A Gradual Descent into an Embarrassing Life

On the soft, spacious bed, Xu Mingyao held an iPad, scrolling through some mindless TV dramas.

Tao Yaoyao hesitated in the room for a long time, stealing glances at Xu Mingyao's mood every now and then.

She seemed to have something to say to her, but didn't know how to bring it up.

Finally, as if making up her mind, Tao Yaoyao walked over to the edge of the bed with an iPad in hand and sat down.

"Sister Yaoyao, don't you think the view here is really nice?"

Tao Yaoyao leaned over, placing the large iPad screen right in front of Xu Mingyao, cautiously asking for her thoughts.

Xu Mingyao glanced sideways at the screen, and disgust instantly crept over her alluring features.

"Get lost!"

Xu Mingyao snapped unceremoniously.

Because what Tao Yaoyao showed her was not a scenic landscape, but a view out of a window.

It looked like a photo taken by a landlord or real estate agent standing in front of a window, looking out to showcase the neighborhood's scenery for a rental platform.

To be fair, the photo looked pretty good.

It was taken from a high vantage point looking down.

More than half of S City's most bustling and famous river views were captured in this single shot.

In the night.

The lights were brilliant, and the traffic flowed like a river.

Everything about it screamed the prosperity and high cost of this location.

If this were before everything happened, seeing this bustling night view, Xu Mingyao would have nodded with interest and casually commented that it wasn't bad.

After that, she might have just bought the apartment on the spot, or perhaps bought another property in the same area with an even better view.

Just to serve as her new little nest.

But now.

She wouldn't even spare a second glance at such a place!

Although Xu Mingyao knew her family's downfall had become an irreversible fact.

She still refused to accept it.

This luxury hotel, considered top-tier both domestically and internationally, was her final lifeline.

It seemed that as long as she could still live here.

Adorning herself with a nightly expense that nearly equaled an ordinary person's annual salary.

Then the glamorous Xu Mingyao, who could effortlessly trample the vast majority of the world under her feet, had not yet disappeared!

So Xu Mingyao would not leave this place no matter what.

Never!

However, unlike usual.

This time, after being flatly rejected by Xu Mingyao, Tao Yaoyao did not leave with hidden disappointment in her eyes to wait for the next opportunity to speak, as she normally would.

This time, she remained sitting on the edge of the bed.

After a brief hesitation, she gathered her courage again, carefully pushed the tablet closer, and said softly in a placating tone:

"Sister Yaoyao, just take a look."

"It really is quite nice there."

Having her sore spots poked time and time again, Xu Mingyao was furious.

She snatched the iPad from Tao Yaoyao's hands, angrily slammed it onto the foot of the bed, then sat up and glared at Tao Yaoyao, shouting indignantly:

"Stop bothering me with this kind of stuff from now on!"

"I am never going to live in a garbage place like that!"

"But we can't afford the room rate here anymore."

Tao Yaoyao's soft eyes carried an apology, and her tone was full of helplessness as she spoke softly.

It was very strange.

Even though she wasn't the one insisting on staying here to squander money, Tao Yaoyao looked as if she had done something wrong, gazing at Xu Mingyao with grievance and guilt.

Upon hearing Tao Yaoyao's words, an inexplicable surge of anger violently filled Xu Mingyao's body.

She straightened up, just about to lash out.

But looking at Tao Yaoyao's lowered eyes and her pitiful demeanor of being ready to be scolded, the anger in her body suddenly stalled, instantly transforming into a sense of powerlessness far more overwhelming than anger.

Along with the powerlessness.

Came grievance.

Yes.

Xu Mingyao felt very wronged.

She didn't want to cut ties with her former self—the aloof, high-and-mighty girl who was flattered by countless people and surrounded like the moon by the stars.

But in the face of reality.

She had to admit that she was no longer that radiant and charming Xu Mingyao.

She was now just the destitute daughter of a bankrupt family.

If she stubbornly refused to admit this any longer.

Perhaps she would be forced to face reality by the hotel's security guards...

...

"Sister Yaoyao, look."

"The environment here is pretty good, isn't it?"

Tao Yaoyao pushed the door open. Holding a suitcase in each hand and carrying a shoulder bag, she spoke enthusiastically to Xu Mingyao behind her.

Being able to leave that money-swallowing pit of a hotel.

Tao Yaoyao was very happy.

If they could have left even earlier, Tao Yaoyao would have been even happier!

But Xu Mingyao behind her was not as pleased.

Since leaving the hotel, not a single trace of a smile had appeared on her face.

Her expression was as sour as it could get.

After entering the room, looking at this apartment—which in the eyes of ordinary people would be considered super, super nice—her expression worsened a bit more, as if she despised everything here.

Pushing the small suitcase in her hand into the corner like she was venting her anger, Xu Mingyao sat down on the living room sofa with a dark face.

Seeing Xu Mingyao, who practically had the words "I'm unhappy" written all over her face, Tao Yaoyao's bright expression also dimmed.

But soon, she adjusted her emotions.

She said softly to Xu Mingyao's back:

"Sister Yaoyao."

"I'll go make the bed for you first."

After entering the master bedroom, Tao Yaoyao opened the luggage, took out some daily necessities, and arranged them one by one.

During the busy process, Tao Yaoyao couldn't help but start worrying about the future.

What she had told Xu Mingyao earlier was not a lie.

She really didn't have much money left.

After paying the rent—a three-month deposit and six months' rent upfront—she only had a few thousand yuan left.

Optimistically speaking, this money might not even be enough for her and Xu Mingyao to live on for two months.

So she had to find a way to make money.

Actually, even before moving out of that hotel, Tao Yaoyao had already started preparing to look for a job.

Although she hadn't graduated yet, she had reached the stage where she could do an internship.

Tao Yaoyao originally thought that with her degree from S University, plus some useful or useless titles she held on campus, she should be able to easily find a job she was satisfied with.

But what she hadn't expected was.

Let alone a job she was satisfied with, even for the jobs she wasn't that satisfied with, the resumes she sent out sank like stones in the ocean, failing to stir up even a single ripple.

Soon, she understood whose doing this was.

But even if she understood, what use was it?

Sitting on the freshly made bed.

Tao Yaoyao knew clearly.

Being targeted by him, the future days for her and Xu Mingyao were probably going to be very difficult.