When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 278: Chapter 111: Top Star of the 1960s Cultural Troupe (50)

They were clearly in the wrong, but they weren’t about to leave empty-handed after coming all this way.

The woman’s eyes darted around. Wiping away tears, she began to speak. ”Oh, young comrade, it’s not like we forced Song Zhenbao to marry our youngest son.”

”It’s just that the girl has a crooked mind. Back in the village, she saw people fooling around in the woods and got curious. She tricked my son into bed with her, and they were caught red-handed. We had no choice but to arrange a wedding...”

”It’s the absolute truth! Everyone in the village knows about it...”

More drama! And it was explosive!

The crowd was completely floored by this revelation.

It wasn’t just the guests; the Song family, the Tong family, and even Song Zhenbao herself were left completely stunned.

Song Zhenbao felt the world spin. It was as if the universe held a deep-seated grudge against her.

’Why is my life so miserable? If I was going to be reborn, why couldn’t it have been before any of this happened?’

’It was clearly their idiot son who watched other people in the woods, then came home and forced himself on me.’

After her rebirth, she had considered poisoning the entire Zhang family. But she wasn’t willing to risk her own life in the process. Instead, she intimidated them, threatening to have their son face a firing squad. She had successfully made the Zhang family swear they would never speak of it.

And because she was afraid Tong Yuanbin still had feelings for Xia Zhaoyun, she had used a few tricks to make sure something happened between them. That way, she wouldn’t have to explain the loss of her virginity.

’This engagement is only happening because I’m pregnant. If the Tong family tries to back out, I’ll take them down with me!’

With that thought, Song Zhenbao took a page from her mother’s book and adamantly denied everything.

”Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, can’t you just leave me alone? You’re the ones who spread all those vile rumors in the village just to ruin my reputation and force me to marry your idiot son!”

Song Zhenbao covered her face, crying, ”Why are you so determined to see me miserable?”

”If what you’re saying were true, would I have just swallowed my pride and kept quiet? Wouldn’t I have reported your son long ago and had him face a firing squad? You can’t just make up lies like that.”

The onlookers were now confused. Both sides seemed to have a point.

If the story was fake, would the Zhang couple have been able to fabricate it out of thin air?

But if it were true, would Song Zhenbao have allowed them to attend her engagement party?

The Zhang couple was dumbfounded. They had played their trump card and still hadn’t gotten what they wanted. They could only glare at Song Zhenbao’s mother. ”In any case, you’re the one who called and told us to come. We’re not just going to go home empty-handed and let your family make fools of us, are we?”

Song Zhenbao’s mother had no idea something this major had happened to her daughter back in the countryside.

Others might not be able to tell whether the story was true or false, but she was her mother. ’How could I not know what’s happened to my own daughter?’

’If Song Zhenbao were still a virgin, she wouldn’t have gone behind her family’s back to seduce Tong Yuanbin and get herself pregnant to seal the deal.’

Because of this, after gaining the verbal upper hand, her only option was to pay the Zhang couple to go away. ”If you needed money, you could have just told me directly. How could you resort to using a young woman’s reputation as leverage?”

The Zhang couple knew how to seize an opportunity. They immediately smiled and nodded. For the sake of the money, the man even lightly slapped his own mouth. ”You’re right, it’s our fault. The truth is, we can barely afford to eat back home, but we were too embarrassed to ask, so we just made up an excuse.”

”Mr. Yan, please don’t hold it against us country folk.”

Song Zhenbao’s mother’s expression softened slightly. Afraid the two scoundrels would cause more trouble, she took out two hundred yuan. Even though they hadn’t gotten what they originally wanted, she still pretended to casually press the money into their hands. ”We’re very busy today, so we won’t keep you.”

Old Man Zhang took the money with a grin, spat harshly into his palm, and began to count the bills one by one.

It was exactly two hundred yuan—twenty of the ten-yuan ”Great Unity” bills. A subtle feeling passed through the crowd. Who carries two hundred yuan on their person? After all, as the mother of the bride-to-be, there weren’t many things she’d need to pay for.

And yet, the Zhang family had specifically mentioned two hundred yuan earlier. The situation was starting to look suspicious.

But Old Man Zhang just grinned, showing his yellowed teeth.

”Zhenbao’s older brother is getting married soon. You all know that boy’s had a hard life—had a fever that damaged his brain when he was little. The girl’s family agreed to the marriage, but they’re asking for a high bride price...”

He was jacking up the price on the spot!

Song Zhenbao’s mother once again felt the sting of having shot herself in the foot. Under the crowd’s watchful eyes, she had no choice but to pull out another hundred yuan and shove it at him, hissing, ”Know when to stop. If you push this any further, I’ll make sure you’re skinned alive!”

Old Man Zhang chuckled slyly. He didn’t bother counting the money this time, just stuffed it into his pocket. Without another word, he gave the crowd a couple more foolish-looking grins, then grabbed his wife and swaggered away.