A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

He was a little shocked. The countless numbers of steel needles that were originally in his heart were now gone, followed by an uncontrollable joy that threatened to explode. So what if she was concerned about Pei Ziheng? The one she loved the most, was him!

They were partners for a lifetime!

A bright smile appeared on Li Lei’s face, and he gently planted a kiss on her forehead. “Sleep, I will be by your side the whole time.” A family of three, squeezing in the old but comfortable bed, enjoying the rare peaceful times.

And Pei Ziheng, he had already turned and left the room without his knowledge.

The long corridor, the dark room.

Pei Ziheng lit up a cigarette, taking in a deep puff.

He should be happy, right? To see Xiao Ling’s life being taken care of by such a loving man. However, why was a thick sense of unwillingness rising in his heart? His lungs were burning in pain, and it was hard to breathe.

Unexpectedly, he thought back of today at the study room, where she had cried and pleaded for him not to die.

If he did not die, would she not have to be sad?

Could it be that he would have a chance to snatch her back in this remaining long time?

His cold, handsome godly features were obscured by the thick dense smoke.

“Sir.” It was the Pei family’s doctor, who had followed him and saw him smoking. “Your lungs were never good, to begin with, stop smoking!” He said, shocked.

Pei Ziheng put out the cigarette. “Tell the hospital to prepare for surgery.”

“Surgery?” The doctor was shocked, changing his expression to one of solemnity. “Sir, you have really decided to undergo tumor resection surgery? You have to know, your condition now is not suitable for undergoing surgery, the risks are very high…”

“I know.” Pei Ziheng interrupted him, a little impatient. “Even if it fails, isn’t it just dying a few months earlier?” On the other hand, if it were to succeed… he would not have to die and could continue to be beside Xiao Ling.

Even if the chances were extremely slim, almost dismissable.

He had, however, endured enough of staring at her in some other man’s embrace, and not being able to do anything about it.

Be it life or death, why not make it quicker?

The doctor looked at him worriedly. The tumor resection surgery is normally aimed toward patients in the early stages of cancer, when the lesion has not spread and was easy to remove it cleanly, to control the condition and even cure it. However, to someone in the later stages of cancer? There were too many lesions in the body, and it was impossible to cut it cleanly! Moreover, the surgery would greatly consume the patient’s physical strength and will accelerate the patient’s death! Sir has long since been clear with them about the treatment plans—that is, no surgery, only conservative treatment to maximize the survival time—about a few more months probably. Then, after he has settled his family affairs and arranged his after-event, he could pass peacefully.

Now, however, where had he gone crazy?

The doctor spent all his efforts talking, but still failed to persuade Pei Ziheng. He had no choice but to go to his team of doctors and experts to re-establish the treatment plan. Just the thought of Pei Ziheng dying on the surgery table was enough to make the doctor want to cry.

The surgery plan was formulated intensively.

Under Li Lei’s care, Xia Ling also recovered day by day.

The Li family’s doctor said, “Madam, you cannot overtire yourself, nor have too many ups and downs in your mood. The first three months of pregnancy are the most critical. To say something unpleasant, I heard that young master Shaohui was very weak and thin when he was born. It was actually caused by your negligence of nutrients when you were pregnant. Thank goodness young master Shaohui was born safely… However, this time, you might not be as lucky as the previous time. So you have to take extra care of yourself, don’t put the cart before the horse!”

Xia Ling stroked her belly, her heart full of sorrow.

On one side was a child who had just been bred, on the other, a man who was about to die. How could she be calm?

However, in any case, she was indeed unwilling to see anything happen to the unborn child. After fainting at Pei Ziheng’s house, she lessened her visits and communicated with him mainly through WeChat and calls.

She learned that he was actively preparing for surgery.

[Is the surgery very risky?] She asked him on WeChat.

[I promised you I won’t die,] he replied. [I will grab hold of any chance.]

While talking, he coughed out fresh blood on the phone, turning it a flash of red. Pei Ziheng managed to recover from his fit with difficulty, but his heart was at peace. Great, thank goodness she was not there to see this scene, WeChat’s typing function was just too great. He wiped away the traces of blood on the corners of his lips and replied with a smiley face.

However, Xia Ling was not assured.

She researched on a lot of medical information, and said to Li Lei, “With his circumstances, the surgery has high risks. I’m suspecting that he’s lying to me, pretending that nothing is going to happen. I still want to see him with my own eyes.”

Li Lei frowned a little. “What about the child in your belly?”

She lowered her head and stroked her belly gently, then raised her head to look at him. “When the first three months have passed and the infant has stabilized, will you accompany me to visit him? That will be safer.”

He was finally more at ease since she had offered to let him accompany her.

He pondered over it and agreed to her request. “Okay, but you have to take care of the child carefully. Also, we’re coming back right after we see Pei Ziheng.”

She nodded.

The first three months finally passed, and she went to visit Pei Ziheng with Li Lei.

Li Lei knew, Pei Ziheng would not be happy to see him, and he did not want to have disputes with someone about to die, so he took the initiative to wait outside the hospital room. Xia Ling turned and walked towards the room, turned back halfway there, and saw the look of loneliness in his eyes.

Her heart twitched slightly, and she turned back, reaching out to lower his head and planting a kiss.

“I love you,” she said.

He stared at her with surprise and smiled. “Yes, I know.” He said with a very soft tone.

She then turned around and walked towards the hospital room. No matter how worried she was about Pei Ziheng, she understood that in this lifetime, the one she loved and wanted to grow old with was only Li Lei. She did not want her loved one to suffer just because of the fate of her past self. She was trying her best to minimize the impacts.

She opened the door.

Pei Ziheng was reading a book inside.

It was a beautifully framed picture, with a flying bird and a pair of white wings spread across the sky.

He raised his head to look at her, shocked. After a few moments, he closed the book and said, “Xiao Ling, why have you come?” Even with such a short sentence, he coughed numerous times, and blood spewed out from the corners of his lips.

Xia Ling looked on, her heart knitting tightly together. It had been only a few days since she had seen him? He was weak again, too thin to even be a human figure. His cheeks were deeply sunken, and the pale green blood vessels and bones could be seen clearly under his skin.

She wished that time could stop so that he would stop weakening further.

Finally able to control her emotions, she said with the calmest tone she could muster, “I came to see you. Have you been listening well to the doctor? How’s your body?”