In the original phenomenal novel Tang Zhen had transmigrated into, was the male lead this clingy?
It didn’t seem like it!
And yet now, he actually wanted to see her every single day!
Tang Zhen hadn’t paid much attention to the original plot. She only knew that in the story, the second female lead and the male lead hardly ever met—three or four days could pass without seeing each other. Their feelings were always light, and when they broke up later, it was smooth and clean. No lingering regrets, no attempts to get back together—completely straightforward.
Also, when Tang Zhen transmigrated, the story was still being serialized, so she didn’t know the later plot. She only knew that the second female lead was a beautiful disposable character who would give way once the female lead appeared.
But—
Why isn’t the story following the script now?
“Sanquan, what’s wrong with the male lead?”
The system seemed confused too. It didn’t really understand, but that didn’t matter. Sometimes, not understanding was fine.
【Little Zhenzhen, remember—you and the second female lead aren’t the same person. It’s normal for small details in interactions with the male lead to deviate~ As long as the final result doesn’t change, you’re free to improvise along the way.】
Tang Zhen understood: as long as the ending—breakup—remained unchanged, she still had a lot of autonomy before that point.
She blinked, letting her voice drift on the evening breeze to the male lead’s ear. “Aren’t you really busy? Do we really need to see each other every day?”
Ren Yanjing didn’t loosen his hold; he stayed in a tight embrace. For the first time, he realized that even a simple hug could bring him a sense of joy and satisfaction. Not the same kind as when an experiment succeeded, but equally fulfilling in its own way.
Two kinds of happiness, really.
Success in an experiment brought pride and self-satisfaction.
This—this brought relaxation, comfort, and delight.
He felt completely at ease; the fatigue from a long, busy day seemed to vanish. The only thing left was the soft, sweet scent of the person in his arms.
Hearing her question, he rubbed his chin against Tang Zhen’s head. “There’s always time to see my girlfriend.”
From upstairs, faint cheers and teasing sounds echoed again—probably Tiantian and Yezi watching the show.
Ren Yanjing said, “From now on, let’s have at least one meal together every day. Dinner, or even a late-night snack—whatever works.”
Tang Zhen responded softly, unsure what to say. Privately, she didn’t really want to refuse. Every day, facing a face this good-looking, even if it was just plain pickles for every meal, she’d probably still enjoy it.
Who cares?
Brave people enjoy the world first!
No matter what comes later, for now, she was the male lead’s girlfriend!
Just as she agreed and reached to push him away, ding! Another task popped up.
Tang Zhen had already completed four tasks, earning two years of life value. Now came the fifth.
She glanced at the new task, and the next second, she fell silent.
Task Five was:
【Ask the male lead: “Which is more important—me or your Robert?”】
Ahhhh.
This question was so embarrassing!
Even though it referenced Robert, it was basically asking: “Am I more important, or your work?” Robert was the robot Ren Yanjing’s team had developed for the competition.
Could this even be compared?
The male lead was all about his work.
Why humiliate herself?
But! The task was ridiculously simple!
All she had to do was ask!
Free life value—no reason not to take it!
“Ren Yanjing.”
“Hm?”
“Which is more important—me, or your ‘Robert’?”
Her toes nervously dug into the ground as she asked. But the line fit the second female lead’s spoiled, capricious persona perfectly.
The second female lead always wanted to compete with the male lead’s career—and get crushed by reality.
But since Tang Zhen already knew the answer, asking it now wouldn’t bring disappointment. Aside from being a little embarrassing, there was no problem.
Ren Yanjing froze for a fraction of a second. He seemed surprised, maybe even a little delighted. “You actually know the name of the robot my team developed?”
Oh no!
Should the second female lead know that?
In the original, she probably didn’t.
But does that even matter now?
Ren Yanjing ruffled her hair. “Robert was voted on by the entire team. It looks pretty cute—I think you’ll like it.”
Tang Zhen blushed furiously. Why was he telling her this?
“You still haven’t answered my question,” he said with a light, teasing laugh.
“Robert belongs to the whole team, but you’re just my girlfriend.”
Tang Zhen’s heart skipped a beat.
Was this a pickup line? It had to be!
He didn’t answer her question directly, but compared to the original story, this was way better than she expected. At least he hadn’t said “Robert” outright.
That was enough.
Tang Zhen wasn’t greedy.
She let out a small “oh.” The cheering from upstairs grew louder, and she had no idea who was watching.
She didn’t want to linger there, so she hurriedly said, “Aren’t you competing tomorrow? Go back and rest early. Good luck!”
“But I want to hold you a little longer.”
“Next time. Next time.”
Ren Yanjing didn’t insist. “I’ll come pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, okay, got it. Bye, good night.”
He finally released her, his deep gaze softening into a gentle smile. “Good night, Zhenzhen.”
As Tang Zhen sprinted back to her dorm, she could still faintly hear cheers and teasing.
She barreled through, finally slamming the dorm door shut. Tiantian laughed, “Our prettiest girl is shy now?”
Yezi seemed even more excited than Tang Zhen herself. “He hugged you! He hugged you!”
Tiantian added mischievously, “For 11 minutes and 36 seconds! I timed it!”
Tang Zhen: “…”
“You two…”
Tiantian and Yezi spoke in unison: “You’ve had a hug—how far can a kiss be?”
Tang Zhen sighed. The biggest drawback of a campus romance was that it could never be private. Every move was exposed to classmates and roommates. Not that she was alone in this—Ren Yanjing clearly had no intention of hiding their relationship either.
Still, he and the female lead didn’t follow the “chasing wife fire pit” script from the original.
Whatever—probably no harm done.
After washing up and lying down, Tang Zhen noticed two messages from Ren Yanjing.
One was a photo of Robert.
The other was a text: “Video call?”
Tang Zhen: ???
She typed slowly in the input box. Maybe it showed “typing…” on his end, because suddenly, he initiated a video call.
Was he holding his phone the whole time?
Flustered, Tang Zhen tapped “accept.”
Clearing her throat, her normally sweet voice now carried an undefinable quality over the call, “What is it?”
“Nothing. I can’t sleep… just wanted to see you.”
He was probably in the boys’ dorm. The lighting was dim, the frame rate low—but why did he look even better on video? He looked like he had been made even more handsome under the soft light.
Tang Zhen groaned inwardly.
Having experienced a male lead like this, what would she do after the breakup?