A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Just after that, he saw a beautiful girl appear at the stairway on the second floor.

She had fair skin and her long black hair was obviously conscientiously put in order as it rested neatly on her shoulders. She had on an elegant, pastel-colored dress and looked poised in it.

Wonder and joy could be seen in her eyes as she looked at Pei Ziheng. “Big Cousin, you’re here.”

She held her long dress up and walked down the stairs elegantly, like a beautifully bloomed lily in the wind.

Pei Ziheng introduced her to Xia Ling. “This is Pei Jingyu, a younger cousin of mine. She’s 15 this year, just three years older than you. You can call her Sister Jingyu.” He then said to Pei Jingyu, “Jingyu, this is Xiao Ling, a child I’ve just adopted. Take good care of her.”

Only then did Pei Jingyu realize that he was holding a little girl’s hand.

Her first impression of this little girl was—gorgeous.

Truly gorgeous. Xia Ling’s beauty was the sort that left a deep impression on people. Even Pei Jingyu, who had seen all sorts of beauties, had to admit that describing her as “devastatingly beautiful” was in no way an exaggeration. Her eyes were deep and moving and the tips of her eyes were slightly pointed upwards, like that of a phoenix’s tail. Her lashes were thick and lush, her nose small but its bridge high, and her lips were lightly colored like a cherry blossom. She looked just like a genie who had entered the human dimension, or a barbie doll come alive.

She was breathtaking.

It took just one look for Pei Jingyu to dislike this little girl.

As the honorable daughter of the Pei family, she had been praised for her attractive appearance since she was a child. Her naturally pretty features, coupled with the efforts taken to enhance her looks, made her prettier than most girls, and it had become her pride. Many boys were besotted by her, while many other girls and housemaids often said, “Miss Jingyu is so pretty, what a natural beauty. There won’t be any other person in this world who would be prettier than Miss Jingyu…”

Her looks had been her one source of pride, and yet a little girl had beaten her in this aspect.

The moment she saw Xia Ling, she knew she’d been defeated—an utter, embarrassing defeat at that.

The little girl was just 12, but she was already such a stunner—yes, only a stunner was appropriate enough to describe her sort of beauty. Pei Jingyu even wondered what commotion she might cause if she were to make an appearance in social circles.

Pei Jingyu saw her as a thorn in her flesh.

How could there exist a girl who was prettier than her, and younger than her?!

She didn’t like Xia Ling one bit.

She sized Xia Ling up with disdain and saw that her clothes looked a little old and worn out. The material appeared inferior and the sleeves were already fraying. It was simply… embarrassing.

Pei Jingyu regained some of her dignity as despise flashed through her eyes. She then looked toward Pei Ziheng and smiled, ignoring Xia Ling like she was just ordinary trash. “Big Cousin, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Grandpa told me to come and hand you a pack of white tea leaves that have just been harvested this year. Hurry and take a look to see if you like it!”

She took an exquisite tea box out of her leather handbag and handed it to Pei Ziheng.

But Pei Ziheng did not reach out to receive it. Instead, he looked into her eyes and said, “You haven’t said hi to Xiao Ling.” Pei Jingyu’s look of despise had not escaped his eyes, and her coldness towards Xia Ling was all the more obvious. Pei Ziheng would not allow anybody to treat the people who mattered to him this way, nor would he tolerate anyone who challenged his authority.

Pei Jingyu’s expression turned a little awful.

She never would’ve expected that her Big Cousin could be this nice to a beggar-like girl. What was this about, this random feral child walking into their house openly? When Pei Ziheng introduced them to each other, Pei Jingyu, who had undergone training for etiquette and manners, had already noticed—he had introduced her to Xia Ling first, before introducing Xia Ling to her!

According to the unspoken rules of socializing, it was the rule of thumb for the younger one to be introduced to the older one first, or for the one of lower status to be introduced to the one of higher status first. Pei Ziheng was the leader of a large, wealthy and powerful household, his education and training had been perfect. He couldn’t possibly have made such a silly mistake. And yet, he had introduced her first.

It could only mean one thing—Xia Ling was of a higher status than she was in his heart.

Pei Jingyu was fuming on the inside. If not for the sake of maintaining her demure image in front of her Big Cousin? She would have exploded. How could this little beggar be of a higher status than her? She was the official and deserving Miss of the Pei family! Her mother was a well-known lady of another powerful clan, her father was the vice-president of Imperial Entertainment, her grandfather was the largest shareholder of the Imperial Entertainment Group, and that made her just second to Chairman Pei Ziheng in terms of the shares they owned!

Her grandfather was the biological younger brother of Pei Ziheng’s grandfather and had much say and power in the household and the company. Pei Ziheng was the only son in his family, and there were no daughters. Hence, she was the most respected Miss in the entire Pei family. Everyone had been pampering her through all her growing years, and she never had to deal with something like this. But this little girl had put her in such a position!

Pei Jingyu was clenching her teeth in anger, but she dared not vent it on Pei Ziheng. She now hated Xia Ling a little more than before. Unwilling to say hi to Xia Ling, she said coquettishly, “Big Cousin…”

But Pei Ziheng was unwavering as he kept his eyes on her silently.

He wasn’t doing or saying anything, and yet Pei Jingyu felt as if his glare was an invisible mountain, suffocating her with its weight. Finally, she could not deal with the pressure anymore. She turned to Xia Ling and reluctantly said, “Hi.” That was it.

Xia Ling apprehensively said, “Hello.”

She was daring and outspoken in the orphanage, but that was only because she was in a familiar place, and everyone there was of the same status. Now, she was actually standing in a rich family’s house, and she could sense that the elegant girl standing before her did not welcome her. Naturally, she felt a little nervous.

She tightened her grip on Pei Ziheng’s hand.

Pei Jingyu was so close to giving her a scoff. This little beggar, what right had she to say “hello”?! She ignored her again and turned to Pei Ziheng, attempting to strike up a conversation with him.

But Pei Ziheng said, “Does the family teach you to greet others this way?”

“I…!” Pei Jingyu felt even more wronged now. She was already being very nice to even speak to this little beggar, what else did he expect from her?!

Did this little beggar deserve it?!

Pei Ziheng glanced at her in silence again, but this time, his expression hardened. He would not let anyone be so mean to the child he brought home. If she was being patronizing even in his presence, who knew what she could get up to when he wasn’t around? He wanted to establish Xia Ling’s status from the onset.