A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

What did she mean this was the way it should be?

The Nangong family father-daughter pair were boiling with rage. They didn’t dare throw their temper at Li Lei and, thus, could only take it out on Xia Ling. “Miss Ye, how can you be so shameless?! You’re still an artiste, after all! Sixty billion! What makes you think you deserve such a big sum of money? In any case, the Nangong family isn’t going to give you any money!”

“That’s my money.” Xia Ling felt wronged. Why didn’t she deserve sixty billion? Her brother had told her that the interest on her allowance was already ten billion, let alone her actual allowance and wedding dowry.

“That’s Xiao Ling’s money, indeed.” Li Lei backed her up. “Whether she deserves it isn’t for you both to say.” He was bent on backing Xiao Ling up all the way. How could he allow anyone to bully her? “Mr. Nangong, Miss Nangong, I would advise you to pay up. If we blow this matter up, it isn’t going to bode well for both parties.”

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Nangong Bohai bristled. “Li Lei, the Nangong family does not deign to marry our daughter to you! What are you going to do? Sue us? This is China! Let’s see if the courts will pass judgment on a sixty billion bet!”

Li Lei narrowed his eyes again.

Yes, this was China, a country with legal procedures in place. Hence, he was still being too polite to the Nangong family. If he was overseas right now, in Las Vegas or open waters, he would deal with reneging on the sixty billion bet differently. Killing them would be too easy.

“I remember that the bulk of the Nangong family’s fortune is overseas…” Li Lei opened his mouth and started to speak.

Nangong Bohai was a businessman and had some dealings that were in the grey areas. Li Lei had only just started the sentence, but he knew what Li Lei was insinuating. That’s right. If this bet was placed in the underworld, there was no reneging on it. The underworld had its own rules, and to kill the whole family over sixty billion was not something unheard of.

However, Nangong Bohai was banking on the fact that Li Lei was not the one that called the shots in the Li Family. “I would like to see if the Old Master Li will come and claim this sixty billion from us for Ye Xingling.” He sniggered.

Xia Ling was also able to hear the undertones of his statement. Clearly, the Nangong Family thought that Li Lei’s power was limited to the country and was unable to exert any pressure on the Nangong Family overseas. As such, he was going to renege on the bet.

She was furious that they were underestimating her beloved.

She was just about to say something when she felt Li Lei nudge her gently again. Thereafter, she heard him say, “Oh really? Then, go ahead and leave. When you finally come to your senses and are willing to pay up, you know where to find me. Oh yes, let me also remind you that there’s interest. The interest is a million a day.”

Nangong Bohai glared at Li Lei like he was looking at an idiot. Everyone said that the Second Young Master Li was intelligent and daring. But he was just a lunatic, wasn’t he? He was expecting the Nangong Family to voluntarily pay the sixty billion? Wishful thinking!

He coldly commanded Nangong Qingya. “Let’s go.”

Nangong Qingya glanced longingly at Li Lei for a split second but did not dare defy her father as she followed him out.

Only Xia Ling and Li Lei were left in the private room.

Xia Ling was unhappy and bristled at him. “What kind of people are they? Li Lei, you need to lock them all up — cut off their fingers, dig out their eyes, or make them walk the plank!”

Li Lei laughed.

“What are you laughing at?!” Xia Ling glared at him.

He reached out to smoothen her long hair again. “Where have you been watching these underworld movies?” He asked. He thought to himself: The last time you watched me kill a fish you were all grossed out. You’ve never seen someone kill another person, have you? You’re speaking so tough now, but if I really killed them, you’ll probably cry about it for a long time.

“I didn’t watch any underworld movies!” Xia Ling glared at him again before murmuring in a small voice. “I just read Jin Yifei script for a new movie… ”

“Hahaha.” Li Lei laughed out loud. “Let’s go, it’s time for dinner.”

“Are you going to make me the durian puff?” Xia Ling’s eyes lit up.

“Mmhmm.” A simple sentence from him had made her forget all about the sixty billion. She didn’t recall this conversation about the sixty billion even after dinner and deep into the night.

It was already a week later when she did recall the sixty billion.

She didn’t even think about it herself, but rather, Nangong Qingya came looking for her.

At Skyart Entertainment’s recording studio.

It was a hot summer’s day, and the afternoon sun was shining brightly.

Nangong Qingya had wrapped herself tightly with a long scarf and had stopped Xia Ling after avoiding the watchful eyes of all her staff members. “Ye Xingling, I need to talk to you.” Her voice was still cold and arrogant, but there was a tinge of hoarseness.

Xia Ling was surprised to see her. “What’s there for us to talk about?”

Wei Shaoyin was calling after her in his usual blustery fashion. “Ye Xingling, you better come over here right this instant! The third sentence of the second verse is off on the melody! We need to record it again!”

Xia Ling signed and told Nangong Qingya. “I’m really busy.”

Nangong Qingya clenched her teeth and said, “You don’t want the sixty billion anymore?”

Xia Ling was taken aback. Li Lei had told them to send the sixty billion after they’d come to their senses. She had not expected them to come to their senses quite so soon. She was really curious why the Nangong Family had changed their minds. Hence, she told Nangong Qingya, “Fine, I’ll give you five minutes.”

She lifted her chin arrogantly and walked into a small meeting room by the side.

Nangong Qingya followed her in. She threw her handbag on the table and said coldly, “There’s a bank card in this bag, jewelry, stocks, and real estate papers. Altogether, there’s about five billion. I’ll give this to you first. When you get Li Lei to cure my face, I’ll give you the remaining fifty-five billion.”

“What’s wrong with your face?” Xia Ling was even more shocked at her words. She noticed now that Nangong Qingya had wrapped herself up quite unusually in this hot weather.

Hearing her question, Nangong Qingya’s gaze was full of hate, and she said in a shrill voice, “Ye Xingling, don’t pretend to be ignorant! What did you put in the water at the restaurant that day?! It made me into this condition?! Ye Xingling, you won’t die a good death!”

“Back at you.” Xia Ling was never one to back down from a fight and swiftly retorted. She stared at Nangong Qingya’s face with interest. “Take off your scarf and show me what’s wrong.”

Nangong Qingya had already been seething at the state of her face, and now that Xia Ling was still being pushy, she couldn’t contain her anger. She raised her hand and was about to slap Xia Ling in the face. However, how could a wealthy, spoiled girl like her have more strength than Xia Ling who practiced dance since a young age and was athletic? Xia Ling caught her hand with ease and laughed. “Is this how you beg someone to cure your face?”

Xia Ling was angry as well. Was this woman crazy? How could she just run over here and try to hit her? Did she think that she, Xia Ling, was a pushover? Not only was she eyeing her man, but she was also going to hit her now?

Her voice lilted as she contemplated Nangong Qingya. “Don’t put me in a bad mood. When I’m in a bad mood, I don’t help people cure their faces.”

Nangong Qingya’s gaze was as if she wanted to kill someone.

However, thinking about the condition of her face, she almost hyperventilated in agitation. She breathed deeply to rein in her anger.

“Miss Ye,” She struggled to keep her anger in check, as she begged. “please cure my face for me.”