A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

The audience got excited and began chanting.

“Ye Xingling! Take him on!”

“Ye Xingling! Take him on!”

Xia Ling looked at the fans thrilled by this last-minute change. She gave a sweet, elegant smile and raised the microphone, calmly saying, “Alright.” The way she agreed to the challenge made it appear as if this were no big deal to her—she didn’t seem to be facing a megastar, but rather, completing just another insignificant task.

She truly exuded the air of a Diva.

In the backstage, Bai Murong and the other celebrities sipped tea as they watched the event unfold. “This Ye Xingling really seems capable,” one of them said. “If it were any other female star, she would’ve just rejected the challenge in the name of the competition rules. She, on the other hand, accepted the challenge readily. That’s impressive.”

Bai Murong smiled. “Otherwise, why do you think our Boss fell for her?”

A few of them nodded.

That was true. If Skyart’s Big Boss could lay his eyes on this woman, surely she must have her strengths?

Suddenly, someone asked in an unfriendly tone, “Didn’t your Boss and her break up about two years back? Why are they back together now that she’s divorced?”

Bai Murong smiled patronizingly. “True love.”

The other person couldn’t rebut that.

Onstage, the enthusiastic emcee went on with the event. “In that case, let’s see who this celebrity is — Qin Zifeng! Three-time winner of the Best Melody Award, original singer to “End of the World” that took the world by storm. Today, he’ll be sharing the stage with Ye Xingling! What surprise will they bring us?”

It was already late at night, and under the starry sky, the dancing lights landed on Qin Zifeng. He was only in a simple black shirt for this last-minute competition, but he appeared suave in his simplicity.

The screams got even louder.

He was screened in the most popular drama series currently, and the fans got all the more hyped up realizing that their idol was the final-round competitor. The screams were so deafening that Bai Murong had to cover his ears.

In this sea of madness, only Xia Ling remained as calm and composed as before as she stood onstage with a sweet smile. As a breeze swept her beautiful long hair, she appeared like a lone flower, blooming spectacularly in solitude.

Even the air around her seemed to be still and calm.

“This girl really has a wonderful presence of her own.” One of the Heavenly Kings commented.

Bai Murong smiled. It was good to know that his junior was outstanding enough not to be overshadowed when she was put together with somebody as popular as Qin Zifeng. At the very least, she had passed the first round of judgment and comparison between the two of them. He swelled with pride on the inside.

On the stage, Qin Zifeng walked towards Xia Ling.

“Nice to meet you, Ye Xingling. You’re really courageous to have accepted my challenge.” Qin Zifeng initiated conversation.

Xia Ling kept her smile on, but her next words shocked everyone. “Not much courage is needed to accept your challenge.” In her opinion, being a Diva in her first life and then a famous singer in her second gave her an understanding of music that an average person wouldn’t be able to attain. Even if it weren’t Qin Zifeng challenging her today but Bai Murong, or Zheng Chenhao, she would have felt no fear.

But to everyone else, this statement sounded like —

A boast!

She was just a female celebrity with some popularity, how could she compare herself to a super popular megastar like Qin Zifeng? She actually said that accepting his challenge didn’t take much courage! What did she take him for? Was this not a slap to his face?

Qin Zifeng was shocked as well, but he responded politely and smilingly, “You’re an interesting girl, you actually don’t fear me at all. In that case, pick a song and we’ll sing a duet. Either ‘Meteor Wings’ or ‘Eyes Beneath The Mask,’ since I’m not too familiar with your other songs.”

The last statement stirred some laughter.

It was nothing unusual for a megastar like him not to be familiar with the songs of a female singer who had left the scene for a year. In fact, it was already a surprise that he could sing two of her songs.

To everyone’s surprise, Xia Ling said, “Can I pick one of your songs instead?”

“My song?” Qin Zifeng was stunned for a second time.

“Yup,” Xia Ling said matter-of-factly. “Senior Qin Zifeng, I remember your ‘Fireworks,”Flower of the Dawn,”Because I Love You’… they were all beautifully written, and I like them a lot. So, how about we sing yours instead?”

“Little girl, I’m glad to know that you like my songs this much.” Qin Zifeng smiled. “But are you sure about this? You’ll be at the losing end.” She had been in the competition for a whole day and was definitely more fatigued than he was. Given that she was not as popular as him, and was also of a lower status in the industry, picking his song was akin to courting death.

But Xia Ling did not think so.

She said, “I can sing most of the popular songs, and I really like a lot of yours, Senior. It’s an honor for me to be able to duet with you.” Qin Zifeng’s popularity was not just due to advertisements and sensationalization, his songs were indeed catchy and sincere. Xia Ling wasn’t lying when she said she liked them.

Qin Zifeng had been complimented by countless people and was already numb to it. Yet, for some reason, hearing this little girl compliment his songs out of the blue warmed him inside. “Little girl, you’ve got good judgment. I have high hopes for you.” He smiled kindly.

“Oh, we’re doomed.” One of the members in Bai Murong’s circle said as he asked for some popcorn to complement the unfolding drama. “Zifeng has fallen into the beauty trap. He’s losing his footing with just a few sweet words.”

“Pfft, exactly. Ye Xingling is a smart one.”

Bai Murong laughed. “Given the way she compliments others, anyone would have lost their footing.”

This group of megastars had had too many praises, but they were usually from those brainless fans or people outside the industry. Even if someone in the industry gave them a thumbs-up, it was usually for some monetary gains or to get into their good books. But Xia Ling was different—when she looked at others with her clear eyes, it was almost as if she could look into the depths of their soul. And when she said praised their songs, she meant it from the bottom of her heart.

Getting acknowledgment from someone like her was an amazing feeling.

“Hahaha, I think Zifeng is going to be defeated.” An outsider might not have been able to tell, but this group of megastars could tell that Qin Zifeng had already fallen into her trap from the very beginning. He was going to go along with her tempo, and she was going to lead him along to her beat.