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

Chapter 221 The sibling relationship begins to change

On September 2nd, a light rain fell last night, making the usually sweltering city of Changsha unusually cool.

Ding Heng pushed open the door to room 412; all three people were inside.

Liu Chiwang squatted on the ground to check his luggage, Qian Pu lay on the bed scrolling through his phone, and Chen Mo sat at the table organizing documents.

"Old Ding is back?"

"Consider this my way of saying goodbye."

Ding Heng walked to his bed, opened the cabinet door, and began to take stock of his belongings.

Qian Pu poked half his head out of the bed and asked curiously, "Brother Ding, are you really moving out?"

"Yeah, renting an apartment near the school would be more convenient."

"Who do you live with? Your girlfriend?"

"Yes, with her."

Ding Heng continued working with his hands, his tone calm.

Qian Pu chuckled and teased, "Which girlfriend? Brother Ding, you have so many beautiful women around you, I can hardly tell them apart."

The room fell silent for a moment after he finished speaking.

Liu Chiwang looked up at Qian Pu as if he were a fool, then shook his head and continued folding clothes.

Chen Mo pretended not to hear and turned his gaze back to the paper in his hand.

Ding Heng didn't react much, and his tone remained normal.

"That one, Wenjing, you've met her before."

At Hubei University, Ding Heng only had one girlfriend, Wen Jing.

Although everyone in the dorm knew he was seeing several women at the same time, they all kept it to themselves and would have been stupid to say it out loud!

Qian Pu, completely oblivious, continued, "Oh, the one with the really great figure—"

"Alright, alright."

Liu Chiwang finally couldn't take it anymore and interrupted, "What business is it of yours who she lives with? Mind your own business."

O

Qian Pu was taken aback, then sheepishly pulled his head back, lay back down to scroll through his phone, and muttered to himself, "I was just asking," but no one responded.

Ding Heng stuffed the last few books into a cardboard box, sealed it with tape, clapped his hands, and stood up.

"Old Liu, Chen Mo, I'm leaving now. Let's get together sometime."

He did not mention Qian Pu's name.

Liu Chiwang chuckled and replied, "Okay, drive carefully. Come back and visit often when you have time, don't forget your brother when you have a wife."

"No way."

Ding Heng smiled, nodded to Chen Mo, and finally picked up the cardboard box and glanced back at the dormitory.

It's not too sad, but it's still a kind of commemoration.

Ding Heng withdrew his gaze and turned to leave, the faint sound of Liu Chiwang echoing behind him.

"Qian Pu, can't you watch your mouth? You just blurt out whatever comes to mind!"

"I wasn't wrong, he does have several around him—"

"That's their business, what's it to you!"

The black Mercedes was parked downstairs in the dormitory building. Ding Heng put the cardboard box in the trunk, got into the driver's seat, and did not start the car immediately.

He took out his phone and opened Hua Qing's chat window.

Hua Qing sent me a message ten minutes ago.

【A Sea of ​​Flowers Under a Sunny Day】: Images of 【A Sea of ​​Flowers Under a Sunny Day】: Already reported.

Hua Qing stood at the entrance of Beijing Dance Academy, holding up a brand-new student ID.

In her ID photo, she is bare-faced, with cool and aloof eyes, exuding an ethereal beauty.

[Ding Heng]: Congratulations, senior.

【Flower Sea Sunny Day】: Hmm.

A simple "hmm," light and indifferent, as if devoid of any emotion.

[Ding Heng]: But senior, there's something I need to remind you of.

【A Sunny Day Amidst a Sea of ​​Flowers】：?

[Ding Heng]: A graduate student from Beijing Dance Academy's personal vlog, which must be updated regularly!

After a few seconds of silence —

【A Sunny Day Amidst a Sea of ​​Flowers】: Perverted!

Ding Heng could almost picture Hua Qing's expression at that moment.

Her eyebrows and lips were pressed into a line, and her ears were turning red. Even though she was cursing him, she felt excited and stimulated. [Ding Heng]: So, senior, do you hope that the pervert will come to the capital to see you at least once a week?

【A Sea of ​​Flowers Under a Sunny Day】: As you wish.

Again, it's just the two words "simple and understated".

[Ding Heng]: Okay, then I'll come every week. Senior, you'd better be prepared, you should know what I like, right?

Hua Qing didn't reply again until five minutes later.

【A Sea of ​​Flowers Under a Sunny Day】: [Video]

Ding Heng wasn't in a hurry to appreciate it. He exited the chat window and instead opened his chat with Zhao Yanxi.

The message was still at noon when Zhao Yanxi sent a photo of her having lunch with her roommates.

Four girls sat around a hot pot, the red oil broth bubbling away. They flashed V-signs at the camera, their smiles bright, suggesting they had a good relationship.

[Lucky Zhao]: Brother Ding Heng! Our dorm is having a start-of-term dinner! I'll be heading back soon!

[Lucky Zhao]: I learned a dish from Xiao Jingjing! I'll make it for you tonight! [Proud Little Cat.jpg]

[Ding Heng]: What dish?

[Lucky Little Zhao]: I'm not telling you! [Mysterious kitten.jpg]

[Lucky Zhao]: Just wait and see! I guarantee you'll be amazed!

[Ding Heng]: As long as it's not a fright.

【Lucky Zhao】: [Grumpy little cat.ipg]

[Lucky Zhao]: Can't you have a little more faith in your baby?!

Ding Heng sent a head-patting emoji and exited the chat.

Next was Wenjing.

The photos she sent showed a supermarket shopping cart piled high with groceries: vegetables, pork ribs, eggs, a bag of rice, and several boxes of strawberries.

[Good Luck Xiaojing]: Just finished reporting for duty and came to the supermarket to buy some groceries. I've already decided what to make for dinner. What time will you be back?

[Good Luck Xiao Jing]: Will Baima come tonight? Should we buy more?

Ding Heng felt a warmth in his heart.

Wenjing is like that; she's always worrying about others and always manages the household affairs perfectly.

[Ding Heng]: They should come. Buy more. I'll go back as soon as I'm done here.

【Good Luck Xiao Jing】: [Little rabbit nodding obediently.jpg]

Finally, he opened Lin Man's chat window.

Lin Man sent several messages and a few pictures.

The first picture shows several large suitcases piled up at the entrance of the apartment.

The second picture shows an empty living room; the furniture has been moved out, leaving only a floor covered in dust that hasn't been swept away yet.

[Linhu Leads the Way]: Boss, I'm moving out of the apartment. Moving all my stuff to the new place was exhausting! [Fox collapses.jpg]

[Ding Heng]: Don't you want to leave yourself a place to stay?

The other end replied instantly; it was a voice message.

[Lin Hu leads the way]: "No way. What's the point of living if the boss doesn't want me anymore someday?"

Ding Heng chuckled and sent a head-patting emoji in return.

A few seconds later, Lin Man sent another picture.

It's a big cage.

It's made of iron, and it's very large; I estimate it could fit an adult inside.

[Linhu Leads the Way]: I found this in the deepest part of the storage room when I moved; I'd completely forgotten about it.

[Ding Heng]: How come you have this at home?

[Linhu's Guide]: I used to want to get a large dog, like a Golden Retriever or an Alaskan Malamute. I even bought the cage, but then I found out I'm allergic to dog hair, so I gave up on that idea.

[Lin Hu Leads the Way]: [Fox sighing.jpg]

The next second, Lin Man sent another voice message.

Her voice was soft and seductive, with an ambiguous laugh.

[Lin Hu leads the way]: "So, it's perfect for the boss—to lock up his disobedient little pets~"

Ding Heng chuckled and exited the chat window, placing his phone on the center console and starting the car.

Baima's junior college is also located at the foot of Yuelu Mountain, not too far from Hunan University.

The school gate is very grand, with large gold-plated characters engraved on a marble stele.

The bulletin board at the entrance is covered with colorful posters, boasting things like "Demonstration Base for Industry-Education Integration," "First Prize in the National Vocational College Skills Competition," and "Employment Rate of Over 98% for Five Consecutive Years"—the claims are ridiculously exaggerated.

Ding Heng parked the car on the side of the road and took out his phone to send a message to Baima.

In less than five minutes, a petite figure skipped and hopped out of the school gate.

On the first day of school, Baima dressed simply, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and casual cargo pants.

She was followed by three girls, each with a different appearance.

Baima turned around and said something to them. The three girls stopped, waved to her, and turned to leave in another direction.

Then Baima quickly ran to the car, opened the passenger door, and plopped down inside.

"Brother!"

She tilted her head back, her smile radiant.

Ding Heng looked her up and down.

Since Huang Yue's incident, Baima's change has been quite obvious, as if he had an epiphany overnight.

Unlike before, when she always hunched her shoulders, her eyes were clearer and more determined than before. She no longer had that deliberately feigned maturity, and her communication with strangers became much smoother and more natural.

"Is everything done?"

"Okay! The dorm rooms have been assigned, the beds have been made, and I've collected everything I needed."

Baima started complaining.

"The school is really run-down, completely different from what's shown in the brochure. They promised large four-person rooms, but when we got there they were pitifully small. They said it had a private bathroom, but it was actually very old and dilapidated."

Her tone wasn't one of genuine complaint, but rather one of intrigue: "A junior college degree? What can you expect from that?"

Ding Heng couldn't help but chuckle and started the car: "Let's go to the supermarket. I'll buy you some more things; is there anything else the dorm needs?"

Baima thought for a moment: "There are too many things we're missing—clothes hangers, washbasins, slippers, storage boxes—oh well, we'll figure it out when we get there. I know there's a big supermarket nearby."

Ding Heng stepped on the gas, and the car slowly drove out of the school gate.

Pema leaned back in her chair and suddenly spoke.

"Brother, I have something to tell you."

"Um?"

"I'm not planning to buy a car."

Ding Heng turned his head and glanced at her.

Baima's tone was calm, not like a momentary impulse, but rather the result of long-term consideration.

"I got a small electric scooter, which is enough for me to ride around the school."

Ding Heng didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.

"Besides—owning a car is quite expensive. Gas, insurance, parking fees, all sorts of miscellaneous expenses add up to a lot each month. My mom only gives me two thousand a month now, so I have to be careful with my money."

"Your mom only gives you two thousand a month?"

Ding Heng asked with concern, "Is it even usable for you?"

"It looks unlikely."

Baima honestly admitted, "But if I'm frugal, I won't starve. Anyway, the school cafeteria is cheap; three meals a day can be done for thirty yuan. With the rest, I can buy daily necessities and occasionally eat out for a nice meal. It should be—not bad, I guess."

Ding Heng turned his head and glanced at her.

The girl's youthful innocence hadn't completely faded, but she was certainly much more composed than before the summer vacation.

Huang Yue's incident had a significant impact on her.

As for Huang Yue herself...

Ding Heng later heard from Lin Man that after Huang Yue ran away from the hospital, she didn't go far. When the police found her, she was hiding in a small hotel near the train station.

She was taken back to the police station to give a statement. As one of the victims in Li Chongfeng's fraud case, she will have to cooperate with the police in the subsequent procedures.

Baima did not go to see her again.

Huang Yue did not contact Baima again.

The two seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding, and neither of them would disturb the other.

However, Bai Ma still asked her lawyer to send her an iPhone 17, which was a way of making up for Huang Yue's initial regret.

The car came to a stop in the supermarket's underground parking garage.

Ding Heng unbuckled his seatbelt, and the mission interface appeared in his mind.

【Pearl of the Snowy Plateau: Pema Yangjin】

[Current Status: The Saintess Covered in Dust]

[Awakening Value: 8%]

[Piety Level: 0%]

[Bond Value: 46%]

Like Lin Man's "Crown of Thorns" and Hua Qing's "Azure Cold Sword Immortal".

Pema also has her own title – "Pearl of the Snowland".

It also has three progress bars, but the difference is that Ding Heng doesn't have to start from scratch because of the long time they've spent together in the past.

Ding Heng leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

He turned his head to look at Baima.

Baima was bending down to unbuckle her seatbelt, her ponytail hanging down, revealing a section of her fair nape.

She was petite with a round face, looking like a middle school student who hadn't grown up yet, and was currently labeled as a "saint" by the system.

Ding Heng rubbed his temples.

To be honest, he and Baima are not related by blood, nor are they legally connected.

But he did treat her like a younger sister from beginning to end, which made up for his regret as an only child.

But ever since the system notification popped up, Ding Heng has been unable to explain his feelings for Bai Ma.

Is it the protective instinct an older brother has for his younger sister?

Or something else?

He was a little flustered.

Baima turned around and saw Ding Heng staring blankly at her. She blinked.

"Brother? What are you looking at?"

Ding Heng snapped out of his daze, looked away, and got out of the car.

"It's nothing, let's go."

Baima said "Oh" and jogged two steps to catch up with him.

The two took the elevator up to the floor where the supermarket was located. Baima walked ahead, her ponytail swaying, her steps light and quick.

As she walked, she kept turning back to talk to Ding Heng, speaking much faster than usual, chattering away.

"Brother, let me tell you, the guys in my dorm are pretty easy to get along with. The chubby one you just saw is Zhou Ling, she's a local, her family runs a small business, and she's really funny. There's also the one with glasses, Wu Siyu, from the next province, she's a computer whiz. And the one with short hair is Sun Yao, she has a really loud voice, she totally stunned us on her first day here—"

You could tell that even though she only had a junior college degree, Baima was still incredibly excited about her upcoming university life!

Ding Heng listened quietly to her rambling, occasionally offering a few words of response.

The two strolled around the supermarket for almost half an hour, and by the time they left, the sun was already setting.

Baima put the things in the trunk, opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and let out a long breath.

"worn out----"

Ding Heng was about to start the car when he glanced at her.

"Shall we go back to school to drop off our things first, then go home for dinner?"

"Um--

Bai Ma suddenly turned to the side and leaned towards Ding Heng.

"Brother~"

"what?"

"Didn't I just say that my mom only gives me two thousand yuan a month?"

"Um.

""

"What can you do with two thousand yuan these days?"

"so what?"

Baima brought her face even closer, her nose touching Ding Heng's earlobe.

"My dearest brother, please help your dearest sister!"

Ding Heng chuckled.

"How can I help you?"

"Hmm—how about increasing her allowance a bit? Or maybe sending my sister a red envelope occasionally? She doesn't ask for much, just an extra thousand a month would be fine."

Ding Heng did not respond.

Seeing that he was unmoved, Baima simply pressed herself against him, wrapped her arms around Ding Heng's neck, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

The sound was crisp and clear, and it was more powerful than ever before!

"Brother, please, please~"

The little girl blinked her big eyes, her face looking both innocent and mischievous.

Ding Heng coldly replied, "That's it? You've used this trick countless times."

"Ugh————"

Baima's smile is even more charming; I wonder who she learned it from.

"Then what else does the prince want from her?"

She tilted her head, and her ponytail slipped off her shoulder.

The setting sun shone obliquely through the car window, making her eyes appear exceptionally bright.

Ding Heng's heart suddenly started pounding.

He looked away: "Alright—if you really need money, just say so, I won't ask any more questions."

Baima didn't let go; instead, she pressed her face even closer, her forehead against Ding Heng's temple.

"Brother~ That's so good~"

Ding Heng was indeed powerless against Bai Ma's cuteness and did not push her away.

The system interface quietly appeared in my mind.

【Pearl of the Snowy Plateau: Pema Yangjin】

[Current Status: The Saintess Covered in Dust]

[Awakening Value: 8%]

[Piety Level: 0%]

[Bond Value: 50%]

[Ding! Bond level progress has exceeded 50%, milestone achieved!]

[Task Rewards: 5000 Divine Merit, Perception +12, Constitution +12, Relic "Holy Pendant" upgraded, Exclusive Skill "Purification" upgraded.]

Ding Heng sighed softly.

Forget it.

Let's take a step by step.

enjoy