When the system first told Tang Zhen that the male lead was a rich second-generation heir, she hadn’t really felt it.
Even when she climbed into the passenger seat of his flashy, ultra-cool black supercar, it still didn’t quite feel real.
But the moment he brought her into a jewelry store and casually said, “Pick whatever you like,” the reality of his rich heir persona finally sank in—just a little.
Strictly speaking, the cannon-fodder ex-girlfriend she was supposed to play was shallow and materialistic. But Tang Zhen herself was actually… fine. Her desire for luxury wasn’t that strong.
Having lived an ordinary life, this was her first time experiencing something like being dragged into a jewelry store and told to choose gifts freely.
She waved her hand, dimples forming at the corners of her lips. Her small, pure-looking face appeared a little awkward. “No need.”
One look was enough to tell these pieces weren’t cheap. She didn’t like taking advantage of people for no reason—and she couldn’t afford to return a gift of equal value—so refusing felt like the safest option.
Before Ren Yanjing could speak, the sales associate jumped in enthusiastically.
“Oh, young ladies really should wear a little jewelry—especially someone as pretty as you,” she said with a bright smile. “Your boyfriend is so generous, I’m honestly jealous. Do you like earrings, necklaces, or bracelets?”
“You have pierced ears, right? How about taking a look at some earrings?”
As she spoke, the associate warmly took out several delicate, youthful-looking pairs of earrings.
But Tang Zhen still didn’t want them.
Ren Yanjing tapped the counter lightly with his knuckles, his tone calm. “Let’s look at bracelets.”
The moment he saw her photos on social media, he’d already wanted to bring her to buy one. Her wrist looked empty—there was nothing there.
He remembered his cousin wearing a bangle and a lucky bead bracelet on one wrist, and a jade bangle on the other. She’d said girls liked stacking accessories.
The associate led them to the bracelet display.
Ren Yanjing immediately picked out a thin bracelet—a four-leaf clover design. It was small and exquisite, made of red agate, the color vivid and striking.
He asked the associate to take it out.
Wearing white gloves, she carefully fastened the bracelet around Tang Zhen’s wrist. The red made her cool, pale skin look even fairer—almost translucent. Her wrist was perfectly suited for this color. The bracelet looked like a piece of art, complementing her flawlessly.
Ren Yanjing spoke without hesitation. “This one. No need to take it off.”
Tang Zhen blinked. “Huh?”
Before she could even process what was happening, he’d already paid. She leaned over, wanting to see the price, but he had already put his phone away.
Unable to help herself, she screamed internally at System 000, “Is the male lead always this decisive?!”
【He is! He’s got money—paying is easy. Three seconds, that’s all. But Xiao Zhenzhen, that bracelet looks super, super good on you. The male lead’s taste is amazing.】
“How much was it?”
【A little over six thousand. That’s nothing to him. For a first gift, it’s actually very appropriate.】
Not cheap—but not outrageously expensive either.
Six thousand was a lot for Tang Zhen. Still, if she worked hard and picked up a part-time job, she could barely pay it back. Not in a month or two, though—it would probably take three months.
But by then, wouldn’t they already be broken up?
“Should I act cute and thank him?” She was actually pretty good at acting cute.
【Sure! Xiao Zhenzhen, you’re made for that.】
“But he’s the future female lead’s man.”
000 didn’t care. 【So what? At least right now, he’s your boyfriend. Enjoy the moment. Don’t think too much. How it ends doesn’t matter—being happy now is what counts.】
That was true.
Right now, she was Ren Yanjing’s proper, official girlfriend. And girlfriends were entitled to girlfriend privileges.
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his right arm, resting her cheek against him as she said sweetly, “Ren Yanjing, you’re so good to me~”
The jewelry store lights were bright, making her eyes sparkle. Her small dimples were impossibly sweet.
Ren Yanjing’s lips curved slightly. “As long as you like it.”
“I really like it. Because you gave it to me.” The sweet words flowed naturally from her soft lips, sincere and effortless.
Just as Ren Yanjing was about to respond, his phone rang sharply.
Tang Zhen cooperatively let go of his arm.
He answered the call, listened for a moment, and spoke only twice.
“I know.”
“I’ll be right back.”
After hanging up, he looked at her. “I’ll take you back to campus.”
Tang Zhen knew the date was over, but she still asked deliberately, “Something came up?”
“Yeah. There’s a problem in the lab. I need to go handle it.”
She let out a soft “Oh.”
Ren Yanjing hesitated, then reached out and gently patted her head. “I’ll spend time with you next time.”
Just as Tang Zhen was about to say okay, the system suddenly blared with an urgent beep-beep-beep.
Without any warning, Mission Three popped up: Prevent the male lead from returning to the lab.
Tang Zhen: “???”
“000, are you serious?” This was something a normal person was supposed to do? He genuinely had something important to deal with—he wasn’t making excuses or lying.
【Dead serious. Couldn’t be more serious.】
【Xiao Zhenzhen, remember your character setting—you’re a shallow, vain, brainless cannon-fodder female supporting character~】
A girl with no ideals or goals, who only wanted to be in love.
A pretty vase like that throwing a tantrum when the male lead tried to end a date early—desperately trying to keep him—was perfectly in character.
Not acting cute and stirring trouble would be what’s abnormal.
Tang Zhen walked out of the jewelry store with Ren Yanjing in silence.
“What happens if I don’t do the mission?”
【Once you and the male lead break up, I’ll leave. Whatever life points you’ve accumulated will be all you get. One life point equals six months of lifespan.】
“So I’ve saved up one year of life now.”
【Correct.】
“Then I choose to give up this mission.”
【Xiao Zhenzhen, nooo~ I want you to live a long, long life!】
But she didn’t want longevity gained this way.
【Xiao Zhenzhen, the missions will only get harder. If you refuse this one, you’ll have to do the next one~】
There was actually a rule like that?!
“Then what about the one after next?”
【That one you can choose whether to do it or not. But I still recommend doing every mission—after all, the reward is life points.】
Tang Zhen understood now. Every two missions, one was mandatory.
In the end, she couldn’t get past the psychological hurdle and didn’t force herself to keep him. Forget it—if the next mission was harder, then so be it. She’d deal with it when it came.
Before and after transmigrating into the novel, Tang Zhen was always an average student.
She got into an ordinary second-tier university, chose a safe, practical major in accounting, and planned to work as an accountant after graduation. It wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills.
The male lead’s world, however, was far too vast and brilliant.
He had ideals and ambitions. He wanted to usher in a new era of robotics. Around him were outstanding, like-minded companions.
This was a world the original female supporting character could never understand.
Tang Zhen didn’t understand robots either—but she respected young people like him who had dreams.
Because of people like them, the world would continue to get better.
She didn’t understand robotics, but at the very least, she didn’t want to drag him down.
If she did, she wouldn’t even be able to respect herself.
So she chose to let him go back.