little girl glaring at them, "Why are children so irritating?"
The girl in red walked to the front of the group and then sneered at the newcomer, "Oh, isn't this Lei Xing, what do you want? This is none of your business."
"I don't care about what you're doing, but can't you do it in a less irritating manner, must you children be so loud about everything?" The little girl said while frowning and using a hand to massage her ear.
The children looked at each other, all seemingly confused and annoyed at this short little brat who looked as young, and maybe even younger, than most of them here, calling them "children" like she was not one herself.
The girl in red stepped forward, "Lei Xing, who are you calling stupid? And who is the child here? I am clearly older than you!"
Lei Xing looked off to the side and scoffed, "Age is something people boast about when there is nothing else good about them, you must be SO proud."
The girl in red turned bright red with anger screamed, "How dare you!" and then charged at Lei Xing.
Lei Xing sidestepped her, put out her foot, and tripped her and she fell flat on the ground. Lei Xing looked down at the girl at her feet, "Oh, your old age must be getting the better of you, it seems you will be needing a walking stick soon, it's best to prepare in advance."
"You!" Another boy charged Lei Xing again with a fist out prepared to hit her, Lei Xing grabbed his wrist and then stretched out a leg and tripped him and he fell on top of the girl in red on the ground.
Lei Xing looked at them and laughed, "There are so many old people here."
The other children rushed forward and helped the two on the ground, while Lei Xing looked at them condescendingly from the side.
The girl in red with a now scraped face glared at Lei Xing, "You! Just you wait!" and then she ran off with the group following behind her.
Lei Xing watched them leave and mumbled, "Children are so annoying."
Next thing, another young girl came walking down the walkway shouting, "Miss Lei, Miss Lei!"
Lei Xing rolled her eyes, "Tch, she's here." and then turned towards the young girl who had spotted her and was coming her way and plastered on a smile, "Ah Jin, I've been looking for you."
The young girl stopped beside her, showed a sarcastic smile and said, "Looking for me? I was out of the hall for less than five minutes, and I told you to stay put, MISS."
Lei Xing's smile fell and she folded her arms on her chest, "Okay, but you can't blame me, these children are so boring, and also irritating. Why do I have to be there?"
"It's for your own benefit." Ah Jin calmly replied.
Lei Xing rolled her eyes and sarcastically mumbled under her breath, "Of course it is..." Then she looked at Ah Jin who was looking behind her and followed her line of sight and saw the little girl in blue still sitting in the shallow pond with a red teary face looking at them wide-eyed.
"Oh, you're still here?" Lei Xing asked looking down at her, and then raised an eyebrow, "Are you taking a swim?"
"Ah?" The girl in blue was confused.
"Come out." Lei Xing flatly said. The girl in blue understood and scrambled her way out of the water.
Lei Xing felt a piercing glare and looked to her side and saw Ah Jin accusingly glaring at her and said, "I didn't do it. Even if I want to bully someone, this is not my style." she indignantly said, raising her chin.
Ah Jin didn't seem convinced, so Lei Xing turned to the girl in blue, who had managed to step out of the water and ordered, "You tell her."
The girl tearfully looked at Lei Xing, bowed and stammeringly said, "Thank...you for...saving me."
"I didn't do it to save you, they were just so annoying." Lei Xing said, rubbing her ear again.
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 her 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 back-up? 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 quietly bit 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 heavy 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 scraped 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 passing by when I saw Li Jiao and her group bullying that weak little girl and felt that I could not just walk away..."
She 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 and 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 patted 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 poked 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 his 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. She shrunk back a bit, 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..."
{...*Sigh*, 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 the 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 - That's not the main point! She actually tried to poison me with a sob story?!...}