A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The old grandma turned the water heater on for her and tested it.

The bathroom was old and narrow and it took the lamp a few flickers before shining dimly. Xia Ling wasn’t used to such a place, but she was already counting herself lucky to be able to find a safe place for now. Without a complaint, she removed her dirty high-class clothing, revealing her fair skin beneath.

She looked in the mirror at herself.

On the fair canvas were patches of purple and green. Some were the wounds from having been beaten while others were traces of aggression left by Pei Ziheng when he violated her. Seeing them brought back all the horrific memories, making it all too hard to breathe.

She went pale as a sheet and took some time before composing herself and murmuring, “Xia Ling, it’s all over now, you’ve escaped. You’ll never have to go through such torture again.” But that didn’t stop her from feeling devastated. She used to admire and respect him so much, but in just a month or so, everything changed.

She squatted in the bathroom for a long time as she wrapped her arms around herself. A long time later, she finally turned on the tap and allowed the warm water to come into contact with her battered skin.

The warmth of the water stung.

And it felt like this was probably the only way to numb herself from the pain in her heart.

She washed for a pretty long time before turning the tap off and toweling herself dry.

The old grandma knocked on the door from the outside. “Miss, are you done showering? I’ll bring you some clothes.”

She pushed the bathroom door open before Xia Ling even responded. With no time to cover herself up, Xia Ling stood there, bare-bodied, in front of the old grandma. The old grandma looked at her in shock, even her hand was shaking. “Oh gosh, Miss, you…”

She touched her own face and remembered that she’d removed her sunglasses when she showered. She’d revealed her pretty face, one that was famous enough to be recognized by almost anyone. Slightly uncomfortable with the current situation, Xia Ling said, “Granny, you recognize me? Don’t let anyone know I’m here…”

But the old grandma simply asked shakily, “Miss, how did all these bruises come about?”

Xia Ling was momentarily stunned.

The warm water had felt so good, she’d forgotten about the wounds on her body. At this point, she had no idea what to say, and they stood silently looking at each other. But the old grandma reacted first and handed her the clean clothes. “Put these on first, we’ll talk out here instead.”

Xia Ling dressed very slowly.

The clothes belonged to the old grandma’s daughter. The soft cotton against her skin felt soft and cozy. With the comfort of the outfit, her emotions felt a lot more at ease and stable as well. She walked out when she was done and said to the old grandma, “He did this.”

She did not mention who.

But sometimes, three words were all it took for women to understand each other. The old grandma looked at her with sympathy and love. “What a beast! Is that why you can’t go home?”

Xia Ling quietly said, “Yup.”

“Poor girl…” The old grandma said. “Make a police report. I’ll go to the police station with you and tell them about this domestic abuse. He’ll be punished by them!”

“There’s no point.” Xia Ling gave a sad smile. Pei Ziheng was so powerful, it wouldn’t take much for him to free himself from the police. Moreover, making a police report was akin to revealing her whereabouts to him.

But the old grandma misunderstood her concerns and sighed. “You’re right, there’s only so much the police and authorities can do. They can’t possibly guarantee your safety forever.”

On second thought, she added, “Miss, get a divorce with him.”

Xia Ling’s voice was even softer now. “We aren’t married.”

It felt like a stab to the chest as the pain spread all over her.

The old grandma looked at her for a while before saying, “Such a sin… Miss, if you don’t mind my place, you can put up here for now. You’re still young, you’ll be able to live a good life even without him. You can move out of here when you’ve found a better place to rest.”

Xia Ling was taken aback by her kindness. “I’m already very grateful that you’re willing to put me up for a night. I’ll be too embarrassed to stay any longer.”

But the old grandma said, “What’s there to be embarrassed about? You don’t have a place to rest now, and you can’t possibly return to that place! Miss, what’s your job, where are your parents? How could your parents not know that you’ve escaped from that man? What about your relatives or friends, I can help you contact them.”

Xia Ling looked at her, slightly shocked. “You don’t know who I am?”

The old grandma was confused. “Should I know who you are?”

Xia Ling paused for a moment before realizing that this old grandma probably hadn’t been updated about the entertainment circle in years. She didn’t even recognize this globally acknowledged Diva! But this was good too, she could now be assured that nobody would come looking for her in this hiding place. With that thought, she smiled a little and said to the old grandma, “I’m Xiao Ling. If you don’t mind me as a hindrance, I’ll be here for a while.”

The old grandma couldn’t possibly mind her presence.

The elderly who lived alone often felt lonely and abandoned, it was really nice to have a companion.

Every morning, the old grandma would get groceries and prepare a meal while Xia Ling stayed home to accompany the cats and clean the house clumsily. After lunch, they would drink some tea and have a chat before the old grandma left to feed the wild cats while she did the dishes at home. She’d never done such chores before and was doing a subpar job, but the old grandma wasn’t unhappy with her in any way. Instead, she smiled and said, “Girls these days don’t have to do much house chores at home. It’s good enough that you have the thought. Miss, take a break, I’ll take over from here.”

But Xia Ling stubbornly continued to help out.

Since she was already troubling her by staying at her place, it’d be too much if she simply put up for free.

The old grandma said, “If you really want to help out, why don’t you come out with me to feed the cats? There are a few spots around here that the wild cats like to visit, it’ll be hard for me to carry all that feed out.”

Xia Ling agreed to it.

She put on her sunglasses and covered herself in the old grandma’s daughter’s old scarf before leaving the house.

The old grandma looked at her oddly. “It isn’t sunny out today, why the sunglasses?”

She was closer to the old grandma now after spending much time together. After some thought, she said, “M-My identity is a little special, I’m afraid I’ll be recognized by others if I don’t put this on.”

“Special? Are you a princess?” The old grandma teased her. “Xiao Ling, you’re so beautiful, are you really a princess? Which country have you come from?”

Xia Ling smiled upon hearing this.

As good as their relationship was, she couldn’t help but feel bad about putting up at her place without paying for food or rental. That day, she decided to take off her diamond earrings and hand it to the old grandma. “Keep this, just take it as my accommodation and meal fees for this period.”

The old grandma got a shock and hurriedly declined. “This isn’t cheap, right? I can’t accept this. Xiao Ling, you’re here as a form of company for me too. Although I’m not well-off, I can still afford to feed one more person, it’s not a problem. Keep these earrings for yourself.”