A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

“I… ” She leaned on the bedhead and curled her legs to her as she hugged onto them.

Li Lei sat down on the edge of the bed and gently asked, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Xia Ling hesitated before nodding her head.

“What did you dream of?” He asked.

Xia Ling did not answer but hugged tighter onto herself.

Uneasiness crept into Li Lei’s mind. This was like the many random moments that he felt that Xia Ling was far away, so far away that it was like she would disappear like a bubble in the next second.

He did not like this feeling.

However, he understood that there were some things you could not force. If she was not willing to say it, there was no way that he could pry it out of her.

Li Lei’s eyes darkened slightly, but not enough that she would notice. He reached out his arms and cautiously embraced her. Xia Ling’s body was small in his arms, like a bony and slender bird, and she struggled uneasily for a moment before becoming still in his arms. He patted her slowly and gently on her slender back and combed her long and slightly messy hair with his warm fingers.

“Xiao Ling,” he said as he kissed her gently on the top of her head. “I’m here.”

Xia Ling’s face was pressed on his chest, and she could hear his steady and powerful heartbeats through the thin, cotton t-shirt he was wearing. She could feel his gentle breath on the top of her head, and his embrace was like a safe and dependable mountain.

The messy and terrifying snippets of her memory disappeared unknowingly.

She raised her head slightly and asked him, “Are you going to stay here?”

Li Lei laughed. “Of course. Xiao Ling, go to sleep, I’ll accompany you here.” He shifted slightly to the side, still hugging her, and leaned his wide back against the bedhead. He pulled up the soft, feather duvet to cover Xia Ling, whose body felt slightly cold.

The warmth and comfort of his embrace made Xia Ling slowly close her eyes. Leaning into Li Lei’s arms, she fell asleep in no time.

This time, she was not disturbed by her nightmares.

Li Lei hugged her with one hand and used the other to send a text message. “Investigate what happened in the afternoon at the filming location for ‘War and Death.’ In particular, I want to know what Miss Ye did, and who Miss Ye saw during the day.”

There were bodyguards following her in secret, and it was not long before Li Lei received a reply.

Li Lei’s lips tightened into a thin line as he read the information that was sent over, and he fell into deep thought.

The next day, Xia Ling woke up and found herself still lying in Li Lei’s embrace. He was hugging on to her peacefully while sleeping with his head against the bedhead. The sun was shining in through the flowery curtain and onto his handsome features, making him look like a mythical God. There was light between his brows, shining like flakes of gold, making you unknowingly drawn to him.

Xia Ling thought to herself that he was really handsome, more handsome than anyone she had ever seen before…

No.

Another handsome silhouette entered her mind at that moment. Silently but forcefully, like a demon walking out from the depths. She gave a shiver to shake herself out of her reverie.

She sat up from Li Lei’s embrace, feeling slightly guilty. He had slept in this uncomfortable, half-sitting position the entire night, while she comfortably slept in his embrace. She pulled up the duvet that was still warm from her body temperature and gently pulled it over him. She also thought of trying to help him lie flat, but he did not budge when she tried to pull him down to a lying down position.

This man was not fat at all, why was he so heavy?

Xia Ling felt slightly dejected, and while she was looking around thinking to get a few more pillows to prop him up in a more comfortable position, Li Lei slowly opened his eyes.

He said in a slightly dazed voice, “Xiao Ling?”

Xia Ling looked at him for half a second and asked, “Are you awake?”

“Mmhmm.”

“If you’re awake, then you can lie flat by yourself. Your sleeping position is wrong, go back to sleep.”

Li Lei did not know how to respond.

“It’s alright, I slept well last night.” He could see the concern and guilt that was masked in her statement and gave a hearty laugh. “How about you? Are you feeling better? Filming a movie is a physically tiring proposition.”

Xia Ling nodded. “Thank you… for last night.” If he had not hugged her to sleep, there was no way she would be able to fall asleep the entire night, and it would delay the filming today. His appearance last night was indeed timely. However…

“What did you come here for?” She forgot to ask last night.

“To see you.” Li Lei responded matter-of-factly. “I missed you.” Actually, Li Lei had received news from the bodyguards that Old Master Gu and Gu Lin had come to the filming location. He was worried and, thus, rushed over at first instance. Unexpectedly, Old Master Gu did not make her life difficult at all, but Xia Ling was still in a mentally unstable state when he found her.

What was her trauma that caused her to react this way?

Li Lei thought of the diagnosis that Dr. James had given about her. “She has experienced some trauma that was highly destructive. For instance, death threats, imprisonment, rape…”

As such, she would be triggered whenever she was met with a similar situation.

Li Lei did not dare think too deeply about what Xia Ling had possibly met with as it was too terrifying. He only had to imagine her in pain to feel unbearable pain in his heart. However, he was sure of one thing. Her life and resumé had been fabricated, “Ye Xingling’s” life was too smooth, there was not an inkling of a traumatic incident.

He was full of anxiety, but on the surface, he continued to joke around with Xia Ling.

Xia Ling did not suspect anything and had breakfast with Li Lei, told him not to run off anywhere but to stay in the room, and followed the big group back to the filming location. Perhaps due to having a good night’s rest, everyone was in good spirits, and the filming went along smoothly with much fewer NGs. The last scene was completed around three or four in the afternoon.

Xia Ling’s part was done, so she went to look for Jin Yifei to bid him goodbye.

Jin Yifei asked, “You’re going back to the city now? The rest will be done in a few days, don’t you want to stay for the celebratory dinner at the end of all the filming?”

Xia Ling was tempted to stay, but she thought of the Big Boss that she was hiding in her room. This place was not like the audition room, it was filled with top actors and actresses with their managers, and there was also all the staff in the film set. If any of them recognized Li Lei and ratted to the reporters, there would be no way she would be able to explain herself.

She had to leave now.

Seeing that her decision to leave was made, Jin Yifei did not hold her back any longer. He bade her farewell and told her to take care of herself.

Xia Ling took a ride with Li Lei back to their S City apartment.

In the following days, she was extremely busy with the renewed endorsement deal from Gu Financial Magnate for Meteor Wings. Her entire schedule was flipped upside down, and Sister Mai Na had to sit down with her to reorder her entire schedule again. It was packed from morning till night, seemingly trying to squeeze 48 hours of work into her 24-hour day.

Li Lei quietly went to meet someone.

On the last day of filming “War and Death,” at the filming location.

Everyone had left to go to the celebratory dinner, and the grand palace set for the filming had been torn down. There was the long empty corridor, the big hall, and the dragon throne, which made the place look exceedingly deserted under the evening sky.

Old Man Bao was standing in the same shadow of the film set.

Li Lei was standing opposite him. “Who are you?”

“Just an old man managing the props.” Old Man Bao’s voice was as croaky as ever.

“Oh, is that so?” Li Lei gave a light laugh and took two steps forward. “As far as I understand, you have another name — Wang Jingzhou, the former heir to the Wang family corporation, and also Pei Ziheng’s then father-in-law to be.”