A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

“Brother Chu…” Xia Yu felt confusion brewing in her mind seeing Chu Chen defending Xia Ling.

Chu Chen firmly stood his ground, wordlessly wrapping his hand around Xia Ling’s wrist and pulling her to her feet. Simultaneously, he placed himself in front of her as an act of defense. “You need to speak to Miss Ye nicely,” he remarked.

When Ye Xingling first came to Pei Ziheng’s side, Chu Chen’s loyalties were divided. Now, she was pregnant with Pei Ziheng’s child. If Chu Chen still could not decide whose side he was on, his position at Imperial would be at stake. Pei Ziheng did give the order before for him to treat Ye Xingling nicely, after all.

It was a pity that Xia Yu didn’t know that she was pregnant.

“You’re choosing an outsider over me?” There was a flash of hurt in Xia Yu’s outburst. “Brother Chu, back when my sister was alive, you treated me so well, but now that my sister is gone, you’re teaming up with other people to bully me?” She wasn’t dumb. She knew that Chu Chen was controlled by Pei Ziheng. But she wasn’t brave enough to pick a fight with the man himself, so she had to settle for Chu Chen.

Chu Chen’s brows furrowed. Xia Yu sure had guts to criticize him in public.

Miffed, he coldly spoke to her cowering assistant, “Are you Miss Xia Yu’s assistant? Later, please look for Liu Shinan from management. Tell her to choose several weeks for an offsite shoot and send Miss Xia Yu over.” He couldn’t afford to anger her, so he decided to send her away for a while instead.

After all, who asked her to mess with the Boss’ woman?

The most important thing in his life now, of all things, was the child that Xia Ling was carrying. If anything were to happen to the child, the first person held accountable would be him. Chu Chen did his calculations clearly, anyway. He could afford to offend Xia Yu in exchange for getting into his Boss’ and Boss’ future wife’s good books. A worthwhile bargain. Even if the Boss’ future wife didn’t seem to particularly like him much at the present moment.

But he could work on it. Seemed easy enough to him.

“Brother Chu?!” Xia Yu raised her head and looked at him in shock. Previously, she had felt that Chu Chen was always siding with Xia Ling, but this was really the most biased he had ever acted.

Sending her away for this wretched woman?

No, she wasn’t having it.

“I’m going to tell Brother Ziheng!” She whined, the sound of her stiletto clicking on the floor as she set it down childishly. “I’ve been feeling under the weather lately, and you still want to send me away? Brother Ziheng will definitely voice his disapproval about this!” She disappeared into the direction of the director’s office.

Xia Ling sighed, speechless, and followed behind her slowly.

Pregnancy had taken a toll on her, inhibiting her motions like never before. It had merely been two months, and her bump was barely visible, but as the days passed, she felt the weight pull her body down, and her steps dragged more and more. She walked slowly down the luxurious corridor, feeling like an old empress.

A crowd formed, watching them walk in the same direction. It was conflicting for them. On the one hand, they wanted to follow up on the story, but at the same time, it was the Director’s office, of all places. They were afraid. Never mind, anyway, watching the previous drama was well enough already. Manager Chu’s loyalties were just as the rumors said, on Ye Xingling’s side. Clearly, Ye Xingling was more important in the Director’s mind by a long shot. Now they knew about the drama between these two women.

The people in Imperial were a different kind. Even though their Boss was unreadable, they knew that to survive, they simply had to be on the same side as Chu Chen. Chu Chen was somewhat of a legend in the industry, having survived in the company for so many years, and not even once had he played his cards wrong. He was never wrong.

Satisfied, the crowd dispersed.

Xia Yu still did not know that she was truly done for this time. Not only did she fail to sabotage Ye Xingling, but she had also lost the concern that those people had previously paid her. From now on, if they were to clash again, nobody would side with her anymore, dropping her immediately in favor of Xia Ling.

On the other hand, Xia Ling hardly cared at all.

She deliberated her way to the office, meeting Xia Yu who had made the first move.

“Why are you here?” Xia Yu asked harshly. “Are you here to complain to Brother Ziheng? I’d advise you to give up. Brother Ziheng is busy, he doesn’t have time to deal with you.”

Xia Ling was speechless. Did she seem like an immature person? One that tattled on other people all day long?

Thankfully, she kept her mouth shut. Otherwise, she would really be trashy, as the people would say.

Xia Ling ignored her, making her way around her instead. But she was stopped by two bodyguards. “Sorry, Miss Ye, the director is in the middle of an important meeting with clients and specifically instructed that nobody was to disturb him.”

“Told you he had no time for you.” Xia Yu taunted.

Xia Ling was dumbfounded. Was she not stuck outside as well? What was there to be proud of? While laughing at others, she indirectly referred to herself as a laughing stock as well. What a kid…

Xia Ling sighed. Was she always that dumb? Just like Feng Kun had remarked, she was becoming just like her in her last life.

She shook her head. “I want to go in.”

The bodyguards remained polite but firm in denying her access.

Chu Chen tried to help her. “The director said before that Miss Ye is an exceptional case. That she could look for him at any time.”

Xia Yu felt a pang of jealousy listening to this. Why did that woman have rights that she didn’t? This felt exactly like what happened when her sister was alive. No matter what Brother Ziheng was up to, he would always make time for her.

She always thought that once her sister was dead, nobody else would get an opportunity like this again.

But why was this opportunity squandered away?

It felt like a fire was burning somewhere in her heart. She felt terrible.

The bodyguards didn’t acquiesce. “I’m sorry, Mr. Chu. The director said that nobody could go in. Especially Miss Ye.” Xia Yu’s heart leaped in relief.

Especially Miss Ye?

Xia Ling was curious now. What kind of people was he meeting that he had to hide from her? Sticking her head in to take a look, she saw that down the long corridor, in front of the office, stood another four bodyguards. Two were Pei Ziheng’s men; she saw them often around him. The other two were…

“Ah Nuo!” She exclaimed.

At the end of the corridor, one bodyguard turned to look at her before making his way over.

“Miss Ye,” He greeted. “long time no see.”

It really was him, Li Lei’s bodyguard! At once, Xia Ling’s heart sped up. Voice shaking, she enquired, “He’s… inside?”