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

Looking at the empty living room, Sang Jiuning felt a sudden pang of tenderness in her heart.

She understands loneliness all too well. In her past life, she was all alone and endured countless lonely days and nights. She knows better than anyone the feeling of being abandoned by the world.

Looking at Wen Zhaoci's forlorn expression, the heartache in her heart instantly overwhelmed her earlier panic. It wasn't until Wen Zhaoci casually closed the villa door, making a soft sound, that she suddenly came back to her senses.

She shook her head, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and remembering the important matter at hand, quickly asked, "By the way, where are your friends? What time are they coming over for hot pot?"

Wen Zhaoci stood beside her, his face calm and his heart pounding, lying openly with a natural tone that left no room for doubt: "They all had something come up at the last minute, none of them were available. I called around, but I couldn't get a single one to come."

Sang Jiuning had no doubt whatsoever. She wrinkled her nose, looking indignant on his behalf, and said angrily, "These people are so disloyal! They stood you up for the gathering we agreed on! That's too much!"

"Exactly, she's incredibly disloyal." Wen Zhaoci nodded in agreement, but a smug smile flashed in her eyes, too quick to catch.

He reached out and gently ruffled Sang Jiuning's hair, his voice so tender it could melt hearts, "But it's alright, you're here. Having you with me is enough; at least with you, I'm never the one who's superfluous."

Sang Jiuning pursed her lips, feeling that the last sentence sounded strange, as if it hid some other emotion, but upon closer examination, she felt that she was overthinking it.

Without thinking further, she turned around and handed the carefully selected cartoon tableware to Wen Zhaoci: "Here, I chose this on purpose."

It was still early, and there was still a while before dinner. Sang Jiuning sat on the soft sofa in the living room, bored, and took out her phone. She opened the Plants vs. Zombies game and tapped the screen rapidly, focusing intently on dealing with the zombies in the game.

Wen Zhaoci sat beside her, his gaze not on the phone screen, but quietly watching her profile, watching her focused expression, watching the slight upturn of her lips when she passed a game level, and his heart was filled with warmth.

Sang Jiuning played for a while before noticing the gaze of the person next to her. She turned to look at him, a little embarrassed, and asked, "I've been playing games by myself the whole time. Don't you get bored watching me? If you are, you can find something to do."

"No." Wen Zhaoci's tone was calm, but his eyes grew deeper. Looking at her slender waist, he couldn't help but slowly reach out his right hand and gently put his arm around her waist. He gently rubbed her soft waist with his palm.

In an instant, a delicate, tingling sensation shot from her lower back and spread throughout her body. Sang Jiuning felt weak all over, her fingers trembled violently, and she almost dropped her phone on the sofa.

The sensation was so vivid; the warm palm carried an irresistible force that made her heart pound, her cheeks instantly flushed red, and her whole body stiffened.

Almost reflexively, she stood up abruptly, took a step back, and hurriedly avoided his touch. Her heart was pounding as if it would burst out of her chest. Her eyes darted away, avoiding Wen Zhaoci's gaze. She could only fumble for a topic, her voice trembling with panic: "I...I'm a little thirsty. Do you have anything to drink at home?"

Wen Zhaoci sat there, slowly clenching his right hand that had just wrapped around her waist. His fingertips seemed to still retain the soft touch of her, and the burning heat spread from his fingertips all the way to his heart.

He felt a slight pang of annoyance, realizing he had been too hasty and almost frightened the little girl in front of him.

But he just couldn't resist. The person he longed for day and night was right beside him. All he wanted to do was hug her, kiss her, and keep her firmly by his side.

But it doesn't matter, he's already moved next door to her. They'll be spending every day together from now on, so there will be plenty of opportunities. He can take it slow and eventually keep her by his side.

He suppressed the surging emotions within him, looked up at the flustered Sang Jiuning, and his tone returned to its usual gentleness: "There's warm milk and freshly squeezed juice, which would you like to drink?"

Sang Jiuning patted her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. Thinking about the hotpot she'd have for dinner, she quickly checked a group-buying deal and ordered several dozen beers, which were delivered fast.

"Okay, buy whatever you want, I'll do whatever you say." Wen Zhaoci nodded with a smile, got up and walked towards the kitchen. "I'll cut some fresh fruit for you, to go with the hot pot later."

One of them was busy ordering wine, while the other was carefully cutting fruit in the kitchen. The atmosphere gradually returned to calm, but there was still a hint of ambiguity hidden inside.

Around six o'clock, the beer delivery arrived, and the hot pot broth was boiling, filling the whole house with a rich aroma. The two finally sat down at the table and began to eat hot pot.

The steaming hot pot enveloped the two of them, their faces glistening with moisture. As they cooked the food, they chatted casually about interesting things that happened on campus, creating a relaxed and warm atmosphere.

As they chatted, the topic circled back to the villa in front of them.

Seeing that there were only the two of them in the huge house, Sang Jiuning noticed a hint of loneliness flashing in Wen Zhaoci's eyes, and her heart softened again.

She picked up the ice-cold beer on the table, pulled the tab, raised the can towards Wen Zhaoci, and said earnestly, "Come on, bottoms up! To be honest, it's really too lonely for you to live alone in such a big villa. If you ever feel bored or have no one to talk to, you can always come to me. I'm right next door, just a few steps away."

She was simply trying to comfort the lonely boy out of pity, but she didn't notice that a dazzling light suddenly lit up in Wen Zhaoci's eyes, as if he had received a long-awaited promise.

He immediately picked up the beer can in front of him, gently tapped it against hers, and replied, his voice filled with barely suppressed joy, "Okay, you said it, no take-backs."

Sang Jiuning didn't notice his strangeness. She tilted her head back, took a sip of beer, and waved her hand with a smile: "I won't go back on my word. Neighbors should look out for each other, right?"

The two then chatted about some trivial topics, and the hot pot meal lasted for nearly two hours, until 8:30 p.m. before they finally put down their chopsticks.

Together they cleared the table and wiped it clean. Sang Jiuning glanced at the time and quickly stood up: "It's getting late, I have to go back."

Wen Zhaoci stood up, wanting to follow him: "Okay, I'll take you back."

"No need, no need. It's just a wall away, only a few steps away. I'm not a child, no need to see me off." Sang Jiuning quickly waved her hand to refuse, her cheeks still flushed from drinking beer.

Her heart would always race whenever she was near him.