A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return
chapter-712

Chapter 712: The Welcome Gift

General Manager Zhou felt that what the secretary said made sense.

He didn’t believe that Li Lei would go through so much trouble for a child that he had no relation to. If Li Lei really liked this child, he wouldn’t be riding an inferior horse that was not purebred.

With this thought, General Manager Zhou felt more at ease and pushed the incident to the back of his mind.

At the other end, Li Lei accompanied Shaohui as they watched the vet treat the little horse. The vet was trying his best but feeling extremely nervous.

He lamented at his unluckiness. He had not thought much of the little child and was prepared to slight him. Who would have thought that this child was adopted by the Diva Ye Xingling and adored by Li Lei, the entertainment mogul?

The vet was close to tears. So when the child had said that “I will give you lots and lots of money”, he was not joking. He indeed had the ability to pay up. The vet felt that he had offended the child and lost the chance to become rich. It was a sad, sad case of lost opportunity.

The plan today was to treat this foal well in an attempt to rectify his mistakes.

After toiling for a long time with sweat pouring down his face, he finally secured the foal’s bones in a splint and applied some ointment on the injured area.

After the staff members carried the little foal away on a stretcher, the vet politely said to the child, “Young Master, your foal will be fine. As long as we take good care of him, there won’t be any long-term effects.”

There were tears in the child’s eyes as he replied, “You have to take good care of him.”

The vet assured him several times over that he would take good care of the little foal before the child was willing to leave. However, he kept turning around anxiously even while walking away.

Li Lei held onto Shaohui’s hand and walked with him towards their accommodation. Along the way, he listened as the child recounted the frightful situation that had panned out, his heart clenching in fear. Li Lei was upset that he hadn’t been there at the time of the incident, such that he couldn’t protect Shaohui. “Why don’t you learn some sparring techniques from daddy.” Li Lei said. “You’ll be able to protect yourself when you are in a bad situation.”

The child nodded and said, “Okay.”

Li Lei continued, “Little Shaohui, you should be prepared. Daddy is going to teach you lots of things, and you might find it tough. But that’s the only way that you can become powerful. When you grow up, you’ll be able to protect yourself and the things that you consider to be most important.”

Little Shaohui lifted his head contemplatively. “Like how daddy protected me and the little foal?”

Li Lei replied, “Yes. Because I’m more powerful than Uncle Zhou, I was able to protect you. When you grow older, you also should strive to be the best and most powerful. In this world, only the most powerful men can protect the things that they want to protect. Do you understand?”

“So that’s why everyone is trying so hard to become more powerful?”

“There are many that want to be powerful, but very few actually can. You need to try hard.”

“I will.” The child nodded resolutely.

Li Lei patted Shaohui affectionately on the head, a sense of pride flashing through his eyes. He felt appreciative to Xia Moyan at this moment, for having taught this child to be so sensible. He was unlike Li Rui, who knew nothing other than to indulge in the vices of life.

“Oh right.” Li Lei said. “Your mum doesn’t know that there was an accident. When you return to the accommodation, go take a shower to wash away the mud on your body. Don’t let her worry.”

Shaohui nodded in agreement and strode off to take a shower.

In the room, Xia Ling was still taking a nap. Li Lei quietly leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips. He couldn’t resist lingering and giving her another peck. This time, Xia Ling woke up and opened her eyes.

She saw Li Lei’s face just inches from her own.

“What are you doing?” She asked in a blurry, half-asleep state.

Li Lei didn’t say anything but continued to kiss her.

“You rascal… ” Her voice was lazy from her short nap and she reached out to push Li Lei away. However, Li Lei grabbed onto her wrist. “Rascal…” She murmured again.

He gave a low laugh. “I’m only a rascal when I’m with you.”

This guy was really pushing it.

She glared at him irritably, her cheeks flaring out. She looked like Shaohui when he was angry. Li Lei couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her cheeks, and the softness of her skin made him not want to let go.

Xia Ling felt taken advantage of and was contemplating kicking Li Lei off the bed when she saw the bathroom door open. A dripping wet Shaohui walked out.

“Mummy,” Shaohui called out to her affectionately.

“Why did you take a shower at this time?” Xia Ling pushed Li Lei away hurriedly. She couldn’t let her child see them in such a compromising position. She pushed herself up into a sitting position.

Shaohui said, “I went out to play in the afternoon and got a little dirty.” His explanation was vague and skipped over the incident.

Xia Ling didn’t press him further. She got up and walked out into the yard for some sun.

Shaohui didn’t intend to leave after the shenanigans in the morning, so he stayed in the yard to play with his mum. There was a small patch of forest behind the yard, with all kinds of fruits on the trees. After verifying with the staff members that the fruits were edible, Shaohui brought a basket over to pluck some fruits.

After obtaining the fruits, he ran back to show them off to Xia Ling and Li Lei.

Li Lei excitedly counted the fruits with Shaohui, whereas Xia Ling ate the fruits contentedly. Mmmm… they were yummy.

“Daddy, daddy, there are many more fruits in the little forest at the back, but they are too high. I can’t reach them. Can you carry me up to get them later?” Shaohui happily told Li Lei.

Li Lei laughed and teased, “You don’t even know how to climb a tree?”

Shaohui batted his lashes and whined adorably. “I want daddy to carry me.”

Li Lei bent over and picked him up. “Okay, let’s go pick some fruits.” However, he caught sight of a man staring with his mouth agape at them.

“Second Young Master Li, you… ” That man pointed at him and the child in shock. “What did the child just call you?!”

The father-son pair exchanged a glance. Oh no, the cat was out of th bag.

“This is your Uncle Du Yunfeng.” Li Lei introduced to Shaohui and paused before continuing, “Yunfeng, this is my Godson.”

The man walking over was Du Yunfeng. This time, he brought his young nephew with him to the riding club. His nephew had told him that Li Lei was here after the incident in the morning, and Du Yunfeng thought that he should come over and say hi.

This was when he caught sight of that shocking scene. This child was calling Li Lei daddy?!

“Isn’t this the child that Ye Xingling adopted? Is it okay for you to treat him as your Godson?” Du Yunfeng didn’t like Xia Ling and wanted to advise Li Lei to stay away from the child, but he saw Xia Ling sitting a short distance away eating fruits. He was quiet for a while and refrained from bad-mouthing the woman that his good friend loved there and then.

Xia Ling lifted her head and saw Du Yunfeng as well. “Remember to give a welcome gift.” She muttered. “He’s also your nephew.”

“What?! My nephew?!” Du Yunfeng got agitated. “He has absolutely no relation to me! Don’t try to be so chummy!”

Li Lei didn’t bother saying too much. Instead, he grabbed Du Yunfeng’s wrist and pulled off the pricey wooden bracelet he had on, stuffing it into Shaohui’s hands. “Here, you can play with this. It’s Du Yunfeng’s welcome gift. Call him Goduncle.”