Chapter 811: Why in God’s Name
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Ling obediently went to Li Lei’s house.

The spacious apartment was filled with all sorts of things such as silk, dark sea pearls, black jade, chess pieces made of fine white tallow jade, toy guns, toy cars, and sweets.

Xia Ling did not realize what was going on. “What are you doing?”

Li Lei said, “See if there’s anything missing. The first time we go to your house, we should give your dad, mom, and your brother something. Do you think these things are suitable?”

Xia Ling was stunned. How would she know if they were suitable? “I prepared something for them before, but I specially made a call to ask my brother for advice. In the end, he refused to tell me what my parents liked and told me not to prepare anything. All I had to do was go home.” She said very honestly.

Li Lei was also dumbfounded. “That’s why you’re prepared to go home empty-handed?”

Xia Ling replied, “Of course not. I wrote a special song for them about their selfless love.”

Li Lei didn’t know how to respond.

Xia Ling walked into the pile of gifts and commented. “Pearl, agate, and white jade? They are expensive, but how do you know if they’ll like them?”

Li Lei said proudly, “Isn’t this simple? I already expected this day to happen, so I already talked to Shaohui from the start and gained a clear understanding of what your parents like.” He did not prepare those gifts blindly. Her brother liked tea, so he prepared the finest Laoshan white tea which was picked from the only remaining authentic Dahongpao tea. Only three batches of tea were produced in a year. He heard that her dad liked to play chess, so he prepared a chessboard made of thousand-year-old agarwood. The black chess pieces were made of black jade while the white chess pieces were made of white jade. The craftsmanship was excellent and was an underrated work of art. He heard that her mother liked to shop, so he prepared rare satin from the Nordic countries. This kind of satin was very difficult to find and was extremely gorgeous. It kept people warm in winter and cool in summer, and its making would soon be a lost skill.

He also bought toy cars and toy guns for Shaohui, pearl bracelets for the other people in the family, and candy for the children. He considered every aspect thoroughly.

Xia Ling was speechless. “How long exactly have you started thinking about this after Shaohui was gone?”

Li Lei smiled. “It’s a matter of sooner or later, don’t you think?”

Xia Ling fell silent. She was really touched. He was really thoughtful and even managed to do something she did not even consider so well. She ignored the fact that he talked about his parents so casually and said, “Since Shaohui said that, it must be true. Shaohui understands them better than me.”

Li Lei nodded. “I think so too.”

Xia Ling glared at him. Seriously, can’t be he say something nice?

She deliberately bickered with him. “What if Shaohui’s report is wrong?”

Li Lei flashed a toothy smile. “When he’s back, I will teach him a lesson!”

Xia Ling replied, “You’re not allowed to hit my son.”

Li Lei said, “Your son betrayed me.”

These two people started arguing about something that did not even happen. Xia Ling took a pillow on the couch and hurled it at Li Lei. Li Lei smiled and blocked it from hitting him. At once, feathers fluttered all over the living room.

On the carpet in the corner, the furry leopard yawned lazily. It licked its front paws, changed its posture, and went back to sleep. They were really a bunch of stupid humans.

When everything was ready, they set off to the Xia Family.

The Xia Family was located deep in the mountains and couldn’t be found with any map. According to the directions given by Xia Moyan, they first took a plane and a car. Lastly, they had to walk because the car could not even be driven into the mountains.

Li Lei urged Xia Ling. “Be careful. The mountain road is dangerous.”

Xia Ling nodded. “I’m fine.”

Behind them, their bodyguard Ah Nuo carried their luggage and shouted, “Young Master, don’t worry. With you leading the way and me guarding your backs, Miss Ye will be very safe in the middle.”

Just as he spoke, Auntie Liu’s voice rang. “It’s only a few steps on the road. What’s with the fuss?”

Father Ye and her were also there. For 30,000 yuan, they would do anything. Originally, she was still partially convinced that Xia Ling had a rather impressive relative, but in the mountains, she gave up all hope. This road was so inaccessible and poorly made like in the countryside. How could they be rich people? This stupid girl really had a bad eye for people. How could she acknowledge such lousy relatives?

Auntie Liu was dissatisfied and complained. “If you can’t walk then go home. Why should you waste so much effort to come here? Oh yes, when you go back, remember to give me 30,000 yuan.”

Xia Ling paused in her footsteps. She turned around and sneered at them. “If you want to go home, then go! You won’t get 30,000, and you will still have to pay for your trip back yourselves.”

“Hey, you brat! You…” Before Auntie Liu could say anything, Xia Ling had already turned around and continued to move forward.

Li Lei couldn’t help but smile. He walked beside Xia Ling and said in a low voice, “Why didn’t you reincarnate into a better family after achieving nirvana? You really suffered in the hands of this family.”

Xia Ling glared at him and pinched his arm. “You seem to enjoy gloating in my misfortune.”

In pain, Li Lei stopped talking rubbish and quickly continued to lead the way in front.

The road on the mountain meandered and they walked for a long time before they reached the end. Seeing that the sky was a little dark, Ah Nuo said, “Young Master, there’s something wrong. We seem to be walking in circles.”

Li Lei stopped and said, “Give me the map.”

Ah Nuo handed him to map. Li Lei checked it and frowned. “There’s really something wrong. According to the direction we’re heading, we should’ve reached this mountainous area a long time ago.”

“It can’t be that we’ve encountered something supernatural, right?” Ah Nuo said.

“Supernatural?” Auntie Liu was frightened and grabbed Father Ye’s arm. “What sort of horrifying place is this? Let’s quickly leave and never come back.”

“Well, then you’ll have to be able to walk out then.” Xia Ling sneered.

“You brat!” Auntie Liu almost wanted to scold her again.

Li Lei coldly looked at Auntie Liu. “If you continue to make noise, we’ll abandon you here.” From a young age, he had experienced terrifying conditions of bloodshed and war. At this time, he had a murderous look, scaring Auntie Liu speechless.

Only then did Li Lei continue to look at the map and compared it with his surroundings. “This is probably a tactical formation. The Xia Family is so secluded, their headquarters is probably not easy to access.”

Xia Ling also thought that he made sense and was very angry. “I will call my brother now and ask him why he trapped us here and demand that he quickly let us in.”

Li Lei stopped her. “I guess that this is the test that your brother gave us. Even if you call him now, he won’t let us in. We have to find the way in ourselves.”

“Why in god’s name do we have to do that?” Xia Ling refused to listen and took out her phone to call her brother.

Chapter 812: Breaking in
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Li Lei calmly watched as she dialed his number.

After some time, Xia Ling was upset and put down her phone. “Bastard brother, there’s no signal here! He did it on purpose, right?” Xia Ling gritted her teeth. With the Xia Family’s wealth, it was impossible that there was no signal in the mountains. The only reason was that someone deliberately blocked the signal.

Li Lei smiled as if he were saying “I told you so.”

Xia Ling was unhappy and pinched him again. “You’re still laughing!”

“Ok, I won’t laugh… Haha…” Li Lei really couldn’t restrain his laughter. He chuckled a little before trying his best to act serious. “You can rest here and wait for me to investigate the place. Ah Nuo, protect everyone.”

Ah Nuo nodded and acknowledged him.

Xia Ling worriedly asked, “Will you get lost?”

Li Lei replied, “Don’t worry. Every time I come to the wilderness I will leave marks on the way. Even if I can’t find the entrance, it won’t be hard for me to find my way back here.”

Only then did Xia Ling feel relieved and watched him leave.

The group waited at the same place for some time. Sure enough, Li Lei turned around and said, “This maze isn’t easy to figure out. I found out a few clues but am still far away from solving it.”

Xia Ling asked, “What should we do then?” In this group, she could only rely on Li Lei. If Li Lei could not solve this maze, everyone would be stuck here. Of course, they would definitely not starve to death on the Xia Family territory. Xia Moyan would definitely send someone to save then, but it would be too embarrassing if that happened.

Li Lei said, “I have a plan.”

At the same time, on the observation deck halfway up the mountain.

An old man and a young man were standing at the edge of the cliff looking down at what was going on.

The young man who was dressed in white asked the old man beside him, “Father, do you think they will succeed?”

The old man laughed. “Moyan, don’t worry. Don’t underestimate the capabilities of your future brother-in-law.”

Xia Moyan snorted. “Future brother-in-law? Capabilities? He just went to scan the area and did not even see the answers lying in front of him. Didn’t he just return to the group with his tail between his legs? How is he qualified to be my brother-in-law?”

The old man laughed again. “Your sister likes him. Even if he’s dirt, you still have to acknowledge him.”

Xia Moyan rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think that young brat lacks in capability and isn’t worthy of sister? Father, don’t forget what we’ve agreed on beforehand. This time, we have to let that young brat endure some hardship to let him know that the Xia Family isn’t easy to mess with.” He was not pleased that his sister fell for this man so easily, so he wanted to think of a way to make things difficult for Li Lei. He already planned for Li Lei to have a hard time passing this obstacle of the Xia Family.

The old man nodded. “That’s a given. Does he think that marrying the daughter of the Xia Family is so easy?” He didn’t deliberately want to break this marriage apart but felt that what Xia Moyan said made sense. They couldn’t let Li Lei pass this obstacle so easily.

Only then did Xia Moyan’s expression ease.

On the hillside, Xia Ling was unaware of the conversation between her brother and her father. She looked at Li Lei in anticipation. “What good plan do you have?”

Li Lei took out his phone. “I will make a phone call.”

Xia Ling was speechless. “I thought you had some amazing plan. Do you think that your call will succeed? I just tried, there’s no signal!”

Li Lei smiled very deceitfully. “Who said there’s no signal? My phone is a stronger model.” He took out his phone, pressed a few buttons, and sure enough, his phone could receive the signal. The Li family had a satellite-specific signal which had a strong penetration strength and could not be blocked.

Xia Ling was finally convinced and listened as he made the call.

“Hello, grandpa? I’m on the way to the Xia Family now. The Xia Family has a tactical formation that I can’t figure out so I need to rely on you… How could you say that you don’t have a grandson like me? I was forced to do that in the past. From now on, I will be filial to you. Besides, we can’t let the Xia Family look down on the Li Family, right?” With an awkward expression, he said a lot of things to pacify Old Master Li.

At the side, Xia Ling was speechless. She initially thought that he had a good idea, but instead, he was begging Old Master Li for help? Could that old master really help?

Just as she was thinking about it, she saw Li Lei gesturing for them to keep up.

Suspiciously, she followed him. She heard him describe the mountain to Old Master along the way and he stopped to observe his surroundings from time to time. Gradually, he really led everyone out of the original maze.

Halfway up the mountain.

Xia Moyan and the old man noticed their movements.

“Is he almost here?” The old man nodded. “This man is still quite capable.”

Xia Moyan was displeased. “He obviously made a call for foreign aid. What’s so great about that?”

The old man smile. “The fact that he was able to break through the formation is already very impressive. And it’s also impressive that he knows contacts to help him in this sort of situation. This young man is still quite acceptable.”

Xia Moyan toyed with a small signal monitor. He listened to it for a while and sneered. “He called Li Shanhe for help. That old man treated Shaohui like sh*t!”

After hearing what Xia Moyan said, the old man remembered how horribly his grandson was treated and his expression turned cold. However, after a moment, he returned to normal. “It’s quite impressive that Li Lei can still get his grandpa’s support after seizing his grandpa’s power and position.”

“Father, you can continue to praise him.” Xia Moyan was very dissatisfied.

The old man smiled again. “Fine, I know that you don’t think highly of him. Later when they’re up on the mountain, you can make things difficult for him. I won’t interfere. How about that?”

Xia Moyan said quietly, “I will make things difficult for him now. How about I increase the difficulty of the formation now?” The Xia Family had a few tactical formations and today’s formation was already the simplest one.

The old man shook his head. “Li Shanhe only has a basic understanding of metaphysics. The current formation is already enough to make him rack his brains. If you increase the difficulty, they will be trapped in the mountains. Do you want Xiao Ling to starve and freeze with them?”

“I…” Xia Moyan was stumped. After a long time, he sneered and said, “He’s lucky.”

Li Lei, who just escaped some hardship, finally solved the maze under the guidance of his grandfather. The group cheered and leaned on a large rock lethargically. Panting, Xia Ling said, “Bastard brother. Later when I see him, I will definitely give him a piece of my mind.”

Li Lei said, “Don’t. If you really scold him, he will definitely direct his anger at me.” He was really a little scared of his future brother-in-law. In fact, he was more afraid of him than his wife-to-be.

Xia Ling glared at him. “Can you be more useful?”

Li Lei’s eyes sparkled. “How about I kill him? After I marry you, the Xia Family can’t retaliate against the Li Family and its future generations.”

Xia Ling rolled her eye at him. “Idiot.”

Li Lei laughed, walked to her side, and held her petite body. Mysteriously, he said, “Don’t worry. After a few days, your brother can’t be arrogant anymore.”

Chapter 813: Welcoming the Phoenix Home
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Ling’s eyes lit up. “You have a plan to deal with him?”

If Xia Moyan saw her eager appearance, he would definitely lament that the Xia Family was unlucky for giving birth to such an unloyal daughter who always sided with outsiders.

Li Lei evaded her question. “It’s a secret.”

Xia Ling was unhappy, so she turned away and ignored him.

Auntie Liu held her legs and complained. “This mountain road is killing me. Are we able to get there by today? When we get there, I will need a good rest for my old arms and legs to recover…”

Besides Father Ye, no one else heard her complain.

Xia Ling asked Li Lei, “What should we do next?” In front of them was a lush mountain forest. The scenery was beautiful and they could hear the faint flowing of water. It was as if they entered the Emerald Dream.

Li Lei buried his head on the map and said, “Is this your home or my home?”

“So what if it’s my home? Does that mean I have to know the way?” Xia Ling rebuked proudly.

Li Lei gently stroked her head. “Be good.” After that, he continued to study the map.

Xia Ling was bored waiting and went to play with his hair happily.

Xia Moyan’s face turned black and he gritted his teeth as he watched them from the platform halfway up the mountain. “How dare he flirt with my sister.”

The old man laughed. “I told you to send someone to pick them up earlier, but you still said that they would be anxious and wanted to continue watching them. Are you done watching them now? The couple doesn’t even care about where they are.”

Xia Moyan was speechless.

He took out his walkie-talkie and unwillingly commanded. “Everyone, be prepared to welcome the phoenix back to her nest.”

After he said that, lanterns clearly lit up in the evening, forming a sea of red lights on the mountain. The shape of a phoenix tail feather was painted on them, making them look spectacular.

“What are those?” Father Ye was the first to notice something wrong and exclaimed.

Xia Ling, Li Lei, and the others looked up and realized that the entire mountain was lit up by beautiful lanterns.

“It’s so beautiful…” Xia Ling commended.

Li Lei smiled. “Your parents and brother are welcoming you home.”

Now that they were at this stage, Xia Ling felt a little awkward. She hid behind Li Lei and asked, “What… what should I do?”

Li Lei gently said, “Don’t be afraid. Just wait and see.”

In the green forest, faint red lights shone through. Two groups of men wearing plain blue robes and carrying phoenix lanterns walked towards them with respect and happiness that they could not hide.

A middle-aged man walked up to the group. With a glance, he accurately identified Xia Ling. “This… must be Miss Ling, right? Our Phoenix!”

His voice trembled with emotion.

Xia Ling was flattered. “Yes, that’s me.”

The middle-aged man gushed. “That’s great… That’s great! The phoenix that the Xia Family has been waiting for so many years is finally home!” He was the first to kneel down and bow his head in front of Xia Ling. “Congratulations on your return home.”

The two groups of people behind him also knelt down. “Congratulations on your return home!”

Their voices echoed in the mountains and caused more responses. There were countless people repeating this sentence, cheering and congratulating the return of the phoenix.

Xia Ling was even more flattered and unknowingly held Li Lei’s hand.

Behind her, Auntie Liu and Father Ye were so scared that they didn’t know how to react. They were only ordinary citizens and had never seen such an uproar before. At once, they were stunned.

Only Li Lei remained calm and gently held Xia Ling’s hand.

The firmness that came from his grip gave her strength. She took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible, “You don’t have to be so polite. Please get up.”

The middle-aged man led the crowd by bowing before getting up. With a smile, he said to Xia Family, “The Xia Family only has a phoenix once every many years. Very few phoenixes achieve nirvana. You’ve suffered so much karma of the family and endured so much hardship. You deserve all of our respect.”

Xia Ling said, “My family has also taken care of me well.”

After that, she asked, “Where are my brother and my parents?”

The middle-aged man replied, “Head of the Xia Family, madam, and Young Master Moyan are all waiting for you at the Heaven and Earth Palace at the top of the mountain. Everyone, please follow me.” After that, he led them up the mountain.

Xia Ling glanced at Li Lei and followed him.

Along the way, they learned that this middle-aged man was in charge of the affairs of the Xia Family. His name was Xia Haichao and he was ordered to lead them into the mountains. “After your parents heard that you were coming back, not only were they happy, they immediately told the servants to clean up a room and prepare a banquet for you. They’re really excited about it. Young Master is also very happy as he has been missing his parents.” Xia Haichao was very talkative and smiled after mentioning Little Young Master Shaohui. “This must be Little Young Master Shaohui’s father, right?”

“Uncle Haichao, please call me Li Lei.” In front of the Xia Family, Li Lei was very polite.

Xia Haichao said with a smile, “Mr. Li, you think too highly of me. I’m just a subordinate. I wouldn’t dare to call you by your name. Even though my surname is Xia, I’m only distantly related and am here to help the Xia Family Head out. I’m not some ‘uncle.’” The Xia Family had been expanding for thousands of years and was not uncommon for distant branches of the family to know each other and support each other for a lifetime. However, they were not really considered relatives.

Li Lei said, “Since you are Xiao Ling’s father’s direct assistant, you are my uncle.”

Xia Haichao was startled but laughed. “Ok, with this daring thought, I will accept you call me ‘uncle.’” In his mind, he felt that this man was really audacious. He had not gained the recognition of the Xia Family but was already speaking so casually. No wonder Young Master Moyan did not like him. He really had unbelievably thick skin… At this moment, his respect for Li Lei deepened.

Xia Haichao roared with laughter. He started to like this audacious man a little more.

Xia Ling quietly nudged Li Lei and said, “How could you be so rude? You can’t address my dad so casually.” Now that she was nearing the Xia Family, she was very nervous as she was about to meet her parents for the first time. She was afraid that she would leave a bad impression with Li Lei being so audacious and casual.

However, Li Lei lazily smiled. “Your dad definitely likes me.”

Xia Ling replied, “My brother doesn’t like you.”

Li Lei said, “Your brother is weird.”

Xia Ling was speechless. “Aren’t you afraid that he’ll hear you?”

Li Lei said, “Are you going to tell him?”

Xia Ling was so angry that she decided to ignore him. This person was really absurd when he was not serious…

Behind them, Auntie Liu, who had been listening to their conversation, was dissatisfied. “Xiao Ling, you’re here to acknowledge your godfather and godmother, right? How could you call them your dad and mom? Don’t forget your biological dad and… I are still here! We’re not dead yet!”

Xia Ling frowned and coldly said, “You’re really noisy.”

“Are you saying that I’m noisy? You!” Auntie Liu stamped her foot.

Chapter 814: The Rugged Mountain Road
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Ling had not even uttered a word when Xia Haichao said, “Who’s being rude to Miss Ling?”

Auntie Liu said, “Miss Ling? She’s just a little girl who came from a humble family, does she really think she’s a rich madam now?”

Xia Haichao looked at Xia Ling for further instructions. “Miss Ling, do you want me to toss her off the mountain?”

Xia Ling was shocked. “You can even do that?”

Xia Haichao said, “Once she’s tossed off, it’ll be quiet.”

Xia Ling looked down. They were already halfway up the mountain, if she fell from this height, she’d be seriously injured, if not dead. “It’s not good to kill people so casually.”

Xia Haichao replied sincerely, “It’s not good, indeed. But if they’ve offended you, that doesn’t apply to them anymore. You’ve got too many obstacles to deal with in your life, and the Xia family should do what we can for you. If you do incur the wrath of the heavens, Old Master and Young Master Moyan would find a way to help you reconcile with it.” He was trying to convince her to approve of his actions; he truly wished he could toss Auntie Liu off the mountain at once.

Auntie Liu turned pale from fear. “Don’t come near me! Killing is an offense!”

Xia Haichao did not even bat an eyelid. “We’re deep in the mountains, who’s going to find out that I was the one who killed you? Moreover, when the wild animals finish up your corpse, no one is going to find your remains.”

His words sent a chill down her spine.

Only now did Auntie Liu truly feel the weight of the situation. She trembled, “A-Alright. Shall we talk things over calmly? Let’s not get physical, eh?”

Xia Haichao sinisterly said, “My one job is to protect Miss Ling. Whether you’ll be tossed off the mountains is Miss Ling’s call. Rather than plead with me, you might as well apologize to her.”

Auntie Liu was terrified of the idea of being eaten up by animals. She swallowed her pride and said to Xia Ling, “Um, Xiao Ling, I’ve been kidding all these while, you see. Don’t take it to heart. Though it wasn’t me who gave you life, haven’t I raised you up all those years?”

Xia Ling did not buy it. “Have you?”

“Have I not—” Auntie Liu almost raised her voice, but quickly suppressed it when she saw Xia Haichao’s unfriendly glare. “Alright, alright, it’s my fault. I haven’t raised you well all these years. I even took your allowance, and sent you to training camp as soon as I could, leaving you to your own devices. It’s my fault, I deserve to die.”

Xia Ling sneered. “You deserve to die… you think your statement suffices?”

Auntie Liu was shocked by her response. “Huh? What more do you want?” She had been arrogant all her life and had never apologized to anyone.

Xia Ling laid down the rules. “You have to be good. When you see my parents later, you’re not allowed to be impolite to them. You have to do as they say, got it? Otherwise, Uncle Haichao has tons of opportunities to toss you off the mountain.”

Auntie Liu nodded vehemently. “Will do, will do.”

Only then was Xia Ling satisfied. She instructed Xia Haichao. “Let’s go.”

Their group continued their way up the mountain. Father Ye was right at the back, helping his wife along and muttering, “Why did you offend her? She’s rich and powerful now and can flare up at us as she wishes, why would she listen to us? I think we’ll have to count ourselves lucky if we can make it out of here unscathed. Why did you even think of risking our lives for that 30,000 yuan?”

Auntie Liu dared not vent her anger on Xia Ling, and hence, directed it at her husband instead. “What do you know? Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Moreover, I want that 30,000 yuan for the family! Now that Feifei has woken up we need money her food, clothes, and education! Are we supposed to depend on your measly pension? Or on your stingy ways? If I don’t work harder for money, what is our family going to live on?!” She got angrier the more she spoke, and soon her teeth were clenched.

Father Ye hung his head low and thought of how he couldn’t even make 30,000 yuan in a year. He felt guilty towards his wife and Feifei, but that guilt had partially turned into a grudge against Xia Ling—she was so rich, and yet she wasn’t willing to give her family some of her money. What was the point of having so much for herself? What an unfilial child!

He decided to give Xia Ling a piece of his mind when he found an opportunity.

Xia Ling was getting tired from the long windy road. She leaned against Li Lei and said, “I can’t walk anymore.”

Li Lei called out to Xia Haichao, who was right in front. “Uncle Haichao, shall we take a break?”

Xia Haichao acted like he was caught in a fix. He looked up at the sky, a signal that they were short on time. “But Old Master and Madam are waiting for you at the mountaintop.”

Xia Ling poured for a bit but did not want to be rude to her parents whom she hadn’t met. “Let’s go on then, I can handle it.”

Li Lei’s heart went out to her. He walked in front of her and squatted down. “Get on, I’ll piggyback you.”

Xia Ling was stunned. “It’s alright, you’ll be too tired.”

Li Lei hurried her. “Come on up, don’t let our parents wait too long. Plus, you aren’t heavy.”

“But aren’t you tired?” Xia Ling asked quietly.

How could he claim to be tired at a time like this? He casually said, “I’m way fitter than you, this is a piece of cake to me. You’d better hurry up before I change my mind.”

Xia Ling hurriedly got onto his back.

Li Lei carried her easily and smiled. “Now that’s a good girl.”

Xia Ling said, “If you’re tired, don’t force yourself. You can just put me down.”

Li Lei teased. “Who was the one who got up right after I said I might change my mind?”

Xia Ling said, “… You’re being mean!”

Li Lei chuckled and walked on with her on his back.

Xia Haichao watched their whole interaction and nodded his head discreetly; this man wasn’t too bad. Old Master had already told him not to be too unreasonable towards her potential husband, but at the same time, they could not go too easy on him. At the very least, he had to be good enough to marry the Phoenix of the Xia family. Xia Haichao not allowing them to stop for a rest was, in fact, a calculated move.

But not everyone was as happy as they were. A few people were rejoicing while others were upset.

Auntie Liu was envious of the way they behaved so affectionately. “I’m tired too!”

Father Ye saw how Li Lei carried Xia Ling and felt extremely pressurized. He was already panting from the journey thus far, not to mention that his wife was way plumper than Xia Ling. He stammered. “You can just… hang in there…?”

Auntie Liu hit him hard on the head in anger. “Good-for-nothing!”

Father Ye hung his head low and kept quiet.

The path was getting steeper and more precipitous. Carrying extra weight, even Li Lei was beginning to sweat. Xia Ling’s arms were around his neck, and she could feel his breathing getting heavier by the minute. Her heart ached. “I think I should get down and walk on my own.”

Chapter 815: Who’s Your Dad
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

“Shush, we’re almost there,” Li Lei told her.

“Uncle Haichao, are we close?” Xia Ling called out to him.

Xia Haichao looked at the two of them. “At least a mile to go.”

Xia Ling said, “… Li Lei, put me down.”

Li Lei replied, “I can still go on. I’ll put you down when I can’t walk on anymore.” What a joke, everyone could tell from Xia Haichao’s expression that this was a test, how would he dare to put her down? This was the first time he was meeting his father-in-law, he had to make a good first impression. Otherwise, what if he decided not to let Li Lei marry his daughter?

However tired he might be, Li Lei had to complete this task.

Xia Ling moved her legs wildly in the hope that Li Lei would give up, but he was stronger than her, and his grip got even firmer… Hence, she decided to stop making things difficult for him. The route was long and Li Lei took each step slowly but steadily. He even had the heart to joke with her. “Wifey, what do you think, is your husband strong and attractive?”

Xia Ling had intended to ask, Who’s your Wifey?

But seeing that he was soaked in sweat, her words dissolved into a gentle “Uh-huh.”

“Uh-huh? That’s it?” Li Lei wasn’t satisfied with her answer.

Xia Ling asked, “What more do you want?”

Li Lei thought for a while. “Sing me a song.”

Xia Ling said, “Aren’t you being childish? You’re a full-grown adult, do you need to listen to songs while walking?”

Li Lei pouted. “You’ve never sung a song especially for me.” As a Diva, she’d always been singing songs for others. Even in her last life, she’d written “Perfect Dream” for Pei Ziheng alone. But in this life, the two of them didn’t even have a song that was truly theirs.

Li Lei thought for a bit. “How about, I sing you a song?”

Xia Ling almost broke out in cold sweat. “Don’t!” She’d experienced this Boss’ singing first-hand—it sounded like a cross between a wolf’s howl and a ghost’s whimper and was so bad that Skyart’s employees would go into hiding when they heard him. He could sing on any other day, but right now, in her territory? No way was she going to let him embarrass her this way.

She surrendered. “Alright, I’ll sing for you.”

She considered a few songs before settling on one that had been popular recently. “That year the flowers bloomed beautifully, as you stood under that little bridge… That year the birds chirped wondrously, as you spoke of the splendor of a little village… The splendor of nature couldn’t hold a candle to your eyes, the coming of spring took me back to your smiles…”

Her beautiful voice echoed through the thickness of the trees.

In the thin fog, some birds had flown out of their homes and circled them.

Everyone was immersed in her voice, and even Auntie Liu had forgotten about her petty anger. The locals nearby put down their chores and exchanged glances. “Look over there… Do you see that? It’s the Phoenix, the Phoenix really has returned! In the stories that our ancestors passed down, there was a part that said: ‘Birds gather around the Phoenix’!”

“Indeed!” The locals were excited but dared not make too much noise. Instead, they lowered their volume and continued enjoying the music, as their hearts swelled with admiration.

With her voice as accompaniment, Li Lei’s footsteps seemed to lighten as time went by. He felt less fatigued and even thought that he could go on for another three miles. At that moment, utmost pride surged in his chest—his Xiao Ling was the best singer, the most perfect being in existence.

They went on walking.

When they reached the mountaintop, Li Lei put Xia Ling down.

Xia Ling stopped singing and looked towards a courtyard in the distance—it was a wooden and stone structure that appeared majestic in the fog. It stretched out along the mountain ranges and appeared to be a large-scale vacation resort.

On the entrance was a sign that said “Heaven and Earth Palace.”

“This is where the Family Head, Madam, Young Master Moyan, and Little Young Master Shaohui live.” Xia Haichao told them. “Please follow me.”

Xia Ling turned around and glanced at Li Lei. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and a reassuring smile as they walked in together. The courtyard was quiet, but down the hallway, shuffling footsteps could be heard before some people came forward. An elderly man came first, followed by an elegant woman who now stood by his side, and right next to them were Xia Moyan and Shaohui.

Xia Ling stopped in her tracks.

Almost intuitively, she figured out who that elderly man was—

“Dad!” She choked on these words.

The elderly man appeared calm and composed initially, but responded emotionally right after he heard her, “Xiao Ling!” He hurriedly came down the steps.

Xia Ling let go of Li Lei’s hand and rushed forward, wrapping him in an embrace.

Kinship was a strange thing. Although this pair of father and daughter had never met and had been apart for years—or one could say, a lifetime—even in a crowd of strangers, one look at each other was enough for them to recognize the other.

This was what it meant to be family.

“Dad…” Xia Ling’s voice turned nasal as she lay her head on her father’s chest. Two lifetimes of pain and suffering surged in her, as well as the longing she’d had for her family…

“Good girl, my good girl…” Xia Family Head’s voice was breaking too. This elderly man who stood fearless and expressionless in the face of challenges now had tears welling up in his eyes. “My Xiao Ling, you’ve suffered. Father has finally found you…”

Both father and daughter smiled and cried at the same time.

The elegant lady who stood by the side came forward as well and wiped tears from her eyes. “Xiao Ling.”

Xia Ling released her father and turned to look at the lady, before leaning in for a hug. “Mom!”

“Xiao Ling!” The lady cried profusely as well while holding her daughter tight.

After being apart for decades, this family had finally found each other and come together. Xia Family Head and his wife spent a long time scrutinizing Xia Ling from head to toe, but couldn’t seem to get enough of it. “You’ve been living on your own outside, and don’t know how to take good care of yourself. Look at how thin you are!” Madame Xia felt bad for Xia Ling.

Xia Ling smiled shyly and told her not to worry.

Mother and daughter settled into casual everyday conversation in no time.

Xia Family Head couldn’t find a place in the conversation and turned away, only to see a young man standing nearby. “You must be Li Lei?” He narrowed his eyes slightly and scrutinized his son-in-law to-be, just as every father-in-law did.

Li Lei tensed up, afraid that he’d appear rude in any way. He cautiously replied, “It’s me, Dad.”

“Who’s your dad?!” In the same way that Xia Moyan felt when he first addressed him as “Brother,” Xia Family Head felt that this young brat was getting too comfortable, too fast.

Li Lei felt that he wasn’t wrong. “Xiao Ling’s family is my family as well, so Xiao Ling’s father is my father.”

Xia Family Head was speechless.

Xia Moyan muttered into his ear, “Father, do you see that? This guy just needs to be taught a lesson.”

Chapter 816: Where Have Your Morals Gone?
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Family Head shared his sentiments. He had not even passed the test nor gifted the dowry, and was already calling him “Dad”? Did he think his daughter was an easy girl? No, it was time to give him a piece of his mind!

Xia Family Head coughed deliberately and portrayed his most serious expression. “Call me Uncle.”

That meant to say that he would not acknowledge this “son.”

Fortunately, Li Lei was thick-skinned. He simply smiled and said, “Everyone says that a son-in-law is half a son, isn’t it too distant to call you Uncle? Dad, I brought you, Mom, and Brother some gifts.”

“Gift?” Xia Family Head was curious, what did this son-in-law to-be bring?

Xia Moyan’s expression darkened. “Dad, don’t be fooled by him.”

Seeing that his future brother-in-law was about to ruin things for him, Li Lei quickly added, “You’ll like it. It’s a chessboard made from old, antique wood. The chess pieces are constructed with dark jade and sheep-fat white jade. Oh, and there’s a game record.” Before anyone had time to react, he had signaled for Ah Nuo, who had been standing quietly behind him all along, to get the presents out.

Ah Nuo had been holding onto a piece of luggage the whole time, and now it was time for him to serve his purpose. He took an exquisite chessboard set out of the luggage and handed it to Li Lei, while Li Lei politely handed it to Xia Family Head.

The family head received it with a nonchalant demeanor. “The Xia family is no short of such playthings… the Galaxy Game Record!”

He shrieked all of a sudden as his hands trembled.

Li Lei smiled. “It’s the Galaxy Game Record indeed, the one that existed in the legend of the chess world. The original record has been completely destroyed; the one in your hands is the one and only replica in the world. You can’t find another one.”

“No wonder… no wonder!” Xia Family Head’s fingers found their way across the discolored record. “No wonder I haven’t managed to find it, despite trying for half my life. So it’s been in your hands all this while!” Xia Family Head wasn’t exactly talented in chess, but that did not make him love it any less. He had always been interested, or even in awe of these game records.

From a short distance away, Little Shaohui discreetly gave Dad a thumbs up.

Dad had gotten his help a long time back. He had told Dad that Grandpa loved all sorts of chess game records, and there was one named the “Galaxy” that he never managed to find. If he could bring it along, Grandpa would definitely have a good impression of him.

God was on his side.

Li Lei activated all his resources and took to various resorts in order to get hold of this godforsaken record.

Seeing how overjoyed Xia Family Head was, Li Lei was delighted as well. “Dad, it’s such a shame for me to hold on to such a gem. Only someone with your wisdom and eye for this form of art should deserve to keep it.”

“Good! Good! Good!” Xia Family Head had no better words.

Xia Moyan couldn’t watch on. His father was simply intellectually challenged at this game but always refused to admit it. “Only someone with your wisdom and eye for this form of art should deserve to keep this”? Li Lei, don’t you feel a tinge of guilt at all saying this?

He blurted out, “How do you know if my father’s good at chess?”

Li Lei looked at him innocently. “Of course I do know. When Shaohui was with us down the mountains, he couldn’t stop telling me about how good his grandpa was at chess. In my heart, Dad is the number one expert!”

He looked so sincere when he said that.

Xia Moyan now understood how this man ran an entertainment firm, he was being so dramatic! He glanced at Little Shaohui with a straight face—well then, little one, I see that you’re learning from your mom and helping outsiders. Watch how I’ll teach you a lesson later.

Little Shaohui felt a chill from his uncle’s look. Oh no, Dad. Even if you’re trying to curry favor with Grandpa, don’t drag me down. Once Uncle holds a grudge against me, my days here are going to be tough…

He felt sorry for himself. It was always the son giving the dad away, why was it the other way around for him?

Xia Family Head looked at the record over and over again with joy and agitation. He wouldn’t let go of it.

Xia Moyan said coldly, “Dad.”

Xia Family Head had no response.

Xia Moyan called out a little louder this time. “Dad!”

Xia Family Head finally snapped out of it, only to see his son’s serious, almost threatening glare. Oh no, how did I get bribed so easily by this young brat Li Lei? I’ve yet to do my part for my daughter!

He cleared his throat and tried to recover his original, somber expression as he said to Li Lei, “It’s good that you put in heart and soul into finding something as rare as the Galaxy Game Record. But I don’t quite like superfluous youth, what good is there in trying to curry favor with others? You said I’m the number one expert in chess, do you not feel conscious at all?”

To be fair, everyone enjoyed listening to praises.

The family head was already more than happy to hear that he was a chess expert.

But with his son eyeing him from the side, he had no other choice but to be hard on his future son-in-law.

Li Lei looked even more sincere now. “To be honest, Dad, I enjoy playing chess as well and often get Little Shaohui to play against me. Little Shaohui said I was nowhere as good as you. Initially, I refused to accept it, but after he gave me a recount on a particular game that you played, every move and strategy… Impressive! I believed his words immediately. Really, Dad, you’re my idol!”

Little Shaohui was speechless.

So was Xia Moyan.

Xia Family Head was only half convinced. “Really? You really admire the way I play chess? Which game did you watch, exactly?”

Li Lei didn’t hesitate for even a moment. “It was the one in which you started the game with this black piece, and then dived right into a sophisticated strategy. You made sure that the opponent was unable to play a single good move after that. I was utterly amazed by how swiftly you did it! I wondered to myself, why didn’t I think of that? I’d gotten Little Shaohui to recap that game of yours with me over and over again so I could pick up that strategy too.”

Xia Family Head tried to recall and realized that he did play a game like that indeed. Well, it seemed like this young man wasn’t lying at all, he was genuinely in awe of his skills. Li Lei’s words hit the right spot, causing him to burst out laughing with joy. “But of course! My skills are pretty impressive, but not many people know how to appreciate them! Come here, lad, I’ll tell you about another strategy…”

He held on to Li Lei and began to speak passionately about the chess.

Li Lei listened in all seriousness with a look of wonder and admiration. He even exclaimed in awe every once in a while.

Little Shaohui quietly covered his eyes…

He remembered recounting Grandpa’s chess game to Dad. But it was with Dad’s IQ score of 200 and impressive chess abilities that he managed to “revive” Grandpa’s originally hopeless and logically-flawed gameplay.

He remembered showing Dad the moves Grandpa had made, and how Dad could barely watch on: [That’s how your grandpa plays? I could win him with my eyes closed!] He had even demonstrated a hundred ways to defeat Grandpa.

Back then, Little Shaohui had been in awe of his father.

But why was it that the moment he came to Grandpa’s house, Dad… just…

Began lying through his teeth?

Hey, Dad, where have your morals gone?

Chapter 817: Adoption
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Little Shaohui had mixed feelings.

Xia Moyan as well—he never would’ve thought that Li Lei would try to curry favor with his father with chess. But well, it certainly worked.

He glared at his father—this old man wasn’t reliable at all, nor was Shaohui. It seemed like he could only count on himself and his mother to ensure his sister’s happiness.

He glanced at Madam Xia, who was still chatting happily with Xia Ling. The two of them went from talking about how difficult Xia Ling’s life had been, to the latest fashion trends in the market. On that note, Xia Ling seemed to have thought of something and got Ah Nuo to hand her an item from the luggage. “Mom, take a look at this satin. This North European craft is about to become a lost art, so Li Lei especially got someone to make this for you. He heard that you like cape jasmines, and hence requested for it to be dyed this color…”

“Really? Oh my, it looks beautiful. This print and shade are so unique, I’ve never seen anything similar. Xiao Lei is really filial.” Madam Xia’s eyes lit up with joy and immediately addressed Li Lei affectionately.

Xia Moyan couldn’t bear the sight, even his mother had fallen into the trap.

Little Shaohui quietly distanced himself from his uncle, whose expression now was really scary.

Xia Family Head held onto the game score and chess set like it was his treasure, and asked Li Lei into the room to continue their discussion on chess. Madam Xia hooked arms with Xia Ling and led her along. “Come, Mom decorated a room for you. See if you like it.”

Xia Ling smiled. “Anything Mom decorates is good.”

Mother and daughter happily strutted in.

They left Little Shaohui and Xia Moyan behind.

Had they been… forgotten?

Shaohui hurried towards the luggage and looked up at Ah Nuo. “Uncle Ah Nuo, Mom and Dad didn’t prepare any gift for me?” He asked expectantly.

The big man squatted down and smiled. “Little Young Master, of course they did. You’ve been on their minds this whole time.”

He took several things out of the luggage—toy cars, toy guns, remote-controlled airplane models and more. Shaohui cheered. “I knew it. Mom and Dad are the best!”

On the other side, Xia Moyan’s expression stiffened even more.

Little Shaohui hurriedly zipped his mouth and turned around slowly and cautiously, like a child who had done something wrong. Seeing that Uncle did not go on to lecture him, he asked, “Uncle Ah Nuo, did Dad bring anything back for Uncle as well?”

Ah Nuo smiled and retrieved something from the luggage. He straightened up and politely handed it to Xia Moyan. “Preceptor, Young Master heard that you’re a tea lover. He went up the mountain to look for what is known to be the legendary white tea tree on Earth and picked the fresh tea leaves personally. Please try them and see if they’re to your liking.”

Xia Moyan received the gift but did not look any less unhappy.

Did these people think that he was just like his unreliable parents and the untrustworthy kid Shaohui? He wouldn’t be bribed by just a gift, hmph.

“Manager Haichao, take them to the guest room for a rest.” He instructed.

Xia Haichao nodded and said to Ah Nuo, Father Ye, and Auntie Liu, “It’s been a long way here, please come with me.”

The Xia family’s reunion had left Auntie Liu and Father Ye feeling a little awkward, but the valuable gifts were what truly shocked them. Auntie Liu did not bother with the civilities. “So, Ah Nuo, did your Young Master prepare any gifts for me? Don’t forget that Old Ye and I are Xiao Ling’s real parents!”

Ah Nuo said matter-of-factly, “Young Master did not prepare any.”

Li Lei had intended to get them gifts. After all, the Ye family was Xia Ling’s family in this lifetime.

But Xia Ling stopped him. “Haven’t I done enough for them all these years? It’s not as if they’ve ever treated me like family. They’ve tried to sell me away time and again, and they’re even asking me for money now. In any case, I’ve already given them 30,000 yuan. That’s considerably generous in their context. You don’t have to give them anything more, lest they get addicted to money and come asking for more in the future.”

She’d taken over Ye Xingling’s physical body, but even so, she would’ve repaid any favor that she needed to over all these years. From this point on, she’d only attend to the Ye family if it was regarding major issues, such as sickness and death. Otherwise, if it was just a scheme to take advantage of and exploit her, she would not give an inch.

Li Lei laughed at how petty she was.

And she snapped back at him. “Well, what’s wrong with that?”

Li Lei ended up having to coax her for the rest of the day.

Hence, this time, Li Lei had followed his wife’s orders and did not prepare anything for the Ye family. He even told Ah Nuo that if the Ye family was to ask about it or kick a fuss, he didn’t have to be too polite in response.

Once Ah Nuo said that Li Lei had not prepared anything, Auntie Liu flared up. “What’s going on? Why isn’t there one? It must be you, you’re corrupt! Mr. Li loves my daughter so much, how could he possibly not have prepared a gift for me?”

On the inside, Ah Nuo utterly despised her— so now you remember that Miss Ye is your “daughter,” huh?

When you’ve never treated Miss Ye like a daughter all this while!

He was fuming on the inside but managed to maintain a dignified demeanor.

Meanwhile, Xia Haichao had had enough of her nonsense and gave a deliberate cough. “There are some things that we should clarify as soon as possible. Mr. Ye, Madame Liu, we invited you over this time, not simply because we wanted Miss Ling to acknowledge them as godparents. In fact, we hope that Miss Ling can be officially adopted by the Xia family from today onwards. Once that is done, Miss Ling will be the daughter of the Xia family, and would have nothing to do with the Ye’s.”

“What?!” Both Father Ye and Auntie Liu exclaimed in shock.

This was Xia Haichao’s task, to begin with. Now, more than ever, he really wanted to give the Ye’s a piece of his mind. “Three days from now, the locals will be holding a ceremony for Miss Ling’s return. We hope that you both will cooperate to allow the smooth completion of the process.”

“Fat hope!” Auntie Liu disagreed. “You’ve got it all planned out, eh? You poor, grimy village people were lucky enough to find Xiao Ling’s son, and now you’re getting all haughty? Trying to get yourselves connected with a superstar like Xiao Ling? You wish! Let me tell you, she can forget about trying to sever ties with me!”

Her saliva was splattered all over Xia Haichao’s face.

Xia Haichao calmly wiped his face with a tissue and said, “Madame Liu, this will not change, whether or not you agree to it. Our Xia family doesn’t like committing sins, but that doesn’t mean we don’t kill.”

“W-What does that mean?” Auntie Liu was stunned.

Xia Haichao smiled. “Remember when we were on our way up the mountain? I wanted to toss you off the mountains. I could carry on with it now if I wanted to.”

Chapter 818: The Most Expensive Food
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Auntie Liu recalled the massive threat she received!

Her face turned white as she was afraid that the mountain villagers would hurt them if they were angered.

Father Ye’s face was ashen as well, and he stuttered. “Xia… Brother Xia… you’re not being reasonable here. How can you forcefully break our family apart? Xiao Ling is my biological daughter, after all. I want to speak to her… I want to ask her myself why she’s being so unfilial…”

Xia Haichao couldn’t let him do something like that.

He was firm and refused to move aside. “Miss Ling doesn’t have time to meet you.”

“You… aren’t you being a bully now?” Father Ye was anxious. Even though he didn’t usually show much concern for this daughter, and under Auntie Liu’s instigation, he failed to show her much fatherly love over the years, she was still his biological daughter. Furthermore, she was famous and successful. He couldn’t accept simply breaking all ties with her out of a sudden.

Auntie Liu’s face was still pale, but she piped up in a small voice. “This girl… why does she treat strangers better than her own father?” Her gaze subconsciously drifted to the huge backpack Ah Nuo was carrying. It was filled with all kinds of gifts for the Xia Family.

“Grandfather Ye, Grandmother Liu!” Suddenly, an adorable child voice rang out.

Everyone turned and saw Shaohui running over to the Ye Family couple, despite having run ahead earlier. Auntie Liu took a while to realize that “Grandmother Liu” was herself. Was this child tired of living? Why was he making her sound so old?

“Who are you calling old?!” She shrieked and was about to throw her temper when she caught sight of Xia Haichao’s warning glance. She shuddered and shut up.

Father Ye also noticed that the child was present.

He didn’t have much impression of Xia Ling’s child.

The last time they met was five years ago when she had just given birth. The child was skinny, sickly, and weak—not adorable at all. Later, he heard that the child died, and while he was a little sad, he didn’t think too much about it. Then, Chu Chen was constantly threatening the family and disallowed them from going to look for Xia Ling. With Auntie Liu fanning the flames, he was furious at Xia Ling and thought to himself that her child dying was her punishment.

Hence, when Xia Ling was grieving for her dead son, he didn’t even give her a call to console her.

A while later, he heard that Xia Ling had adopted a child. Auntie Liu complained. “Her parents and sister are so poor that they have to skip meals, and she doesn’t even give a whisker of concern to us. What now? She’s spending money on a bastard from God knows where? Why did she adopt him? So that he will fight us for her wealth?!”

His anger festered within and he didn’t want to show any concern for the child.

As such, when it was revealed that this child was actually Xia Ling’s biological son, Father Ye continued to ignore him out of habit.

It was only when the active child came bounding over to him that he suddenly realized what it felt like to have a little grandson. This grandson was adorable from having been well taken care of by the Xia Family when he was younger. His features were pretty and he had his adorable little head raised to look at Father Ye with round, innocent eyes. When he smiled, his eyes would form a line, making him look all the cuter.

Father Ye’s heart melted and he said gently, “Are you little Shaohui? I’m your grandfather.”

Little Shaohui reached out his small chubby hands. “Hello, Grandfather Ye. Do you have a gift for me?”

“What?” Father Ye’s smile froze on his face. He had only come here because of Xia Ling’s request and Auntie Liu’s orders. He was only here to earn that 30,000 yuan. How would he have remembered to bring a present for this child?

Father Ye’s expression turned to embarrassment at little Shaohui’s question.

Father Ye felt around in his pockets, but other than a pack of cigarettes, there was nothing else. “Grandfather will bring you something next time…” He replied awkwardly.

Little Shaohui’s face was filled with disappointment. He turned to Auntie Liu. “How about Grandmother Liu?”

Auntie Liu scoffed. “Your mother already wants to break all ties with our family… And you think I will bring you a gift?”

She thought that the child would cry after hearing her answer, and had already thought of a plan to deal with his tantrum. However, Shaohui merely retracted his hand and nodded. “Grandmother Liu is right. Only family will remember to bring a present.”

This sentence struck Father Ye in the heart.

He suddenly realized that he never treated Xiao Ling and her child as family, always wanting to get something from them, and never giving anything in return.

Even though they were father and daughter, the distance between them was far, almost like strangers.

Xia Haichao secretly commended the little Young Master for his statement, before speaking up, “Little Young Master Shaohui is right. Both of you didn’t even prepare a present for him. We in the Xia Family have reason to suspect that you’ve mistreated Miss Ling and Little Young Master Shaohui. Please stop resisting the matter of transferring their family registration to us.”

Father Ye lowered his head like a defeated rooster.

Auntie Liu tried to salvage the situation. “You can’t speak like that. Children are not supposed to scorn us for being poor or ugly. We might be penniless, but you guys don’t look any better! Why should we transfer Xiao Ling’s family registration over to you?”

The Xia Family lived a free and casual lifestyle, and while they had raised immense wealth over the years, they didn’t show it. Even the structures in the mountain village were old and wooden, which didn’t stand out even though they were planned and created to perfectly match the mountainous backdrop. Hence, it wasn’t surprising that Auntie Liu thought that this was a normal, small mountain village.

Xia Haichao smiled. “Little Young Master Shaohui was still painstakingly brought up by the Xia Family, regardless of whether we have money or not. We gave the little young master food, education and presents, all of which still add up to a significant sum. How about this? If the two of you can return that money to the Xia Family, we will stop asking for the transfer of their family registration.”

Auntie Liu was at a loss for words. Caring and educating a child for four to five years required significant expenditure. Was it worth it to pay so much for this irritating child?

She tried to do the mental calculations.

Father Ye opened his mouth to ask after plucking up the courage, “How much are you asking for?” He was reluctant to lose his daughter given that she was the first superstar in the Ye Family bloodline. He was hoping that she would continue to make the family proud.

Xia Haichao continued to smile as he responded, “Not much… we are a self-subsistent family and all the food we have here is grown in the yard. It’s hard for me to give an exact calculation. Let me see, a few years ago one of the people in our village brought the rice in the fields to the city to be sold. It was about ten thousand yuan for half a kilo of rice.”

The Ye Family couple sucked in a breath of cold air at hearing the figure.

“You liar!” Auntie Liu exclaimed. “How can rice be that expensive?”

“Oh.. not just the rice… the vegetables, fruits, melons, fish, meat… everything here is of fine quality and fetches a high price. Little Young Master Shaohui stayed here for a whole four years… why don’t you make the calculations?” Xia Haichao calmly responded. In actual fact, with the Xia Family’s wealth, they could easily hand Xia Ling two billion yuan as an “allowance.” The amount they spent on the meals really wasn’t considered that expensive.

The crops here were grown and harvested according to Fengshui, and the quality was unmatched. Many people would bring bundles of cash to them to buy some of their crops.

To normal people, it was exorbitantly priced.

Auntie Liu shook her head. “I don’t believe you… you’re just making things difficult for us…”

Chapter 819: Meeting the Best Chess Partner
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Haichao reflected on his own words and decided that the example he raised was too difficult to understand.

He reluctantly switched to an easier one. “When the little young master was brought back here, the head of the family personally gave him a jade bangle for long life. That antique blue fields jade was passed down from the time of the monarchy. It’s priceless. Both of you can go ask around to see how much it’s worth. Otherwise…”

He thought for a while, but could not think of anything that could be a good representation of the jade’s worth. The Ye Family husband-wife pair just wouldn’t understand. He sighed and said, “The head of the family said that little kids cannot be gifted with too many riches. It will be harmful to their future fortune. We’ll keep the silvers and the gold and gift them to the little young master when he’s older.”

Auntie Liu gave a cold laugh. “I knew you were trying to scam us! What ancient blue fields jade… you can just walk into any old jade shop along the streets and buy a relatively good piece for ten or twenty yuan a piece! Don’t think I can be scammed that easily!”

Xia Haichao sighed again. This Auntie Liu was truly a mountain tortoise.

Little Shaohui glanced at Xia Haichao in sympathy. It looked like he would have to take over from here. “Grandfather Ye, Grandmother Liu, if you don’t want me to be registered under their household, then just give them three-hundred-thousand yuan as compensation. When I was learning to tame animals in the circus, Grandfather and Uncle paid around the same for the school fees.”

Xia Haichao was speechless. Little Young Master, what rubbish are you talking about?

Auntie Liu regarded Shaohui suspiciously. “What taming of animals?”

“Oh, it’s like this.” The little boy said matter-of-factly. “I really like animals and asked to go to the circus to learn how to tame them. Hence, Uncle hired a master for me from the circus. Uncle said that master tames animals for a living and was afraid that teaching students would cost him his business, thus didn’t take many students. He asked for three-hundred-thousand to teach me.”

Auntie Liu believed him now, as she thought the story about the master being afraid to teach students for fear of losing business made sense. These specialized skills were expensive to learn. However, she was reluctant to part with the money. “You spendthrift little fellow… why did you learn this useless skill that can’t feed yourself? Do you want to become an animal tamer in the circus in the future?”

Little Shaohui said in mock agony, “Oh… what’s to do? I’ve learned the skill already. The fees are so expensive that Mum and I can only choose to become part of their family. Grandmother Liu, if you don’t agree to us doing so, then help me foot the school fees.”

“You wish!” Auntie Liu was furious. “Your mother hasn’t given us three-hundred-thousand in all these years combined!” It was a whole three-hundred-thousand! Father Ye and Auntie Liu didn’t have that amount of savings in their bank accounts!

“So… why don’t we come to an amicable agreement?” Xia Haichao chose this opportune moment to speak up. “If the two of you don’t wish to spend that kind of money for your grandson, and think that your daughter hasn’t paid you the equivalent all these years, why try to keep them? You’ll only get increasingly irritated with each other.”

Auntie Liu didn’t say anything. She would definitely not pay three-hundred-thousand for this child that they had no blood relation to.

Father Ye lowered his head and was quiet for a moment, before saying resolutely, “I, Ye Xiaozhong, am a useless fellow with no ability to care for my daughter and grandson. Since they want to leave, I’m willing to let them go. However…” He raised his head and looked Xia Haichao in the eyes. “I have one condition.”

“What condition?” Xia Haichao asked.

Father Ye said, “Xiao Ling might be registered under the Xia Family, but she’s still my biological child. We have blood ties; she can’t disregard that. In the future, if the Ye Family encounters any problems, she can’t refuse to help us!”

Hearing his condition, Xia Haichao silently breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry. Even if Miss Ling doesn’t care for the Ye Family, regardless of whether there are sad or happy events, the Xia Family will make sure to provide you with all the support you require. I will give you my direct line. If there are any issues in the future, feel free to call me.”

Father Ye accepted Xia Haichao’s proposition reluctantly and ambled off with Auntie Liu to the guest room to take a rest.

Having completed his mission, Xia Haichao went in search of the Xia Family Head to report the success.

Walking through the long Zhennan wood corridor that seemed to meld with the forest backdrop, Xia Haichao knocked on the door of the room at the end.

The room was filled with the fragrance of tea and the exquisitely flower-carved window was half-open, letting in the cool autumn breeze and sounds of birds chirping. He saw the Xia Family Head and Li Lei sitting cross-legged facing each other playing an intense game of chess. The Xia Family Head’s joyous voice rang out, “Young Master Li, what do you think of this clever move? I’ve trapped two of your pieces! Heheheh… you didn’t think of that, did you? I’ll kill off your big dragon very soon!”

Li Lei was also engrossed in the game as he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Clever, indeed! Dad, that’s a stroke of genius right there! Why didn’t I think of that? Now I have a problem…”

The Xia Family Head laughed heartily.

Li Lei fell into deep thought for a moment before suddenly slapping his thigh again. “Got it! I’ll do this… Look, now you can’t take my piece anymore!”

The Xia Family Head looked down at the chessboard and remarked. “Rascal! You’re a clever one, aren’t you? But did you forget about the pieces on this side? Doing this might save your big dragon, but this entire area is mine now!” The old man laughed out loud again, happily claiming half of Li Lei’s territory on the board.

Li Lei’s face fell. “You’re still one step ahead of me! I still couldn’t prevent you from conquering my pieces! Dad, you’re really a grand master! Little Shaohui was right when he told me how good you were!”

The Xia Family Head reveled in his praises as his laughter became louder.

Xia Haichao stood by the door watching this scene, admiring the boot-licking prowess of a certain son-in-law-to-be. Was he really unable to win the old man in the game? Clearly, he had calculated it perfectly. He was letting the Xia Family Head win while making it as unobvious as possible, such that the Old Master would have a great sense of satisfaction!

He hadn’t seen the Old Master this happy in a long time.

Usually, the Old Master was friendly and wise. When he was playing chess, he was like a big child as he glared and smacked the table passionately. Mostly that was because he was at the losing end, and was angry at Young Master Moyan…

Being this happy from winning in chess was pretty much a first.

Xia Haichao suddenly felt that Miss Ling had found a great partner in Li Lei. The Xia Family was rich and powerful, and all they lacked was a caring personality. Mr. Li was so caring in his interactions with the Old Master Xia, and must be even more so in his interactions with Miss Ling…

They would be happy.

Xia Haichao knocked on the open door of the room again.

The two men turned towards the door. The Xia Family Head smiled and said, “Oh, it’s Haichao! Come over and take a look! I’ve not met another chess player that’s so close in standard to me! Young Master Li here has talent! Talent!”

Xia Haichao thought to himself, That’s because he’s purposefully losing to you.

He respectfully said out loud, “Old Master, the Ye Family couple has agreed for Miss Ling to be registered under the Xia Family. I’ve already arranged for someone to explain to them the agenda for the Phoenix Comeback Ceremony. There shouldn’t be any problems during the ceremony.”

The Xia Family Head commended Haichao for his good work and pulled him over to the table to watch their chess game.

Xia Haichao didn’t want to watch the game and found an excuse to escape.

“Did you see that? None of them are willing to accompany this old man… how sad…” Old Master Xia shook his head and sighed. “Come, let us continue!”

Li Lei laughed. “How can they understand the beauty of your chess game? Dad, after I get married to Xiao Ling, I’ll come play with you every day!”

“Great!” The Old Master agreed happily. “When you get married…” He stopped abruptly and scolded in amusement. “Young Master Li, you rascal! How can you trap me like that? Who’s agreed to your marriage?”

Chapter 820: I’ll Be Wherever She Is
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

That was close… he almost sold his daughter off just like that.

“I’m not playing anymore!” Xia Family Head pushed the chessboard away. “If I play anymore I’ll fall into one of your traps, you rascal.”

Li Lei smiled unabashedly. “Oh, what are you saying… you’re so wise and intelligent, how could I trap you? Dad, just give me Xiao Ling’s hand in marriage! We love each other, and we’re a match made in heaven!”

Xia Family Head shook his head and said, “If I give her to you so easily, your mum and your brother will cut me into pieces and bury me all over the fields like I’m fertilizer.”

Your mum and your brother?

So Xia Family Head had already decided to accept him as a son-in-law? Although the Xia Family Head hadn’t directly agreed to their marriage, Li Lei was already overjoyed that he seemed to be treating him like family.

It looked like this game of chess was well worth it.

He enthusiastically told the Xia Family Head, “Don’t worry, don’t worry, even if we don’t get married I’ll still come play chess with you.”

“Great!” The Xia Family Head became happy again. “Let’s play another round!”

They replaced the black and white pieces to their starting positions. Even though the Xia Family Head’s chess skills were mediocre, he offered Li Lei the white pieces thinking that he was the better player. Li Lei pretended to think about his first move, though in actual fact merely placed the piece randomly on the board. “Dad, it’s your turn.”

Xia Family Head immediately put down his black piece.

Having already played several rounds, the two of them were quite friendly with each other already. Xia Family Head asked, “Young Master Li, tell me about your relationship with Xiao Ling. How did you guys meet?” Not being able to see Xia Ling grow up was always a regret that Xia Family Head had.

Li Lei said as he placed a white piece down on the board, “My feelings for her… It was love at first sight.”

Li Lei’s voice was gentle as he spoke about his beloved. “Then, she had just reincarnated and appeared a little silly… No, innocent is a better word, and very…”

“Very what?” Xia Family Head pressed.

“Very…” Li Lei searched for the best word to describe Xia Ling. “… depressed… no… not really depressed, but there was a coldness in her eyes, and she had an aura around her that said not to come close to her. She seemed somehow weak and fragile to me, and I wanted to get closer to and protect her.”

Xia Family Head’s eyes narrowed and he said in a questioning tone, “I heard that you wanted to take her as a mistress.”

Li Lei laughed awkwardly. He thought that he had been very discrete about that, but it looked like bad behaviors tended to spread like wildfire, whereas nobody talked about good deeds. Although being able to uncover this was to be expected given the Xia Family network and power. He said, “Dad, let me explain. Men… hehe. And I was hanging out with a bunch of bad friends then. They were bad influences.”

Xia Family Head asked, “Really?”

“Of course! As true as gold!” Li Lei exclaimed. “If not for the bad influences of those friends, I wouldn’t do something so terrible! That guy, Jin Yifei… and, and Du Yunfeng… till date they are still womanizers, changing girlfriends faster than I change my clothes! Ever since I got to know Xiao Ling, I’ve never joined in their womanizing! When I go back this time, I’m going to make them change for the better!”

A thousand miles away, Young Master Du and Young Master Jin both sneezed suddenly given that someone was talking behind their back.

Xia Family Head was taken by Li Lei, but as this matter concerned his daughter’s happiness, he wasn’t going to let Li Lei off so easily. “Don’t try to float over this! Speak, why did you decide to properly pursue Xiao Ling later?”

Li Lei replied, “Because I couldn’t get her as a lover… Oh no, no… Dad, don’t be angry! I’m saying that later I found out that Xiao Ling was a really special girl, and was worth me throwing aside everything to pursue. I’m willing to give her my life, let alone her rightful place as my wife. If she’s willing, and I am able, everything will be hers.”

Xia Family Head nodded his head slowly. Even though this rascal was a little cheeky, his feelings for Xiao Ling were real. They had gone through so many trials and tests together, and their destinies were long intertwined.

“A Phoenix is meant to fly up in the air.” Xia Family Head remarked out of the blue.

Li Lei looked at him, confused.

Xia Family Head continued, “The Phoenix flies high up above everyone—beautiful, regal, arrogant—and will be the center of attention. Do you know why Xiao Ling couldn’t grow old happily with Pei Ziheng in her last life?”

Li Lei shook his head.

Xia Family Head said, “That’s because Pei Ziheng is a dragon, and he too flies in the sky. When both of them are together, they can only live as a legend, being revered by everyone. However, they can never land on the ground. Once they land, they will die.”

“What do you mean by landing?” Li Lei asked.

Xia Family Head responded, “Just living life normally, dealing with trivial matters, getting married, having kids… removing the glamor of their careers… being on the receiving end of jealousy… too many. These are all examples of landing. Anyone of those would have destroyed Xia Ling.”

Li Lie was quiet. How could anyone’s life only be filled with joy and glamor, but never land in that case?

“Once the Phoenix flies up high, she can never land again.” Xia Family Head picked up a chess piece and took his time to place it down on the chessboard. “Actually, I’m very thankful to Pei Ziheng for taking care of her for more than ten years, allowing her to grow enough to reincarnate. Did Moyan tell you? Xiao Ling is the only Phoenix in the Xia Family that managed to successfully reincarnate. There were so many Phoenixes in the family that lost strength and fell before they were strong enough to reincarnate.”

“Meeting Pei Ziheng was a fortunate thing for Xiao Ling.”

Li Lei was a little bitter. “I had always thought that he was her… misfortune.”

“He is a misfortune on one hand… but he isn’t as well.” Xia Family Head said. “Every relationship has a reason behind it. Young Master Li, you need to cherish your fate with Xiao Ling. The Phoenix flying in the air can only rest on a sycamore… the only person that can allow her to rest is you. You need to protect her.

“Otherwise, perhaps there will be a day where she can’t resist the temptation of the open skies and will fly away with the dragon.”

Li Lei looked up at Xia Family Head. “But you said that she won’t be able to land if she’s with him. Only I can give her happiness.”

Xia Family Head said, “Who knows? In her last life, she flew for a good 16 years before eventually falling. In this reincarnated life, she is freer and stronger, perhaps she can fly for 20 years? 50 years? 100 years? Young Master Li, don’t think that she’s safely in your arms now. Be good to Xiao Ling… do you understand me?”

Li Lei nodded and promised. “I’ll be wherever she is.”

Xia Family Head laughed and they continued their chess game.

On the other end, Madam Xia brought Xia Ling to her room, which had been specially prepared for her. The room was sparkling clean, with the fragrance of flowers on the new bedsheets and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Madam Xia smiled as she said, “When I first saw you in the news articles, I knew that you were suitable for a room like this. This room has been waiting for its owner for many years.”

“I love it. Thank you, mum.” Xia Ling sincerely responded. Her tastes matched that of her mother perfectly.

They conversed casually, talking about their experiences over the years. There was no semblance of unfamiliarity between the mother-daughter pair, and they laughed and cried together throughout the conversation, forgetting the time altogether.

Little Shaohui came into the room to look for them. “Mummy! Grandma!”

He climbed up into Xia Ling’s lap.