A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return
chapter-1101

Pei Ziheng held a celebration party for her.

He booked her favorite lakeside club and invited the biggest celebrities in Imperial Entertainment. Also invited were the music producers, directors, company executives and the teachers and students from the training camps. So many stars were gathered at the clubhouse, but she was the star of the day.

The veil on her custom-made dress engulfed her in a layer of rose-tinted beauty. Her smile was more moving than a rose.

“There will be catastrophic changes among the female celebrities.” Ji Liangping, the famous movie star under Chu Chen, said to his manager as he looked at Xia Ling from afar.

Chu Chen chuckled. “You are a male celebrity, what is there to be afraid of?”

Chu Chen took a glass of wine from the waiter and enjoyed the show that was unfolding. The artistes were all smiling and congratulating Xia Ling, but their expressions changed once they turned away from her. Some of them were clearly showing their displeasure with her.

The company had limited resources. Now that Xia Ling had the lioness’ share, you couldn’t blame the other celebrities for their hostility.

She was pretty and sang well. Moreover, she was doted on by the boss…

Apart from her, who else could get the company’s resources? Even Li Bingyu and Yun Yan, the two hottest stars in Imperial Entertainment, could only use whatever was left behind!

Who could swallow their pride and accept this?

But so what if they couldn’t? It was a cruel world. Not everyone who put in the effort was guaranteed equal returns. Some girls were destined to have a good life from birth. They did not have to work their way up the social ladder, nor did they need to backstab others. Just a smile and everything that commoners dreamed of would be within their reach.

“Even I am jealous of her,” Ji Liangping said to Chu Chen.

Chu Chen warned him. “Don’t you offend her.”

“I’m not that stupid.” Ji Liangping chuckled. “By the way, does she have a boyfriend?”

Chu Chen looked at him. “And you say you’re not stupid? Let me tell you, during last year’s training camp, a guy tried to woo her. He pushed her against the wall and forced a kiss on her, like in those Korean dramas. In return, his arms were broken.”

“Broken?”

“Completely broken—his arm that pressed her against the wall. Even though they treated his arm at the hospital, he could never play the piano as well as before.”

Ji Liangping was shocked. “Who… who did it?”

“You are not stupid enough to think that she broke his arm by herself, right?”

Ji Liangping was speechless. Then, his expressions turned ugly. After a long while, he said, “Big Boss is really heartless.”

Chu Chen had more insider information than he did. He could not bear to see his hard work in developing Ji Liangping to the star he was today come to naught. He said coldly, “It’s good to have ambitions, and I have always admired your ambition. I won’t bat an eye if you sleep with the likes of Pei Jingyu. However, Xia Ling is taboo. You understand?”

“I understand,” Ji Liangping said.

“Also, do not let Xia Ling know about the guy’s broken arm,” Chu Chen said.

Ji Liangping answered, “Yes.”

It seemed like she was shrouded in more mysteries than they imagined—she was more important to the boss than they thought. Ji Liangping was relieved his manager was Chu Chen—having a good manager was very important, for there was information and rumors that were exclusive only to someone of Chu Chen’s caliber. Meanwhile, he was wise enough not to cross the line. There were traps everywhere in this industry.

Xia Ling was having a lot of fun at the dinner. There were many stars, producers, and directors who wanted to talk to her, all of whom had interesting conversations and did not hold back their praises for her. She was elated and before she knew it, she had drunk a good amount of alcohol.

Chu Chen gave Ji Liangping a pat on the shoulder and left to take care of Xia Ling. “Xiao Ling, you should stop drinking.”

Xia Ling did not have good alcohol tolerance. After a few cocktails, she was in a daze and smiled sheepishly at Chu Chen. “C-Chu Chen, where’s Brother Pei? I want to tell him this joke that I’ve just heard.”

Chu Chen got a cup of tea from the waiter and got her to drink it. “Boss has an urgent call to attend to, he will be back soon. How about I bring you over to Yun Yan and the rest? You can have a chat with them and eat some snacks as well.” This brat was hard to take care of. Sometimes, Chu Chen felt that he had already spent his entire life’s worth of patience on her. Every time he remembered that Pei Ziheng was planning to make him her designated agent, he got worried.

As expected, she started to throw tantrums. “You are lying! He has been on the call for so long. He hasn’t been around since the dance started, what is he doing? There’s so much food, but he’s not eating with me!”

Chu Chen tried to calm her down. “He is really busy.”

Holding on and dragging her, Chu Chen finally brought her to the sofa beside the window. Her intoxicated face was cute and her hair was slightly messy. Her ribbon on her shoulder slid off and showed her glistening white shoulders.

Chu Chen frantically looked for something to cover her. Suddenly, someone handed him a shawl. It was Yun Yan, one of the hottest celebrities in Imperial Entertainment now. “Use this shawl to keep her warm.”

Chu Chen took it from her and thanked her.

Yun Yan took the opportunity and sat beside them. “Let me take care of her, Brother Chu. You can go and do what you have to.” Many people were looking for an opportunity to get closer to Xia Ling. They could see that she was naive and it was easier to get her liking than that of Pei Ziheng. It was a shortcut to fame.

Chu Chen could see her true intentions.

He reminded her. “She is very delicate, and she can’t get too cold or too warm. Don’t let her sleep on the couch for too long. When she wakes up, she will definitely ask for more wine or snacks, but don’t let her have too much of them. Boss banned her from having too much.”

Yun Yan smiled. “I got it.”

Wasn’t it just taking care of a girl? What could be so hard about that? Yun Yan had a niece at home who was just as lively as Xia Ling. Yun Yan assumed she could handle her easily. Hence, she did not take Chu Chen’s words to heart. Who knew that this time, she had misjudged her situation.

Xia Ling slept for a while and woke up suddenly. She stared at Yun Yan for a long time and asked, “Who are you?”

Yun Yan was shocked. “Xiao Ling, I am Sister Yun Yan. You were talking to me just now.”

Xia Ling tried to identify her. After a while, she finally recognized who it was and acknowledged her. But in a matter of moments, she was unhappy again. “Where’s Brother Pei? It has been a whole night, why is he not back yet? He’s actually ditching me for his phone!”