A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling pulled on her collar and wrapped herself even tighter.

She was a well-known big star and it was already inconvenient to walk out on the streets, not to mention during the time of her downfall. Fortunately, it was autumn, and it wasn’t all that surprising to bury half a face and wear sunglasses. She walked aimlessly on the street, trying not to be noticed.

Where should she go?

She didn’t know, either. The first thing she had to solve was the problem of her lodging at night, but she had no money on her—she had escaped from the bedroom and her bedroom did not have a penny of cash. It was not convenient to use her two bank cards since she was afraid that with a little movement, Pei Ziheng would be able to track her down immediately.

She could not stay in a hotel nor even rent a room.

Maybe she could spend the night in a twenty-four-hour business store?

She thought slowly, then, what could she eat? She was getting more and more hungry, and her stomach was rumbling. The scent of the food in the shops on the street drifted by, and the roadside stalls that used to be disdainful to her when she passed by with Pei Ziheng now looked like the most delicious food in the world.

At night, she finally couldn’t resist her hunger anymore.

She spent a long time in front of a bun shop and swallowed her saliva silently.

The owner of the store came out and said to her rudely, “Go away, don’t block the door and prevent me from doing business.”

She gathered up her courage and asked, “How much are your buns here?”

“One piece is five cents,” the female shopkeeper said nimbly. “Two yuan for meat stuffing, do you want it?”

Xia Ling searched her whole body and then took off one of her earrings. The little diamond earring exuded a radiant glow. “Can I use this to exchange with you?” she asked with some guilty conscience.

The female shopkeeper looked at her strangely. “Are you crazy?”

“I’m not!” Xia Ling was anxious. “I just want to eat the bun!”

“Tsk.” The female shop owner laughed disdainfully. “Which stall did you buy that earring from, you want to exchange it for my buns? You still say you’re not crazy?”

“I’m really not, it’s a diamond earring.”

“You’re exchanging a diamond for buns?” The female shopkeeper jeered even louder. “Go away, you’re crazy. Don’t block the door and prevent me from doing my business or I’ll call the police.”

Xia Ling bit her lip and walked away.

Several nearby people watching the crowd pointed at her and she heard someone say faintly, “I don’t know where this madwoman came from, she’s quite pitiful.”

“Shall we call the police? Let the police find her family for her. Her family must be anxious that she’s running around alone.”

Xia Ling was shocked and yelled at them, “I’m not crazy.” She walked away hurriedly. She didn’t want them to call the police, what if the police sent her back to Pei Ziheng? She had just managed to escape after many difficulties, she didn’t want to experience those dark days of imprisonment again.

She huddled under the overpass and slept there for a night in hunger.

She woke up the next day and her hunger was even worse. Her stomach was burning and pain pumped through her.

She had to do something to not let herself starve to death. She dragged her tired body along the bustling streets. There was a huge billboard on the street with her advertisement for a famous perfume brand. At that time, she had been so proud and had laughed gleefully, thinking she was devastatingly beautiful as if all the beauty in the world was beneath her. But now? She hadn’t changed her clothes nor taken a bath, and she was uncomfortable all over. She was so hungry she almost lost her strength to walk.

The food stalls on the street advertised for recruitment.

It said: The monthly salary is two thousand yuan, and it includes meals and lodging.

She looked at the simplistic note and suddenly thought to herself that if she hadn’t met Pei Ziheng when she was twelve, maybe, when she had grown up, left the orphanage and stepped into the society, she would be doing this kind of job. She walked into the store and staggered around in the crowded diner full of customers and busy waiters. She finally found a waiter who seemed a little leisure. She hurriedly asked, “Are you recruiting waiters here?”

“What?” The diner was too noisy and the waiter couldn’t hear her.

Xia Ling had to raise her volume. “Are you recruiting waiters here?” Several diners who were eating looked at her, a mix of sympathy and a secret superiority in their eyes.

Xia Ling couldn’t care about all these. She endured her hunger and waited for the waiter to reply.

The waiter looked at her in disbelief. “Are you sure you can do this?”

Even though she had escaped in a frail state and had wandered the streets alone, a person pampered for more than ten years couldn’t deceive people. The girl standing there was obviously a delicately pretty lady, slim and weak, completely different from those who did tough work.

In other words, at first glance it was obvious she was a different species.

Xia Ling hurriedly said, “I can do it! I can do it! I can take all kinds of hardship, really!”

The waiter shrugged and pointed her in one direction. “Go to the kitchen and find Sister Cui, she’s responsible for recruiting.” Although he didn’t believe she could be left behind, the diner was too busy and he was impatient with her meddling, so he left to do his own thing quickly.

Xia Ling went to the kitchen. It was full of smells and was hot and smoky.

She only stepped in and the smoke overwhelmed her. She almost spat it out, but finally managed to hold back. She asked several people before finally finding that Sister Cui. Sister Cui was tall and broad and her face was oily and sweaty. She looked at her critically. “Waiters have to be quick on their feet and able to bear hardships. They must even endure scolding from the customers, can you do it?”

“I can!” she said quickly.

“Then try it,” Sister Cui said. “The monthly salary is two thousand yuan, and it includes meals and lodging. If you break any plates, it will be deducted from your salary. You’re on duty today. Take off your sunglasses, waiters don’t wear this. You look like a monster.”

Xia Ling was shocked. “Can’t I wear my sunglasses?”

“Why, do you think you’re a big star?” Sister Cui snorted. “Don’t think you’re a princess if you’re already here.”

Xia Ling stood there for a long time and pondered over it. “Then… forget it.” She walked out in disappointment. She was not an ordinary person. If she was, then she would take off her sunglasses and serve the customers as a waiter. But if she were to take off her sunglasses, she was afraid that she would cause several blocks in the vicinity to have an unprecedented blockage. She only wanted to live quietly and didn’t want to cause any sensational news nor reveal her whereabouts to Pei Ziheng.

She looked reluctantly at the food in the food stalls, but resisted her hunger and walked away.

She found a few more recruiting stalls but the results were the same. They either dismissed her for being too weak or asked her to take off her sunglasses.

At sunset, she still did not find a job.

She hadn’t eaten for two days and her eyes were dizzy. Even her walk was light and groggy.

No, she must find something to eat no matter what, she couldn’t just starve to death here. How would the news report it? <After running away from home, Queen Xia Ling starved to death on the streets>? She didn’t want to become the laughing stock of the world.