A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Feng Kun looked at them amusingly.

After thinking about it, he said calmly to Wei Shaoyin, “You can take Xiao Ling away. Remember to take her temperature every day at 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 8:00 PM. She has to take antibiotics three times a day. Give her two and a half pills an hour after every meal with a cup of warm water that is about 43 degrees Celsius. In addition, she can’t catch a cold in the wind, and when she showers, you have to stand outside to take note of the time. If she takes too long, you have to call her to ensure that she doesn’t faint inside. She has to drink clear liquids, and you have to pay attention to her diet. For breakfast, it would be best if she drinks vegetable juice and plain porridge. You have to simmer the porridge in the pot for three hours. For lunch, give her food that is soft and easily digestible. For example, freshwater fish. Be careful not to buy types of fishes that have bones. Eggs and stew are fine as well. For dinner and supper, I will give you a list of things. There are not many things that she likes to eat such as beef, mutton, shrimp, squid…”

“Stop!” Wei Shaoyin was distraught.

Feng Kun’s expression was peaceful. “What’s wrong?”

Wei Shaoyin angrily pointed at Xia Ling, who was laying on the bed. “Why is this princess so hard to look after?!”

“Ask your boss.” Feng Kun replied irresponsibly.

Xia Ling wanted to rebuke and say that she was not spoiled by Li Lei, but after looking at Wei Shaoyin’s furious expression, she refrained from uttering a sound.

Wei Shaoyin was troubled. “But, if Xiao Ling doesn’t return, the recording studio…”

Feng Kun smiled warmly. “You can visit her frequently. I will let you use my working space.”

This suggestion surprised Xia Ling. Music producers took their own workspace very seriously. That was a private space where creativity and inspiration were born. It was inconceivable for them to lent their space—like how writers wouldn’t let anyone into their studies or how painters would never share their studios.

Wei Shaoyin was also stunned and said, “Who wants to use your workplace?”

“Really? That’s such a pity. I just installed the NYX R Version sound system…”

“Wait, the worldwide limited edition one?! I heard that there’s only one set in this country. It turns out that you have it?!”

“That’s right. I worked really hard to get it.”

“Well then, that’s settled. You will lend me your workspace. No going back on your word!”

Xia Ling was speechless observing their conversation. She couldn’t believe that it was so easy to bribe Ah Wei.

Just like that, Feng Kun’s house turned into a temporary recording studio.

Wei Shaoyin visited daily and passed the time making music. He even asked Xia Ling to experiment with him.

Thanks to him, Xia Ling finally found something that she couldn’t finish. Once she got busy, her illness, Li Lei, and her dark past were pushed to the back of her mind. Her body and spirit became better every day.

Feng Kun, who was responsible for taking care of the patient, and Li Lei, who frequently visited, were very happy. One said, “Thank god for Ah Wei. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have recovered so quickly.” Another one said, “Yes, it is really time to increase Ah Wei’s salary.”

On this day, Feng Kun sighed as he poured a glass of warm water for Xia Ling.

Xia Ling was vexed as she pondered about a melody. She repeatedly scrutinized a detail many times before finally remembering Feng Kun’s words. “Yes, he is a workaholic.”

He truly earned the nickname “Unreasonable Wei.” Recently, he was trying to drastically change “Powerful Opponent,” the song she and Bai Murong sang until it was beyond recognition. Two days ago, he proudly gave the score to Xia Ling and told her that it was changed until it was almost ready to be sung. He told her to try it out.

She couldn’t help but admit that Wei Shaoyin was extremely talented. The revised score not only retained the essence of the original, but it also had a sublime beauty. However, Xia Ling felt that if the original singer Bai Murong received this score, he would cry because she also wanted to cry. The revised version relied too much on controlled details and was essentially nitpicking as she would be out of tune if she were not careful enough. These two days, besides eating and sleeping, Xia Ling spent all of her time pondering about the song.

At this time, she was still in a daze.

Feng Kun sat beside her. “In the past when you were in Imperial, I have never seen you so bothered by a song before.”

“Was it the same as that time?” She asked.

“How is it different?” Feng Kun asked.

“At that time, there was…” She was silent. At that time, Pei Ziheng doted on her, and she was willfully unrestrained. When she wanted to sing, she could sing eight songs at once. When she didn’t want to sing, no one would dare to criticize her even if she did not work for more than a year and a half. However, now, she did not wish to become the canary beside Li Lei. She did not want to rely too much on special treatment, so she had to learn to accommodate the pace of others such as showing some team spirit instead of insisting that others follow her.

“Maybe it’s because I’m not used to singing with others.” Xia Ling took the score and sighed. “In the past, I used sang alone. Now that there’s suddenly another person, there’s a lack of freedom.”

Feng Kun smiled. “You were very self-important when you sang. Sometimes, it was ok when you sang impromptu on stage, but to seriously record a song is very difficult. Xiao Ling, your personal style is too strong, and you were never suited to accommodate others.”

Speaking of this, Xia Ling disagreed. “I know how to be the bigger person now. You see, during the music festival, didn’t I sing very well with Bai Murong and Qin Zifeng?”

Feng Kun clasped his hands together. “Xiao Ling, don’t you think this is where the problem lies?”

“What?” She was startled.

“You cooperated with Bai Murong too smoothly… No, I should say that you are cooperating too well with Wei Shaoyin and everyone else. Have you thought that your individuality and unique singing cannot be integrated into another style so quickly?” Feng Kun said.

“That’s because I’m different from the past. My style isn’t so special and self-important anymore…” Before she could finish, she suddenly realized the problem. She was shocked and broke out in cold sweat.

Looking at her expression, Feng Kun knew that she was aware of it. He got up and reached out his hand. “Come, I will take you to see something.”

He brought her to his workplace and took out a sandalwood box from the innermost cabinet. Opening a three-layer lid, inside was a disc wrapped with white silk. There was a word neatly written on the tag: Masterpieces.

Xia Ling was somewhat curious. She did not know why he treasured this disc so much.

He carefully took the disc out and put it into a record player.

That was a purely instrumental disc. There was no human voice. The opening melody was enchanting and arrogant, violent and overbearing. Gradually, it became passionate and magnificent, amazing yet suffocating…

Familiar yet foreign.

Xia Ling listened to the melody in shock and could not believe it. Feng Kun actually put together all the songs that he had not completed with her in the past ten years together. Most of them were impromptu songs that they created during their daily conversations as well as alternatives to the main arrangement. The two songs that they recorded halfway before she was imprisoned by Pei Ziheng were amazingly there.

He sorted them but did not finish them.

Every note was a record of their most authentic thoughts at that point in time.