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

Chapter 215 Unexpected Part-Time Job

The next day, Zhao Yanxi and Wen Jing returned to Xingcheng from their hometown of Zhou.

The trunk was crammed full of bags and packages, including cured meat, fermented tofu, chopped chili peppers, and pickled vegetables.

Wenjing carefully counted the duck feet that Lin Man had specifically requested.

Over the next few days, everyone gradually moved their luggage out of the presidential suite on the 27th floor of the Chujiang Hotel and into the high-rise duplex that Lin Man had booked.

Hotels may be nice, but they are ultimately temporary accommodations.

Moreover, the girls' clothes, shoes, and cosmetics have piled up so much that their walk-in closets are already overflowing, and it takes them ages to find a single piece of clothing.

Moving into the new home, the separate bedroom with a walk-in closet provides ample space and individual privacy.

August 14th, the ninth day of the seventh lunar month, is an auspicious day for moving, moving into a new house, and installing a door.

The high temperatures in Xingcheng show no signs of abating.

Baima also had a rare day off from her busy work. After finishing her exams, she took the opportunity to visit Ding Heng's new house.

The little girl's skin is a bit darker than it was half a month ago, but she still has a lot of energy, unlike when she was listless all day long at the beginning of the holiday.

Standing on the master bedroom balcony, Baima gripped the railing and looked down, exclaiming in amazement, "Brothers, you guys live so comfortably here!"

Ding Heng leaned against the side: "If you like, should I save you a room?"

"Hmm...we'll talk about it later. If I move in and become a third wheel, it won't be convenient for you and your sister-in-law."

Pema gazed at the river view: "Besides, I'll have to accompany Wenshu when school starts."

After lunch, everyone sat in the rooftop garden, drinking tea to cleanse their palates.

Zhao Yanxi started the conversation first: "Bai Ma, I heard from your brother that you've been working lately?"

"Um."

Baima put down her chopsticks and straightened her back: "What's wrong?"

"Aren't you curious? Let me ask you how much you've earned?"

"What's the point of asking that?!"

Baima spoke modestly, but her little face was full of pride.

Lin Man subtly suggested, "Bai Ma, do you need my help?"

"Forget it."

Pema sighed, "My brother won't let me ask you for help—"

Zhao Yanxi continued, "So what do you do these days?"

Baima counted on her fingers: "In the past six days, I spent four days working day jobs at an electronics factory, one day dressed as a mascot at a milk tea shop, and one day walking someone's dog."

"A bubble tea shop mascot? What's that?"

"They wear mascot costumes like the Snow King and hand out flyers at the store entrance to attract customers."

As Baima spoke, she imitated the way a puppet walks, which made Zhao Yanxi laugh.

Wenjing then asked, "How much did you earn in those six days?"

"1020! That's an average of 170 a day, not bad."

"How much money do you have left in your account?"

"1684".

Baima answered sullenly.

Zhao Yanxi did a quick calculation: "Didn't you have over nine hundred before? Add 1020, it should be close to two thousand."

"There are also daily expenses."

Pema sighed: "On average, it's over fifty a day —"

"Where did you spend the money?"

"Occasionally, I'll have a cup of milk tea or buy a pack of cigarettes or something."

"You're learning to smoke!?"

"I don't smoke! I'm buying it for a friend!"

Baima quickly waved her hand and muttered softly, "They've been so nice to me, I can't be stingy—"

Ding Heng didn't say a word from beginning to end, keeping his eyes closed and taking a nap, when suddenly he said something in a nonchalant way.

"Sixteen days left, good luck to you."

"You naughty boy, just you wait!"

Provoked by Ding Heng's contemptuous attitude, Bai Ma immediately raised her voice.

After spending almost a week with Huang Yue, Bai Ma is now full of confidence and has basically figured out the ins and outs of the Xingcheng gig economy.

She had a clear understanding of which agency was reliable, which factory had little work and high pay, which provided meals and which didn't—she knew exactly what to do.

I don't even dare to dream of a Panamera, and I'm not counting on a Land Rover either, but I can make do with a car that costs around 200,000 yuan.

Most importantly—we must escape the 2000-kill line set by the prince!

She didn't want to be completely controlled by Ding Heng during university.

Baima put down her teacup and looked around: "Aunties, who's going out later? Can I hitch a ride? I'm meeting a friend this afternoon, and taking the subway or bus will cost several yuan."

Zhao Yanxi picked up the car keys from the coffee table.

"Let's go, I'll see you off."

"Thank you, Sister-in-law Yan Xi!"

Bai Ma, with her sweet tongue, followed Zhao Yanxi to the garage.

Several cars were parked in a row in the underground parking garage of the residential area.

The group consists of Wenjing's Volkswagen, Ding Heng's Mercedes and Changan, Lin Man's Audi, Hua Qing's white new energy vehicle, and a newly added nanny van, all for the purpose of group travel.

Zhao Yanxi walked to Chang'an and opened the driver's side door.

Baima sat in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.

"Sister-in-law Yan Xi".

"Um?"

"Why don't you ask my brother to buy you one?"

Zhao Yanxi shifted gears and slowly drove out of the parking space.

"It's not convenient at the moment."

She gripped the steering wheel tightly, looking straight ahead: "Besides, I don't use a car much. I mostly walk to school, and your brother picks me up and drops me off. Buying one would just leave it to collect dust."

Bai Ma simply said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

The car drove out of the garage and merged into the main road.

Zhao Yanxi doesn't drive much, but she is steady and calm.

Baima leaned back in her chair and suddenly spoke again: "Sister-in-law Yanxi, aren't you jealous that you don't have a car?"

Zhao Yanxi chuckled lightly: "What are you jealous of? Your brother may not be absolutely fair to us, but he's at least trying his best to treat us equally. Getting jealous over a car is just too stupid."

Baima nodded as if she understood but not quite.

The car stopped at the entrance of an alley in an old neighborhood.

Baima got out of the car and took out her black-rimmed glasses from her bag and put them on.

"Thank you, Sister-in-law Yan Xi!"

"Do you want me to pick you up tonight?"

"No need, I'll take the subway home myself."

Bai Ma Chong Zhao Yanxi waved and turned to walk into the alley.

Zhao Yanxi watched Baima's figure disappear at the alley entrance, then turned her car around and drove away.

The alley wasn't deep; at the end was a small internet cafe.

The storefront is small, the signboard is faded, and it is covered with posters and stickers of various games, many of which are yellowed and damaged.

Bai Ma pushed open the door and found Huang Yue among the rows of cameras.

Huang Yue had just finished a game when she slumped back, propped her legs up on the edge of the table, and casually swiped her phone.

Baima walked over and patted her on the shoulder: "Sister Huang Yue, where are you looking for work today?"

Huang Yue didn't look up, continuing to scroll through her phone: "You're out of money?"

"Yes, I have."

"If you have money, just coast along; why bother with all that hard work?"

"No!"

Baima exclaimed anxiously, "I have to make money, I can't be idle!"

Huang Yue finally raised her head and looked Bai Ma up and down.

"Pema—I've been wanting to ask you for a while now, are you particularly short of money?"

"Hmm—I guess so."

Baima gave a vague reply, not wanting to explain further, and instead advised her, "Sister Huang Yue, why don't you save some money too? You can't keep working one day and resting three, can you?"

Huang Yue slumped back down, her tone nonchalant: "We'll talk about it in winter. I'll work in the factory for three months then, save up some money to go home for the New Year."

Baima was speechless for a moment.

Huang Yue sat up from the chair, stretched, and patted Baima on the shoulder.

"I'm off today, play a couple of games with me."

"Stop playing around—"

Baima declined, saying, "Let's go out and find a job instead."

"What's the rush? We can look for it tomorrow."

Huang Yue had already opened the game: "I've been helping you with your daily tasks for days, can't you play a couple of rounds with me?"

Baima glanced at the time; it was almost 1 p.m., and any later and it would basically be overnight payday.

But she didn't urge him, and quietly waited for Huang Yue to finish the game.

Huang Yue's jungle play was countered, he was out of sync in team fights, and his performance was abysmal.

But she was having a lot of fun. When she won, she would slam the table; when she lost, she would curse her teammates. She was completely immersed in the game and didn't worry about making a living at all.

Taking the opportunity, Baima said again, "Sister Huang Yue, let's go find a job."

Huang Yue was drinking cola when she heard this, she rolled her eyes and raised her voice slightly.

"If you want to find a job, go find one yourself! I've been working for you all week and getting paid on a daily basis, can't you even take one day off?"

Huang Yue is not a diligent person; it's common for her to work one day and rest for three.

But for the past week, perhaps to repay Baima for lending her her phone and for providing her with breakfast every day, she insisted on working with Baima for seven consecutive days.

Every day after finishing her work, she would lie down in her wall-mounted room on the hard bed until her back ached.

She really didn't know how Baima could have so much energy every day!

Seeing Huang Yue's impatient attitude, Bai Ma felt a little annoyed and muttered to herself.

"Then I'll go find some work first."

"Go! Go! Go."

Huang Yue waved to her, put her headphones back on, and prepared to enter the game.

Baima walked out of the internet cafe, the sunlight blinding her.

She stood at the alley entrance, squinting, and took out her phone to browse job postings.

I had only turned two pages when I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

Huang Yue chased after her, still holding the half-finished bottle of cola in her hand.

"Pema!"

Baima turned back.

Huang Yue ran up to her, catching her breath, and said, "I just got a job, guiding people at an exhibition, until 8 p.m., for 200 yuan."

Baima's eyes lit up: "Really?"

Why would I lie to you?

Huang Yue waved her phone: "I just confirmed with the agent, now is the perfect time to go."

Bai Ma immediately took her arm, smiling brightly: "Sister Huang Yue, you're so kind!"

"Let's go, let's go—"

Huang Yue stumbled as she was pulled along, rubbing her head, which felt dizzy and heavy from not having rested much for a week.

Forget it, I'll stay with her for one more day. I have to rest tomorrow no matter what!

The two took a bus to the convention center.

Huang Yue found a job at a technology exhibition. The job was simple: she stood at the entrance of the exhibition hall, guiding the flow of people, distributing bottled water to the exhibitors, and occasionally answering questions such as "Where is the toilet?" or "How do I get to the exit?"

The organizers gave each of them an orange vest and a baseball cap, gave them a few instructions, and then led them to the door.

The exhibition began at 2:00 PM sharp.

The sun was at its strongest at that time of day. The entrance to the convention center was empty and without any shade. The sunlight shone directly down, and the ground was scorching hot.

In less than half an hour, Baima's forehead began to sweat.

Huang Yue was in even worse condition—she was already thin, and hadn't rested much these past few days, her face had turned pale from the sun.

Seeing that she wasn't feeling well, Baima quickly handed her a bottle of water: "Sister Huang Yue, have some."

Huang Yue unscrewed the cap, tilted her head back, took two gulps, wiped her mouth, and handed the water back to him.

"Hide it, this water isn't for us to drink."

"oh----"

Baima took a small sip of water, tightened the lid, and put it back in the refrigerated insulated box.

People were coming and going at the entrance. As required by the organizer, Baima handed a bottle of water to each exhibitor as they entered, mechanically repeating, "Hello, please come this way."

Huang Yue stood beside her, her voice growing softer and her movements slower.

Baima noticed that something was wrong with her.

"Sister Huang Yue, are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine—just a little dizzy—"

Huang Yue's voice was weak and her body swayed, so Baima quickly helped her up.

"You look terrible, come in and sit down for a while."

"Need not----"

"Walk!"

Without saying a word, Baima helped Huang Yue up and walked her into the exhibition hall. She found a chair in the corner rest area for her to sit down, and then took out a bottle of water from the insulated box, opened it, and handed it to her.

"Have some more, take a break."

Huang Yue took the water, leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and gasped for breath.

Baima squatted down in front of her and reached out to touch her forehead.

"Sister Huang Yue, are you suffering from heatstroke?"

"Maybe—it's okay, I'll be fine after a rest—"

Just as Baima was about to say something, a voice came from behind him.

What are you two doing?

A middle-aged man in a white shirt strode over, his face looking rather unpleasant.

Baima stood up and pointed to Huang Yue: "My friend isn't feeling well, could you please let her rest for a while?"

"uncomfortable?"

The man glanced down at Huang Yue, then at the insulated water dispenser beside her: "This water is for the exhibitors, why are you just taking it to drink?"

Bai Ma was taken aback and looked down at the water bottle in Huang Yue's hand.

The bottle is printed with the exhibition's logo. It's a high-end mineral water brand, retailing for three yuan a bottle, and is kept chilled in an insulated box.

Baima explained, "She felt unwell and wanted to vomit. I offered her some water to help her feel better, but she wouldn't listen."

The man's expression darkened further: "You were already violating the rules by entering the inner area. Besides, the water is provided for exhibitors; you can buy it yourself from the store if you want!"

Baima's temper flared up instantly.

"Are you even human? My friend is feeling unwell and has heatstroke. What's wrong with him drinking a bottle of your water? Can't you have any empathy?!"

What's your attitude?

The man frowned: "Which agency referred you? I'm looking for your manager!"

"What business is it of yours which person in charge I am? If anything happens to my friend, believe me, I'll hire a lawyer right away—"

"Alright! Alright!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Huang Yue quickly got up, grabbed the white sleeve, and turned to the man with a fawning smile.

"I'm so sorry, my friend is being inconsiderate. We'll leave right away. Can you deduct the cost of this bottle of water from my salary?"

The man glared at Huang Yue, then looked at Bai Ma, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

Baima was about to say something more when Huang Yue grabbed her.

"Let's go."

The two returned to the entrance of the exhibition hall.

The sun remained blazing, as scorching and intense as ever.

Pema couldn't help but ask, "Why are you afraid of him?"

Huang Yue leaned weakly against the wall, her voice low.

"He's a big client. If he complains to the agency, and the agency takes it out on us, it'll be hard for him to find day-wage workers again."

"There has to be a reason, right? If you're not feeling well, what's wrong with sitting in the air conditioning for a while and having some water?"

"They're all doing day jobs, what right do they have to reason with each other?"

Huang Yue interrupted Bai Ma, her voice weary: "Don't think so much, let's finish today first."

Baima was speechless, gave a muffled reply, and turned back to continue distributing water.

Another ten minutes or so passed, and Baima was still sulking, her movements mechanical and perfunctory.

After handing out a few bottles of water, she subconsciously glanced back.

Huang Yue leaned against the wall, swayed slightly, and then fell straight forward.

"Sister Huang Yue—!"

Baima exclaimed in surprise and rushed over in three steps.

Huang Yue lay on the ground, her face pale, her lips gray, and her forehead covered in sweat.

Baima squatted down and hurriedly tried to help her up.

"Sister Huang Yue! Sister Huang Yue, wake up!"

no response.

Baima's mind went blank, and she subconsciously recalled first aid videos she had watched online before.

She reached out and checked Huang Yue's breath; she was still breathing.

Pinch the philtrum.

She pressed hard on Huang Yue's philtrum, but Huang Yue didn't react.

Baima unscrewed another bottle of water and poured it on Huang Yue's face.

Water streamed down Huang Yue's cheeks, her eyelashes trembled, but she still didn't wake up.

"Help! Someone has fainted!"

Baima shouted to the surroundings.

People gathered around and offered their suggestions all at once.

Call 120!

"Don't move her, let her lie down!"

"Take off your clothes and let some air in!"

Baima frantically tried to unbutton Huang Yue's collar, her fingers trembling.

Someone nearby dialed the emergency number.

"Yes ———— Exhibition Center ———— Someone fainted ———— Yes ———— Good ———— Good ————"

Baima knelt on the ground, holding Huang Yue's hand tightly; her palms were sweaty.

"Sister Huang Yue, don't scare me—"

Huang Yue's fingers were icy cold and motionless.

The ambulance arrived faster than expected.

When the stretcher was carried into the inner area, Huang Yue was still unconscious, with chapped lips and a pale face.

After a brief examination, the nurse determined that it was likely heatstroke and dehydration, but the specific situation could only be determined at the hospital.

Baima followed Huang Yue into the ambulance, holding her hand tightly the whole way without letting go.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Huang Yue was rushed into the emergency room.

Baima sat on a plastic chair in the corridor, staring motionless at the emergency room door.

I don't know how much time passed, but the emergency room door opened.

The nurse approached and informed the patient: "The patient has regained consciousness. The coma was caused by severe heatstroke, dehydration, and malnutrition."

Excessive fatigue and other issues have led to the need for two days of hospitalization for observation. Family members should complete the admission procedures.

This was the first time Baima had encountered such a situation, and she asked blankly, "She has no family, I'm her friend."

"Then come with me."

The nurse turned and left, and Baima got up and followed, her legs feeling a little numb.

After hesitating for a while, she took out her phone and dialed the number.

"Hey, brother—"

At 5 p.m., a black Mercedes-Benz was parked on the side of the road in front of the hospital.

Ding Heng leaned against the car door, waiting quietly.

Baima walked over without saying a word.

Ding Heng looked her up and down.

"How is your friend?"

Baima remained silent.

She took a step forward and buried her face in Ding Heng's arms.