TMLSG -Chapter 13 Clumsy Beauty

The moment their hands touched, both of them froze slightly.

Ren Yanjing’s hand was so hot! The instant Tang Zhen’s index finger brushed his palm, she flinched at the heat. Her own hands were always cool and soft, so the contrast with his warmth was shocking. It was also her first time secretly holding someone’s hand, and she wasn’t used to it—her instinct in that first second was to pull her hand back.

But just as she was about to retreat slightly, Ren Yanjing grabbed her hand firmly.

He enveloped her entire hand in his palm, didn’t look back at her, and quietly said while looking forward, “Why are you running?”

Tang Zhen pressed her lips together. “I’m not running.” She was just startled by the heat of his hand.

000 began squealing, 【The male lead is being so proactive!】

Tang Zhen, stunned by the heat in Ren Yanjing’s palm, was even more surprised by this comment. “Sanquan… you… what are you saying?”

000: 【Xiao Zhen, don’t you get it? I’m shipping this couple.】

Tang Zhen: “Shipping me and Ren Yanjing… a couple doomed to be ‘BE’?”

000 didn’t care. 【So what? Stars collapse, the universe fades, even a system will one day age. Nothing lasts forever in this world—the current moment is eternity.】

Also—

000 had one thing it didn’t say: it felt that the male lead and the supporting female were strangely compatible. When they were together, there was an unusual chemical reaction.

Of course, this reaction was still in its early stages, not yet obvious—even Tang Zhen and Ren Yanjing themselves couldn’t notice it.

But such tiny details could never escape the all-seeing eyes of the system.

Since there was nothing else to do, it might as well enjoy shipping the couple. Even though the supporting female and the system would eventually go offline, shipping a couple wasn’t a crime.

When Task Six began, Tang Zhen noticed a countdown appeared in the empty space:

2:39 remaining.

The tasks were evolving—now they even had specific time requirements.

This meant they had already held hands for 21 seconds and still needed to hold for 159 more.

As she held Ren Yanjing’s hand while weaving through the crowd, Tang Zhen felt like dying. As the captain of Team B at the university competition, Ren Yanjing was the center of attention. Even before entering the venue, all eyes were on him.

His name had long been known in the robotics circle: a teenage genius, exceptionally talented, winning first prizes in multiple competitions.

Compared to his outstanding abilities, his family background and appearance were just icing on the cake. The author clearly adored the male lead, giving him an almost perfect first twenty years of life.

The only flaw in his life? Probably falling in love with her—the supporting female. They were completely from different worlds.

Along the way, Tang Zhen drew plenty of attention.

Some were teasing, some just curious, and some were spectating for fun… a mix of everything.

Some competitors who knew Ren Yanjing even came forward to chat casually:

“You’re dating? Since when?”

“Where did you find a fairy like her? How come I can’t meet a little sister like that?”

“Congratulations! Our King Jing is dating! I thought you’d be in love with your robot forever.”

The surrounding crowd echoed the last comment: “Yeah, I thought so too.”

“I thought that if you ever married, it’d probably be to your own robot. If you chose romance, it’d still be with your robot.”

Ren Yanjing, today, wore a light gray suit with a black-and-blue contrasting tie. He tugged at the tie with his free hand. “Career is career. Romance is romance. Thank you all for caring about my work.”

000: 【Tsk tsk tsk, the male lead is getting a bit impatient.】

Really?

Tang Zhen didn’t notice it. At least, Ren Yanjing’s tone was still polite, gentle, and his choice of words normal.

000: 【That last line clearly shows impatience, though his upbringing won’t allow him to say anything improper.】

000 felt a bit troubled. The supporting female’s character was supposed to be crude and shallow, but its new host, Tang Zhen, looked like a clumsy beauty. Clumsy, sweet, fragrant, obedient—hardly related to being crude, shallow, or ignorant.

It shouldn’t… affect the book-crossing tasks, right?

Along the way, Tang Zhen and Ren Yanjing met many people. Those who greeted them were young people their age, while some investors chatted briefly with him.

After a while, Ren Yanjing turned back and said, “I need to go backstage and get ready. The competition is about to start. I’ll take you to your seat first.”

Tang Zhen was surprised. “I have a seat?”

Ren Yanjing glanced at her and gave a firm answer, “Of course you do.”

He led her to the VIP best-viewing seats, right in the front row. By the time they arrived, only one empty seat remained—it was clearly reserved for her.

Ren Yanjing let go of her hand and said, “Wait here. I’ll be back after my match.”

Tang Zhen replied softly, “Okay.”

People were seated on both sides of her. One was a female entrepreneur she had met before, and the other seemed to be another professional in the robotics industry.

In fact, nearly everyone in this row was a professional in the field—except her.

The amateur spectators were all in the back.

Sitting here, Tang Zhen felt awkward, as if she were in a place that didn’t quite suit her.

The female entrepreneur next to her, surnamed Wan, glanced at Tang Zhen and warmly started a conversation. “How well do you think your boyfriend’s team will place?”

Tang Zhen: !!!

All the competing teams were excellent. Most of the participants came from top universities, and Tang Zhen, being a mediocre student, could only watch for fun.

She blinked her long, curled lashes, her eyes moist like a little puppy, and focused on the competition. “First place… probably.”

Ms. Wan smiled. “Why so uncertain?”

Tang Zhen smiled too, showing a faint, sweet dimple on her cheek. “Because it’s my first time watching him compete,” she explained, unsure of the team’s skill level.

Ms. Wan nodded knowingly. “You’ve only been dating for a short time.”

Not even a question—more like a statement.

“Yes.”

“I heard that this time the robot ‘Robert’ is using the latest visual algorithms…” She continued listing a series of technical terms, which Tang Zhen quickly forgot.

When Ms. Wan finished, she glanced back and saw a pretty, somewhat clueless face, looking soft and easy to intimidate.

Tang Zhen pressed her lips together, feeling a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I don’t understand.” She didn’t know this industry, and words like systems, algorithms, or chips made her head spin.

She thought fleetingly that if the female lead were sitting here, she’d probably have a lot to talk about with Ms. Wan.

Talented people have topics to discuss with other talented people. They’d definitely have lots to talk about.

Tang Zhen was interested in robots—she liked watching them dance, run, or perform complex competitive maneuvers. But why could a robot dance? Why could it run? Why could it perform such complicated movements like a human?

Tang Zhen wasn’t curious.

Because she knew she wouldn’t understand. She really wasn’t skilled in this area.

Ms. Wan smiled again. “It’s okay, I may have spoken too technically. Actually, this is just a robot performance competition. Whichever robot performs best wins first place. Just enjoy watching it.”

No sooner had Ms. Wan finished speaking than the twenty competing robots and their twenty teams began entering the arena one by one.