A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

The barbeque club wasn’t far from the Training Camp, only a ten-minute drive away.

The driver got off first and opened a big black umbrella before pulling open the rear door. Pei Ziheng got off and helped Xia Ling into the club. The private room they had booked in advance was on the first floor. It was the quietest and most comfortable part of the whole barbecue club. The semi-open environment allowed them to see the beautiful snow falling down and the wooden fences on the left and right preventing the snow from flying in.

The charcoal fire burned bright red in the barbecue grill.

The two ordered a lot of food and Pei Ziheng slowly roasted the meat for her.

He was unfamiliar with the technique and the meat was unevenly cooked. He took a bite first and frowned.

“Is it not good?” Xia Ling looked up at him.

“It’s a bit half-cooked,” he said. “I’ll call the waiter to do it for us.”

“Don’t.” She stopped him. “It’s nice like this, don’t let other people bother us.”

A little surprised, his eyes became even more gentle. “Okay.” He lowered his head and focused on turning the barbecue more carefully. He copied the movements of the waiters in his memory of eating barbecue previously and sprinkled pepper and salt.

She had not roasted meat before and gradually developed an interest to help.

After much difficulty, they finally roasted one stick of meat. This time, it wasn’t half-cooked, and one side was a little burnt.

Xia Ling bit onto it and yelped as it burned her tongue. She said incoherently, “It’s delicious.”

“Really?” He smiled. He wasn’t confident in his cooking. He took the stick of meat from her hand and carefully cut the burnt portion with a knife. “Don’t eat the burnt parts, it’s not good for the body.”

“Everything you roast tastes good.” She grinned.

He was in a good mood and roasted another stick of meat and chicken heart for her. He gradually mastered the heat, the aroma from the oily meat passing through and dispersing onto the snow.

She fed him while eating. Before long, the two of them were full.

He asked for a cup of fruit vinegar for her. She drank with tiny sips and leaned against his shoulder to digest. Her pair of bright eyes brought a bit of tiredness after the meal and she looked at the snow fluttering in the small garden, her long eyelashes moving like a butterfly.

He whispered, “Are you sleepy?”

“A little.” Her voice was light and she rubbed her face against his shoulder.

He reached over her shoulder and held her in his arms. He breathed in the scent of her natural fragrance that was mixed with the barbecue scent. It was simply enchanting. “Go home to sleep tonight, the driver will send you to the Training Camp in the morning.”

She shook her head, her voice a little groggy. “No, it’s easy for others to find out I sneaked out.”

“What’s there to be afraid of with me around?”

“I don’t want others to find out I was adopted by you.”

Pei Ziheng didn’t speak anymore. He reached out to caress her smooth hair and picked away the bits of snowflakes on her head. After a long time, he said, “Apply for exemption of art class.”

“What?” She raised her head to look at him, a little stunned.

“I have never asked you to be perfect at everything. It’s enough for you to sing so well. As for whether or not you have any acting skills, it doesn’t matter if you advance only in the singing field.”

She remembered her poor performance in the classroom and blushed slightly. “I…” she said, “Is it really good to stop learning acting now? I’ve inquired about the exemption matter before, and it’s generally only applied for by the second-graders.” The teaching system of Imperial Entertainment was very mature and the first-grade was the time to build the foundation. In principle, Imperial didn’t allow students to apply for exemption and they must attend every class. Once the students were in second-grade and understood their own direction, they could then apply for an exemption.

The conditions for applying for exemption were also very demanding.

For example, the total score of ten courses had to be a thousand points. They could only be promoted to the next grade when the total score reached six hundred. Otherwise, they would have to drop out. After one of the courses was exempted, it would become nine courses. The total score would be nine hundred and the score to pass would still remain as six hundred. Hence, the difficulty was improved invisibly.

Xia Ling’s performance in singing and dancing was excellent, while her physical fitness and other courses were only in the middle. Her cultural class was even more tragic and she even had to cram for it. In this kind of situation, the burden of exempting the acting class was still quite large.

Pei Ziheng also had a general understanding of the status of the Training Camp. “It doesn’t matter, you have the falsetto. You can apply for an exemption and spend more time on singing. The others won’t be able to say anything. As for the total score, I believe you’ll be fine.” Wasn’t it just six hundred points? Even if she couldn’t do it, he could easily do it for her.

Of course, he didn’t tell her this.

Xia Ling hesitated. “Let me think about it.” She was still worried that her privilege would reveal her identity.

Pei Ziheng lowered his head and helped her roast another stick of meat. The two enjoyed the snow while eating. Night fell and the snow stopped. The night sky showed some stars and they got up to leave.

Pei Ziheng sent her back to the Training Camp.

The black Rolls-Royce was parked at the door of the deserted Training Camp as if blending in with the night.

“I’m going in, Brother Pei.” Xia Ling got off the car and turned back to wave at Pei Ziheng.

Pei Ziheng sent her step by step towards the gate with his eyes. Suddenly, he called her, “Xiao Ling.”

“Hmm?” She turned her head back gently.

In the curtain of the night under the stars, the door to the black Rolls-Royce opened and the tall man got out. He held a long scarf in his hand and walked up to her. “I just told the butler to send it over and almost forgot about it.” He wrapped the scarf around her neck. “It’s cold, don’t catch a cold.”

She stood still and let him put it around her.

The two were standing very close. She could smell the faint scent that belonged to males off him. She felt the delicate cashmere scarf rubbing softly on her cheek, like a feather gently sliding across her heart, making her itchy.

Suddenly, she was a little uncomfortable. She didn’t know why, but her face blushed slightly.

She lowered her head and didn’t dare to look at him. When he finished tying the scarf around her, she quickly turned around and ran away.

Pei Ziheng stood in the same place and watched for a long time as her figure disappeared into the depths of the Training Camp.

Snow fell bit by bit.

A black umbrella was silently moved over the top of Pei Ziheng’s head, helping him block the snow for him.

“Is everything done?” Pei Ziheng did not look back and asked.

“It’s all done.” It was Driver Li’s voice. “Chief Chu has already transferred a credible paparazzi over to take pictures of you and Miss secretly. Tomorrow, the news will be covered with news of your relationship with her.”

Pei Ziheng turned around and got in the car.

So what if she wanted to hide her identity? She was his possession and he couldn’t bear seeing other people trample on her like mud. Only when he told the world, there wouldn’t be anyone who would dare reprimand her as they wished.

In the night, the Rolls-Royce was like a silent ghost driving silently into the distance.

Xia Ling had a good night’s sleep in the dormitory room. She was probably too sleepy and missed the alarm clock. When she woke, it was already ten in the morning. “Oh no!” she shouted in shock. Acting class had already begun and she was late!