After Ms. Wan finished talking, Tang Zhen finally had a moment to check on Task Six.
She didn’t know what she was missing—until she looked.
Her jaw practically dropped.
Seeing 23:58 on the countdown, she stared at the system. “Sanquan… is this the time we’ve been holding hands?”
000, matter-of-factly: 【Yes.】
Tang Zhen’s voice was hoarse. “So… on the eve of the competition, in front of at least thousands of spectators, we’ve been holding hands for almost twenty-four minutes?”
【Exactly.】
The system had logged every second of this ultra-sweet 23 minutes and 58 seconds into its chip memory. Later, even after the male lead and second female lead broke up, it could pull this moment out to savor again.
000 purred with satisfaction. 【The task only required three minutes, but you overachieved! Could it be that once you held hands, you didn’t want to let go?】
Tang Zhen: … “Probably just forgot.”
【Forgot to let go? Zhen, do you even believe that yourself?】
“I do.”
At first, she hadn’t been used to Ren Yanjing’s hand warmth, but soon she got used to it. So much so that she didn’t even realize she had held his hand the entire time.
Maybe other things had distracted her—like all the gazes from onlookers.
So… they had held hands the whole time.
Before Ren Yanjing went on stage, his teammate Zhang Mian sidled up and sniffed, awe all over his face. “Bro… you smell amazing!”
Ren Yanjing casually pushed his head away. “Don’t get so close.”
Zhang Mian waved the others over. “Come smell! Seriously, it’s so good! Smells amazing!”
The six other teammates crowded around.
“Wow, it’s real!”
“Captain, what perfume are you wearing? It smells incredible!”
“Yeah… it’s kinda… sweet. Not your usual style.”
Ren Yanjing hardly ever wore perfume. Usually, his scent came from laundry detergent, body wash, shampoo, and aftershave—all the same products he’d used for years without changing brands.
He liked consistency. He didn’t switch unless something was discontinued.
His teammates had been around him long enough to get used to that smell—so why the big reaction this time?
Then Zhang Mian shouted, “I got it! It’s the scent left on the captain’s right hand!”
Right hand?
Ren Yanjing remembered.
That had been the hand holding Tang Zhen the whole time.
On impulse, he raised his right hand and sniffed.
So sweet.
Actually… really nice.
He cleared his throat. “Alright, let’s go in.”
The teammates teased and goofed around for a bit, then, as they neared the stage, suddenly straightened up, slipping back into serious mode.
Today’s robotics competition was all about street dancing robots.
Street dance is famously unforgiving for anyone with stiff limbs, so the requirements for these robots were sky-high.
The first team to perform was the host team.
Their robot was named “Princess”, a round-headed humanoid with a charming, friendly look.
It took the stage and greeted the audience in a cute voice: “Hello, everyone! I’m Princess. I’ll be performing street dance for you today!”
Applause erupted from the audience.
Lights dimmed, a single spotlight shone on Princess, and upbeat music began. The robot started dancing.
From Tang Zhen’s layperson perspective, Princess’s performance was decent. Her four metal limbs weren’t the most agile, and she made a small mistake midway—but she was clearly enjoying herself.
So watching a robot street dance felt… silly, yet strangely adorable.
The second team, from N University, had a large, imposing robot named “Mighty”. Visually intimidating—but its street dance? Not so much. Midway through, it froze, like it had crashed, and its designer quickly whisked it offstage.
Tang Zhen realized: at this level of competition, finishing a full three-minute routine without errors was already an achievement. Many robots quit halfway.
This showed how many teams’ robots still lacked skill.
Soon, it was Ren Yanjing’s team’s turn. They were the 16th team to perform, with four more teams to go afterward.
Nearly everyone in the arena knew their robot: “Robert”, sleek, cool, and effortlessly stylish.
The difference in robot design was striking. In terms of appearance, Ren Yanjing’s team had clearly outdone most others.
The beat kicked in, and Robert began its street dance. Its first move, a flawless wave, drew gasps from the crowd.
After the wave, it smoothly spun on its head—another standard street dance move—then transitioned perfectly into popping.
Applause erupted from every direction. Tang Zhen clapped vigorously.
Ms. Wan leaned over. “Your boyfriend’s team—this one is a guaranteed top three.”
Robert finished the routine gracefully, bowing to the audience, then stepping offstage with slow, elegant movements.
Ren Yanjing and his teammates cheered, celebrating Robert’s stellar performance.
Out of the 16 teams so far, only five robots completed their routines fully. Among them, Robert had the most difficult moves and the most flawless execution.
The remaining four teams performed quickly afterward.
When all 20 robots had performed, the judges’ scores were posted.
The scoreboard lit up: Ren Yanjing’s B University team earned the highest score—undisputed first place!
The young team members locked arms, forming a circle, and cheered loudly.
Tang Zhen joined in, clapping enthusiastically.
Ms. Wan sighed in admiration. “Such talent… Robert’s performance was incredible. The championship belongs entirely to B University.”
Earlier, she had only said “top three guaranteed” to avoid sounding too definitive.
Behind Tang Zhen, the audience buzzed, discussing Robert and Ren Yanjing. She turned to listen. They were praising him—loudly.
Tang Zhen’s eyes curved into a smile. Just as she was about to return her attention to the stage, she suddenly found herself lifted off the ground and spun around.
Her skirt flared beautifully in the air.
It was Ren Yanjing!
Tang Zhen panicked and wrapped her delicate arms around his neck.
Why did he just grab her without warning?!
Everyone was watching!
“I got first place!” he exclaimed.
His eyes sparkled, like stars twinkling in excitement. For once, he showed the carefree exuberance of someone his age.
Tang Zhen immediately forgave his impulsive action.
She smiled. “Congratulations, A-Jing. You were amazing.”
The surrounding cheers were so loud, only Ren Yanjing could hear her praise.
He stopped and looked at her quietly. “Really?”
Tang Zhen thought he doubted her.
So many people were praising him—well-practiced compliments, like the two spectators behind her.
If everyone else could compliment him, she wanted hers to be sincere, heartfelt. “Of course I mean it! You’re incredible, talented, absolutely amazing!”
000: …
Little ZhenZhen, you’ve been tricked! The cunning male lead is just fishing for more compliments!
Enjoying that, aren’t you, male lead?