A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return
chapter-472

Auntie Liu touched everything that she could, and every sentence was punctuated with words related to money and wealth.

Xia Ling felt a headache coming on from all the noise, but she ignored her and held onto Grandma Ye. She asked, “Grandma, how have you been? I’ve missed you.”

“Grandma also missed you.” Grandma Ye’s smiled kindly and held onto Xia Ling’s hand. “Hey little girl, you must have been so tired these two years. You’ve had a hard time, haven’t you?” Even though she had not seen her granddaughter in a long while, she kept in touch with all the news reports about her. She knew that she had dated Skyart Entertainment’s Big Boss Li Lei for a period of time, and then it was reported that they had broken up. Then, she had gone on to film variety shows, release albums, changed artiste management companies… and then gotten pregnant with Imperial Entertainment Chairman Pei’s child and completed a shotgun marriage. So many things had happened in these two short years. Grandma Ye could not imagine what mental turmoil Xiao Ling had gone through.

Xia Ling felt tears starting to build in her eyes. Everyone only saw the glamorous part of her life and were jealous that she had married well. They would always discuss behind her back what despicable things she had done to have gotten so lucky and to gain the favor of a man like Pei Ziheng. Only she knew the blood, sweat, and tears she shed behind the scenes.

No one understood her… only this kindly Old Grandma who hit the nail on the head.

Xia Ling sniffled and pushed the fragility in her voice back. She laughed and said, “No, I haven’t had a tough time at all. I’ve been doing well in these two years. I have a good career, a happy family… everyone is envious of me.”

Grandma Ye smiled. She knew that Xiao Ling was not revealing the whole truth, but she wasn’t going to pry further.

This girl didn’t even know how to lie well. What did she mean she was doing well? One could tell if a woman was doing well from her physical attributes and pallor, not her words.

So how was Xiao Ling?

Grandma Ye held onto her hand and could tell that she was so skinny it was almost like she was just skin and bones. This clearly showed that she had not eaten well during her pregnancy, and there was poor regard for her confinement period. She was a wealthy madam now, and logically, she should have tons of people helping her out, not having to worry about clothes or food. How was it that she was not well taken care of?

Grandma Ye was concerned. Today, Xiao Ling’s husband was not present even though it was the first time they were visiting. Since Pei Ziheng was not here, did this not mean that he didn’t really care about Xiao Ling? As such, Xiao Ling’s physical health was being neglected, and she was putting up a strong front?

Grandma Ye heart went out to Xiao Ling. “You’re so skinny. Don’t you know how to take care of yourself? Xiao Ling, if you have anything that’s weighing down on your heart, you can tell Grandma. Grandma might not know much, but I’ll help wherever I can.”

Xia Ling was touched but said, “Grandma, I’m really doing well. I’m skinny because the little baby is a difficult little thing. In fact, all I do every day is the take care of the baby, eat and sleep. I will gain some weight after a while.”

Grandma Ye’s frown lifted a little.

She asked Xia Ling, “Where’s the little baby? Bring him out for Grandma to see.”

Xia Ling helped Grandma Ye to the living room to sit down and instructed the nanny to bring the little baby out. The baby was sleeping in the cot, bubbles forming at his mouth as he opened and closed his mouth in his sleep. Thick and long lashes framed his closed eyes. Xia Ling adoringly wiped his mouth before indicating to the nanny to carry him over to where Grandma Ye was sitting.

The baby was extremely sensitive and immediately felt the change in the environment. He woke with a start and started to cry. Xia Ling remarked helplessly, “This child loves to cry.”

She reached out intending to carry the child away from Grandma Ye to appease him.

However, Grandma Ye refused as she cooed to the child and shook him in her arms. The baby gradually quietened down and stopped crying.

Xia Ling watched in amazement, and the nanny standing to the side too stared in awe.

The nanny said in reverence. “You’re really skilled, Grandma. We take such a long time to coax him before the Young Master quietens down.”

Grandma Ye carefully caressed the child, saying, “I think this child is a little weak, and his soul isn’t too stable. He’s easily frightened. You need to take care of him well. When he grows older, it will get better.”

Her words seemed to have some magical powers, and Xia Ling felt much more at ease.

Originally, Nanny Zhou had given Xia Ling the same feeling, and she was also someone with a wealth of experience caring for children. However, the abortion medicine incident during her pregnancy caused her to hold a grudge against Nanny Zhou and lose all trust in her.

Now, she lamented to Grandma Ye. “It’s great having you here. I was thinking if the child had any issues since he loved crying so much. But the doctors didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.”

She had taken many antibiotics in the early days of her pregnancy and was constantly worried about the potential side effects on the child.

Grandma Ye laughed. “What abnormalities? Pfft, touch wood. In my view, some kids are just like that. They have a weaker disposition but have a luxurious life destined for them. This is too much for their little bodies to take. You just need to let him wear quilted outfits and to choose a middle name that is less flashy. He’ll become much better.”

Quilted clothes? Feng Kun had given her several of such outfits a while back. It seemed that Grandma Ye had also brought some with her this time around. The child could wear them for a long time. She thanked Grandma Ye.

Grandma Ye said, “What is there to thank me for? We’re family.”

She asked again, “Have you given the child a name yet?”

She did not mean it, but she had touched a soft spot on Xia Ling’s heart.

The child did not have a name yet. Every day, they would just call him baby. Even the media and fans were asking why they hadn’t come up with a name for the child yet. The main reason was that Xia Ling did not dare raise this with Pei Ziheng. After all, they had not decided if the child would follow his surname or hers. She did not know what Pei Ziheng was thinking, fearing that if she raised the issue, he would get angry and take it out on the child.

“We haven’t thought of a name yet.” Xia Ling said in a low voice.

Grandma Ye frowned. “Why haven’t you picked a name yet? It has been almost two months already, hasn’t it?”

Xia Ling did not know how to respond.

Even though Grandma Ye was blind, she knew exactly what was going on. There had to be something that Xiao Ling was hiding, seeing how frail she and the child was. However, she knew that she was in no place to pry. She continued to play with the baby. While the baby liked to cry, he also liked to laugh. He waved his little arms around happily in Grandma Ye’s arms.

Xia Ling accompanied Grandma Ye and made simple conversation.

A long time later.

Nanny Zhou brought Father Ye and Auntie Liu on a tour of the house.

Nanny Zhou could only take her hat off to how thick-skinned Auntie Liu was. She had insisted on touring the premises even though Nanny Zhou had told her that they could not do that. Auntie Liu had badgered Nanny Zhou to bring them around the outside of the bungalow instead, asking to see the nearby fountain, garden, and even the underground garage.