A Star Reborn: The Queen's Return

Chapter 1054: Strawberry Ice Cream

The driver was putting the luggage in the trunk and heard a sound. He turned his head in shock. “Miss, are you alright?”

He hurriedly closed the trunk and came over. He was about to examine the injury on her forehead when she shook her head with tears in her eyes. She pushed the driver’s hand away and got into the car by herself.

The driver had no choice but to drive the car.

The car traveled along the bustling streets and passed by high-rise buildings and pedestrians. Xia Ling curled up and covered her forehead, quietly letting her tears flow freely. The grievances from entering the Training Camp rose to the surface of her mind. Was she too naive? In this world, was it difficult to move a single step if she did not have background nor power?

Had she been wrong to insist on entering the Training Camp on her own strength?

She cried for a long time like a wounded little beast. Unconsciously, she heard the driver say, “Miss, we’re home.”

She opened the door without saying a word and entered the house.

It was only two or three o’clock in the afternoon and Pei Ziheng was not yet home. Nanny Zhou, who had been cleaning the house, came up and saw her red eyes. She was startled. “Miss, what happened?”

She still said nothing, went upstairs and locked herself in the bedroom.

Nanny Zhou looked at her leave in concern, then she looked curiously at the driver. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” the driver said. “She cried when she accidentally bumped against the car just now, but I think Miss has something on her heart.”

Nanny Zhou nodded and turned to prepare Xia Ling’s favorite strawberry ice cream. She took the crystal clear crystal bowl and knocked on Xia Ling’s door. “Miss, please open the door.”

There was no movement.

Nanny Zhou knocked again. “Miss, Miss?”

There was a muffled voice inside. “What?”

“Today’s strawberries are particularly good.” Nanny Zhou paused for a while and said, “I mentioned it to Sir in the morning and he said that you like strawberry ice cream the most. He asked me to pick the biggest and sweetest one for you. Should I bring it in?”

The door opened and Xia Ling stood at the door with her red, swollen eyes. Her voice was a little hoarse. “I was going to live in the Training Camp today, why did Brother Pei ask you to prepare ice cream for me at home?”

Nanny Zhou was stuck for a bit and secretly scolded herself for being muddled. She had quickly made up a lie and had almost spilled the beans. This ice cream wasn’t ordered by Pei Ziheng at all, she had made it to comfort Xia Ling after seeing that she was in a bad mood. She smiled and rounded the matter as though nothing happened. “Sir told me to send it to you at night.”

Xia Ling glanced at the crystal bowl. The beautiful pink ice cream was dotted with mint and strawberries. The thick milky aroma and the sweet fragrance of the frosting were very tempting. She reached out and took it. “Thank you, Nanny Zhou.” She stopped crying and carried the ice cream to the sofa. She sat cross-legged and dug into it with a small spoon.

Nanny Zhou seized the opportunity to walk over and sat down next to her. “Miss, is there something on your mind? Who bullied you?”

She ate the ice cream bit by bit and said after a long time, “Nothing.” After a while, she said again, “The teacher said there weren’t enough rooms so I can’t live on campus. Tell me, would Brother Pei be angry if he knew?”

So she was worried about this? Nanny Zhou heaved a sigh of relief and felt her heart ache slightly. Miss didn’t even know that all this was part of Sir’s plans and had cried in vain. Looking at her really made her feel bad.

She couldn’t help but lay out the logic for Xia Ling. “Sir is so good to you, why would he be angry over such a little thing? If you were to live back here he would be over the moon. He wants to be with you so badly.”

“He won’t even be angry!” Xia Ling was about to cry again. “The Training Camp people are all so bad!”

“He will be angry, he will,” Nanny Zhou said hurriedly in fright. She didn’t dare to make this little devil cry again. She paused again before asking apprehensively, “Did the Training Camp people upset you?”

“Yes.” Xia Ling dug into a little strawberry with her little spoon but did not eat it. “They all pushed me aside.”

Nanny Zhou looked at the girl in front of her with pity. It must feel miserable to be pushed aside by others? She had heard that back in the orphanage Miss had been excluded by other children because she was too beautiful and had been liked by many adoptive families. Later, when she entered the Pei family, the Pei family girls had also regarded her as a different species. She didn’t expect that now in the Training Camp, the same thing happened...

Sometimes being beautiful was a good thing, but if she was overly beautiful and yet lacked a good family background, it was hard to tell if it was a blessing or a calamity. Nanny Zhou said with sympathy, “It’s not your fault. They just don’t understand how good you are.”

Under her gentle words, the little girl’s heart was soothed.

Xia Ling blew her nose and said as if talking to herself, “Yes, they’re the ones at fault, I didn’t do anything wrong.” She looked up at Nanny Zhou. “Nanny Zhou, don’t tell Brother Pei that I cried, okay?”

It was so embarrassing and she didn’t want Pei Ziheng to worry over her.

Nanny Zhou smiled. “Okay, I’ll get you an ice towel. You can lay it on your eyes and rest, or your eyes will be red and Sir will be able to tell at first glance.” She went to get an ice towel.

Xia Ling put it on obediently and fell asleep unknowingly.

She dreamt that she was surrounded by a group of people. There were the big children from the orphanage, Pei Jingyu and the others, as well as Li Bingman and her followers... They degraded her, mocked her, and threw stinky eggs and stones at her...

“I, I’m not a little beggar that nobody wants...!” In her dream, she shouted softly.

She opened her eyes and found that Pei Ziheng was close to her. Her head was resting on his lap and her body was covered with his suit coat. Under the dim lights, he was leaning on the sofa reading a financial report. His brows were slightly wrinkled and his expression was a little cold. “Brother Pei...” She rubbed her eyes and sat up. “Why am I...”

Why was she sleeping on his lap?

Pei Ziheng looked down and saw that she was awake. His wrinkled brows stretched out. “Are you hungry?”

When he said this, she turned her head and looked at the window to discover it was already dark. “I’m not hungry,” she said softly. Her voice still sounded groggy since she just woke up. “You’re back.”

“I’ve been back for a while,” he said gently, putting the suit coat that had slipped from her shoulders back on her body. “You cried?”

“Oh?” She was a little shocked. “How did you know?”

Didn’t she already put ice on her eyes?

Pei Ziheng said warmly, “How could I not know?” Even if Nanny Zhou had let her put ice on her eyes, this child was too obvious when she was upset. She had been crying in her sleep. At the moment, her eyes were as red as that of a rabbit.

Xia Ling felt wronged. “You don’t know so many things.”

She wanted to cry again.

“What don’t I know? Tell me.” He threw away the financial report in his hand and extended his arm to bring her into his embrace. His chin rested on the crown of her head, giving him a soft touch. These days, the two had lived in the same bedroom and he had often helped cover her with her blanket and wear her jacket. There had even been physical contact sometimes and she hadn’t rejected it.

Xia Ling found a comfortable posture in his arms and began to tell him what happened in the Training Camp while feeling aggrieved.