A Star Reborn: The Queen's Return

Panda Novel

Xia Ling was rendered speechless with all the lecturing. Sister Mai Na was right, being an artiste depended on individual strength and ability — one had to take good care of themselves and avoid falling sick. But this cold was really an accident, if there was anyone who should be blamed, it would be Boss Li. If he hadn’t called her in the middle of the night, she would not have ended up like this.

Looking at the situation, Tan Ying stepped forward to intervene, and with much effort, he managed to get Sister Mai Na to take a seat by the side.

She looked like a Queen even as she sat on the sofa, going on about the things that new artistes had to take note of — not to entertain the media as they pleased, not to get into relationships as they wished, to respect the company’s arrangements for them, to always be mindful of their image, the list goes on. In fact, she did not have to be briefed on all these, Xia Ling knew exactly how to handle them and was all second nature to her.

What Xia Ling was bothered about were the miscellaneous things instead.

“For a new artiste, the installation fee will be a large expenditure.” Sister Mai Na told her. “All the clothes that you’ve been wearing have to be replaced by new ones. You have to up your class.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Xia Ling’s clothes with a look of despise.

Xia Ling forced a smile. Her outfit of the day was a season-discounted dress — with no brand or model — with an old jacket left behind by the actual Xingling herself. The jacket had been worn and washed for so many years that the color was fading, but she had no choice, her “father” in this life was a common man.

Sister Mai Na mercilessly reproached her, “Did you attend your grooming and branding classes in vain? Your outfit is a no-go from head to toe, get changed out of it immediately!”

“I don’t have the money,” she answered simply.

Sister Mai Na was speechless.

It was not uncommon to see those who were not well-to-do, but few and far between spoke of it with such conviction. Sister Mai Na gave a wry smile. “I was not expecting a newbie like you to afford any high-end stuff. This makeover fee will be a temporary loan from the company. When you start undertaking jobs, you can settle the loan slowly… Miss, you got to work a little harder, don’t end up not having enough to repay us.”

“How could that be.” Xia Ling frowned a little, smirking discreetly.

To be fair, she really had not faced such a problem in her previous life. Being with Pei Ziheng already required her to pay attention to her dressing all the time — she only wore high-end apparel brands or custom-made outfits. Even when she became a celebrity there was no need for additional preparation, she just had to get a few sets of gowns for important occasions, and with that, she was already better dressed than most of the other female stars who had put in tons of effort.

All the costs were born by Pei Ziheng with his personal account. As long as she liked something, there was no way she would not get it.

She used to take these things for granted.

Because he was her father, teacher, and lover… They were so close there was no need to be calculative.

In hindsight, however, all she felt now was desolation.

Feeling a prick in her heart, Xia Ling forced herself to stop thinking about it.

By the side, Sister Mai Na said, “You’ve got resolve. In that case, you can now choose two brands to purchase from with company funds. I have to remind you that even for high-end brands, you have to consider whether it suits you as well. Don’t turn yourself into a country bumpkin.”

Xia Ling nodded in understanding.

Being able to afford it did not mean she was definitely getting the good stuff. For public figures like artistes, every outfit would be scrutinized and commented on by the public. If they messed up their image, even being decked in silver and gold would not save them from the “low-class” label that others would have branded on them.

But Sister Mai Na was worrying in vain.

When it came to dressing, few could match up to Xia Ling’s standards. Back in the days, global fashion leaders often used Xia Ling as their model, her influence went beyond the common public and was effective even for other influencers as well.

Her taste and eye for fashion was an outcome of staying by Pei Ziheng’s side.

Coming from the Pei aristocracy, Pei Ziheng’s eye for fashion was out of the ordinary. He enjoyed picking out clothes for her, and his choice of design was simple and comfortable, yet with an elegant and artistic style to it. He was extremely particular about the texture, and only chose those of superior quality. Xia Ling wore those all the time and not once did she feel that they were inadequate in any way. Until she was reborn as Ye Xingling and began wearing season-discounted goods — she really wasn’t quite used to this.

Her thoughts wandered, and Sister Mai Na impatiently pressed her.

Xia Ling was distracted, thus she blurted out the two brands she used to wear often.

Sister Mai Na lost it, “Who do you think you are, a diva? Xia Ling? Asking for the highest-end of all luxury goods, clothes that may not even be obtainable even with all the money we have, do you know how much it exceeds the budget? A newbie who hasn’t even done her first publicity shoot actually dares to ask for this. Let me tell you, that’s a no! Choose again.”

Xia Ling went quiet. Was it such a rarity? Why she didn’t think so. In her last life, it was just another piece of clothing, the sort that she could leave at the filming set by accident and not return for it…

But, seeing Sister Mai Na’s expression, yes, it must be a rarity.

She thought for a bit and asked Sister Mai Na, “What is the budget?” The moment she uttered them, she thought, forget it, the figures would be meaningless to her anyway. Besides the brands she wore in her previous life, there weren’t many others that she knew of. “Sister Mai Na, you can pick out two brands for me instead.” She gave up on herself.

Sister Mai Na glared at her. “You’re saving me some trouble here.”

As fierce as she was in response to Xia Ling, Sister Mai Na got up and sized her up in great detail. She had a conclusion. “You are clean-cut and simple, yet you exude an air of coldness and mystery. Lucas’ clothes should suit you pretty well, and it’s within the budget.” That said, she reached into her exquisite handbag for a name card, scribbled an address on its back and handed it to Xia Ling. “Take this and look for him. Just tell him that I sent you.”

Xia Ling took it and thanked her.

Sister Mai Na squinted her eyes teasingly as she looked at her. “The two brands that you mentioned earlier… Your taste is not bad for someone your age. But, are you modeling after Xia Ling? You sang her song ‘Sea Demon’, and is even thinking of wearing the brand she used to.”

Xia Ling was taken aback, and hurriedly explained. “I’m not modeling after her on purpose, but I’m her fan, so I guess I’m somewhat influenced by my idol.” She did not like what she was hearing herself say. What was going on now? Not only had she become a knockoff of herself, but she was also even trying to explain how she wasn’t trying to copy?

Sister Mai Na sized her up for a bit before smiling. “I’m her fan too.”

“Huh?” Xia Ling was surprised.

Yet Sister Mai Na did not elaborate further, instead, she reverted to her strict tone, “Ye Xingling, being influenced by her is one thing, deliberately modeling after her is a different thing. You have to remember that however perfect Xia Ling was, you aren’t her. You need to have your own style.”

Xia Ling paused for a while before saying, “I know.”

Just like Sister Mai Na, she was first a manager, then a fan of Xia Ling. For her, she was first the Ye Xingling of this life… as for the memory of being Xia Ling the diva, it was getting increasingly distant. It was all in the past now.

After the meeting with Sister Mai Na, she held the address and went straight off to settle the clothes.

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