"You... fine, fine," Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up as soon as she heard Zhao Ming's offer.
She thought her beauty had attracted his attention, and her heart filled with delight.
Her attitude toward Zhao Ming softened immediately. After all, he was just another one of her admirers.
Back in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, no one dared to so boldly express their affection for her. After all, her father wasn't someone to mess with.
But now, someone was using this straightforward approach for the first time...
Ah, it's making her feel so shy!
Still, she wasn't the kind of person to be easily won over. After she got the necklace, she'd just come up with an excuse and leave him behind!
Feeling confident in her plan, Ning Rongrong said sweetly, "By the way, my name is Ning Rongrong. You can just call me Rongrong."
"Oh, so it's Miss Rongrong," Zhao Ming smiled knowingly.
He saw right through her plan and wasn't going to let her have her way so easily!
"How much for this necklace?" Zhao Ming asked the shopkeeper, picking up the necklace that Ning Rongrong had been eyeing. He had to admit, Ning Rongrong had an eye for good stuff. Even though Zhao Ming wasn't an expert in jewelry, he could tell it looked quite exquisite.
This necklace would look perfect on Xiao Wu! Small yet elegant and lively.
"Uh, sir, this isn't just any necklace. It's made from the crystal of a Purple Crystal Beast, a soul beast found in the ocean. Plus, it's the latest design..." The shopkeeper started his sales pitch.
"Alright, alright, just tell me the price. I've got plenty of money," Zhao Ming waved him off impatiently.
"One hundred gold soul coins."
"One hundred gold soul coins, huh? That's not too bad." Zhao Ming said casually, clearly not bothered by the price.
Seeing Zhao Ming's rich attitude, Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled. She wasn't exactly short on money herself—she could easily afford the necklace. But haggling was just her way of stretching her funds a little longer. What she really enjoyed was the thrill of having someone else spend money on her. After all, didn't that mean they were basically praising her beauty? Who would rush to pay for someone who wasn't pretty?
Feeling a little smug, she began to relax.
"Shopkeeper, what about that big gold chain over there?" Zhao Ming asked, pointing at an oversized, gaudy gold chain on display.
"Sir, that one isn't real gold, and its style is outdated. It's the kind of thing older women in their forties or fifties wear. If you buy the crystal necklace, I can throw in that one for free," the shopkeeper said, puzzled.
"Deal. I'll take both," Zhao Ming said, slapping down one hundred gold soul coins on the counter without a second thought.
"Hee hee, big brother, you're so generous!" Ning Rongrong smiled sweetly, dimples showing.
"No worries, it's what I should do," Zhao Ming smiled back. "Oh, by the way, I'll take the small one, and you can have the big one. How about that? It's my honor to buy something for you, Miss Rongrong."
"What did you say?" Just as she was about to reach for the crystal necklace, Ning Rongrong froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You're saying I get... that?"
Ning Rongrong pointed at the oversized gold chain, too stunned to believe her ears.
This guy was supposed to be wooing her, right?
How could he?
"Of course," Zhao Ming said matter-of-factly. "I bought both necklaces. I don't need much—just the small one is fine for me. As for the larger one, it's naturally a perfect fit for you, Miss Rongrong. This gold chain weighs a full pound! It matches your elegance perfectly. And if you're not satisfied, I can buy you another."
Hearing Zhao Ming's words, Ning Rongrong was trembling with rage, her finger shaking as she pointed at him.
That gold chain was bulky and heavy! Just looking at it made her feel burdened. If she wore it around her neck, how tacky would she look? Plus, the shopkeeper had already said it wasn't even real gold!
"You jerk! Do you have a death wish?" Ning Rongrong shouted, her face flushed with anger as she glared at Zhao Ming.
"Miss Rongrong, you've misunderstood me. You wanted the bigger one, I'm keeping the smaller one—what's the issue? Besides, I already paid for you."
"You just want to steal my necklace!"
"You... you said your name was Zhao Ming, right? You better not cross my path again, or you'll regret it!" Ning Rongrong was so furious her chest was heaving, tears almost welling up in her eyes.
Back in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, she was cherished like a gem. Wherever she went, she was pampered—no one dared to bully her! But now, looking at Zhao Ming, she was so angry that she wanted to bite him.
"I mean, it's not that bad," Zhao Ming said, shrugging. He placed the heavy chain around Ning Rongrong's neck.
"See? That lady over there is wearing the same one, and she looks so confident with it on," Zhao Ming laughed.
Ning Rongrong followed Zhao Ming's gaze.
A plump, middle-aged woman was proudly strutting down the street, her enormous gold chain glittering under the streetlights.
"Ugh, I hate you!" Seeing the woman, Ning Rongrong was even more enraged. She turned to lash out at Zhao Ming, but he had already vanished into the crowd.
Listening to her angry shouts in the distance, Zhao Ming smirked as he held up the dainty crystal necklace. Under the streetlights, the necklace sparkled beautifully, just as he had imagined.
This would make a perfect gift for Xiao Wu. Ning Rongrong had chosen it based on her own measurements, and since she and Xiao Wu were about the same age, it would fit her perfectly.
As for Ning Rongrong, Zhao Ming had plans for her.
It wasn't just about her looks—her connection to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan made her a valuable target for alliance. If he could win her over, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan would be in the bag, which was an opportunity too good to pass up. Unlike the Clear Sky Clan or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, auxiliary sects like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan needed to rely on others for protection, making them more stable and trustworthy for Zhao Ming.
And Ning Rongrong's martial spirit, which enhanced combat abilities, would make her a valuable partner.
But getting Ning Rongrong to fall for him by being overly nice wouldn't work. That wasn't Zhao Ming's style. From what he'd seen in countless dramas, the second male lead often showered the female lead with affection but never got her in the end. Instead, it was the guy who didn't fawn over her and occasionally made her upset who won her heart.
Ning Rongrong had been pampered her whole life, and everyone in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan had tried to win her favor. Did any of them succeed?
Even Oscar in the original story got nowhere with her early on, despite trying so hard. It wasn't until he stopped simping that their relationship improved. After that, he resumed simping, and their relationship stagnated. In the end, she only ended up with him because she had no other options.
From the age of twelve, Ning Rongrong had only interacted with the members of the Shrek Seven Devils. Everyone else was already paired off, so who else could she choose but Oscar? If she didn't choose him, Ning Fengzhi would have picked another simp for her. Between a familiar simp with some talent and a complete stranger, Ning Rongrong simply chose the better option.
But if you play it cool, she might just end up chasing after you instead.
---
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:
• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪
• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮
• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝
• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧