A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling looked at the kitten worriedly and then looked toward Boss.

“You can take care of pets?” She asked doubtfully.

Boss simply smiled and nodded. “I raised Er Mao.” He said, before adding, “The vet will be here soon, he’ll let me know if there’s anything to take note of.”

Seeing that the kitten had been well-fed and was resting on its tummy, Xia Ling figured that nothing could go wrong and hence agreed with Big Boss Li’s decision. She then changed clothes and left the house, heading straight for Wei Shaoyin’s recording studio.

In the apartment, Li Lei held the kitten up once he saw that she had left. Regardless of the kitten’s struggling, Li Lei placed it in the bathtub. “What a naughty one you are,” said Big Boss Li. “How dare you sleep with my woman when you’re so dirty? I’m going to teach you a lesson!”

He turned on the tap to give the kitten a bath.

The kitten meowed and made a run, fleeing the bathroom.

Li Lei watched it escape and counted the seconds silently, and true enough, in five seconds, the kitten had returned frantically followed by a majestic leopard behind it.

Li Lei placed the horrified little one back into the bathtub.

The leopard took its sweet time to stride into the bathroom before lying on its stomach. Eyes squinted, it watched the kitten in the tub.

The little one looked even more fearful now, almost as if it was about to cry. But Li Lei did not feel the least bit sorry as he gave it a bath roughly and then toweled it dry, leaving a tub of dirty water.

The kitten wanted to resist but dared not struggle under Er Mao’s watch.

Li Lei got it cleaned pretty fast and took it to the living room. The clean little one curled up in the corner silently, trying to downplay its presence now that Xia Ling was no longer here to help it.

Er Mao paid no attention to this tiny creature as it lay lazily on the balcony.

The vet arrived and conducted a few tests on the kitten before smiling to Li Lei. “Young Master, this little one isn’t ill. It’s just been subjected to a lack of nutrition for a while and hence appears weak and scrawny.”

Li Lei smiled sinisterly. “It can accompany Er Mao for its daily exercise.”

The vet looked towards the kitten in the corner sympathetically, dumbfounded by how a cute little creature would find its way to Big Boss Li. He then shook his head and left.

Big Boss Li turned toward Er Mao and instructed. “Watch it for me.”

Er Mao looked up at its owner nonchalantly but stayed lying on the ground.

Li Lei knew that it had heard his instruction and did not further elaborate. He then left the apartment and got busy with his matters.

The day passed quickly, and the setting sun now shone through the glass windows, reflecting a beautiful gold tint. Er Mao had slept in the balcony the entire day and was feeling cold now.

It heard a sudden bang.

Er Mao widened its eyes and made a swift turn in the direction of the sound and walked towards it. What it saw was the kitten, which had been in the house for less than a day, being caught under a large glass bowl. The bowl had fallen to the ground and shattered, with large shards of it landing on the kitten, injuring one of its hind legs. The little kitten was being weighed onto the ground, meowing in pain as it remained unable to move.

Seeing Er Mao approaching, it dared not even make a sound. It looked at the big creature in horror and began to tremble.

Er Mao looked it in the eye for several seconds.

It suddenly walked up and opened its mouth, seemingly to bite the kitten.

The kitten let out a whimper, but the pain it foresaw did not come. It looked up, confused, and saw the big creature carefully removing the shards of glass on itself with its jaw.

Er Mao’s tongue and the corner of its mouth had been slit and cut by the sharp pieces and were beginning to bleed. It looked toward the kitten, still paralyzed and looking back at it almost tearfully.

Er Mao began picking out the next shard, and the next…

It was very cautious, fearing that the sharp pieces would hurt the kitten even a little bit. Yet, it suffered the consequences as the number of cut wounds by its mouth increased and eventually dyed its beautiful white fur a crimson red.

After removing the shards, it rubbed its nose against the little kitten affectionately.

The weight had been lifted off the kitten, but it still could not stand on its own feet. Its hind leg was in pain, and it continued whimpering. Er Mao looked at it with some despise and picked it up.

Back in the recording studio.

Xia Ling recorded the song from the previous day multiple times but simply could not get the right feeling out of it. She did not look at Wei Shaoyin’s ferocious glare as she followed his order and attempted to compose a piece on her own.

But, what should she compose?

Xia Ling was caught in a fix. Creating music was like getting pregnant — there must be some fate. Otherwise, nothing would come out of it.

Wei Shaoyin saw her struggling and offered her some warm water. “Relax, you can do it.”

Xia Ling held the cup in her hands and lay on the couch, daydreaming as she faced the city through the windows. It was raining again, and she wondered how the kitten she picked up the previous night was doing. Did Li Lei keep his promise and take good care of it? She felt sad just thinking about how scrawny and dirty it was; living could actually be such torture.

A sad tune rose inside her.

As she looked at the rain pouring on the city, her emotions built…

In the evening, as Wei Shaoyin finished his work and came over to take a look, he saw that she was still lying motionlessly on the couch, taking an extended break, and got angry. “Ye Xingling, what are you doing! You’ve been taking way too long for this, an entire day! Are you treating me like I don’t exist!”

Xia Ling’s gaze was still distant. She put her finger to her lips, signaling for him to keep quiet.

Wei Shaoyin was shocked. He was about to say something when he heard her utter —

“Sunny days belong to others, while rainy days are my own…

“Liveliness belongs to others, while loneliness is my own.

“A stray cat licks its wound by the street, as people come and go…”

The melody was graceful yet desolate, and it hit people right in the heart. Wei Shaoyin was practically holding his breath as he listened, his expression changed. Suddenly, he grabbed her and said, “Xiao Ling, is this what you’ve composed on your own? It’s good… It’s so good! This is the feeling I’m trying to achieve!”

Xia Ling was feeling the soreness from how hard he had grabbed her and snapped back from her singing daze. She looked at his agitated expression and gave an awkward smile. So this was the feeling he wanted? A voice like this was simply a product of all her pain and scars put together for others’ enjoyment and appreciation.