A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Having said that, Li Lei paused for a long time.

There was an inexpressible fear rising from Xia Ling’s heart.

Li Lei took a deep breath before he finally continued speaking. “They told me that after he caught Su Xue, he announced that he wanted to punish her for running away and betraying him. He gathered a lot of men and said that he would have a feast in the most luxurious ballroom. However, when those people arrived at the location, there was nothing but drinks and empty plates.

“After that, Su Xue was shoved into the ballroom by his men.

“Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was shackled in the middle of the ballroom. He then ordered his subordinates to strip her clothes off and left her naked in front of everyone present.

“At that point, Su Xue was already mentally unsound. She only looked at him and laughed innocently. She said, ‘Brother Feng, you are here to marry me, right? I’m very happy that you asked so many people to witness our marriage…’

“The entire room fell silent. A few groups of brawny men brought over barbecue grills, iron pots, and full sets of kitchen utensils.

“With his order, two executioners took red hot iron brushes and scraped her body for meat. Su Xue was frightened and could not stop screaming, struggling and crying for Brother Feng to save her.

“However, he only looked at the scene in enjoyment. As he drank wine, he instructed the executioner and chef to handle the meat. The flesh on her arm was to be diced, the flesh on her thighs was to be sliced into thin pieces… A few chefs could not help but vomit, and those who were not courageous weakly cried for him to let them off. However, he tied the disobedient chefs to the pillar, used their bodies for meat, and called for new chefs to assist him.

“The new chefs also collapsed after crying and urinating in their pants as he cooked the human flesh. Besides Su Xue’s miserable cries and the group of chefs who betrayed him, there were also vomiting noises from the guests who could not bear to watch the scene.

“My brother… No, that demon. He kept laughing and giving instructions on how the executioners should slice the meat and how the chefs should fry, boil, and roast the meat. About ten beautiful women trembled as they served the cooked meat to the guests. Some of them even fainted and were also tied to the pillar, their bodies used as food…

“That night was hell on earth. Su Xue was the last to die. She was covered in blood, and her bones were exposed. You could even clearly see her beating heart and lungs. That demon personally cut open her skull, dug out her brain, and ate it raw.

“At that time, Su Xue was still conscious. Her eyes could still move slightly. He bit off a bit of her brains, kissed her, and fed it to her. He even warmly told her, ‘Su Xue, my little girl. Do you like it?’

“When daylight came, the entire ballroom was in a huge mess.

“He used his fingers to dig out her heart and ate it raw.

“Afterwards, he stood up and gave her a wicked smile. ‘Goodbye, my little girl.’ He said as he used a white silk cloth to wipe his hands and walked out.”

Xia Ling did not know how she managed to listen to the entire story. It was too gory, and her face turned white. She shrank in Li Lei’s arms for a long time before she quietly asked, “Is this… real?” His story sounded like a scene from a movie, and she could hardly imagine that there were such cruel beasts in real life.

She once called Pei Ziheng a beast, but in comparison to Li Feng, Pei Ziheng was literally a saint.

Li Lei hugged her and wrapped his arms around her body tightly. “I will not let him hurt you. However, Xiao Ling, you must be careful. Li Feng is capable of anything. No matter what he says or does, you must never believe him.”

Xia Ling nodded her head firmly.

Li Lei brought her back to the apartment and helped her close the bedroom door.

In the bedroom, Xia Ling tossed and turned on her bed. She had many nightmares that night. She dreamed about being imprisoned in the past, and dreamed that she was tied to a pillar in a banquet hall and meat was being scraped off her body.

When she awoke, her face was stained with tears.

During the next round of the Nebula Music Festival, she was very distracted and made many mistakes. As such, her points were almost tied with Xia Yu’s.

When it ended, she went backstage, and Wei Wei carried a large bouquet of red roses over to her. “Sister Xiao Ling, your flowers.”

Xia Ling took the flowers. The bouquet was very elegant and had a total of eight red roses. The delicate petals were stained with crystal-like dew, and the cascading petals were grand and fragrant. There was a strange feeling in her heart as she pulled out the small card hidden in the flower stalks. Sure enough, it was as dark as the night sky. On it was a golden outline of a butterfly with its wings spread and familiar handwriting.

“What a special card.” Wei Wei saw the card from the corner of her eye and said enviously. “I wonder which crazy fan sent it to you. He must have put in a lot of thought into it.” During the music festival, only singers that were more popular received flowers from their fans. Xia Ling also received many flowers in succession, so Wei Wei did not take it to heart or think too much about the bouquet.

However, Xia Ling shuddered. She was afraid that people would notice that something was wrong, so she quickly hid the card.

“What card?” Xie Linlang walked towards her and asked curiously. “Not bad, Xiao Ling! You received such beautiful flowers. I’m sure the card is equally beautiful. Let me admire the card too!”

Xia Ling forced a smile. “It’s nothing much. The air here is rather stale. I think I will leave first to get some fresh air.” After she finished speaking and before Xie Linlang could react, she quickly fled the scene.

Vaguely, she could hear a disappointed voice behind her. “Hmph, stingy…”

The corridor was silent, and there was no one around.

As Xia Ling stood alone in front of the glass window, she lowered her head and looked at the card in the dim light. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the outline of the butterfly’s antenna, wings, and abdomen… She recalled that a long time ago, a man taught her how to draw this butterfly step-by-step. That time, Pei Ziheng had said: ‘Xiao Ling, this butterfly is you, because it is so beautiful and intoxicating.'”

That time, what did she reply to him?

She asked him, “What about you, Ziheng? What are you?”

With his body close to hers and his lips beside her ear, he said in a low voice, “I’m your world.”

Ha, world.

She was really stupid at that time. She did not realize that being with him was like being in a cage.

The corners of her eyes were a little moist, and Xia Ling lifted her fingers to wipe them away quickly. Inadvertently, she looked at the window. Under the dimly lit European style street lights and snowflakes, she could see that there was a black Rolls Royce parked on the side of the road which was near the corridor she stood in. She could easily identify from her memory that the familiar car was Pei Ziheng’s car.

Did he come tonight?

What did he come for?

Before she had time to think, she saw a thin figure walking along the gravel path wrapped in a long soft pink coat and had soft and messy hair. A small and delicate face could be seen underneath her scarf. It was Xia Yu.

As Xia Yu stood in front of the car, a chauffeur came out to open the backseat door, and she quickly entered the car.

It turns out that Pei Ziheng had come to fetch Xia Yu.

Xia Ling’s feelings were complicated. In the past, he had often took this car to pick her up. During the rainy and snowy nights and under the dimly lit street lights, how many times had he helped her open the backseat door and gently took her into his arms? “Xiao Ling, are you tired? Rest on my shoulders for a while. We will be home very soon.” He would tell her.

Now, the person in his arms was somebody else.

Lowering her head, she gazed at the small card in the palm of her hand. She laughed at herself before throwing it into the rubbish bin.