A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

As soon as her words fell, the door of the back kitchen opened, and Xia Yingluo, Jin Ling’er, and several staff members came out.

Gu Jinxiu and Pei Yan turned their heads, wanting to watch Xia Yingluo embarrass herself.

“You’ve embarrassed yourself, right? Country bumpkins,” Pei Yan said proudly to Xia Yingluo. “Don’t use the twisted doughnuts sold at your village here, it’s so shameful. Any of the chefs here have more skills than you with their fingers!”

Unexpectedly, the people behind Xia Yingluo looked at Pei Yan awkwardly with strange expressions.

Pei Yan was slightly stunned. A bad feeling rose in her heart.

She saw one of the chefs say to Xia Yingluo very kindly, “Ms. Xia, I thank you again for sending us such a precious recipe. This recipe is comparable to the desserts in our shop. Since you refuse to accept money, then in addition to the membership card, I’ll give you another privilege on behalf of the store—no matter which branch you go to in the whole world, you and your companions will enjoy a lifetime free bill.”

“Thank you very much.” Xia Yingluo smiled sweetly.

It was already her family’s business, so giving her a free bill was more or less the same thing for her. But seeing how Pei Yan and Gu Jinxiu looked like they had just seen ghosts, she felt extremely relieved.

“Let’s go and find a seat.” She took Jin Ling’er and sat down by the window not far from Gu Jinxiu.

“This… this is impossible!” Pei Yan was the first to lose her temper. She glared at Xia Yingluo. “How come you have such a high-end dessert recipe? Where’s the source?!”

Xia Yingluo smiled innocently and naively. “If I say that I formulated it when I was bored, would you believe it? I’m unlike someone, who goes to casinos all day and take bed photos, and even snatch other people’s boyfriends, so they have no skills. Haha.”

Pei Yan gritted her teeth. Gu Jinxiu’s cold fingers pressed gently on her hand, begging her to be a little calm.

Now that both of them had obtained the membership card, it wouldn’t help to scold them and might even make them satisfied. However, she was really curious about how Xia Yingluo knew how to make desserts, and world-class desserts at that. This technique was not like what a girl from a poor village should have.

She asked Xia Yingluo, “Ms. Xia, I couldn’t tell that you had such a skill. Where did you learn it from?”

Xia Yingluo said politely, “Why should I tell you?”

Her words left Gu Jinxiu speechless.

Gu Jinxiu was a prestigious lady and the people she hung out with always spoke euphemistically. Even an arrogant person like Pei Yan wouldn’t be so arrogant in front of her, so she was really at a loss for a while.

Pei Yan sneered. “No manners.”

Xia Yingluo also sneered. “Your bed photo is still in my hand.”

So Pei Yan didn’t dare to say anything and stared angrily at her.

Xia Yingluo didn’t care. It wouldn’t cost her anything to be glared at. And as for manners? Haha, so sorry, but she was different from other prestigious families. Her family was mixed with both the dark and light at the same time and was as wonderful and exciting as walking on a blade. If she still cared about etiquette and grace every day like an ordinary lady, she would have died many times.

Her parents had said to her that the real upbringing was not about how to talk, how to eat and drink tea, but about what they did and how they behaved. In her opinion, her good friend Jin Ling’er was more well-mannered than Pei Yan and Gu Jinxiu combined.

The two sides found each other unpleasant and didn’t speak. They ignored each other.

Not long after, Xia Yingluo’s dessert was served. It was on a red crystal gradient plate, filled with soft cakes made of cream and chocolate, poured with an unknown sauce, and made into a beautiful shape. Just looking at it made people happy.

“It looks great, Yingluo. Is this your recipe?” Jin Ling’er’s eyes glowed.

“Yeah.” Xia Yingluo smiled. “Try it.” The thousand mountain of snowfall was an inspiration she accidentally got from a dance some time ago. She was suffering from the humble dormitory of the training camp and had no materials to make it, but today, she could try it out for herself.

Jin Ling’er dug a piece with a small spoon. The fluffy cream melted at the entrance and mixed with the rich layering of the cake, it made her squint her eyes in enjoyment. “It’s so delicious… Yingluo, let’s come often and eat it.”

Xia Yingluo said, “Okay.” She also tasted it. It was indeed very good.

After a while, the chef came with two assistants and asked them how it tasted.

Xia Yingluo said, “Very good. The layers change delicately and richly and are smooth and thick without losing its sweetness. It’s like walking in a black forest in winter, with the breath of a larch tree, soil, and a lake. You have quite a good grasp of the heat. It would be more perfect if you increase the richness of the chocolate just a little bit.”

The head chef looked at her with respect. “Ms. Xia is really an expert. We felt the same way after we tried it.”

Xia Yingluo smiled lightly. “But remember not to make it too bitter.” Her mother did not like things that were too bitter.

The chef took down notes and thanked her again for giving them such a wonderful recipe. He also gave them a specially prepared summer ice drink. He then bowed and turned to walk away and let them enjoy the desserts.

At the other table, Gu Jinxiu saw all this and frowned slightly. Even though she had been to this store many times, she had never enjoyed such a high level of hospitality. Her mood was horrible now after seeing the thorn in her eyes being treated so well. She had no more appetite, and was about to tell Pei Yan to leave when suddenly, she heard Jin Ling’er ask—

“Yingluo, why didn’t you go back to the dorm last night? I called and nobody answered.”

Xia Yingluo did not return last night?

Gu Jinxiu’s alertness was triggered. This little trainee, where could she have gone?

Suppressing the urge to get up and leave, she was attracted to the conversation over there and listened intently.

Xia Yingluo dug into the cake with a small spoon, and the rich sweetness made her thoughts a little hazy. She thought about what had happened last night and felt like she could hardly discern which words of Wei Lingnan’s were true and which were false. “I was at Shanglin’s Nanyuan,” she told Jin Ling’er. “Wei Lingnan mixed a kind of wine for me, and I suspect it has… hallucinogenic effects.”

“Ah? Hallucinogenic effects?!” Jin Ling’er was startled.

“How do I say it…” Xia Yingluo was a little bit distressed. Her beautiful lips gently bit onto the little spoon. “I had a dream of a place I have never been to, but it felt familiar there.”

Jin Ling’er asked, “Where?”

Xia Yingluo frowned slightly. “It’s not a real place, it’s probably… Avatar Planet.” She really didn’t know how to explain the matter of Skatana with Jin Ling’er, and instinctively, she didn’t seem to want to reveal too much to anyone. That planet was like a secret existence, and it only had to exist in the world of her and Wei Lingnan.