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

Chapter 226 Long He Comes Knocking? (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month!)

"Cough, cough."

Hua Qing coughed forcefully: "Long He, um—I'm at a friend's birthday party. Ding Heng—he's right next to me."

After a few seconds of silence, Longhe confirmed again.

"Next to you?"

"right."

Hua Qing gave a brief reply, and a long sigh of relief came through the receiver.

"That's good—that's good. I kept calling him but he didn't answer, I was so worried—"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Hua Qing coughed three more times, interrupting Long He.

She emphasized each word, saying slowly and deliberately: "Longhe, I am attending a friend's birthday party."

""

Finally, Long He realized what was happening.

"Oh—oh oh oh!"

Her tone suddenly brightened, and she quickly tried to smooth things over: "Um—I called to ask you guys, isn't the concert coming up soon? Didn't you say you were coming? I saved the tickets for you, but you haven't contacted me yet—"

Just as Hua Qing was about to say a few polite words like "okay, thank you," a hand reached out from the side and gently poked her arm.

She turned her head to look.

The girl celebrating her birthday tonight was standing next to her, holding up her phone. The screen displayed the message: "Senior Hua Qing, could you please ask Long He to send me a birthday greeting? Please!"

The girl's eyes sparkled, and her face was full of longing.

Hua Qing hesitated.

She is really bad at saying no, and the other person's request is nothing more than a small favor.

She brought the phone back to her ear: "Long He, um—it's my friend's birthday party tonight, and she seems to be a fan of yours. Would it be convenient for you to send her some birthday wishes?"

"Okay."

Long He agreed readily, even a little impatiently: "What's your friend's name?"

Hua Qing simply handed her phone to the girl next to her.

"Su Wantang!"

The girl tried to restrain herself, but the excitement in her voice was impossible to hide.

There was a two-second silence on the receiver before Long He's voice came through again, his tone much lighter than before, with a touch of business-like sweetness.

Happy birthday, Su Wantang! Wishing you a happy new year filled with joy, success, and all your wishes fulfilled!

'

The sound came through the hands-free speaker and echoed throughout the entire private room.

"Wow-!!!"

The table erupted in cheers, with screams and applause filling the air.

Su Wantang covered her mouth with both hands, extremely excited.

"Thank you, Longhe! Thank you so much! I'm so happy!"

"You're welcome."

Long He chuckled lightly: "Then you guys have fun, I won't bother you any longer."

"Okay, okay! Goodbye, Longhe!"

"Bye-Bye."

The phone hangs up.

Su Wantang plopped back into her chair, feeling utterly blissful, muttering repeatedly, "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Long He wished me a happy birthday—"

The people around them chimed in with their own comments.

"envious!"

"Post this on WeChat Moments! Post this on WeChat Moments! Won't we be able to brag about this for a year?"

"Senior Hua Qing, are you and Long He that close?"

The conversation quickly shifted from Long He's birthday wishes to the relationship between Hua Qing and Long He, and no one paid attention to Long He's earlier mention of Ding Heng.

Hua Qing breathed a sigh of relief, lowered her head to take a sip of water, her heart still pounding.

I feel guilty, very guilty.

It's as if they've done something shameful.

It was almost 10 o'clock when the show ended.

The group said goodbye in twos and threes at the restaurant entrance. Su Wantang held Hua Qing's hand and talked for a long time until her roommates pulled her away, at which point she reluctantly let go.

Ding Heng started the car, and Hua Qing, leaning against the passenger seat, suddenly spoke.

"Ding Heng".

"Um?

'

"When did you tell Longhe you were coming to the capital?"

"Before coming."

Ding Heng asked in a flat tone, "What?"

Hua Qing pursed her lips and asked again, "Why didn't you answer when she called you?"

"Guess what she wanted to tell me?"

"What did you say?"

"She definitely wants me to go and be with her now."

"Then go ahead."

"Senior, are you willing?"

"Of course I————"

Hua Qing suddenly stopped talking.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to say "I'm willing."

Is she willing?

Honestly, I don't want to.

Ding Heng rarely visits the capital.

Although the girls have all accepted that Ding Heng has more than just one person by his side, they still occasionally have selfish desires and hope that Ding Heng will spend some time alone with them.

Among the girls, Hua Qing, who lived far away in the capital, naturally got the least amount of time.

Meeting once a week was already the limit of time Ding Heng could squeeze out.

Most of the time he would fly over on Friday night and fly back early Sunday morning, coming and going in a hurry, like a gust of wind.

And now, even this breeze is being taken away by others.

"Go ahead."

Hua Qing took a deep breath: "Long He—she sees you even less often than I do."

Ding Heng didn't speak, but the system interface quietly appeared in his mind.

[Progress of severing emotional ties: 3%]

rose again.

Ding Heng sighed inwardly, "Just as I thought."

After returning from Phoenix last time, Ding Heng had been trying to figure out the key factors that accelerated Hua Qingqing's progress in severing her emotional ties, so that Cong Erhao could prescribe the right remedy.

The fairy I've painstakingly "tamed" mustn't actually go and ruthlessly seek enlightenment—

The first time was at Longhe's birthday concert, when Hua Qing saw Longhe and Ding Heng interacting intimately, which made her doubt her own relationship with Ding Heng.

The second time, in front of her family, Hua Qing expressed her concerns about whether her choice was correct and whether it would hurt them.

The third time is today.

Ding Heng glanced at Hua Qing again; the girl was staring blankly out the window.

He's probably thinking—am I being too selfish?

Long He saw Ding Heng far less often than she did, so why shouldn't she?

In summary, Hua Qing's progress in severing her emotional ties has accelerated three times so far, all due to her internal self-destructive behavior.

Severing emotional ties seems very mysterious.

The idea that "only by being ruthless can one attain enlightenment" or "when emotional ties turn to ashes, one's cultivation dissipates" is simply impossible in the real world.

Therefore, the system's method of determining "severing emotional ties" is probably that Hua Qing is experiencing some kind of self-destructive internal conflict due to her feelings.

Every time she struggles with emotions, feels guilty, or doubts herself, the progress bar increases a little.

Having figured this out, Ding Heng breathed a sigh of relief.

From this perspective, Hua Qing wouldn't actually go so far as to seek enlightenment through ruthlessness!

He wouldn't deliberately try to increase the progress of "Severing Emotional Ties," just as he would never deliberately try to increase Long He's "Health Points."

The system has given him enough rewards, so much so that he is gradually approaching the point where he can no longer eat beef.

Everything is fine.

Ding Heng snapped out of his thoughts and spoke again.

"Senior."

"Um?"

"I do have a way that satisfies both sides."

Hua Qing turned her head, her eyes filled with confusion: "What method?"

"or----"

Ding Heng drawled, a playful smile on his face: "Should I call her over?"

"ah???"

Hua Qing was stunned.

What does that mean?

Am I going to be playing a three-player game with a big star tonight?

The doorbell rang.

Hua Qing mechanically walked to the door and opened it.

Long He stood outside the door.

She wore a simple black sweatshirt with dark gray casual pants, her long golden-brown hair was loose, and she wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

He doesn't look like a big star; he looks more like a college student who just came out of the library.

The two exchanged a glance, and the atmosphere became slightly awkward.

"Um, um—please come in."

Hua Qing stepped aside.

"Sorry to bother you."

Long He nodded, changed into slippers, and walked in, his eyes quickly scanning the living room.

Ding Heng squatted down beside the coffee table, unpacked the Haidilao takeout, looked up and smiled at her.

"You're here?"

"Um."

Longhe walked over and sat down.

Hua Qing closed the door and went to sit down at the other end.

The three people formed a triangle, separated by a coffee table, creating a subtle atmosphere.

The bottom of the pot had already started to boil, the red oil was bubbling and steam was rising.

Tripe, duck intestines, shrimp paste, and fatty beef—plates filled the entire coffee table, with several boxes of self-heating rice and a few side dishes placed next to them.

Long He looked at the table full of dishes and blinked.

"Didn't you just eat?"

"How about I have another meal with you?"

Ding Heng poured a plate of tripe into the pot and stirred it with a slotted spoon: "I bet you just finished rehearsing and haven't had time to eat yet?"

"I have a concert coming up soon—I need to control my diet."

Long He swallowed hard, wiping the drool that wouldn't stop from his mouth: "Especially, you can't eat anything too spicy, otherwise it would be hard to handle if something unexpected happened at the concert."

Ding Heng finished off a plate of fatty beef, brimming with confidence: "Trust me, brother, you'll be fine!"

One of his brothers said something that immediately put Longhe's mind at ease.

"Do you have any alcohol?"

"have----"

Hua Qing stood up from the sofa and went into the kitchen.

The sound of the refrigerator door opening and closing came, followed by the soft clinking of glass bottles.

She took out a few bottles of fruit wine and placed them on the coffee table.

"Is this all you need?"

"OK."

Longhe took a bottle, unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.

Hua Qing also picked up a bottle and took small sips.

Ding Heng scooped out the cooked tripe and divided it into their bowls, teasingly adding, "Just so you know, don't get drunk tonight."

The two girls stopped abruptly as soon as they finished speaking.

They exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away.

They remembered the scene of their first meeting very clearly.

It was the same hot pot, but they got drunk and started arguing.

Hua Qing buried her face in the bowl and ate the tripe in silence.

Long He coughed twice, picked up the fruit wine, and took another sip.

"Longhe, that—"

Ding Heng, engrossed in his hot pot, asked, "How's Zhou Yi from your group doing lately?"

Long He looked up, her eyes wary: "Why are you asking her?"

"It's nothing, just asking casually."

Ding Heng said casually, "I have a friend who says he really likes her and wants her autograph or something."

"Friends? What friends?"

"You don't know him, just a regular friend."

"Just ordinary friends?"

"Don't worry! Would I lie to you, bro?"

"oh----"

Long He felt relieved and started talking non-stop.

"How should I put it, Zhou Yi isn't a bad person, he's just a bit—pretentious."

"Pack?"

Hua Qing picked up a piece of fatty beef and chatted as she chewed.

"Yes, they're really good at showing off."

Long He perked up, leaning forward slightly: "She always appears gentle and serene in front of the camera, but she has a terrible temper in private. Last time during rehearsal, she couldn't find her necklace and started throwing things in the dressing room, scaring her assistant to tears."

"And that one—you met her last time, her name is Zheng Shiyu."

Longhe got more and more excited as she spoke: "She actually wanted me to talk to the company and ask them to release a single for her. She said she had been writing the lyrics for a long time and had already composed the music, and all she needed was the company's approval."

Hua Qing picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks and continued to offer her support: "Did you help?"

"I said okay, send it to me to listen. She sent it to me and I listened to it—"

Long He sighed and shook his head: "How should I put it? It's even more childish than what I wrote in junior high school. And she actually dared to report it to the company."

Ding Heng laughed out loud: "You're not going to play the peacemaker again, are you?"

"No way!"

Long He picked up his chopsticks again and scooped the water out of the pot: "And she still got upset, saying I looked down on her. My dear, doesn't she know her own limitations?"

Hua Qing tentatively asked, "Are they... not easy to get along with?"

"It's not all bad."

Longhe began a long string of complaints.

"There are always troubles and conflicts, big and small, especially recently. I'm going to go solo, but my mom is worried they'll cause a big problem and tells me to put up with them. I'm so patient that I'm almost developing breast hyperplasia."

We've been teammates for years, is it really necessary to make such a fuss? — On the contrary, Chana, a foreigner, is quite nice; she's probably afraid of offending me and losing the domestic market.

Finally, she slumped over and said, "Whatever, the group will break up sooner or later anyway. My mom is already talking to me about a new company. When I go solo, I don't care who I am."

Ding Heng added another plate of fatty beef to the pot.

"Is your mom still keeping an eye on you?"

Long He had just taken a sip of fruit wine when he heard this and almost choked.

"Cough, cough—can you please not mention her?"

"What's wrong? Are you and your daughter arguing again?"

"It wasn't really an argument."

Longhe put down the wine bottle: "She recently wanted to get me a new variety show, but I said I wanted to rest, and she said it wouldn't conflict with my plans."

"I was wondering why there wasn't a conflict. I'm flying to variety shows three times a week, what am I supposed to rest for?"

She pouted slightly, looking aggrieved and a little sullen, and continued to pour out her grievances.

"She always thinks I can take on more work to prepare for going solo. But has she ever thought about how tired I am? From the beginning of the year until now, how many cities have I flown to? How many shows have I performed? At night, I'm either on the road or in a hotel, and when I open my eyes, I don't even know where I am."

Hua Qing picked up the fruit wine and gently touched the Longhe bottle.

"It's okay, after you finish singing at the Capital Station, you can get some rest."

"Thanks."

Longhe tilted his head back and took another gulp, his exhaustion clearly visible.

Hua Qing saw this and understood why Ding Heng had sent Long He over.

Longhe has been on tour for more than half a year since the beginning of the year.

One event after another, city after city.

She was swept along, unable and afraid to stop.

But people are not machines.

She was too tired and too stifled.

As a celebrity, she is surrounded by people.

Assistants, agents, makeup artists, bodyguards—everyone revolves around her, but everyone is "working."

She didn't dare tell them too much.

Because you never know which words will be spread, embellished, or become the next day's trending topic.

She only dared to speak her mind freely and without restraint in front of Ding Heng.

She's not here today to fight for a man; she just needs someone to listen to her.

Hua Qing felt a little uneasy.

She thought of Fan Chenxi.

Fan Chenxi was on tour during the summer vacation.

The attention given to "Looking at the Sea" is far less than that given to "Long He", but every time Fan Chenxi calls Hua Qing, she complains about it.

"I'm so tired, so tired, so tired—"

"Someone nitpicked again today, saying that my jumps weren't powerful enough."

"Ah—I really want to go back to Shanghai and lie down!"

At that time, Hua Qing thought Fan Chenxi talked too much and was a bit like Versailles.

Thinking about it now—

During Longhe's half-year tour, he was under the spotlight wherever he went, and everything he said was likely to be magnified.

She was not even twenty years old—the same age as Ding Heng.

Hua Qing lowered her eyes, picked up the fruit wine and took another sip.

Black Bean jumped down from the cat tree at some point, strolled over to the coffee table, and looked up, meowing several times.

Ding Heng put down his chopsticks, picked up Hei Dou, and said, "You guys eat first, I'll go feed Hei Dou some cat food."

After the man left, Long He slumped onto the sofa, completely abandoning any airs of a celebrity.

"Huaqing."

"Um?

'

"Don't you get bored living alone?"

"fine."

Hua Qing sat down next to him, bringing the two closer together: "I have Hei Dou to keep me company, and Ding Heng comes over every week too."

"Cats can't talk to you."

Longhe gently shifted his position, trying to find a more comfortable sitting posture. He propped himself up with his hand to the side, and his fingertips touched something soft and slippery.

She casually pulled it out and held it up to her eyes; it was a pair of stockings.

It was white and shiny, but badly damaged.

Hua Qing practically lunged forward, snatched the stockings from Long He's hand, and threw them into the trash can with a "thud."

"Um—the house is a bit messy, it hasn't been cleaned yet—"

Hua Qing turned around, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Longhe is in an equally awkward position.

"cough----"

She coughed lightly, pretending nothing had happened.

The air was silent for several seconds.

Long He finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a low voice, "You guys—usually you're in the living room?"

Hua Qing took another sip of wine.

After the alcohol took effect, his usually aloof demeanor softened, and he started speaking without thinking.

"More than just the living room"

"Where else?"

"Well—anyway, I've tried everything I could."

"You guys...you really know how to have fun."

Long He gasped, his ear tips starting to burn.

But she couldn't resist her curiosity and continued, "Does he... have any particular preferences? Like clothes or something?"

Hua Qing lowered her eyes and thought carefully.

"I usually wear Hanfu, but he's not very interested. Later, he kept making me wear those really childish Lolita outfits, with white stockings, over-the-knee socks and stuff."

She gestured to indicate the length of the skirt.

"The skirt is so short, I'm embarrassed to wear it out in public."

"Is there anything else?"

Longhe leaned closer and asked, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Also, there are quite a few JK (high school girl) girls —"

Hua Qing recalled the scene when everyone played in a five-player team, and JK was probably the most frequently seen "equipment".

"Are there only JK (high school girl) classes?"

"Ugh————"

"He also particularly liked to have me change into different colored stockings; sometimes he would wear out four or five pairs in one night —"

Hua Qing pondered for a moment, and finally concluded: "He doesn't really have any special quirks. He likes most things that men like—if there's anything, it's probably that he likes contrasts—"

In Hua Qing's memory, the most sexy people in the fifth row were usually the conservative and quiet ones, while Lin Man was more of an ascetic type.

As for her, she had been forced to wear Lolita fashion, which she found incredibly shameful, more than once.

"Contrast————"

Longhe repeated thoughtfully.

Both girls were a little drunk and their conversation became increasingly explicit. Suddenly, they heard a voice.

"What are you talking about?"

Ding Heng appeared behind them without them noticing.

Long He suddenly sat up straight.

"N-nothing."

She stood up, patted her pants, and said, "Um—I have to go. We have rehearsal tomorrow, so I have to get up early."

"You're leaving already?"

Ding Heng glanced at the time and joked, "Aren't you going to chat a little longer? You guys seem to be having a great time!"

"No, it's getting late."

Long He picked up her bag from the sofa, walked to the entrance, and bent down to change her shoes.

"Huaqing."

"Um?"

"You and Ding Heng will be coming to my concert the day after tomorrow, right?"

Hua Qing hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to refuse.

"meeting."

"It's a deal then, you two both have to come. Don't stand me up."

Don't worry.

Ding Heng reassured him, "Be careful on the road, and remember to let me know when you get to the hotel."

Long He smiled, turned around and walked into the corridor.

The door closed.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Having eaten and drunk its fill, Heidou jumped back onto the sofa and curled up in a ball next to Huaqing's legs.

Meow~

Hua Qing reached out and gently scratched Hei Dou's chin. The next second, Ding Heng suddenly came over, picked up the cat, and took its place.

"Meow! Meow! Meow!"

Black Bean protested its discontent after its spot was taken away!

Ding Heng didn't have time to pay attention to it, and hugged Hua Qing tightly, calling out softly.

"Senior."

"What—?"

Hua Qing felt a little itchy from the man's breathing and instinctively shrank her neck.

"Go change your clothes."

""

"Change to what?"

Do I need to remind you what to change?

'

Ding Heng reached out and pinched Hua Qing's chin, gently lifting it upwards.

He quipped, "Didn't I just hear that the senior student knows me quite well?"

Hua Qing's face instantly turned bright red.

"You heard everything?"

"You and Long He were chatting so happily, it was hard for me not to hear it."

Hua Qing stammered and couldn't finish her sentence.

"I—I was—drunk and talking nonsense—"

"Yeah?"

Ding Heng's warm, large hand pressed gently against Hua Qing's waist: "If you don't know what to do, senior, may I make a request?"

Hua Qing's voice was barely audible: "What are your requirements?"

Ding Heng's lips pressed against her earlobe, his breath warm and intimate.

"Tonight—I want to be a good father."

Hua Qing's body trembled slightly.

"abnormal!"

As usual, she mumbled something, vague and soft, and then nodded obediently.

"good----"