In a flurry of panic, Tang Zhen acted purely on instinct. By the time she realized what she had just done, her first thought was to pull away—but Ren Yanjing caught her and drew her into his embrace.
Tang Zhen instinctively covered her mouth with her left hand and started frantically patting his shoulder with her right, signaling that they were still in public.
This was B University’s most famous spot, the Wind and Lake, crowded not only with students but also with plenty of tourists. People passed by constantly, and thanks to Tang Zhen’s earlier move, many had already noticed them.
Ren Yanjing closed his eyes tightly, resting Tang Zhen’s head gently on his shoulder.
It was a purely quiet, intimate hug.
000: 【Ahhhhhhh!】
000: 【Zhen, you’re a brave one!】
000: 【You actually kissed the male lead!】
“It was just the corner of my lips,” Tang Zhen corrected hastily.
Strictly speaking, it couldn’t even be counted as a kiss.
She didn’t even know what had come over her. Her sole thought had been to grab his attention, to make sure he didn’t notice the female lead.
“Sanquan, is the female lead and her bestie still nearby?”
000 let out a sly laugh. 【Nope. As soon as you kissed him, the female lead turned around and ran off.】
【Don’t know what happened there.】
As long as she left, the mission was complete.
Tang Zhen glanced at her mission list—sure enough, Mission 9 was marked complete.
Since it was a mandatory mission, she earned two life points.
That brought her total to eleven life points, equivalent to 5.5 years of lifespan.
Tang Zhen felt a flicker of worry. “Sanquan, I just kissed the male lead—doesn’t this deviate from the original plot? Won’t it cause problems?”
000 shrugged. 【No impact. As long as the main storyline remains intact, minor details don’t matter.】
The main storyline was simple: the male lead dates the second female lead for three months and then breaks up. All the missions she had been doing were adjustments to fit this storyline.
For now, the main plot was progressing smoothly.
Tang Zhen exhaled in relief. “That’s good.”
After hugging for ten minutes, she realized the crowd around them was growing. She murmured quietly, covering her mouth, “We should go… so many people are staring.”
Ren Yanjing didn’t move. His voice was low, calm, and commanding: “Let’s sit a bit longer.”
He’d seen his friends and brothers in romantic situations before—girls kissing, holding hands—nothing had ever fazed him. It had been boring at best.
He rarely participated in their discussions on love. Their words usually passed in one ear and out the other.
But now, his entire mouth felt tingly, almost electrified.
It had only been a kiss on the corner of her lips.
What would it feel like if it were a real kiss?
Li Ran had walked quickly, putting more and more distance between her and Ren Yanjing and Tang Zhen.
Still, in no time, she managed to lose sight of them completely.
Her best friend Lu Yu had to jog to keep up. “Okay, Ah Ran, we’re far enough now.”
Only then did Li Ran slow down, looking dazed.
“Xiao Yu… you know what I saw just now? I… I felt so sad.”
Lu Yu sighed and hugged her. “I understand.”
Li Ran’s eyes glimmered with moisture. “I’ve liked him for so long… ever since high school. I’ve known he’d never dated anyone. I was planning to confess once I became better, stronger… that day wasn’t far off. But half a month ago, he suddenly got a girlfriend.”
“I know I shouldn’t think this way… but it really feels like she stole my boyfriend.”
Seeing her friend so upset, Lu Yu felt bad for her and offered comfort. “Don’t worry, they’ll break up sooner or later. I’ll leave it at that today—trust me.”
Li Ran adjusted her mood and whispered, “Honestly… I think the same way.”
Someone like Tang Zhen, who only had looks, could never understand Ren Yanjing’s actions. Could she help him with academic problems? Keep pace with him intellectually?
She couldn’t.
Only she shared his dreams and goals, knew the technology behind Robert’s creation, and understood the cutting-edge science used.
Her gaze hardened. “I’m going to try… see if I can get into his team.”
Lu Yu cheered, “Go for it! You’re the best! I know you can do it!”
After more than twenty minutes, Tang Zhen was finally released from the embrace.
Her first action was to stand. “Let’s go have lunch.”
“Mm.” Ren Yanjing returned to his usual composed, aristocratic demeanor.
They had lunch together in the cafeteria before he took her to his lab.
The lab was bustling with people, all of whom Tang Zhen had met before—Ren Yanjing’s teammates.
They were developing a companion robot shaped like a dog—adorable and already taking form.
Seeing Tang Zhen, they all greeted her enthusiastically.
“Here comes the sister-in-law!”
“Good afternoon, sister-in-law!”
“Sis, someone tried to bother you at school? That’s so low!”
They’d seen the post Ren Yanjing had put up on the campus wall and knew the full story.
Zhang Mian, closest to Ren Yanjing among them, scowled. “Why do they think they’re owed his autograph? What nonsense!”
“Sis, if you want, we can help you get even!”
“Ren Ge can handle it himself—why involve us, right?”
Ren Yanjing exchanged a few words with them, then activated Robert to play with Tang Zhen.
Seeing her bending over to interact with Robert, he moved to Zhang Mian. “Did you get information on Lu Yu?”
Zhang Mian whispered, “Yeah. She and sister-in-law are from the same arts university. She’s a sophomore, one year above her, and also an art student.”
Ren Yanjing said calmly, “An art student came specifically to see our competition?” As far as he knew, Tang Zhen wouldn’t have come if he hadn’t invited her.
Zhang Mian replied, “She has a bestie, also at our school, top student type. Her bestie likes the competition, so she came along.”
Ren Yanjing smirked faintly but showed no real emotion. “Do you know who her bestie is?”
“Not yet. Give me more time.”
“Okay.”
Zhang Mian sneered. “Anyway, whoever can be friends with her… probably not someone trustworthy.”
Ren Yanjing patted his shoulder. “Doesn’t matter—they’re strangers to us.”
“True.”
While they talked, Tang Zhen received a new mission.
Seeing the details, she pursed her lips and hesitated. “Ah… Sanquan, this… isn’t too good, is it?”
000 cheered her on: 【What’s bad about it? Zhen, this is your time to be spoiled and willful! I know you can do it! Go!】