A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling gave him a slight signal to show her friendship.

He was born very good looking. Certainly, the Pei family were all very good looking. This kind of beauty was not the same as Xia Ling’s stunning looks in the last life, but a delicate and almost introverted feeling. If you looked at it carefully, you would realize that every angle was perfect and flawless. That was the genes that could only be possessed by superior families after generations of survival of the fittest.

However, Xia Ling did not put much thought into the handsome young man. She still glared furiously at Pei Ziheng. “Why are you hiding from me?!”

Pei Ziheng did not answer, he only said to Pei Xiu, “You go out first.”

Wearing his steel grey suit, the young man gave him a bow and went out.

The slightly broken old hospital room door closed, and Pei Ziheng asked Xia Ling, “What do you think about him?”

Xia Ling frowned. “What do you mean?”

However, Pei Ziheng changed the topic casually. “Today’s weather is not bad, I went to take a walk in the little garden in the afternoon, and daisies were blooming. I remember there was a year you plucked many daisies to make tea, and almost drowned the whole kitchen. In the end, Nanny Zhou had to clean for a really long time before it went back to normal.”

Reminiscing, his solemn face was replaced by a hint of a smile.

Xia Ling’s heart, however, was floating in a haze. “Pei Ziheng, why are you living inside such a remote and unappealing hospital? Why have you called Pei Xiu here? You… You are arranging things, aren’t you?”

He said with a low tone, “No, don’t overthink.”

“You’re lying!” Xia Ling was furious. “Your illness was supposed to be a secret! Chu Chen and Nanny Zhou told me again and again not to leak it! Even the phoenixes don’t know, but you? You’re meeting Pei Xiu in a hospital room! Pei Ziheng… you’re arranging a successor, right?”

He was shocked, his expression revealing slight surprise and a hint of unnoticeable sadness. “Silly girl, after two generations you’ve grown all big, yet why are you still thinking so much?”

Her nose soured. The reason why she was not sensitive to the past things was because of the presence of him and Li Lei, so there was no reason for her to worry. Furthermore, she did not care about power and authority. However, it was different now. The matter involved his death, and even a slight blow of the wind could activate her sensitivity.

She walked towards the bed step by step, half knelt down and grabbed hold of his ice-cold hands.

“You’re not allowed to find a successor, not allowed to die.”

He stared after her, his gaze warm. “Okay, I won’t die.”

“Swear!”

“I swear.”

She looked at him doubtfully. “You swore too easily, swear it again.”

He smiled fondly, and time seemed to return to many years ago. She returned to being the wilful little girl in his memory, and him, he was still her God, her eternal hero and mountain of support. Pei Ziheng reached out his hand, gently helping her to tuck the pieces of stray hair behind her ear and said softly, “I swear, I won’t die. If I break this oath, then call me… call Xiao Ling to live to a hundred years, blissful for her entire life.”

“Pei Ziheng! You!” She could not hold it in anymore and exploded in tears.

What kind of oath was this?! What kind of a bullshit oath?!

“It doesn’t count! Not counted!” She hit him with her hands, crying out. “You rogue! You liar! You only made this oath to make fun of me! Pei Ziheng… Pei Ziheng…”

She cried so hard that her energy was not enough.

Pei Ziheng stared at her longingly, the corners of his eyes tearing up too. Carefully, he brought her into his embrace. “Xiao Ling…” His voice was soft and gentle. “I’m sorry I can’t be by your side for eternity, can’t watch your kids give birth, can’t keep fighting with Li Lei… I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to, I don’t want to hear you say sorry… You have to get better, do you hear me?”

He hugged her even tighter, not saying a word, but not letting go.

If there was a possibility of getting better, who would not want that? However, once you had cancer, it was like you were written in the Grim Reaper’s books. How many had actually escaped? They both understood, so what if they took an oath? In the face of death, words held no power. The girl in his arms was crying so hard she was almost fainting, so he searched for words before saying with difficulty, “Xiao Ling, don’t worry. The doctor said there is still a chance for surgery.”

She stopped crying and lifted her tear-stained face to ask, “Really?”

He said, “Yes.” In actual fact, the surgery carried a huge risk, and his lung cancer that was in the middle to late stage was not suitable for it. Aside from harming his vitality, it could even be a failure, accelerating his death.

Regardless of whether he did it or not, the outcome was already decided.

Xia Ling was very helpless. She knew deep inside that if things were really this simple, he would not have had to scout Pei Xiu behind everyone’s back, settling the aftermath. However, she wanted so badly to believe him. If he could continue staying alive, how good would that be? In a state of irony, she murmured, “Why did you call Pei Xiu?”

Pei Ziheng said, “That is only a precaution. If something… really happens to me, I have to find someone who is reliable and can hold up the family business, and also, someone who can treat you well.” Actually, there were a few who had the ability to hold up the Pei family, but he had eventually chosen Pei Xiu only because out of all the other candidates, he was the only one who did not have biases against her.

Many of those under the Pei family were famous in their own names, and before Xiao Ling’s phoenix identity was exposed, many looked down on her—Pei Ziheng could not let someone who looked down on her be the successor. Only Pei Xiu, who treated everyone as equals, could continue to take care of her after his death, to be her mountain of support.

Even if there was already the Li family and the Xia family.

But as for her mountains of support, the more the better.

Pei Ziheng touched the hair of the girl in his arms lovingly, telling her, “I still have some money and immovable property, those are left for you. I have already gotten a lawyer to write it. It’s not much, but it can ensure you live your life with no worries.”

Her heart continued to sink. He had already thought of all the details.

“Pei Ziheng, you’re not allowed to die…” With a thousand words, this was the only sentence she could formulate.

She started to stay by his side, visiting him every few days, sometimes in the hospital, sometimes in the villa where the red wall was wrapped in ivy. His illness deteriorated quickly, and he kept coughing, frequently coughing out blood. However, he did not stop working and was even busier than before.

Xia Ling’s heart hurt as if it were being torn apart, and she could not bear to see it anymore.

That day, when he was arranging his financial accounts, she snatched the thick folders from him all of a sudden. “Pei Ziheng, don’t you want your life anymore?! Is your body or your business more important?! Why can’t you just rest properly!”

She was the only one who dared to snatch his folders away from him.

He stared at his empty hands, yet did not feel angry, only said patiently, “Xiao Ling, give the folder back to me. Be good. I don’t have much time, and while I still have the ability to do these, I need to…”

“You promised me you wouldn’t die!” She interrupted, her voice choking up.