When She Stops Being Dramatic novel Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Chapter 66: Top Star of the 60s Art Troupe (5)

Despite the rejection, the man asked, his voice full of hope, "Miss Song Ruoyun, why not? This concert is a rare opportunity. There will even be some famous dancers performing. A lot of the women from the song and dance troupe are desperate for a ticket."

Xia Zhaoyun sighed softly. "But I’m already seeing someone. I can’t just go out with a man I don’t know."

The man was one of her admirers, and having never been this close to her before, he discovered she was even more devastatingly beautiful than he’d imagined. He was completely unwilling to let this opportunity slip by.

He glanced aside to see his friends cheering him on and couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, "Miss Song Ruoyun, d-didn’t you break up with your boyfriend?"

"Going to a concert doesn’t have to mean anything. If—if you feel it’s not appropriate, then just take both of these tickets. You can go with a good friend."

As he spoke, he pulled two tickets from his pocket and, amidst the envious glares of everyone around, pushed them in front of Xia Zhaoyun.

No man gives a woman a gift for no reason. They’re usually trying to wear her down slowly, or they believe that accepting a gift puts her in their debt. It’s all a trap, laid one step at a time, to reel her in.

To say nothing of other tactics, all it would take is a little gossip to fan the flames, and any barriers between the two of them would disappear.

Xia Zhaoyun said calmly, "I did break up with Tong Yuanbin. But I’m keeping myself for Huo Tianhao!"

The people at the surrounding tables, who had already been holding their breath to eavesdrop on the gossip, were stunned. The man and his friends were frozen in disbelief.

The man felt deeply insulted, his face flushing red. "Miss Song Ruoyun, if you don’t want to go with me, just say it. Why do you have to drag Mr. Huo into this?"

A woman at a nearby table shot to her feet in a rage and slammed her empty enamel mug down on the table.

The sharp, sudden CRACK of the mug hitting the table instantly drew everyone’s attention. With a series of nudges, shared glances, and pointed chins, the entire cafeteria fell into an eerie silence within seconds.

Satisfied with the scene she had created, she bellowed, "Song Ruoyun, you’re utterly shameless! My brother died a hero’s death! What right do you have to mention him? A loose, promiscuous woman like you, who flirts with men everywhere, isn’t fit to even speak his name!"

He Qingran rushed back. ’How did my girl get into trouble again in the blink of an eye?’

"Who do you think you’re talking to? My Yunyun is beautiful. Is it her fault that she attracts flies?"

If Song Ruoyun was a goddess to the men, the idealized love of their dreams, then Huo Tianhao was a god to all the women in the factory—lofty and unattainable, a sacred memory no one was allowed to tarnish!

Xia Zhaoyun’s lips formed a tight line. She shoved aside the person blocking her path, marched straight up to the woman in the crowd who’d claimed she was desperate for a man, and slapped her hard across the face.

Before anyone could react, huge teardrops began to stream down her face.

Everyone had cried before, and everyone had seen others cry.

But that usually involved a face slick with tears and snot, a mouth wide open and howling—an utterly unsightly mess.

The art of crying beautifully, like pear blossoms in the rain, was something they thought only existed in operas—a skill reserved for the pampered daughters of high society.

But Xia Zhaoyun, with her pale face and the faint scars that still marked it, already looked pitiful enough. When she began to cry without making a sound, not only the men, but even the other women found they no longer had the heart to torment her.