Empress Of The Lost Kingdom

"This must be a dream, 

A freaking dream, Yun city, Yu palace, Bai family, Bai Jun!!! There is no way I can prove this absurdity happening in my life.

Once I wake up from this dream, I will be in my bed, in a home in Jing City, once again waking up late for the work."

"Princess, why aren't you eating anything?" Wu Xuan Yi's question woke up Li Juan from her thoughts.

The entire Bai family has sat down for breakfast-including Zhang Zhi Jun- ah no Bai Jun.

"She must have been surprised to see the first brother," Bai Yu chuckled. 

"He is your cousin, princess. Feel free to talk to Ah Jun," Wu Xuan Yi encouraged Li Juan.

She glanced at Zhang Zhi Jun who is bombarded with the questions from his little brothers.

Li Juan turned towards Wu Xuan Yi, revealing a sheepish grin. However, her aunt's gaze has already shifted to the main lead of today's show.

"Uffooo, these kids, why don't you let your brother eat in peace?" Wu Xuan scolded the boys, who were hindering their brother from having breakfast. "Ah Jun, you lost a few pounds, why don't eat more?" Wu Xuan Yi placed two rice cakes on his plate.

"Your mother made this for you,"

"Thank you, ma," Zhang Zhi Jun grinned like a child and ate one rice cake from the plate." Of course, my mom's cooking is the best." 

Bai Su Ya's eyes were filled with love and warmth.

"Well, your mother only cooks for you" Bai Zhu commented. 

" I agree with brother-in-law in this, we rarely get to taste food prepared by sister-in-law" Bai Chen agreed to his brother. Though Bai Su Ya is the queen of Yu palace, the world beyond the Yu palace treats her as the respected dean of the architectural school in Yunming university. She rarely gets leisure time to spend with her family. 

Li Juan silently took a note of the change that happened in the Bai family, after the return of Zhang Zhi Jun. The atmosphere has become more lively and bright. The cheerful appearance of the family members was enough to confirm that he is the apple of their eyes.

Even her aunts and cousins who always paid attention to Li Juan are not even looking at her. All of them were busy attending the Zhang Zhi Jun. Before the arrival of Zhang Zhi Jun, the Yu palace and Bai family appeared like strict boarding school and today, it has been transformed into a normal family where the homecoming of the eldest son celebrated like a festival.

Unfortunately, one person stood out from the family picture.

Li Juan observed Zhang Zhi Jun, without even batting an eyelid. 

The Zhang Zhi Jun she knew as a fangirl was entirely different from the man who is sitting in front of her, being pampered by his family.

"Yes, I don't belong here," Li Juan's lips curved into a wistful smile and she averted her gaze into her bowl.

While everyone was attending Zhang Zhi Jun, who returned home after a while, Bai Qi was the only one who noticed Li Juan's vivid expressions.

Within these few days, Bai Qi has perfectly discerned his granddaughter's character.

"The silent facade she puts in front of everyone is just another guard against her wounded self, but under the veil, she was just another soul who wanted to be loved and pampered by others.

Li Juan silently ate her food and stood up to leave the table,

Suddenly everyone's attention averted to her.

"Princess, are you finished?" Wu Xuan Yi asked her.

Finally, someone asked her. Li Juan smiled,

sometimes Wu Xuan Yi reminds her mother.

"Hmm, I," Li Juan tried to explain but her words were interrupted by her cell phone's ringtone.

Last night, Bai Mu Chuan has given her one of his spare sim cards.

"I needed to attend this call, please excuse me"

Li Juan excused herself and walked towards the garden. 

It was the call from the department head of archaeology at Jing University, last night, Li Juan has sent an email to her department head intending to rejoin her research team. So they called her back to confirm.

"Li Juan, we know that you are having some medical problems, are you sure that you wanted to rejoin the research team?" 

Department head Song Yan was quite confused by Li Juan's decision. A few days ago, he was informed by Han Guang, that Li Juan left the team due to her poor health.

"I understood that you are already in the last phase of research, and taking a break at this time will be simply wasting your time and money." He tried to explain.

"I know professor, but my health has been improved and I can continue the research now." Li Juan assured him.

"Glad to hear that. Anyway, I can't single-handily take a decision; let's wait for Professor Han's response. And meanwhile, you rethink about your health, understand?"

"Yes, professor." Li Juan ended the call and sighed.

So the life at Yu palace is finally going to end.

Li Juan wished to go back to her small house in Jing City. She missed her home. Even though she was alone there, it was her home. It was a place which is filled with the memories with her mother.

She was going through a tough phase in her life. Li Juan's heart ached for the love and support of her dead parents. 

In Yu palace, she had everyone, yet she felt like she was an outsider.

Li Juan walked towards a quiet corner in the garden which was filled with plants. She sat on the grass and hugged her knees.

Though she quit the team on a whim, it wasn't an easy decision for Li Juan. The research scholar life in Jing city meant a lot to her. It was the last hope which helped Li Juan when her life drowned into despair. Li Qin's unexpected demise was a huge blow to her. She was slowly slipped into never-ending depression. The world without her mother was never the same. Every single day was torture for her and one of those days she decided to put an end to her life. 

Luckily she was saved by Han Guang who came to visit her on that day.

During one of the unconscious days, Li Juan had dreamt about the Jade land queen. The Queen asked her to save her, again.

But in the truth, it was Li Juan who got saved that day. On the brink of death, she was saved by a dream. She found a will to live.

Li Juan rejoined the research team to fulfil her duties and her life came back to normal. After that, she practically lived in the lab and committed to her work. She even overworked herself to a point where she fell asleep, the moment her body touched the bed.

It was her dream.

It was her happiness.

It was a hope which made her alive.

And everything crumbled down like a sandcastle in the waves.

Only because of her one mistake! Tang Wei Sheng, why did she choose to love him? Out of all the men in the world, why him?

Li Juan felt her eyes are welling up.

"Princess," Bai Qi's called in a gentle tone.

Li Juan immediately wiped her tears with her palm and stood up with downcasted eyes. 

Bai Qi walked closer and looked at the weak and fragile girl in front of him.

He held her shoulder. "It is okay to cry, Ah Juan," Bai Qi's words sounded soft and consoling.

She looked at him with moist eyes; it was the first time her grandfather called her by a pet name. 

Even though Li Juan was his grandchild, he never showed any warmth which was shown among grandparents and their grandchildren. For him, she was the princess of Yu palace and treated with respect and admiration. 

It was her family and the only thing Li Juan expected from them was love. She wanted to have someone to call her own.

"Grandpa is here, ah Juan!" Bai Qi assured her with a warm smile.

"Grandpa!" Li Juan couldn't control her tears, she wept like a child in her grandfather's arms. 

"I want to go back, I want to rejoin my research team."

Bai Qi didn't say anything against her. 

"It was the only thing which kept me alive for all these years and I had to force myself to quit my job." Li Juan said while weeping.

" I thought about running away from everyone. But I found myself running in circles. No matter how hard I tried, I ended up at the starting point.

I was on the verge of giving up my life when aunt Lin brought me here." 

Li Juan stopped for a moment and glanced at her grandfather's face.

He was listening to her,

"Why did you quit your job in the first place, Ah Juan?" Bai Qi asked her.

"I did something which I am not supposed to do," Li Juan's words were filled with remorse and shame.

"I loved someone."

"Hmm,"

"He is the investor of our research." Li Juan stopped for a moment.

"His family and fiancé found about it. I have become a homewrecker, grandfather, nothing but a gold digger who had an illicit affair with an engaged man." Li Juan said in a self-mocking tone.

"How many times you refer to me as a princess, I am still a homewrecker. 

Do you think that someone like me should be worthy enough of Yu palace?"

"Ah Juan, do you know what is wrong with the society you were part of?" Bai Qi asked her a question instead of answering her.

"The world you lived til now, it only listens to one side of the story and judges the other, on the basis of what they heard already." 

Li Juan looked at him with curious eyes.

"A gold digger, what have you done to be called a name like that?" Bai Qi stared at his granddaughter. 

"Did you ask for his money or any materialistic things?"

"No," Li Juan replied.

"Did you ask him to leave his fiance and marry you?"

"No, we broke up when I found about his engagement." Li Juan said honestly.

"Then why are you blaming yourself?" Bai Qi casually asked her.

"You are not ashamed of me?" Li Juan's tone was elated due to surprise.

It was the nightmare which made Li Juan lose her sleep- What will happen once the Bai family gets to know about their so-called princess's true colours? But surprisingly enough, Bai Qi's response was quite different what Li Juan had expected.

"A girl, who lost her parents, who is left alone in this harsh world, you loved a man who has shown care and affection towards you. You loved him without expecting anything in return. I didn't see anything blame-worthy." Bai Qi explained.

"But grandpa, he is engaged," Li Juan tried to clarify.

" You are no longer in a relationship with him, aren't you?"

"No, we are not together now."

"A man who showed concern towards a weak girl has become a true gentleman in front of others. But on the other end, the girl received nothing but hatred. 

That society only bullies the weaker, no matter how innocent they're, Ah Juan..."

Li Juan looked at her grandfather with teary eyes.

"So be brave to embrace whatever makes you happy. If you want to join the research team, go ahead. If you think that you are being caged in these walls, you are free to leave," Bai Qi felt that the life in Yu palace has been stressing Li Juan, so he decided to give her an option.

"It is not like that we are abandoning you. We value your decisions,

We value the things which make you happy."

"If I leave, then what about the Queen?" Li Juan involuntarily asked.

"We can only request you to be the queen, we don't have any right to tie you down to Yu palace. Even if you wish to become a phoenix or a sparrow, no one is going to cage you." Bai Qi said with an agreeing smile.

"You have the freedom to spread the wings and aim towards the skies."