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

Chapter 2: Ding Heng is a good person

"Wenjing, are you a local from Xingcheng?"

"No, I'm from Zhuzhou next door. My classmates dragged me here because of the comic convention."

The two walked and talked, with Ding Heng walking beside Wen Jing, using his body to help the girl separate from the crowded flow of people, while always maintaining a polite distance of half a body length.

He was very tall with broad shoulders, like a moving wall. Several women who tried to approach Wenjing were stopped by Ding Heng with a look.

Wenjing saw this and felt much more at ease.

The two walked to the rest area.

Here, near the edge of the convention center, the light is dimmer than in the main venue, with only a few wall lamps emitting a soft glow.

Most of the rows of blue plastic chairs were empty, with only a few people sitting there playing on their phones or eating.

Wenjing sat down against the wall and put her bag on her lap.

Ding Heng did not leave as he had promised. Instead, he sat down next to Wen Jing, spreading his legs casually to the sides, almost touching her knees.

At the same time, the system interface in his mind began to change.

Ding Heng - The First Oath Knight

[Temple Rank: Lightforged Apprentice]

[Sacred Merit: 500]

[Attributes: Strength 7, Agility 8, Constitution 9, Intelligence 15, Faith 13 (+3), Perception 5]

[Task Objective: 1]

His gaze lingered on the glowing mark of the "mission objective," and the mark then unfolded its details.

[The Record of Redemption: Wenjing]

[Current Status: The Corrupted Nun]

Purification value: 10% (Please raise Wenjing's purification value to 100% as soon as possible)

Purification?

How to purify it?

This little "Phoebe" who doesn't even dare to speak loudly looks like a model student and obedient girl. Where does she need to be purified?

We can't just...

Ding Heng was wondering about this when Wen Jing finally couldn't help but ask.

"Ding Heng, aren't you...aren't you going to the exhibition?"

"I'm done shopping."

Ding Heng yawned lazily: "I made plans with a friend, but she stood me up, so I'm pretty free now."

"Oh... okay."

Wenjing was completely clueless about finding topics to talk about, so the conversation ended, and she silently lowered her head to fiddle with the decorations on her skirt.

Silence spread between the two.

Wenjing secretly glanced at Ding Heng out of the corner of her eye.

The boy leaned back in his chair, aimlessly scrolling through his phone. His profile was sharp, with a clearly defined jawline and his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

After staring for a while, Wenjing's heart fluttered slightly, and she no longer deliberately avoided contact, letting her knee touch Ding Heng's thigh.

"Your outfit..."

Ding Heng suddenly broke the silence.

Wenjing raised her head and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"They must be quite uncomfortable to wear, especially these socks."

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

Wenjing blushed again, instinctively bringing her legs together and pressing her hands on her skirt, no longer daring to look directly at Ding Heng.

"It's just clothes, there's no need to be so ashamed."

Ding Heng chuckled and said with a sigh, "To be honest, your personality isn't suited for comic conventions. You should learn to say no next time."

"Oh……"

Wenjing felt so disgusted by what she was being said that she wanted to disappear into the ground.

She recalled Zhao Yanxi's prank in the locker room, and a feeling of grievance welled up inside her.

Ding Heng is right, she shouldn't have agreed to Zhao Yanxi's request in the first place!

If I hadn't agreed, I could still be lying at home enjoying the air conditioning, eating watermelon, and watching TV shows, without this awkward situation.

"If you really like cosplay, you can find someone to do a photoshoot with, like me."

Ding Heng waved the camera on his chest and took the opportunity to promote himself: "Although I just graduated from high school, I have a few years of photography experience and I also know a little bit of Photoshop."

Wenjing didn't dare to reply.

She had heard Zhao Yanxi mention the cosplay photoshoot.

Most cosplayers don't have the looks to pull off anime character costumes and need heavy makeup and post-production photo editing.

Therefore, good photographers charge very high fees, and many cosplayers who can't afford it but are somewhat attractive end up...

Wenjing blushed more and more as she thought about it, and felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Send a message to your friends and tell them where you are."

Ding Heng noticed Wen Jing's mood and quickly changed the subject to avoid being seen as a bad person with ulterior motives.

Wenjing then remembered, took out her phone and sent her location to Zhao Yanxi, then stared at the screen waiting for a reply.

About a minute later, Zhao Yanxi replied with an "okay" and said she would be right there.

"They'll be here right away."

"Hmm... I'll wait with you."

Ding Heng responded with a nod and said nothing more.

Silence fell between the two of them again.

Wenjing began to feel that time was slowing down, and every second was being stretched out.

She could clearly feel Ding Heng's gaze roaming over her, from the top of her head to her cheeks, from her neck to her chest, and finally resting on her legs which were pressed together.

That gaze felt like it had a real weight, making it hard for her to breathe.

"you……"

Wenjing mustered her courage and tried to start a conversation: "Which school do you go to?"

Having just graduated, she could never avoid talking about student-related topics.

Ding Heng responded: "Xingcheng No.1 Middle School."

"You're from one of the top four schools in Changsha, you must have gotten a very high score on the college entrance exam."

"It's alright...just over 600."

"Hehe, I have a little more than you, 616."

Wenjing's excellent grades gave her confidence, and she unconsciously straightened her posture and continued to ask questions.

"Have you received your acceptance letter yet?"

"Yes, Hubei University. My family doesn't want me to go too far away."

"Me too, we'll be alumni!"

"That's great!"

Ding Heng smiled knowingly.

Wenjing hummed in agreement, unsure how to continue the conversation.

She's not good at chatting, especially with strangers.

Suddenly, a boy ran over from a distance, wearing an anime shirt. He wasn't very tall and didn't stand out much in the crowd.

"Quiet!?"

"Tian Kai..."

Upon seeing an acquaintance, Wenjing became nervous again.

"What are you doing at the anime convention? Do you also cosplay Naruto? Are you cosplaying Phoebe? What a coincidence, I just bought some of her merchandise..."

Tian Kai was also not very good at chatting; he would just launch into a barrage of questions.

As Wenjing's classmate, the excitement in his eyes was almost overflowing the moment he saw Wenjing cosplaying Phoebe.

My classmate, the goddess of the class, has the same hobby as me!!!

Tian Kai's mind had already begun to automatically conjure up an entire million-word light novel—"The Class Monitor Who Cosplays a Nun Won't Meet Me, the Gamer Girl."

"Hello, I am Ding Heng."

As Tian Kai drew closer, Ding Heng stood up and blocked Wen Jing's path, gesturing with his hand.

Tian Kai paused for a moment, then put down his surroundings and shook hands with Ding Heng: "You... hello, Tian Kai... who are you?"

"I came with Wenjing. You must be her classmate. It's nice to meet you."

Ding Heng spoke ambiguously, then promptly changed the subject, displaying just the right amount of curiosity.

"Hey! Tian Kai, where did you buy this Phoebe chibi body pillow? Was it expensive?"

Tian Kai regarded Ding Heng as a "like-minded person" and immediately shifted his attention from Wen Jing, following Ding Heng's topic.

"There's a Mingchao display case there, you can go check it out, but it seems to be sold out."

"What a pity, I was thinking of buying one to put on my bed too."

"There should be scalpers selling salted fish."

"It's okay, maybe you'll get a better feel for it soon."

Ding Heng glanced back at Wen Jing, the adorable little "Phoebe" who kept her head down and remained silent.

She not only didn't deny it, but even secretly rejoiced.

Without Ding Heng, I really wouldn't know how to deal with the "enthusiastic" Tian Kai...

"Um... there's a new event at the Genshin Impact booth, I'll be going now."

Tian Kai suddenly glanced at the time and hurriedly left. Wen Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still feeling weak.

Ding Heng sat down again: "What's wrong?"

Wenjing pursed her lips: "I'm afraid he'll go back and talk nonsense..."

"What's there to be afraid of? It's normal for young people to have hobbies."

"Mainly because my parents are quite traditional."

"I can tell."

"Well……"

Wenjing was speechless after Ding Heng's retort.

Tian Kai's parents and his own parents work in similar units and see each other all the time, so there's no chance that something might leak out.

If her parents knew she was at a comic convention in such outlandish clothes, they'd probably scold her terribly, and she'd lose a lot of her allowance in college.

Ding Heng continued to comfort him, "They're just high school classmates. There's an 80% chance you'll never see them again after graduation. Don't overthink it."

Wenjing nodded, agreeing with Ding Heng's point, but secretly felt something was amiss.

Logically speaking, she knew Tian Kai very well. Apart from having low emotional intelligence and being a bit of a homebody, he wasn't a particularly evil person, so there was no need for her to gossip to her parents.

However, when faced with Ding Heng, whom she had only known for less than an hour, she subconsciously regarded Tian Kai as an outsider she needed to be wary of.

"It's alright, Ding Heng seems to be a good person."

Wenjing patted her chest, trying to comfort and convince herself...