A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

It was as postulated by the private investigators.

An expressionless Xia Ling asked, “What about the CCTV cameras?” Then, the footage opened by the police were from cameras with altered angles, placing the crime path in the perfect blind spot. Only one camera in the corner was missed, and that filmed Xia Ling coming out of the private room in an agitated state.

Xia Yu replied, “I adjusted all the camera angles so that I wouldn’t be filmed, and created the impression that you had premeditated the crime. As for the camera that I missed? That was left on purpose… it was the camera that filmed everyone that came from the private room to the main hall. It would definitely capture you. I, on the other hand, left from the rubbish dump behind the corridor. There was no way that I would be captured.”

“The police didn’t suspect a thing?”

“It matched your character perfectly, did it not? Sister?” Xia Yu smiled. “You weren’t someone that was meticulous, and even if you premeditated the crime, there was bound to be tons of loopholes. That made it seem even more likely that you were the culprit. Unfortunately…” She sighed. “Brother Ziheng was too protective of you. He used all the methods available to him to destroy several important pieces of evidence, and the courts couldn’t convict you. Everything I masterminded went to waste.”

Xia Ling’s heart churned with emotions at the thought of that man.

She had thought that Pei Ziheng’s imprisonment of her was a punishment. However, she found out later that it was for her protection. “Then…” Her voice was empty. “… he was too fixated on his conclusion, and I was too wilful. If only one of us wasn’t so extreme, perhaps things wouldn’t have become like that.”

Xia Yu said, “Yes… all you knew to do was to cause him trouble and whine. You didn’t deserve to be with him.”

Xia Ling was quiet before she looked up at Xia Yu. “So tell me, Xia Yu… you think you’re graceful and kind and are the perfect match for him, right?”

Xia Yu responded, “At least you are well aware.”

Xia Ling pressed on for more details, asking where Xia Yu bought the poison and how she cleaned up after her tracks before she moved on to the second incident. “How about the concert? You paid off a gangster to kill me?”

Xia Yu said, “I thought that you’d be embroiled in Wang Jingwan’s case, and would be sentenced to death, or would be killed by the angry Wang Family. Who knew that the police and the Wang Family would be so useless… and Brother Ziheng would be so protective of you despite what you appeared to have done. He made it such that no one could get to you at all!”

“I was furious… and I realized one thing. That is… as long as you were still alive, no matter what wrong you did, Brother Ziheng would never abandon you! I… I couldn’t accept that! Hence, I went to see you time and again in that bungalow that you were imprisoned in. I humiliated you, tried all ways and means to make you breakdown, told you to kill yourself… As long as you were dead, Brother Ziheng would be mine! But… you didn’t commit suicide… so, I decided that I needed to give you a helping hand.”

Xia Ling could feel goosebumps forming all around her body. Xia Yu was a monster.

What kind of sister had she brought up?!

Xia Yu continued, “I observed that gangster for a long time. He was one of the black market ticket sellers that hung out near the concert venue and lost all his money gambling. Hence, he was knee-deep in debt. He had a sickly mother at home, and a brother that was still studying. Even though he was a good-for-nothing gangster, he loved his family. I sought him out and told him to kill you, and frame Young Master Wang. In return, I would pay off all his debts, and take care of his mother and brother.”

Xia Ling said, “So he listened to you… and even though he was given a death sentence, he still asserted that Young Master Wang was the mastermind?”

“Yes.” Xia Yu smiled sweetly. “Young Master Wang was too useless, but he did go around ranting about how he was going to make you pay for what you did to Wang Jingwan. Many people heard him… He was just a coward that couldn’t take actual action. However, after you were killed, and after the killer’s statement, he was quickly arrested as the prime suspect.”

Xia Yu said, “After all, his hair was found in the power supply room as well.”

“So how did the hair appear there?” Xia Ling asked.

Xia Yu said, “Easy… I planted it there. During the concert, I intentionally didn’t sit in the private room with Brother Ziheng so that it would be convenient for me to put my plan into action. I was seated in the first row VIP stand, but my position was bad since I was beside a reporter. The whole time I was there, he was trying so hard to talk to me and get information about your whereabouts for the whole year. I couldn’t find a chance to switch off the power and was about to give up and blame it on tough luck. Who knew that the heavens were helping me… You added another song on your own accord…’The Caged Butterfly.’

“Oh, my dear sister… your singing was marvelous!

“When you started singing ‘The Caged Butterfly,’ the entire stadium was riveted, and even that reporter forgot all about me, turning his attention to your song. I hurried to the power supply room, left Young Master Wang’s hair sample by the power switch, and switched off the power. That gangster ran onstage and…

“Killed you… with one stab.”

Silence.

Xia Ling couldn’t speak for a long time.

That traumatic experience was said in such a passing manner by Xia Yu, giving her the false impression that they were talking about somebody else.

Xia Yu smiled at her again. “What do you think, Sister? Wasn’t I really clever? There’s no way that you could think up such a wonderful plan, right? Only someone like me can match up to Brother Ziheng.”

“You can’t match up to me.” Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind.

Xia Yu jumped and lifted her head instinctively. The room door was opened at some point, and Pei Ziheng strode into the room and headed straight for Xia Yu. “Pa! Pa!” He gave her two tight slaps.

“Mr. Pei! Mr. Pei, don’t be rash!” Several policemen followed after him, trying to hold him back.

Several other policemen walked over to Xia Yu and handcuffed her.

“Xia Yu, you’re under arrest.” One of the policemen said. “You’re now the prime suspect for murder. Please follow us back to the station for further investigation.”

Xia Yu lifted her head to look at Pei Ziheng with a shocked expression, before turning to Xia Ling with vehemence in her eyes. “You tricked me?!”

“Yes, I did.” Xia Ling came clean. “Xia Yu, thank you for telling me everything that happened in front of the police. Everything that you said was recorded in the room next door. Look here… can you tell that this is a one-sided glass window?”

Xia Ling ran her finger on the wall behind the sofa. “We can’t see into the room next door, but they can see us clearly. After so many years, the evidence is scant. Without your admission, we really would have no way to convict you.”

“Ha.. haha… hahaha…” Xia Yu started to laugh all of a sudden. She never expected that in all her cleverness, her demise would still be in Xia Ling’s hands. This was destiny, wasn’t it? She laughed till she started to tear.