Has the Novel's Female Lead, Shen Mani, Gone Mad

Although this secondary male character, who is also the main antagonist, has his looks and charm on full display.

There's no denying it.

Regarding the excited chatter of the surrounding girls,

Xu Mo pretended not to notice, forcing himself to focus his gaze on Shen Manni, while squeezing out a fawning smile on his face. Only then did he stride towards Shen Manni.

"Manni, this ring represents my love for you. Are you free at noon? Let's go have lunch together."

Shen Manni's eyebrows arched gracefully, and she was about to directly refuse Xu Mo's invitation.

Just then, she heard a series of voices echoing in her ears.

[Ugh... This is making me sick. If it weren't for following the plot, I wouldn't be able to make this sycophantic expression even if you killed me]

[Hurry up and reject me, so I can finish this scene. Oh wait... I still need to persist a bit more until the male lead Lin Fan arrives to slap my own face]

[This damn lousy plot, I've already been through it once, and now I have to do it again. It's really fucking unlucky]

[Anyone who likes you must have the worst luck in eight lifetimes. You're so cold, acting like the whole world owes you something]

Without the system saying much more,

Xu Mo had already started ranting furiously in his heart.

Just like when he followed the plot before.

But this time, Xu Mo's resentment was even greater than before.

If it weren't for a program error, he would have already returned to real life by now.

Just as Xu Mo was suspecting whether this broken system was trying to trick him,

A cold, mechanical voice that only he could hear sounded.

"Ding, congratulations host, personal charm increased +3"

Xu Mo's eyes lit up slightly, this time the system hadn't let him down.

He couldn't help but feel a bit smug inside.

Meanwhile, Shen Manni, standing in front of Xu Mo, was dumbfounded.

She first looked around, realizing no one had said these things, then looked at Xu Mo with a strange expression.

Xu Mo was stunned for a moment, seeing that Shen Manni hadn't accepted the fake diamond ring, nor directly rejected him.

His heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't help but steel himself and continue to offer the fake diamond ring.

"Manni, I hope you can accept this ring."

[Big sis, please hurry up and continue with the next part of the act, furrow your brows, show some disgust on your face, and resolutely reject me]

[Instead of staring at me with that bewildered look like you are now]

[Still looking? What's there to look at? Is there a flower on my face or something?]

Xu Mo inexplicably reached out to touch his own cheek.

Puff----

Shen Manni, who had heard Xu Mo's inner thoughts, and witnessed this action,

Couldn't help but let out a soft "puff" and smiled.

Her smile was like a gentle spring breeze.

Shen Manni usually maintained an icy demeanor.

The type who didn't engage with anyone.

This smile of hers could be described in three words: absolutely unprecedented!

The surrounding onlookers were instantly dumbfounded.

"Holy crap! Director Shen actually smiled? Am I seeing things?"

"In my five years at the company, this is the first time I've seen Director Shen smile."

"Director Shen's smile is so beautiful! She and Young Master Xu make such a good match."

These voices also reached Shen Manni's ears.

She slightly composed her somewhat shocked state of mind, and to confirm that these voices weren't just figments of her imagination,

She deliberately reached out her hand towards Xu Mo.

She said coolly,

"Give me the ring, then? Isn't this ring supposed to be for me? Why are you still holding onto it?"

Xu Mo blinked in confusion and subconsciously said, "No... you really want it..."

His voice was very low.

Shen Manni frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask,

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Xu Mo shook his head slightly, his hand trembling as he handed the small box to Shen Manni.

With so many eyes watching here,

To avoid giving himself away, he could only comply reluctantly.

Shen Manni took the small gift box, looking a bit dazed herself, inwardly speculating: Could this be Xu Mo's strategy of playing hard to get?

Or was she really hearing things earlier?

The next moment, the reality before her eyes told her,

It wasn't an auditory hallucination, but she had genuinely heard Xu Mo's inner thoughts.

[Oh God, oh heavens! This female lead has most likely gone mad, actually accepting my ring]

[Shen Manni, are you sick or something?]

[If you're sick, I'll take you to the hospital right now for a thorough check-up. The work pressure lately must be too much, don't let it mess up your brain]

Shen Manni furrowed her brows, glaring at Xu Mo with a hint of anger.

You're the one who's sick! Your whole family is sick!

What plot, what female lead, what nonsense?

I think the person who's lost their mind is you!

Xu Mo sensed her strange gaze and immediately felt delighted inside.

[Yes, yes, that's exactly the expression I wanted]

[Shen Manni, oh Shen Manni, you finally look human now]

[Oh? That little glare of yours could almost shoot flames. It's just a meal, you haven't even agreed yet, is it really necessary?]

[Even if you agreed, this young master wouldn't want to serve you anyway]

[Ahem... no, that's a plastic diamond ring, give it back to me first, I'll go to the hardware store... no, I mean the jewelry store to exchange it for a real one for you]

"Ding, congratulations host, personal charm increased +5"

Xu Mo looked dejected, wondering if this broken system was also sick.

Why were all these rewards for charm?

Couldn't it give something more practical?

The most annoying thing was, if Shen Manni opened the ring box and found out it was made of plastic,

Wouldn't he die of embarrassment on the spot?

He had to get that plastic ring back!

"Forget it, take the ring back. We'll have lunch another time."

Shen Manni said coldly.

She never had much fondness for Xu Mo to begin with.

Rejecting Xu Mo was only natural, and being able to hear his thoughts hadn't changed her initial intention.

What angered her even more was that this guy Xu Mo

Had actually tried to deceive her with a plastic ring.

Her mind was in a jumble right now, and to prevent Xu Mo from noticing anything amiss, she could only choose to act this way for now.

At this moment, Xu Mo wanted to rush up and give Shen Manni a big hug, and plant a hard kiss on her little face.

[Hahaha... Shen Manni, you're not crazy, that's great]

[I thought you had gone mad and was ready to take you to a mental hospital, but it looks like that won't be necessary now]

[Where's that idiot novel protagonist Lin Fan? Hurry up and come wrap this up!]

[Good grief! This stupid woman probably won't realize it's a fake ring even on her deathbed]

Shen Manni's eyelid twitched slightly.

She didn't want to stay here for another moment, listening to Xu Mo's inner ramblings.

She felt that the crazy one wasn't her, but Xu Mo!

[Damn! Finally, he's here]