Finally, after so many years of sleepless nights, stress-induced hair loss, and countless tears shed in bed, it was all over. Her biotechnology studies had finally come to an end. It had taken too many years.

  “May! Congratulations on your new life!” Her sister congratulated her, handing her a glass of some strange brand of vodka.

  She smiled at her joyfully and drank the shot of vodka. She grimaced slightly at the taste. Unfortunately, it was flavored. She preferred plain, clear vodka.

  “May. Congratulations,” said her neighbor, old Mrs. Winningham, who had lived through the war.

  After many years, she managed to get into her dream biotechnology company. What's more, she could work on what she had always dreamed of, gene therapy. For the first time in a long time, she felt alive.

  She was surrounded by a crowd of people. Friends from university, her closest family, and many others. She smiled at the thought that she had so many wonderful people in her life.

  She walked closer and began to cut the cake. She had never been fond of parties, but this was an exception. She had earned her doctorate and was able to work with the world's scientific elite. Her ambitions were great.

  “May! A glass of wine?” Her new colleagues from work had also come to the party. It was certainly too many people for such a small apartment, but she didn't mind.

  “Of course,” she replied, unable to refuse her new colleagues. Besides, the wine they brought was so expensive... The mere thought that she would one day be able to afford something so expensive filled her with optimism.

  She enjoyed the guests, dancing to the strange music played by her weird cousin. However, everyone was so drunk that no one cared. Even her parents, who usually refused alcohol, drank a glass of wine to celebrate their daughter's huge success.

  “May!! You're wonderful!” said her old college friend Shirley, handing her a strange pink cocktail. She drank it in one gulp and laughed loudly.

  The party was in full swing.

  “May! Aren't you going to have a drink with your uncles? Come join us!” said one of her relatives.

  “I think I should slow down a little...” she replied uncertainly, staggering a little on her feet.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  She drank alcohol with basically every guest.

  “Oh, come on! Another opportunity like this won't come along soon, will it?” One of her aunts smiled. “Come on!”

  May couldn't refuse and went to their table...

  Vodka, whiskey, rum, wine, and even absinthe... Who brought that weird green booze...? Anyway, May had never seen so much alcohol in her life. She went to parties from time to time, but she could usually control herself.

  However, she was surrounded by family and friends, which was very different from clubs. She had a problem saying no to people she loved so much and with whom she wanted to celebrate this night.

  She finally fell asleep on the sofa. However, the party continued. No one paid any attention to her, as they knew how much she had drunk. As four o'clock in the morning approached, the last guests left her apartment.

  “My little girl...” her father said with a smile, picking her up and gently putting her to bed. Just before leaving, he smiled.

  Her parents began cleaning up her mess, not wanting to give May any more work, knowing that she would surely have a hangover the next day.

  However, they were wrong. She didn't have a hangover the next day. The next day, they found her lifeless body, surrounded by vomit in her own bed. Her body showed no signs of life. Even the continuous and exhausting cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by her old father until the ambulance arrived was futile. She had been dead for too long.

  ───── ??☆?? ─────

  "Almost there! A little more Lady Shang!"

  What's going on?

  She couldn't remember how she got into this situation. The only thing she recalled was the party. And now she was hearing some strange voices in an unknown language. She felt strange. As if she wasn't in her own body. She felt weak and vulnerable, yet surprisingly at ease.

  “It's almost over!” She heard an elderly woman shout.

  In her previous life, she loved to read; it was one of her many escapes from her stressful studies. So she had no problem understanding the concept of reincarnation and typical isekai.

  “It's a girl!”

  "Wait a minute, why isn't she crying? Is something wrong?"

  Oh, right.

  Although she didn't understand the language she was able to figure out what it was about. This was common knowledge even in primitive societies. A newborn baby should cry.

  She began to cry. It was surprisingly simple.

  “Well it may not be a boy, but next time I'm sure it will happen.”

  "Congratulations again! How lovely and charming she is." There was a lot of chaos, but soon everything calmed down and her new life began.

  After some time and thinking, she came to the conclusion that she died of alcohol poisoning. She started calculating how much she drank. It was the only logical explanation. Of course, there were still a few less reasonable explanations: like homicide, being poisoned, or some unexplained disease. However, the simplest explanation was alcohol. Intuition also indicated that she was not wrong.

  How embarrassing…

  She was sad, but she was also terrified. Her life had just started to fall into place. She had fulfilled her dreams. She had everything she wanted. Her dream job, a loving family, and friends.

  And now she found herself in this strange place, surrounded by strange and unfamiliar faces. She didn't understand the language they spoke. They looked like giants, watching her from above. She didn't know this world and felt lonely.

  She no longer had to force herself to cry.