A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return
chapter-1141

There was a separate small restaurant on the VIP floor, which only served the patients and their families.

Pei Ziheng cleared the area, leaving only two of them in the elegant space. They ordered their meals and ate slowly. What he ordered for Xia Ling was a bowl of fragrant white porridge, a few dishes of nutritious side dishes, a glass of milk, a few slices of jam-covered bread and fruit. Xia Ling had no appetite and ate very little. Pei Ziheng persuaded her in a gentle voice. “For the child in your stomach, try to eat as much as you can.”

Xia Ling was silent and took the spoon that had been put down.

Since she had decided to give birth to this child, she shouldn’t be harsh on it. What if it was born unhealthy? She ate the food seriously as if to replenish the nutrients from the previous period.

Pei Ziheng saw that she was being obedient today, and started talking about the same topic. “I said that I would take you out to play. You rest well for this period of time, then we will go to Xi Cui Lake during the Spring Festival.” Yesterday, he had made Chu Chen cancel the trip of Xi Cui Lake in a fit of anger, but such a big thing had happened at night and steered him back to his original intentions.

Since Xiao Ling had figured it out, then of course he had to reward her.

Moreover, the old man Pei Zhenyuan was managing too much, did he really think he could pretend nothing happened?

Xia Ling looked at him doubtfully, her beautiful eyes seemingly misty in confusion. “Spring Festival? Are you not going back to the Pei family during the Spring Festival?” The Pei family had an unwritten rule—the whole family had to celebrate the Spring Festival every year. In the past, Xia Ling was the “head lady” and had also attended several times with Pei Ziheng. Later, because she was not on good terms with the Pei family who posed themselves as grandeur and orthodox, she threw a tantrum and stopped going.

However, although she could not attend, Pei Ziheng must attend every year as the patriarch.

So many years later, the two of them spent the Spring Festival separately. He would return to the Pei family for the New Year’s Eve and the first day of the New Year, then return to her on the second day and accompany her.

Thinking of this, Xia Ling felt a bit bleak. It turned out that her weight in his heart was always inferior to that of the Pei family. Unfortunately, she had been blinded by love then and had been so considerate of him until she discovered the cruel truth. Her eyes drooped slightly, covering the trace of sadness in her eyes.

Pei Ziheng said, “I’ll spend it with you this year.”

He did not explain the reason, and Xia Ling did not ask anymore. She thought maybe it was for the child’s sake.

She also spent some time in the hospital, and soon, the Spring Festival arrived. Pei Ziheng really brought her and the mighty medical team to Xi Cui Lake. He booked the entire lake and the surrounding resorts.

Xi Cui Lake had beautiful scenery, and it was tranquil and secluded.

Pei Ziheng gave a red packet to each staff member and told them to take care of Xia Ling. The people who received the red packets all smiled and were diligent in serving the two of them. Xia Ling’s mood gradually improved because of their smiles.

The lake was a changeable jade color. The whole lake was like a jade mirror in a fairyland, reflecting the light and shadow. After the snow fell, you could see that half of the lake was covered with a thin layer of ice. It was crystal clear in the sun, and below it, you could see the colorful fishes. The other half of the lake sparkled with a little bit of gold and was breathtakingly beautiful.

Xia Ling liked to walk along the lake. Especially when Pei Ziheng was called suddenly to deal with some business affairs, she walked slowly toward the clear sunshine of winter.

On this day, she walked to the waterfront pavilion on the lakeside. When she was tired, she sat down and rested. Looking at the beautiful lake, her thoughts drifted away, and there was an illusion that the years she had spent were quiet and peaceful.

Unfortunately, this illusion was broken shortly.

“Xia Ling.” Someone called her arrogantly.

She frowned. Who would dare to talk to her in such an unclean tone? Looking back, it turned out to be the daughter of the Pei family—Pei Jingyu. Pei Jingyu stood in front of her, dressed in a white down jacket. Her long curly hair was highlighted with purple streaks and it framed her beautiful face, making people unable to avert their gaze away. Although Xia Ling was a rare beauty herself, Pei Jingyu was also a remarkably beautiful noble lady.

Of course, she only admired her in her heart.

On the surface, she looked at Pei Jingyu coldly and asked, “How come you’re here?”

Pei Jingyu looked at her proudly. “Why do you care? Is Big Cousin here?”

It turned out she was looking for Pei Ziheng. Xia Ling was too lazy to take care of their family’s affairs. She lowered her eyes and fiddled with a small fruit on the stone table. “Why are you asking me where’s your Big Cousin? It’s better to call him and ask him.”

Pei Jingyu was angry and couldn’t help but scream. “Vixen!”

Xia Ling was also angry. “Pay attention to your wording, Miss Pei!”

Pei Jingyu looked at her and sneered. “You are not a vixen? What method did you use to attract my Big Cousin to stay here? Don’t you know that it’s the last day of the lunar year soon? All the people are waiting for him to lead everyone in worshipping the ancestors! Do you know how angry my uncle is? Call him back quickly!”

Xia Ling thought, If only I was able to influence Pei Ziheng’s actions.

She was already unable to do anything, so how could she possibly promise Pei Jingyu? But she had mentioned that old man Pei Zhenyuan—Humph, she was furious, how dare he think of making her infertile forever!

She also laughed proudly at Pei Jingyu. “Look at what you are doing now, what is the difference between you and a roadside rogue? Anyway, you have never treated me as family. Now, when a problem has arisen in your family, you come to me? Funny.”

Pei Jingyu was furious. “Xia Ling, you don’t know what you are doing! Do you know what Big Cousin is facing by condoning your waywardness? Several elders have said that if he does not go back, he will not be the patriarch of the family! If you say that you love him, don’t drag his hind legs.”

Xia Ling was a little embarrassed. She did not expect him to face such a big pressure by accompanying her in the Xi Cui Lake to spend the Spring Festival.

But so what? Even if he spent a hundred Chinese New Years with her, he still couldn’t make up for the damage caused by the marriage contract. Xia Ling only returned to her senses in a flash and stood up. “I have no time to accompany you here to waste your saliva. Look at you now, you’re really shaming your family! Why aren’t you getting lost?”

While talking, she pushed past Pei Jingyu’s shoulder and walked out of the pavilion.

Pei Jingyu was furious and reached out to pull her. “Don’t go, you vixen!”

Xia Ling dexterously dodged to the side. The white marble on the ground was iced and very slippery, but she turned around in the air with a good sense of balance, like a light water bird sweeping over the ice. She stood firmly as if it were a dance step. On the other hand, Pei Jingyu was not so lucky. She was unable to keep her balance and fell into the icy cold lake.

Xia Ling was shocked. She looked at Pei Jingyu struggling in the lake and her expression changed. She instinctively shouted to the surrounding, “Help! Help! Someone fell into the lake!”