novelraw Chapter 001 Embrace
Chapter 001 Embrace
A big.
Computer Science Department Teaching Building.
The September sun was scorching, piercing through the gaps in the leaves and casting dappled light on the concrete ground.
The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.
The dull teaching building instantly came to life.
The gates opened wide, and a large group of boys wearing plaid shirts and carrying backpacks poured out.
This place is traditionally known as the "Buddhist Temple".
Hormones mixed with the smell of sweat fermented in the air.
Wen Ning stood under the old locust tree.
She's dressed terribly today.
A white lace slip dress from Chanel's current season, with a cinched waist and a hem that just covers the upper thigh.
She was wearing a pair of 7-centimeter stiletto sandals.
Her exposed skin was so white it glowed, like the finest mutton fat jade.
Among this group of science and engineering guys, she stood out like an anomaly.
Countless eyes were cast upon them from all directions.
Amazing, inquisitive, and satirical.
Wen Ning didn't have time to pay attention.
She is dying.
[Host, there are two minutes left on the countdown.]
In my mind, that cold, mechanical voice remained completely still.
[New player mission: Embrace the male lead, Jiang Ci, in front of everyone.]
[Mission Requirements: You must assert your dominance and let everyone around him know who you are.]
[Failure Penalty: Three minutes of full-body electric shocks.]
Wen Ning gripped the chain bag tightly in her hand.
My fingertips turned white from applying so much pressure.
She is not from this world.
An hour ago, she was working late into the night in the art studio to finish her graduation project. Suddenly, everything went black, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself transmigrated into the body of the same-named female supporting character in this old-fashioned sweet romance novel.
A girlfriend who is good for nothing but her looks, and whose sole purpose is to cause trouble and ultimately meet a tragic end.
The system did not give her any buffer time.
The first question was a death trap.
"Do you really have to hug me?"
Wen Ning tried to negotiate in her mind, "Could we try another way? Like... bringing him a bottle of water?"
[Countdown: 1 minute 30 seconds.]
The system completely ignored her.
[The male protagonist, Jiang Ci, is about to appear. Please prepare, host.]
Wen Ning took a deep breath.
Coward.
She's really a coward.
In the original book, Jiang Ci later becomes a ruthless business tycoon.
Although he is still in the early stages of starting his business, his aloof and unapproachable demeanor is well-known throughout the school.
The crowd suddenly became agitated.
"Make way, make way."
"Hey, are those people from the Limitless team?"
"Is that Jiang Ci walking in the middle? He's so handsome."
The automatic sensor door slides open to both sides.
A group of people came out.
There were about five or six boys, each carrying a laptop or a thick textbook.
The person surrounded in the very center stood out.
Even though Wen Ning is face-blind, she recognized him at a glance.
Too high.
He looks to be at least 1.8 meters tall.
A simple white shirt, with the cuffs casually rolled up to the elbows, revealing the smooth lines of the forearms.
Black suit trousers hugged her long legs, and she walked steadily with every step.
He was wearing a pair of silver-rimmed glasses.
His eyes, behind his glasses, were slightly lowered as he looked down at a piece of code paper handed to him by the person next to him.
"The algorithm here is redundant."
Jiang Ci's voice was low, with a cold, magnetic quality that cut through the noisy crowd, "Jia Pengxiu, didn't you read the optimization plan I sent you last night?"
The fat guy next to him (Jia Pengxiu) scratched his head, looking miserable: "I watched it, Brother Ci, but the logic is too convoluted, I don't understand it..."
"I don't understand either," Zhang Annian chimed in from the other end. "If this can be implemented, our roadshow is guaranteed to be a success."
Jiang Ci remained silent.
He stopped, tapped the paper with his long, slender fingers, and frowned slightly.
That overwhelming sense of abstinence and oppression.
The girls passing by only dared to steal glances, none of them daring to approach.
Wen Ning's calves started spinning.
That aura is incredibly strong.
Like a moving iceberg.
[30 seconds left in the countdown.]
The system started urging me to give up.
[Twenty-nine.]
[Twenty-eight.]
Wen Ning bit her lower lip.
Just die.
Being electrocuted could kill you, but being rejected might at most lead to social death.
The lesser of two evils.
She moved.
The high heels clicked crisply on the concrete floor.
"Excuse me...excuse me!"
Wen Ning steeled herself and pushed aside the two boys blocking her way.
The Limitless team members, who were focused on discussing the code, were stunned.
I only felt a whiff of expensive perfume waft by.
Then, a white shadow rushed past.
Jiang Ci had just folded the paper.
He was about to raise his hand to push up his glasses.
Suddenly, a blinding white light entered my field of vision.
Before he could react...
A soft, warm body, with an unreasonable momentum, crashed into his arms.
"Bang."
A very slight muffled thud.
Jiang Ci's body stiffened.
The hand that was holding the code paper instinctively wanted to push it away, but when it touched the other person's bare, smooth shoulder, it froze in mid-air as if electrocuted.
The entire room fell silent.
The once bustling entrance to the teaching building was now as if it had been put on pause.
Jia Pengxiu's mouth gaped open in an "O" shape, and he almost dropped the book in his hand.
Zhang Annian's glasses slipped down to the bridge of his nose.
Dozens of eyes were fixed on this scene.
Wen Ning kept her eyes closed.
She didn't dare look at Jiang Ci's face at all.
Her face was buried in his chest.
hard.
That was my first impression.
Has this guy worked out with his pectoral muscles? He bumped into her and made her nose hurt.
Then comes the taste.
It doesn't smell like cologne, but rather a very light, cool mint scent mixed with the refreshing aroma of laundry detergent.
It smells good.
[Five seconds left in the countdown.]
[Host, your lines.]
Wen Ning shuddered.
She felt the gaze above her head was tangible and as cold as a knife.
He was waiting for her to explain.
Or, I'm waiting for her to leave.
Wen Ning's hands gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly at his waist.
He rubbed the neatly ironed white shirt until it was wrinkled.
She looked up.
That tiny face, no bigger than the palm of your hand, turned bright red with nervousness and shame.
Her eyelashes were still trembling, like the wings of a startled butterfly.
To outsiders, this appeared to be a picture of "shyness" and "emotional attraction".
"Darling~"
Wen Ning spoke up.
The voice was trembling.
To mask the trembling, she had to deliberately prolong the last syllable, making her voice sound sickeningly sweet.
"Why are you only just getting out of class...?"
She blinked, trying to squeeze out a few tears to make herself look pitiful. "I've been waiting for you here for so long, my legs are getting sore from standing."
Dead silence.
A deeper, more profound silence.
Jia Pengxiu gasped.
What did he hear?
Honey?
Others?
Is this still the same aloof and arrogant beauty, Wen Ning, who only looks down on people and doesn't care about anything except drawing?
Jiang Ci finally made a move.
He didn't push her away immediately, nor did he say anything.
He simply lowered his eyes, scrutinizing the "troublemaker" in his arms through his glasses.
She wore a very strong perfume today.
It's rose-flavored.
It's a bit choking.
The skirt was also very short; with the slightest movement, one could see parts that shouldn't be seen.
She was surrounded by male eyes.
Those gazes lingered on her smooth back and long legs, carrying an uncomfortable stickiness.
Jiang Ci's brows furrowed even more.
Wen Ning's heart was pounding like thunder.
It’s over.
He doesn't speak.
He's definitely plotting how to throw her out.
The system task is complete, but what's next?
Just as Wen Ning was about to let go and run away.
A hand landed on her waist.
It's not about pushing it away.
Instead, with a restrained strength, he gently supported her, helping her regain her balance.
Then came a man's slightly hoarse, deep voice.
His tone was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Stand still."
Jiang Ci pulled her slightly away from his embrace.
But they haven't completely let go.
He raised his other hand and pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose.
Her gaze swept over the boys around her who were still staring at Wen Ning.
His eyes were cold.
It carries a silent warning.
The crowd that had been watching suddenly felt a chill run down their spines and scattered, pretending to read books or look at their phones.
Jiang Ci lowered his head again, looking at the girl in front of him who was still trembling.
She hadn't let go of his clothes.
The knuckles were turning white.
"Are your legs sore?"
he asks.
Wen Ning paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously: "Ah...yes, a little."
Jiang Ci stuffed the code paper in his hand into his pocket.
Then, under everyone's gaze, he very naturally reached out and took the heavy-looking chain bag from Wen Ning's hand.
"Let's go then."
He turned around and strode off.
"Let's go eat."
Wen Ning stood there dumbfounded.
what?
You weren't dumped?
You weren't scolded?
"Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law?"
Jia Pengxiu weakly called out from the side, breaking the awkward silence, "Um, shall we go eat too, together?"
Jiang Ci stopped and glanced at Wen Ning.
His eyes were calm and expressionless.
"Keep up."
Wen Ning shuddered.
"Oh...oh! Coming!"
She quickly put on her high heels and followed after him with small, quick steps.
Like a primary school student who has done something wrong and is being taken away by their parents.
Only the system was frantically raving in her mind.
[Congratulations, host! Mission complete! Male lead's favorability... beep... detection failed. Current favorability: Unknown.]