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

Chapter 49: Zhao Yanxi's Other Friends

After dropping Wenjing off, Ding Heng didn't rush back.

The car turned two corners and slowly came to a stop at the entrance of another residential complex.

He leaned back in his chair, took out his phone, and casually scrolled through it for two minutes.

The WeChat chat window was still showing Wenjing's message, "I'm home," accompanied by a waving bunny emoji.

He replied with an "Mm," and then there was no further communication from the other end.

Probably packing something, or... not knowing how to answer.

Ding Heng put his phone back on the center console.

The passenger door was suddenly pulled open from the outside.

"Brother Ding Heng—!!!"

Zhao Yanxi got into the car, her high, misty purple ponytail swinging in the air in an arc.

She was dressed very simply today.

A pure white short-sleeved shirt with a loose neckline, revealing a small section of delicate collarbone.

She wore a light blue denim mini skirt that ended mid-thigh, revealing her long, straight legs, paired with white canvas shoes.

I just tied my hair up haphazardly, and a few stray strands weren't tied in and were hanging down beside my ears.

She wore light makeup, almost unnoticeable unless you looked closely. Her eyebrows were neatly trimmed, her eyelashes were curled, and her lips were a pale peach color, like freshly peeled lychee flesh, moist and glossy.

It's not the kind of beauty that comes from deliberately dressing up, but the kind of beauty that's "casually done up," yet still captivating.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

She opened her little notebook and held it up in front of Ding Heng, showing it off like a treasure: "Look, look, look!"

Motor vehicle driver's license.

In the photo, Zhao Yanxi smiles with her eyes crinkling, looking even more adorable than in real life.

Ding Heng raised an eyebrow: "Passed?"

"It's approved! I just received it yesterday!"

Zhao Yanxi was so excited that her calves were swaying slightly.

"sharp."

Ding Heng spoke calmly, preparing to start the car, but Zhao Yanxi grabbed his wrist.

"Wait, wait!"

Zhao Yanxi asked with great anticipation, "Didn't you promise me that you'd let me test drive after I got my driver's license?"

Ding Heng stopped moving.

He slowly turned his head and met Zhao Yanxi's big eyes, which seemed to say, "Let me drive, let me drive, let me drive."

"Really open?"

"It's really open!"

"Forehead……"

Ding Heng remained silent for two seconds, then sighed resignedly and got out of the car.

The two switched places.

Zhao Yanxi sat in the driver's seat, placing her hands on the steering wheel as if she were holding some sacred authority.

She took a deep breath and began adjusting her seat—

Pull it forward a little.

Go a little further ahead.

It seems a bit too close?

She pushed it back again.

No, I still feel uncomfortable.

What about the height? How do I adjust the height?

She stared blankly at the adjustment lever on the side of the seat, hesitating to move it.

Ding Heng's temples throbbed as he watched from the side.

Didn't your driving school teach you how to adjust the seat?

"I was taught, but I forgot."

Zhao Yanxi spoke with righteous indignation.

Ding Heng didn't speak, but leaned over.

He reached one hand to Zhao Yanxi's waist, touched the seat adjustment lever, and gently lifted it up.

With his other hand he held onto the back of the chair and pushed the entire chair forward a few notches.

The distance suddenly closed.

Zhao Yanxi smelled the faint scent on Ding Heng; it was clean and refreshing.

"Do you need a cushion to sit on?"

"No, no need..."

Zhao Yanxi's voice lowered by an octave.

Ding Heng didn't look up. His fingers touched the adjustment knob on the side of the seat, and the seat slowly rose until Zhao Yanxi's line of sight was level with the center line of the windshield.

"rearview mirror."

He leaned over again, adjusted the angle of the rearview mirror, and then pulled his hand back.

"Do you know how to adjust the side mirrors yourself?"

"Yes...yes."

Zhao Yanxi obediently reached out and adjusted the rearview mirror on her side to a suitable position.

Ding Heng withdrew his hand and leaned back in his chair.

There was a two-second silence in the cockpit, and Zhao Yanxi hesitated to press the accelerator.

She suddenly whispered, "How about we just drive my mom's car?"

Ding Heng said nonchalantly, "It's fine. This car isn't expensive, it's old, and it's sturdy and durable."

After saying that, he gripped the passenger side door tightly, his expression one of resignation to his fate!

Zhao Yanxi paused for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Alright, if something happens, we can be considered to have committed suicide together?"

"Can't you say something nicer?"

"hey-hey……"

Zhao Yanxi gripped the steering wheel again and pressed the start button.

The deep roar of the engine filled the air.

"So, I'm really going to drive it?"

"open."

The car slowly slid out of the parking space, drove onto the auxiliary road in front of the community gate, and then merged into the main road traffic.

Zhao Yanxi drove slowly and steadily, her hands gripping the steering wheel properly, her eyes focused intently on the road ahead.

He turns on his turn signal in advance when approaching an intersection, slows down well in front of pedestrians, and doesn't panic when overtaken by a car behind him, strictly adhering to traffic rules.

Ding Heng's initial anxiety gradually subsided.

"Where to?"

"It's my classmate's birthday, we've made plans to go to karaoke."

"Not taking Wenjing with you?"

"Have you forgotten? Wenjing and I weren't in the same class in high school, and besides... Wenjing doesn't like these kinds of occasions."

The car smoothly passed two intersections. Zhao Yan looked at the red light ahead and gently stepped on the brake.

Ding Heng turned to ask, "Does Wenjing really only have you as a friend?"

"She's not very good at making friends."

Zhao Yanxi silently counted down the red light countdown.

"She speaks softly and is afraid to initiate conversations with others. When others approach her, she doesn't know how to respond. Back in junior high, when the class was divided into groups, she was always the last one to be chosen."

The red light turns green.

"Among her friends, Hua Yue counts as half, and I count as one..."

She released the brake and gently accelerated: "Now, there's you too."

Ding Heng didn't reply, and the car continued to drive smoothly forward.

Twenty minutes later, the car came to a stop downstairs at the KTV.

It took a full five minutes!

Zhao Yanxi repeatedly adjusted the steering wheel. If the car was tilted, she would straighten it; if she straightened it too much, she would turn it to the right; if she turned it too much, she would correct it to the left.

Even though there were empty parking spaces all around her, she still managed to park until she was covered in sweat.

Ding Heng sat in the passenger seat, looking at the zigzagging trajectory line in the reversing camera, swallowing back the words that were about to come out several times.

Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore.

"How many packs of cigarettes did you give the driving instructor?"

"No cigarette was stuffed in!"

While continuing to adjust her direction, Zhao Yanxi stubbornly insisted, "The coach said I'm very talented, I just need more practice!"

"Talent? I think it's because of your dad..."

"Ding Heng!"

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore."

After a couple more tries, Zhao Yanxi finally managed to park the car in the parking space.

I turned off the engine, pulled the handbrake, and let out a long breath.

She then turned to look at Ding Heng, her eyes sparkling like a proud little kitten waiting to be praised.

Ding Heng looked at her for two seconds, then finally gave a bitter smile and sighed.

"First time driving, it's alright, I guess."

"whee!"

Zhao Yanxi grinned, completely satisfied.

The two got out of the car. Zhao Yanxi took out a small mirror from her bag, touched up her lip gloss, and smoothed the stray hairs at her temples.

Then she turned to the side and naturally took Ding Heng's arm.

"You can't spoil the fun later."

Zhao Yanxi looked up, her eyes cunning yet serious.

Ding Heng didn't pull his hand away: "Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person."

Vanity is something both boys and girls experience at eighteen; it's not a matter of high or low status.

A guy who brings a beautiful girlfriend to a dinner party can be the envy of everyone there for the whole night.

A woman bringing a presentable male companion often doubles the effect.

After all, the competition among women is always a fierce undercurrent, and it can be deadly.

The noise inside paused for a moment the instant the door to the private room was pushed open.

A dozen pairs of eyes turned to look at them simultaneously.

The private room was large, with dark-colored upholstered walls and neon strips casting an ambiguous purple-blue glow on the ceiling.

The long sofa was mostly occupied, mostly by women.

On the large screen in the center, a popular K-pop dance song was playing. The girl holding the microphone stopped and turned her head.

She was of medium height, wearing a cream-white lace princess dress with layers of skirt that reached her knees. Her long, chestnut-brown curly hair was draped over her shoulders, and a small rhinestone princess crown was pinned in her hair.

"Yan Xi—!"

The birthday girl, Li Linna, put down the microphone and quickly stepped forward, opening her arms wide.

"You've finally arrived!"

She hugged Zhao Yanxi tightly, her voice deliberately coquettish: "I've missed you so much, it's been over a month!"

Zhao Yanxi released Ding Heng and hugged him back with a smile: "I'm going to work a summer job, aren't I?"

"What summer job?"

Li Linna released her, glanced at Ding Heng, and smiled mischievously: "I think she's prioritizing her lover over her friend. She's off with that jerk."

Zhao Yanxi slapped her in an annoyed tone: "Your man is the stinky one!"

"Oh, so you're protecting her now."

Li Linna smiled, turned to Ding Heng in a generous manner, and extended her hand.

"Hello, Li Lina, Yan hope's high school classmate, welcome."

"Ding Heng".

Ding Heng gave it a firm shake, just the right amount of pressure: "Happy Birthday!"

Li Linna withdrew her hand, looked Zhao Yanxi up and down, then winked at her: "You're even more handsome in person than in your photos on WeChat Moments! Tell me, how did you pick him up?"

"You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth, what kind of flirting is this!"

Zhao Yanxi laughed and cursed twice, then went to pat her again.

Li Linna didn't press for details, and instead took Zhao Yanxi's hand and led her towards the sofa.

After the two took their seats, the sofa area quickly became lively.

The girls surrounded Zhao Yanxi, chatting excitedly about their summer vacation plans.

"Yan hope, when did you dye your hair? This purple looks so good!"

"What brand is it? Will it damage my hair?"

Do you think this hair color suits me? My skin is a bit more yellow than yours...

Ding Heng sat on the edge of the sofa, slowly sipping the lemonade that the waiter had brought him.

He discovered something.

Today is Li Linna's birthday, and Zhao Yanxi even deliberately didn't dress up, but she still gradually became the center of attention.

She's not the kind of "big sister" type who dominates everyone else.

It is implicitly regarded as the "benchmark".

For example, many girls want to imitate her new purple hair and ask Zhao Yanxi which hair color suits them best.

For example, if they want to buy a certain piece of clothing, they will ask Zhao Yanxi for her opinion, as if the clothes will only look good on them if she agrees.

Even Li Linna dyed her long hair after seeing Zhao Yanxi's posts on WeChat Moments.

However, her facial features couldn't support a very striking hair color, so in the end she only dared to choose brown—safe and foolproof.

Although everyone seemed to be chatting enthusiastically, there was a layer of superficial falsehood about it.

Ding Heng finally understood why Zhao Yanxi hadn't asked Wen Jing to come.

In this situation, the little rabbit who blushes when talking to people probably wouldn't know where to stand.

Suddenly, the lights went out.

The door was pushed open, and a tall boy pushed in a three-tiered cake cart. The candle flames flickered in the dim light, illuminating his face.

He had a buzz cut, tanned skin, broad shoulders, and long legs. He wore a white T-shirt and sweatpants, and a pair of limited-edition Air Jordans.

"Wow—!!!"

The girls tactfully stood up and made room for each other in the middle of the sofa.

Zhao Yanxi returned to Ding Heng's side, took his arm, and whispered in his ear.

"Zhang Jiekai," she whispered, "Li Linna's boyfriend, he's in the same class as Wenjing."

Ding Heng nodded.

"A male dog in heat, he's had six girlfriends in three years. He even tried to pursue Wenjing back in his senior year of high school."

Zhao Yanxi didn't mince words when she complained: "This male dog probably thought Wenjing was the kind of person who could be tamed with a flick of her finger, but in the end, I scared him back by threatening my dad."

Ding Heng smiled and joked, "Then I should thank you."

Zhao Yanxi was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and nudged him with her elbow in an annoyed manner.

"Don't flatter yourself! I'm protecting Wenjing, what's it to you?"

Ding Heng didn't dodge; instead, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Yes, yes, it has nothing to do with me."

"snort!"

Zhao Yanxi gave a soft hum and finally leaned quietly against Ding Heng's chest.

Not far away, Zhang Jiekai knelt on one knee in front of Li Linna, looked up, his expression sincere, and his voice loud.

Happy birthday, Lina.

He took out a silver necklace with a pendant that depicted a coiled dragon.

Li Linna covered her mouth, her eyes reddening, while the girls around her exclaimed in unison, "Wow!"

Ding Heng squinted at it, and the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.

"This thing..."

He turned to Zhao Yanxi and asked, "Your friend doesn't mind?"

"dislike?"

Zhao Yanxi was puzzled: "This is the same trendy item as Longhe's, and the authentic one is very expensive. Li Linna is a die-hard fan of Longhe, and she's been talking about this necklace for ages."

Ding Heng: "..."

When he was ten years old, he gave Longhe an identical one, which cost him a full 10 silver dollars, the equivalent of two days' worth of breakfast money.

Zhao Yanxi continued to educate Ding Heng: "Legend has it that this necklace has a special significance for Long He. She has never taken it off since her debut, and fans say it is her lucky charm."

"puff……"

Ding Heng couldn't help but burst out laughing.

What important meaning could a necklace bought during a child's teenage rebellion have?

Zhao Yanxi turned her head: "What are you laughing at?"

Did I laugh?

"Didn't you laugh?"

"I'm sorry, I just remembered something happy..."