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

Chapter Seven: It's Better to Take It Slow

As the two approached, the three roommates' eyes all fell on Wen Zhaoci, looking her up and down with amazement and shock, as if they were looking at a rare national treasure.

Qin Ying spoke first, her tone filled with undisguised curiosity: "Jiu Ning, quickly introduce her to us."

Sang Jiuning took a deep breath and deliberately introduced the characters in the order she wanted to match them up, starting with her roommates and then emphasizing the original female lead, Su Qingyan, last to draw the male lead's attention.

"This is my roommate Tang Tongtong, Qin Ying. This is Su Qingyan, the class beauty. I believe it won't be long before she becomes the undisputed school beauty."

After introducing her roommates, she turned to the man beside her and said, "This is Wen Zhaoci."

"Hello, Senior Wen!"

The three spoke in unison, their voices clear and even.

The cafeteria is always bustling with people, and Wen Zhaoci is a prominent figure in the entire school. Her family background, looks, and academic achievements are all top-notch, making her the unattainable white moonlight of countless girls.

As he sat down next to the group of girls, he instantly attracted a lot of subtle, scrutinizing glances, and the atmosphere around him quieted down a bit.

Wen Zhaoci merely nodded slightly, her aloof and dignified demeanor serving as a response.

Su Qingyan, who was standing to the side, had a gentle and graceful demeanor, and her cheeks flushed slightly as she was surrounded by the gazes of the crowd.

Her gaze lingered briefly on Wen Zhaoci before she obediently lowered her head, her voice sweet and gentle, carrying the politeness of a well-bred young lady: "Senior Wen, I've long admired your name."

Her voice was soft and gentle, and her temperament was clean and serene, just like the gentle female protagonist in the original work.

Sang Jiuning observed quietly from the side, secretly pleased.

Great, the atmosphere is perfect, and the official couple has successfully met.

Next, as long as the two slowly get to know each other, he can perfectly remain invisible, wait for them to develop feelings for each other, and then break up and run away peacefully.

But she didn't see that Wen Zhaoci's dark and deep eyes never once fell on Su Qingyan.

His entire attention was focused on Sang Jiuning, who seemed a little guilty and secretly plotting something, standing beside him.

The dishes were served quickly, and Wen Zhaoci naturally pushed the braised pork in front of Sang Jiuning: "Eat more."

Looking at the tempting braised pork belly, and then at Su Qingyan eating quietly beside her, Sang Jiuning suddenly had an idea. She picked up a piece of braised pork belly, deliberately frowned, and said, "Oh dear, this seems a bit too greasy. I don't really like it."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhaoci glanced at her, said nothing, but picked up the piece of braised pork, tasted it herself, and then said, "I'll eat it. Are you not having an appetite today?"

Sang Jiuning: "..."

She just wanted to find a reason to cause trouble, and incidentally give the opportunity to Su Qingyan! Why are you taking this so seriously, boss?!

"Maybe," Sang Jiuning said, forcing herself to speak.

"How about some porridge?" Wen Zhaoci scooped up a spoonful of mushroom and chicken porridge, blew on it, and held it to her lips. "The temperature is just right."

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

Tang Tongtong and Qin Ying covered their mouths, their eyes wide open, looking like they were "dead from shock".

Su Qingyan's chopsticks stopped in mid-air, her eyes looking at Sang Jiuning with a complicated expression.

Sang Jiuning's face flushed bright red instantly, and she quickly backed away, saying, "I...I can do it myself!"

This is way too ambiguous! Is it really okay for them to show off their affection in front of the female lead like this?

Wen Zhaoci didn't press her, and placed the bowl of porridge in front of her: "Drink slowly."

The meal was finished in this strange yet sweet atmosphere.

Sang Jiuning felt like she was sitting on pins and needles and just wanted it to end as soon as possible.

After dinner, Wen Zhaoci offered to escort Sang Jiuning back to her dormitory.

Sang Jiuning quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need, I'll go back with my roommate, you go ahead with your work!"

She didn't want to be alone with him anymore; who knew what he might do next to break her defenses?

"I'm not busy," Wen Zhaoci said calmly, yet with an air of undeniable authority.

Tang Tongtong and Qin Ying immediately said tactfully, "Yes, Jiu Ning, let Senior Wen give you a ride. We have some things to do, so we'll be going now!"

As he spoke, he didn't forget to give Su Qingyan a wink.

Su Qingyan was stunned for a moment, then stood up as well: "I...I'll go with them too."

Sang Jiuning: "..."

Female lead, why aren't you following the script?! Shouldn't you find an excuse to stay behind alone, or have Wen Zhaoci see you off?

Watching Su Qingyan and her roommates hurriedly leave, Sang Jiuning felt like crying but had no tears.

The plan has failed again!

"Let's go." Wen Zhaoci's voice rang in my ears.

Sang Jiuning had no choice but to resign herself to following behind him, heading towards the girls' dormitory.

Along the way, people kept looking in their direction, pointing and whispering.

"Isn't that Wen Zhaoci? Who's that girl next to him?"

"It looks like his girlfriend! My God, who's so lucky?"

"They look familiar, I think they're from some department..."

Sang Jiuning lowered her head even further, feeling like she was about to become the focus of the entire school.

She stole a glance at Wen Zhaoci beside her, but he looked completely at ease, as if he didn't care about the stares around him.

"Um... Wen Zhaoci," Sang Jiuning mustered her courage, "aren't we being a bit too high-profile?"

Wen Zhaoci paused, turning to look at her: "Does dating need to be kept low-key?"

Sang Jiuning: "..."

It seems unnecessary, but she and the male lead don't want to be in a relationship!

"I...I just think that since we've just started dating, it's better to...take it slow." Sang Jiuning tried to find an excuse.

Wen Zhaoci gave her a deep look, his eyes full of meaning: "Yes, take your time."

Sang Jiuning breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had taken her words to heart.

As a result, the next morning, as soon as Sang Jiuning arrived at the classroom, someone handed her a breakfast with a small note next to it: "Remember to eat breakfast. Wen Zhaoci."

The eyes of the entire class instantly focused on her, and the various envious, jealous, and curious looks made her wish she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Just then, my phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Wen Zhaoci.

ZC: [Did you enjoy breakfast? You don't have class this afternoon, want to go to the library together?]

Sang Jiuning stared at her phone screen, her finger hovering over it for a long time, unsure how to reply.

Didn't this guy just agree to "take it slow" yesterday?

This "take it slow" pace is a bit too fast!

She looked at Tang Tongtong and Qin Ying, who were sitting not far away, for help. The two of them winked at her, giving her a knowing look, and even secretly gave her a thumbs up.

Sang Jiuning was so angry at her two terrible teammates that she almost fainted.

She took a deep breath and replied, "No need, I have something to do this afternoon."

She thought that if she refused him once, he would understand what she meant.

However, Wen Zhaoci replied to her message almost instantly: 【What's wrong? I'll go with you.】

Looking at these three words, Sang Jiuning felt utterly overwhelmed.

He should stay with her? He still needs to stay with her? What could possibly be wrong with her?

You can't exactly say, "I have something to do and I don't want to be with you," can you?