A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Chu Chen looked at her. “Go back. He’s already here personally, you can’t escape.”

Xia Ling trembled and backed away from the window. She could hear Pei Ziheng’s serious voice from behind the door. “Open the door, come out.”

But she dared not.

The old grandma’s heart ached, for her as she saw how afraid Xia Ling was. She couldn’t help but yell at Pei Ziheng, “I don’t care who you are, domestic abuse is never right! Leave! Xiao Ling won’t return with you!”

There was a commotion outside the door as the paparazzi began discussions. “Chairman Pei, you abused Miss Xia Ling?”

It didn’t take long for everyone to quiet down again.

Xia Ling tugged at the old grandma and shook her head sadly. She quietly said, “Grandma, don’t go on anymore.” There were so many paparazzi outside, who knew what they’d spread?

But the old grandma was angered. “He hit you, this should be made known!”

“It’s not so simple,” Xia Ling said.

Outside, Pei Ziheng’s voice was calm and devoid of expression. “You can’t hide in there forever. Xiao Ling, you know what to do. Don’t drag others down with you.”

Xia Ling shivered in fear for a bit.

The old grandma grabbed her hand. “He’s just scaring you! Remember the Young Master we saw a few days ago at the hospital? He said he could protect you. Xiao Ling, give him a call, get him to help you! I’m not afraid of being dragged into this!”

Xia Ling gave a sad smile. Get Li Lei to help her?

She wouldn’t know if Li Lei really could rescue her, but even if he could, what was going to happen to the old grandma? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen Pei Ziheng’s cruel ways. If she escaped on her own, the old grandma would definitely be tortured by him.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she reopened them, it was with clarity. “Grandma, I’ll get going. Take care of yourself.”

“Xiao Ling!” The old grandma was extremely flustered. “What if he hits you again when you return!”

Xia Ling forced a smile. “It won’t happen. He’s been nice to be for so many years, this time was just… an accident.” That accident changed everything. So what if she was going to be tortured when she went back? She didn’t have a better alternative. She only had her carelessness to blame, for allowing him to find her.

She opened the door and looked up at him. “Let’s go.”

In the dim light, he grabbed her hand and left.

She struggled for a while but wasn’t successful—he held her hand even tighter now. His hand seemed to be a set of iron handcuffs securing her wrist. Behind her, she could hear the old grandma call out, “Xiao Ling!”

It was filled with worry and pain.

But there was no turning back. She’d chosen this path, and she had to walk it with him.

Amidst the paparazzi’s camera flashes, she followed him to the Rolls Royce and boarded it. The car started and drove out of the old estate. None of them spoke a word during the journey.

At the red-brick villa, Nanny Zhou had come out to welcome her with joy. “Miss, you’re back!”

But Xia Ling was expressionless. She looked at Pei Ziheng and asked, “What do you want now, are you locking me up again? Pei Ziheng, don’t let me find a way to escape. The next time I do, I’m going to the police station to turn myself in.”

Pei Ziheng suppressed the urge to hit her.

He enunciated every word clearly. “Are you courting death?”

“Do I still have a chance at living?” She looked up at him. Her voice was calm and quiet but lined with mockery.

Nanny Zhou was getting worried and hurriedly came forward. “In any case, it’s good that you’re back, it’s all good. Miss, you don’t know how worried Mister has been all these while, and how hard he’s been trying to find you. He could barely eat, just look at how much weight he’s lost.”

She looked at him. Yes, he had lost weight, his eye bags were more prominent than ever before and his mustache wasn’t shaved. But so what? She was the one who’d been tortured and insulted, what right had he to be hypocritical here? On that thought, she sneered. “You could barely eat? I guess you must be worried about Imperial Entertainment losing a cash cow, or that you wouldn’t be able to produce a murderer to answer to the Wang family?”

The moment she said that Pei Ziheng grabbed her throat and pushed her to the wall. “Xia Ling, I really wish to strangle you to death now, you know that?” He tightened his grip and she went pale.

But she continued glaring at him and struggling to scoff. “Just… kill me… you think… I really wanted to… come back?”

His eyes darkened and he began dragging her upstairs.

Nanny Zhou worriedly screamed, “Mister! Mister!” But he wouldn’t give a hoot.

Xia Ling was dragged by the collar and was choking. She struggled and coughed but he wouldn’t show any mercy. When they reached the room, he tossed her onto the bed and ripped her clothing apart. “Xia Ling,” He looked at her coldly. “you asked for this.” With that, he straightened up and entered her.

She wasn’t prepared for the pain that followed.

She let out a cry and tried to push him away, but to no avail.

He went on ferociously and she felt like she might die from the pain. But that pain fuelled her aggression as well—she was not going to cry or beg for mercy, all she’d do was hurl every mean word she could think of at him.

Until she was completely fatigued.

He held her exhausted body in his arms and traced her outline. A long time later, he quietly said, “Do you know when you’re the most honest?”

She turned her head away, swearing not to speak to him.

But Pei Ziheng didn’t need an answer from her as he continued stroking her fair skin. As he looked at the red marks he left on her, he finally said, “I’m sorry.”

She had a shock and momentarily forgot what she’d sworn to herself. She turned around and looked at him incredulously. “What did you say?”

In the moonlight, his eyes were deep and soulful. “They’ve found the murderer, you’re innocent. The Wang family will stop hounding you, and I won’t continue locking you up.”

She thought she heard him wrongly. “What?” She mumbled to herself. She’d suffered so much and felt so wronged, only for him to tell her that they’d found the real murderer?! At that moment, a flurry of emotions surged inside her and her tears began coming.

Pei Ziheng held her tight and let her cry quietly. They were silent for a long time.

“I hate you.” She choked on those words after she was finally done crying.

Pei Ziheng said again, softly and seriously, “I’m sorry.” This was the second time he’d apologized that day. In the 10-odd years that she’d spent with him, this was the first time she’d seen him apologize so sincerely.

But so what?

The hurt had been caused, and it wasn’t something that could simply be written off with an “I’m sorry”.

“I hate you.” She repeated between sniffles. “I don’t want to see you ever again.”

He leaned over and kissed her forehead despite her struggles. It was a long, sustained one as if he was kissing his greatest treasure. As if… the violence that he’d committed a while ago hadn’t happened.