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

Yan Chen simply nodded slightly in response to Wen Zhaoci's greeting. His gaze did not linger on Wen Zhaoci, but instead calmly swept over Sang Jiuning's lowered head, pausing for a few seconds above her head.

But those few seconds felt like an eternity to Sang Jiuning. That gaze, seemingly calm, carried an intense sense of oppression, making her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles, her whole body uncomfortable. It was clearly a silent question and dissatisfaction.

The atmosphere instantly became subtle and tense. The originally warm dining atmosphere vanished, and only the slight clinking of bowls and chopsticks could be heard in the restaurant. It was eerily quiet.

Sang Jiuning felt flustered by the oppressive atmosphere. In her haste, she accidentally choked and couldn't help but cough, her cheeks turning red instantly.

Ignoring her embarrassment, she coughed a few times, quickly shoveled the remaining rice into her bowl, put down her chopsticks, stood up, and mumbled to Fu Xulan, "Mom, I'm done eating. I'll take Aci back."

After saying that, without waiting for anyone's response, she grabbed Wen Zhaoci's wrist and hurriedly walked out of the villa, wanting to escape this suffocating restaurant as soon as possible and avoid Fu Yanchen's cold gaze.

The two stood outside the villa. A gentle evening breeze blew by, carrying a slight chill. Sang Jiuning finally breathed a sigh of relief and loosened her grip on Wen Zhaoci's wrist.

Seeing her slightly flustered appearance, Wen Zhaoci spoke first, his tone carrying a hint of certainty and a trace of barely perceptible grievance: "It seems like your cousin doesn't like me very much."

Sang Jiuning looked up at him, sighed inwardly, and simply admitted, "You're absolutely right! He really doesn't like you."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhaoci was not disappointed at all. Instead, she raised her eyebrows and smiled confidently with a hint of arrogance. She said in a serious tone, "He must be jealous of me. We are about the same age. I have such a lovely girlfriend, but he is all alone. He feels unbalanced."

Sang Jiuning: "..."

She was speechless for a moment. Looking at Wen Zhaoci's self-satisfied appearance, she silently rolled her eyes. She really wanted to tell him bluntly, "You're overthinking it! My brother isn't jealous of you. He just doesn't think you're a good person. He thinks you have ulterior motives and are not good enough for me!"

But she didn't dare say that, so she could only make up an excuse to try to cover it up: "Don't talk nonsense. My brother just thinks I'm still too young to be in a relationship so early, and he's afraid it will interfere with my studies. It's not what you think."

Wen Zhaoci saw through her flustered and evasive eyes at a glance, but did not expose her.

He reached out and gently ruffled Sang Jiuning's soft hair. The warmth of his fingertips traveled through her hair as he spoke earnestly, his eyes fixed on her: "You're not young anymore, Ningning. After your birthday when school starts, you'll be 20 years old." You've reached the legal age to register for marriage.

He didn't say the last sentence aloud, but the determination and unwavering resolve in his eyes clearly conveyed his feelings.

Sang Jiuning's cheeks flushed slightly, and her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. She quickly avoided his burning gaze, pushed his arm away, and hurried towards the villa next door: "Alright, alright, I know. You should go back now, it's too late."

She knew in her heart that Fu Yanchen would definitely want to talk to her alone, and who knew how angry he would be.

But Wen Zhaoci stubbornly refused to leave. He slightly turned his body to avoid her hand, stared at her intently, and said with a hint of stubbornness in his voice, "I'm not going back unless you promise me that we'll go out to eat together tomorrow and then go see the latest movie. Otherwise, I'll just wait here."

Sang Jiuning felt helpless and had a headache. Looking at his stubborn and unyielding appearance, she knew that he meant what he said.

She hesitated for a while, thinking that if she didn't calm him down first, he probably wouldn't leave tonight. She could only frown and nod reluctantly, "Okay, okay, I promise you, go back now!"

Having received a satisfactory answer, Wen Zhaoci's face regained its gentle smile. He then lowered his head and ruffled her hair, softly instructing, "Then go back and get some rest. I'll pick you up tomorrow."

After saying that, he turned around and stepped into the villa next door.

Watching Wen Zhaoci's figure disappear through the door next door, Sang Jiuning lowered her head and walked back to her own home with a heavy heart.

Meanwhile, as soon as Wen Zhaoci closed the door of his villa, all the gentleness, doting, and humility on his face vanished instantly. The warm eyes that had been looking at Sang Jiuning now darkened, tinged with a cold and fierce aura.

He leaned against the wall in the entryway, the cold look in Fu Yanchen's eyes when he looked at him earlier, and the undisguised hostility, kept replaying in his mind.

He knew very well that Fu Yanchen's hostility towards him was not unfounded. This seemingly strong and brooding cousin was, from the bottom of his heart, opposed him being with Sang Jiuning.

Despite being relatives, Fu Yanchen's presence felt like a huge boulder between him and Sang Jiuning, the biggest obstacle on his path to a long-term relationship with her.

Wen Zhaoci slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only coldness remained in them.

No one can stop him from being with Ningning, not even her cousin.

Once he's made up his mind about someone, no one can take him away or break him up.

He casually crossed his long legs, slowly sinking into the soft sofa. His fingertips caressed the cool texture of his phone screen. After a pause, he finally opened his contacts and dialed Zhao Muze's number.

The call was answered almost instantly, and Zhao Muze's boisterous voice came through, laced with teasing and dissatisfaction, as he rattled off a barrage of questions: "Hey? You actually called me? I thought you'd completely forgotten about us brothers! I asked you to play basketball and have dinner with me the other day, and you always turned me down. Getting you to come out was like climbing Mount Everest. You finally called, so you must have been busy. Just say what you need, don't beat around the bush!"

Wen Zhaoci held the phone to her ear, her eyebrows slightly raised, but before she could utter a single word, she was rendered speechless by Zhao Muze's string of words.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the sofa armrest, a hint of irritability and helplessness surging in his eyes that he never usually showed. The once composed and confident prodigy at school was now unusually hesitant.

Once things calmed down on Zhao Muze's end, Wen Zhaoci slowly spoke, her voice low and heavy, lacking its usual composure, and carrying a hint of barely perceptible confusion: "Yes, something's wrong."

He paused for a few seconds, then parted his thin lips slightly: "What if my girlfriend's cousin is strongly against us being together?"