A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

But Xia Ling pouted her lips and quietly said, “I’m speaking the truth.”

This girl was too beautiful. Even if she had some willful behavior, she still appeared pleasant.

Feng Kun smiled. He suddenly felt that it could well be her natural candidness and minor flaws that gave her the ability to be coquettish. And maybe this was what she needed to stand out in the music industry.

But he still said, “This isn’t an easy industry to thrive in, we shouldn’t be too hard on others.”

Xia Ling wasn’t too happy about it. “Well, that depends on the situation. Li Bingyu is getting worse by the year. Two years ago, her song was still bearable to listen to, but she’s getting increasingly reliant on autotune and audio editing; her music is going to become rubbish sooner or later. I don’t understand what’s there to be proud of when she’s relying on these edits to sell her single well. Any commoner on the streets could replace her if we auto-tuned and edited their voices too. Doesn’t she feel threatened at all? She’s even influencing Li Bingman with this mindset of hers!”

Feng Kun smiled again. “I only made one statement, and that managed to get you saying so much.”

Xia Ling glared at him slightly. “Brother Pei says you’re the best music producer in Imperial Entertainment. Are you like them? Do you approve of those means they use?”

Feng Kun said, “I don’t, but they have their difficulties.”

After so many years in the entertainment circle, he’d seen how things worked around here. However famous a celebrity might be, there was always a possibility of losing that reputation and glory in a matter of days if a mistake was made. It took more than just their singing and performance to maintain their position in this industry. What mattered more were their connections, luck, family background and appearances. As such, celebrities took just as much effort to hone their skills or gain ground in these areas, as they did in improving their singing and performance.

Take Li Bingyu for example. She came from an ordinary home without wealth and power to back her up. Hence, her best bet was to groom and manage herself well. She had to network with business partners, reporters, other competitors and all the grimy men around her with their own agenda… it was tiring enough to get all these done day after day and year after year, how could she possibly find the time to hone her singing? It was only normal for her voice quality to deteriorate as she got older.

In fact, it was already admirable that Li Bingyu could maintain her Diva title for this long.

But Xia Ling didn’t know all these. This girl’s thoughts were way simpler. “No matter the difficulties they have, it is blasphemous to treat music this way. It’s an irresponsible act, they’re cheating the fans.”

Seeing her serious expression made Feng Kun feel like teasing her. “The fans can’t tell the difference, anyway. Why else do you think Li Bingyu’s new single sold so well? The fans don’t even realize the difference.”

Xia Ling was tongue-tied now. On second thought, he made sense, and she had no words to rebut.

“Are you that sort of music producer?” She asked after a long pause.

“What?” He asked.

“I’m asking you, are you the irresponsible sort of music producer?” The girl’s features were stiff and tensed up as she questioned him. “If you are, then don’t produce my songs. I don’t like this attitude.”

Feng Kun eyed her, amused. “Little girl, do you know how many people are dying for me to write a song for them?” She was the only one who could reject him so easily, because of the way Pei Ziheng had brought her up.

Xia Ling asked, “What has that got to do with me?”

Feng Kun narrowed his eyes and said, “Let me ask you a question.”

She furrowed her brows. “What?”

Feng Kun looked at her for a split second and decided. “Forget it.”

Xia Ling knitted her brows together even more stiffly now. Why was this person so strange? “You haven’t answered my question,” she said unhappily. “Are you the sort of producer that doesn’t treat music with respect?”

Feng Kun grinned. “Can’t you tell?”

“You!”

“Little girl, listen to my songs carefully, the answer will come to you.” With that, Feng Kun pointed at the pile of music sheets in her hands. “Remember to give me a reply—do you want to work with me, or someone else instead?”

He slipped his hand into his pocket and walked off in the early spring warmth.

Leaving Xia Ling behind as she watched him, utterly speechless.

What a person! Hmph. 

Only years later when Xia Ling had become a Diva did Feng Kun say this, when they discussed that particular unfinished conversation they had had: “Back then, Pei Ziheng had picked a music producer for you. But I was also picking the singers I wanted to work with—if your performance wasn’t satisfactory, I’d have rejected his proposal, however powerful he might have been.”

“So… I was a satisfactory singer?” The beautiful Diva asked him with her chin cupped in her hands.

Feng Kun said, “Yes, you were. That day, I’d wanted to ask you: ‘If you are left with nothing someday, will you still be as passionate and true to music?’. Honestly, Li Bingyu and the rest were the way they were because they had too little, and yet wanted too much. You’re way luckier than them because you had Pei Ziheng. He’d shielded you from all sorts of troubles, allowing you to pursue your love for music without any fret or worry. I wasn’t sure whether you had the courage to persevere in your beliefs if he left you someday.”

The beautiful Diva blinked her eyes. “So, why didn’t you ask?”

Feng Kun said in a calm, peaceful voice, “There was no need.”

“There was no need?” Xia Ling was stunned for a while before breaking into a serene smile. “That’s right, there was no need. He’s so nice to me, how could he possibly leave me? We’ll always, always be together.”

The sun rays bounced off her fair skin and, at that moment, she looked like a fantasy.

But Feng Kun said, “Xiao Ling, when I say there was no need, I meant that you’d still have the courage and strength to live your life well even if you were to leave him someday. You’ll always be the best.”

Xia Ling casually said, “Well, I already said that I won’t leave him. We’ll be together for the rest of time.”

Feng Kun sighed softly inside. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that Old Master Wang had already approached Pei Ziheng’s granduncle with Wang Jingwan. He had heard that the two families were happy with each other and they’d already exchanged Wang Jingwan’s and Pei Ziheng’s Eight Characters for fortune-telling. If all went well, they’d be deciding on a wedding date soon.

She had been kept in the dark all this while.

She’d trusted him without any reservation since she was barely a teenager.

16-year-old Xia Ling stood in the coolness of early fall as she looked through Feng Kun’s compositions. Her initially furrowed brows gradually lost their tension as she processed his work—they were simply wonderful; the melody was lively and each string of notes flowed seamlessly to the next. It tugged at her heartstrings wondrously.

Feng Kun was right. All she needed to do was to listen to his songs with her heart, and the answers would be right there.

And that was how she decided that he would be her producer for her debut.

After a year or so of hard work, she made her debut and stunned everyone.

Her debut song “Miracle” was a hit and everyone was discussing this new single. What made things even better was her stunning beauty.

Countless media boosted her popularity—

Imperial Entertainment had groomed a rising star, and the name Xia Ling was now shining high and bright!