I Mistook the Villain for a Simp… Now He Calls Me His Girlfriend

Everyone in the department knew Wen Zhaoci. Top-tier family background, ranked first by a landslide academically, cold and aloof by nature. He kept to himself, never had girls around him, and no one had ever heard of him having a girlfriend.

The enthusiasm on Shen Yi’s face vanished instantly, replaced by awkward embarrassment as he withdrew his hand. “Sorry to bother you, Miss Wen’s girlfriend.”

He turned and hurried away, not daring to say another word.

Sang Jiuning watched him leave, but before she could even let out a sigh of relief, a low, warm, and lazily magnetic voice suddenly sounded beside her.

A figure settled across from her. The man wore a simple white T-shirt paired with black athletic casual pants. His posture was tall and impeccable, his features clean and handsome, his bearing cool and distinguished.

In his hand, he carried an exquisite thermos, which he set gently on the table.

The man leaned forward slightly, his gaze resting on her. The corner of his lips curved into a faint smile, his voice low and tender: “Girlfriend, I’m your boyfriend, Wen Zhaoci.”

Boom—

Sang Jiuning’s mind went completely blank.

Her pupils dilated in shock, her entire body frozen in place.

What?!

Wen Zhaoci???

The name struck her like a thunderbolt, slamming hard into her heart.

She snapped back to reality, and the first chapter of the original story exploded in her mind.

This was no simp!

This was the most unhinged, obsessive male lead in the entire book!

Weng Zhicheng, Wen Zhaoci… both had the exact same initials: WZC!

She had been blind and foolish, mistaking the original novel’s deranged male lead for the female lead’s simp, sending him flirtatious friend requests and sweet-talking him for an entire month!

Beginner’s luck?

This was deadly misfortune!

Sang Jiuning’s inner self was screaming, her internal monologue collapsing into chaos: It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!

She had hit on the wrong person! She had hit on the biggest boss in the book!

She clearly remembered the original character’s profile. Wen Zhaoci appeared cool and gentle on the outside, but inside he was obsessive, paranoid, and pathologically possessive. His personality later turned ruthless and merciless. Rumors said that those who crossed him met terrible fates—some even said he had enemies thrown into deep mountain forests to be devoured by wolves.

Was it still possible to run away now?

If she broke up with him on the spot, would she survive the day?

No, no. She absolutely could not bring it up directly.

The male lead’s obsessive nature was ingrained in his bones. A rash confrontation would only lead to a miserable end.

Sang Jiuning’s mind raced for an emergency escape plan: Stay calm. Don’t panic. Pretend everything is normal. Go along with it for a few days, find an excuse later, say we’re not compatible, break up gently, slip away quietly, and vanish without a trace.

Forcing down the panic, terror, and embarrassment churning inside her, she steadied her expression and managed a sweet,恰到好处的 smile—part shy, part polite—and spoke softly: “Boyfriend… hello, I’m Sang Jiuning.”

Wen Zhaoci’s dark, deep eyes rested on her face.

The flicker of panic, shock, and fluster that had passed through the girl’s eyes moments ago had not escaped his notice.

He didn’t call her out on it, simply assuming that the young girl was shy and nervous about meeting in person for the first time.

Instead, his gaze was entirely captivated by the girl before him.

A little white dress, long hair cascading over her shoulders, light makeup that made her especially fresh and pretty. Her features were soft and clean as she sat quietly there, like a little flower untouched by the mundane world. She was both familiar and foreign, overlapping with the girl on WeChat who sweet-talked him every day, sent flirtatious messages, and occasionally showered him with cheesy endearments.

His deep, magnetic voice softened, carrying a subtle tenderness: “Ningning, you must be hungry.”

With a fingertip, he slid the thermos across the table. “Inside is lean meat congee and shrimp-and-egg pancakes.”

He had asked the housekeeper to prepare it early this morning and had the driver deliver it ahead of time. The thermos itself had been ordered online and delivered to his home just last night.

Sang Jiuning’s gaze fell on the thermos, then lifted to meet Wen Zhaoci’s deep, probing eyes.

The man’s calm gaze locked onto her, unwavering, unblinking.

The girl’s ears instantly flushed bright red, the heat spreading from the tips to her neck, burning fiercely.

A wave of mortification crashed over her.

She remembered just how bold she had been on WeChat.

Behind the screen, she had been fearless—calling him “boyfriend” left and right, acting cute, teasing him with sweet talk, sending cheesy messages every day, endlessly talkative, bold, and forward.

Now, face to face, with the man himself staring right at her, all her online bravado evaporated in an instant.

She wished she could dig a three-bedroom apartment into the floor right then and there, crawl into a crack, and disappear.

Bold online, socially dead in person.

The person she had been flirting with day and night turned out to be the novel’s most unhinged male lead.

Sang Jiuning wailed internally, yet she had to keep up her pure, sweet appearance. Her fingers curled slightly as she murmured, “Th-thank you, boyfriend.”

Wen Zhaoci watched the young girl before him—sweet-featured, clearly flustered and uncomfortable—and a low, tender smile spread through his eyes. His voice was deep and affectionate as he slowly spoke: “Don’t call me boyfriend. Call me by my name. Or… call me A-Ci.”

Two simple syllables—intimate, tender, carrying the gentle warmth exclusive to lovers.

Sang Jiuning’s heart clenched, her pulse suddenly spiraling out of control, pounding fiercely as if it would burst through her chest.

Her lips parted slightly, her fingers curling nervously, and she softly called out: “A-Ci… have you eaten?”

“No.”

Wen Zhaoci answered simply, his gaze never leaving her face, carrying a depth she couldn’t decipher.

The girl grew more flustered, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. She whispered, “Then… let’s eat together.”

The two sat across from each other by the window in the cafeteria and opened the thermos.

The delicate lean meat congee was warm and smooth, the shrimp-and-egg pancakes fragrant and appetizing—all carefully prepared breakfast items.

Throughout the entire meal, most of the conversation consisted of Wen Zhaoci initiating questions, with Sang Jiuning answering nervously, one by one.

He didn’t talk much, but every word was gentle, and his gaze kept drifting to her, observing her subtle expressions.

Sang Jiuning felt guilty the entire time. She sipped her congee in small bites while screaming internally.

The man before her was the original novel’s obsessive male lead—immense family power, a paranoid personality. She had recklessly flirted with him, and now every second of close proximity felt like walking on thin ice. She just wanted to escape as quickly as possible.

Finally finishing breakfast, Sang Jiuning couldn’t wait to find an excuse to leave. She stood up quickly, her tone a little rushed:

“A-Ci, I need to study for the CET-4 exam, so I have to go to the library. I’ll head off now.”

She fully expected him to let her go, giving her a moment of respite.

But Wen Zhaoci remained calm, rising gracefully and naturally falling into step beside her. His voice was flat yet brooked no refusal: “Perfect. I have nothing to do today. I’ll go with you.”

Sang Jiuning froze instantly.

She instinctively wanted to refuse, frantically searching her mind for any excuse to weasel out. But a thousand thoughts jammed at her lips, and she couldn’t come up with a single suitable pretext.

Looking up, she met Wen Zhaoci’s deep, exquisite eyes—cool yet gentle, carrying an invisible pressure.

The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue twisted into a single, soft word: “Okay.”