A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return
chapter-258

Xia Ling took a lot of effort to try and convince Li Lei.

Li Lei saw that she was determined in her stand and brought up two conditions. “I can let you leave, but on two terms. Firstly, you cannot turn to Imperial Entertainment. Secondly, you have to keep your amulet on at all times, don’t ever take it off.”

Xia Ling thought through the two conditions. Firstly, she had never even considered joining Imperial Entertainment. Secondly, given that she could not take the amulet off at all, she had already prepared a small pouch for it for times in which the amulet pendant did not fit her dressing style. Both conditions were not anything too imposing or intrusive, so she agreed.

Li Lei could finally relieve some of his tension.

Xia Ling called Luo Luo to ask if the offer for sharing a rented apartment was still up.

Luo Luo was living alone in a rented apartment in a high-end community and had to fork out a large sum each month. However, in order to maintain her image as a public figure, she could not opt for a more affordable alternative. Knowing that Xia Ling was coming to join her was good news. “Xiao Ling, this is great! Of course, I welcome you! The last time when you told me you were coming but withdrew eventually, I was so upset! It’s best if you could come live with me, else I’d be so poor I’ll survive on instant noodles every day.”

“I’m poor too, we can have instant noodles together.” Xia Ling smiled unknowingly.

She did not have much money with her, and even sharing an apartment would be a strain on her budget. Only after finding out how much it cost to rent a unit like Luo Luo’s did she realize how nice Li Lei had been to her — he had practically allowed her to live off him in his apartment.

Moved by that thought, she did not reject Li Lei’s offer to help her with her moving.

Big Boss was evidently more skilled in packing a suitcase than she. He even got the chauffeur to help out, and together, they sent Xia Ling to her new place. Xia Ling was about to decline that offer, but Li Lei reasoned. “You’re an artiste, it isn’t the best idea to get an external moving company. You can use my men instead. Even if we’re just friends, I should be offering you such help.”

Xia Ling thought that he had a point. Moreover, she had no idea how to pick a moving company. Hence, she quietly agreed to Li Lei’s plan.

The new place was in the central district of the community and was surrounded by beautiful greenery. Following Luo Luo’s address, she and Li Lei went up the elevator with a few bodyguards and the chauffeur following behind with her suitcases.

She rang the doorbell.

Luo Luo opened the door, and her eyes glittered upon seeing Xia Ling. “Xiao Ling, you’re here! I’m not dreaming, am I? You meant it when you said you were coming to share an apartment with me!” After saying that, she gave Xia Ling a big hug.

The scent from her body lotion lifted Xia Ling’s spirits.

“We’ll be room-mates in future, please look out for me.” She told Luo Luo, half-kidding.

Luo Luo hugged her even tighter, like an octopus unwilling to release its prey. It seemed like this was a unique way for girls to express their friendship and affection for each other.

But the rest of them standing around could not watch on.

Luo Luo felt like a whole gang of people had set their death glares set on her. A chill ran down her spine before she realized that a man had come along with Xia Ling — one with a good posture, a nice physique, and handsome facial features. He was a flawless hunk through and through.

Having been in the entertainment circle for a while, Luo Luo had seen many handsome men, but ones as outstanding as him were few and far between. With eyes lit up, she tugged at Xia Ling’s sleeve. “Xiao Ling, who’s this hunk over here, care to introduce him to me?”

Xia Ling quietly glanced at Li Lei.

Hunk? Very well, getting someone with Boss’s looks and physique to be a worker for a moving company was a little mean. To make it up to him, Xia Ling introduced him to Luo Luo as such. “He’s the Big Boss of Skyart Entertainment, Li Lei.”

Although Li Lei was rather well-known in the business world, he did not fancy socializing or networking. He rarely showed himself, be it in interviews or on the news. Hence, most people knew him only by name, but not by face.

When Xia Ling made the introduction, Luo Luo appeared to have an epiphany.

“Whoa, so handsome!” She made no attempt to suppress her excitement. “So you’re Boss Li, no wonder you managed to chase Xiao Ling. The both of you together look like a match made in heaven!” Only after she uttered those words did she find something wrong. “Wait, Boss Li, why are you accompanying Xiao Ling here today? Didn’t the rumors going around saying that you’ve broken up?”

Li Lei quietly looked at her.

Luo Luo felt a strange oppressing force in his gaze and hurriedly covered her mouth. “Don’t be angry, I don’t know anything!”

Xia Ling smiled a little.

She ignored the two of them and went to her room to unpack her suitcases. Li Lei entered a few moments later and helped her to sweep the floor, lay the bedsheets, and to arrange her decorative trinkets.

Everything was finally in order.

“Thank you for your help,” said Xia Ling.

“What’s with the civility.” Li Lei smiled kindly. “If there’s anything you need in future, feel free to look for me anytime.” Seeing that there was a stray bit of paper on her hair, he reached out and removed it for her.

She looked down, a little abashed. It seemed like every time she stood close to him, she could feel her heart beat a little faster.

Li Lei took his leave.

Xia Ling had not snapped back to reality as she sat in the corner of her new room.

“Wow, Xiao Ling!” Luo Luo dashed in and happily skipped to her. “Boss Li spoke to me! A big shot like him who only appears in the news reports actually spoke to me! Ah, I’m so happy, he’s the first Big Boss I know, and he’s so nice and friendly! I’m so happy!”

Xia Ling found her reaction amusing. “First Big Boss you know? How about Pei Ziheng from your Imperial Entertainment?”

“Boss Pei?” Luo Luo’s excitement died down. “That man is nowhere as friendly as Big Boss Li.” As she spoke, she seemed to have thought of something and told Xiao Ling a joke the trainees had about Boss Pei.

Luo Luo laughed at her own joke.

Xia Ling laughed along. These kids nowadays were so different from back in her time — back then, who dared to joke about Pei Ziheng behind his back? “The seniors of your training camp wouldn’t dare to say this about him,” she told Luo Luo.

Luo Luo shrugged. “Who says so? Back when Zheng Chenhao and the rest of the seniors made their debut, this joke was already around. It’s been passed down the generations, hmph.”

Really, how could she not know about it?

Zheng Chenhao had only debuted two years ahead of her.

As if reading her mind, Luo Luo went on, “It’s said that Xia Ling had genuinely exalted Boss Pei and would not speak of a single bad thing about him, while everybody else criticized him behind his back. But nobody would let Xia Ling hear about this because she was Boss Pei’s woman. Xiao Ling, if you were in Imperial Entertainment’s training camp now, I’d probably see you as the Xia Ling herself. How could you not have heard of such a well-known joke?”

Was she not Xia Ling herself?

Xia Ling smiled to conceal her emotions. “Xia Ling and Zheng Chenhao are quite a lot older than you, roughly 10 years? How did you get to hear about it?”