A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling looked at them and suddenly understood what these people’s strange silences these days meant. “You all already knew, right? I was the only one kept from it?” Her voice trembled and her gaze swept over her assistant and the makeup artist team. “When was it, he… he wanted you all to hide it from me?”

Assistant Ah Cha opened her mouth. “Miss Xiao Ling…”

She didn’t know how to comfort Xia Ling. Even though the relationship between Xia Ling and Pei Ziheng was kept under wraps, several staff members around them already knew it. No woman would be able to accept her own beloved man being engaged to a fiance that wasn’t her, not to mention how proud Xia Ling was.

However, the TV Station staff failed to understand her reaction and said, “I’m sorry, Miss Xia, we didn’t know you were not aware. Maybe Sir Pei wants to give you a surprise? I’m really sorry, really sorry…”

Xia Ling shook her head and used all her strength to make sure she didn’t lose self-control.

She strengthened herself and asked the staff, “Where’s the news? I want to watch the news.”

There was a newspaper in the staff’s hand which had been a prop for the talk show. The headline on the front page was about the engagement of Pei Ziheng. He handed the newspaper over to Xia Ling.

Xia Ling took it with trembling hands. On the full page of colored report, the most striking part was a big and dazzling photo—on the golden dream-like beach that was level to the azure sea, the man she had been in love with for more than ten years wore a white tuxedo and held the hand of a beautiful woman opposite him, putting on a huge diamond ring on her hand.

With one glance it was obvious that the woman was from a prestigious family. Her complexion was bright and clean and she had a graceful disposition. Her long fishtail dress dragged a few meters along the coastline and the colorful diamonds on the misty gauze were beautiful.

They were gazing deeply at each other in the photo.

The perfect match—this phrase was used to describe the pair of them on the front-page headline.

Xia Ling scanned over it rapidly and read the news report introducing them. The two were engaged in a beautiful island somewhere in the South Pacific three days ago and held a low-key ceremony. Only a few friends and relatives and celebrities were invited, but the standards were very high and even the dress on Wang Jingwan’s body was invaluable.

The newspaper slipped from Xia Ling’s hands.

She could not accept such a reality, or was it all just a dream?

“I want to look for him,” she murmured. “I’m going to find Ziheng and ask him.” She turned and walked out of the dressing room. She staggered along the way and bumped into several people.

“Sister Xiao Ling!”

“Miss Xia! You still have to record the show!”

Behind her, her assistant and the TV Station staff rushed to shout something at her, but she couldn’t hear any of it. Her brain was chaotic and her heart was thumping fast. She wanted to tell herself that it was all a dream, or was it a bad joke that everyone had come together to prank her with? She just wanted to find Pei Ziheng…

She could ask for clarification after finding Pei Ziheng. He would hold her in his arms as always and say gently and lowly, “Silly girl, it’s not true.”

She got on the nanny car and told the driver, “Drive! Go to Imperial Entertainment!”

The driver was surprised. “Weren’t you recording the show? It’s finished so fast?”

In the rearview mirror, she saw her assistant Ah Cha and Chu Chen chasing her, anxiously shouting something while running. Xia Ling didn’t want to see them, these guys were liars who came together to bully her! She screamed urgently at the driver, “Drive quickly! Otherwise, I will dismiss you!”

The driver dared not to disobey her and quickly stepped on the accelerator.

Along the way, she felt chills in her body, and her mind was full of the pictures in the newspaper. Pei Ziheng had been so charming and handsome in the photos, and she had never even seen him in such a nice tuxedo before… that woman, that woman called Wang Jingwan, how could she be worthy of him?! Wang Jingwan was not even as beautiful as Xia Ling herself!

The car arrived at the door of the main building of Imperial Entertainment and a doorman helped her open the door.

Xia Ling got down hurriedly and heard the doorman exclaim in shock. “Miss Xia! Are you not feeling well? Your face is so pale, do you need us to send you to the hospital and call the doctor?”

“Get lost,” she said angrily and pushed the doorman away.

The doorman who had worked at Imperial Entertainment for long was already accustomed to her arrogant temper. Who would have been willing to deal with her if not for her being the most favored girl of the Chairman? He had been scolded to get lost without reason, so the doorman just retreated. Beside him, his companion snorted in dissatisfaction. “What’s so great about her? The Chairman favors her, but the future wife of the Chairman might not deal with her stinky temper! Let’s see how she treats her once Wang Jingwan marries into the family!”

Xia Ling heard the words groggily and was even more frightened.

Usually, given her temper, she would have definitely returned to the doorman to swear at him and would have even gone to the personnel department to get them to get their pay and be dismissed. But today, she was not in the mood—since when had people who watched the door dared to discuss about her like that? Was this because Imperial Entertainment was to have a matriarch soon?

She walked into Pei Ziheng’s office with a heavy heart.

The person at the secretary’s desk saw her and was shocked. “Miss Xia! Are you alright?”

Xia Ling used all her strength to ask, “Where’s Pei Ziheng?” Her voice was hoarse as if she was seriously ill.

The secretary said, “The Chairman is in the VIP Conference room on the seventeenth floor. I don’t know when it will end. How about I help you to the lounge and you can wait for him there?” Just now, Chu Chen had specially called to explain that Xia Ling might have run to the company, so he had asked her to take Xia Ling to rest and tell her it was instructed by the Chairman.

But Xia Ling said, “No, I want to find him.”

The secretary was put on the spot. “But Chairman instructed…”

“I said I want to find him!” Xia Ling suddenly flared up. Her sharp voice startled the secretary.

However, the secretary still braced herself and held her back. “Miss Xia, you’re not allowed to go!”

“Let go!”

The secretary would not let go no matter what. The Chairman’s order was the law here, and it was clear that to be a secretary here, she might lose her job if she violated even one law.

Xia Ling saw she was not letting ho and gathered up her strength.

The secretary had caught onto the sleeve of her little arm. She was wearing a stage costume the TV Station had prepared for her to record the program, and though it was beautiful, the material was very fragile. Thus, when she pulled away, it suddenly tore. Xia Ling didn’t care about it and turned and ran toward the seventeenth floor.

The secretary held onto her again.

Xia Ling was furious and turned to give her a tight slap.

The loud sound echoed in the air and the secretary held onto her face in shock.

Xia Ling ran to the seventeenth floor without even looking back, leaving only a decisive figure.

The seventeenth floor.

The heavy door of the VIP Conference room.

The beautiful girl was pale and looked extremely fragile with her torn clothes.

She stood at the door and took a deep breath before pushing the door open.