A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

He walked over and stood in front of her.

Pei Ziheng was the first to open his mouth to speak. “You’re pretty happy, aren’t you?”

Li Lei’s expression darkened. This man was too cunning, and he was out to drive more distance between Xiao Ling and him. Unfortunately, he had somehow created the perfect scene for Pei Ziheng to use. The driver and bodyguards standing behind also realized that they had put their Boss in a disadvantageous position. They stopped messing around and quietly stood watching.

Li Lei said to Xia Ling, “It’s not how it looks.”

Xia Ling looked at him with sadness in her eyes. Yes, he might think that the child was Pei Ziheng’s, and hence, was not sad. She could understand that they were joking around while waiting for her. However, she still felt upset at seeing them like that.

“I can send you back to the city.” Pei Ziheng’s gentle voice rang out again. “You need to rest, Xiao Ling. My car will be quiet.” The clean, black Rolls-Royce looked dependable and respectable, and the driver and bodyguards with their white gloves were as serious as the funeral staff.

Xia Ling shook her head and said softly, “Thank you.”

She was thanking Pei Ziheng not because he had offered to send her home, but for everything that he had done for the child. Even though the burial ceremony was not grand, all the usual procedures and items were in place. Pei Ziheng had stood by her throughout the ceremony and let her child’s final journey look presentable and peaceful.

Pei Ziheng gently said, “He’s my child, too. You don’t have to thank me. I will come with you every year to see him on his death anniversary and birthday.”

Li Lei’s expression became even darker, and he felt the urge to kill Pei Ziheng rise within him. He pushed the urge down with difficulty and said to Xia Ling, “The wind is strong outside. Let’s go to the car.”

Xia Ling looked at him, before silently walking towards the SUV.

A gust of wind blew.

Pei Ziheng stood where he was, watching Xia Ling’s slender frame going further and further away from him. The cold wind blew such that her plain shirt and long hair billowed out behind her. He suddenly thought of a poem: ‘Amidst the aloe veras by the faraway river bank, where the dew drops have become frost. The love that I’ve pined for stands at the other side.’

She was leaving without so much as a glance back at him. The days ahead were looking bleak and lonely.

“She can’t ever have another child.” Pei Ziheng watched as she disappeared into the back seat of the SUV before he regarded Li Lei and said in a cold voice.

“What are you anticipating? Are you hoping that I’ll chase her out of the car and push her towards you?” The coldness in Li Lei’s voice matched his.

Pei Ziheng’s eyes narrowed. Li Lei really was a difficult opponent. Hearing his words, it seemed that Li Lei had been aware that Xiao Ling could no longer have a child. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to mind.

What was his bottom line, then?

Pei Ziheng looked intently at him and said in a deep tone. “In this life, she will have just this one son with me. We’re the real family with true blood ties.” He wanted to plant this thorn in Li Lei’s heart, such that it would take root and be a wedge in his relationship with Xiao Ling. Perhaps one day, Li Lei would push Xiao Ling back to Imperial Entertainment.

However, Li Lei said, “I would encourage you to just give up. Xiao Ling is mine.”

With that, he turned around and got into the SUV as well.

Pei Ziheng watched the SUV for a long time as it drove off and left him in the dust.

In the SUV, Xia Ling was still dwelling in the pain of her lost child and was silent for a long time. Li Lei sat beside her and retrieved a thermos flask from inside the mini-bar. He opened it and passed it to her. “Drink some warm water.”

She took it from him and took a sip of water, before silently zoning out with the flask between her hands.

The scene from when she exited the cemetery emerged in her mind again. Even though she did not reveal any unhappiness towards Li Lei in front of Pei Ziheng, it would be lying to say that she wasn’t upset. Perhaps he was not as concerned about the child as he had seemed, and the pain that he showed was just to appease her. When he was away from her, he acted like it was nothing at all.

She should be happy since she was afraid that he would be sad if she had told him about the child’s real identity.

However, seeing him joking around with the bodyguards when she was in such pain made her feel like he was far away from her. So far away that it felt like they were in two different worlds.

She started to feel uneasy, but even she could not fathom why.

The car stopped in front of a small village pension.

“We’re here.” Li Lei said.

Xia Ling snapped out from her reverie and looked out of the car window. She asked in confusion, “Here? Where are we?”

“We’re in a village near the cemetery.” Li Lei replied. “I’ve rented out this pension. We can stay here tonight. Tomorrow we can go back to the cemetery. Didn’t you want me to bring something to the child? I’ve asked someone to prepare some items and flowers to pay respects to him, as well as toys that a child would like.”

He remembered the white chrysanthemums that were thrown in the wind and did not make it to the child’s grave.

Yet, Xia Ling said, “You don’t have to. Let’s go back.”

“Don’t have to?” Li Lei was stunned.

She shook her head. “Let’s go back.” She had wanted him to leave something at the child’s grave only because he was the child’s biological father. However, since he appeared to care less for the child than Pei Ziheng did, then what meaning did it hold for him to go through the motions? The child would not rest in peace if he knew that his biological father had such a nonchalant attitude towards him.

“Xiao Ling…” Li Lei was sharp and knew that she was reacting this way because of the scene outside the cemetery. “I really want to go see the child, regardless of who his father is. That scene that you saw outside the cemetery is a misunderstanding. I’ve been feeling very upset today while accompanying you as well, for you and for the child.”

“Yes, Miss Ye.” The driver piped up. “Blame us if you want someone to blame. We were the ones that were joking around with Boss.” They had wanted to distract Li Lei seeing that he was in such a bad mood. It was just bad luck that Miss Ye had seen them joking around and misunderstood Li Lei’s attitude.

The driver was anxious for Li Lei. “Miss Ye, don’t blame Boss.”

“I don’t blame him.” Xia Ling’s voice was calm. “I just feel that it’s not necessary anymore.”

What did she mean that she didn’t blame him? She clearly was still very much affected! Li Lei cursed Pei Ziheng in his mind. If Pei Ziheng had not added oil to the flames with that final comment, maybe the misunderstanding would have been less?

He gently coaxed Xia Ling. “I’ve prepared everything already. It’ll be such a waste not to go. What’s more, I want to ask the child to watch over us and to make sure that his mum is happy.”

Xia Ling made to reject him again.

However, Li Lei had already gotten off the car. “Come on down, Xiao Ling. It’s getting late, and you are clearly tired. Let’s just rest here tonight, we can talk again tomorrow.”

She did relate to this last sentence.

It was a five- to six-hour drive from here back to S City. She was completely drained out from the day and needed to rest. She got off the car and walked into the pension.

The room had already been cleaned, and there were fresh sheets on the bed