After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 20

Shen Rong’s scalp stung with sharp pain. His upper body jolted backward uncontrollably as he was dragged back two steps.

“Ah!!”

Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, Yu Chucheng grabbed Shen Rong’s hair in a death grip and, without a word, began dragging him toward the outdoor swimming pool.

“Yu Chucheng?!” After realizing who was pulling his hair, Shen Rong froze for a second before struggling violently. “What are you doing! Let me go!”

During the struggle, Shen Rong’s nails scratched Yu Chucheng’s face, leaving a red mark instantly.

Yu Chucheng, however, acted as if he couldn’t feel the pain, increasing the strength in his grip.

“Ah! Ow, ow, ow! Let go! I told you to let go!”

It felt like his hair was about to be pulled out by the roots. Shen Rong didn’t dare struggle too fiercely, terrified that his scalp might actually be torn off.

Yu Chucheng’s face was dark and grim.

Hao Jia was stunned by this sudden scene. It took him several seconds to react and chase after them. “Chucheng, can you let Shen Rong go first? Let’s talk this out properly.”

“They’ve already launched a full-on personal attack, and you still want to talk ‘properly’?” Ji Zhou had never liked Hao Jia to begin with. If it hadn’t been for Yu Chucheng’s deep affection for the guy, he would have blocked him long ago. Now, Hao Jia’s friend was openly slandering his brother, and instead of stopping it immediately, Hao Jia waited for the rumors to ferment before coming out to play the “nice guy.”

Ji Zhou shot Hao Jia a sideways glance, his tone dripping with sarcasm: “Where was this energy earlier?”

Yu Chucheng continued dragging Shen Rong by the hair toward the exit. Shen Rong was forced to hunch over, stumbling and looking incredibly pathetic along the way.

When the rumors first started spreading, everyone in the hall knew Yu Chucheng was from the Yu family. At the thought of the Yu family’s eldest son—who was known to be as terrifying as a Rakshasa—their feet felt nailed to the spot. No one dared to step forward and intervene.

Outside, the sun was harsh, and the rising heat made it hard to breathe.

Yu Chucheng dragged Shen Rong to the edge of the pool. Facing the shimmering water, he slammed Shen Rong’s head down. “Your mouth is too dirty. I’m giving you a wash.”

Shen Rong erupted in a series of screams, his legs kicking back desperately.

“Ah, no!”

“Yu Chucheng, you lunatic! Let me go!!”

“Don’t push me, I can’t swim!!”

However, the strength in Yu Chucheng’s hand didn’t weaken in the slightest.

Seeing that he was less than ten centimeters away from falling in, Shen Rong couldn’t hold it anymore. He wailed, “I’m sorry! I was wrong, I apologize! I shouldn’t have slandered you! I… I apologize, I apologize!”

Yu Chucheng spoke coldly, “And?”

“And… and I shouldn’t have spoken ill of the Yu family! I’m sorry, truly sorry! Just don’t push me in!”

The crowd that had followed them out erupted into a hubbub. It turned out the things they had heard earlier were all lies; no wonder Yu Chucheng was so furious.

Yu Chucheng let out a cold laugh. “Since you know so much about what happened between me and Hao Jia, why don’t you tell everyone the whole story? Tell them what our relationship was, so everyone can see if I ‘seamlessly transitioned’ or if I’m the scumbag you claimed I was. Explain it clearly, and I’ll let you go.”

When Yu Chucheng was pursuing Hao Jia, he always had a good temper. Even when Shen Rong picked fights, he never saw him get angry. Shen Rong had assumed Yu Chucheng was someone who could be easily bullied and manipulated, which was why he dared to act so brazenly.

But now, Shen Rong realized he was dead wrong. Yu Chucheng was a cat with sharp claws; he had simply kept them retracted until now.

Shen Rong had long since been scared witless. The glaring sunlight reflecting off the pool made him dizzy. Hearing that Yu Chucheng might let him go, he hurriedly stammered out the truth.

“You pursued Hao Jia for a while, but… but Hao Jia didn’t like you, so he didn’t agree. You two were never together. Later, you confessed to Hao Jia, he rejected you, and then you stopped pursuing him. As for the ‘new flame,’ that was all my own guesswork. I don’t actually know what your relationship is…”

The few people who had been surrounding Hao Jia earlier wished they could cut off their own tongues. They shot Hao Jia a few dissatisfied looks and silently moved away.

“Isn’t that Shen guy your best friend? As the person involved, you must have known he was making things up. Why didn’t you clarify just now?”

“Exactly. If you were never together, where does a ‘seamless transition’ even come from? We almost misunderstood a good person because of you.”

“Let’s just pretend we never met today. Don’t mention we’re friends when you’re out.”

The blunt stares of the crowd landed on Hao Jia. He felt an unprecedented pressure. Those gazes felt like needles pricking his back, and his eyes instantly turned red.

Yu Chucheng released his grip. Shen Rong slumped to the ground, gasping for air as if he had just survived a disaster.

Qi Rui, who had followed the crowd to watch the fun, couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. He looked at Yu Chucheng, who had finished dealing with the guy, and then at the tearful Hao Jia.

Qi Rui nudged Ji Zhou next to him. “Hey, what’s actually going on? So it was all rumors, and Yu Chucheng is actually a good guy?”

Ji Zhou moved away as if he had encountered a plague. “You think everyone is a scumbag like you?”

Qi Rui didn’t react much to being called a scumbag; he seemed used to people saying that. He rubbed his chin in confusion, looking at Hao Jia. “Doesn’t make sense. That Omega looks pretty average. He really rejected Yu Chucheng?”

Ji Zhou gave Qi Rui a look that said I can’t even deal with you right now.

This guy’s thought process was exceptionally strange—even at a time like this, he was focused on that. But Ji Zhou had pondered that same question for two years without ever finding an answer.

Perhaps unable to bear the whispers around him, Hao Jia steeled himself and walked toward the edge of the pool.

He hadn’t stopped Shen Rong earlier because he was holding onto a sliver of wishful thinking. But now that Shen Rong had spilled everything, if he didn’t do something to show his stance, he would definitely become the target of public criticism.

“Chucheng, I’m sorry. Shen Rong was wrong, but I’m the one who should apologize to you most…”

There was a row of lounge chairs by the pool, and the path was tiled.

Hao Jia walked over cautiously. “Blame me. It’s my fault. Shen Rong just wanted to defend me and got carried away in the heat of the moment. Please don’t make things hard for him—”

Before he could finish, Hao Jia’s foot slipped. “Ah!”

He flailed his arms wildly, trying his best to keep his balance, but his body lost its center of gravity and fell toward the pool.

Splash!

Hao Jia fell into the pool, sending up a massive spray of water.

Shen Rong watched with a pale face as Hao Jia struggled in the water, hallucinating that it was himself in the pool. His lips wouldn’t stop trembling.

“What are you all standing around for? Does anyone know how to swim? Get in there and save him!” someone in the crowd shouted.

The spot where Hao Jia fell was the deep end, with the water level at 2.5 meters quickly submerging him. Hao Jia couldn’t swim; within seconds, he had swallowed several mouthfuls of water.

However, the crowd by the pool hesitated, no one wanting to jump in.

There were plenty of people who could swim, but everyone was waiting for someone else to do it. After all, this was an important occasion, and they didn’t want to ruin their carefully chosen outfits.

Yu Chucheng quickly scanned the surroundings. The Zhang family’s pool was huge. There were lifebuoys on the far side, but they were too far away. By the time he ran over and threw one in, Hao Jia might be done for.

In the pool, Hao Jia flailed his limbs haphazardly, but the more he did, the more he sank.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

Inside the hall, since the banquet hadn’t officially started yet, Zhang Hanzhou, who had been in a second-floor room with a close friend, finally heard the commotion outside.

By the time he and his friend rushed out of the house, they saw a youth by the pool toss his phone aside and—splash—jump straight into the water.