Chapter 238 - 98: Top Diva of the 60s Song and Dance Troupe (37)
Chapter 238: Chapter 98: Top Diva of the 60s Song and Dance Troupe (37)
"I’ll be inviting the girls from the troupe. You should come too, right?"
"Yuanbin said that only if you graciously give us your blessing can he start this new Chapter with me with a clear conscience."
"Whatever happened between you and Yuanbin, you were childhood friends. This small request isn’t going too far, is it?"
’Not going too far?’
The girls from Group Three were about to explode with anger!
How shameless could this Song Zhenbao be? First, she steals someone’s fiancé, and now she was inviting her to the engagement party. If Xia Zhaoyun refused, she’d be branded as petty, someone who couldn’t bear to see her childhood friend be happy.
Ha! Give me a break. If it were them, they’d show up to "celebrate" with a knife in hand.
Xia Zhaoyun smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I’m afraid you’ll end up kicking yourself for this."
Song Zhenbao pressed her lips into a smile, her delicate face unable to hide her smugness. "How could I? Even though you stole eighteen years of my life, my family and I still hope you can be happy."
"I’m the one who hopes you’ll come the most. It would show that you’ve let go of Yuanbin and truly accepted your current marriage. After all," she paused, sighing softly, "Little Hero Huo was just your second choice."
"Yuanbin and I couldn’t help ourselves. We never meant to hurt you. Please, cherish the one by your side and don’t let this pain continue..."
Xia Zhaoyun cringed. If it weren’t for the current era, she would’ve thought the other woman’s brain had been washed by some Tai City romance novel.
’What "couldn’t help ourselves"? They deliberately did something to hurt someone, but then they don’t even allow that person to have any negative feelings. You’re supposed to cheerfully send your blessings, otherwise you’re a petty person who holds grudges!’
"Also," Xia Zhaoyun sneered, "Tianhao has always been number one in my heart. He was never a second choice."
Song Zhenbao nodded repeatedly. "Comrade Xia Zhaoyun, if thinking that way makes you feel better, then that’s for the best."
’I really just want to squeeze her until she pops!’
The girls from Group Three were so angry they started to laugh, their words sharp and cutting:
"Song Zhenbao, did a donkey kick you in the head?"
"That Tong Yuanbin looks so weak he’d fall over in a gust of wind. How can he even compare to Huo Tianhao? He’s handsome, dashing, tall, powerful, mature, and steady!"
"Whether it’s looks, talent, skill, or personality, or even his tender and considerate heart for our Little Xia, Huo Tianhao is far superior to your Yuanbin..."
"Little Xia has absolutely no feelings for your Yuanbin. If she did, where would that even leave you now?"
"You’re average-looking, at the bottom of the barrel in the art troupe. Your figure, your voice—what part of you is better than Little Xia? All you know is how to play little tricks on men. For your Yuanbin to be charmed by you, he must not be an ordinary man either..."
Song Zhenbao was so furious she almost went up and slapped each and every one of them across the face.
She took a deep breath and comforted herself. ’Xia Zhaoyun is just sour grapes. If she really had no feelings for Tong Yuanbin, how could she have maintained a relationship with him for so long and even tacitly allowed their families to consider getting them engaged?’
’What does she mean Huo Tianhao wasn’t her second choice? When he was around before, I never saw Xia Zhaoyun treat him any special way. After she was kicked out of her own family, she probably just looked for an easy way out and found some random person, right?’
’Otherwise, what woman would be crazy enough to remain faithful to a man who had been declared "dead"?’
’Unless... unless Xia Zhaoyun still has feelings for Tong Yuanbin and couldn’t accept another man so soon, so she used it as an excuse, only to be forced into this situation she couldn’t back out of!’
’In any case, I’m the one engaged to Tong Yuanbin now. That makes me, Song Zhenbao, the final winner.’
Having thought it all through, her lips drew into a line, her anger gone. She persisted, "Comrade Xia Zhaoyun, you will come, won’t you?"
Xia Zhaoyun’s lips curved into a smile. "As you wish."
She had never seen someone so masochistic. When the time came, she would be sure not to disappoint Song Zhenbao.
The rehearsal was very close to the selection date, with only two days in between.
Although it wasn’t the official performance, the venue was limited, so the Zhaoyang Clothing Factory distributed an equal number of admission tickets to each of the participating work units.
The fifty acts would run from morning till night, divided into a morning session, an afternoon session, and an evening session. The audience would change over three times, but the panel of judges would remain largely the same.
The performance order was determined by a drawing of lots conducted by the person in charge of each group.
Master Yuan was responsible for all sorts of miscellaneous affairs in the troupe, so naturally, she was the one to draw the lots.
Since the troupe had three acts in the running, she could draw three times and then decide for herself which group would go on first and which would perform last.
The results of the drawing were perfectly in line with random probability. She drew slots for the morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. The morning and afternoon performance times were in the earlier half of the lineup, while the evening slot was, surprisingly, the final, headlining act!