They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 287 - 287 Poor Imitation of Real Happiness

Chapter 287: Poor Imitation of Real Happiness Chapter 287: Poor Imitation of Real Happiness The drive was quiet and awkward.

The driver kept glancing at them through the rearview mirror, but no one spoke.

The city blurred past, closed shops, empty streets, and occasional flickers of streetlamps.

After nearly twenty minutes, the car finally slowed down at a neighborhood on the city’s edge.

But the silence of the ride was shattered by the scene in front of them.

One house stood alive with noise.

Music pounded through huge speakers set up on the lawn.

Flashing lights spilled from the windows, giving the house an eerie, flickering glow.

Laughter and shouting echoed off the nearby houses, but No one said a word.

No neighbors complained.

No lights turned on in protest.

It was like the whole street had agreed to pretend this house didn’t exist.

“That’s the place,” Abuchi said softly.

Karen raised an eyebrow.

“A party?

Seriously?” John frowned.

“This feels like a trap.” “I told you,” Abuchi replied.

“The guy is unpredictable.” The taxi driver scoffed.

“Whatever you all are doing, don’t bring trouble to my car.

I’m leaving.” He didn’t even wait for payment, just drove off as soon as they shut the doors.

Now, standing outside the loud house, the five of them stared ahead, tense.

It was wild.

Out of place.

Suspicious.

And their only option.

“You mean… this is the place?” Nnenna asked, eyeing the chaotic party scene in disbelief.

“He told you to meet him here, in the middle of all this madness?” “Yes,” Abuchi replied with a sigh.

“I know.

It’s not exactly reassuring, but this is the address he sent me.” “This isn’t my style at all,” Karen muttered.

“It’s not any of ours,” Nnenna cut in, folding her arms.

“But we don’t have to like it, we just need to get the fake IDs and get out.

No drinking, no dancing, no whatever it is these lunatics are doing.” Karen didn’t answer.

She just knitted her eyebrows and stayed quiet, knowing Nnenna was right.

They walked up to the front door, the bass of the music practically shaking the porch beneath their feet.

“You guys should wait out here,” Abuchi said, stopping them.

“Let me go in alone.” “And why is that?” Ekene asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I don’t know who I’m meeting,” Abuchi explained.

“If things go wrong, at least you’ll have a head start on escaping.” John scoffed.

“No way.

We’re not letting you walk into some shady party contact alone.” “Maybe your sister can stay back,” he added, nodding toward Nnenna, “but the rest of us are going in with you.

If it goes sideways, you’ll need us.” Abuchi was both grateful and slightly amused.

Among all of them, when it came to wits, fighting instincts, and pure unpredictability, it might actually be his sister he’d need most.

The irony wasn’t lost on him.

Still, he nodded.

“Fine.

Let’s all go in.” Together, the five of them pushed the door open and stepped into the house.

The scent of alcohol, smoke, and too many people in one place hit them instantly.

Bodies moved to the rhythm of deep bass music, lights flashing across painted faces and glittered clothes.

Laughter, shouting, and the occasional crash of a bottle made it hard to think.

But they weren’t here to party.

Definitely not in this kind of party.

They were here for a ghost.

For a shadow.

For a man none of them had ever seen before.

Nobody noticed them walk in.

Everyone was far too busy dancing, shouting, and completely losing themselves in the noise just like the people outside.

The lights flashed wildly, red, blue, then gold, casting wild shadows on the walls as bodies swayed to deafening music.

Cups were raised, jokes were tossed around, people yelled over each other, laughing without really knowing why.

Some were collapsed into chairs, others sprawled across couches like royalty in their own imagined kingdoms.

It was the kind of party people talk about for weeks afterward, but only to prove they were there, not because they truly enjoyed it.

Abuchi, Nnenna, and the rest stood frozen for a moment, absorbing the chaotic energy of the place.

It was suffocating.

This was what some called “fun.” But to them, it looked more like a spiral.

A place where purpose dissolved, where people forgot themselves, and where nothing good could grow.

Karen frowned.

“They actually live like this?” Nnenna didn’t reply.

She just kept walking, her eyes sharp, her body tense.

There was nothing wrong with having joy, with celebrating.

But this… this was a poor imitation of real happiness.

This was emptiness, hidden under lights and noise.

It was the kind of lifestyle that seemed exciting at first glance, but quietly drained away dreams, time, and even dignity.

A trap in disguise.

And the group knew it.

“Let’s find who we came for and leave,” Abuchi said, cutting through the crowd like a knife through mist.

Abuchi led them through the cramped backroom, grateful that no one seemed to notice their arrival.

The noise from the front of the house echoed through the walls, the laughter and chatter of people who were too lost in their own world to care about anything else.

They didn’t fit in, far from it, but it didn’t matter.

The crowd was too busy with their idea of fun to pay attention.

At the back, a group of boys lingered, but it was the one sitting at the center of them that drew Abuchi’s attention.

His presence alone made the air feel heavier, colder.

This wasn’t just a man sitting there, this was the leader.

The one who made things happen, and who didn’t hesitate to make sure everyone knew it.

Abuchi took a step forward, but before he could move closer, two of the boys in the group blocked his path.

Their stares were cold, but Abuchi didn’t flinch.

He knew the game.

“Must be you I’m looking for,” Abuchi said, his voice steady but with a hint of urgency.

—————————– Please don’t indulge in any of the bad things happening in this party.

They aren’t good for your health, life or your relationship with God.