A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Pei Ziheng was surrounded and admired by everyone around and was accompanied by Director Zhao himself.

It was an impromptu decision to come to the filming set. The scene he saw in the afternoon — the girl running out of the mountains with red, puffy eyes — was etched in his mind. He felt a strange sense of worry and could not fully be at ease until he saw for himself that she was safe and well.

He heard the greetings of the people around him distractedly as his eyes searched for the girl.

She was nowhere.

She was still here a while ago, in her pale blue swimsuit, her hair up, and swimming like a mermaid. But now, just a moment later, she was gone, as if she were deliberately hiding from him.

Meanwhile, it was Xia Yu who smilingly walked towards him.

She was in an off-white one-piece swimsuit and had a big towel wrapped around her the moment she got out of the water. As she approached him, the crowd made way for her.

“Brother Ziheng,” she said sweetly. “Thank you for coming to see me.”

Pei Ziheng was not there for her but made no attempt to call her out for it. He simply gestured to Director Zhao and the others around him. “Get on with your work, there’s no need to accompany me.”

Director Zhao and the rest thought that he wanted some alone time with Xia Yu. Thus, they shot each other glances and naturally took their leave.

From where Pei Ziheng had taken a seat at, the location was very scenic, and the waters were so clear he could see right to the bottom of.

Xia Yu followed him and sat right beside him, trying to find something to talk about. “It’s so chilly today that I caught a cold this morning. But for the sake of the filming, I’ve been holding it out as much as I can. Brother Ziheng, when we wrap up for the day later, shall we go grab something to eat together? I’m falling ill, and I don’t think I should be eating the packed food from the production crew…”

“In future, don’t find trouble with Ye Xingling.” Pei Ziheng cut her off mid-sentence.

What? Xia Yu was stunned. Did Brother Ziheng rush over to the set just to tell her that? No… Xia Yu suddenly came to her senses, Brother Ziheng was not there for her in the first place! His eyes were still looking into the distance, searching for something.

… It was Ye Xingling, it was that wretched woman!

Brother Ziheng was here to see her!

That realization was a stab to Xia Yu’s heart.

No matter how much grudges she held inside her, she dared not act up in front of Pei Ziheng. She simply gave a pitiful look. “Brother Ziheng, I wasn’t finding trouble with her, it’s she who keeps finding fault with me…” She wanted to go on but shut her mouth the moment Pei Ziheng turned to look at her. He did not look fierce or angry, but the coldness in his expression made her feel as if he saw right through her.

“Don’t try to fool me.” Pei Ziheng spoke calmly. “Xiao Yu, I know exactly who is provoking who. This time, I was on your side when I went against Li Lei. But if you bother Ye Xingling again… you’ll bear responsibility on your own.”

The last few words were softer than usual.

But Xia Yu was clear that it was when his words were soft that his heart had hardened. And, did he say he went against Li Lei? Which meant that he did not target Ye Xingling directly? Xia Yu clenched her jaw hard, why was Brother Ziheng so defensive of this wretched woman? So much so that even her status as “Xia Ling’s sister” could be disregarded?!

Was Brother Ziheng… in love with her?

Xia Yu was shocked by her own thought and denied it immediately. No, Brother Ziheng was loyal and devoted to her sister, how could he fall for another woman? Even if he had a change of heart, he should only fall for Xia Yu. Why was Ye Xingling in the picture?!

At this point, Pei Ziheng’s vision focused, as if mocking her.

Xia Yu followed his line of sight and saw that it landed on Ye Xingling. She was still in her pale blue swimsuit and accompanied by her assistant and manager as she went through the script with a few male actors. Her smile, along with the light that fell on her beautiful features, made her incredibly attractive.

“Xiao Ling…” Pei Ziheng mumbled.

Xia Yu heard what he said and clenched her fists hard in hatred. She was now glad that she had tampered with the sluice underwater. After today… this wretched Ye Xingling will cease to exist in this world.

Otherwise, if she continued to be around them… there was no telling whether Pei Ziheng would end up with that wretched woman one day.

Xia Yu kept her eyes on the set.

Xia Ling had seen them too. Seeing Xia Yu sitting right beside Pei Ziheng gave her a sense of defeat; all her words and advice were nothing against Xia Yu’s lies. It seemed that she was of no importance at all in Pei Ziheng’s heart. It did not matter anymore anyway, they were no more than strangers now, and she couldn’t care less about his choice.

Xia Ling turned away from them as she resigned herself to it.

She gathered her focus and went into the water.

According to the schedule of work distributed by the production department, the first scene would feature her standing alone in the water as she played games with others on shore. She would spend about 10 minutes in the water, which was rather cold during autumn. Xia Ling had to make a conscious effort not to shiver or tremble in the scene.

It was a perfect take.

The game went well, and most of the production crew managed to relax after this good take.

Having spent a while in the cold water, Xia Ling could feel her body turn a little numb. Just as she made to go to shore for a break and to prevent her muscles from cramping, she suddenly heard a loud sound. She had not even processed what was going on when a wave engulfed her and took her along in its path as it proceeded downstream.

Choking on the water and not even able to scream in distress, before she knew it, her vision blurred and she reached downstream.

What was going on?

As she struggled and flailed her arms in the rushing waters, she vaguely heard people shouting. “The sluice is open!””Be careful!” And that was the last she heard from anyone.

She knocked hard against a boulder in the river and felt a sharp pain. Then, she lost control of her arm.

Was that a fracture? She panicked. If it was, there was no way she could swim her way out of this. Was this the last day of her life?!

She tried to take a few strokes to keep herself afloat but was running out of energy. She felt herself sink, little by little.

In the confusion, she could see the light shining through the water’s surface. It looked as if somebody was swimming towards her, and only when he got closer did she catch a glimpse of his face — it was Pei Ziheng.