A Star Reborn: The Queen's Return

Chapter 902: Interrogating Xia Yu

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After a long time, Xia Ling finally decided on her wedding gown design.

She dragged Li Lei to get it ordered. At the store, she got her measurements noted down and mentioned a few modifications she wanted. The employee served them well and smilingly said, “Miss Ling, you have a good figure and good looks, you’ll look nice in any gown. Mr. Li looks handsome in any outfit as well, the both of you are so compatible.”

Both of them exchanged glances and smiled.

As they walked out of the store, Li Lei and Xia Ling basked in the European sun hand in hand. It was a peaceful scene on the streets, with children playing with one another and an elderly man stroking a cat. Now that they were overseas, Xia Ling was finally free from the pressure of fans and reporters hounding her wherever she went. This perfect couple got glances every once in a while, but it was nothing compared to the chaos and commotion when they were back in China.

Xia Ling was carefree and relaxed. She took in a breath of fresh air and said, “I wish I could walk on streets like this every day.”

Li Lei said, “If you like, we can move here after we get married.”

She smiled and shook her head. They had their career and business respectively back there, was it that easy to move away?

“Honestly,” Xia Ling looked up at him. “Now that you’ve taken over the entire business, is it good to be staying in the country so much?” Li Lei’s family was involved in dangerous business and it was only safe to keep their headquarters overseas. It didn’t seem like an ideal long term plan for Li Lei to constantly hop between the overseas and the local branches.

Li Lei had evidently thought through this as well.

He gently told Xia Ling, “You enjoy singing locally, so I’ll stay there and accompany you. There are other trustworthy partners to manage things at the headquarter, you don’t have to worry about that. Transportation is so convenient now, I’ll just go back for a look each time you have to leave for filming.”

She nodded but went on. “I haven’t gone there in a while.”

Li Lei said, “Aren’t we going back this time to get married? The new house on the island is almost completed, we can start living in it once we’re there.”

Xia Ling said, “I really hope we can settle Xia Yu’s issue before the wedding.”

Li Lei had something to tell her about this. “Regarding Wang Jingwan’s case, the private investigator is more or less done with his part. He’s 99% sure that Xia Yu was the murderer, who then made you the scapegoat.”

Xia Ling stopped in her tracks.

It really was her!

Although Xia Ling had guessed this long before, learning that it was, in fact, the truth was more hurtful. She could barely believe it as she muttered, “I was so nice to her...”

Li Lei could understand her feelings. Anyone would be in pain if they were so viciously set up by someone they loved and cared for with all their heart. He comforted her. “It’s all in the past. Maybe we should thank her instead, for if not for her, there wouldn’t be us.” If Xia Yu had not set her up, Xiao Ling and Pei Ziheng would not have turned against each other, and she would not have reincarnated to meet and fall in love with him.

But Xia Ling quietly said, “If not for her, I’d be spending the rest of my life blissfully and peacefully with Pei Ziheng.”

Her destiny would not have changed, and all the other calamities need not have occurred.

Li Lei looked at her. “Just take it that I’m selfish, but I feel that it was a blessing you reincarnated. There are billions of men in this world, no matter who you fall for, even if not me, I’d give you my blessings. But you can’t fall for Pei Ziheng! He might not torture you in the first decade, but what about the next, or the following? Or what if he tortured you over another incident, if not this? How would you know that he wouldn’t unleash his inner devil when he encounters something else? How would you know that you’ll live blissfully with him for the rest of your life? Don’t be naive, Xiao Ling, he’s a beast!”

Xia Ling hung her head low and said, “I understand.”

She had long understood that everything Pei Ziheng gave her was just a fantasy. But he was her lover, after all... and this fantasy was ruined because of a misunderstanding.

How nice it would be if this case had not existed.

“I’m just a little sentimental now.” When she looked up, the disappointment in her eyes had vanished as she smiled at Li Lei. “I feel blessed, too, that the Heavens have allowed me to meet you. It really is my fortune.”

Both of them shared a kiss in the afternoon sun, on the streets of Europe.

On the way back, Li Lei described a plan to Xia Ling. “Pei Ziheng has destroyed all the important evidence years back. It’ll be hard to charge Xia Yu as guilty unless she confesses to it herself. Xiao Ling, I need you to get those words out of her and make her spill the truth.”

Xia Ling nodded. “Alright.”

She and Li Lei plotted in detail for a long time and ran through the possible situations she could encounter during the conversation. Only when they had ironed every uncertainty out did she go to meet Xia Yu.

Xia Yu was led out of the prison cell and into the interrogation room.

Xia Ling was in a casual pastel-colored outfit and sipping tea. With the afternoon light shining on the side of her face, she appeared peaceful and happy.

Seeing that Xia Yu was clumsily led into the room, she smiled. “Sit.”

She poured another cup of tea and edged it towards Xia Yu.

Xia Yu did not reach out to receive it. She had been tormented rather badly during this period and was now skinnier and more haggard than before. She looked at her sister with threatening eyes, and with a cold voice, she said, “What are you up to this time, why put up such pretense?”

“I’m not putting up a pretense,” said Xia Ling with a calm, peaceful smile still on. “I’m just here to tell you that I’m getting married. On that note, I really should be thanking you. If you had not framed me, how would I have died, and subsequently met Li Lei?”

Xia Yu kept her cool. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Drop your act, Xia Yu,” said Xia Ling. “We’ve got it investigated thoroughly. Wang Jingwan was murdered by you, and I was pushed off the stage by someone you’d hired. You’re impressive, killing two birds with one stone, getting rid of two love rivals. You even caused the Wang family to go bankrupt.”

Xia Yu said, “You think too highly of me, I didn’t do any of that.” It wasn’t so easy getting the truth out of her.

But Xia Ling wasn’t worried at all. “Don’t you want to drink some tea? The tea leaves were picked from the tree that Li Lei personally grew. He really knows how to enjoy his life, and he’s always taking me out to have fun and expand my horizons. When I was with Pei Ziheng, I had to make an appointment with him whenever I wanted to go out. Such a boring person, I really wonder how I tolerated him.”

Xia Yu flinched. “You can’t say that about Brother Ziheng!”

Xia Ling looked at her. “You really love him a lot, but I don’t anymore. I’m more than blissful with Li Lei. The one problem I have is that I want to find out the truth, I don’t want to have died without knowing why. Xia Yu, if you tell me about how the crime took place, I’ll help you get together with Pei Ziheng. How’s that?”

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Chapter 903: The Confession

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Yu was tempted. Did Xia Ling really say she’d help her get together with Pei Ziheng?

That man had lived in her heart for the longest time. She’d put her heart and soul into plotting to be with him, even killing the people around her, but in exchange for what? If she could be with him, she was willing to pay any price! With Xia Ling’s help, they might really be able to be together!

Xia Yu tried to suppress her wild desires as she glared at Xia Ling. “Why should I believe you?”

Xia Ling said, “Pei Ziheng hasn’t given up on me yet, and it disturbs me. I love Li Lei, and I want our marriage life to remain peaceful and undisturbed, which is why I’m trying to get rid of the pest Pei Ziheng while I can. The best solution I can think of is finding him a loving wife such that he’ll forget me. Xia Yu, you’re the most suitable candidate.”

Xia Yu’s eyes lit up. “Sounds good. But I didn’t kill Wang Jingwan, how do I admit to that?”

She’s still trying to deny it at this juncture!

Xia Ling felt like reaching over and shaking her, or even slapping her on the face. But she calmed herself down and spoke in the same calm, sweet voice, “What? Then take it that I never mentioned helping you get together with him. Besides, I’ll even tell Pei Ziheng that you never loved him and that you’re just eyeing his money and power.”

Xia Ling got up slowly and picked her handbag from the desk before walking out. Just as her hand landed on the door handle, Xia Yu’s voice was heard. “Xia Ling, don’t you go too far!”

“How is this going too far?” Xia Ling turned around slightly and smiled. “So only you’re allowed to lie, while others can’t? Xia Yu, you either spill the beans about Wang Jingwan’s case and how I died or just wait on for Pei Ziheng to misunderstand you and hate you. He’ll probably not want to see you for the rest of his life.”

Xia Yu glared at her with hatred.

But Xia Ling was unshaken. She stood by the door and looked back at her.

Both of them stared off.

At this point, someone knocked on the door.

Xia Ling opened the door and saw that Li Lei’s bodyguard-cum-chauffeur-cum-assistant Ah Nuo was standing before her. “Miss Ling, Young Master finished his tasks early today and wants to take you out tonight to watch some night fishing activity at the club. He sent me here to pick you up. It’s about time now, are you ready to leave?”

Xia Ling glanced at Xia Yu and casually said, “Let’s go.”

She made a move to leave.

“Hold on!” Xia Yu finally called out.

Xia Ling’s lips curled up ever so slightly before disappearing again. She said to Ah Nuo, “Wait outside first.” She then strode back towards the desk and spoke to Xia Yu, “I don’t have much time. You’d better speak soon, Li Lei won’t be happy to miss the night activity.”

Xia Yu glared hard at her, wishing that her glare itself could rip her face apart. She remembered the first time she saw “Ye Xingling”—back then, she wasn’t all that pretty, she was just another face in the entertainment industry. But now? Her skin was fair and smooth, actually even radiant. Her eyes were bright and her features put together a perfect face. She was so beautiful now.

Only a woman who lived in luxury and was showered with tender loving care could glow this way.

Xia Yu felt a stab to her heart. As much as she wished her dead, she could not deny that she envied her. Could she be this blissful as well if she was with someone she loved? She wavered. “What if I told you the truth and you decide not to help me get together with Brother Ziheng?”

Xia Ling said, “We grew up together, you should know better than anyone that I never go back on my words. If I say I’ll help you, then I will. Moreover, what more can you do besides trust me?” She took a glance at her wristwatch. “If you’re not gonna talk, I’m leaving.”

Xia Yu clenched her jaw. “I’ll talk! You’re right, I killed Wang Jingwan and then made you the scapegoat. I was also the one who hired a hitman to push you off the stage!”

Xia Ling’s expression darkened. She could barely take it, hearing the sister she had raised say something like that. She had to reach for a wall for support as her head spun. “It really was you.”

“It was me, indeed.” Once she’d started, Xia Yu was more than comfortable to go on. “Xia Ling, I’d hated you since we were kids, especially because you were in the way between Brother Ziheng and me. I’d wanted to kill you a long time ago, but I never had the chance. Then, when Brother Ziheng mentioned marrying Wang Jingwan, I realized that my time had come.”

She looked at Xia Ling and broke into a grin. “Silly woman, you actually met up with Wang Jingwan one-on-one to thrash things out, and even told me about it beforehand. Didn’t you hand me my opportunity on a platter? I disguised myself as you and went to buy drugs from the black market before following you to the location.”

Xia Ling shook her head. “I treated you as a close sister and told you everything, but you...”

Xia Yu scoffed. “Close sister? You just needed a prop! You used me to bring out your kindness and virtues! Let me tell you, I’m not dumb. I’ve had enough!”

“That’s not it.” Xia Ling said. “I was just caring for you. I didn’t expect the praises others had for me would cause you so much pain.” Xia Yu was born with some congenital disease and Xia Ling was still young when it all happened. Moreover, they were living in an orphanage, who could have possibly taught her how to heal her sister’s heart of jealousy?

She was only trying her best to give her sister all that she could.

When others praised her, she felt good as any other person would and did not read too much into it.

She was only a child back then, and it was hard enough fighting for her sister’s survival. How could she have thought of the hurt her sister felt from comparing the two of them to each other?

After all, her sister had never even shown any hint of unhappiness.

When Pei Ziheng adopted them, Xia Ling lived better than before. She had thought that her sister would be as happy as she was—after all, she was able to go for her surgery, to recover, do well enough to get into an elite school, and life had gotten better.

It was too late to discover the truth now.

But Xia Yu did not care for her explanation. She sneered. “I hid the drugs under my fingernails. When the waiter walked past me with the tray, I casually bumped into him and dropped the drugs into the cup of coffee. Don’t ask me how I managed to figure out which cup was Wang Jingwan’s, it was clear as day to me—you’re always drinking lemon-infused water to protect your throat and voice, so the beverage that did not hold your lemon-infused water was definitely hers.

“And alas, I guessed right.

“I hid in the corner to watch. Half an hour later, you left the private room, leaving Wang Jingwan behind. She sat there for a while longer. The drug took about an hour to take effect, and I walked in thereafter to imprint your fingerprints I got from home onto the coffee cup. It was all too simple.”

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