A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

However, she shook her head. “So many people got off the plane. Perhaps I simply missed him.”

She called Li Lei on his mobile. It rang a few times but the person that picked up the call was still Old Master Li. “It’s Ye Xingling, isn’t it? Why are you still badgering Li Lei so much? A woman like you who is a jinx that even jinxed her own child cannot match up to my grandson at all! You should just leave! My grandson and granddaughter-in-law are already with child. Don’t be so shameless!”

Xia Ling’s face turned pale. She asked softly, “Granddaughter-in-law?”

Old Master Li said, “My granddaughter-in-law Su Tang! She’s a hundred times more suitable to be my granddaughter-in-law!”

She asked incredulously. “They are… married?”

Old Master Li laughed coldly. “She’s already pregnant. How can they not be married?!”

Her mobile fell to the ground with a loud clatter. How could it be? How could Li Lei not only have a child with Su Tang but also have married her? It was not possible… the Old Master must be lying to her! Li Lei just told her that he would come back to the country to explain things to her!

She hurriedly picked up the mobile and redialed the number. “Old Master, where is Li Lei?”

Old Master berated for being a shameless b*tch again and told her to just give up before he hung up on her.

She didn’t manage to get any information from the Old Master aside from getting an earful, and there were many questions arising in her mind. Pei Ziheng’s expression was dark beside her. This Li Shanhe… wait till Xiao Ling was back by his side… He would definitely make sure Li Shanhe paid for being so cruel to her!

Even if he wanted to break Xiao Ling and Li Lei up, he shouldn’t scold her like that!

He said to Xia Ling, “Let’s go, follow me home. Why are you staying here and putting up with this nonsense?” His Xiao Ling was so precious and had a mysterious and powerful family background, as well as him to dote on her. Moreover, she also had multitudes of fans chasing after her crazily. Someone as stellar as she had no reason to put up with the Li Family’s berating!

Yet, Xia Ling only shook her head weakly.

“You’re not leaving?” Pei Ziheng’s voice was hoarse. “Xiao Ling, do you think that Li Lei really loves you? If he loves you, why would he make Su Tang pregnant? Why would he marry her? Why would he leave you here in the airport without a word?”

“He didn’t leave me in the airport without a word!” Xia Ling was shaking with anger as she shouted back at Pei Ziheng. “Pei Ziheng, shut up! I don’t want to hear anything from you!”

Pei Ziheng stared at her intently. “I’m saying these for your own good.”

“I don’t want you to do anything for my good!” She screamed at him. “Just leave me alone!”

He pressed his lips tightly together, his gaze so deep that it would make someone’s heart stop with fear. The driver accompanying him to the side started to get nervous. Oh my… no one dares act so disrespectfully to Boss. Boss isn’t going to… lose his temper, is he?

Pei Ziheng, surprisingly, managed to curb his temper.

“I apologize, Xiao Ling.” He said gently. “I’m just too concerned about you.”

She calmed down a little and realized that she had been shouting at Pei Ziheng. She shut her eyes and apologized as well. “I’m the one in the wrong, Pei Ziheng… my emotions are all jumbled up right now.” She turned her face away from him and looked out of the tea room at the empty arrival hall. After a long while, she said softly, “I don’t want to hear any words of discouragement.”

Because she was scared.

She was scared that all the words of discouragement would come true.

Pei Ziheng walked behind her and carefully tried to embrace her.

She froze and quickly struggled free from him.

Pei Ziheng said, “I’m just trying to make you feel better.”

She said, “He will come back. He must be too busy and didn’t make it for the flight today. He will be back tomorrow.”

Pei Ziheng didn’t want to pour cold water on her. He instructed the driver to carry over several chairs and placed them together to form a make-shift bed. Then, he brought a blanket over from the Rolls-Royce and draped it over the chairs. “Why don’t you have a rest so that you have the energy to wait for his flight arrival tomorrow? To do a proper headcount.”

Xia Ling knew that he made sense, and hence, laid down to sleep.

He took off his jacket and draped it over her.

“I’m not cold.” She said.

“It’ll be cold in the night. Be obedient.” He half-squatted to take a closer look at her and said in a gentle voice. “Do you remember when you were small? You loved to sleep with my jacket over you, saying that it will keep the bad dreams away.”

She recalled the memories from the old days.

Then, she had just been adopted by him and was unfamiliar in the Pei Family premises, frequently waking up with nightmares. She suspected then that the luxury and happiness she found herself in was just a big hallucination and dream on her part. As such, she loved it when he draped his clothing over her when she slept as his scent would be on the clothing, which made her feel safe.

However, now, everything had changed.

He had hurt her deeply before.

She reached out to push away his jacket. “I’m no longer a child.”

“Xiao Ling,” He pressed his hand over hers with sadness in his eyes. “do you have to draw the boundaries so clearly with me?”

Seeing his sad expression, she suddenly kept quiet. Pei Ziheng… Pei Ziheng… these three words were like a curse to her. Even though her love for him was gone and the happiness had disappeared, she would still never forget the day he had held her hand and took her away from the orphanage, giving her the bright future that she had had.

“You said that I was your father, brother, and lover… ” Pei Ziheng looked down at her and said in his hoarse voice. “If you’ve fallen in love with someone else and also found your family, then what am I now? Xiao Ling, let me be beside you for now… just for now, let me take care of you. Don’t reject me completely.”

She lowered her eyes, not knowing what to say.

He covered her with his jacket again and said gently, “Just rest well.”

She was really tired from not having slept in two days. Curling under his jacket, she soon fell into a deep sleep. However, she didn’t sleep for too long. She was still worried about the flight arrival and woke with a start in the middle of the night. Pulling the jacket away, she sat up and realized that the sky was still dark.

“Sleep a little longer.” Pei Ziheng’s warm voice rang out. “I’ll wake you when the first flights enter the terminal.”

She turned towards his voice and realized that he was just sitting by her side. His eyes were red and blood-shot, and there was stubble growing on his chin. She asked, “Did you not sleep?”

Pei Ziheng said, “You like to kick away your blankets in the night. I was afraid that you would catch a cold.”

She was speechless again. She was really being a burden to him these two days. Who had seen the Chairman of Imperial Entertainment look so disheveled?

He opened a thermos flask and said to her, “Drink some water.”

She silently drank from the flask as she got up and stared out of the windows. The arrival hall was desolate in the night, a drastic difference from the bustling hall in the day. She suddenly felt anxious. What if… what if Li Lei didn’t come back? What was she to do then?

She forced herself to squash this thought.

No, he would definitely come back.

He said that he would explain things to her. He loved her so.

The granddaughter-in-law, him getting married… all that were just lies. They had to be.

Seeing that she was not going back to sleep, Pei Ziheng didn’t pressure her but instead sat down beside her. Dawn was breaking, and there were more people walking around in the airport. The first flight arrived and droves of people came through the arrival hall, creating much commotion.

She stared at the crowds more intently than the day before, looking for that familiar face.

But he was not to be found.

Not to be found.

Night fell again and Pei Ziheng tried to persuade her to leave again.

She refused, stubbornly insisting on staying in the airport for the third day. He didn’t arrive on the third day either, and she waited a fourth day… a fifth day…