The second their hands touched, both of them froze for a fraction of a second.
Ren Yanjing’s hand was so hot! Tang Zhen’s index finger barely brushed his palm, and the sudden heat made her jump. Her hands were usually cool to the touch, so the contrast was intense. It was also her first time sneakingly holding someone else’s hand, and she wasn’t used to it—her instinct was to pull away immediately.
But just as she was about to withdraw, Ren Yanjing gripped her hand firmly.
He wrapped her hand completely in his palm, never looking back at her, eyes on the road ahead, and softly said, “Why are you running?”
Tang Zhen pursed her lips. “I’m not running.” She’d just been startled by how hot his hand was.
000 immediately squealed: 【The male lead is so proactive!】
Tang Zhen, stunned by the heat in Ren Yanjing’s palm, blinked and asked, “Sanquan… what are you talking about?”
000: 【Zhen, don’t you get it? I’m shipping this CP!】
Tang Zhen: “Shipping… me and Ren Yanjing, this doomed-to-BE CP?”
000 didn’t care: 【So what? Stars collapse, the universe fades, even systems eventually age. Nothing lasts forever—this moment is eternity.】
Also…
000 didn’t mention one thing: it had noticed that the male lead and the second female lead had a strange kind of chemistry.
Of course, this chemistry was barely starting—still subtle. Even Tang Zhen and Ren Yanjing didn’t notice it yet.
But could such little details escape the all-seeing eyes of the system?
Since it had nothing better to do, it might as well ship the CP. The second female lead would eventually go offline anyway, and shipping them wasn’t illegal.
Once Task Six began, Tang Zhen saw a countdown appear on the empty space.
2:39.
The tasks were evolving, now with precise time requirements.
They had already held hands for 21 seconds—159 seconds remained.
As Tang Zhen clutched Ren Yanjing’s hand and wove through the crowd, she felt like she might die of embarrassment. As the team captain of B University’s entry, Ren Yanjing was already the center of attention. Even before entering, all eyes were on him.
Long ago, his name had spread through the robotics community: a teenage prodigy, brilliant and accomplished, winning multiple first prizes in various competitions.
Compared to his talent, his looks and family background were just icing on the cake. The author clearly favored the male lead, gifting him nearly twenty years of a perfect life.
His only small flaw? Dating her, the second female lead—because they were from entirely different worlds.
All along the way, Tang Zhen attracted plenty of attention.
Some were teasing, some were just curious, and others were spectators enjoying the show.
Some of Ren Yanjing’s rival competitors couldn’t resist chatting. “You’re dating? Since when?”
“Where did you find a fairy like her? Why can’t I meet a sister like that?”
“Congrats! Our Jing Shen is dating! I thought you’d be in love with your robot forever.”
The onlookers overheard and echoed, “Yeah, I thought the same.”
“I thought if you ever married, it’d probably be your own robot. If you chose romance, it’d be with your robot.”
Ren Yanjing, dressed in a light gray suit with a black-and-blue patterned tie, tugged at his tie with his free hand. “Work is work, romance is romance. Thanks for paying attention to my work.”
000: 【Tsk tsk tsk, the male lead is getting a little impatient.】
Really?
Tang Zhen didn’t notice. At least his tone was still polite and calm, his words courteous.
000: 【That last line? Definitely impatience. But his upbringing won’t let him say anything unbecoming.】
The system sighed. The second female lead’s character was supposed to be crude and shallow—but the new host, Tang Zhen, was a clueless beauty: sweet, fragrant, soft, and gentle, not the least bit crude, shallow, or foolish.
Would this… affect the book task?
Along the way, Tang Zhen met many people greeting them—young peers and a few investors who chatted briefly with Ren Yanjing.
At some point, he turned and said, “I’m heading backstage to prepare. The competition’s about to start. I’ll take you to your seat first.”
Tang Zhen’s eyes lit up. “I have a seat?”
Ren Yanjing looked down at her, confirming with a nod. “Of course you do.”
He led her to the VIP best-view seats, front row. When they arrived, only one empty seat remained—clearly reserved for her.
Ren Yanjing released her hand. “Sit tight. I’ll be back after the match.”
Tang Zhen nodded.
The people seated next to her were professionals. On one side, a female entrepreneur she had met before; the other side, another robotics industry professional.
This row was almost entirely industry insiders—except her.
Tang Zhen felt awkward, like she didn’t belong.
The female entrepreneur, surname Wan, smiled warmly and opened a conversation. “What place do you think your boyfriend’s team will get?”
Tang Zhen: !!!
These competing teams were all top-notch, mostly from elite universities. Tang Zhen, barely scraping by academically, could only watch.
Blinking her long lashes, her moist puppy-dog eyes fixed on the arena, she replied, “First… I guess.”
Ms. Wan laughed. “Why so unsure?”
Tang Zhen smiled too, a faint dimple appearing on her cheek. “Because it’s my first time watching him compete. I don’t really know their level.”
Ms. Wan nodded, understanding. “You two just started dating, right?”
She said it as a statement, not a question.
“Yes.”
“I heard ‘Robert’s’ visual system uses the latest algorithm…” She rattled off technical terms Tang Zhen didn’t remember.
After finishing, she casually looked at Tang Zhen, noticing her soft, bewildered expression—sweet, defenseless, easily overwhelmed.
Tang Zhen bit her lip, embarrassed. “Sorry, I don’t understand.” She didn’t know the industry, didn’t know about systems or algorithms or chips—hearing it made her head spin.
She couldn’t help thinking: if the female lead were here, she’d probably have plenty to talk about with Ms. Wan.
Talented people have things to talk about with other talented people.
The female lead and Ms. Wan would have tons in common.
Tang Zhen liked robots—she loved watching them dance, run, perform complex tasks. But why could they dance? Why run? Why mimic such complex human movements?
She didn’t care.
She knew she couldn’t understand. This wasn’t her strength.
Ms. Wan smiled again. “It’s okay. I probably made it sound too complicated. Really, it’s just a robot performance competition—the robot that performs best wins first place. Just enjoy the show.”
No sooner had Ms. Wan finished speaking than the twenty robots and twenty teams began entering the arena one by one.