A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Big Boss did not bother to dispute with her. He admired her beauty and then hugged her with satisfaction.

What they did was consensual. After throwing a tantrum for a while, she felt tired and slept in his arms. This time, Li Lei did not disturb her. He lightly carried her to the shower and ordered someone to change the mattress bedding before placing her back on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

As he left the bedroom, butler John said, “Young Master, Tan Ying is here.”

Tan Ying was a sensible person. If he did not have something extremely urgent to report, he would not disturb Li Lei in his private mansion during his personal time. After hearing that he was there, Li Lei said, “Invite him to the study.”

As he rushed towards his study, he buttoned his shirt.

The sunlight in the study room was radiant, and it was filled with the scent of agarwood bookshelves mixed with the rich smell of a winter afternoon. The air was still, and the tea was fragrant. Tan Ying sat on a single-seater sofa in the corner and was deep in thought. There was a slight severity in his eyes that Li Lei did not even notice when he walked in front of him.

Li Lei sat down opposite him.

“Boss.” He was taken back when he saw Li Lei.

Li Lei asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Remember that time when you told me to investigate Miss Ye’s history again? I have findings.” Tan Ying said. They had investigated Ye Xingling’s background a long time ago, and then, the conclusion was that her background was clean. Although there were unsolvable doubts surrounding her, on the surface, everything seemed normal.

“What are they?” Li Lei asked with a deep voice. Recently, after he learned about Xiao Ling’s real birth chart, he deeply suspected that the “Ye Xingling” that was alive today was not the true Ye Xingling. Who was she then? He instructed Tan Ying to investigate again to find out the differences in character and lifestyles between the old Ye Xingling and the new Ye Xingling. Were they very distinct? Was there a period of time when she had a sudden drastic change in personality?

Tan Ying said, “When she was younger, Ye Xingling was weak, shy, and introverted. She was very tolerant of being scolded and was someone who went unnoticed like a shadow. During the year when she entered the training camp, she was bullied by the teachers and students. They were all ruthless when bullying her physically and emotionally. Her singing and dancing were all very ordinary. Even her stage presence was bad, and she did not shine like how she does now.”

Li Lei nodded. Xiao Ling now did not look weak at all. Bullied by others? It was not bad if she did not bully others. If anyone dared to bully her, she would definitely get revenge and remain proud.

Tan Ying continued, “She slowly changed about two years ago. In that period of time, she was under a lot of pressure as she ranked last in all the various tests. If she continued like this, she would be kicked out soon. She practiced all day and night and even fainted a few times because of overwork. After that, suddenly, there was a day when things suddenly improved for her. Her singing and dancing skills vastly improved, and soon, she was chosen to be part of Wei Shaoyin’s group dance shoot and went to your villa where she met you.”

Tan Ying paused and frowned. “Perhaps this is not a coincidence.”

“You suspect that Xiao Ling was not the real Ye Xingling anymore then, and she deliberately wanted to get close to me?” Li Lei asked.

Tan Ying sighed. “There’s a huge possibility. She may be a spy sent by other forces to remain close by your side.”

Li Lei slightly frowned. “Tan Ying, we have talked about this problem before. Xiao Ling can’t be a spy. How can a spy be as stupid and innocent as her and remain by my side for two years without stealing from me?”

Tan Ying disagreed. “However, judging from the situation now, you’ve already decided to marry her. Once she lowers your guard, enters the Li family, and has access to the core secrets, it would not be too late to hurt the Li family…”

Li Lei replied, “Assuming that there really is a force behind her, and that force really wants to get a woman to marry me, why didn’t they look for someone more beautiful or someone who is from an equally prominent family? Two years ago, who could predict so accurately that I would fall in love with Xiao Ling now?”

Wait, a prediction…

Unexpectedly, Li Lei thought of a person. The Preceptor, Xia Moyan.

The Preceptor could do things that ordinary people could not do with ease. However, if The Preceptor were at odds with any powerful person, he would have a very secretive and unpredictable plan and would not have to go through that trouble. There was something strange about this entire situation. Why did The Preceptor look for Xiao Ling alone? Why did he also tell Xiao Ling his real name?

Li Lei seemed to have vaguely realized something, but it was still not concrete.

Tan Ying said, “Fine, even if you are right, you have to take precautions. Before we clearly understand Miss Ye’s background, I don’t recommend that you marry her.”

Li Lei smiled bitterly. He could not marry her now even if he wanted to as the time was not right. He had not completely dealt with the Li family yet and could not let Xiao Ling marry into such a dangerous place. In time, he would give her a safe and happy home.

He avoided this topic and asked Tan Ying, “What else have you found out?”

Tan Ying’s expression was uneasy. “Her handwriting.”

“Handwriting?” Li Lei felt an ominous premonition.

“It also changed two years ago when her temperament and abilities started to change. Her handwriting became completely different from when she was younger. I have taken her handwriting to handwriting experts for analysis, and all the experts felt that it could not be the same person’s handwriting.” Tan Ying lifted his head to look at Li Lei. “Boss, I really hope that she’s just a spy.”

“Why do you say this?” Li Lei’s premonition became even worse.

“After knowing that Miss Ye’s handwriting changed, I did another careful investigation regarding her past, and many people started saying that she was like the spirit of the deceased Diva Xia Ling after she sang ‘Sea Demon’ two years ago. Not only that, I obtained a copy of Xia Ling’s handwriting, and after a comparison analysis by the handwriting experts, they confirmed that it was done by the same person.”

“What?!” This time, even Li Lei who tried to see the bigger picture was completely baffled. “Can you say that again? That’s impossible! Xia Ling is already dead! Furthermore, their birthdays do not match!” How could his Xiao Ling be Xia Ling? This was the most disastrous outcome that he did not want to think about. Tan Ying was right. He really wished that Xiao Ling was just a spy. No matter whose spy she was, or even assassin, it was better than being Xia Ling!

“That’s impossible.” Li Lei forced himself to calm down. “You must have made a mistake somewhere.”

“The time when Ye Xingling’s personality suddenly changed corresponded with the time Xia Ling died. This means that after Xia Ling died, Ye Xingling started to change.” As if he wanted to eliminate all of Li Lei’s hopes, Tan Ying said, “I also didn’t want to believe this inconceivable news at first. Could it be that Xia Ling isn’t dead? Could it be that she had plastic surgery and secretly changed her name to ‘Ye Xingling’?”