A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Jin Ling’er greeted him politely. “President Du.”

Du Zheng looked at her, an undetectable fascination flashing across his usually solemn eyes. When he had run into this girl, she had been thrown out of the filming set like a homeless little beggar looking so frail. Now that she had on makeup and was all dressed up in a pale pink floral little formal dress and was standing in front of him gracefully under the autumn sunlight with a pair of virtuous eyes, it was like she had become a different person.

He had seen many beauties and, in all honesty, Jin Ling’er was not especially beautiful.

But maybe because the difference between the two times they had met was too strong, she felt an even deeper impression.

He nodded at Jin Ling’er. “Welcome.”

Xia Yingluo said lightly next to him, “Jing’er was still worried that she wouldn’t be welcomed before coming here. I told her that she didn’t have to worry. Brother Du Zheng, thank you for helping her at the filming set last time, and for helping me too. You have to continue helping us in the future, okay?”

Du Zheng said, “Of course I should.”

After a pause, he looked at Jin Ling’er. “You are Yingluo’s friend, so of course, I have to take care of you too.”

Jin Ling’er felt a little gloomy. She was only taken care of just because she was Xia Yingluo’s friend? Although she understood that if not for Yingluo, such a man with a high position in society wouldn’t even notice her, to be recognized as someone’s accessory instead—even if it was her best friend, she still felt a little grudge inside her. “It was an accident last time. Thank you, President Du,” she said. “I don’t need President Du’s extra care in the future. I’ll use my own abilities to get a role.”

Xia Yingluo seemed to detect her unhappiness. She turned and glanced at her.

She didn’t know if Du Zheng heard her unhappy tone, he only said calmly, “You have ambition.”

Jin Ling’er was even more gloomy.

Xia Yingluo smiled and changed the topic. “Brother Du Zheng, where are my parents?”

Du Zheng also changed the topic with her. “My second uncle is with uncle and aunt. They’re discussing matters with Old Mister Shan Kouya.”

He was highly skilled at flower arrangement and had good relations with Li Lei and Xia Ling. Xia Yingluo also liked him. Hearing that, Xia Yingluo grinned. “Grandpa Shankou is here too? Let’s go, Ling’er. Let’s go and find him.”

Du Zheng said, “I’ll bring you two there.”

“What’s the point of being brought there?” Xia Yingluo rejected his offer. “Go do your things and don’t tell anyone that I’m here. I want to sneak in with Ling’er and eavesdrop on them.” She turned and smiled at Jin Ling’er. “Grandpa Shankou is amazing at ikebana and is also handsome. He’s even more handsome than my father.”

Jin Ling’er said, “I’ve seen your father in the newspaper before, he’s so handsome.”

Xia Yingluo giggled. “Old Grandpa is more handsome.”

Du Zheng listened to her and felt a little pity towards Li Lei. To be honest, how did he raise such a daughter who secretly helped others outside? Old Mister Shan Kouya was indeed handsome, but he was mainly charismatic and his ikebana skills and meditation had made him full of peacefulness and mysteriousness. How was he as handsome as Li Lei, who had perfect features and was incredibly good looking?

Forget it. Since this little girl wanted to bring her little friend to peak at the handsome grandpa, he couldn’t care.

Du Zheng closed an eye. Since it wasn’t a big thing, he just instructed them not to do anything too overboard.

There, the thin afternoon sunlight shone on the grass patch.

At the champagne tower, a few noble ladies held a glass of beverage and chatted.

One of them looked over and was extremely shocked. “Look over there, who are those two girls Du Zheng is talking to? The one wearing the off-shoulder little fairy dress is so pretty, and the bag she’s carrying also matches so well.”

The other ladies also turned to look.

One of them called Du Jingjing also said, “It does look pretty. But I’ve never seen the two of them before, do you know them?”

Another lady called Jin Ying said, “Isn’t the bag she’s carrying the limited edition just released by Master Eric last week? Jinxiu, it’s the one you wanted to buy but failed to. That’s strange, how could she have the bag that’s so difficult to buy?”

Among the noble ladies, the lady that wore a silk Western-style dress and held a goblet with an aloof attitude was Gu Jinxiu. Hearing that, she frowned unconsciously. She had already seen Xia Yingluo, but why was Xia Yingluo here at this banquet? And the bag on Xia Yingluo’s arm was even more piercing. It was indeed the bag she had specifically ordered her assistant to purchase last week, but she had been informed that it was sold out.

Hearing Jin Ying poking at her sore spot, she smiled elegantly. “It’s indeed the bag I wanted, I didn’t expect her to have taken it. Forget it, she’s different from us. I’ll just give it to her. I don’t want it anymore.”

The crowd couldn’t help but be curious at her reserved tone. “Who on earth is she?”

Gu Jinxiu said, “She’s not an honorable person, it’s not worth mentioning.”

The group of ladies was even more curious now and pestered her to tell more.

Gu Jinxiu appeared to have no other choice and said, “She’s called Xia Yingluo. She’s a poor student in Imperial’s training camp. I met her at Pei Yan’s engagement banquet last time and she was performing a dance on stage. I heard she and Pei Yan’s fiancee Zhao Yixuan…” Before she finished, she halted and shook her head. “But it’s all in the past. Thank goodness Pei Yan and Zhao Yixuan’s relationship is alright.”

How smart were the group of noble ladies? They understood what she was implying immediately.

Du Jingjing rolled her eyes. “You’re saying that this Xia Yingluo had a thing with Pei Yan’s fiancee?”

Gu Jinxiu said ambiguously, “She caused a scene at the engagement banquet. Yan Yan wanted to chase her away last time, but this Xia Yingluo has some methods up her sleeves. I don’t know how, but she made Imperial’s Chairman Pei take a fancy on her and protect her. Yan Yan was so angry she almost cried.”

“I’ve heard of that too.” Jin Ying came to a realization. “It turns out she’s that mistress that interrupted Pei Yan’s engagement banquet?” Of course, since they were noble ladies, they stood on the side of the noble ladies. Hearing how a nameless little mistress had tried to seduce a man from a prestigious family, they were all filled with resentment.

Gu Jinxiu said, “That’s her. She didn’t give up even after making a mess at the engagement banquet. Zhao Yixuan already didn’t want her, but she turned and somehow managed to seduce Li Rui. Pei Yan bumped into them a few days ago at a bar—Li Rui brought along that golden-haired girl and had them in his arms.”

Her words were enough to completely drag Xia Yingluo’s name down.

The resentment in the noble ladies deepened further. No wonder a poor, nameless student could attend such a prestigious banquet and own the bag that Gu Jinxiu couldn’t even buy. Didn’t she just seduce a few men? She even worked together with that golden-haired girl to attend to hedonistic sons like Li Rui. It was too disgusting!