A Star Reborn: The Queen's Return

Su Tang staggered backward and shook her head. “I don’t believe you! It must be that woman, she’s sowing discord, isn’t she? She wants to take my son away. Ye Xingling, return my son!”

Tears streamed down Su Tang’s face and she charged right at Xia Ling.

Xia Ling could not react in time and was pushed backward, losing her balance. She knocked against the corner of the wooden desk and felt a sharp pain. As she tried to regain her footing, the world spun before her eyes and she fell to the ground with a whimper. She had no idea what was going on either, but her face had already turned pale.

Su Tang was about to push her again.

“Enough! Su Tang!” Li Lei had already come forward and pulled her aside.

He could not be bothered about Su Tang’s feelings as he rushed forward towards Xia Ling. He knelt beside her and held her in his arms. “Xiao Ling, are you alright?” He saw that her face was still pale and there were droplets of sweat on her forehead. For some reason, she even seemed to have difficulty breathing as she looked up at him weakly, as if she was going to pass out any moment.

Li Lei’s heart dropped. The way she appeared now, it didn’t seem like a push would cause such a serious impact!

What was with Xiao Ling, was she ill?

He carried her up and strode out the ward as he said, “I’ll take you to the doctor.”

Little Shaohui looked at Dad and Mom worriedly and was about to follow them out, but at that moment, he turned around and saw Li Rui all curled up on the bed, looking at Su Tang in utter horror.

Little Shaohui gave a little sigh and stayed in the ward.

On the other side, Su Tang was sitting limply on the ground and murmuring to herself, “He pushed me... he actually pushed me...” In the beautiful afternoon light, her words sounded oddly gloomy. All of a sudden, she snapped upwards and glared meanly at Li Rui. “You bastard child, aren’t you happy now? You’d rather have that wretched woman than Mom! I’ll hit you! I’ll hit you to death!” She dashed forward and raised her arm, all ready to hit him.

Li Rui wailed. “Mom, don’t hit me! Mom, it’s my fault!”

He turned around and tried to shield himself, but it was too late, her hand had already landed on him heavily. His nightmare was back. Images of the other day flooded his mind again—his mother’s ferocious look, his screams and cries, and the blood that eventually pooled on the floor...

Shaohui yelled from the side, “You can’t hit Xiao Rui!”

He tried to push Su Tang aside but was pushed away instead. Little Shaohui was shoved to the ground, his head hit the sturdy leg of the bed and he landed in a pile of glass debris from medicine bottles, bleeding instantly. But he did not have the time to attend to his pain. He went forward and tried pulling Su Tang away, but was shoved aside once again.

He was soaked from head to toe in grape-flavored medicine and his blood. He scanned the surroundings and noticed a bright red button by the bedside—he went for it and pressed it before pouncing on top of Li Rui, protecting Li Rui’s body with his.

Su Tang’s beatings landed on him.

Seeing that Shaohui was shielding Li Rui, she flew into a rage and sneered brutally. “Very well... your mom is a cheap good, and so are you! Trying to play the hero? Fine! I’ll satisfy you! I’ll beat you to death too!”

She held up the drop stand and swung it towards Shaohui, with the drip and tubes still attached to it.

The moment it hit him, Shaohui let out a soft whimper and tasted blood in his throat, before feeling some blood dripping from the corner of his lips. But he never loosened his grip on Li Rui. Even when Su Tang hit him a few more times, he insisted on taking it all on himself, unwilling to let Li Rui get hurt even a little.

Li Rui looked at him with wide eyes as his mind went blank.

“Stop!”

“Stop right now!”

“Nurse! Take this patient back to her ward!”

A few strangers called out and doctors who heard the emergency bell began rushing in. They discovered to their horror that Su Tang was hitting the two children like a madwoman, and instantly went up to stop her.

It didn’t take long for Su Tang to be sent back to her room.

The doctors hurriedly took a look at the two children. “Little Young Master Shaohui, Little Young Master Rui, are you alright?!” These two children were the only two precious ones in this generation of Li’s, the hospital wouldn’t be able to compensate if either of them got seriously hurt! The doctors were in a fluster.

“I’m alright...” Shaohui sounded a little weak, but his words were crystal clear. “Take a look at Xiao Rui first. He hasn’t recovered from his old injuries and was hit again...”

Shaohui coughed blood.

“Little Young Master Shaohui!” The doctors were stunned.

Shaohui tried to hold it out. “I-I might have fractured a rib, it’s fine...” Although he was young and not well-built yet, he had learned some martial arts from his uncle and dad before. He understood his body condition well and knew when it was serious and when he could still hold it out.

But given what he said, the doctors dared not take it lightly.

A rib fracture?!

It was so serious! As if Li Lei wouldn’t skin them alive!

They hurriedly got the children to take an X-Ray and undergo a full body checkup to ensure that it was just fractures and superficial injuries. Only when they confirmed that no organs were affected could they heave a sigh of relief.

Shaohui was afraid that Su Tang would return and hence, requested to be placed in the same room as Li Rui. The doctors agreed and set up an additional bed beside Li Rui’s for him, and got him into bed.

After giving the children their proper treatment, they sent them back to the ward.

The medical personnel left the room and it became all quiet.

Only then did Li Rui snap back to his senses. He asked quietly, “Why did you help me?” Mom looked so scary just now, he thought he was done for this time. He did not expect Shaohui to put his life on the line, holding onto him despite how hard his mom was hitting. At that time, Li Rui was in utter shock; he saw Shaohui getting injured but had no idea how to react. Yet, he had a strange sense of security like never before, as if...

As if with Shaohui around, nobody could hurt him at all.

This was a first, and he never even felt it with his mom.

Little Shaohui was on a drip and was still sore all over from the wounds. However, he smiled as if nothing had happened and said, “Because I’m Xiao Rui’s older brother. Xiao Rui, don’t worry, I’ll always protect you in the future.”