TMLSG -Chapter 12 Holding Hands

The next morning, Tang Zhen was woken up early by a call from Ren Yanjing. She glanced at her phone—it was only six o’clock. By the time she got up, washed, and went downstairs, it was almost 6:20.

Today, Ren Yanjing was driving a black Bentley. The color was low-key, but the license plate definitely was not. Tang Zhen really wanted to ask him how many cars he actually had in his garage—why did he never drive the same one twice when picking her up?

While Ren Yanjing drove, Tang Zhen kept tilting her head, observing him.

At a red light, Ren Yanjing asked, “What’s up?”

Tang Zhen voiced the doubt that had been nagging her, “Are you someone who gets attached easily—or not?”

Ren Yanjing frowned slightly. “Why do you ask that?”

Tang Zhen said, “Because every time you drive a different car.” She had only seen each car once, and now he had switched again. Wasn’t that a little… too quick to get bored of the old?

Ren Yanjing’s brow relaxed slightly. “I only own two cars myself. This time I had to go to Lin City, and it would take a while, so I borrowed a car from my cousin to make it more comfortable for you.”

That last sentence, undeniably, made Tang Zhen’s heart skip a beat. Was the male lead naturally charming? How could he be so considerate?

She asked curiously, “Your cousin?”

“Cousin on my father’s side.”

“Oh.” Tang Zhen lost interest.

Ren Yanjing didn’t say anything. To borrow this car, his cousin had grilled him with gossip for half an hour. Just to borrow a car—how could there be so much to ask?

He had almost given up several times, but in the end, he persisted.

He asked while steering, “What about you?”

Tang Zhen had been looking at her phone. When her roommate asked where she was going so early, she replied and then looked up. “What?”

Ren Yanjing asked casually, “Are you someone who gets attached easily—or for a long time?”

Tang Zhen: …

She hadn’t expected the boomerang to hit her so quickly.

She used to chase male celebrities—one month, a different “husband” each month.

In reality…

It wasn’t so easy to say.

After hesitating for a moment, she answered, “I’m probably a mix of both long-term and short-term, like Schrödinger’s cat.”

Ren Yanjing looked at her with mild surprise. “How do you mean?”

Tang Zhen thought hard and tried to answer as simply as possible, “It depends on the person I meet.”

So, she was uncertain—either long-term or short-term.

If she met the right person, she could be very loyal.

If not, she would be short-term.

After that, neither of them said anything more.

By the time they arrived at the competition venue, it was just past nine in the morning. Ren Yanjing’s teammates had already arrived by school bus.

After joining up with the team, a group of young men stared at Tang Zhen. Their gazes were friendly, mixed with curiosity and assessment.

“So this is the sister-in-law?”

“Hi, sister-in-law! Are you a fairy? How are you so pretty?”

“Was the one who twisted their ankle before the sister-in-law? No wonder he didn’t immediately return to the lab that time!”

It was the first time Tang Zhen had been enthusiastically surrounded by several young men. She greeted them and answered each of their questions seriously.

The boys chuckled good-naturedly.

“Sister-in-law, you’re so serious.”

“Sister-in-law really is a fairy!”

“Sister-in-law, brother just made a new robot called Zhen-Guai. Does your name have ‘Zhen’ in it?”

Tang Zhen’s eyes widened slightly, full of mild surprise. “You… is it from the ‘Zhen’ in my name?”

Ren Yanjing cleared his throat but didn’t answer.

The boys laughed and teased him, “Brother, say something!”

“Brother, why did you suddenly go quiet?”

Ren Yanjing’s lips curved slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. “Alright, you all, quiet down a bit.”

“Okay, brother.”

The atmosphere between them was so good. A group of young men joking, teasing, and laughing together. Tang Zhen’s eyes curved into a charming arc as she joined in, smiling along with them.

Passersby were all drawn to them.

A few onlookers encouraged a delicate-looking young man to ask for her contact information, only to be told she already had a boyfriend. The young man, unsure what to do, blurted out, “I’ll come back when you break up.”

Ren Yanjing’s casual, faint smile vanished instantly. A hint of sharpness flickered in his eyes. Even his teammates’ expressions changed.

“Do you even know how to speak? Listen to what you just said!”

“Break up? Get lost!”

The boy who had asked for her contact realized his mistake, said nothing, and ran off.

000 had been observing coldly for a while and let out a snicker: 【Xiao Zhen, even if you break up with the male lead, a toad like that doesn’t deserve you.】

It was Tang Zhen’s first time seeing the system be so bluntly savage.

“Do you think he’s terrible?”

【Terrible! He said the wrong thing, didn’t even have the courage to apologize, and just ran away—a coward. When finding a partner, you need someone responsible. That boy? Immediate pass!】

Tang Zhen was about to respond when the system suddenly screamed: 【The female lead! The female lead has appeared!】

What?

The female lead was here!

Where?

Tang Zhen looked left and right, wanting to catch a glimpse of her. But there were just too many students around—these people had all come to watch the college robotics competition.

Looking around, there were heads as far as the eye could see. Tang Zhen couldn’t recognize the female lead at all.

She was curious about her.

“How tall is the female lead? What does she look like?”

System: 【163 cm, a delicate beauty.】

But there were plenty of girls about that height who looked delicate. Most college girls had matured physically and had time to dress up, so many looked pretty.

【Xiao Zhen, if you can’t find her, forget it. You’re better looking anyway. You’re the prettiest in the world!】

Tang Zhen sighed.

What use is being the prettiest?

She was still the cannon-fodder supporting female, after all. Fortunately, she only had to follow her own storyline to get a brand-new life. Then, she would be the protagonist of her own life!

Tang Zhen withdrew her gaze and stopped looking for the female lead. They would meet eventually.

As she followed Ren Yanjing and his teammates into the competition venue, the system suddenly issued another task:

【Ding!

Task Six: Within three minutes, hold the male lead’s hand and don’t let go!】

Tang Zhen: ???

She carefully glanced around, then blinked repeatedly in panic.

“Sanquan, do you know how many people are nearby?”

【I know.】

“He’s here for the competition!” Not for romance!

In a setting like this, with judges and corporate representatives already present, wasn’t this task a little inappropriate?!

000 replied matter-of-factly: 【Perfectly appropriate! There’s no better place than this to do a task! As the supporting female, you need to cling to him, stick to him! Xiao Zhen, your character is a shallow, ignorant supporting female!】

Thanks, but all she wanted was to avoid being labeled shallow and ignorant.

Yet that was indeed the supporting female’s character.

She just wanted a sweet romance with the male lead, didn’t care about his studies, his future, and certainly didn’t dream about a shared future.

“But… three minutes seems too long.”

Couldn’t it be thirty seconds instead?!

000: 【Three minutes isn’t long at all! It’ll be over in a flash!】

But for Tang Zhen, three minutes felt like forever.

Because these three minutes weren’t for doing something else—they were for holding the male lead’s hand! What if he pulled away? Wouldn’t that be awkward?

Yet completing one task was equivalent to six months of life!

For her long, happy life after finishing the task, Tang Zhen pressed her lips together, lowered her lashes, held her breath carefully, and, like a little kitten, cautiously reached out and tentatively held Ren Yanjing’s right hand.