LOVING AGAIN

FLAMES ACADEMY

"Yes... this must be it."

Nie Lingxi stared at the bold golden signboard:

FLAMES ACADEMY.

She had worn her best dress today. Not to impress anyone, but because she refused to be looked down on.

The queue was endless. But Lingxi didn’t mind. Patience was something she had learned the hard way.

An hour later, it was finally her turn.

"Three thousand yuan," the man said, flipping through files without looking up.

"For what?" Lingxi asked, frowning. That was half her savings. "I’m not buying a shop."

The attendant finally glanced at her. She was the first to complain all day.

He shook his head inwardly.

Such a poor beautiful girl.

"If you’re not paying, then leave the line," he said politely.

"I’m not poor," Lingxi defended herself, even though her chest tightened. She pulled out the money anyway. She had come prepared.

"Return on Saturday to submit the form," he said.

She took the receipt grudgingly, and walked away.

---

Later that day, Lingxi walked the streets aimlessly, going through every notice board. Her job at the restaurant was barely holding on. She needed another source of income.

That’s when she saw it.

AUDITION: The Flaming Fires - Seeking Second Female Lead. Open to all.

Her eyes sparkled.

This could be my chance.

She quickly wrote down the address in her notebook.

Then she froze.

The audition date... was Saturday.

The same day she had to return to Flames Academy.

---

Lingxi sat at her small desk, filling out the academy form. Memories rushed back.

She used to be a designer. Every dress she made was worn by Chen Meiling — the girl who replaced her in the Chen family. She had treated her like a sister. Her friend had told her to make her brand known but she had refused. She wanted only Chen Meiling to wear them

She looked at her signature. Once, people begged for it. Now, who cared?

She got to the column:

Do you have a partner?

A bitter smile touched her lips. All the men in her life had been bastards.

First, Si Tianxiao. Her first love. The only one she had ever truly loved. Until he rejected her and broke her heart. He didn't just break it though, he shattered it.

Then came Meng Bo. He couldn’t even compare to Tianxiao.

How foolish I was back then, she thought, laughing at herself.

"Darling, I’m back!"

Lingxi jolted. She quickly hid the form under her bed, put on her glasses, and checked the mirror. She couldn’t let her mother notice anything.

Taking a deep breath, she went to greet her.

"Good evening, Mom," Lingxi smiled. The kind of smile that could light up a room.

Nie Wanwan’s tired expression softened immediately. Lingxi took the bags from her.

"You came back early today," Lingxi said.

Nie Wanwan sighed and sat down.

"The orphanage is facing problems again, isn’t it?" Nie Lingxi asked. It wasn’t really a question.

Ever since she could remember, her mother had devoted everything to the orphanage. She had heard It used to flourish, but after her father left, things slowly fell apart.

"Financially," Wanwan admitted. "But don’t worry. Donors always come at the end of the month."

Lingxi looked at her mother. She’s the one worrying the most.

---

The chirping of birds drifted in through Lingxi’s window. The alarm had been ringing for ages, and Nie Wanwan was finally forced to come in herself.

"Get up, Xi’er," Nie Wanwan said as she pulled back the curtains and opened the window. Morning light flooded the room.

"Not now, Mother," Lingxi murmured, rolling to the other side. If anyone had told her that one day she’d have a place called home where she could sleep peacefully... she would have run there much sooner.

"Heh! Don’t even think about it. I’m not falling for your tricks," Wanwan said, tugging at the blanket. "Up. Now. At this rate you’re going to get sacked for always coming late."

"Oh... it’s a working day? I forgot," Even as she said it, she still sluggishly dragged herself out of bed toward the bathroom.

"Silly child," Wanwan smiled, shaking her head.

Lingxi never cared much about her appearance, and today was no different. No makeup. Just a loose shirt and simple trousers, like always.

"Xi!"

Lingxi turned.

"Jiang Li."

He was her friend. But she could sense Jiang Li wanted more than that.

She still remembered the day she found him. She’d gone to pick flowers to sell when she saw him lying on the ground, bleeding from his different parts of his body. She rushed him to the hospital. He’d been chased by some people. They hit him, thought he was dead, and left him. When he woke up, he’d lost his memory. It turned out they had injected him with something as the doctor diagnosed.

Lingxi got him a job at the restaurant and her mother treated him like a son. It had cost them a fortune to pay for his medical bills but her mother told her to never mention it.

"How was your weekend?" Li asked as they walked together to the entrance of the restaurant.

"Normal," Lingxi replied as usual.

"Have you thought about what I told you?"

Lingxi stopped. "Li... that would be troublesome." He’d asked her to go to the cinema with him. But to her, it felt like a waste of money and time.

"Xi! Not everything has to be troublesome," Li said exasperated. "If you’re scared Auntie won’t let you go, I’ll ask her myself."

"No!" Lingxi suddenly said too loudly. She cleared her throat. "I mean... I’ll go with you."

"Really?" Li’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected her to agree so easily.

Lingxi nodded. If Jiang Li told her mother, Wanwan would not only agree — she’d probably tell him to take her out every weekend. Her mother already wanted her to date Jiang Li. But Lingxi wasn’t ready. Not yet or probably not ever.

"See you on Friday then," Li said excitedly.

Lingxi watched him walk away. She’d seen his feelings for her a long time ago. But he was too kind, too pure. He deserved someone better. He had no idea who she used to be. Or what she’d done before. Or the one behind her who would kill him just for harbouring thoughts of her.