A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Xia Ling was already feeling frustrated. Her frustration only increased as she listened to the whispers of the guests. She accidentally stepped on Pei Ziheng’s feet a few more times. Pei Ziheng could sense that she was nervous and whispered to her softly so nobody else could hear, “Ignore them.”

She took a deep breath and nodded.

Xia Ling warned herself to focus all her attention on the dance. She couldn’t let those people belittle her!

She held her breath and invoked her entire talent. With her heart and soul and with every cell of her body, she felt the music in the air along with Pei Ziheng’s dance steps. Soon, the whispers around her seemed to fade. The only thing in her world now was the beautiful accompaniment and his gentle gaze.

She was born with great music sense. Once she was immersed, she learned to dance extremely fast.

At an almost miraculous speed, her dance steps became synced with that of Pei Ziheng. Her skirt flew under the starry sky. It spun and shone, like a fairy partying to its heart’s content.

Pei Ziheng’s eyes were once again stained with a slight smile.

He knew she could do it. And she did do it.

She was a child he had brought back and wouldn’t give him shame. While the other ladies took a long time to learn the double waltz, she had only used half the effort and time to be able to learn the steps from nothing.

He moved in sync with her and spun her. Their movements were getting more and more smooth, and they were cooperating perfectly like moving clouds and flowing water.

“God…” At the side of the dance floor, many guests were shocked. What had they seen? The girl who had stepped carelessly on the toes of her dance partner had become a master with just the short time of half a song!

Now, how could one possibly tell she was a beginner?

She leaned her back slightly and half-closed her eyes. She faced the starry sky and the night wind as if she was about to spread her wings and fly off.

Even…

Even those ladies who had practiced for many years did not dance as well as her!

The voices of ridicule had stopped all of a sudden. The whole audience was silent, staring at this little miracle incredulously. If it was said that the previous Midsummer Ladies were all rituals that everyone had already been familiar with, then this year’s Midsummer Lady was full of astonishment.

Yes, it was astonishment, not surprise.

Perhaps it was a surprise for some people, but for most of the ladies at the scene, it was not a pleasant thing to be slapped fiercely by a lowly servant girl who had just appeared out of thin air. The young ladies exchanged glances with one another and saw unwillingness and resentment in their respective eyes.

It required just a banquet and a dance to make so many people feel resentment for her. Xia Ling was really the one and only.

Under the gaze of everyone, Xia Ling and Pei Ziheng finished their first dance. He took her hand and thanked everyone before bringing her back to their seats.

The second dance music sounded and the other guests brought along their partners to the dance floor in succession.

Pei Ziheng handed a glass of lemonade to Xia Ling. “It’s tiring, right?”

She took the glass and said with her eyes shining brightly, “I’m not tired. It’s fun to dance the waltz.”

“You like it?” he asked. “I can dance with you again.”

“Really?” She rejoiced and said in a rush. “Brother Pei is the best!” He was a gentleman and an excellent dance partner. Dancing with him made people feel relaxed and happy. Every move he made accurately took consideration of the female partner.

Pei Ziheng took her hand and entered the dance floor again.

Tonight, they were the most eye-catching pair on the dance floor. Even though everyone present was dancing well, they were still the most elegant and beautiful and made it difficult for people to avert their eyes from them.

Under his guidance, she became the most dazzling girl in the whole place. Fame follows merit. Xia Ling deserved the title of Midsummer Lady. This banquet ended very late. When they were leaving, everyone remembered one name—Xia Ling.

She was the starlight in the night sky, the rose that would not wither.

This banquet was very tiring. Once it ended, she fell asleep upon hitting the pillow in their bedroom.

Pei Ziheng was in good spirits. He reached home at one o’clock in the early morning and first took care of her to sleep, then went to the study room to handle his official duties. He took a rest at two o’clock at the break of dawn to bathe and change into a clean suit before going to the company in high spirits. The scale of influence of Imperial Entertainment was too big. To completely wield power over such a large alligator in the business world, even an old senior who had gathered plenty of experience would find it difficult, let alone he, a Young Master who had only officially taken over the company for two or three years.

A country doubts a young King. Hence, his days were not easy.

In addition to dealing with intricate daily affairs, it was also necessary to rack his brains and spend time to cope with the crafty plots of all kinds of people with ulterior motives.

He met Chu Chen in the company.

The first sentence from the able assistant who had been overseas in Paris for half a month was, “Boss, you’ve gotten thinner.”

Pei Ziheng glanced at him. “Is it that obvious?”

Chu Chen smiled and said, “My mother said that she will make Red Ginseng and Black-boned Chicken Stew tonight. I’ll send some over to you later. And this time I went to Paris, I’ve brought back a few gadgets, perfumes and scarves. They are all rather rare on the market. You can send them as gifts.” He was his confidant, and even though he was not the locust in his stomach, his ability to figure out his thoughts was rather impressive. The small things that he had brought back were all things that little girls would like. It was obvious who he could give them to.

Pei Ziheng understood his intention but did not blame him. “So many people in the Imperial Entertainment and only you’re daring enough.”

Chu Chen smiled. “They’re all afraid of you.”

“You’re not afraid?”

“Me?” Chu Chen laughed again. He was polite and modest, but neither too fast nor too slow. “Of course I am, I’m afraid that I won’t do my job well and would have failed to live up to your kindness.”

Pei Ziheng gestured for him to leave.

At night, he brought the silk scarf home. Seeing that she was already fast asleep on the bed, he put the silk scarf on her pillow. He then went to bathe and put on a bathrobe. When he came out, he saw that she had woken up and was fiddling with the scarf in curiosity. He stared at her a few steps away. She was so beautiful. Her ivory white skin seemed to shine under the light and her soft long hair draping over her bare shoulders were extremely alluring.

She was still a child, but for some reason, she looked more attractive than many other girls.

Pei Ziheng was shocked by his own thoughts. What had happened to him? He frowned and got rid of his thoughts before coughing lightly.

She turned and, like every single time she saw him, screaming with delight, “Brother Pei!” She grabbed the soft silk scarf and got off her bed to run towards him. “Did you put this on my bed?”

“Yes, it’s for you,” he said. He reached out to gather her pajamas and rehang the sleeves of the silk blouse that had fallen off back onto her shoulders. His fingertips inadvertently touched her round shoulders. It felt milky soft and pleasant to the touch.

She did not think much of it. She simply smiled and asked, “Wow, is this really from you? It’s so beautiful!”

Looking at her happy expression, his mood got better too. These days, no matter how tired he was in the company, all his exhaustion would dissipate once he returned home and saw her smile. “Chu Chen brought this back for me from his business trip to Paris. He brought back a bottle of perfume too,” he said. “The scarf suits you.”