He tricked the female lead into becoming his boyfriend, but then went on to criticize the male lead.

Tang Tongtong immediately laughed, reached out and gently poked the totoro's soft head, her tone tinged with pride: "I really think this little guy is incredibly intelligent, unlike ordinary small animals. It understands everything I say, it's so smart."

Upon hearing this, 438 felt instantly wronged and protested frantically in the system, crying out: "Waaah! Don't call me 'little thing'! I'm the high-level system 438! I have a name! I have dignity!"

But at this moment it was just a little Totoro that couldn't speak, and all its protests could only turn into a few soft "squeaks".

When Tang Tongtong heard its soft, sweet meow, she assumed it was begging for food and her heart softened. She immediately broke off a large piece of soft, sweet peanut brittle and carefully placed it into the cage.

The sweet peanut brittle bursts with flavor on the taste buds, and 438 immediately squints its round little eyes in comfort, its fur all over its body relaxing.

[That's enough!] It instantly gave in, shamelessly comforting itself.

[So what if it's a little thing! For delicious snacks, dignity can temporarily take a backseat! As long as I can enjoy delicious snacks from humans every day, I don't care what it's called!]

Just as the dormitory atmosphere was relaxed and lively, the dormitory door was gently pushed open, and Su Qingyan walked in, looking exhausted.

Her delicate features were filled with a deep weariness, and her eyes revealed an undisguised irritability, frustration, and embarrassment. Her whole being exuded an aura of dejection.

No one knew how frustrated she had been all day.

Two days ago, photos and videos of her embarrassing moment were secretly recorded and edited by someone and posted on the largest forum on campus. The post went viral across the entire school in just a few hours.

Overnight, her gentle and elegant image as a school beauty was completely shattered. The entire internet was filled with comments mocking and ridiculing her, her reputation plummeted, and her once-beloved school beauty status was completely lost.

This was a devastating blow to Su Qingyan, who relied solely on the goodwill of strangers and the affection of others to exchange with the system.

The public's favorability towards her plummeted, and the scattered love points almost completely stopped, directly halting her plan to turn the tide using love points.

She was unwilling to stagnate like this, so she placed all her hopes on the vice class monitor, who was the most popular and well-liked among her classmates.

By gaining the class monitor's maximum affection points, you can not only offset the negative impressions from strangers, but also quickly make a deal with the system.

Therefore, she spent the entire day setting aside her pride and busying herself around the deputy squad leader.

She helped organize the vice class monitor's homework, shared the class's trivial matters, ran errands, did odd jobs, organized materials, and took on most of the big and small things. She worked hard without complaint, and was so tired that her back ached and her voice became hoarse.

Strangely, no matter how attentive and considerate she was, the vice class monitor's affection value on the system panel remained stuck in place, without increasing at all.

After a whole day of hard work, not only did I achieve nothing, but I also left myself physically and mentally exhausted.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved and irritable she became. The more she thought about it, the deeper the melancholy in Su Qingyan's eyes became, and her chest felt tight and suffocated.

Tang Tongtong immediately noticed her exhaustion. Seeing her haggard appearance, her heart was filled with kindness, and she immediately took the initiative to speak up and say considerately, "Qingyan, I can see that you've been too busy these past few days, leaving early and coming home late every day. You look so tired. From now on, I'll take care of your little pet. I'll take care of all the daily feeding and cage cleaning for you, so you don't have to worry about it."

Upon hearing this, Su Qingyan casually raised her eyes and glanced at the little chinchilla obediently eating in the cage.

She quickly calculated in her mind: System 438 is of no help to her at all now. It can neither help her increase her affection points nor help her restore her reputation. On the contrary, it will consume her energy to take care of it. It is just a burden.

Since Tang Tongtong is willing to take it on, it saves me a lot of trouble.

She felt no reluctance, only relief and indifference. She waved her hand casually, her tone perfunctory and indifferent: "Then thank you. Please take care of it for me for a while."

After saying that, she went straight to her desk and sat down, staring at the dark screen of her phone, her mind preoccupied with the forum's opinions and the stagnant affection points, completely forgetting about her system pet.

The 438 in the cage was instantly stunned, and even the peanut brittle in its mouth didn't taste good anymore.

It sat there blankly in the cage, its small body frozen, its mind racing with a mix of sadness and despair:

【? ? ? 】

[So you're just casually entrusting me to someone else?]

What an irresponsible host I've been bound to!

Tang Tongtong turned her head and caught a glimpse of the red mark on the back of Sang Jiuning's neck. A mischievous smile immediately appeared in her eyes.

She nudged Sang Jiuning's shoulder lightly with her elbow, her tone full of teasing: "Ningning, tell me honestly, did you stay at your boyfriend's house again last night?"

Sang Jiuning's ear tips flushed almost imperceptibly, but her face remained calm and composed, showing no signs of distress.

She looked up at her roommate who was teasing her, her tone frank and showing no sign of guilt: "Yeah, I got so caught up in watching short videos last night that I stayed up too late and didn't even go back to the dorm."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ying, who was drinking water nearby, chuckled, put down her glass, and leaned closer. Her teasing was even more pronounced than Tang Tongtong's: "Don't try to fool us. We're not children anymore. I think it's not that the video is too good-looking; it's clearly male beauty that's misleading us!"

Sang Jiuning's heart skipped a beat. Before she could retort, Qin Ying's teasing followed: "At this rate, our dorm will probably become your temporary stopover. Sooner or later you'll move in with your boyfriend and never come back to the dorm again, right?"

These words, spoken lightly, precisely struck a nerve with a question that Sang Jiuning had never deeply considered.

Did she live with Wen Zhaoci?

The idea suddenly popped into her mind and exploded in her heart.

She stood there stunned, her fair cheeks suddenly flushed, the burning sensation spreading from her cheeks to her ears.

Her mind was flooded with those inappropriate images from last night in Wen Zhaoci's apartment. The vivid images made her heart pound uncontrollably in her chest.

Tang Tongtong, with her sharp eyes, immediately noticed Sang Jiuning's absent-minded, shy expression, and smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Goodness! We only just parted ways this morning, and you're already thinking about your boyfriend? You're so clingy, Sang Jiuning!"

"I didn't." Sang Jiuning snapped back to reality, quickly suppressing the surging romantic thoughts in her heart. She hurriedly avoided her roommate's probing gaze, forcing a slightly stiff, dry laugh to try and hide her earlier distraction and panic.

Tang Tongtong: "Being love-struck is fine, but don't get yourself into it."

Sang Jiuning said guiltily, "Wen Zhaoci and I are completely innocent."

Innocent? She herself doesn't believe that.