A Star Reborn: The Queen's Return

Chapter 1114: Thunderstorm

She lifted her hand forcefully and held Xia Yu’s hand.

Her voice was hoarse as if it had been burnt by fire.

Xia Yu cried even harder. “Sister, stop being so stubborn, just admit you killed someone! Brother Ziheng only hit you because he was anxious. You’ll be alright as long as you admit to killing someone!” Her tears fell down her cheeks and landed coldly on Xia Ling’s hand.

Xia Ling suddenly felt as though her sister was very far away from herself. Why did she believe she had killed someone? “I didn’t kill anyone,” she said difficultly to Xia Yu. “Xiao Yu, you have to believe me.”

But Xia Yu cried and said, “Sister, I know you’re afraid since you have to pay with your life for killing someone. But we are sisters and you don’t have to pretend in front of me, just admit you did it! Only when you admit it can me and Brother Ziheng find ways to protect you! Sister!”

Her seemingly caring words stabbed painfully at Xia Ling’s heart.

“Go, I don’t want to see you,” she coughed and said to Xia Yu.

“Sister, just admit it!”

“Go away!”

Xia Yu looked at her, hurt. She couldn’t imagine that her sister who had always loved her would say that. After a moment, she covered her face and staggered out.

She ran down the stairs all the way through the second-floor corridor.

In the living room, Pei Ziheng turned to look at her with a defeated expression.

“Xiao Yu, why are you back so soon?” he asked. “How’s your sister?”

“Brother Ziheng!” Xia Yu cried and threw herself into his arms. “Sister, sister still refuses to admit it! She even told me to get lost! Boohoo... do you think, do you think sister has been possessed? She can’t go on like this!”

As she spoke, she heard a loud noise from upstairs.

Pei Ziheng released Xia Yu and went upstairs in two or three steps. He pushed open the door to see Xia Ling sitting on the luxurious big bed, wearing pajamas that could not be covered, and angrily smashing the hanger that put her on an intravenous drip and sweeping the medical equipment on the bedside cabinet onto the floor.

She saw him come in and glared at him with red eyes.

“Xia Ling, are you done throwing a tantrum?” Pei Ziheng’s voice was very cold. “You even scolded your sister and smashed medical equipment. Can you see what you have become? How did you become like this.”

Yes... how had she become like this?

Wasn’t it all thanks to him?!

Xia Ling suddenly smiled, and at that moment, she was elated. “You all think I killed her?” she said softly, as if talking to herself. “Fine, I killed her, are you satisfied?”

Pei Ziheng’s heart jumped. It really was her!

How much pain and desperation was she in for this girl who didn’t even dare kill a rabbit from a young age to actually kill a person?

She... how much did she love him?

Pei Ziheng slowly approached her and reached out to hold her face. “If you had admitted early, why would you have had to suffer so much?” Her face still carried the bruises and scars from his beating, making her look frail and terrible.

“You’re right,” she murmured. “I’m really stupid. I should have admitted it sooner and get caught by the police earlier, then bang—one gunshot, hehehe,” she said while chuckling lowly. “Why would I have had to suffer all this pain?”

“You’re crazy.” His expression darkened.

She was exhausted. “Pei Ziheng, just take it as I’m crazy. Don’t bother trying to exonerate me. Tell the Wang family and the police that I was the one who killed her. Tell them to shoot me to death. When you get remarried, you wouldn’t need me to go on stage to sing anymore,” she said and chuckled again.

He couldn’t help but slap her again.

The crisp sound echoed in the bedroom.

Xia Ling did not resist, a long time passed until she said gently, “Pei Ziheng, do you know what I regret most?” Without waiting for his reply, she continued saying to herself, “I really regret not running into a car accident on the road to the TV Station that day. If I had been hit directly; if I had just died that day... I would probably be very happy.”

If she had died on that day, she would continue thinking he would love her forever.

Pei Ziheng looked at her coldly, then he turned and walked out the door.

“Keep an eye on me,” he told Nanny Zhou and the butler. “Let the bodyguards surround the villa and don’t let her run around. Ask people to prepare a helicopter, wait a few days when the police have handled the matter, then take her straight to an island.”

Nanny Zhou and the butler gave solemn expression. “Yes.”

Pei Ziheng entered the study room and took all the information about her case out to find a solution for her offense. However, looking at it, he kept feeling something was wrong, but what was wrong with it...

He frowned, taking the pen and combing through the whole manuscript over and over again, until, yes—

Li Lei!

His Xiao Ling was so innocent. If she had just killed someone, how could she sit in a strange man’s car as if nothing happened? Could it be that Li Lei was her accomplice?! That man was associated with the underworld, and it was easy to get some poison for her. He must have wanted her, thus he had helped her do all these things. It must be!

At that moment, Pei Ziheng felt all the blood in his body rush to the top of his head.

How dare she seduce another man behind his back! How dare she?!

In the study room, the young and tall man’s expression turned darker.

——————————————————————

Snow fell on a cold night.

The ninety-two-year-old man slept very unsoundly.

In his dream, there was always something wrong, what was it...

He wanted to remind himself in his dream that Li Lei shouldn’t appear at this time, he shouldn’t know Xiao Ling at this time. And Xiao Ling... Xiao Ling didn’t kill anyone at all.

It wasn’t poison provided by Li Lei at all!

So why had Li Lei appeared...

Pei Ziheng, calm down, don’t make the same mistake again. This time, don’t lose her again...

Tears oozed out of the corners of the old man’s eyes.

————————————————————————

In the study room, Pei Ziheng frowned and paced around.

How much does Li Lei know regarding Xia Ling’s use of poison? To what extent has he been involved?

No, he had to ask the man. He couldn’t let Li Lei’s existence become a variable in the whole case. Any element that threatened Xiao Ling must be eliminated!

He went to find Li Lei.

Li Lei was very surprised. “You say Wang Jingwan is dead and the police suspect the murderer to be Xia Ling, the girl I sent home that day? That’s impossible. She looks so innocent, how could she possibly have killed someone and yet not reveal a single flaw in front of me.”

Pei Ziheng looked at him carefully. “You don’t know about her murder? You’re not her accomplice?”

“Are you kidding.” Li Lei laughed lazily. “If I wanted to kill someone, I would have at least one hundred different ways, why would I use such a bad method of poisoning and involve myself in this matter? But you, on the other hand, you have been with her for so many years, why don’t you believe her?”

“She said she hated me and Wang Jingwan,” Pei Ziheng said. “She also said she couldn’t wait for us to die.”

Li Lei laughed again. “Couldn’t wait for you two to die? Then, why didn’t she... kill you?”

His words were like a strike of thunder in his heart.