A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Rong Ping thought for a while before saying, “Let’s go back to the castle and look for it, we might’ve missed out some places.”

Xia Ling nodded.

In the way back, they bumped into Luo Luo and her team.

“Xiao Ling, how’s it going on your side?” Luo Luo asked.

“We’ve only got this.” Since they were already allies, Xia Ling decided to just show Luo Luo the card.

“The secret of the rose around the crystal… what does that mean?” Luo Luo looked confused and turned towards Bai Murong. “Murong, do you have any idea?”

“We can try looking in the rose garden,” Bai Murong told her.

“We just came from there, there’s nothing,” Rong Ping added.

Luo Luo had no clue what to do.

“Have you found anything?” Xia Ling asked.

“We found a card too, under a sculpture in the art room.” Luo Luo put the card down and read. “The bird glides in the wind, singing an ancient song.”

It seemed like every card here was beautifully and poetically written, each with its own symbolism.

Xia Ling looked at both cards. “We can try to look for things related to roses and birds. It may not be an actual rose or an actual bird, it could just be…” Her eyes landed on a painting in the living room. “A work of art? A cage? Or maybe dried blooms? Something along those lines.”

“Dried blooms…?” Luo Luo seemed to know something. “Oh, right! We saw a flower-arrangement room on the second floor! There may be roses inside!”

Everybody’s eyes lit up at this possibility as they dashed to the second floor. True enough, they managed to find a crate of red roses in the room. Next to the crate was another card that read: It looks like a princess’ favorite snack.

The style of words had changed. They were no longer poetic like the rest, which puzzled them even more.

“A princess’ favorite snack? What could it be?” Luo Luo was bewildered.

This time, Rong Ping had something to offer. “By ‘princess,’ they must be referring to the three of you. Has the production crew ever asked you for your favorite snack?”

“They did, actually,” Xia Ling said. “I told them mine was hazelnut cake.”

“How about Luo Luo?” Rong Ping asked.

“Lollipops.”

“Good, now we already have two of the answers,” Rong Ping said. “Although we don’t have Xia Yu’s answer, we’ve narrowed down the options significantly. The production crew wouldn’t reveal who the real princess is, and they can’t possibly only feature one of the three foods. So, it’ll most likely be a combination of all three of yours. As long as we find the thing that is common between hazelnut cake, lollipops, and the last item, we’d get it right.”

The other three of them nodded in agreement.

“Time to get to work,” Bai Murong said. “We’ll work together and show them the strength in numbers. I suggest that we all split up to look for the next clue, how’s that?”

“Sure,” Xia Ling responded first. “We’ll look for the new card based on the clues at hand, and gather in the pantry by the stairs every 15 minutes to discuss our findings.”

They split up and set off.

The cameraman had to find a suitable angle in order to capture their movements.

“Xiao Ling,” Rong Ping called out to Xia Ling in front of the camera.

“Hm?” Xia Ling turned around. Even on a corridor and showing just her side profile made her look like a beauty out of a painting.

She looked like a beautiful palace maid walking out of the castle.

Meanwhile, Rong Ping showed his Prince Charming smile. “Be careful on your own.”

“Yup, you too.” Xia Ling smiled back at him.

The atmosphere was wonderful, and the cameraman could not help but film them from a few different angles. Rong Ping was happy with his choice. There was no point in just being good-looking, what mattered more was how beautifully the cameraman could portray them on screen and how the editors would further improve their image.

That was why they said that the filming and production crew were not to be trifled with.

At least, the cameraman for this shoot did seem professional and efficient in his job.

Rong Ping’s mood was lifted now, after what had just happened.

Xia Ling went up to the third floor and searched each room for any clues related to birds or snacks. The first few rooms had no signs of these symbolic items, but she managed to find a card that said: The grandfather clock chimes at midnight as Cinderella quietly opens the door.

Her intuition told her that it was an important card and that she had to safeguard it.

She found a veranda a while later, laid with brick wood. Next to the plants was a set of table and chairs made of metal. A musical box was placed on the table, and in it was a rotating bird singing a song. Xia Ling immediately recalled Luo Luo’s card about the singing bird.

“Clue!” She called out excitedly and reached for the musical box.

Who would have guessed that another hand suddenly emerged and grabbed the musical box?

“I’m sorry, Xiao Ling.” It was Xia Yu’s voice. “I got it first.”

Xia Ling turned around and saw that Xia Yu had brought a cameraman along. Zheng Chenhao was not with her, they must have split up as well.

Xia Yu was dressed in a white dress with a dainty gold belt around her waist.

The cameraman obviously found her attractive, given the way he featured her in so many angles.

Xia Ling took a deep breath, there was a cameraman following her as well, and there was no way she could flare up now, however much she wanted to. “Coincidence? I think not.” She gave a cold smile and was about to leave.

“Hold on.” Xia Yu called out. “How many cards have you got?”

“Why don’t you tell me first, how many cards have you and Zheng Chenhao got?” Xia Ling did not want to be on the losing end.

Xia Yu took a white card from inside the musical box. “Including this, I have three.” She acted gentle and kind as she asked Xia Ling sincerely. “Xiao Ling, I’m already being so honest with you, why don’t you tell me how many you’ve got?”

Was she acting all princess-like in front of the camera?

Xia Ling played along with her in annoyance, but — three cards? There were only 10 cards in total, and Luo Luo’s team and hers only had four in total, how could Xia Yu alone find three?