Chapter 276: The Lingering Music

She replied Luo Luo uncommittedly. "We don't know each other well. He just found out that I'm switching management agencies and came to ask me to join Imperial Entertainment."

"Wow, Boss Pei came down himself to invite you? And you say that you guys aren't close? Xiao Ling, do you know that you're definitely the first person that Boss Pei has invited to join the company himself?! In the past, even if he were particularly impressed by an artiste, he would merely pass on his views to the manager's department to settle. Since when would he deal with it himself?" Luo Luo kept on harping on the matter. Suddenly, her gaze fell on the coffee table.

The blue resplendent diamond necklace with the thin platinum chain was lying quietly on the coffee table in front of the sofa, so luxurious and elegant that it was hard for someone to tear their eyes away from it. It looked really expensive.

"Is this a gift from Boss Pei?" Luo Luo's voice suddenly dropped.

"Mmhmm." Xia Ling responded nonchalantly.

"Xiao Ling..." Luo Luo lifted her head to look at her like she had something to say. After a while, she finally mustered up the courage and asked, "His visit wasn't just about inviting you to Imperial Entertainment, was it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xia Ling frowned.

Luo Luo pointed at the blue diamond necklace on the coffee table.

This? It did not look like the typical gift that management agencies gave to artistes they invited to join their agency. It was too expensive and too much.

"He... likes you, right?" Luo Luo might be innocent, but having been exposed to the entertainment circle for so long, she was familiar with how things worked in the industry. For a female star, it was pretty common to see a random rich man shower them with expensive gifts. The pretty female star would simply return him with the gift of her body... and they would both be getting what they wanted.

Except... Luo Luo did not believe that something like this would happen to Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling was a perfect existence in Luo Luo's mind, and she stared at her in disbelief. "Did you agree?"

"I rejected him."

"If you rejected him, why did you accept this blue diamond necklace?!" Luo Luo questioned her. "Which man doesn't expect something in return after gifting such an expensive item?"

"I said that I've rejected him!" Xia Ling was mildly exasperated. She did not like to be questioned, particularly about matters pertaining to Pei Ziheng. In an annoyed tone, she said, "Even if I didn't accept this necklace, he would still leave it on the table and not take it back with him. He's just someone like that! This is completely separate from whether I have any under-the-table transactions with him!"

Luo Luo was quiet for a moment.

"Do you know him well?" She asked Xia Ling. Sometimes, a woman's intuition was very astute, and even an innocent and simple girl like Luo Luo knew that it was weird for Xia Ling to say "He's just someone like that." If it wasn't someone that she knew well, how could she say something like that?

Xia Ling was taken aback and kept quiet.

She was afraid that her reincarnation would be revealed.

Yet, Luo Luo's mind seemed to have gone in a different direction. "Xiao Ling, do you like him?"

Like Pei Ziheng? If she were to say that she didn't have a single bit of longing for him deep down in her heart would be a lie, but she herself was unclear whether it was the remnants of their happiest times in her past life, or merely the aftereffects of Stockholm's Syndrome.

In other words, she was unable to differentiate if she still had feelings for him, or if it was all a figment of her hallucinations.

"It's impossible between us." She mumbled in response to Luo Luo as if she were answering herself.

Luo Luo asked again, "Then... what about Li Lei? Do you like Li Lei?" Big Boss Li came by every day, and Luo Luo was getting to know him better. She had a good impression of Li Lei.

Li Lei? Xia Ling thought of him, and the look in her eyes became gentler.

She probably did like him, right? That's why she was so affected by their breakup and was so affected when he was too close to other girls. Every time he was good to her, she would feel like the whole world was shiny and bright...

Luo Luo watched her change in expression and said, "Oh no, oh no, you've clearly fallen for him."

"Why are you so sure that I've fallen for him?" In all honesty, Xia Ling herself was unsure.

"Haven't you realized that whenever we talk about Li Lei, the look in your eyes... tsk tsk..." Luo Luo shook her head in mock terror. "Haha... admit it, Xiao Ling, Li Lei is your true love. And Pei Ziheng? When I asked you about him earlier, over here..."

Luo Luo reached out and smoothened Xia Ling's furrowed brows. "Over here was all scrunched up."

Was it that obvious? Xia Ling subconsciously reached her hand to her face and rubbed the area between her brows as well.

"So, that's why I was worried about you accepting a gift from Pei Ziheng." Luo Luo continued. "Xiao Ling, I think you won't be happy with Pei Ziheng. He's not that person that can bring you happiness. Li Lei is different. He takes care of you really well, and you clearly have him in your heart."

Xia Ling could not think of anything to refute her.

"Look clearly at your own heart, Xiao Ling." Luo Luo said. "Get back together with Boss Li. That's the only way you will be able to reject gifts from other men outrightly. Boss Li would be so upset to see this necklace."

Li Lei would be upset? Xia Ling had not even thought of this problem.

She looked down at the blue diamond necklace on the coffee table, and the image of Li Lei's hurt expression appeared in her mind. Suddenly, she felt like her heart was being pricked by needles, and there was a sharp pain in her chest.

In the middle of the night.

Xia Ling thought back on what Luo Luo had said as she turned and tossed in bed. The moonlight shone through the gauze curtains and onto the resplendent blue diamond necklace in her hands. Even though the diamond was magnificent, it was still cold and heavy in her hands. In contrast, the amulet from Li Lei around her neck was made of wood and warm against her skin. It was not as splendid to the eye but was also not so cold that it felt out of reach. This amulet gave her a sense of security.

After looking at these two items for a long time, she finally sat up in bed and returned the blue diamond necklace to its velvet box. After which, she pushed it deep down into the depths of her cupboard and hid it there.

She then felt for the amulet on her chest, took out her mobile, and sent Li Lei a message: "Take care of yourself out there and have an early rest tonight."

Luo Luo's words today made her realize that she did not show enough concern for him. Since she pined for the time that they had been together, then she had to work harder to make sure that he was safely back in her arms.

Li Lei replied very quickly. She tapped on the message to open it and saw that he had replied with emoticons of a big hug and a smiley face. He also said that he would listen to her and head off to bed now. He was going to return to the city tomorrow and would bring her some snacks as presents.

Her lips turned up at the corners and she hugged the mobile to her as she fell asleep. She had peaceful sleep throughout the night.

A few days later...

"Stray Cat" was finally completed and officially released to the public.

Skyart Entertainment organized a massive news conference for her, inviting many reporters, fan representatives, and managers from other entertainment agencies. They came to listen to her sing the song that was destined to be a big hit.

"A stray cat licks its wound by the street, as people come and go..."

The song finally ended and lingered in the air.

The fans cheered loudly, and the reporters frantically clicked on their camera shutters, the camera lights flashing away. All the managers present rang their respective agencies saying the same thing: "They simply had to make sure that they poached her over."