213 The Crying Girl

After Xia Ling got out of bed and washed up, she changed into a jade green knitted top, pulled her hair into a loose bun, and fastened it with an exquisite camellia hair stick. She applied some light make-up to conceal the effects of her lack of sleep and made herself presentable in every aspect.Li Lei looked at her and said, "You're so beautiful."Xia Ling smiled. As his girlfriend, she did not want to embarrass him. Moreover, having been in the entertainment circle for a while, every practiced movement had become second nature. She could not allow anybody in the public to spot any flaws.Many guests streamed in to visit.Before the guests entered, Li Lei would introduce to her their background and personality, and whether they were friends or foe. The family network was beyond complicated — she tried to register each and every one of them initially, but it overwhelmed her over time. The relationships he depicted sounded something like "My third aunt is my sixth sister-in-law's enemy, but my sixth sister-in-law's distant nephew is good friends with my third aunt and uncle"… Xia Ling counted it a blessing that she did not faint on the spot."Just how many people are there in your family?" She had smiled and entertained the guests for the whole morning, but there were still many more on the visitation list that had not arrived.Li Lei felt a little bad. "Grandpa likes crowds and bustle, so everybody tries their best to come home for the new year." He tried to offer some words. "But, many of them are caught up with their work elsewhere and won't be coming. Don't worry."Don't worry!How could she not, there was so much to deal with.Li Lei began rubbing her neck and shoulders. "Are you tired? We can skip the afternoon meetings then, you'll get to see them some other time anyway. Let's go to the nearby beach for a walk, it's beautiful."Xia Ling did not want to put herself through all that torment anymore. Hence, she agreed to his suggestion.They held hands on their way to the beach. In the afternoon light, the blue sea was dotted with glitter from the sun rays, and the warmth that coupled it made the beach a paradise. Her spirits — which were low since the previous day — were finally lifted as she strolled around with Li Lei. Moments later, when she was at ease, the need to sleep arose.Li Lei led her to an area on the shore and helped her onto a hammock."Catch some sleep, I'll go get you a blanket." With that, he kissed her and left.Xia Ling lay on the hammock as her dress fluttered lightly in the sea breeze. Her eyes were half closed as she thoroughly savored this moment of relaxation, and just as she was about to drift to dreamland, she seemed to hear somebody crying.The sobbing noises were intermittent.Xia Ling was awoken by the sound and sat herself up. She turned around and saw a girl sitting just close by, crying very hard.Xia Ling got off the hammock and squatted beside her. "What's wrong, little girl?"She looked about seven or eight, and her eyes were sore and puffy as she looked up at Xia Ling, sniffling. "I- I… All of them do not like me and won't play with me… We were playing Hide-and-Seek, and they got me to close my eyes and count. When I was done counting to 100, they had all left… I searched for them for a long time, but could not find a single person…" She sobbed as she spoke.Xia Ling's heart ached for her. "They don't like you?" The little girl nodded. "My cousins say I'm a kid without a mother. They bully me and won't play with me, but I really want to have fun with them…"She wiped her tears off with her sleeve.Xia Ling remembered how she used to be ostracized as well when she was in the orphanage. She was beautiful, smart, and adored by the adults, making her the target of jealousy and envy among the other children. They broke her hair accessories, threw her shoes into the dirty drain, and either left her out of games or bullied her when she was in it.Little Xia Ling then was helpless, and nobody around could do anything for her.Seeing this little girl before her today, Xia Ling could not help but have a soft spot for her. She wanted so badly to do something for this her. "What's your name? Shall we play together? I'll get someone to bring some yummy snacks for you."The little girl blinked at her for a while before bursting into tears. "You're so nice…"Xia Ling ruffled her hair reassuringly. "Come along, follow me."The little girl choked between tears. "I can't walk, I have a cramp in my leg. Sister, can you carry me home? I'm Li Xiaoxing, my dad is Li Qingshu. I want to go home…"Li Qingshu?Earlier that day, Li Lei had introduced many of his relatives to Xia Ling, and she now remembered that Li Qingshu was on good terms with him. Since this was his daughter, she had to help her, at least on Li Lei's account. She tried to carry that girl and realized that she was light — despite her petite stature, Xia Ling had undergone years of dance training and conditioning after all. "Do you know the way home?" Xia Ling asked kindly."I do." Li Xiaoxing directed the way.Soon, they arrived at a beautifully furnished bungalow."This is my house," Li Xiaoxing told her. "Sister, can you put me down first and ring the doorbell for me? Somebody will come out to carry me in."The little girl was light, but Xia Ling had walked a distance carrying her and was fatigued by then. She placed the little girl on the lawn and walked up to the doorbell.The doorbell rang.The door did not open.Just as Xia Ling was about to turn around to inform Li Xiaoxing that nobody was home, she fell through where she was standing. She landed with a thud and felt a warm liquid coming down her face, its nauseating smell filling the air. She was afraid, but there was no way to check if it was blood in that pitch darkness.What was happening?She merely rang a doorbell, how did she end up falling?Where was this? And was Li Xiaoxing alright?She looked up and realized that the top of the pit had been completely sealed and not a ray of light could stream in. She then heard Li Xiaoxing's high-pitched voice. "Li Xiaolong, Li Canglan, come out! I've caught her, haha!"