Chapter 3

Ian’s speech instantly made me the target of public outrage.

I was cyberbullied until I completely broke down.

My home address was leaked online. Every day, strangers came to spray-paint words like 'Cheater,' 'Fake Prodigy,' and 'Go To Hell' across our front door.

Even my parents got dragged down with me. They lost their jobs and became too afraid to leave the house.

At first, Shirley had insisted she believed I was innocent. In the end, even she publicly admitted she was disappointed in me.

Some netizens discovered that Ian frequently studied with Shirley. The two of them were often seen entering and leaving libraries together. They were supposedly having academic discussions.

"Shirley looks so emotionally damaged. Her ex-boyfriend definitely gaslighted her."

"I seriously think her ex gaslighted her. Otherwise, why would she still defend him after the cheating scandal?"

"Am I the only one who thinks Shirley and Ian actually look perfect together?"

Soon, the two of them started frequently appearing in public together. They eventually announced their relationship.

I was left completely crushed by public opinion until I ended my own life.

This time, I was going to give them a taste of their own medicine.

They would suffer the consequences of their own actions.

"Keith, graduation's coming up soon. Let's all go eat together. Bring Shirley too!"

Ian exchanged glances with Shirley. They silently celebrated their successful scheme.

'Keith, I'm going to completely destroy you. I'll make everyone hate you!'

I chuckled softly and held Shirley's hand tightly.

"Sure. Let's go together. We can go to that restaurant I usually go to."

Seeing me willingly walk into the trap, Shirley happily squeezed my hand back.

They'd already set the stage. How could I possibly refuse?

Just like in my previous life, Shirley answered a phone call the moment she got into the car.

"Mom, don't worry about the money. Just focus on your treatment. I still have some savings."

After hanging up with a troubled expression, she forced out a smile and looked at us. "How about I pay for dinner tonight? I am the senior here, after all."

The class president immediately turned her down. "That's too much for you to pay, Shirley. Your mom still needs money for medical treatment. Let's just split the bill."

The other classmates quickly agreed. "That's right. You don't have to treat us to a meal. We can pay for ourselves."

Hearing the answer she wanted, Shirley smiled in satisfaction and waited for me to speak.

'I've got you completely wrapped around my finger, haven't I? You must be dying to help me, pathetic simp.'

It took every ounce of restraint I had not to roll my eyes.

In my previous life, the moment I heard she needed money urgently, I immediately offered to pay with my membership card. Shirley had nearly cried from feeling touched.

But when it came time to pay, the waiter handed my card back and claimed it was fake.

When I demanded they verify my membership, Shirley humiliated me publicly and accused me of pretending to be rich with a counterfeit card.

I stammered and couldn't explain myself properly. In the end, Ian stepped in to pay the bill. Everyone praised him for his chivalry.

This time, I still looked at Shirley gently and smiled. "It's okay, Shirley. I'll treat everyone.

"Don't hold back, guys. I have a membership card anyway. There's no point in letting it sit unused."

'Come on then. Let's see who ends up embarrassed this time.'

When ordering, I generously told everyone to get whatever they wanted.

That played perfectly into Ian's hands. He practically ordered every expensive seasonal seafood dish on the menu.

Too bad he didn't realize the harder he tried to humiliate me, the sooner the backlash would come back at him.

Once the food was served, I ate very slowly.

It was partly because the thoughts running through Shirley and Ian's minds were utterly disgusting.

The two of them kept flirting and exchanging looks across the table. It completely ruined my appetite.

The other reason was that the food wasn't what I liked.

After setting down my knife, I looked at the waitress beside me. "Excuse me, did you guys hire a new chef?"

To my surprise, the waitress coldly replied, "No. Maybe you're just not used to it."

I felt a little speechless but still tried to explain patiently. "The last time I came here, it wasn't this sour."

Ian immediately chimed in. His voice wasn't very loud, but it was loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.

"Keith, everyone has different preferences. I personally love this dish. Don't make things hard for her."

After he said that, the waitress snorted at me disdainfully.

Before I could respond, Shirley joined in. "Keith, I know you're a member here, but she's just a waitress. There's no point in making things difficult for her."

The two of them worked together so smoothly that it really sounded like I was bullying the waitress.

After living through the nightmare of cyberbullying in my previous life, I hated this feeling of being unable to defend myself.

I glared at Shirley angrily, but she guiltily avoided my gaze and fiddled with the food on her plate.

'Why are you glaring at me? Ian's right. What a psycho.'

'Heh.' I silently finished the meal.

When it was finally time to pay, Ian once again put on a troubled expression and looked at me.

"Keith, you said you were treating us earlier. Are you really okay paying for all this? Isn't it a little too much for you?"

I shook my head and opened my wallet. "It's fine. I have the membership card right here. Huh?"