A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Ling lowered her head. Who said she didn’t want to show her child off?

However, she was now staying in Pei Ziheng’s place and could not afford to be too high profile. What if Pei Ziheng became unhappy? What if it put her child in harm’s way? She was careful even showing her happiness in front of the cameras.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Pei Ziheng pressed.

Xia Ling thought for a while before saying carefully, “He’s not going to inherit the family business in the future… there’s no need for him to be too much in the limelight.”

With Pei Ziheng’s intellect, he could read between the lines and realize that she was worried that it would get on his nerves if they were too high profile. He felt his heart clench for Xiao Ling. She should be so proud and carefree… why was she living so cautiously? Since she had made up her mind to spend the rest of her life with him, then he should also make sure to give her what she wanted.

Hence, he said, “I’ll take care of the issues surrounding the inheritance. You should bring the child out in public as appropriate. It doesn’t really matter so much.” On the one hand, he was keen to let her be so that she could become who she was in her past life ― the wilful and carefree princess, who did as she pleased. On the other hand, it was not completely suitable for him to be too low profile.

If they were to have another son and his younger brother were to be pushed into the limelight and get more attention, would Pei Zhaohui feel upset about it? Or what if Pei Zhaohui found out that he wasn’t Pei Ziheng’s son in the first place, would he think that he was being neglected because he was illegitimate?

If he held such grudges, it would be difficult for him to help his younger brother.

Pei Ziheng resolved to give this child the best treatment the son of a wealthy family could have.

This was also intended to show his faraway love rival what a happy family looked like.

Xia Ling said, “I don’t have the energy to manage these things.” In her past life, her wilfulness stemmed from her happiness, and she just wanted to be the center of attention. However, this life was different. She had no interest in the superstar aura or the pursuit of beauty — these frivolous things were much less important than the safety of her child.

She would rather remain quietly in the background and lead a peaceful life.

However, Pei Ziheng did not agree to this. “You should still be out in the open when you need to be. Other days are fine, but the child’s 100-day celebration is upcoming ― We didn’t celebrate when it was his full-month, so we need to make sure the 100-day celebration will compensate for it.”

Xia Ling looked at him with a confused expression. “Why are you suddenly so concerned about the child?”

Pei Ziheng said lightly, “Isn’t that good?”

Xia Ling could not understand what he was thinking but did not dare say that it was bad. She merely lowered her head and mumbled, “Thank you for all that you are doing for him.”

He was not doing it for the child but for her.

The 100-day celebration was extremely grand. Pei Ziheng invited many wealthy families, socialites, famous people, and the media.

The private garden looked glamorous in the night with a live string quartet playing in the background.

Xia Ling dressed the baby up in a cashmere pantsuit with flower prints and also changed into a matching flowery dinner gown. Her figure showed no sign that she had just given birth three months ago, and her fair, slender shoulders and slim waist made her look all the more svelte.

Her billowing hair was like a soft cloud, and her smile ravishing. Standing beside Pei Ziheng, she was not overshadowed by his charisma, but instead perfectly complementary. They looked like the perfect couple.

The reporters present rushed to get as many photos of the couple as they could.

It was the first time that the child was in front of so many people and he was curiously looking around. Surprisingly, he did not cry.

Xia Ling breathed a sigh of relief. This child was a crybaby usually, but he seemed to perform appropriately in bigger events. He did not cry and would even smile when someone came up to him, showing off his adorable dimples, melting everyone’s hearts.

“He’s so cute.” A wealthy lady bent over to take a closer look at the child, then straightened up and smiled at Xia Ling. “Madam Pei, congratulations on giving birth to a son on your first try. You’ve given the Pei family an heir!”

What heir?

Xia Ling sneaked a look at Pei Ziheng as her heart beat faster in trepidation. Seeing that he showed no change in expression, she worried about what he was thinking. She steeled herself and replied, “As long as the child is healthy, that’s good enough for me. He doesn’t need to be an heir.”

That wealthy lady took it as humbleness. “You don’t need to be so careful, everyone knows that the Pei family has always had the first son take over the family business.” She thought that Xia Ling was not confident because she was from a lowly background. She continued, “A son is a son. You’ve done a great deed for the Pei family. Hasn’t she, Mr. Pei?”

She turned to look at Pei Ziheng with her last question.

This night, Pei Ziheng was dressed in a dark-colored suit, and his expression was as mysterious as his clothes.

He did not bother to respond to the lady’s words directly and only said, “Madam Lu, welcome to our celebrations. Do forgive us if there’s any oversight in our hosting.”

Madam Lu did not realize that anything was amiss. She merely engaged in a little bit more small talk before walking away.

Many people came forward one after another to strike a conversation with them.

They all spoke about the child, and many of them congratulated Pei Ziheng for getting an heir to his businesses.

Pei Ziheng’s expression became increasingly dark, but he did not lose his temper given his good upbringing. Xia Ling, on the other hand, was growing more uneasy by the minute. She could tell that Pei Ziheng did not like hearing the word “heir” and that he was controlling his temper all this time. Why did he want to organize this 100-day celebration and put himself through such torture then?

Xia Ling was preoccupied with such thoughts as she followed Pei Ziheng around. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and before she could stop herself in time, she bumped her nose on his shoulder hard. “Ouch.” Tears sprung into her eyes, and she wanted to reach out to hold onto her nose but had no free hands since she was holding the child.

He stopped, lowered his head, and reached out to help her rub her nose to ease the pain.

“Why are you so careless?” His voice was warm and caring.

She blinked her eyes and forced her tears back.

He called a helper over to relieve her of the child so that she could take a rest. It was now that she complained, “Why did you suddenly stop?”

Pei Ziheng jerked his head towards the front.

A bodyguard was standing in front ― he was the reason that Pei Ziheng stopped in his tracks. That bodyguard respectfully said, “Mister, Nanhua Interactive Entertainment’s Mister Ouyang is here and would like to invite you to a private conversation.”

The 100-day celebration was organized on a grand scale. Many of the big-name guests were here to give Pei Ziheng face.

Time was precious for these famous people, and to search out Pei Ziheng for a private conversation was a common occurrence. Pei Ziheng lowered his head and rubbed Xia Ling’s nose a little more, before gently saying, “I’ll go take a look. Take care of yourself and the child, okay?”

Xia Ling nodded.

She did not care for his business dealings. In contrast, she felt more relaxed when he was not around as she did not need to pretend to be a happy family anymore.

Xia Ling felt a little tired from having carried the child for a long time.

Thus, she instructed the nanny to carry the child back to the nursery for a rest before she grabbed a glass of orange juice from a waiter passing by and found a quiet corner to catch her breath.