After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 169 Abandonment

Looking at the scene before him, Lord Zhou was filled with remorse.

He rubbed his temples, slowly walked up to Madam Li, and said wearily, "Madam, I wronged you. I was so foolish to believe that vile woman's slander. Now I have found out the truth, so please don't be sad anymore."

Xia Li asked, "May I ask, Lord Zhou, if you do not punish Ning, will you continue to favor your concubine over your wife and continue to protect this concubine, just as she killed your mother back then?"

Lord Zhou was terrified: "My mother?"

"Does Lord Zhou not know that the old lady initially disliked her because she was a dancer and refused to let her in? In order to be able to enter smoothly, she bribed the servants in the old lady's courtyard to poison the old lady, and only then was she able to enter the mansion."

Lord Zhou seemed completely unaware of the suspicious circumstances surrounding his elderly mother's death, and stood there dumbfounded.

After a long pause, he flew into a rage and slapped Ning Shi across the face: "Guards, drag her away and beat her to death with sticks!"

Ning, in a panic, cried and begged for mercy: "Master, you must believe me! I'm innocent! Master..."

Xia Li supported Li Anyu and watched coldly from the sidelines.

Is there something fishy about the old lady's death? Is he really unaware of it?

It's impossible. Even if he wasn't involved, he could vaguely guess that this matter was related to that concubine, yet he tacitly approved it.

However, if he still wanted the fame, fortune, and power he had now, he had no choice but to deal with his beloved concubine.

Outsiders say he and his concubine are exceptionally loving, but that's no exaggeration.

He only loved himself.

……

After leaving the ancestral hall, Li Anyu said, "Thank you for saving me, Princess. I am ashamed to say that I have been trapped by my youthful feelings for my entire life, but that will not be the case in the future—this plum blossom token represents the Li family."

The rest is self-evident and needs no further explanation.

Zhou Yan'er also came over to express her gratitude:

"Thank you so much for earlier."

Xia Li said, "You're using me."

Her tone was firm, and Zhou Yan'er scratched her head sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I... I have no choice. My father favors her and believes her blindly. He won't believe the evidence I told him I found."

Xia Li said, "It's alright, just consider it my apology for what happened before." At this point, Xia Li became embarrassed, "I'm truly sorry about what happened before..."

Zhou Yan'er: "It's okay. Actually, I realized later that he cares about you much more than him. I just don't know how to face you two..."

"...Me too."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The two exchanged a smile, and the Yu Yang incident was over.

"By the way, about my uncle's matter before, it was because he was bribed by the Third Prince. Now he has received his due punishment and has been demoted to a criminal. Would you spare his life?"

"That's not something I can decide."

Zhou Yan'er hesitated, "Ali, he is, after all, my uncle..."

Xia Li spread her hands: "I haven't paid any attention to him at all."

Zhou Yan'er: "...Okay."

……

As soon as Xia Li returned to the courtyard, she saw Yu Yang leaning against a big tree.

She asked in surprise, "What brings you here?"

Long time no see, I almost forgot about this person.

Upon seeing her, Yu Yang took a deep breath, trying to calm his nervousness and excitement.

He held tightly in his hand a carefully wrapped gift, which he had spent countless days and nights completing, pouring his heart and soul into it.

He pulled Xia Li to sit down on a stone bench in the courtyard, and handed her the gift with both hands, his voice trembling slightly: "Xia Li, this gift is for you. I hope you like it. I consulted a lot of information and tried many different methods to make it. I polished every detail repeatedly, hoping to give you a surprise."

Xia Li curiously accepted the gift and carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a handmade wooden music box. On the lid of the music box was carved the scene of their first meeting—the two hit it off immediately during the job interview and felt like they had known each other for a long time.

Upon opening the lid, a familiar melody slowly flowed out; it was Xia Li's favorite tune.

On the music box is Xia Li, a 28-year-old woman wearing a princess dress and looking confident.

Looking at this heartfelt gift, Xia Li's eyes gradually welled up with tears. She looked up, her eyes filled with emotion.

Seeing this, Yu Yang mustered his courage and looked at Xia Li with unwavering eyes: "Xia Li, you know I've liked you for a long time. From the first time we met, your smile has stayed in my heart. You have no idea how excited I am to see you again in this other world. I'm so incredibly lucky to have met you. These days, I can't help but think of you. Today, I don't want to keep this feeling hidden anymore. I want to be your boyfriend, take care of you, and be with you. Will you give me this chance?"

Xia Li was slightly taken aback, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, gently fiddling with the music box.

"What's so great about me? I'm just so ordinary..."

"What's so ordinary about you?" Yu Yang quickly interrupted her. "You're very beautiful, and you love to laugh. You're knowledgeable and capable. Look, you've built such a large business empire as Jin Yu Man Tang, which is a standard that many people can't reach in their entire lives. You're amazing, don't underestimate yourself, okay?"

"It has always been me who's out of your league."

Xia Li's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Don't let your usual workaholic demeanor fool you; actually...

She often lacks confidence, feeling like she's always pretending to be. She really needs a sunny and cheerful person to recharge her energy.

And Yu Yang...

In both past and present lives, Earth and the Vast Ocean Continent have known each other for a long time.

She understood the other party's intentions, but after all, she had previously tried to matchmake Zhou Yan'er and Yu Yang.

After all that commotion, it turned out he actually liked her, so she deliberately avoided the two of them.

But today, she and Zhou Yan'er have reconciled.

A moment later, she looked up, her eyes sparkling with tenderness, and said softly, "Yu Yang, actually, I've fallen for you a little too. Every time I'm with you, I feel especially happy and at ease. I think I'd like to be your girlfriend."

Upon hearing Xia Li's answer, Yu Yang's face broke into a bright smile.

He stood up excitedly and gently embraced Xia Li.

“But I’m a complicated person, prone to overthinking, insecure, sensitive and suspicious…” She looked into Yu Yang’s eyes, “I only want you to treat me well. If you treat me badly in the future, I will leave.”

"Impossible! You have to have what others have, and I'll give you what others don't have. I won't let you envy other girlfriends."

Xia Li reached out her hands and hugged him tightly.

"it is good."

After a long while, he finally let go of the other person and instead took Xia Li's hand.

"Come with me."

He took Xia Li to a place that was like a fairyland, where all kinds of flowers were scattered everywhere, and beautiful butterflies fluttered around with the petals.

"Wow! This place is as beautiful as a fairyland!" Xia Li couldn't help but exclaim.

"Love should start with a bouquet of flowers and a confession."

Yu Yang smiled and confessed his love again with deep affection.

Xia Li remained silent, only nodding repeatedly, tears of happiness streaming down her face.