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

Chapter 57: The Fairy's Mission

At the apartment entrance, Hua Qing, already dressed in casual clothes, came out.

Simple casual sweatpants paired with a pure black fitted T-shirt accentuate a slender waist and upright shoulder line.

Her long hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, and her clean face was without any makeup, yet she was even more captivating than when she was wearing the gorgeous Miao costume.

She walked up to the crowd and gave an apologetic smile.

"How about we have some barbecue? It's on me."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Zhao Yanxi was the first to raise her hand, and everyone else followed suit, laughing and joking as they walked out.

Hua Qing and Hua Yue walked side by side, while Zhao Yanxi, arm in arm with Wen Jing, chatted incessantly.

Ding Heng lagged half a step behind, silently following behind the four girls.

After turning a corner, Zhao Yanxi suddenly slowed down and stopped next to Ding Heng.

"Brother Ding Heng."

"Um?"

"Have you noticed that Sister Hua Qing isn't very enthusiastic towards you?"

Ding Heng asked with a smile, "Did Hua Yue gossip about me, Wenjing, and you to her sister?"

Zhao Yanxi's eyes widened: "How did you know?!"

Ding Heng analyzed, "From the moment we met until now, she hasn't asked me about my background or my relationship with you. This means she already knows, and... feels it would be awkward to say it out loud."

Zhao Yanxi chuckled twice, defending her best friend: "Hua Yue is always gossiping, don't mind her, I'll talk to her about it later!"

"fine."

Ding Heng sighed, feigning sadness: "So what if I was misunderstood as a jerk by a pretty senior? I'm not sad at all."

Zhao Yanxi looked at his face, which seemed to say, "I'm very sad, but I won't say it," and couldn't help but laugh.

The two were chatting idly and intimately when they suddenly heard Hua Yue shout from ahead.

"Yan hope!"

The two looked up at the same time.

The three girls in front of them stopped walking at some point and turned around to look at them.

Zhao Yanxi immediately composed herself and put on a serious face.

"Here it comes!"

She quickened her pace and caught up with the three people in front of her.

Ding Heng lagged behind by a step and slowly caught up.

As he passed by Wenjing, he felt a gaze fall upon him.

It's very light.

But it remained there, carrying a strong smell of vinegar.

Wenjing was just walking with Zhao Yanxi.

Her best friend linked arms with her, chatting enthusiastically about summer vacation, saying she missed her, and that they could finally see each other more often after school started.

But before he knew it... he went to find Ding Heng.

Under the streetlights, two people walked side by side.

Zhao Yanxi tilted her head back and said something, while Ding Heng listened with his head slightly lowered.

They were very close, close enough that she could see the smile on Zhao Yanxi's face and the curve of Ding Heng's lips.

What did they say?

She can't hear.

But she noticed that Zhao Yanxi's ears had turned red.

Something tugged at Wenjing's heart.

It doesn't hurt.

I just... gave it a little squeeze.

She knew that Zhao Yanxi and Ding Heng had nothing going on.

No, maybe there is something, but Zhao Yanxi said it was fair competition.

But she just wasn't feeling well.

I've felt unwell ever since that cup of milk tea.

Zhao Yanxi handed the milk tea she had finished drinking to Ding Heng, who took it and drank it.

So natural, so self-evident.

What was she trying to say?

Are you trying to say, "Yan hope drank that milk tea"?

But saying it out loud would make me seem petty.

Now they're whispering to each other in the back.

These are still whispers that will make Yan hope blush!

Wenjing pursed her lips.

During this period, she lived with Ding Heng every day.

I thought that spending so much time together would give me some advantages?

But when Zhao Yanxi arrived—

A cup of milk tea.

A simple "good brother".

Those "advantages" she thought she had suddenly become light and airy, easily blown away by the wind.

Yan hope... has so many methods, and she's so ruthless!

Wenjing bit her lip, suddenly quickened her pace, ran to Ding Heng's other side, and grabbed his arm.

Ding Heng looked down at her.

Wenjing didn't look up, but simply held his arm, her round face puffed up like a little rabbit guarding its food.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Wenjing simply tightened her grip.

Hua Qing walked to the side, glancing at it out of the corner of her eye.

Seeing Ding Heng sandwiched between two girls, her simple view of love stirred a feeling of disgust within her.

As expected, Hua Yue was right; Ding Heng was a complete scumbag.

He's juggling two relationships and enjoying it immensely!

Hua Qing turned her head to look at her cousin beside her.

He has an ordinary appearance and dresses plainly, and often laughs without a care in the world.

She suddenly called out softly.

"Hua Yue".

"Um?"

"You're fine the way you are."

"What do you mean, sis?"

"At least it won't attract thieves."

Hua Yue: "?!"

It was the start of the school year, and the barbecue restaurant was quite crowded. The group waited in line for a while before being seated at a long table by the window.

Just like before, Wenjing and Zhao Yanxi sat on either side of Ding Heng, while Hua Qing and Hua Yue sat opposite them.

The waiter brought the menu, and the group gathered together to order.

Pork belly, beef, chicken wings, potato slices, enoki mushrooms... one by one, they were hooked up.

Several young girls went to mix the seasonings hand in hand, leaving only Ding Heng and Hua Qing at the seats for a while.

The two were separated by a table with an empty baking pan in between.

Hua Qing was looking down at her phone, the light from the screen reflecting on her face, her expression indifferent.

"Senior..."

Ding Heng prepared to say a few words to ease the awkwardness.

Hua Qing paused for a moment, then pretended not to hear and continued looking at her phone.

Ding Heng sighed and smiled, not pressing the matter further.

He could tell that Hua Qing was very uncomfortable being alone with him.

The reason I'm still sitting here is probably because...

Ding Heng's gaze fell on her left foot.

He had noticed it several times along the way.

Hua Qing would pause very slightly whenever her left foot touched the ground while walking.

Are you injured?

Ding Heng only needs to activate his True Sight Eyes to see everything clearly.

But he wasn't very interested in things that involved other people's privacy.

The hot oil sizzled in the baking pan.

Hua Qing stared at her phone screen, but she didn't actually read a single word.

The boy across from me was sitting there.

She could feel his gaze on her, not the kind of unsettling scrutiny, just... a normal glance.

Then he stopped watching.

This surprised Hua Qing a bit.

She thought this kind of person would take the opportunity to strike up a conversation, get close to her, and show how witty and humorous they are.

But Ding Heng did not.

He just sat quietly, scrolling through his phone, seemingly oblivious to whether anyone was around.

Hua Qing raised her head and quickly glanced at Ding Heng.

The other person sat upright, had strong facial features, and a cool, roguish air about him; he was definitely the type who could easily fool young girls.

Ding Heng suddenly looked over, and Hua Qing immediately looked away and picked up her phone again.

My heart skipped a beat.

It wasn't love at first sight.

It's because they feel guilty.

The guilt you feel when you're caught peeping.

She took a deep breath.

No, sitting here like this is too awkward...

She put down her phone and stood up.

I'm going to the restroom.

After saying that, she walked around the chair, heading towards the restroom, but didn't notice the water on the floor.

Hua Qing stepped on it with her left foot and instantly lost her balance.

She instinctively tried to steady herself, but a sharp pain shot through her left foot, and she fell completely backward.

"ah--!"

The moment she uttered the exclamation, a hand reached out from behind and steadily supported her waist.

"Senior, are you alright?"

Ding Heng asked the question.

The two were very close, but Ding Heng did not overstep any boundaries except for supporting her waist.

Hua Qing froze for two seconds, then suddenly broke free from Ding Heng's embrace, took a step back, and held onto the table next to her.

"N-nothing... thank you."

Her voice trembled slightly, and she finally staggered toward the restroom.

Ding Heng stood there, looking at the system notification in his mind, his expression indescribable.

[System notification: A person whose Dao heart is clouded has appeared.]

The cracking sound of the sword falling to the ground pierced through the sea of ​​clouds, and the sword intent of the Eastern Sword Cultivator shattered into frost. She once stood on a lonely peak ten thousand feet high, personally resisting the heavenly tribulation in order to seek the Dao, but in the end, her sword broke, she perished, and her Dao collapsed.

The heart of Tao turns to ashes, and cultivation dissipates like smoke.

She believed that only by being ruthless could one attain enlightenment, but she did not know that the brightest moment of holy light was never on a solitary peak, but rather in the unintentional glance back when illuminating all living beings.

As fellow upright individuals, please help her reconnect with love, let her learn to feel love, heartache, and longing, and let her understand that being heartless is not fulfilling, and only with love can one overcome tribulations.

When her emotional ties are fulfilled, she will personally sever them and ascend to face her tribulation.

[Quest Rewards: 1000 Divine Merit Points, +6 Constitution, unlock the skill "Sword Heart Clarity".]