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

Wen Zhaoci had just put down the documents when her phone vibrated and a WeChat message popped up, showing the location of the villa sent by Sang Jiuning.

He looked at the location address, and a smile instantly spread across his eyes.

He found out where Sang Jiuning was currently living, but he wanted Sang Jiuning to send it to him personally.

Coincidentally, the Wen family also owns several properties in this villa area, one of which happens to be right next to the villa where Sang Jiuning lives, so close that they can probably see each other's yards from their windows.

Since that's the case, why not move in next to her?

Wen Zhaoci immediately stood up, grabbed her car keys, and walked out, her tone firm and undeniably assertive: "Xiangyang, arrange for someone to clean up the villa next door. I'll move there now."

He wanted to be closer to her, even closer, close enough to keep her by his side at any time, close enough that no one could easily take her away from him.

In less than half a day, Wen Zhaoci had already moved into the villa next to Sang Jiuning's.

The villa was spotless and fully furnished, with exquisite taste everywhere.

As soon as she put down her belongings, the first thing Wen Zhaoci did was pick up her phone, quickly type a message, and send it to Sang Jiuning.

[ZC: Baby, did you miss me?]

The message was sent successfully. Wen Zhaoci leaned back on the sofa, her fingertips tracing the edge of her phone, her eyes filled with a determined tenderness.

He imagined the little girl's reaction when she saw the message, and a warm feeling welled up inside him.

On the other side, Sang Jiuning was taking a bite of mango pudding when she saw her phone screen light up and casually tapped it.

Looking at the word "baby," she didn't even flinch, her heart completely unmoved.

She had been having such a comfortable few days, enjoying everything from food and drinks to entertainment, completely immersed in her own little world, that she hadn't thought about Wen Zhaoci at all.

Was it because he hadn't been contacting her much these past few days, giving her enough peace and quiet, or was the food at this villa so delicious that she had completely forgotten about him?

Sang Jiuning herself couldn't explain it, but she just didn't have any thoughts about it at all.

She slowly swallowed the dessert in her mouth, her fingertips tapping on the screen, her tone becoming distant and casual.

[The ruffled Totoro: What's up?]

The word "simple" conveyed her nonchalance even through the screen.

Wen Zhaoci looked at the reply and, instead of being angry, chuckled softly.

His little girl has become so aloof and casual in just one week. The more she acts like this, the more he wants to hold her firmly in his grasp.

He twitched his fingertips slightly and continued sending messages.

ZC: Yes, I moved to a new house today and would like to invite you over for a housewarming party.

Sang Jiuning's eyes lit up slightly.

Warming the pot? She loves things that are lively and involve eating delicious food!

She immediately became interested and replied quickly.

[The ruffled little Totoro: Great! I love hot pot. I'll buy some ingredients and a special hot pot pot to come over and have hot pot with you all.]

She has always loved hot pot and thinks that eating hot pot in a warm pot is the perfect thing, as it is lively and has a great atmosphere.

Wen Zhaoci got up and went to the kitchen. He opened the cabinet and saw a fine old-fashioned copper pot inside. It was the kind that burned charcoal and had a very high-quality feel. He had specially asked someone to buy it for him, and he didn't expect it to come in handy so soon.

He smiled and replied: 【ZC: There's a copper pot that uses charcoal. You don't need to buy a pot; the charcoal and ingredients are all provided. You just need to come over.】

Sang Jiuning wrinkled her nose, thinking to herself that it wouldn't make sense to go to a hot pot restaurant empty-handed; she should at least bring some gifts.

She thought for a moment, then typed again: [The frizzy little Totoro: No way, I have to buy you something to warm the pot, how about I give you a set of tableware?]

Upon seeing this sentence, Wen Zhaoci's heart instantly melted.

Ningning wanted to give him tableware, which they could use together. Every time they ate together, he would remember that the little girl had carefully chosen it. Just thinking about it made him happy.

He could no longer suppress the doting affection in his heart and replied quickly, his tone filled with eager tenderness.

ZC: Okay, I'll pick you up at 4 PM.

Sang Jiuning looked at her phone screen, raised an eyebrow, but didn't refuse. She casually replied with an "ok" emoji, then put down her phone and continued to enjoy her fruit dessert, silently considering what kind of tableware she should choose.

Without wasting a moment, Sang Jiuning immediately opened the Meituan app on her phone and quickly swiped through the page to filter options.

She has a penchant for cute and adorable items. After browsing for a short while, she was drawn to a set of tableware printed with a round Totoro pattern. The porcelain was clean and white, and the pattern was endearing. The whole set looked warm and pleasing.

She immediately placed a group order, secretly thinking: Wen Zhaoci's group of cronies, like Jiang Shangyu's gang, always love to join in the fun. When he moves to a new house and has a housewarming party, he will definitely invite them. The more people there are, the more lively it will be, and this set of tableware is perfect.

After buying the gift, Sang Jiuning turned and walked towards Fu Xulan's room, intending to tell her mother about her plans for the evening.

Fu Xulan was sitting on a soft chair by the window, quietly looking out. Her complexion was gentle. When she saw her daughter come in, her eyes curved into a tender smile: "Ningning, is something the matter?"

"Mom, I'm going to my friend's house tonight. He's moving to a new house, and I'm going to warm up the house for him," Sang Jiuning said cheerfully, tilting her little face up.

Upon hearing this, Fu Xulan's eyes immediately lit up with a teasing light. She leaned forward slightly and tentatively asked, "What friend? It's not your little boyfriend, is it?"

Sang Jiuning's heart skipped a beat. She had to admire her mother's intuition; she guessed it right away.

But she already had a plan in mind. She and Wen Zhaoci were not truly in love; it was just a temporary entanglement. They would break up sooner or later anyway, so there was no need to admit it to her mother, lest her mother worry and cause trouble in the future.

She shook her head calmly, feigning nonchalance, and denied it in a flat tone: "No, we're just ordinary classmates, we hang out together."

"Oh, you were keeping it from your mother." Fu Xulan chuckled, her tone full of doting teasing, without any hint of reproach. "Even if it's a boyfriend, it's nothing. You're young now, it's the time to enjoy campus romance, you should have a few relationships. Experience more, see more different people, so you won't end up like your mother, unable to judge people, deceived your whole life, and ending up like this."

Speaking of the past, a faint trace of melancholy flashed across Fu Xulan's eyes, but it was quickly covered up by her love for her daughter. She only hoped that Sang Jiuning could live freely and unrestrainedly, and not repeat her own mistakes.

Sang Jiuning felt a little down, but quickly nodded and agreed, "Okay, Mom, I know. I'll go upstairs and get ready to leave soon."

"Wait a minute." Fu Xulan quickly stopped her and carefully instructed, "Wear the blue dress I bought you a few days ago, and those white high-heeled sandals with pearl lace straps. Dress up nicely before you go."