A Star Reborn: The Queen's Return

The waiters in front of the door all wore Chinese green shirts and respectfully pulled the door for them.

The organizer of this year was an old tycoon. He had long stated on the invitation that the theme of this flower-viewing feast was “ancient style”, and everyone invited was to dress in a quaint style. The three people of them also followed the Chinese custom. Xia Yingluo chose a plain tulle shirt with a combination of the Western and cheongsam style. Her long hair had flowers tied and she looked elegant and moving. Li Shaohui wore a dark Chinese tunic suit, and the materials and cut were first-rate, which was in line with his identity as the heir. As for Li Rui, he was more casual and wore a brocade. He dressed as a young and proud Chinese man. All two beautiful men and the beautiful woman attracted attention as soon as they got out of the car.

They were long accustomed to such attention and walked calmly to the welcoming waiter.

The courtyard that was chosen this time was also quite old-fashioned, with pavilions and water pavilions. Bamboo shadows interspersed with the wind, and subtle fragrances floated in the air.

A beautifully curved canal divided the courtyard into two ends, connected by a quaint wooden bridge. Along the clear canal, seats were strewn everywhere. There were lustrous celadon tableware on the low table, Xiangfei bamboo chopsticks, and several luminous cups.

Li Rui took the lead and said with a smile, “Are we going to drink water from the winding canal to wash away ominousness?”

The waiter said respectfully, “There is such a program. Second Master, Big Master, and Ms. Xia, please enjoy.”

Li Rui smiled. “I don’t write poems, I’m afraid I’ll embarrass myself today.” This program was an elegant thing handed down by ancestors. A small tray with wine glasses had to be used to float on the water. Whoever the glass floated to had to come up with a poem.

The waiter said with a slight smile, “Mr. Yu said, if it was based on the original customs, it would be too boring. He was afraid that the young ladies and sirs would be bored, so he made some improvements to the program. You will definitely like it.” Mr. Yu was the master of the flower feast this year. He had been in society for many years and naturally knew the way of socializing. This kind of blind date activity could not be taken too seriously.

Xia Yingluo didn’t listen to her second brother talking to the waiter. She looked around calmly with her pretty eyes and saw that a few meters away, several people were sitting on the other side of the canal separated by a seat. The person in front wore a well-made navy blue tunic suit similar to her brother’s—actually, most men who came to the banquet chose this dressing—the calm and majestic man was Pei Ziheng.

She whispered to herself. “Uncle Pei.”

Li Shaohui heard it and turned his head to glance at him. “He is Pei Ziheng?” In the years Li Shaohui took charge of the family business, he and Pei Ziheng had also fought several times, but one of them was in China and the other was abroad, so they had yet to see each other in real life.

Xia Yingluo murmured a “Yes” and asked, “Would you like to accompany me to say hello?”

Li Shaohui smiled warmly. “Okay.” Then, he reached out and patted Li Rui’s shoulder next to him. “Xiao Rui, I’ll leave with Yingluo for a while, you can start playing first.”

Li Rui looked up. “Where are you going?”

Li Shaohui raised his chin and signaled in Pei Ziheng’s direction.

Li Rui was full of interest. “He is Pei Ziheng? I’ll go with you.” He had heard many people talk about the love and hate of this legendary man and his parents, but he had never been able to see him in real life before, so he was very curious about this man who made his father so angry.

Li Shaohui smiled again. “If you dare to go, do you believe that father will peel your skin?”

“Why?” Li Rui was unhappy. “How come you can go and I can’t?”

“I once spent a year in Imperial’s Training Camp, and I received a lot of care from Uncle Pei, so it’s appropriate to go over and say hello. Big brother can accompany me with his identity.” Xia Yingluo laughed and gloated. “What about you? What name do you have?”

“I’m your brother too,” Li Rui retorted but didn’t insist on it either.

As clever as he was, he quickly reacted. His family and the Pei family were not on good terms. As juniors, if they all took the initiative to meet Pei Ziheng, it would seem too grand, as if they were lowering their heads to the Pei family. Even Shaohui accompanied Yingluo in the name of her “Elder Brother”, which meant, “I came in my private capacity and do not represent the family.”

Xia Yingluo smiled. “Good, we’ll come back soon.”

“Good girl.” Li Rui sneered. She smiled and pulled Li Shaohui’s hand and ran away.

The two made a half-circle around the bridge and came to the Pei family’s seat.

In addition to Pei Ziheng, there were several juniors present, including brothers and sisters Pei Yan and Pei Chengyou.

Xia Yingluo smiled and called, “Uncle Pei.”

Pei Ziheng looked up, his voice very gentle. “You’re here?” In fact, as soon as the Li family’s few children entered, he already noticed. He intentionally let people arrange his family’s seats diagonally opposite the Li family’s, just to be able to see them. He hadn’t attended the Midsummer Flowers Appreciation Banquet for several years. This time, he only attended because he heard that she had returned to China. He had been looking forward to seeing her on this banquet—the woman that lingered in his heart. Unfortunately, the moment he saw the three brothers and sister of the Li family, he knew that he was going to be disappointed.

Xia Yingluo stood in front of him in an orderly manner, looking like a proper lady, and responded with a smile. “Yes, I’m here. I saw Uncle Pei and came over to say hello. By the way, this is my elder brother, Li Shaohui. Uncle Pei, this is your first meeting.”

Li Shaohui took a step forward and also called out. “Uncle Pei, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Pei Ziheng nodded slightly. “Shaohui? You’re so big now, but I don’t have any greeting gift for you.”

Li Shaohui’s smile froze, remembering that he had been adopted by Pei Ziheng for a while when he was a child, so he was considered his adoptive father. However, Pei Ziheng’s remarks were very hostile. They were both Li Lei’s children, but why were his treatment toward him and his sister so different? His smile only froze for a moment before he said, “I still have to thank Uncle Pei for having taken care of my sister the last time.”

Pei Ziheng said lightly, “It’s nothing.”

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Pei Ziheng was obviously unhappy, and Shaohui and Xia Yingluo did not intend to stay long. After greeting him, they quickly returned to their seats. As they walked, Li Shaohui said to his sister, “This man is so cruel. Stay away from him in the future.”

Xia Yingluo said, “He raised you before, yet you call him cruel?”

Li Shaohui said, “He did raise me before, but he also tried to kill me. Don’t look at his gentle surface, this kind of person is the scariest. I met him several times in the business market. He... is extremely cruel. His methods are extremely harsh and fierce, but it seems like a spring breeze on the surface. Sometimes, I really don’t know how my dad won when he was young.”