When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 161: Chapter 74: The 1960s Art Troupe’s Leading Lady (13)

What kind of trial by fire must a person go through to be able to sit here like this at noon? Wearing sunglasses, his domineering presence made everyone and everything else fade into the background. He was a scene unto himself. And with his cool, aloof expression, Huo Tianhao also served as a natural air conditioner.

Soon enough, however, Huo Tianhao shielded her with his body and said flatly, ”This is my girlfriend. She’s not someone you all can mess with!”

The guys from the North Courtyard sheepishly averted their gaze. Even Xu Weilin looked a little disappointed.

Although Huo Tianhao had only played the first half with them, his agile movements and impressive skills had earned their heartfelt admiration—no, it was more like worship.

Yu Huanxin, who had always felt superior, now felt a sense of threat. She couldn’t help but ask Xia Zhaoyun with a light chuckle, ”And you, are you also competing in the Golden Microphone competition? I don’t know what organization you’re from; I didn’t seem to notice you earlier.”

Xia Zhaoyun felt a headache coming on. ’How did I inexplicably get dragged into this crowd of rich playboys?’

As long as she didn’t withdraw from the Golden Microphone competition, she was bound to attract attention.

Besides, she was in the factory’s arts troupe, so she’d have plenty of opportunities to perform in the future. There wasn’t much point in trying to hide who she was now.

The problem was, her current identity was as the girlfriend of this... ”Brother Hao,” however his name was actually spelled!

Xia Zhaoyun was once again reminded that you shouldn’t lie, or you’ll constantly face the awkwardness of being exposed.

It was truly one problem after another. She decided she had to turn over a new leaf from now on and never let her guard down, not even for a second.

After all, her natural beauty was hard to hide, making it difficult for people to mistake her for anyone else.

But thinking of Huo Tianhao’s name, she took off her sunglasses, timidly peeked her head out, and said in a small voice, ”Hello, Senior. Hello, everyone. My name is Xia Zhaoyun, and I’m from Zhaoyang Clothing Factory.”

”I do have a boyfriend, but it’s not this gentleman. I ran into Brother Hao at the entrance of the Cultural Palace earlier, and he insisted on treating me to a meal. His invitation was too kind to refuse, so I shamelessly tagged along. I hope I’m not disturbing you all?”

Facing Huo Tianhao’s murderous glare, Xia Zhaoyun forced a smile, then shrank back and put her sunglasses on again.

No one had heard her name before, but it was the first time they had seen someone so exquisitely beautiful, as if she had her own halo. Even though she had only appeared for a few seconds, the image of the goddess in their minds had already been replaced.

For a moment, the two groups were exceptionally harmonious. Xu Weilin raised his glass of red wine and said, ”Liu Mingkun, our two groups have been fighting for over ten years. But honestly, we don’t have any major grudges. Isn’t it all just because our parents are on different sides?”

”From now on, we’ll all be going our separate ways. Why don’t we do as they do in the books and bury the hatchet over a drink?”

”After we all go our separate ways, I bet we’ll still talk about each other from time to time—we’re probably closer than next-door neighbors.”

”You could say we have a love-hate relationship, right? The kind where you don’t become friends until you’ve had a fight.”

Liu Mingkun wasn’t one to hold a grudge. He raised his glass and retorted with a laugh, ”Don’t you go acting all cultured, misusing words like that! ’Hate,’ maybe. But ’love’? That’s disgusting!”

”Alright, fine. We’ll drink to that...”

Just as Huo Tianhao picked up his wine glass, Xia Zhaoyun grabbed his arm.

He lowered his gaze and shot her a cold look.

Xia Zhaoyun said cautiously, ”Brother Hao, you have to ride your motorcycle later. You can’t drink and drive!”

He thrust the glass in front of her face, a smirk playing on his lips. ”You dare tell a man he can’t drink? Look at the occasion. Or do you want to drink it for me?”

Liu Mingkun chuckled. ”Hey now, this foreign stuff has no kick to it, it’s just like juice. We’re just having a little fun, just one glass to sip on. Not like we can afford any more than that.”

Xia Zhaoyun’s voice was soft, but her words were dead serious. ”Sir, don’t take me for a fool just because I didn’t go to college. How can you say red wine has no alcohol? Even low-proof baijiu is thirty-eight percent, and this red wine is probably around fifteen percent. Besides, sipping wine slowly makes you get drunk even easier!”

”You’re going to drink and then ride your motorcycles, obsessed with going fast. You’re not teenagers anymore. Have you ever thought about being responsible for yourselves, for your families, and for the people on the road?”

Everyone holding a wine glass suddenly felt it burning their hands. It was Xu Weilin who broke the silence with a smile. ”Alright then, the brothers who are driving can toast with tea instead. We can each take a bottle home to drink later when we leave.”

”However,” he said, raising an eyebrow, ”the person on the back of the bike should help drink it. After all, it’s not a feast without wine.”

Huo Tianhao nudged his glass forward again. ”We still have to go play pool after this. Then after we get barbecue tonight, I’ll give you a ride home on my motorcycle.”

Xia Zhaoyun bit her lip. Through her sunglasses, she could see the coldness in his eyes. She thought back to how righteously he had rejected her when they first met, and she found she wasn’t too worried he would try to take advantage of the situation.