Who's going to be the female lead's simp? Aren't the supporting female characters mor

Only a few waiters remained in the banquet hall, cleaning up the mess. The sound of high heels on the marble floor seemed particularly loud and jarring.

The dozens of cases of top-quality champagne originally intended to celebrate the return were barely opened, and seemed to have served as a backdrop to this farce.

Chen Hao stood there, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

The elite circle in Haicheng is not large. The slap Feng Rui delivered tonight will be the talk of the town by tomorrow morning.

"Brother Chen Hao..."

Lin Ruyu timidly tugged at his sleeve, tears streaming down her face like broken beads.

She was clever; she didn't dare to wail loudly, but suppressed her sobs, her shoulders trembling, making her look exceptionally pitiful.

"It's all my fault, I shouldn't have said anything." Lin Ruyu buried her face in Chen Hao's chest, tears quickly soaking his expensive shirt. "That day at school, Chu Xuanfei wouldn't let go. You know his temper, if I didn't help him save face in front of the freshmen, he might have beaten that girl up. I was just making a joke, who knew that girl was President Feng's daughter..."

She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice full of grievance: "I really just wanted to mediate the fight, how did it become bullying? How could someone as important as President Feng slap such a huge label on me without even knowing the facts?"

These words were half true and half false, completely absolving himself of any responsibility while shifting all the blame onto Chu Xuan, who had already broken his leg, and Feng Rui, who was bullying others.

Looking at the woman in his arms, who was crying her eyes out, Chen Hao's anger subsided by more than half.

Also.

Lin Ruyu is so gentle and kind, she wouldn't even step on an ant, how could she possibly bully someone?

It must have been that good-for-nothing Chu Xuan who caused all this trouble, dragging his woman into it.

As for Feng Rui, he was just being overly protective of his own and using this as an excuse to make a fuss.

"It's not your fault." Chen Hao reached out and wiped away her tears, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes. "That old bastard Feng Rui is getting worse with age. He won't even give me this much face for a little girl. Does he really think he's the only one who can control Haicheng?"

Not far away, Bai Jingyou, who was just about to leave, paused.

Jiang Mengyao was holding his arm when she heard this, and her expression was priceless.

She glanced back at the couple still comforting each other, and couldn't help but whisper, "Are these two brains structured differently than normal? Feng Ling is only a freshman, and she was surrounded and insulted by a group of people, but she's making it sound like a joke?"

Bai Jingyou chuckled softly, not bothering to lower his voice: "That's called cognitive dissonance. Some people live in their own script; if someone doesn't follow the script, it's the whole world's fault. It's too late, hopeless. I suggest cremation."

The sound wasn't loud, but in the spacious banquet hall, it was just loud enough for Chen Hao and Lin Ruyu to hear.

Lin Ruyu's body stiffened for a moment.

She turned her head sharply and met Bai Jingyou's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but weren't.

That look was so familiar, as if it saw through all her pretenses, stripping her bare and leaving her exposed to the scorching sun.

Panic struck again.

She had to shift the focus away from the conflict.

"Brother Chen Hao..." Lin Ruyu gripped Chen Hao's arm tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh. "Look at him! Bai Jingyou came here specifically to see me make a fool of myself! I saw him laughing when President Feng was yelling!"

Chen Hao was already seething with anger, and upon hearing this, both old and new grudges surged up instantly.

He strode forward and blocked Bai Jingyou's path.

"Young Master Bai, you think you can just leave already?" Chen Hao said coldly. He was slightly shorter than Bai Jingyou, but he wasn't about to lose in terms of imposing manner. "Have you had enough of watching the show?"

Bai Jingyou stopped and slowly straightened his cuffs, not even bothering to lift his eyelids: "The acting is terrible, nothing to see. If President Chen has nothing else to do, please make way. A good dog doesn't block the road."

"Baek Kyung-woo!"

Chen Hao gritted his teeth, forcing out the words, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Aren't you just jealous of everything I have now? Ru Yu chose me and not you, and you're unhappy about that, so you're trying to sabotage things. But let me tell you, this kind of tactic is despicable!"

Jiang Mengyao, who was standing next to her, frowned as she listened. She was about to retort when Bai Jingyou gently pressed down on the back of her hand.

Bai Jingyou finally looked Chen Hao in the eye.

His eyes were calm, without anger or jealousy, and even carried a hint of compassion for children with intellectual disabilities.

"Mr. Chen, let me correct you. First, I've never been interested in garbage recycling. Second, jealous of you? Jealous that you offended the biggest investor as soon as you returned to China? Or jealous that you're blind?"

"What did you say?!" Chen Hao's forehead veins bulged, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"I mean," Bai Jingyou took a step forward, closing in on Chen Hao, his voice low but each word piercing, "doing business requires due diligence. Mr. Chen, after all these years, don't you even do the most basic background checks? You check accounts before investing in projects, but investing in women…"

He paused, his gaze passing over Chen Hao and landing on Lin Ruyu, whose face was deathly pale. A playful smile curved his lips: "We need to investigate even more thoroughly. Don't treat every roadside imposter as a hidden gem. Otherwise, we'll lose everything and have nowhere to turn to cry."

After saying that, Bai Jingyou didn't give Chen Hao a chance to speak again. He put his arm around Jiang Mengyao, walked past him, and strode out.

As he reached the door, he waved to the two of them with his back turned, as if shooing away flies.

The banquet hall fell silent once again.

Chen Hao stood there, his chest heaving violently.

Bai Jingyou's last few words were like steel needles, precisely piercing the most sensitive part of his heart.

due diligence.

He is decisive and ruthless in the business world, and never fights a battle unprepared.

But when it comes to Lin Ruyu, he is truly one-sided in his enthusiasm.

"Brother Chen Hao..."

Lin Ruyu jogged over and hugged Chen Hao from behind, her voice trembling: "Don't listen to his nonsense! He just can't stand to see us doing well and wants to sow discord! After all these years, don't you know what kind of person I am?"

She was terrified.

If Chen Hao really investigates... and if he sees the surveillance footage...

Chen Hao stiffened and did not immediately turn around and hug her as usual.

He stared in the direction where Bai Jingyou had disappeared, the phrase "Don't mistake a fish eye for a pearl" echoing in his mind.

Several seconds passed before he slowly turned around.

Looking at the tear-streaked, dependent little face in front of him, Chen Hao's heart wavered again.

This is the white moonlight he has been longing for all these years, how could she possibly lie to him?

"Of course I believe you." Chen Hao reached out and touched her hair, his tone gentle, but his eyes lacked some of the previous fervor. "Bai Jingyou is just being a sour grapes. You've had a long night; let the driver take you home to rest."

"And what about you?" Lin Ruyu asked, somewhat uneasy.

"The company still has a mess to clean up." Chen Hao smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Feng Rui has cut off cooperation, so I need to come up with an alternative plan overnight. Be good, listen to me."

Lin Ruyu dared not say anything more and could only walk away, turning back every few steps.

The smile on Chen Hao's face completely vanished only after the Rolls-Royce's taillights disappeared into the night.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, the screen illuminating his shifting expression.

My finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds before I finally sent a message:

[Investigate. I need all the surveillance footage from that day at school. Also, I need Lin Ruyu's hotel booking records and bills from the past few years, as well as her specific relationships with Chu Xuan and Gao Beining. I need the most detailed report possible.]

After sending the message, Chen Hao let out a long breath, feeling as if his heart was being gripped by an invisible hand.

He wanted to prove that Baek Kyung-woo was wrong.

He was eager to prove that his judgment was correct and that his little princess was still pure and innocent.

"bite--"

Less than five minutes later, my phone vibrated.

Chen Hao's hand trembled slightly. So fast?

The assistant is extremely efficient, or rather, these things are not difficult to find at all; with just a little effort, they are readily available everywhere.

[Mr. Chen, here are the materials you requested. Also, the school didn't delete the surveillance footage that day; the file is very large, and I've already sent it to your encrypted email address.]

Chen Hao opened his email.

A high-definition video was found prominently displayed in the inbox.

He took a deep breath and his fingers trembled as he pressed play.

In the video, Lin Ruyu, who was wearing a white dress and didn't even dare to speak loudly in front of him, was pointing her finger at Feng Ling's nose with a mean expression, her arms crossed.

The sound came through clearly:

"What are you pretending for? Just because you're wearing a knock-off doesn't mean you're some rich heiress. Take a look in the mirror and see how pathetic you look!"

"Young Master Chu is only speaking to you because he thinks highly of you, don't push your luck!"

That arrogant, vicious, and mercenary demeanor was completely different from the way she had cried in his arms just moments before.

Chen Hao felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

"Snapped!"

The phone was slammed to the ground, and the screen shattered into a spiderweb pattern.

Chen Hao braced himself on the table with both hands, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot.