Jiang Nian panicked a little.
【The Male Lead is coming to find me… could he be planning to confront me face-to-face? I haven’t even posted that Moments update yet, so how did I already make him mad?】
System 999 calmly analyzed the situation.
【Probably not! I heard from the senior systems that disgust values usually need to reach at least 50 before someone explodes in person. For someone like Lu Zhiheng, it’d probably take at least 80!】
That only made Jiang Nian more confused.
Then why was Lu Zhiheng looking for her?
Still, it did not matter. If the Male Lead was giving her a chance to earn disgust points, there was no way she would refuse.
A bus pulled into the station, and the moment someone left one of the seats at the stop, Jiang Nian hurried over and sat down.
Who knew how long it would take the Male Lead to arrive? She could not let herself get tired!
Jiang Nian did not sit idle either. She lowered her head and edited her Moments post. Mixed among her selfies was the photo she had taken earlier at the dessert shop—the one that carried obvious “relationship announcement” energy.
She hesitated over whether to post it now.
Maybe she should ask Lu Zhiheng first?
After all, his hand was visible in the picture.
“Jiang Nian.”
A pleasant male voice sounded nearby.
Lu Zhiheng had appeared without her noticing, and the sudden sound startled Jiang Nian so badly that her hand shook.
The Moments post went live.
“Y-You… why are you here so fast?”
As soon as Jiang Nian finished speaking, she lowered her head and scrambled to delete the post. Unfortunately, several friends had already seen it, and one of them had even sent her a private message asking about it.
System 999 immediately reminded her:
【It’s fine, Niannian. The Male Lead’s ex-girlfriend originally did this too. In fact, she even blocked the Male Lead from seeing the post and secretly uploaded偷拍 photos of him!】
After thinking it over, Jiang Nian realized the system was right.
Why was she acting guilty?
She had to remember her goal!
Work hard to farm disgust points!
Lu Zhiheng stood before her, blocking the no-longer-scorching sunlight. His shadow enveloped her small figure completely.
He adjusted his breathing before finally saying, “Sorry. Something urgent suddenly came up earlier. I didn’t arrange things properly.”
Jiang Nian was slightly stunned.
Truthfully, she did not care much, but she still had to stay in character.
Crossing her arms, she tilted her head and asked, “Then how are you planning to compensate me? Just apologizing isn’t enough, right?”
Lu Zhiheng extended a hand holding a cute pink paper bag.
“When you were ordering earlier, you seemed very conflicted.”
After taking it from him, Jiang Nian glanced inside.
There were two jars of cookies on top, and beneath them sat a carefully chilled cake wrapped with ice packs. A note written by the shop assistant was attached to it:
Pistachio Raspberry.
Jiang Nian instinctively curled her lips upward.
“Wow, thank you!”
—How did he know she had been craving this?!
She had to tilt her head upward just to see Lu Zhiheng’s face, but although his expression remained calm, he strangely seemed relieved.
Wait!
Wouldn’t reacting like this make her look way too easy to buy off?!
She immediately stood up and changed her tone.
“Don’t forget, our date only got halfway finished! Is this all you’re giving me?”
Lu Zhiheng looked at Jiang Nian’s striking little face. Her smile had disappeared, but the light in her eyes still shone brightly, as though she were pretending to act cold.
The feeling was strangely familiar…
Her ability to switch expressions resembled the little troublemaker at his home who always fake-cried for snacks.
The corners of Lu Zhiheng’s lips curved faintly before he straightened his expression again.
“This kind of thing won’t happen again.”
Next time, he would not leave Jiang Nian alone again.
【Male Lead Lu Zhiheng’s disgust value +2. Current disgust value: 7.】
Jiang Nian did not miss that faint cold smile from the Male Lead.
And what did that sentence mean? That he would never go on another date with her again?
“Cough, wait! After thinking about it, today still counts as a successful date!” Jiang Nian hurriedly patched things up before blurting out, “I got happy and posted on Moments. You don’t mind, right?”
Jiang Nian waved her phone before Lu Zhiheng’s eyes.
The first thing he saw was the girl’s mischievous selfie.
Then came the caption.
Only two words:
“With you.”
Jiang Nian had originally hesitated before deleting the heart emoji. That would have looked too much like an official relationship announcement.
This subtle kind of ambiguity felt just right.
Even if they were exposed later or ended the arrangement, it would not be that embarrassing.
For some reason, Jiang Nian felt as though Lu Zhiheng had been staring at the crooked-mouth cat selfie for too long, making her suddenly feel embarrassed. She hurriedly tapped open the dessert photo instead.
“Don’t misunderstand! I only posted it to ward off trouble and prove I’ve got a ‘man.’”
She deliberately emphasized, “Nobody should recognize that hand as yours, so it won’t cause you any trouble. We don’t even go to the same school. Even if I post it, nobody would connect it to you.”
Lu Zhiheng fell silent for a moment.
He neither said he minded nor that he did not.
He merely responded softly with an unreadable “Mm.”
“Are you heading back now?”
Jiang Nian checked the time and realized it was already nearly five o’clock. She nodded.
She planned to go back while the cafeteria was less crowded, grab some food, and then continue working on her drafts.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you back.”
After saying that, Lu Zhiheng started walking toward the roadside with his long strides.
Jiang Nian jogged a couple of steps to catch up.
“Wait—”
Lu Zhiheng stopped immediately, nearly bumping into her arm. When he raised his eyes, there was faint confusion within them.
“…?”
Jiang Nian’s gaze secretly swept over the obvious shoulder line beneath his loose T-shirt, and a trace of regret flashed through her heart.
The Male Lead really had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His lines were clean and sharp. At first glance, he was clearly the type who worked out regularly.
Wuwu… goodbye, chest muscles!
Jiang Nian quickly looked away and tilted her head slightly upward toward Lu Zhiheng, who stood nearly a full head taller than her.
The cake itself was only palm-sized. Even with the ice packs and the two jars of cookies, the bag was not heavy at all.
But that did not stop Jiang Nian from deliberately making things difficult for Lu Zhiheng.
The more troublesome she was, the more annoying the Male Lead would find her!
“Lu Zhiheng.” Jiang Nian intentionally softened her voice, the ending lifting sweetly upward. “My hands hurt. Can you carry this for me~?”
The girl’s voice was naturally soft and gentle to begin with, but now it sounded especially sweet, as though coated in honey.
Lu Zhiheng lowered his eyes.
His dark gaze shifted slightly, disturbing the stillness hidden beneath them.
His eyes slowly swept over her hands before returning to her face. His breathing remained calm, yet there was an invisible pressure about him that made people instinctively afraid to misbehave.
Jiang Nian quietly pursed her lips.
Crap.
Had she overdone the cutesy act?!
The next moment, System 999 answered her doubts.
【Male Lead disgust value +2. Current disgust value: 9.】
Relief instantly flooded Jiang Nian’s heart. Just as she was about to celebrate internally, the young man had already reached out naturally and taken the paper bag from her hands.
After a brief pause of his fingertips, Lu Zhiheng spoke again in a low voice.
“The bag.”
As expected of a top student—he even knew how to infer by analogy!
Jiang Nian grinned.
“Here!”
The bag looked small, but it could really hold things.
Inside were a compact parasol, a brick-like power bank, tissues, dorm keys, and makeup for touch-ups. It was not light either.
Jiang Nian suddenly felt her hands become much lighter.
Then she heard Lu Zhiheng ask, “South Gate or West Gate of Yun University?”
“Hm? Ah… West Gate, I guess. It’s closer to my dorm.”
Jiang Nian remembered that the original story said the Male Lead lived off scholarships, so why was he treating her to desserts and paying for taxis today?
Lu Zhiheng gave a simple “Mm” and walked toward the roadside first. The car arrived very quickly.
He naturally opened the car door for Jiang Nian. After she got in, he bent over and placed both her bag and the dessert bag in the back seat before taking the front passenger seat himself.
The ride remained quiet the entire way except for the voice of the GPS navigation.
Leaning against the window, Jiang Nian asked System 999 in her mind:
【Did the Male Lead win the lottery or something? I thought he was supposed to be poor.】
She secretly peeked at Lu Zhiheng through the rearview mirror.
The young man’s side profile was smooth and handsome, his jawline sharp and distinct. Even while sitting in the car, his posture remained straight. He was not even playing on his phone—he simply watched the road ahead quietly.
System 999 quickly corrected the misunderstanding.
【Niannian, the novel never mentioned the Male Lead’s family situation. But if he can start a business, he probably isn’t truly poor. In the Supporting Female Character’s eyes, he’s only “poor” because he can’t buy her luxury goods. Besides, I think he just wants to send you away quickly! That’s a good sign!】
Jiang Nian understood.
Just as she was about to withdraw her gaze, Lu Zhiheng suddenly lifted his eyes.
His deep black gaze met hers precisely through the rearview mirror.
Jiang Nian: “!”
—Had she been caught peeking?!
Jiang Nian had no idea whether she had left her brain back at the dorm or something, because she immediately tilted her head and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Bang.
Her head smacked loudly against the car window.
Jiang Nian gritted her teeth and stubbornly refused to make a sound.
Meanwhile, the person in front seemed unable to hold back a soft laugh.
At almost the exact same moment—
【Male Lead Lu Zhiheng’s disgust value +1. Current disgust value: 10.】
Jiang Nian: “……”
—Damn it!