Reborn not to be a simp, the school beauty's whole family goes crazy

Shen Yue walked out of the mall carrying a full shopping bag. She stood by the roadside and hailed a taxi.

After getting in the car, the driver asked warmly, "Where are you going, young lady?"

Shen Yue leaned back in her seat and said wearily, "Back to XXX Hotel."

As she walked, she gazed at the neon lights gradually illuminating outside the window, imagining the scene of returning to the village tomorrow, and a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.

Back at the hotel, Shen Yue threw all her things onto the bed and smiled with satisfaction as she looked at the mountain of shopping bags piled up on it.

She muttered to herself, "Hmph, I'll go back to the village tomorrow and show you how successful I, Shen Yue, am now. Those who used to look down on me, just you wait and see."

Tao Hao left the place where he met Shen Yue in a daze, his heart heavy as if a huge boulder was pressing down on him, making every step he took incredibly difficult.

His eyes were empty and lost; his original destination had long been forgotten.

My feet moved forward mechanically, and before I knew it, I had arrived at the entrance of a bar.

"Have a drink, maybe it will help you forget your troubles."

Tao Hao muttered to himself, his voice filled with exhaustion and pain. His slightly trembling tone seemed to be telling the world about the despair deep in his heart.

He touched the few coins in his pocket, his fingers brushing against the thin banknotes, and a pang of sadness welled up inside him.

After hesitating for a moment, thinking of Shen Yue's cold and mocking gaze, he gritted his teeth and finally pushed open the bar door.

As soon as he stepped into the bar, the cacophony of music hit him like a tidal wave, the intense rhythm making his eardrums ache.

The dim lights flickered erratically, as if performing a strange dance, filling the entire space with a repressive and bewildering atmosphere.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and alcohol, making it almost impossible for him to breathe. For Tao Hao, who had never stepped into a bar before, all of this made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

However, at this moment, his mind was completely occupied by Shen Yue, and he couldn't care less about these external discomforts.

He walked straight to the bar, his eyes scanning the prices on the drink menu, silently estimating his own financial resources.

Finally, he mustered his courage and said to the bartender, "Give me the cheapest drink."

His voice was somewhat low, carrying a hint of barely concealed embarrassment.

The bartender looked up at Tao Hao and immediately judged from his awkward expression and clumsy manner that he was a newcomer.

The bartender didn't say much, silently poured a glass of ordinary whiskey, and pushed it in front of Tao Hao.

Unlike when treating regular customers, he didn't use his skillful bartending techniques to carefully prepare a mixed drink for him.

Tao Hao took the wine glass and, without the slightest hesitation, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The spicy liquid, like a fire, slid rapidly down my throat, bringing a strong burning sensation.

But he found that the burning sensation was much easier to bear than the pain in his heart.

In that instant, he seemed to find a brief respite, so he spoke again: "Another drink, please."

The bartender poured him another glass, which Tao Hao drank in one gulp.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with pain and anger, anger stemming from both dissatisfaction with Shen Yue's current attitude and deep self-reproach for his own incompetence.

"Why? Why did she become like this?"

Tao Hao muttered to himself, Shen Yue's sharp and sarcastic words echoing in his mind.

Every word was like a sharp knife, cutting cruelly into his heart.

He recalled the sweet times they had spent together. Back then, Shen Yue's smile was so innocent, and her eyes were full of dependence on him.

But now, everything has changed.

"If it weren't for Chen Dong..."

A strong sense of hatred welled up in Tao Hao's heart. He hated Chen Dong for appearing when he was at his lowest point, and for easily obtaining everything he had ever dreamed of, including Shen Yue's heart.

"If I had been able to provide rice and oil for Yueyue's family back in high school, would everything have been different?"

A hint of resentment and anger flashed in his eyes. In those impoverished times, a few bags of rice and a few barrels of oil might have changed Shen Yue's family's opinion of him, and might have made their love journey less bumpy.

He continued drinking glass after glass, trying to numb his senses with alcohol and let those painful memories and complex emotions dissipate in the strong intoxication.

Gradually, his consciousness began to blur, he became completely drunk, and his body became unresponsive.

The bartender looked at him with a hint of concern in his eyes and asked softly, "Sir, are you alright? Would you like me to call you a car?"

Tao Hao shook his head, trying hard to stay sober, but the alcohol made his voice slurred: "No need... I... I can walk by myself."

He staggered out of the bar, and as soon as he reached the door, he couldn't help but lean against the wall and vomit.

His stomach churned violently, as if he were about to vomit up all his pain and resentment.

After a while, Tao Hao felt a little better, but the effects of alcohol still made him stagger and feel dizzy.

He stared at the blurry street before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. His longing for Shen Yue, his hatred for Chen Dong, and his resentment towards his past were intertwined, plunging him into an endless abyss of pain from which he could not extricate himself.

It was at this moment that Tao Hao suddenly heard a laugh.

That abrupt laughter was like a sharp knife, piercing straight into Tao Hao's chaotic consciousness.

His head buzzed, and the familiar sound instantly confirmed to him that it was Chen Dong's laughter!

Tao Hao suddenly opened his eyes, which were already bloodshot, and now they were wide open, filled with anger and resentment, like a caged beast that had been provoked.

His chest heaved violently, and his heavy breathing was clearly audible in the noisy street.

Almost instinctively, Tao Hao immediately rushed towards the direction from which the laughter came.

His steps were unsteady, yet they carried a reckless ferocity that frightened pedestrians on the roadside, who quickly gave way to him.

Turning the corner, he saw Chen Dong walking leisurely hand in hand with a pretty girl, Chen Dong still wearing the smile he had just had.

"Chen Dong!"

Tao Hao shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse with anger, as if it were being squeezed out from deep in his throat.

Upon hearing the roar, Chen Dong abruptly stopped in his tracks and looked at Tao Hao, who had suddenly appeared in front of him, his face filled with surprise.

He was currently enjoying the sweet moment of shopping with Chu Mengran and was about to take her home.

"Tao Hao? What are you doing here?"