Why is the system taking my request to photograph a cosplayer seriously?

Chapter 16: A Lifetime!

Wenjing signed the "unequal treaty" offered by Ding Heng without fully understanding what was going on.

My mind is a bit of a mess. I can't quite put my finger on whether it's because I find it troublesome or because there's a little bit of... secret anticipation.

She glanced at Ding Heng furtively and asked in a low voice, "You drove all the way from Xingcheng late at night just to ask me this?"

Ding Heng, without batting an eye, brazenly replied, "What else could I possibly do? Would I be so bored as to race cars in the middle of the night?"

"Then...then why did you ask me for Yan hope's address before..."

"What, are you bothered by this?"

Wenjing immediately felt guilty, pouted, neither daring to admit nor deny it, and simply lowered her head even further.

Seeing her conflicted and hesitant expression, Ding Heng suddenly found it a bit funny and stopped teasing her.

"Don't worry, there's nothing between me and her, and there won't be any in the future."

In Ding Heng's view, he had been clueless in taking Zhao Yanxi home and had even meddlesomely reminded her father.

After all this, Zhao Yanxi will most likely realize that he is not the kind of person she subconsciously wants to find, someone who can "fall" and "go crazy" with her, thus reducing her excitement and desire for challenge, and eventually losing interest completely.

When Wenjing heard Ding Heng's almost guarantee-like words, although she still kept her head down, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.

The heavy, sour little stone in my heart seemed to have been lifted away all at once, and a light, smug joy welled up inside me.

At the same time, the system information in Ding Heng's mind was updated:

[The Record of Redemption: Wenjing]

[Current Status: The Corrupted Nun]

Purification level: 20%

[Ding! Purification value exceeds 20%, milestone achieved!]

[Rewards: Divine Merit +500, Constitution +3, Skill "True Sight" officially activated!]

Become!

Ding Heng was overjoyed; it was just as he had predicted!

Compared to Zhao Yanxi, Wenjing's psychological problems are actually quite simple, which can be summarized in two words—lack of love!

As the second child in a four-child family where sons are favored over daughters, Wenjing likely received very little attention and positive emotional feedback growing up.

She was used to being ignored, used to giving and yielding, and deep down she had an almost instinctive desire to be valued and favored.

She and Zhao Yanxi, these two best friends, are practically two extremes.

An excessive amount of attention from her mother led to psychological imbalance.

Being excessively neglected by family leads to an inner emptiness.

Therefore, whenever Ding Heng makes Wen Jing clearly feel that she is specially favored, cared for, or even "domineeringly" demanded of, the sense of satisfaction and security that fills the void is directly reflected in the stable increase of purification value.

This approach couldn't be simpler!

Moreover, if this trend continues, Ding Heng is absolutely confident that he can max out Wen Jing's purification value before the start of university.

In addition, the first system skill was finally unlocked, and Ding Heng couldn't wait to start trying it out.

With a slight thought, he looked at Wenjing in the passenger seat again, and saw rows of pale golden, semi-transparent data text quietly appearing in the air beside her:

Name: Wenjing

Age: 18

Height: 158 cm

[Weight: 51 kg]

[3D: 86-60-89]

[Emotional state: Nervous/Shy/Secretly pleased/Anxious]

[Physiological state: Slightly fatigued, 85% hunger]

Ok?

Ding Heng's gaze lingered on the "three-dimensional" data for a fraction of a second before sweeping over Wen Jing's silhouette, which was enveloped in loose loungewear.

Turtle...

This data is even more astonishing than his previous visual estimation; he's truly a hidden talent.

Also... 85% hunger level?

Ding Heng then noticed that ever since Wen Jing got on the bus, she would occasionally lightly cover her abdomen with her hand.

He asked directly, "Are you very hungry?"

Wenjing looked like she'd been caught doing something wrong. She hurriedly removed her hand from her stomach, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her voice was weak: "Um... I only had some soup for dinner."

Ding Heng frowned: "Don't your family feed you?"

Even if they are not valued, surely they shouldn't be denied food?

"No, no!"

Wenjing quickly waved her hand in denial, hastily explaining, "I came back too late and missed dinner time. My dad went to drive for Didi after get off work, and my mom was tutoring my younger brother..."

I felt bad troubling them to cook again, so I told them I'd already eaten at my workplace, and then I just drank some soup with the leftovers.

"Can't you just order takeout if you're hungry?"

"Takeout food is unhygienic."

"Is it because it's unhygienic, or because you're unwilling to spend the money?"

"Well……"

Are you short of money right now?

"It's...it's alright..."

Wenjing kept her head down, and her voice was almost inaudible.

Ding Heng didn't ask any more questions. He gestured for her to fasten her seatbelt, started the car, and drove towards a nearby food street that was still lit up.

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a Shaxian snack shop that was still open for business.

"get off."

Ding Heng unbuckled his seatbelt.

Wenjing glanced at the sign, then at Ding Heng, and obediently got off the bus.

Ding Heng walked straight in and called out to the owner, "One chicken leg and braised egg rice set meal, extra braised egg, extra chicken leg. And another serving of... wontons, please."

Wenjing obediently sat down at the small table against the wall, watching Ding Heng pay the bill. She wanted to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Soon, the steaming hot chicken leg rice was served.

"Eat."

"Oh, thank you!"

Wenjing was a little reserved at first, eating her rice and vegetables in small bites.

But perhaps because the hunger was too intense, or perhaps because she gradually relaxed in front of Ding Heng, she ate with great concentration, her eyes slightly narrowed, occasionally letting out soft, satisfied breaths, unaware that her cheeks were smeared with sauce.

She gnawed those two big chicken drumsticks clean, not even leaving the tendons attached to the bones.

The braised eggs were also eaten in bites of half, making my cheeks twitch as I ate.

Finally, she scraped every single grain of rice off the plate, even mixing it with the vegetable broth, before picking up the soup and gulping down several mouthfuls.

"belch……"

She let out a soft burp, and Wenjing immediately covered her mouth, blushing from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her neck, wishing she could bury her face in the empty plate.

Ding Heng finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Is this really necessary to be this cute...?

When Wenjing heard Ding Heng's laughter, the tips of her ears turned bright red. Her fingers frantically picked at the edge of the table. After a long while, she finally looked up and scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

"Am I...do I eat very badly...?"

"It's alright, it goes well with rice."

Ding Heng pushed the untouched bowl of wontons in front of her: "Have some of this too? Otherwise it'll be a waste."

"No, no, no, I'm really full, very full!"

Wenjing patted her belly, a contented and simple smile spreading across her face.

Ding Heng didn't press the matter, and slowly began eating the bowl of wontons, casually asking as he ate, "Did you pass your interview during the day?"

"without……"

Mentioning this, Wenjing immediately made a bitter face: "The store manager said I wasn't quick enough, couldn't keep up during peak hours, and wasn't good at communicating with customers, my voice was too soft... So, they gave me a one-day trial period, gave me fifty yuan, and told me I didn't need to go anymore."

Ding Heng continued, "So what are your plans next? Are you looking for someone else?"

Wenjing sighed and shook her head: "I don't know... I'll think about it some more, but Yanxi said she'll help me find a solution!"

Ding Heng smoothly steered the conversation in that direction: "You and Zhao Yanxi have a really good relationship."

Mentioning this, Wenjing clearly perked up.

"We've known each other since kindergarten! We were in the same class in elementary and middle school, and although we were in different classes in high school, we lived next door to each other and often played together after class."

She started counting on her fingers, reciting, "Yan hope and I ate the same bag of spicy snacks in elementary school, and drank the same cup of milk tea in junior high..."

"Alright, alright, stop nagging. I know you two are very close."

Wenjing wasn't annoyed when Ding Heng interrupted her; instead, she showed a pure, unreserved trust and joy.

"In short, Yan hope is my most important friend, and we will definitely be best friends for life!"

The girl's eyes were clear and firm as she repeated herself.

"Yes, for a lifetime!"