A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

After she had killed the two orphans back then, she’d been sent to prison to serve her sentence. How was she doing now?

Xia Ling went to the prison again. This time, it was to visit Gu Lin.

Gu Lin was taken to the interrogation room. She was clothed in a prisoner’s attire and her once radiant skin was now dry and malnourished. Her withering hair encapsulated her sunken face as her huge, lifeless eyes stared out. With a dazed expression, she was seated opposite Xia Ling, with a glass panel set between them.

Xia Ling asked, “What happened to you?”

The Big Miss Gu she remembered was one who cared very much about her appearance. She was always carrying a handheld mirror around, touching up her makeup whenever needed, unwilling to let anyone see a single flaw on her. But now? She was a completely different person.

Gu Lin looked up upon hearing her words and glared at her with hatred. “Ye Xingling, I never would’ve expected you to come! You’re just here to mock me, aren’t you? You won’t have your way!”

Xia Ling calmly said, “Aren’t you enough of a mockery right now?”

“You!” Gu Lin slammed the table and wanted to rush at her. However, she knocked her head against the bulletproof glass panel and got a bump on her head instantly. She held her hand to her forehead and winced.

Xia Ling watched her silently.

When she was done curling up from her pain, Xia Ling said, “I don’t have all day with you, I just have a few questions. You’d better think carefully before answering me. If you give a good response, I’ll agree to help you fulfill a reasonable request. But if you give a bad response, I’ll tell Li Lei that his Sister Gu has turned into an ugly madwoman.”

“How dare you!” Gu Lin yelled.

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Xia Ling looked at her, completely unfazed.

“Brother Lei won’t listen to your nonsense!”

Two shutter sounds went off—Xia Ling had whipped out her phone and snapped two photos of Gu Lin. Gu Lin intuitively tried to duck, but it was too late.

Xia Ling took a look at the photos in satisfaction and let Gu Lin have a look too. She chuckled. “Your Brother Lei may not believe my nonsense, but what if I showed him these photos? He didn’t even have his eyes on you when you were beautiful, if he sees the way you look now, he’ll despise you for life.”

“You’re courting death! You wretch!” Gu Lin screamed at her.

Xia Ling wasn’t the least angry. “I’ll give you three seconds to make a choice. You either take up my interrogation, or I’ll let him see the photos. Three, two…”

Gu Lin stopped her yelling before Xia Ling reached the last count.

“What do you want to ask?!” She spat.

“Good.” Xia Ling leaned forward slightly and looked into her eyes. “Gu Lin, you’ve been in prison for so long, you should be clear about the situation. Let me ask you, how did Xia Yu die?”

Gu Lin was stunned. “So, you’re here for Xia Yu?”

“Although she’s been given the death sentence, I won’t let the last meal I prepared for her go to waste. I need to do that meal some justice.” Xia Ling said.

Gu Lin looked at her and all of a sudden, she started laughing.

Initially, it was a soft chuckle she couldn’t keep in. But her laughter got louder and louder, and eventually, she sounded like a maniac.

Xia Ling frowned, not knowing what she was trying to get at. A while later, she reminded. “I don’t have much time here. I can send Li Lei these photos anytime.”

Gu Lin almost burst into tears from laughing. “Ye Xingling, you actually don’t know how she died? Haha, haha, hahaha… This is too funny. How could you act this innocent?”

Xia Ling was even more confused now. Did Xia Yu’s death have something to do with her?

She held her finger above the “Send” button and watched Gu Lin quietly.

Only then did Gu Lin force herself to stop laughing and recovered her devious glare towards Xia Ling. “Wretch, don’t you have a lot of fans? Xia Yu was killed by your fans!”

Xia Ling was genuinely shocked to hear this. “What?”

Gu Lin rolled up her sleeves and showed her the scars on her arm. Her once smooth, fair arm was now branded with burns from cigarette butts—new and old wounds clustering altogether. Among the round marks were several other slash wounds. “All these are the work of your fans,” said Gu Lin. “In this prison, anywhere out of sight of the prison wardens is their kingdom.”

“There are fans of mine in this prison?”

“Your fans are everywhere.” Gu Lin rolled her sleeve back down and gave a sarcastic smile. “There are a few powerhouses around here, the largest being a drug trafficking gang led by a demoness named ‘Li Li An.’ She is your hardcore fan—I mean, a hardcore fan of Ye Xingling and Xia Ling. She gathered all the criminals who idolized you and found trouble with those who didn’t.

“Once, a female criminal said: ‘Ye Xingling’s songs are rubbish,’ then Li Li An gathered her people to beat her up. She was bedridden for three days.

“Of course, their favorite target is none other than me. But what can I do about it? I’ve offended you before, and was even your love rival.” Gu Lin clenched her jaw as she spoke.

“Hold on.” Xia Ling corrected her. “When were you ever worthy of being my love rival? Li Lei has never acknowledged your feelings, you were at best doing your wishful thinking.”

“You!” Gu Lin was agitated again.

Xia Ling smiled. “You’re already in prison, it’s about time you stopped thinking about men you can’t get—just serve your sentence as you should. Gu Lin, it’s important for one to have self-awareness.”

Gu Lin gave her the death glare. “Don’t be too smug! You might be abandoned someday!”

“Li Lei won’t abandon me.” Xia Ling calmly said, “Go on.”

Gu Lin was fuming. “Why should I? I’m not saying anything more!”

Xia Ling waved the cellphone before her face.

Gu Lin immediately composed herself and went on, “They tortured me in the name of protecting you. There came a time where I was afraid whenever the prison wardens left. Once they did, I’d be tortured, wherever I was.”

“Thankfully…” Gu Lin gave a distorted smile. “Xia Yu came.”

Xia Ling straightened up. It seemed the important part was here.

Gu Lin said, “All I did was set you up, but Xia Yu killed you, and even tried to kill your child. She carried a far worse name than I did. Li Li An and her gang quickly changed their target and went for Xia Yu instead. As for Xia Yu, she’d unknowingly stumbled into a powerful, ruthless gang who happened to hate her. What good end could she come to?”