TMLSG -Chapter 20 Spoiled and Headstrong

In her flustered state, Tang Zhen could only act on instinct. By the time she realized what she had done, her first thought was to pull away—but Ren Yanjing pulled her into his embrace.

Tang Zhen instinctively covered her mouth with her left hand and frantically patted his shoulder with her right, signaling that they were still in a public place.

This was B University’s most famous scenic spot, Fenghe Lake. Besides students, there were plenty of tourists passing by; the area was crowded. Because of Tang Zhen’s earlier action, many people had already noticed them.

Ren Yanjing closed his eyes tightly, resting Tang Zhen’s head gently on his shoulder.

It was a pure, quiet embrace.

【Ahhhhhhhh.】

【Xiao Zhen, you’re truly brave!】

【You actually kissed the male lead!】

“Just the corner of the lips,” Tang Zhen emphasized.

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t even a proper kiss.

Even she didn’t understand what she had been thinking at the moment.

Her thought had been simple: to grab the male lead’s attention, making him not notice the female lead.

“Sanquan, is the female lead and her bestie still nearby?”

000 snickered, 【No. The female lead ran off as soon as you kissed the male lead.】

【Not sure why.】

As long as the female lead left, it was fine.

Mission accomplished.

Tang Zhen glanced at her mission panel, and indeed Mission 9 now showed as completed.

Because it was a mandatory mission, she earned two life points.

This brought her total to 11 life points—that is, 5.5 years of life.

Tang Zhen was slightly worried. “Sanquan, I just kissed the male lead a little. It’s different from the original storyline. It won’t cause any problems, right?”

000 didn’t seem concerned. 【No effect. As long as the main plot doesn’t change, small details aren’t that important.】

The main plot was still that the male lead and the supporting female lead would date for three months and then break up. The missions she was completing were all adjusted according to that main plot.

At least for now, the main plot was steadily moving forward.

Tang Zhen relaxed. “That’s good.”

After hugging for ten minutes, noticing more and more people around them, Tang Zhen covered her mouth and whispered, “Let’s go. Too many people are watching us.”

Ren Yanjing didn’t move, only muttering, “Let’s sit a little longer.”

He had plenty of friends and brothers in relationships and had accidentally seen his friends kissing their girlfriends before.

At that time, it didn’t stir anything in him—he just found it extremely boring.

When they discussed dating tips among themselves, he rarely participated.

He would hear what they said and then forget, never paying it much attention.

But at this moment, his entire mouth felt tingly and soft.

It had been just a kiss on the corner of her lips.

What would it feel like if it were a real kiss?

Li Ran walked quickly, leaving Ren Yanjing and Tang Zhen far behind.

In a short time, she had pulled far ahead of them.

Her best friend, Lu Yu, had to jog to keep up. “Enough, A Ran, we’re already far from them.”

Hearing this, Li Ran slowed her pace, looking despondent.

“Xiaoyu, do you know… just now, I really felt so sad seeing that?”

Lu Yu sighed and stepped forward to hug her. “I understand.”

Li Ran’s eyes glimmered with moisture. “I’ve liked him for a long time. Since high school, I’ve been paying attention to him. I knew he had never been in a relationship. I had planned to confess once I became better, stronger… that day wouldn’t be too far off. But half a month ago, he suddenly got a girlfriend.”

“I know I shouldn’t think like this.”

“But I really feel like she stole my boyfriend.”

Seeing her best friend so upset, Lu Yu felt uneasy too. She comforted her, “It’s okay. They’ll break up sooner or later. I’m leaving my words here today—you trust me, right?”

Li Ran adjusted her mood and whispered, “Actually, I think the same way.”

Someone like Tang Zhen, who’s all about looks, could she understand what Ren Yanjing is doing now? Could she help him when he has academic problems? Could she keep pace with him?

No.

Only Li Ran shared the same dreams and goals with Ren Yanjing. She understood the cutting-edge technology behind Robert’s creation.

Her gaze gradually hardened. “I’m going to try. I want to see if I can join his team.”

Lu Yu said, “Go for it! You’re the best! I know you can do it!”

After being hugged for over twenty minutes, Tang Zhen was finally released.

The moment she regained her freedom, she stood up and said, “Let’s go have lunch.”

“Mm.” Ren Yanjing returned to his usual composed and elegant demeanor.

They ate lunch together in the cafeteria, and afterward, Ren Yanjing took her to his laboratory.

There were many people in the lab—Ren Yanjing’s teammates, all of whom Tang Zhen had met before.

They were currently developing a companion-type robot. It had the shape of a dog, cute and endearing, already taking form.

Upon seeing Tang Zhen, they all greeted her in unison.

“Sister-in-law’s here.”

“Good afternoon, Sister-in-law!”

“Sister-in-law, I heard someone at your school tried to cause you trouble? That person is way too low-level.”

They had all seen the post Ren Yanjing made on the campus board and already knew the full story from him.

Zhang Mian, the closest to Ren Yanjing in this group, looked indignant. “So what, they think Ren didn’t sign for them and owe them something? What’s going on?”

“Sister-in-law, if there’s trouble, say it—we’ll help you set things right!”

“Ren can handle it himself. Do we even need to step in? Right, Ren?”

After exchanging a few words with them, Ren Yanjing activated Robert to accompany Tang Zhen.

Seeing Tang Zhen bend down and interact with Robert, he walked over to Zhang Mian to ask about the situation.

“Did you find out about Lu Yu?”

Zhang Mian lowered his voice. “Yeah, she and sister-in-law are both at the University of Media Arts, now in their sophomore year, one year above girlfriend, also an art student.”

Ren Yanjing said calmly, “An art student came all this way just to watch our competition?” From what he knew, Tang Zhen would never have come to watch the competition unless he had personally invited her.

Zhang Mian replied, “She has a best friend, also at our school, supposedly a top student with excellent grades. It seems she came to watch the competition because of her best friend.”

Ren Yanjing tugged at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes revealed no emotion. “Do you know who her best friend is?”

“Not yet. Give me some more time.”

“Okay.”

Zhang Mian sneered, “But no matter who it is, anyone who can be friends with this person probably isn’t a good one.”

Ren Yanjing patted his shoulder. “They’re a stranger anyway.”

“True.”

While they spoke, Tang Zhen received a new mission.

Seeing the mission details, she pursed her lips and hesitated. “Ah… Sanquan, this… this isn’t very good, is it?”

000 cheered her on. 【What’s not good about it? Xiao Zhen, you should be spoiled and headstrong! I believe in you! Go for it!】