In the photo, two hands—one large, one small—had their index fingers lightly touching. So close, yet not quite. As if they would separate the moment the contact deepened.
And that was exactly what happened.
The moment the photo was taken, Tang Zhen withdrew her hand.
【Zhenzhen, that was so half-hearted~~~】
She really had been half-hearted. Everything she did was purely to complete the mission. Knowing that all her efforts were ultimately paving the way for the female lead made every interaction with Ren Yanjing feel slightly off.
After taking the photo, she checked the task panel—only to find it still stuck at (2/3).
What was going on? She’d held his hand. She’d taken the photo. How was that not an intimate interaction?
000 spoke shyly, 【Zhenzhen, you only touched fingertips with the male lead. The contact area was this tiny. Ten-fingers-interlaced—that’s what counts.】
Ten fingers interlaced?
Tang Zhen muttered to herself as she glanced at Ren Yanjing. After she withdrew her hand, he’d done the same. One arm rested casually on the table, while the hand that had just touched hers hung relaxed at the table’s edge—a natural, easy posture.
His trench coat was still on her, so he was wearing only his white shirt now. The cuffs were unbuttoned and rolled up twice, revealing his watch-clad wrist.
He looked like someone who was born to wear a watch.
She didn’t know much about watches—brands or prices—but one glance was enough to tell it wasn’t cheap. Under the overhead lighting, it gleamed brilliantly.
But that wasn’t important.
What mattered was that the mission still wasn’t done.
So… what now?
What else could count as an interaction?
Completing missions meant extending her life. Both this body and her original one were short-lived. That was why, no matter how unwilling she felt inside, she still completed every task seriously and diligently.
She scratched her cheek, adding a faint blush to her fair profile.
“Mosquito bite?” Ren Yanjing asked.
Tang Zhen answered absentmindedly, “Probably not.”
“Full already?”
That genuinely startled her. The mission requirement was during the meal. Once dinner ended, the mission would automatically fail.
“No!” she blurted out.
Ren Yanjing picked up a piece of chicken gizzard and placed it in her bowl, speaking casually. “Then why aren’t you eating? Don’t like the food?”
He—initiated—and served—her—food!
The male lead served her food!
And yet—the mission still didn’t progress!
“No, it’s really good.”
After responding to him, Tang Zhen quickly asked the system, “000, what’s going on? Why isn’t the mission complete?”
【Because the male lead already fed you earlier.】
“But earlier I initiated it! This time he did!”
【It’s the same. How is putting food in your bowl more intimate than feeding you directly?】
Tang Zhen: …Fine. That actually made sense.
She ate the chicken gizzard while thinking.
Then it hit her—she might’ve fallen into a misunderstanding.
Intimate interaction didn’t necessarily have to be physical. It could be emotional or psychological too.
Mental interaction wasn’t interaction?
Of course it was!
Didn’t people talk all the time about physical attraction versus emotional attraction? They were equal—neither was more superior than the other.
With that realization, Tang Zhen put down her chopsticks and quickly came up with an idea.
She posted on her Moments feed. The photo was the one of their fingertips touching. No caption.
If the male lead ended up with his true love later and she got uncomfortable about it, what then? Better to keep the post simple. That way, even if it got deleted later, not many people would remember it.
Ambiguous captions? Absolutely not.
The original owner of this account had tons of friends. Since transmigrating, Tang Zhen hadn’t posted in ages. The moment this photo went up, it instantly drew out countless classmates and friends who were scrolling.
【Dating??? So ambiguous!】
【AHHH Goddess, don’t let him touch you! Don’t!!!】
【Who is that man on the other side?! Confess!】
【Which lucky guy is this?!】
【So flirty and ambiguous! First time realizing that fingertips touching can be more heart-stopping than interlocked fingers. Now I want to date too.】
Tang Zhen: ???
Fingertips touching more ambiguous than interlocked fingers? Who said that? Even the system didn’t think so—otherwise the mission would’ve been completed ages ago.
The last comment was from her roommate. Ignoring her roommate’s meltdown, Tang Zhen lifted her phone and showed it to Ren Yanjing.
“I posted on Moments.”
“Mm.”
Seeing him still calmly sipping soup, Tang Zhen couldn’t help herself. “Hey.”
“Yes?”
“My boyfriend—aren’t you going to like my post?”
Ren Yanjing paused slightly, then a faint smile surfaced in his eyes.
In truth, he didn’t like doing other things while eating. He’d always been like this—eating meant eating, working meant working, entertainment meant entertainment.
Unless something was urgent, he never touched his phone during meals.
But something she said had clearly pleased him. He set down his chopsticks, picked up his phone, and opened Moments. Sure enough, after refreshing, Tang Zhen’s newly posted photo appeared.
The photo was warm-toned. The background was blurred into a haze, leaving only the two fingertips in contact sharply in focus.
The first thought that crossed Ren Yanjing’s mind was that her hand looked too bare. Not unattractive—just lacking a bit of decoration.
He tapped “Like.”
Just a like. No comment. Zero awareness of being a boyfriend. No wonder he needed her, this beautiful cannon-fodder ex-girlfriend, to assist him.
Tang Zhen had assumed the mission still wouldn’t complete.
But it did.
“Wait, 000—just a like counts as intimate interaction?”
【Yep. Because the male lead rarely, rarely, rarely likes anyone’s posts. He barely even scrolls Moments. At most, he checks it occasionally. So liking your post is already extremely special.】
If he ever commented on her post, wouldn’t she ascend straight to the heavens?
Whatever. One step at a time.
A like was already there—could comments be that far off?
Mission Two: Have three intimate interactions with the male lead during the meal (Completed)
Reward: +1 Life Value
After dinner, it was around six in the evening. The sky was hovering between day and night. When Tang Zhen left the private restaurant, she was still wearing Ren Yanjing’s coat.
It carried a faint masculine fragrance—the same as in the car. Subtle, not overpowering. Very pleasant.
“Where are we going next?”
Instead of answering, Ren Yanjing said, “Get in the car first.”
Perhaps because he was used to taking care of women in his family, he was noticeably considerate this time. After Tang Zhen got in, he even closed the door for her.
The black sports car sped through the night-shrouded streets of B City. Nearly twenty years into her life, this was only the second time Tang Zhen had ever ridden in a sports car—the first being just over an hour ago.
After several dozen minutes, the car stopped in front of a jewelry store.
Ren Yanjing unbuckled his seatbelt. “Get out.”
Tang Zhen had no idea what he was planning, but she followed him out.
Ren Yanjing walked into the jewelry store with practiced ease, stopping in front of a dazzling display case. Then he turned to her and said calmly,
“Pick whatever you like.”
Tang Zhen: ???
System 000: !!!