Chapter 132: Would you like to sing a song with me?

Qianqian Zhao’s wave was perfectly clear to Hongyi Ruan. Although Qianqian was quite cute, she still fell a little short of Xinhua Dai and Ling Lezheng.

Ling Lezheng, who was sitting beside Chen Luo, was mistaken by Hongyi Ruan for his girlfriend. Worried that he might be stopped, Hongyi Ruan had no choice but to choose Xinhua Dai, who was sitting with Qianqian Zhao.

Believing he had taken every factor into consideration, Hongyi Ruan was not worried in the slightest about being rejected. He simply gazed confidently at the girl before him, eagerly awaiting the delighted look on her face.

Not to mention that she was his fan—just looking at his face alone, there were very few girls who would refuse him.

Xinhua Dai first glanced cautiously at Chen Luo. Seeing that he appeared to have no reaction, she could not help feeling a little disappointed, but she still politely declined.

“I’m sorry, I’m only here with Qianqian. Why don’t you go with her instead?”

“As long as you agree... What?”

Hongyi Ruan was about to continue with the words he had prepared, but he had barely begun when he realized that something was wrong.

Had she just... rejected him?

Impossible!

“Rejected?”

The corners of Hongyi Ruan’s mouth twitched, and his handsome face instantly flushed red. Only then did he realize that perhaps he had been a little too confident and should have listened carefully before speaking.

But he had actually been rejected?

Hongyi Ruan discreetly shifted his gaze toward his reflection in the glass.

He was still as handsome as ever, wasn’t he?

Then why had this happened?

“I’m sorry...”

Xinhua Dai stuck out her tongue. Judging by Hongyi Ruan’s expression, could the blow have been so severe that he was unable to recover?

For the first time, Hongyi Ruan began to doubt his own looks. Could it be that he was not as handsome as he had always believed? Yet he immediately firmed up his resolve again. There were always a few oddballs with different tastes. This was definitely an isolated case!

It was not as though everyone had always called him handsome, but Hongyi Ruan felt that those who did not were simply jealous of him.

It had to be that!

After being rejected to his face, even Hongyi Ruan’s shameless composure was nearly unable to hold. Fortunately, the girl had left him a way out when she declined. At least he would not have to slink away alone.

Just as he was thinking this, a smile once again forced its way onto Hongyi Ruan’s face. Turning to Qianqian Zhao beside Xinhua Dai, he asked gently, “May I ask whether you would like to sing a song with me?”

Although he had failed to invite the person he wanted, this Qianqian Zhao was actually quite good too. Hongyi Ruan looked the girl up and down, then nodded to himself.

He could not guarantee anything about the others, but Qianqian Zhao was definitely his fan. Otherwise, she would not have waved excitedly the moment she saw him. As for whether this might hurt the girl’s pride...

Once he extended the invitation, could a girl who clearly liked him possibly refuse?

So Hongyi Ruan did not care. He was confident.

Qianqian Zhao stared at the hand he extended toward her. She hesitated for a while, but when she remembered how he had ignored her and invited Xinhua Dai instead, she thought it over and ultimately refused.

“Since Xinhua isn’t going, then... neither am I.”

Crack...

Hongyi Ruan seemed to hear something shatter inside him. Was it his confidence? His dignity? Or his reason?

A surge of fury rushed into Hongyi Ruan’s mind, accompanied by a trace of fear. He understood perfectly well that this fear arose from his own lack of confidence.

What had helped him the most throughout his life?

Not his parents or relatives, not his teachers or friends, and certainly not his own abilities—but this handsome face of his!

With this face, his parents and relatives had always treated him with extra care. Strangers were more inclined to befriend him. Wherever he went, he became the center of attention, and even talent scouts had specifically sought him out. Unfortunately, Hongyi Ruan would never sign the kind of contract that amounted to selling himself.

It was both confidence and disdain.

Yet this time, even in the face of a woman who clearly liked him, it had failed him. Although it was not enough to truly crush him, Hongyi Ruan still felt somewhat uneasy.

With every year he grew older, the unease in his heart deepened a little more. That was why he was so desperately intent on amassing wealth, even knowing that it would disappoint some of his fans. He had no idea when he might lose the good looks he possessed on the outside.

With a slight tremor, Hongyi Ruan turned around, embracing his final shred of hope. He slowly addressed the only girl at the table whom he had not yet asked, Ling Lezheng.

“May I ask... whether you would like to sing a song with me?”

“Sorry, we’re actually just here to have a meal.”

Before Ling Lezheng could answer, Chen Luo spoke first. In fact, he had wanted to stop Hongyi Ruan when he saw him approach Xinhua Dai, but he had been a moment too slow.

Hongyi Ruan, however, completely ignored Chen Luo. He simply stared at Ling Lezheng until she furrowed her delicate brows and shook her head to reject him. Only then did he give up.

Hongyi Ruan’s fair face turned utterly dark.

Being rejected three times in succession in front of so many die-hard fans had completely drowned out his reason. If the last remnants of his rationality had not reminded him to mind where he was, he would have rushed forward and torn these bastards to pieces.

After such a long delay, the fans watching from the sidelines had already realized that something was wrong.

Had Hongyi Ruan’s invitation actually been rejected?

Some of the die-hard fans were furious. They had been longing for a chance to sing with Hongyi Ruan and had never received one. How dare these people refuse?

Was this not an insult to everything they had pursued so desperately, implying that it was utterly meaningless?

Hongyi Ruan now found himself in an impossible position. If he turned and left, he would suffer a tremendous loss of face. But if he stayed, was he supposed to linger here and endure the expressions of these bastards?

As Chen Luo and the others watched Hongyi Ruan’s expression shift, they remained unmoved. Qianqian Zhao, however, felt somewhat sympathetic. She had only been angry for a moment because Hongyi Ruan had ignored her, never expecting that she would leave him unable to save face.

Should she agree after all?

Just as Qianqian Zhao was about to speak, Hongyi Ruan glanced at Chen Luo. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he shouted, “You’re the one who deliberately caused trouble just now, aren’t you?”

“You even claimed that you were only here to eat. Who in this city doesn’t know that I’m holding a fan meeting at the FANS Restaurant today? You’re obviously here with ulterior motives!”

Hongyi Ruan did not care whether the person who had spoken earlier had actually been Chen Luo. If he said it was him, then it was him!

That way, he no longer had to worry about losing face. As long as his fans believed that these people had been hired to cause trouble, then their rejection and deliberate humiliation of him would all be intentional. He would merely be an innocent victim.

Qianqian Zhao’s mouth fell slightly open. She had originally wanted to help Hongyi Ruan out of his predicament, but she had never expected him to say something like that. In an instant, the little goodwill she had felt toward him transformed entirely into fury.

P.S. Thanks to the reader Three-Foot Cat for the generous reward of one hundred starting-point coins. Scatter the flowers! It seems everyday life will require one more chapter after all? If the next chapter doesn’t wrap things up, I’ll livestream myself cutting a watermelon...