A Star Reborn: The Queen's Return

Chapter 82 - Escaping The Nightmare

This chapter has been translated by Atlas Studios. All credits belong to them.

She was trembling and looking at him fearfully with no way of answering.

He caressed her bare shoulder and she jolted, instinctively wanting to hide, but his grip was firm as he reached down to grab her waist.

"Ye Xingling," he said. "just surrender already."

She was practically on the verge of insanity as she struggled against all odds and kicked him profusely. Unfortunately, her efforts were futile, he had suppressed her with might.

Just as she was about to lose all hope, a leopard silently appeared in the corner of the room behind Pei Ziheng. It was looking right at her.

It was... Er Mao!

For the first time in her life, she genuinely embraced its presence and was overwhelmed.

The slight change in her expression could not escape Pei Ziheng's discerning eyes. He seemed to notice something was off and turned around, only to see Er Mao pouncing on him. Pei Ziheng ducked to the side and avoided the attack, but his right arm and shirt had been scratched by Er Mao's razor-sharp claws, and blood was beginning to trickle down his arm.

Er Mao landed on the ground lightly. Without glancing at Xia Ling, it arched its back slightly and stared at Pei Ziheng.

It did not let out a roar, as if knowing that the man before him did not warrant one. Pei Ziheng was not making a sound either as he stared back at the leopard and got into a defensive pose, with no attempt to shrink back nor a hint of anxiousness.

She remembered Pei Ziheng had mentioned in her last life that heirs like him had to undergo harsh training since they were young, and even being outnumbered by a few bodyguards during a fight was manageable for them. But she could not tell whether Er Mao or he was stronger. After all, Er Mao was a carnivorous beast.

Xia Ling's mind was in a flurry.

The man and leopard standing on opposing ends took a few steps anticlockwise, with no other significant movement. Suddenly, as Pei Ziheng bumped into the table behind him, Er Mao took the opportunity and leaped towards him, aiming for his neck.

Pei Ziheng managed to evade it once again, meanwhile reaching for a sword on the wall.

What appeared to be a wall decoration was, in fact, a sharp, well-polished sword. Even from a few meters away, Xia Ling could clearly sense the threat it posed.

Er Mao went low with its ears drawn back, and with a powerful swing of its tail, it went for him once more.

They were shifting positions too quickly for her to keep up. With the mattress and furniture between her and the two of them, she could barely see what was going on. Xia Ling tugged at the handcuffs and, when it still did not budge, she got anxious. She badly wanted to be aware of the situation, but at this point, she had no idea who she was more worried for — Pei Ziheng or Er Mao.

Unexpectedly, she heard the leopard's groan, sounding like a cross between anger and pain.

Xia Ling got a shock and stretched as far as she could to find out what had happened. Behind the mattress, she saw Er Mao on the ground, its shoulder evidently injured as blood dyed its fur.

But it did not back off. It continued the battle.

She understood that it was here to save her and would not surrender for as long as she was not saved. Xia Ling was even more flustered, but all she could do was tug at the cuffs in the hope that it would unbuckle, but all that greeted her was more pain.