A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling stared in shock at the news report.

She anxiously said to Sister Mai Na, “That’s not how it happened! Yesterday, when that person came onstage to give me flowers, she told me to continue singing calmly and that the commotion was only because someone fainted from having low blood sugar. No one told me about the brawl!”

The music was too loud when she was onstage, and there was no way for her to know what was happening offstage.

Sister Mai Na said, “I believe you. However, the media and the public might not think like me. Xiao Ling, I think someone is staging this entire situation. Someone is fanning the flames and trying to make you go down.”

“Who can it be?” She asked.

“There are just too many suspects.” Sister Mai Na grimaced. “There’s Old Master Li, for instance, who would be happy to destroy your reputation so that it will be easier to break you and Boss apart. Similarly, the Gu Family and Pei Ziheng could have the same vendetta.”

“Pei Ziheng?” Xia Ling’s breathing caught, thinking of all the concern that he had been showing in this time.

If it were really him, then he was just too scary and scheming.

A shudder ran down her spine.

Sister Mai Na saw her expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and asked, “Of these three groups of people that you’ve mentioned, who do you think is the prime suspect?”

Sister Mai Na looked at her and said, “Regardless of who it may be, you have to keep your distance from all of them. You cannot have any interaction with any of them in this time, do you understand?” She had a prime suspect in mind but no firm evidence. Saying anything now would be pre-emptive and would just upset Xiao Ling. As a woman, she could tell that Xiao Ling had special feelings for that person.

Even though she didn’t know what they were.

“It’s Pei Ziheng, right?” Xia Ling’s voice was small. “Old Master Li is too busy with the family matters overseas and doesn’t have the time to stage this. Gu Lin doesn’t have the capability to scheme at such a level. Only Pei Ziheng has the time and the ability to do something like this. And he was at the concert venue.”

Sister Mai Na was quiet for a while. “We don’t have evidence and can’t make that conclusion.”

“What evidence will he leave?” Xia Ling gave a cold laugh. She felt her heart throb with pain. She wished that this was not masterminded by that man as she didn’t want for the remaining beautiful memories of him to be tarnished yet again. However, she knew that Pei Ziheng was someone that was unscrupulous to achieve the end that he wanted.

Sister Mai Na consoled her. “Don’t think too much about it. We’ll find out the truth soon.”

Yet, her words of consolation weren’t strong enough to make Xia Ling feel any better.

The netizens barrage on Xia Ling continued on.

Even the huge van that was parked in the hotel carpark was vandalized with profanities.

Li Lei was abrupt and hurried in his calls to her, and she could always hear a lot of commotion in the background — shouting, gunshots, and sometimes the whirring of a helicopter engine. Once, she even heard a heart-wrenching scream in the background. Li Lei consoled her by saying, “I’m very safe. I’m the Li Family Young Master and don’t have to be in the frontline. I’m just delegating duties.”

She told him to take care of himself.

He laughed. “Mmhmm, I will. Er Mao has grown fatter again. You have to take care of yourself as well.” The leopard followed him overseas, acting as his assistant and bodyguard.

As he spoke, he ruffled the fur on the top of Er Mao’s head.

The huge leopard gave a lazy yawn.

Xia Ling heard him and told Li Lei to hold the mobile next to Er Mao’s furry ears. She told Er Mao, “Er Mao, you need to be obedient and take good care of your master. Don’t just think of eating.”

Li Lei laughed again. “He knows.” He didn’t tell her that Er Mao was growing fatter because of the amount of human flesh that he was consuming. There were droves of people coming at him and, if not for Er Mao, he would already be dead.

He asked Xia Ling gently, “How about you? Have you been having your meals properly? Are you gaining any weight?”

“I’ve gained weight as well. I’m so ugly now I can hardly be in front of the cameras.” She complained in mock irritation. Her gaze fell on her bony wrists. Yesterday, she had instructed her assistant to purchase a new bangle as her old one was too big for her. “Li Lei…” She could not resist but ask. “When are you coming back?”

Li Lei stared into the distance at the warriors standing in front of him. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion and one of the warriors had half of his body blasted into the sky.

There was a rain of blood and body parts.

“I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.” He said. “However, I don’t know for sure right now. When I return, I’ll bring back some of the delicacies from where I am.” He rubbed Er Mao behind his ears and thought to himself. What delicacies were there here? Would it be too stingy of him to bring back flowers from the forest? Other than that, there was only the stuff he could rummage from the dead bodies… or blood diamonds. There was nothing here that was clean.

He was thankful that Xiao Ling was in China and did not witness all of this.

They spoke a little while longer before hanging up. Both of them did not switch on their video calls — he did not want her to see his weary state, and she had the same sentiments.

Xia Ling continued to face all the pressure from the netizens alone.

Netizens asked for the cancellation of her world tour, saying that she did not deserve to stand on stage.

Sister Mai Na and other top executives in Skyart discussed how to manage the situation. These discussions weren’t something that Xia Ling felt she could contribute constructively to and, hence, wasn’t present. All she did every day was to stay in her hotel room and write the song for the two dead orphans, or merely fall into a daze.

Sometimes, she would go to the nearby sky garden for a short walk to take her mind off things.

That sky garden was only open to the guests of the presidential suite. There were few people, and it was very quiet.

This day, she met Pei Ziheng in the sky garden.

It was the end of summer and the beginning of spring. As such, there was the pungency of wilting flowers in the air. That man was dressed in an exquisite vintage shirt as always, looking dependable and gentlemanly.

He walked over to her and looked down at her petite frame. “Xiao Ling, you’ve lost weight.”

She asked directly, “Pei Ziheng, is it you?”

“Hmm?” He looked at her in confusion.

Xia Ling laughed coldly. “Pei Ziheng, stop pretending. The anti-fan incident at the concert and the fake staff member that came onstage to give me flowers. All of that was masterminded by you, wasn’t it?”

“So you’ve always thought of me this way?” Hurt flashed through his eyes.

“Is it not?” She raised her head and said in a brisk tone. “Pei Ziheng, other than you, I really can’t think of anyone else who can do something at this scale and be so cruel.”

“Why would I harm you like that?” He said in a low voice.

However, his words only seemed like a joke to Xia Ling. “Ha, and you think you’ve never harmed me before?”

He frowned. “Xiao Ling, I admit that I’ve not treated you well in the past. However, the first time, I hurt you because you killed Wang Jingwan. The other times were because I didn’t know you had reincarnated. After that, you were the one that lied to me and wanted to have another man’s child in my name. Xiao Ling, why would I pin such a scandal on you? You are someone that I picked out of an orphanage and groomed to stardom. How could I bear to destroy your reputation?”