Chapter 1041: Differential Treatment
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Pei Jingyu and Pei Jingshan were out of luck.

Their fathers were arranged to go to a small, remote country where conditions were arduous for an on-the-spot investigation. There was even a danger of war. The two men went home and scolded their daughters fiercely. They not only forbade them to go out and punished them to copy down a whole book, but they also warned them not to provoke Xia Ling again.

Pei Jingyu and Pei Jingshan felt aggrieved but still accepted their punishments. They hated Xia Ling down to their bones.

Xia Ling did not have the slightest inkling about this. She prepared diligently for her trainee selection test. The exam was divided into several parts. It included an attractiveness index, a temperament assessment, an answering portion, and a talent examination where one could choose any one of the various forms of performing arts. Xia Ling chose to sing. She liked to sing and hoped to become a singer in the future.

On the day, the driver drove her to the place with a Rolls Royce.

A block away, she called for the driver to stop the car. “Let’s get off here, Uncle Li. I don’t want people to discover that I was adopted by Brother Pei.” The little girl was bent on seeking fairness and wanted to rely only on her own strength to impress people. However, Pei Ziheng’s Rolls Royce was just too eye-catching.

The driver had long been instructed by Pei Ziheng to listen to everything she said. So, he parked the car by the side.

Xia Ling went to the examination room with him. There was a huge crowd in the room and it was full of well-dressed candidates and nervous parents. Xia Ling, however, was wearing a homely dress of a very soft and comfortable material. It was Pei Ziheng’s favorite blue-gray color. She hoped that wearing his favorite color could bring her good luck.

But such a skirt looked too plain when placed among a crowd of people.

“Miss, do you want to change clothes?” The driver asked. In the trunk of the car, there were a lot of clothes that Pei Ziheng had ordered him to prepare in advance. He had appeared to let her go to the test by herself, but in actual fact, he was very concerned about it.

Xia Ling looked at the crowd full of classy people who were as proud as peacocks. She hesitated, but in the end still shook her head. “I’ll just wear this.” She looked up and smiled sweetly at the driver. “I must wear Brother Pei’s favorite color dress to be able to enter the training camp!” Unconsciously, his weight in her heart had become so heavy.

The driver stopped persuading her.

He knew that even if she couldn’t pass the exam, Pei Ziheng would still order people to change the scores until she could pass. Although in her opinion, this exam was a battle, she did not understand that the result had already been set. Pei Ziheng was only conniving her and playing an innocuous game with her.

The little girl was extremely excited. She dragged the driver and reached the examination room quickly.

At the entrance, security guards blocked the way. “Sorry, parents have to stop here.”

Hence, Xia Ling waved to the driver and said with a loud voice, “Goodbye Uncle Li, wait for my good news!”

The driver smiled and waved at her. In order to conceal his identity, he had not worn the usual black suit and white gloves that he would wear when driving for Pei Ziheng. Instead, he wore a casual shirt and looked to be an amicable, simple neighborhood uncle.

Xia Ling’s laughter was too clear. Many candidates in the examination room turned to look at them.

“Noisy,” a candidate who had been reviewing his score said impatiently.

The candidate next to her looked at Xia Ling and the driver outside with a scornful look. She chuckled. “Really, all kinds of poor weirdos are entering the examination this year. Does she not feel shameful to come here wearing that?”

Another candidate had good eyes. She could see that although the dress on Xia Ling was very low-key, it was made of first-class materials that only rich people could afford. However, it didn’t matter and she was too lazy to point it out to the others. She let the other candidates belittle Xia Ling—it was even better if the two started fighting and were all ousted.

The whole room of candidates were full of different thoughts.

Xia Ling heard the people’s discussion and was a little unhappy. But she had come to take the exam today and did not want to argue with anyone. She only glared at them and planned on finding a seat to wait for her turn.

However, who knew that the person had a bad temper. “What are you glaring at?”

Xia Ling frowned. “You provoked me first.”

“Ha, how did I provoke you?” The girl stood up suddenly. She looked to be about fourteen to fifteen, and was a head taller than Xia Ling. She looked down at her condescendingly. “Do you believe I’ll hit you? Little devil.”

If it was any other girl, they would have been extremely frightened. But who was Xia Ling? She had fought often at the orphanage. She glared at the girl without hesitation. “It’s not certain yet who’ll hit who. Come on.” She looked at the girl provocatively. Even though she hadn’t wanted to cause trouble, she couldn’t simply ignore it when someone found trouble with her.

The big girl was about to push her, but Xia Ling was very flexible and managed to avoid it quickly. The big girl pushed the girl behind Xia Ling. That girl screamed and fell back and suddenly knocked down several other girls. “My clothes!” “My skirt!” …

The examination room was full of chaos all of a sudden.

“What is the noise?” The teacher who maintained the order rushed in and scanned all the candidates. “Quiet down! Today is the final exam, we’re choosing only thirty out of a hundred! Whoever wants to leave early can continue to be noisy. You’ll be directly disqualified!”

Her words caused the whole room to become dead silent.

Only Xia Ling widened her eyes in surprise—What, today was the final exam?

Today was her first time coming to the selection test. Had she gone into the wrong room?

She was feeling apprehensive and was about to ask questions when she heard a calm girl’s voice—”Teacher Chen, what happened for you to be so angry? Am I late?”

Teacher Chen’s expression changed. She ignored the candidates and turned to greet the girl with a huge smile. “Miss Li Bingman? You’re finally here, I’ve waited so long for you! Come, come, come sit here, I’ve specially left the best seat and prepared red tea for you!”

“Teacher Chen, you’re too kind. Thank you for your troubles.” The girl’s voice was calm and she walked into the examination room slowly. The crowd then saw her true face—she was an extremely beautiful girl, and although her beauty was a level lower to Xia Ling’, in this whole examination room, no third person could compete with her.

Her temperament was arrogant and elegant, and she looked at people from above as though she was a regal princess.

Teacher Chen diligently led her to the best seat in the examination room, which was by the window. There was the only table in the entire room in that area, and on the table was a hot cup of tea. Earlier, there had been a cordon to prevent other candidates from entering and the other candidates had all thought it was the seat for the examiner.

Li Bingman walked over elegantly and gracefully sat down.

She was not old, looking to be about twelve or thirteen. However, she was much more attractive than the older girls.

“So she’s Li Bingman…” A candidate next to Xia Ling regained her thoughts and said in admiration, “I heard that she’s the Queen Li Bingyu’s sister. No wonder she’s being treated differently.”

Chapter 1042: Test Exemption
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Another candidate said, “It’s her. Her family is good, her face is beautiful, I even heard that she sings as well as Li Bingyu. With her talent, she’ll have no problem passing the selection test.”

“She won’t just pass it easily,” another candidate said. “I think this year’s chief is none other than her.”

“Chief?” Xia Ling asked curiously.

The candidates looked at each other and wondered where this awkward and unsophisticated girl had come from. How could she not have any knowledge when she was here for the test?

“You won’t understand even if I tell you.” They ignored Xia Ling. This little girl was so beautiful that they felt deeply threatened, yet her “simple” dressing made them look down on her with disdain. They didn’t want to be associated with her.

“Why can’t I understand?” Xia Ling was anxious. She glared at them. “Don’t belittle me!”

Her voice was a little loud, and Teacher Chen’s annoyed gaze swept over to her.

A few of the children fell silent.

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you.” Once Teacher Chen’s gaze moved away, a girl glared at Xia Ling fiercely and said in a low voice reluctantly, “But you have to promise us not to raise your voice again, or everyone will be disqualified. We’ll get revenge on you!”

“Yes, yes!” Several other candidates echoed.

Xia Ling remembered the severity of the situation and said quickly, “I’m sorry, I won’t raise my voice again.”

The candidates were satisfied and explained to her half-heartedly, “In the Imperial Entertainment Training Camp, there’s a head chief every year who is the face of the entire batch. Every school year’s chief is the best candidate for the final exam. And for the first-years that just entered, the chief is selected from the first-place trainee among the candidates.”

“You think Li Bingman will be first?” Xia Ling understood.

“Of course. Who else could it be besides her? She’s Li Bingyu’s sister!” Someone signed in disappointment. “It really is so unlucky to be in the same batch as her. Otherwise, everyone in this year could fight for the chief position.”

The others agreed.

It was said that the Imperial Entertainment Training Camp always emphasized on cultivating the chief. From the first grade, they would get various resources to develop her. Several Queens from the Training Camp had been the chiefs of their year. The competition in the entertainment industry was very cruel. Even before these children stepped into the training camp, they had already begun fighting for life and death.

Xia Ling only thought that being the chief was just an honor. She didn’t understand the complexity of things. Of course, there was nobody to remind her either. Who would be so kind as to give intel to a competitor?

Everyone rested and waited for their turn.

“Come and verify your numbers.” Teacher Chen took a pen and paper and started checking the candidates’ information. “A3695, Wang Guizhi, give me your ID card.”

“Yes!” A girl immediately came forward and handed her identity card over respectfully.

Teacher Chen took the ID card and verified the picture with the picture on her admission ticket and the real-life girl. She let her go and called for the next girl. “D9607, Qiu Yunli…”

The candidates went up to be verified one by one.

Teacher Chen continued to call, “S0001, Li Bingman.”

“S0001!” There was a commotion in the examination room. Many people looked at Li Bingman in surprise and admiration as she got up from her seat. “She’s exempted from the first few rounds! She’ll go straight to the finals!”

“Exempted from the first few rounds?” Xia Ling’s curiosity was piqued again. Having been interrupted by people just now, she had almost forgotten that she’d suspected herself of entering the wrong room. She’d thought how strange it was that she was in the finals room. Could it be that she was exempted just like Li Bingman?

The candidate next to her looked at her like she was a country bumpkin and said to her proudly, “You don’t know what it is again, right. For the Imperial Entertainment Training Camp’s various trials, there are exemption places. As long as you are good enough, you won’t have to go through the preliminary rounds and can go straight to the finals!”

“Really?” Xia Ling blinked and digested the new information. Was it that in Brother Pei’s eyes, she was good enough? But, but, she’d already told Brother Pei that she wanted to take the exam with her own strength. Brother Pei still exempted her from the preliminary rounds, boohoo…

She looked a little dejected.

The candidate next to her saw that she was not happy and thought she was ashamed. She couldn’t help but say, “Get over it, this place is very difficult to get, and the last batch did not even get it. Of course, there’s only Li Bingman here in this batch. Ordinary candidates like us shouldn’t be comparing ourselves with the Queen’s sister.”

While they were talking, Li Bingman had walked past them with an air of elegance. She brought a faint scent.

The candidate who had been speaking to Xia Ling hurriedly took two steps back to give way to Li Bingman. She even pulled Xia Ling, afraid that she would collide with Li Bingman. She was also afraid that she would fall into her bad side.

Li Bingyu was very satisfied with the humility of this candidate. Her lips curled into a smile.

However, Xia Ling was still ignorant and continued to say, “But I’ve not passed the preliminary test either.” In all honesty, she was really not trying to show off. She just hasn’t figured out whether she had been exempted or if she’d walked into the wrong room. If she’d gone to the wrong venue, she had to quickly find the correct examination room.

“Oh.” Her words were heard by Li Bingman, who couldn’t help but stop and look at Xia Ling. “Interesting. Who are you?” Her condescending gaze was very uncomforting.

Before Xia Ling had known that she was Li Bingyu’s sister, she had already felt dislike towards her. After hearing her speak in the same arrogant tone as her sister, she was even more disgusted. She retorted. “I won’t tell you.”

The people beside her were all scared senseless. They quickly stepped back and set up a boundary away from Xia Ling. This brat wanted to look for death and offend Li Bingman, then she shouldn’t implicate others.

“How could you talk like that to Miss Li Bingman!” A trainee reprimanded Xia Ling quickly, wanting to get on Li Bingman’s good books.

At this loud shouting, the whole room of candidates looked over.

Xia Ling was even more unhappy. “I talk like this, what’s wrong?”

Li Bingman looked at her. “You said you were exempted too?” Didn’t Sister tell her that she was the only one who had been exempted? This exemption took a lot of effort for her to get it! Impossible, this girl must only be talking shamelessly and lying. What qualifications did she even have to be exempted?

Xia Ling felt a little guilty. She still suspected that she had gone to the wrong examination room. But no matter what, she could not lose and refused to admit her mistake. “I’ve not passed the first two exams.”

Li Bingman frowned slightly but still maintained a good manner. “What’s your admission number?”

“Why should I tell you?” Xia Ling was heavily guarded against her.

Someone next to her interrupted. “Ha, guilty? The first letter of the admission number represents your test area. Only the exempted students have the first number S. We’ll know if you’ve been exempted just by seeing your admission number!”

Chapter 1043: Before the Finals
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Ling had not spoken, but Teacher Chen had already reached her name on the candidate list.

Although Teacher Chen did not know who Xia Ling was, this girl here was simply too gorgeous. She looked just like the picture on the registration sheet, it would’ve been impossible not to recognize her. “She’s Xia Ling,” Teacher Chen said to Li Bingman. “Her entry proof number is H1119.”

H1119!

A lot of people began laughing. “Haha, who does she think she is? Her entry proof number starts with an H and she has the audacity to say that she need not take the examination? Xia Ling, you should at least do your sums before boasting. Haha, what a joke…”

Xia Ling could not care less about the people laughing at her. She asked Teacher Chen, “This is my examination venue, am I right?”

She still remembered the time she walked into the wrong examination venue.

Teacher Chen smiled insincerely. “This is the final examination slot for Imperial’s training camp and you have your entry proof, how could you possibly be in the wrong place? Don’t put on an act. You haven’t even made a debut yet and you’re already telling lies, who knows what would become of you in future? So what if you’re pretty? In the training camp, lying is taboo!”

She was simply too beautiful. Teacher Chen had been involved in Imperial Entertainment’s training camp for so many years, but she’d never seen a girl who looked better than Xia Ling. Judging by her appearance alone, Teacher Chen knew that her chances of getting selected for the camp were pretty high—even if she couldn’t sing or dance, she could be an advertising model!”

Hence, Teacher Chen wasn’t mocking her, but rather, giving her a lesson.

Xia Ling felt wronged. “I didn’t lie.”

“Did you not?” Li Bingman sneered. “You’re so materialistic, even claiming you were exempted. Tell me, what right do you have to be exempted from this?”

“Exactly.” A few other candidates chorused. “Li Bingman sings well, and her bearing and family background are good. But what about you?”

“I…” Xia Ling had not said that her bearing was not too bad too. After all, she had been trained under Ms. Sophia for a period of time, and she, who had trained princesses from all over the world, even said that she was a charismatic girl. But seeing all the annoyed faces around her, she decided she didn’t want to explain herself any further.

“I’m just better than you, how’s that.” She glared at Li Bingman. What a joke, she could even make Li Bingman’s older sister cry, much less Li Bingman herself. “If I hadn’t come for the examination on my own account, I would’ve made it to the training camp even without going through the final round!” She was a little girl, after all. She almost couldn’t keep the bragging inside her. She was so close to telling them about Pei Ziheng’s initial plan, but her last bit of rationalism stopped her from mentioning his name.

“Hahaha.” This time, even Teacher Chen couldn’t help but laugh.

The other candidates looked at her like she was insane. “Are you sick in the mind? Don’t you know that candidates can only be exempted from the first and intermediate rounds of the selection for Imperial’s training camp! No one has ever been able to get selected without having a go at the final round! Who do you think you are? The princess?!”

“I just can,” she whispered.

Teacher Chen frowned. This girl had such a pretty face, but why was her EQ so low? Didn’t she even think of finding things out before telling a lie? This was too absurd to be the truth!

“Your number starts with an H.” Teacher Chen decided to teach her a lesson and thumb her down. “The prefix H means that you come from the Shabei district, and candidates from that district are known to be of inferior standard. It’s been three years since anyone from that district got through the intermediate round. Since you were lucky enough to get through it, then cherish this opportunity and do well, instead of fantasizing about some privilege!”

With that, she glanced at Li Bingman with admiration. “Even those with the privilege aren’t as arrogant as you.”

Xia Ling was even more unhappy now. “I didn’t get here by luck.” And also, why did they classify her as someone from Shabei district? Brother Pei hadn’t even told her about it beforehand, what even was that place?

With her very little common knowledge, she had no idea where that place was or what it was like.

Teacher Chen sneered. “That damned place… nobody there can sing or dance.” Her hopes for Xia Ling to go into acting were shattered as well. Seeing the way Xia Ling lied, she likely had no flair for acting.

Xia Ling said very seriously, “I can sing and dance.”

“Hahaha…” A group of them burst into laughter.

The rest of the candidates were relieved when they found out that Xia Ling was from the Shabei district—that area was known to be poor, and no one inside was truly well-exposed, so how good could they be? Initially, Xia Ling’s stunning beauty had got the other female candidates worried. But since she didn’t have the ability, she wasn’t much of a threat anymore.

They continued mocking her, “What spiritual dance do you do, or do you sing some folk song?”

“You people are too much!” Xia Ling was fuming mad. Why are these people so detestable and annoying? “You are the people doing those spiritual dances and singing those spiritual songs, I sing better than any of you!” From her peripheral vision, she could see Li Bingman suppressing her laughter elegantly. She turned and snapped at her too. “Better than you too!”

“Huh.” Li Bingman did not expect her to be personally attacked. She sneered. “Frog in a well.”

She side-eyed her condescendingly.

Xia Ling was angered further and decided she was going to put up a good show for them! “Just you wait! I’ll come in first! I’ll get that… that Best Student of the Year title!”

The rest erupted in laughter once again.

The little girl suppressed her anger as she waited for the final round to start.

The rules for the final round were unique. Six examiners would sit behind a long desk, while 100 candidates would sit around them in a semicircle. There was no sequence for anyone to perform first, and it was completely up to the candidates themselves. If nobody made a move to go next, the examiners’ solution was straightforward but harsh—

They would randomly eliminate a candidate.

The candidate would have no chance to be selected at all.

Many of them said that this was an unfair practice, but the management had their justification: that luck played a part in their ability too. If they did not have the luck, then they probably were not suited to be in the entertainment circle.

The final round had commenced, and everyone went quiet.

Many of them shifted their line of sight to Xia Ling, wondering whether this boastful girl would volunteer to go first.

But Xia Ling sat quietly without even flinching.

The few examiners exchanged glances and Teacher Chen said, “If nobody makes a move, we’re going to randomly eliminate someone now.”

Many of them gloatingly looked towards Xia Ling. Since she had offended Teacher Chen so badly, the first to be eliminated was definitely none other than her.

Chapter 1044: Examiner Feng Kun
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

One less competitor would always be good news.

Many remained motionless and were waiting for Xia Ling to be eliminated.

Even if there were several male candidates whose hearts ached for this beautiful young lady to be undergoing such distress, they did not dare to gamble away their future. In almost every competition, the first to go would most often be the one losing out. This was common sense.

Teacher Chen and the other examiners exchanged glances.

“Zhou Keke, eliminated.” She casually flipped through the name lists and called out a name.

“What?!” The one whose name was Zhou Keke was in disbelief and blurted out, “The one who should be eliminated is Xia Ling! This isn’t fair!”

“Luck is also included when we consider one’s capabilities. There’s nothing unfair about depending upon your capabilities.” Teacher Chen stated a famous saying from Imperial’s training guide.

Zhou Keke shook her head, unable to accept the outcome. “Why isn’t it Xia Ling? She clearly had a contradictory standpoint from you and is at odds with Miss Li Bingman!” A few minutes ago, she was still secretly mocking Xia Ling for being a dirt bun who wouldn’t know any better and would definitely be knocked out. Who knew that the first to be eliminated would be she herself!

Teacher Chen waved her hand impatiently. Immediately, two bodyguards appeared in front of her and courteously but firmly escorted Zhou Keke out. The entire classroom was submerged in silence, and nobody made a noise. It was then that they realized what it felt like to be at Imperial’s examination hall; the competition was too brutal, and each man lived for himself only.

Zhou Keke’s wails faded into the distance.

The main doors to the classroom were sealed up by the guards. Teacher Chen scanned the room and calmly said, “Do you think I would eliminate Xia Ling? My apologies. I will tell you upfront that in this round of competition, the only two who will not be eliminated due to chance are Li Bingman and Xia Ling!”

A sound of surprise rang across the classroom, as a slight commotion began.

“Why is this so?!” Some candidates were dissatisfied and burst out saying, “Li Bingman is the Diva’s sister, so we can understand why she is being protected. But why does Xia Ling enjoy the same privilege?!”

“Yes, why is that so?” The candidates asked one after another.

“Because you all aren’t as pretty as her.” Another male examiner spoke up. He was young and had a calm, graceful expression. He was the kind of person whom people felt comfortable being around. However, the words that left his mouth were brutally cold and harsh. “Have you heard of this line? Justice serves looks. For a beautiful girl like Xia Ling, her face is her ticket forward.”

The candidates descended into a state of silence once again, with many of them staring at her with complicated emotions. Regardless of how jealous they may be, they could not deny that this girl was indeed beautiful. She had the kind of beauty that stunned people, that nobody could resist.

“Even if she didn’t have strengths, she can live purely because of her looks. Can you?” The same male examiner stated the facts.

“I’m not someone without strengths.” Despite the fact that he was standing up for her, Xia Ling was not pleased. She was clearly good at singing.

“For goodness sake, is this girl crazy?” A commotion stirred up within the crowd of candidates.

Sitting right in the center of the panel of examiners was Feng Kun. At a young age, he was already deemed to be Imperial’s best music composer. Any piece of music that he composed always made it big.

Oh, Feng Kun!

The idol of many children who dreamed of being celebrities!

And today, this brat from the countryside actually dared to oppose him?

Of course, a feral child was a feral child indeed, one who had no exposure!

A bunch of candidates was complaining like crazy in their minds. Who could have guessed that Feng Kun would only look at Xia Ling, chuckling warmly without a word? Even Teacher Chen threw a rude glare in Xia Ling’s direction. “Don’t take advantage of the fact that you’re pretty. Good looks are only the first stepping stone into the entertainment world. Having nobody supporting you will bring about disastrous outcomes!”

After speaking, a cold expression fell across her face as she turned to face the candidates. “Whose turn is it to perform?”

Candidates turned to look at each other. At this point in time, they no longer held hopes for the possibility of Xia Ling being eliminated by chance. In order to prevent himself from being the next unfortunate victim of random elimination, a male candidate quickly stood up, announcing, “I’ll go.”

For the first examination, even though there were several disadvantages, there were also benefits, such as leaving the strongest impression in the minds of the examiners.

This male candidate held much confidence in his abilities. Thus, he took that step of courage.

He excitedly performed a short piece, and his skills were indeed remarkable.

Several examiners individually gave him scores. Excluding the highest and lowest score, the remaining four scores were averaged and that made up the final score for this candidate: 7.6 marks.

“Full marks being 10, getting a 7.6 is pretty good.” Candidates sitting among the audience started whispering, discussing how the selection baseline for the previous year was 7.6. If it remained the same this year, he would definitely be selected!

That particular candidate was rather satisfied with his own mark, yet also felt slightly uneasy. What if the selection baseline this year was higher than the previous year’s? He gave a polite bow to the examiners, before retreating to his seat to watch the rest of the performances, while waiting for the overall outcome of results.

With him kickstarting the process, the other candidates began taking their turn to go on stage.

There were high and low scores, with cheers and laughter and also disappointment.

“The examination this year seems really strict. Zhao Tian danced so well just now, but only got a score of 8.1. They’re making it so hard!” Some candidates were heard saying this.

“Who says this isn’t strict. Over 60 candidates have gone, but the highest score is only 8.4 when the highest last year was 9.2!” Another candidate mentioned.

“9.2? There’s no hope left for us. Let’s see if Li Bingman can break the record this year. Just look at her, sitting there so calm and composed, looking full of confidence.”

Sitting at a corner of the classroom, Li Bingman was sipping tea in a lady-like manner while looking towards the stage.

Her steady, unwavering demeanor was disconcerting for many. Thinking about it, no wonder she was the Diva’s sister. Probably due to genetics, she possessed the demeanor of a celebrity.

On the contrary, Xia Ling just couldn’t sit still and impatiently shifted around.

Even though she had also learned etiquette, Ms. Sophia’s etiquette class was never about teaching her how to be a lady who followed the rules but about designing a set of unique etiquette rules to suit her lively character, causing her to also come off as beautifully alluring even as she fidgeted.

This was one area in which Ms. Sophia was wiser and smarter than other etiquette teachers.

Beauty was never about following a particular set of rules, but about each individual revealing their own unique radiance.

But to the many who sat in the audience, even if they felt that the way this girl’s fidgeting was exceptionally pleasant to look at, they still saw her as a disobedient child, and it was a strange sight. “Just look at her,” someone said while pointing at Xia Ling. “Not even sitting in an appropriate way. And she thinks she can compete with Li Bingman. What a joke.”

Chapter 1045: Sing Any Song You Want
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Xia Ling heard it and turned around to glare at them.

She refused to go first and simply laid back in her seat, waiting. The other candidates went up one by one to perform, but she did not enjoy it at all. She even began wondering whether there was something wrong with her judgment—why was it that the items that everyone clapped for and admired not awe her at all? How boring…

A while later, she dozed off in her seat.

At the examiners’ panel, Feng Kun was observing her while watching the performances. From the very first time he saw her, he had sensed an aura exuding from all over her… it was a unique feeling, one that was hard to describe. But what he knew was that every single one of the people whom he saw possessed such a charm had turned out to be megastars.

He looked forward to her performance.

But even after half of the candidates had had their turn, she was still lying back in her seat and shaking her leg, evidently very bored by this. And this was the selection for Imperial Entertainment’s training camp! The selection for the cream of the crop! Every other candidate was getting nervous, and somehow she was acting so differently?

Those who did not know the situation would think she was waiting for a train.

Xia Ling had a pretty good sleep. She dreamt that she got selected for the training camp and that she made her debut as a celebrity. She was on stage to receive the Best Female Singer award, and it was Pei Ziheng who presented it to her…

“Xia Ling? Xia Ling!” Someone called her.

She jerked awake and rubbed her eyes before realizing that every candidate and examiner in the room was looking at her, speechless. “What’s wrong?” She asked groggily, looking all innocent.

They really had no words for this girl!

Feng Kun stifled his laughter and kindly said to her, “Every other candidate has had their turn. Only you and Li Bingman are left, which one of you wants to go first?”

“Ah, that’s fast,” Xia Ling murmured to herself. She was so upset. In her dream, Brother Pei was just about to hand her the trophy! She had not even received it, but someone had already woken her up.

How was this considered fast? Everyone else was getting tired from the long period of watching item after item presented by one another. The examiners couldn’t wait to be done with their jobs, while the candidates couldn’t wait for the results to be announced. Feng Kun asked again gently, “So, have you decided whether you are going first, or Li Bingman?”

“She first!” Both girls said at the exact same moment.

On that note, both of them looked at each other with the eye of an enemy.

Li Bingman wanted to be the final performer, the “grandest” of them all. She solemnly said to Xia Ling, “I’m letting you go first.”

Xia Ling asked, “Why do I need you to let me go first? You sing any song you want, then I will sing the same song as you right after. I’ll definitely do a better job.” This was the only reason she wanted Li Bingman to go first. Since everyone looked down on her, she was going to prove herself to them! When it came to singing, she had never lost to anyone.

The moment she said that everyone gasped—how arrogant!

They had witnessed confidence in others, but not in this way! Moreover, this was in front of the examiners! “Is she mad?” Everyone looked at one another. “It’s bad enough if she’s claiming to beat anyone else, but Li Bingman? Does this country bumpkin know who Li Bingman is?”

“I think she must be too uptight,” a few of the candidates said.

Li Bingman’s expression was getting pretty interesting. Someone actually told her to “sing any song she wants”, and then intended to beat her with the same song! This was akin to having a weakling challenge a martial arts master, while saying, “I’ll give you three moves worth of headstart.” This was an utter insult to the master!

Li Bingman was about to explode from anger. She was smiling irrationally now. “You really don’t know what you’re made of.”

Xia Ling proudly raised her chin. “Who’s the one who doesn’t know what she’s made of? Just tell me whether you dare to take on the challenge or not.”

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Li Bingman sneered. “But I don’t think you’re in the position to challenge me! Xia Ling, you go first!”

“I don’t wanna! I refuse!”

Both of them glared at each other without giving an inch.

The examiners rubbed their foreheads. This was the first time in all of Imperial’s training camp history that they were in such a situation. It was seriously… too strange. They continued exchanging glances, urging the other to go first.

At last, Feng Kun broke the silence. “Both of you want to sing last? How about this, whoever sings first gets to choose the song, and whoever goes after that will have to sing the same song. Xia Ling, are you okay with that?”

“I’m fine,” Xia Ling responded quickly. This was her plan, to begin with.

“Li Bingman, are you okay with that?” Feng Kun asked her this time.

“I…” Li Bingman hesitated. This was putting her in a fix! She didn’t have the confidence, and even if her sister Li Bingyu was here, she probably wouldn’t have it too. There were too many songs in this world, who knew what the other would pick? What if she didn’t know the song?”

“Examiner, Xia Ling is being unreasonable!” Li Bingman said, “She…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Feng Kun cut her off. “Very well, you’ll go first then.”

“I!” Li Bingman was anxious now. How could Feng Kun have made the decision so quickly?

“You may begin.” Feng Kun couldn’t care less about her explanation. He was the gem of Imperial Entertainment, the most sought after music composer, one whom even Li Bingyu dared not offend. The other examiners dared not go against him and naturally took his words as the final say.

Li Bingman felt aggrieved. Before coming for this selection, her sister had told her time and again that she had to perform last to leave the best impression. She’d finally waited it out and now, that feral child had stolen the limelight!

But she dared not go against Feng Kun in any way and had no choice but to slowly make her way to the stage.

“I’ll sing…” She thought for a while. “I’ll sing a Russian song, ‘Shooting Star and Fireworks’.”

“Russian song!” Everyone was shocked by that. So far, anyone who’d chosen to sing a song in a foreign language other than English hadn’t managed to go far. Firstly, the examiners were unable to judge their competency in singing Chinese songs. Secondly, they might not be able to understand what they were singing. Thirdly, singing songs in other languages did not help in developing one’s career locally. Lastly, it was difficult to pronounce it accurately, with the right accents and intonations.

For these reasons, most of the people who chose to sing songs in foreign languages ended up pretty badly.

The fact that Li Bingman chose to sing a Russian song just proved how confident she was!

The examiners looked at each other. Teacher Chen said, “You’d better be sure of your choice. Russian songs are very challenging—if you sing it well, it’d be magnificent. But if you mess it up, you probably won’t get another chance.”

“Russian is my third language,” Li Bingman said confidently. “Don’t worry, Teacher Zhou. I’ll do just fine.” She had initially prepared a Chinese song for the selection, but because of Xia Ling’s challenge, she changed her mind at the last minute to teach that feral child a lesson!

Chapter 1046: What to Outperform Her with
Many other candidates shared that sentiment and looked at Xia Ling gloatingly.

Xia Ling’s brows furrowed slightly. Never would she have expected that Li Bingman would know a song in a foreign language; the concept she had of singing was just… Chinese songs. But since she was the one issuing the challenge, there was no way she could back out now. She calmly and proudly raised her head high.

Ha. Li Bingman was sneering on the inside. Little feral girl, let’s see how long you can keep up this pretense.

She lifted her long skirt and elegantly walked towards the stage. Behind her, a five-man band took their seats.

“Wow, the Diva’s sister is the Diva’s sister indeed, she even brought her own band to the selection,” one of the candidates said in envy. The rest of them had just brought their music recording instead.

Li Bingman could not help but grin upon hearing that.

For this selection, she had specially hired this band and practiced hard with them. After day and night of rehearsing together, they had only perfected no more than three songs. Most of the time, those who got into the final round of selection would prepare two to three songs, just in case anything cropped up at the last minute—such as someone else singing the same song, or someone else managing to perform a similar genre better and so on.

As for Li Bingman, this Russian song was her backup.

Although it was in a foreign language, the pitch range of this song was wide and extremely complex in its layers. It tested the fundamental skills of a singer, and it suited Li Bingman’s disposition very well.

Offstage, a few candidates understood what was going on. “Li Bingman must have practiced hard with this band. Xia Ling is really going down this time.”

“Haha, that country bumpkin deserves a lesson.”

“Li Bingman, go for it!” Someone cheered her on.

“Go for it!” More people chorused.

Li Bingman’s lips curled up. As she had thought, she was indeed the star of the show, the one everyone admired. She got to the center of the stage, bowed gracefully to the examiners and began singing with the accompaniment of the band.

It was a beautiful and complex Russian song indeed.

Li Bingman managed to execute it extremely well. On some notes, it felt deep as the ocean, and in other verses, one could practically visualize the shooting stars and fireworks lighting up the night sky. With her careful management of each and every lyric, she managed to bring her audience into an alternate virtual world.

“Amazing…” The others applauded once she was done singing.

Li Bingman lived up to the status of being the Diva’s sister. Her voice was clear and melodious, and she managed to display her plethora of singing techniques. The few examiners exchanged glances and felt that she had the potential to be a Diva in the future as well.

“9.3!” Her final score was 9.3.

A commotion was sparked among the candidates. The highest score in the previous year was 9.2, but Li Bingman had surpassed it!

“Just look at how good Li Bingman is. Ha, and someone is still silly enough to challenge her.” After the score was announced, the other candidates could not wait to watch how Xia Ling would embarrass herself. This was the highest score of this cohort, and she was thinking of beating it? Haha, feral child, just you wait.

Li Bingman looked at Xia Ling haughtily, as if saying: Feral child, afraid now?

At this point, however, Xia Ling was no longer nervous at all. She knew that she couldn’t speak Russian. Hence, she put in all her effort to listen closely when Li Bingman was singing. When it came to music, she had an astounding talent—for any song that she put her heart to listen to, she was able to remember almost every part of it. Although it was in Russian this time, she had managed to secure the majority of the details of the song. She had Li Bingman to thank for singing it so well. Every beautiful song had a sort of cadence, whether in its pitch, tone or otherwise, and it made people feel comfortable when they listened to it.

As for Xia Ling, she was very sensitive to such a feeling.

She did not understand what the lyrics meant, nor did she bother to. But the title of the song itself, its melody and the emotions that Li Bingman poured into performing it gave Xia Ling a good enough understanding of the song’s essence. Visual imagery of the song flashed in her mind like a movie of its own. With her stunning gift for music, she felt that she could give it a shot.

“Xia Ling, if you can’t do it, just admit it.” Teacher Chen urged her. “What matters in the camp is your actual level of competence, you can pick a song that you are confident of. Of course, you’ll also have to apologize to Li Bingman.”

Xia Ling made her way to the stage as if she had not heard what Teacher Chen just said.

“Hey!”

“Xia Ling!”

Teacher Chen and a few others began yelling at her, wondering if she was in the right frame of mind. At this point, was she still trying to fight her way through? Teacher Chen called out, “Xia Ling, are you deaf?!”

Xia Ling walked to the center of the stage, not bothering about the rest of them. She closed her eyes.

She had no other distractions as she went through the song over and over again in her mind, each time making adjustments to improve it. She did not have the heart to bother about Teacher Chen now. She needed to focus on this song, this inspiration that she was getting. As it involved a foreign song that she had never heard before this, such a distraction could be “fatal”.

Light poured in through the windows and onto her as if it was a spotlight.

Many of them suddenly realized that this girl in an ordinary blue dress was so… so beautiful and pure when quiet. Gradually, the whole room quietened down.

Teacher Chen was about to say something more, but Feng Kun grabbed her arm and shook his head.

Everyone was waiting for Xia Ling. A while later, she opened her eyes.

“Are you ready?” Feng Kun asked with a smile. When Li Bingman was performing earlier, he had observed this girl for a long while. He noticed that the way she was so focused on listening to the song, almost as if she’d poured all her heart and soul into it. The fact that she was still able to do this even under so much pressure proved that her psychological quality far surpassed most other candidates. This was a quality that would serve artistes well during live performances in the entertainment industry.

“I’m ready,” Xia Ling said.

Feng Kun glanced at Li Bingman’s accompanying band and said, “We’ve got to trouble you to play it one more time.”

The band members had no objection and were ready once again.

But Xia Ling said, “Wait, can the accompaniment be adjusted?”

The band looked up at her and Feng Kun was taken aback as well. “How?”

“I’d like to raise the whole song by one tone,” she said.

Everyone gasped when she said that—they’d already thought of her as a madwoman, but even more so now! Li Bingman was already singing in a very high tone and struggled a little to reach the highest notes of the song. The other candidates figured that they wouldn’t have been able to reach it comfortably either, but Xia Ling was thinking of raising it even further!

This difference of one tone was crucial.

At such a high pitch, even a semitone could make all the difference!

Even Feng Kun was shocked. “You’ve thought it through clearly?”

Xia Ling nodded. Although she’d memorized the Russian song, she did not know the meaning behind the lyrics, after all. Hence, her expression and enunciation would not be as good as Li Bingman.

The only thing she could beat her in was her pitch.

Chapter 1047: She Can Sing Falsetto
Li Bingman had some difficulty reaching the high notes, and Xia Ling managed to detect it. Back then she’d thought to herself, if she was the one performing it, she’d be able to comfortably sing those notes even if they were one tone higher.

But some people mocked her quietly. “Oh, how she overestimates herself.”

The band leader looked at Xia Ling and the examiners. “One tone higher would mean we’re playing in C7.” C7 was already in the range of the falsetto, and not many even in the world were able to sing falsetto.

The band leader looked at Xia Ling and the examiners, “One tone higher would mean we’re playing in C7.” C7 was already in the range of the falsetto, and not many even in the world were able to sing falsetto.

The few examiners exchanged glances, unsure of how they should proceed.

What were the chances that a candidate would be able to sing falsetto? It was close to impossible!

If the candidate really could sing falsetto and had the interest to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, he or she would long have been taken away by those star searchers for grooming instead of trying out for a selection here. The statement “I can sing falsetto” would have gotten countless companies fighting over this talent! One of the examiners looked at Xia Ling in disbelief. “Little girl, you can sing in C7?”

Xia Ling had never heard of such a term. “What’s C7?” All her singing had been self-learned. Hence, she did not know the technical aspects of music, much less a term like C7.

The examiners were speechless. It seemed like they had all thought wrong. This was just a girl who knew nothing about her own ability. She was simply trying to resort to any means that could help her beat Li Bingman. Teacher Chen scolded her. “Are you messing with us now!”

Xia Ling repeatedly stubbornly, “I want to raise it by a tone.” She looked at Feng Kun with her bright, clear eyes, believing that this kind and gentle examiner would speak up for her.

As she’d guessed, Feng Kun smiled once again.

“Up a tone,” he said to the band.

“How can this be allowed?” Teacher Chen was disapproving.

“Isn’t this absurd?” Another examiner voiced his disbelief.

Feng Kun said to them, “Let her give it a shot.” Although he was young, his status among them was high and respected. With his words, the rest of them had no further objection. Alright then, they’d let her give it a shot, but just so that she’d know the consequences of spewing nonsense. So what if she had a pretty face, it wasn’t invincible!

All the other candidates kept quiet as they anticipated mocking Xia Ling.

Even Li Bingman was sneering. Wretched girl, do you really think it’s so easy for me to reach those high notes? It might sound effortless, but it takes a lot of work for me to achieve it! Li Bingman felt that this was a challenging song, and thought that Xia Ling was only boasting because she couldn’t even tell the complexities of the song.

She’d already thought of how to insult Xia Ling when she embarrassed herself later.

Xia Ling regulated her breathing and signaled for the band to start. The instrumentals commenced, and they were a whole tone higher than before. Xia Ling tipped her head up slightly and closed her eyes as she entered her dreamscape. In that world, she was the princess, the queen, the creator, and all of the notes were under her command.

In her unique style, she sang the first line of the Russian song.

Just one line was enough to awe everyone present.

It sounded a little like Li Bingman, and yet at the same time, not quite.

Xia Ling’s voice was more hollow and lighter, almost like a little bird that wouldn’t leave a single trace in the skies it had conquered. Everyone was waiting for the next line that she’d deliver. At this point, nobody was thinking of her enunciation anymore—music was universal and traversed boundaries, the sort of feeling one could evoke was far more important than the language inhibitions.

And Xia Ling was the sort of person who could evoke such strong emotions.

In the second line, she fluently performed a slight twist in the rhythm, and it reminded them of a feather drifting slowly in the wind. Many of them were holding their breaths, afraid that they would disturb this beautiful dreamscape.

The third line, then the fourth…

They realized to their surprise that Xia Ling’s voice was in no way inferior to Li Bingman’s, and that its effects were even more powerful and infectious than Li Bingman’s. Li Bingman’s singing would get her comments such as “that’s a good voice”, but Xia Ling’s singing practically took them into another world, so much so that they’d forget this was just a song…

Only the minority of examiners were still fully conscious and focused.

Feng Kun’s eyes lit up. He’d always looked forward to this little girl’s performance, and she ended up exceeding his expectations. He was now leaning forward and resting his chin on both hands as he focused on her.

“It’s coming, it’s coming,” a few examiners said all of a sudden.

While being immersed in Xia Ling’s voice, they had not forgotten that this whole song had been raised a tone. This meant that the higher notes would reach C7 and above into the falsetto range. Such a singing style required talent more than anything—those who could sing falsetto would naturally be able to conquer those notes and execute them wonderfully, while ordinary singers would never be able to achieve such a level even if they worked on it their whole lives.

Could Xia Ling sing falsetto or not?

If ordinary singers were seen as sand on the beach, then one who could sing a falsetto would be a precious stone in the sand! That was how precious they were!

All the examiners sat up instinctively.

Xia Ling sang a light-hearted tune, the first part of the high notes in the song. She reached the C7 note flawlessly and effortlessly.

“Gosh…” All the examiners were in utter shock. This girl really could do it!

She was just like a bird soaring through the air, achieving greater heights with minimal effort… This was a three-segment melody of high notes, with each subsequent one higher than the last. The highest of them all was considered rare even among other songs with falsetto parts. But for her, it didn’t seem much different at all. She raised her pitch perfectly for each segment that came and managed to have the three segments flow beautifully. At the end of this high-pitch verse, her melodious voice was still suspended in the air. She went on and lowered her voice for the following parts, perfectly performing the mid- and low-pitch segments as well.

… Simply flawless!

Everyone was too shocked to speak as they completely immersed in her gift of voice.

Finally, when Xia Ling was done with the song, she bowed before the examiners.

Not a single sound was heard offstage.

A second later, Feng Kun began applauding before the rest finally snapped out of their daze and went along.

Xia Ling smiled at the examiners. “Did I sing well?”

The examiners acknowledged her statement with silence. They were simply speechless when it came to this girl’s character—all the other candidates were polite and fearful, and every one of them acted humble even if they knew they did well. But what about her? She was actively fishing for compliments.

“Modesty!” Teacher Chen felt a need to teach this girl some manners.

Xia Ling ignored her and looked toward Feng Kun. She’d realized by now that Feng Kun was the nicest examiner around here, and all that mattered to her were his comments.

Feng Kun smiled. “You sang very well. You’re in.”

“Ah?” She gasped. “But the score isn’t out yet.”

“No need for that. You’re first,” Feng Kun said. Well, who’d object to a girl who could sing a falsetto coming first in the finals?

Chapter 1048: Record Breaker
But some of them were not convinced.

Li Bingman argued. “On what grounds? Her enunciation isn’t even right!”

Xia Ling looked at her with a grin. “Yeah, but I’m still better than you, hmph!”

Teacher Chen cleared her throat and looked at Xia Ling sternly. “You should be humble, knowing that you didn’t enunciate the words correctly. And is this the way to treat your classmates?” It was practically set in stone that Xia Ling and Li Bingman were both going to be selected. Hence, it wasn’t wrong to call them classmates in advance.

Xia Ling kept quiet, but the look on her face spelled disapproval.

Teacher Chen was fuming on the inside. This girl did not even know basic manners!

Li Bingman looked toward Teacher Chen with a pout. “She can sing falsetto, but does that necessarily make her better than me? This is unfair. Her Russian enunciation is inaccurate, and she sang wrongly in some parts. How could she come in first?”

Xia Ling quietly said, “What’s the big deal.” She had never learned Russian before, and it was already marvelous that she could perform it at this standard. Li Bingman was obviously finding fault for the sake of it just because she had the advantage of knowing the language.

But Teacher Chen felt that Li Bingman made sense. “Teacher Feng and examiners, for fairness’ sake, we should give Xia Ling a score too. Xia Ling sings well, but her imperfect enunciation is a huge issue in this song. Moreover, Li Bingman’s more graceful in her performance… To determine who should come in first, let’s give her a score.”

Teacher Chen was evidently biased against Xia Ling.

Feng Kun asked Teacher Chen, “You said her enunciation is inaccurate?”

“Yes!” Teacher Chen was insistent.

“For which words?”

“I…” The cat got Teacher Chen’s tongue. How was she to know? She didn’t speak Russian!

Feng Kun smiled and looked around. “Who else thinks that Xia Ling’s enunciation is inaccurate?”

The other examiners and candidates exchanged looks but kept silent. While it was evident that Teacher Chen was biased towards Li Bingman, it wasn’t any less obvious that Feng Kun favored Xia Ling! The current situation was extremely delicate and sensitive.

Li Bingman tried her luck. “The first word of the first line! And the third and fifth words of the second line! At the back, she mispronounced ‘star’ too… We can forget about those minor ones, but Teacher, you’ve got to believe me! You can check Xia Ling’s version against mine.” She knew that Feng Kun wasn’t all that easy to convince, but for the sake of the “Best Student of the Year” title, she had to give it a shot.

Feng Kun did not get angry. Instead, he said to her nicely, “Enunciation is only one component of a song, it’s not a determinant of one’s singing ability. In fact, I’m in favor of forsaking the nitty-gritty of enunciation for the greater effect of making the ambiance of the performance more infectious and enjoyable. But everyone has a different mindset and style, and you can maintain your own stand on this.”

This got many of the other candidates to think carefully about it.

It was already a privilege to be able to receive judgment and critique from such an outstanding composer. In fact, for many of the candidates, this would probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity. But this particular statement of his was even more powerful and meaningful, and many of them found themselves nodding in agreement.

But Li Bingman felt that Feng Kun was simply shielding Xia Ling. She did not believe that the influence and power of one’s singing could be achieved without technical precision. Even if it was possible, it wasn’t a level that the country bumpkin Xia Ling could attain! “I want it to be scored,” she said stubbornly. “Teacher Feng, please give me a fair fighting chance.”

Feng Kun glanced at Xia Ling.

Xia Ling didn’t mind it. “So be it.” She was happy that Feng Kun made her first without scoring her, but if she really wanted to take the easy way out, she wouldn’t have needed to come for the selection at all. Since she had chosen to be here, she had no fear of fair competition. She looked up and smiled at Li Bingman. “Even with the score, you’d still lose.”

She knew exactly how well she performed.

Besides the enunciation, she had beaten her opponent in all other aspects.

If Li Bingman still came in first despite this, then something was really wrong.

Feng Kun spun his fountain pen casually. “Alright, let’s give a score.”

After the highest and lowest scores were removed, the final result was—

“9.6!” Everybody was utterly surprised at the score. This was a record-breaker! It did not just surpass the highest score of the previous year, it was also a first in all of Imperial’s training camp history! Before Xia Ling, the highest ever was just 9.4!

“Gosh, what sort of monster is she?” The candidates were chattering again.

Li Bingman’s face went pale. No, how could this be? How could this feral child’s score be so absurdly high? She didn’t believe it… she wouldn’t!

“Li Bingman, what do you have to say now? You’re a full 0.3 points lower than me! 0.3! You didn’t even break the record, haha.” Xia Ling went on to agitate her.

Li Bingman took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She looked towards her coldly and said, “Isn’t it just your falsetto? This only shows that you’re talented, it doesn’t mean that your singing is better than mine!”

“Exactly, I’m simply more talented than you, so what?” Li Bingman had gotten on her nerves time and again, boasting about her singing. This was payback time.

Li Bingman was almost losing it. This feral child was really… really too much!

“Anyone has a problem with this result?” Feng Kun asked.

This time, no one said anything, not even Teacher Chen. She was the one who gave the lowest score, the one that was not taken into consideration. Well, she tried her best, but still could not stop Xia Ling from coming in first. Li Bingman still couldn’t take it lying down, but she knew that if she went on about it, it would only look bad on her. Hence, she kept quiet and put on an expression that suggested: “I won’t stoop to Xia Ling’s level”.

Xia Ling hummed a merry tune and added, “You guys were really creating trouble. Teacher Feng already said we didn’t need scoring, that would’ve saved us time. But you insisted on it. And look, aren’t we back to square one?”

Feng Kun smiled, realizing that he liked this proud little girl pretty much. Candid people like her were few and far between in the entertainment circle. He was already looking forward to seeing what this little girl would grow up to be like.

Having come in first, Xia Ling happily went home with the chauffeur.

At dinner, she told Pei Ziheng about everything that happened that day. At the very end, she concluded. “That Teacher Feng Kun had the best judgment! Teacher Chen is a fool! Li Bingman is a meanie!”

Pei Ziheng was cutting her steak for her. “You like Feng Kun?”

“He sounded pretty cool when he said those stuff,” she muttered a little inaudibly with her mouth full of steak. “He really likes my singing.”

Chapter 1049: This Car Is Borrowed
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Pei Ziheng did not say anything more as he thought about the selection list—when she debuted in the future, she’d need an outstanding music composer, and maybe Feng Kun would be a good choice. But he needed to observe a little further first.

As for Li Bingman and Teacher Chen?

Very well, he’d remember them.

Xia Ling rested at home for a few days, learning about etiquette and meddling in the garden. When the official letter of selection came, she happily got Nanny Zhou to pack the luggage for her as she mentally prepared herself for the reporting. Nanny Zhou looked at the long packing list including a toothbrush, towel, slippers and so on as she hesitated to get packing. She decided to go to Pei Ziheng. “Mister, didn’t you say that Miss need not live in the dorm?”

Pei Ziheng glanced at the packing list. “Pack the luggage for her first. I’ve told the training school about it. When they’re done with the allocation of students into their dorms we’ll tell her that there aren’t enough beds. She’ll not be living in the dorm.” Through their interaction, he had realized that this little girl did not enjoy having privileges. As such, he would simply not let her know that she was enjoying privileges in the first place. Moreover… it was pretty embarrassing to admit that he could not bear to have her live on campus.

Nanny Zhou nodded and went to pack Xia Ling’s luggage.

Xia Ling was overjoyed. She wrapped her arms around Nanny Zhou’s neck and planted a kiss on her. “Nanny Zhou is the best!”

Seeing this little girl’s bright smile lifted Nanny Zhou’s spirits. She stood at the entrance of the villa as she saw her off. As the car set off, she felt a strange sense of longing and missing her… maybe Mister felt the same too, having formed such an attachment with Miss over time.

Arriving at the training camp.

The sky was bright and the sun glowed.

All sorts of luxury cars were parked at the entrance of the training camp—BMW, Audi, Lamborghini… almost as if this was a branded car exhibition. Most people who could afford to send their children to such a camp were pretty wealthy. In order to conceal her identity, Xia Ling arrived in a BMW of an ordinary model and did not appear outstanding at all in the midst of the others.

But a few girls in the final round were a little surprised—wasn’t Xia Ling a country bumpkin? They were still mocking her for being a candidate from the Shabei district, and how she probably needed to apply for financial aid. Who would have guessed that she could afford to sit in a BMW!

“Pfft, she’s just trying to show off,” someone commented.

Although Xia Ling’s performance in the final round was extraordinary, and she had been awarded the Best Student of the Year, many still felt that she was simply a little more gifted than others. In terms of overall skill and performance, they still admired Li Bingman more. After all, Li Bingman’s family was renowned! She was the Diva’s sister! Would she even have any worry when she made her debut in the future?

Many of the trainees had already decided that they would suck up to Li Bingman, and naturally, that meant ostracizing Xia Ling.

One of the girls who arrived in a flamboyant outfit had her car parked beside Xia Ling’s, and both their BMWs were exactly the same model. She peered at Xia Ling who was a distance away and said to her father, “Dad, that girl is from Shabei, how could her family own such an expensive car? Our car cost a million yuan. Why don’t you go ask her if that’s really hers?”

Her father looked toward Xia Ling as well but said, “This is your first day here, there’s no point kicking a fuss over this. You’re all going to be classmates and you’ll find out eventually.”

“Hmph, who’s classmates with her?” The girl responded, “Dad, I already told you that I’m going to be on Li Bingman’s side during the training camp. Her sister is a Diva. If I’m her friend, I’ll stand to gain too when I make my debut. I’d better find more things to talk about with Li Bingman. That girl is Li Bingman’s nemesis. If I find out more about her, Li Bingman will definitely have a better impression of me.”

Her father wasn’t very willing to do as she said, but for his daughter’s future, he went ahead.

The chauffeur was busy helping Xia Ling with her luggage. As no parent or guardian was allowed to enter the premises, he had simply watched her disappear into the camp with her belongings.

“Hey buddy, sending your child?” The father walked over and offered the chauffeur a cigarette.

“I don’t smoke.” The chauffeur politely declined. “Mi… Xiao Ling isn’t my child.” He was about to address her “Miss”, but remembered how Xia Ling repeated time and again that she did not want her identity exposed.

“Xiao Ling? What a nice name.” The father smiled. “I sent my daughter here. She’s Jiajia, they’ll all be classmates in the future. Oh right, what’s your relationship with her? Where are her parents? Why didn’t they bring her here on their own?”

The chauffeur was well-trained for this and would never disclose the Pei family’s secrets to outsiders. He simply smiled and kept quiet.

The father was not content. He tried asking again, “This car is maintained pretty well. Buddy, did you get this yourself? It’s the same model as mine over there. I got a little dent on mine last year and spent quite a bit on the maintenance.”

Like other men, it was hard not to be invested when talking about one’s beloved car.

The chauffeur smiled. “It’s a million yuan, how could I afford it? I borrowed it at the last minute. My own car is a little tattered, it isn’t suitable for sending Mi… Xiao Ling to camp.” He usually drove Pei Ziheng’s Rolls-Royce, while his own car was just an ordinary family model, and both were not suitable for such an event—the former was too expensive, the latter too cheap. Hence, they borrowed this BMW at the last minute from Secretary Zhou.

A hint of despise flashed past the father’s eyes.

He exchanged a few more words with the chauffeur before returning to his daughter. “You’re right, that girl from Shabei is a poor brat. This car was borrowed from elsewhere just to send her to camp today.”

His daughter scoffed. “A Shabei bumpkin is a Shabei bumpkin, indeed.”

With that, she got her luggage and walked into the camp premises with the crowd, satisfied with her find.

The head of the logistics department was Jiang Qin, a 30-odd-year-old lady. She was not in a good mood today and appeared in the office with a long face as she slammed the students’ particulars on the office desk.

“What’s with that temper? Who offended you?” Bao Xiuli, who was her friend and also the head of the performance department for this camp, asked with a smile.

Jiang Qin said, “Students nowadays are getting out of hand! I’ve no idea what reputation this person has that he could go to Principal Sha and request for the student to study off-campus!”

“Off-campus?” Bao Xiuli was surprised. “But no student in the history of this camp has ever been able to get away with staying on campus for training. Boss Mei’s daughter has asked for the same last year, but the Principal simply chuckled and rejected it. This student definitely isn’t going to get his or her way, what are you so angry about?”

Imperial Entertainment’s training camp had always required students to live in the dorm for the designated period, so as to facilitate management.

Living off-campus? They could only dream.

But Jiang Qin said, “This time is different. I don’t know what that student fed Principal Sha with, but he actually agreed to let her live off-campus! In fact, he didn’t just agree, he even reminded me time and again that I have to hide it from the girl herself. We are to tell her that there aren’t enough bed vacancies for her, so she has no choice but to live off-campus!”

“For real?” Bao Xiuli found it odd as well. “Did the Principal get drugged? Or is the girl his relative?”

Chapter 1050: Mysterious Origins
Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

“Heaven knows what the girl’s origin is!” The logistics director Jiang Qin was still extremely angry. “There’s no bed left in the Training Camp? How could there be no bed in the Training Camp, there are more than ten beds available! Isn’t this just spoiling the logistics department’s reputation? When it’s the year-end evaluation, I’ll still have to have points deducted for ‘having no beds’!”

“An La, since it was Principal Sha who instructed you, he must be making up for some of your other deducted points with this. However, you really don’t know that girl’s origin?” Bao Xiuli was extremely curious.

Jiang Qin rolled her eyes. “I don’t know her origins! Principle Sha has never mentioned it.” She had been going through arduous training in the workplace for so many years and was definitely not stupid. She knew that she should not ask about some things. However, she did have a guess in her heart. “You know this year’s chief isn’t Li Bingman, it’s a little girl called Xia Ling.”

“I’ve heard that. It made a lot of noise. Many people secretly laughed at Li Bingman for losing to a little girl who isn’t even known. Furthermore, isn’t that girl from Shabei?” Bao Xiuli was full of enthusiasm. Women were always keen in the face of gossip. “But she’ll probably be very miserable in the future. She offended Li Bingman so badly the moment she entered school.”

“She’s the one who wants to attend day school,” Jiang Qin said. “She’s this year’s chief, so she can enjoy the chief privileges and stay in a single dormitory and need not crowd with other students. However, this also means that Li Bingman has to crowd with all the others. I’ve heard that Li Bingman and her sister’s temper are quite similar and they are both arrogant. I think she won’t be able to hold it in and will think of ways to chase Xia Ling away.”

“That makes sense…” Bao Xiuli was thoughtful. “But even if Li Bingman uses her relationship with her sister, can she really make the Training Camp get rid of the precedence of attending day school? I still think it’s quite far-fetched.”

“Who knows, there’s no other reasonable explanation,” Jiang Qin said. “That little girl certainly doesn’t know that she’s being made to attend day school. I just bumped into her in the hallway and she was dragging her luggage excitedly. It can’t be her family mediating it. Otherwise, she’d know. Principal Sha wouldn’t want me to lie to her too.”

“I never thought that Li Bingman was this vicious? She’s really pulling the carpet from under her, tsk.”

“It’s better to have more considerations in the future when mixing in the entertainment industry.” Jiang Qin could get over it, but her next sentence was unhappy. “It’s so annoying that the logistics department has to take the blame.”

The two were heated in discussion when the door to the logistics office was suddenly pushed open. Another female teacher came in and smiled at them. “Hey, we’re already very busy outside, what are you two hiding here and whispering to each other about? Come, eat some grapes.” The woman was Ouyang Xue, the assistant in the principal’s office. Her relationship with Jiang Qin and them was good.

Jiang Qin and Bao Xiuli laughed too. “You’re slacking off to eat grapes?” Today was the day the new students reported and everyone was very busy. They were slacking off amidst the bustle.

Ouyang Xue distributed the grapes and said, “Sister Qin, I heard you say something about taking the blame. Who bullied you?”

“It’s your principal!” Jiang Qin complained to her again.

Unexpectedly, Ouyang Xue’s expression was a little weird. “You mean… Xia Ling?”

“Yes, who else but her? She’s offended Li Bingman and is dragging our feet down too.”

Ouyang Xue’s face became even more eccentric. “Sister Qin… I’m only telling you this because we’re close, you two just listen to it now and make sure you don’t spread it around. I’m advising you, don’t provoke Xia Ling.”

“Why?” The two women exchanged glances, smelling something fishy.

Ouyang Xue went back to the door and made sure it was closed tightly before saying mysteriously, “I saw Xia Ling just now when I was entering through the school gates. You guys guess, what car did she get off from?”

“Ferrari? Lamborghini? Maybach?” Jiang Qin guessed with a lack of interest. The family backgrounds of the candidates were all not bad and, although these branded cars weren’t too common, it wasn’t unusual for the parents to drive them to pick up the candidates.

“Isn’t it just a BMW,” Bao Xiuli said. “Xue, what happened to you today, a BMW that costs less than a million yuan surprised you so much. And haven’t you heard the rumors all the students have been spreading? Xia Ling’s family simply can’t afford such a car, that car is borrowed!”

“Sure enough it was borrowed…” Ouyang Xue’s expression was even more imposing.

“What’s wrong?” Bao Xiuli and Jiang Qin were puzzled. “We can’t possibly have to be careful not to offend such a poor student, right?”

“Whose car do you think she borrowed?”

“Whose?”

Ouyang Xue said, “I recognized the license plate, S00086. It’s especially easy to remember. It’s the license plate of Pei Ziheng’s Secretary Zhou!” The last time she’d accompanied Principal Sha to Imperial Entertainment’s headquarters, she had seen Secretary Zhou wearing a black elegant dress and sitting inside that car. She had looked so picturesque and her manner had been so impressive that it left an impression on her.

Jiang Qin and Bao Xiuli both took a breath—

God, Secretary Zhou’s car!

That was a person who could see the Chairman every day! She was the Chairman’s confidant!

Even though she was just a secretary, but where was she not respected and flattered by people? It was no exaggeration to say that she was the core figure of Imperial Entertainment! That little girl from Shabei unexpectedly had Secretary Zhou supporting her!

“She, she, she,” Bao Xiuli stuttered. “She’s Secretary Zhou’s relative?”

“I’ve never heard that Secretary Zhou had a relative in Shabei. Isn’t she a returning student from abroad?”

Ouyang Xue was very satisfied with the bomb effect brought by her news. She took a deep breath and blasted more information. “I was so shocked after seeing the license plate that I specially checked on Xia Ling’s information. Her candidate number is indeed from Shabei, but no one in Shabei has passed the test! The person-in-charge of Shabei has also said he’d never seen Xia Ling!”

“You’re saying, her, her admission number… was forged?”

Ouyang Xue nodded. “I turned over all the information from all the examination areas. I can confirm this—this Xia Ling is the same as Li Bingman, they were both exempted from the first retest! Somebody deliberately forged her number!”

This was too horrifying. There was only one student exempted from the retest every few years, but this batch actually had two?

Jiang Qin and Bao Xiuli were shocked by the news and could not return to their senses after a long time. Finally, Bao Xiuli swallowed her saliva. “You’re saying that this Xia Ling is no less than Li Bingman?”

“I’m afraid so,” Ouyang Xue said. “However, since she forged her number, she probably doesn’t want to be as high-profile as Li Bingman. It’s enough that you guys know it, don’t spread it around or you’ll die.” What a joke, they simply couldn’t afford to offend such a big figure like Secretary Zhou!

Jiang Qin and Bao Xueli nodded. They knew the importance of the matter.

“It’s too incredible… it’s like I’m dreaming…” Jiang Qin muttered. “Then, then the Principal knows it too? Isn’t he offending Secretary Zhou by ordering her to attend day school?”