A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

No wonder Li Bingyu was so anxious.

Li Bingman trailed off. “How, how could this be…” How could this young girl have such an impressive background, this was too much like a fairytale movie! She shook her head. “Sister, could there be a mistake? If she really had such a distinguished background, wouldn’t she have revealed it much earlier, rather than keep it hidden?”

Li Bingyu gritted her teeth, filled with hatred and fury. That sly girl loved to keep her identity hidden, which explained that one time at Imperial’s office that put her in a bad position. Back then, Li Bingyu had spent an entire afternoon crying her eyes out at the lift doors and was only let off when she cried till both her eyes swelled to the size of peaches. That very afternoon, what a joke she was to the eyes of many people!

Till today, her arch-enemies still used this incident to mock her!

However, this incident was too embarrassing, and she never told Li Bingman about it.

If she knew beforehand that this sly woman would be trying out for the training camp, she would have warned Li Bingman! “What conflict arose between the two of you? Tell me everything from start to end.” Li Bingyu demanded of her sister.

Therefore, Li Bingman told her about their encounter at the selection, the feud that started between them, up till whatever just happened.

Li Bingyu’s blood ran cold and she chided her sister. “How could you not have told me about this earlier?!”

Li Bingman also felt uncomfortable. The Li sisters both had a lot of pride. Just like how Li Bingyu would never reveal to her sister about the time she spent an entire afternoon crying at the elevator, Li Bingman would never confide in her about her losing the title of first place.

It was just too embarrassing.

Whatever she said now, it was too late anyway. Li Bingman asked her sister pitifully, “What am I supposed to do now?”

Li Bingyu clenched her teeth. “What more is there to do? Admit your mistake! Regardless of the price to pay, you have to get her to forgive you!” From what happened the last time at the Imperial’s office elevator, it was very clear that Pei Ziheng pampered Xia Ling. If they were to be remembered for what they did, it would be a threat to the sisters’ journey to fame.

Li Bingman could only nod her head.

As both sisters planned how they were to go about doing it, the doorbell rang.

The sisters shared a glance. Li Bingyu went to open the door. “Manager Chu?!” she called out in shock. Chu Chen was Imperial Entertainment’s General Manager, and also the manager for Imperial Entertainment’s Zhou Jingzhi, who won the Best Male Actor award, and Luo Xuan, known as the King of Singers. He wasn’t someone whom she frequently interacted with, and they weren’t very familiar with each other too. Why would he come to her place?

Chu Chen wore a body-fitting tuxedo suit, emitting an aura of grace and elegance. “Sorry to bother you, is it convenient for me to come in?”

“You are a guest who is tough to even invite. Please come in!” Li Bingyu smiled. The nature of the relationship between an artiste and their manager was usually one party being dominant over the other. It either swung in favour of the artiste or the manager.

In the case of Imperial, a highly reputable entertainment company where many artistes flocked to, which was known for being powerful in bringing artistes to immense fame, holding the title of General Manager shot Chu Chen high up the hierarchy ladder.

Chu Chen entered the house unhurriedly and took a seat. “Is this Miss Li Bingman?”

He looked towards Li Bingman.

Li Bingman was flattered. She had heard from her sister about how things were like in Imperial and she was constantly keeping up-to-date on what went on in the entertainment scene. She was well aware of how powerful this man was. “Yes, I am. I’m honored to meet you.”

She fought to tamp down the overwhelming joy in her heart and struggled to sit with a dignified posture in order to give Chu Chen a good impression of her.

Her sister recently complained about how her current manager wasn’t up to standard. If her manager were to be changed to Chu Chen, it would send all her competitors way behind her. However, unless there was a special reason, managers were rarely changed in Imperial, so her sister stood no chance. But what about herself? She had many days ahead of her. She would be very fortunate to be able to fall under the care of Chu Chen if she managed to get him as her manager when she debuted. The more Li Bingman thought about this possibility, the more excited she got. She stared at the man in front of her with a gleam in her eyes.

As usual, Chu Chen was well-mannered as he spoke. “Miss Li Bingman, I came here to find you.”

“To… to find me?” Li Bingman was stunned, and a wave of pure elation immediately consumed her. To be sought out by a person like Chu Chen, it was a blessing! Could it be that she had caught Chu Chen’s attention, and he had the intention to take care of her? There had been cases in the past where the trainee had not graduated but entered into the industry prematurely because they were scouted. Every single one of them was a specially picked talent.

Li Bingyu’s heart sank. She knew better than her sister regarding what kind of person Chu Chen was. Even though her sister did possess some talent, it was definitely not up to Chu Chen’s standards. If that was the case, then why would he lay his eyes on this girl? There could only be one possibility…

“Manager Chu…” Li Bingyu hated the fact that her sister got into trouble, but she could not refrain from seeking forgiveness for her. “If you have anything to say, say it to me. Bingman is still young and naive, please do forgive her for any offenses she may have committed.”

Li Bingman got upset. What did her sister mean by this? Was she not giving her a chance?

Could it be that her sister was jealous of her?

“Manager Chu, my sister was just being polite.” Li Bingman immediately chuckled. “I’m not young anymore, how could I still be depending on my sister? If you have anything to say to me, just tell it to me straight.”

“Bingman!” Li Bingyu was beyond anxious.

Chu Chen laughed. “Sisterhood really is strong indeed.”

Li Bingman smiled, feeling flattered. “Thank you for the praise, Manager Chu.”

“Since this is the case.” Chu Chen slowly opened the briefcase he brought with him, retrieving an object wrapped in a white paper. “Miss Li Bingman, you yourself shall settle this matter. Director has heard of how you placed nails inside Miss Xia Ling’s dancing shoes. He is furious, and therefore, decided to give you a small punishment.”

“What?!” Li Bingman was stunned.

Li Bingyu had already guessed this was going to happen, and her heart sank even further. She suppressed the rising uneasiness inside her and forced out a laugh. “Manager Chu, Bingman was naive and failed to understand the consequences of offending Miss Xia. I was just disciplining her about this, and she didn’t mean to do it. She has admitted to her mistake.”

Chu Chen spoke slowly and methodically, “Why, you’re not willing to accept the Director’s punishment?”

“I’m willing, I am!” Li Bingyu was in cold sweat. Standing in front of this man made her feel bare and vulnerable as if she were facing a mysterious yet dangerous monster.

“I wasn’t asking you,” Chu Chen said gently.

“I…” Li Bingman was also feeling so anxious that a sheen of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. She didn’t expect this to be the reason why Chu Chen came over! Whatever hopes of climbing the social ladder, of beautifully charming ideas she had envisioned, were all dashed at that very moment. She only bore hatred within her heart—hate for herself, for the fact that of all people, she offended Pei Ziheng; hatred for Xia Ling, that sly woman who hid her true identity!

Chu Chen slowly tore open the paper-wrapped package. Under the lights in the living room, she could see two rusty nails quietly lying side by side in the package. At that moment, Li Bingman could guess what he was going to do, and fear gripped her so hard her face turned pale.

“I… I don’t want to!” she cried out.