A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Li Lei was thrilled. He knew that most girls enjoyed visiting the amusement park and that it would definitely not go wrong.

She bobbed up and down, skipped happily back to him and tugged at his sleeve with her tiny hands. “There’s a haunted house there, let’s go inside.”

He smiled and said, “Sure.” He loved looking at her bright sparkly eyes. She directly portrayed her happiness on her face and ran around as though she wasn’t afraid of anything.

He had seen too many girls who put on a weak and delicate front and stopped at nothing to trick him into accepting them. He had also seen no less of those who pretended to be lively, which turned into obtrusiveness as well as mistaking stupidity for innocence.

She was the only one who was unique.

At times, she appeared as if she was an exclusive flower, blooming high above the clouds, facing the flurry and chilly weather alone. She did not recount her pain to others, but others would not be able to restrain themselves from trying to protect her. At other times, she looked like a naive little bunny, unable to conceal her emotions, be it anger or joy. Her pure eyes were clear of impurities, causing the hearts of people who looked into them to glow as well.

In his eyes, she was one of a kind.

Li Lei grabbed her hand and said, “Come on, let’s go inside the haunted house.”

She was too thrilled to notice that her hand was already in his, and instead, she dragged him along as she ran forward excitedly.

Throughout their journey into the haunted house, she was shocked by the ghosts and monsters from time to time. There were a few times when she backed into his arms after being scared. Li Lei remained calm and collected while he shielded her from them. She had a faintly discernible aroma, and it made the deepest part of his heart thump loudly. She was clueless about what she was doing to him and even failed to notice that she was no longer resisting his hugs. She continued to enjoy herself happily and was soon left breathless, with a thin layer of sweat forming on her skin.

They exited the haunted house.

“Take a break,” said Li Lei.

Exhausted from all the playing, she agreed.

He brought her to a café deep inside the forest zone, where the afternoon sun shone through the French casement, faltering slightly.

Li Lei ordered a cup of black tea for her and said, “You just got back your voice, avoid beverages such as coffee which can cause irritation to your throat.”

Xia Ling nodded as an indication that she understood. In fact, she normally rarely drank coffee. She took the tea from him and took a sip with satisfaction. After that, she began to blink wearily and nodded off.

“You’re tired already? You can take a quick nap here,” he said.

Actually, he had brought bodyguards along in this trip. They went unnoticed by her as they were in plain clothes. After that, she curled up on the wooden bench in front of the French casement and closed her eyes. He ordered his bodyguards to bring a cushion and a blanket. After which, he proceeded to gently cover her with the blanket.

It didn’t take long before she fell asleep.

He sat down next to her and removed the cushion under her neck with extreme caution, allowing her to rest on his thighs. He acted so gently and warily, as though he was a thief. She started to stir, yet was not awakened. She flipped to a more comfortable position and fell into a deeper sleep.

Li Lei beamed with satisfaction and looked down, observing her.

Under the sunlight, her features were alluring, as though they were carved by a famous craftsman. They weren’t complicated, every single detail was on point. If anything were to be added or removed, they would be eclipsed. Her long eyelashes were plated with a thin layer of gold and her skin was so soft and tender that fine hairs could be spotted. In her sleep, her lips were slightly curled upward as though she was having a beautiful dream.

Li Lei bent forward and planted a tender kiss on her lips.

It was soft and sweet, just like he had imagined.

His expression grew more tender as he closed his eyes for a catnap, holding her in his arms.

What he failed to notice was a woman standing among the trees all by herself outside the French casement, silently watching his every move. There was a document in her hand that urgently needed Li Lei’s signature.

“Assistant Su.” Li Lei’s bodyguards appeared next to her. “Young Master Li has ordered that no one is to disturb him.”

Su Tang maintained the same expression. She had always put on an elegant and proud front, thus she was good at concealing her emotions. She retracted her gaze from the hugging pair and then turned to smile at the bodyguards. “I’ll get going then, please give a message for young master. The recent financial report has been delivered, but he has to make a few final decisions.”

One of the bodyguards replied her respectfully. “We will definitely pass on the message.”

Su Tang thanked them and turned to leave.

Under the sunlight, she walked against the direction of the crowd. Cheering and laughing could be heard everywhere and many couples could be seen. She tilted her head upwards and suddenly felt that the sun was so glaring that it pierced her eyes. That girl… such an ordinary girl, why was Young Master even interested in her? Why, having followed him around for so many years, he never ever looked at her that way?

No way!

She could not take it lying down…

What was the reason exactly?

Putting Su Tang’s misery aside, at the other side, Xia Ling had already woken up. With that, she realized that she had been lying on Li Lei’s thigh during her entire nap. Shocked, she lost all signs of weariness and sat up.

With all that ruckus, Li Lei was awakened as well. He opened his eyes wearily and stared at her.

“Boss, you-you-you…” she was rendered speechless as she pointed at him with trembling fingers.

“What did I do?” Li Lei appeared innocent.

“You-you-you, I-I-I…” She couldn’t speak coherently at first, but then finally asked, “Why was I sleeping on your thigh?”

“You were?” Li Lei tilted his head and started to squint in confusion. “Now that you’ve mentioned it, my thigh actually feels rather numb… Xiao Ling, you slept on my thigh just now? How come I don’t know about it?”

“Why would you not know about it!” Xia Ling exclaimed in an accusatory tone.

“Not long after you fell asleep, I laid back on the chair and dozed off too. Before I closed my eyes you were still lying on the cushion.” Li Lei lied through his teeth and scanned the surroundings. “Look, the cushion is on the ground. Could it be you slept until the cushion fell off and after that, you treated my leg as the pillow?”

Xia Ling followed his gaze and saw the cushion. She began to doubt herself and wondered if what he said was true.

The bodyguards at the side couldn’t bring themselves to look. Young Master, is it really fine to make up such lies?

Sadly, Kiddo Xiao Ling had no idea what they were thinking and agreed with Li Lei’s speculations. Her face turned red like a tomato. It was too embarrassing for her, how could she have slept laying on a man’s thighs?

“Oops… Sorry.” she apologized, her voice as soft as a mosquito.

Li Lei replied magnanimously. “It’s not your fault anyway, you only napped on me for a while and didn’t do anything else.”

Xia Ling’s face turned even redder.

The bodyguards judged him even more badly. Young Master, could you have some integrity? It was you who did things to the girl. You kissed her secretly when she was asleep and now you are acting like you are gracious?

Their inner sense of justice made them no longer have the heart to continue looking.

Kiddo Xiao Ling was blushing and didn’t dare to look into his eyes. It was too awkward and too embarrassing. Even if she could withstand the insults from fans all over the world and battle all her enemies and opponents fiercely, when it came to such things, she was still shy.

Li Lei smiled harmlessly and innocently followed by asking, “If you really feel sorry, you could promise me one thing?”

All the bodyguards not only could not bear to watch, but they also could not bear to listen any longer. Their sneaky Big Boss was trying to trick others once again…