Chapter 1: Eight years
"MOTHER!!!" an agonizing cry was heard as Tang Li Mei frantically ran in the direction she heard the little one's cry from.
Her eyes held unbearable pain while she tried to search for her little bun, calling out to her in the darkness.
"Y-Yu'er," she called out in agony.
"Yu'er, where are you??" She cried out.
Tears ran through her bloodshot eyes. But all she got in return was the muffled sob of a little boy crying out for his mother to save him.
"Yu'er mother is here!! P-please please come to me. Yu'er!!!! " She sobbed.
After running around for so long, her knees gave out, and she fell.
She struggled to hold on to her consciousness.
She wanted to reach out to the little one and hold him closely, share her warmth, and let him know that his mother was here to protect him.
But she knew everything was hopeless, and there was nothing she could do.
She screamed and punched her chest in despair while listening to the little boy's call for help.
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Tang Li Mei woke up with a startle.
She felt anxious looking at the unfamiliar surroundings.
Her pale porcelain face was covered with sweat and tears.
When she finally registered her surroundings, she sighed in exhaustion.
Tang Li Mei cupped her face and tried to get her thoughts and breathing even.
Every night her little one's sobbing voice haunted her to the core, where she felt like a knife had been slashed through her heart repeatedly.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and got out of bed.
As she moved towards the bathroom, her eyes fell on the mirror on the dressing table. The girl standing in front of the mirror was in her mid-twenties. She had exquisite features, including porcelain skin, pale grey eyes, sharp eyebrows, cherry red lips, and a dainty nose. Her black tresses tumbled on her shoulders and fell on her back.
The woman's hourglass figure was such that it would bewitch every person who laid their eyes on her. Her beauty was both seductive and elegant. With her cold demeanor, she gave everyone the impression of an ice queen.
She sighed to herself.
It's been eight years since her soul travelled to this world, but she still couldn't get used to the things here.
She sometimes couldn't understand how the original owner of this body had the same face as hers!
"Knock Knock"
"Young Miss, breakfast is ready." Aunt Lan informed
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes, Aunt Lan. Please get Xun'er ready for school," she instructed while she rushed to complete her morning routine.
"Yes, young miss!" The middle-aged woman replied as she turned around to open the door to the room across the hallway.
Tang Li Mei entered the walk-in closet and dried her long, black hair with a towel. She chose a baby pink pencil skirt that reached below her knees and a chiffon white top while taking off her bathrobe.
Patting her porcelain face with moisturizer, she fixed her ponytail.
With a handbag and a dark grey furred windbreaker, she descended the stairs.
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When she walked into the kitchen, she was greeted with the sight of a very serious-looking four-year-old who was wearing a navy blue kindergarten uniform with a yellow beret that covered his black hair.
He held onto a small spoon and tried to imitate an elder while he ate his breakfast.
But that only made him look all the more adorable.
"Mama!!" he called out to Tang Li Mei once she neared the dining table.
All the pretense of maturity was gone and was replaced by the bright smile of a young boy wanting to be pampered by his mother.
Tang Li Mei picked him up from the high chair and hugged him tightly, simultaneously trying to get all the warmth she could to fill her empty heart.
"Xun'er looks so adorable in the morning; it makes Mama want to gobble him up," she said playfully as she heard a string of giggles coming from the little bun.
Aunt Lan looked at the adorable mother-son pair with a gentle smile.
"Mama, it's ticklish!!" The little boy giggled.
He snuggled into his mother's embrace and rubbed his face on her neck. His features were identical to his mother's, with the same pale grey eyes and black hair.
It was not a mystery for people to connect the two when they were in the same frame.
"Come on, finish up your breakfast; otherwise, you will be late for school," she said just as she settled him back on his high chair.
"Yes, Mama," the little one said, nodding his head while he ate his breakfast.
Tang Li Mei sat on the chair next to the little one while, at the same time, she went through her schedule for the day, sliding her phone.
She looked at the little one occasionally to check if he needed anything, and she had her food.
The house was filled with warmth as both mother and son had their breakfast, occasionally smiling at each other.
Once done, she picked up the little bun from his high chair and entered the awaiting Audi.
Soon the car drove out of the two-story villa towards the kindergarten.
"If Xun'er needs anything, you can ask your teacher. Have your lunch on time. Aunt Lan has packed a bowl of fruits for you; make sure you eat them okay. Mama has also packed your sweater, so wear it if you feel cold." She dotingly instructed while fixing the little one's collar.
The little one nodded and listened carefully to every instruction.
"Mama won't be able to pick you up today, so Xun'er should be a good boy and return home with Grandpa Song, okay?" She informed him.
The little one absent-mindedly hummed, but he was sulking on the inside that his mother wouldn't be the one to pick him up today.
"Mama will miss you," she added.
She understood this son of hers more than anyone could, so she gave him two extra kisses on the cheek. And that brightened the little one's eyes.
"Xun'er will miss Mama too, so... so Mama should come home soon," he affectionately replied while his stormy grey eyes shone with a lot of love for his mother.
He kissed her cheeks bashfully and dashed out.
"Mama, bye!!" he waved and hurried inside the kindergarten.
Tang Li Mei smiled and shook her head at the little one's antics.
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The Audi moved towards the busy street with people trying to get to work.
"Uncle Song, please get Xun'er back from school in the evening since I won't be able to make it today." She informed the elderly, looking at the crowd of people crossing the road.
"Yes, young miss!" The old driver nodded his head.
The car soon stopped at the entrance of a majestic building. As Tang Li Mei exited the vehicle, she was greeted by her secretary, who was warmly smiling at her.
The woman in her late twenties was wearing a black suit, her flawless face adorned with auburn eyes that had a little red hue to them.
She had black pixie-cut hair and a sculpted figure that was twine-thin.
Even though her beauty was not something that could cause the downfall of the cities, men would still turn around to take a second glance.
"President Tang, you are here!!" Secretary Li cheerfully greeted Tang Li Mei, who gave her a curt nod in return and walked inside the building.
As they walked towards the elevator, Tang Li Mei was greeted by her subordinates. Each one of them held unconcealed respect in their hearts for her.
"Suyin, contact President Xie and let him know I will be waiting at Spring Brook this afternoon." She walked a bit further and paused as if she were thinking something.
"And also inform him that if he is late, like the last time, then the deal is off." She calmly instructed her secretary and walked off.
"Yes, President!" Li Suyin replied as she made some changes to Tang Li Mei's schedule on the tablet while they entered the elevator.
The secretary's gaze shone with respect when she looked at Tang Li Mei.
'Her boss is so cool,' she mumbled to herself.
Once she entered her office, she was greeted by a huge mahogany desk that was held in the middle of the room, a black sofa at the side, and a table at the center with a few magazines stacked on it.
Although the office looked gloomy, covered in grey and white, the walls that held numerous beautiful paintings brought a different charm to the place.
Tang Li Mei walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window and looked towards the huge city of Hangzhou, which was covered with dark clouds.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a ringtone.
She looked at the string of numbers playing on the phone display.
"What is it?"
"Boss!!! We got news on the leader of the Violet Cobra gang; rumor has it that he will be attending the auction taking place at the Paradise Palace tonight." The person on the other side informed Tang Li Mei enthusiastically.
They finally found the person they had been searching for; for an entire year; of course, he was excited.
The moment she heard it, Tang Li Mei's eyes glazed with unfathomable fury, and her lips twisted in disgust.
"Li Jun, inform Xiao Xi to accompany me tonight," she instructed.
"Eh?? ... But..." he sighed.
"Boss, please, anything but her. You don't know how she lashes out if someone wakes her up from her slumber!" Li Jun cried out.
Although he did not wish to piss off the demoness so early in the morning, he also didn't want to face that scheming evil witch.
If this boss of his was the Demoness from the underworld, then that woman was her hellhound. She would definitely take her time to plot some evil plan to get back at him.
He sympathized with himself for running into such bad luck today.
"Li Jun, do as I say." Tang Li Mei calmly stated this while staring at the dark, stormy sky.
But that exact calmness brought a chill down Li Jun's spine.
He gulped down the rest of the words.
They knew their boss very well; the calmer she was, the more disastrous it was for the opposite party.
"Yes, Boss!!!" he replied hurriedly.