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

Chapter 230 Raising brothers seems to cost a lot of money?

Long He's expression was serious, showing no sign of joking.

Ding Heng paused, turned his head and stared at her silently without saying a word.

Feeling guilty under Ding Heng's gaze, Long He looked away, still trying to maintain a facade of composure.

"I'm just curious—didn't you say you'd be a tour guide? You can't just accompany someone for free—"

"Longhe!"

Ding Heng emphasized his tone, but his expression was unreadable.

Long He's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively straightened up.

Ding Heng asked, "Are you serious?"

"I—I'm just afraid you'll go astray."

"What crooked path?"

"Like that kind of thing..."

Long He carefully chose his words, saying, "You know, there are so many temptations in society these days. You're not bad-looking, and there are lots of girls around you—what if one day you feel that making money is too hard and want to take a shortcut, like becoming that kind of—that kind of—"

Which one?

"It's that kind of thing—"

Long He couldn't bring himself to say it, so Yu Cui steeled her heart and said, "Anyway! Now you can link my supplementary card, and use it whenever you need money, don't be shy! You're still in school, there's no need to worry about money. Even after you graduate, whether you want to start a business or find a job, I'll help you if I can. Just don't do anything—things that are bad for your health—for money."

Ding Heng was both amused and exasperated.

"Do you think I'm a kept man?"

"No, no, no!"

Long He waved his hands repeatedly: "I didn't mean that! I just—I just—"

She talked for a long time, but couldn't come up with a conclusion.

Ding Heng pressed on, "Do you think your brother is that kind of person?"

"no----"

"Then why are you worrying about it?"

"I am—"

"What exactly is it?"

"It's just... I was worried about you!"

Long He looked up and met Ding Heng's gaze, his tone returning to its usual crispness.

"If you encounter any difficulties, tell me immediately. Don't try to shoulder them alone, and definitely don't resort to shady methods."

"You're going to teach me how to do things?"

No, that's not it!

Long He straightened his neck: "We're all brothers, and brothers should help each other, right?"

The phrase "we're all brothers" is like a universal key for the two of them.

It's as if simply uttering these four words can smooth over all the awkwardness, ambiguity, and things that are hard to explain.

Between brothers, there's no need for many explanations.

Between brothers, anything is understandable.

Between brothers —

"Ding ding ding"

Ding Heng's phone suddenly rang.

The sound of the bell was particularly clear in the empty valley, and several birds were startled from the treetops, flapping their wings and flying away.

Ding Heng took out his phone and pressed answer.

Baima shouted excitedly, "Brother!!!"

"Have you arrived?"

"We've arrived! We've arrived at the hotel!"

"I'll be right back."

Ding Heng hung up the phone and looked at Long He again: "The tour guide has arrived, let's go back."

Longhe said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

It was getting dark when we got back to the hotel.

"Brother!"

Baima rushed over in three strides and buried her face in Ding Heng's arms: "I missed you so much!"

Ding Heng reached out and patted her on the head.

"It's only been a few days since we last met."

"I've been thinking about it for a few days now~"

Baima smiled brightly, then turned to Longhe beside her: "You are—Longhe?"

Long He reached down and took off his black-rimmed glasses, revealing his face.

"Hello there."

She said politely, "Thank you for your help in the next few days."

"It really is Sister Longhe! Brother, you're not lying to me!"

Bai Ma exclaimed in surprise, but without the fervor of a star-struck fan; it was more like she had seen a rare object.

She said cheerfully, "Hello, Sister Longhe, my name is Baima Yangjin, I'm a local Tibetan. You can just call me Baima, just like you do, brother!"

"Hello, Baima—"

Long He carefully examined the little girl in front of him.

She was small in stature, looked as young as a junior high school student, but spoke fluently and had a warm attitude.

But the scene of her throwing herself into Ding Heng's arms just now still made Long He feel uneasy.

Is it really necessary for siblings to get so excited when they meet?

After having dinner and resting overnight, the three of them flew to Sun City, the capital of Tibet, the following morning.

The sun was shining brightly when we landed.

The sky looked as if it had been washed with water, clean and bright.

Ding Heng stepped out of the cabin, took a deep breath, and felt nothing.

The system's physical enhancements were more than enough to handle this altitude.

Long He stood beside him, her steps slightly unsteady, and her breathing noticeably faster than usual.

Ding Heng turned to look at her: "Are you alright?"

"good."

Long He took out the oxygen cylinder he had prepared beforehand and took a couple of breaths: "I feel a little dizzy."

Baima walked at the back, holding an oxygen cylinder and inhaling deeply.

She looked unwell, her lips were pale, and she walked unsteadily.

"Bai Ma, are you alright?"

Ding Heng reached out and supported Bai Ma's shoulder.

"The altitude sickness seems to be getting pretty bad —"

Bai Ma's voice was weak and listless: "I guess it will take a while to get used to it."

Ding Heng was both amused and exasperated: "Aren't you a local?"

"Who told you locals don't get altitude sickness!"

Baima glared at him, annoyed. "I haven't been back for a while, and my body isn't used to it anymore! Do you think altitude sickness is something that depends on your household registration?"

"Let's go, get in the car first."

Ding Heng simply picked up Princess Baima.

Bai Ma took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Ding Heng's neck and nestled softly into his embrace.

Long He walked ahead and glanced back.

The little girl hadn't fully adjusted to the altitude sickness yet, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she were secretly smiling.

After getting on the bus, all three of them sat in the back row.

Bai Ma remained slumped on Ding Heng, her eyes half-open and half-closed.

"Brother————"

She mumbled something indistinctly.

"Um?"

"Please rub my temples—I'm so dizzy—"

Ding Heng pressed his thumb on Bai Ma's temple and gently massaged it.

The force was neither too light nor too heavy, and the rhythm was even.

Baima squinted comfortably: "A little harder on the left side—yes—that's the pressure—hmm—"

She directed Ding Heng as if she were enjoying a top-notch spa.

Longhe glanced at him sideways, a sour feeling welling up inside him.

Her brother had never spoiled her like this before.

The van drove into the most luxurious hotel in Sun City.

The three of them took the elevator upstairs, walked through the corridor, and checked into the high-end executive suite.

After resting until the afternoon, Baima finally readjusted to the thin air of her hometown.

In addition, Qu Zhen sent someone to deliver an off-road vehicle so that the three of them could go out for a trip.

Before leaving the hotel, Baima took a Tibetan hat and a pair of sunglasses, put them on his head, and looked like a little explorer.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

She was the first to climb into the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel with both hands, full of confidence.

Long He was taken aback: "You're driving?"

Judging by her appearance alone, Longhe would never guess that Baima is eighteen years old. Seeing her grip the steering wheel, he felt his heart pounding.

"yes!"

Baima confidently replied, "Don't worry, I know Sunshine City like the back of my hand!"

"Let's go."

With Ding Heng's reassurance, Long He mustered up the courage to get on the bus.

The car started, the engine roared, and it slowly drove out of the parking lot.

As Baima drove, she introduced the local culture and scenery of Rizhao City in a very serious and professional manner, making it seem quite authentic.

The car arrived at Barkhor Street, and Pema found a parking space.

The three got out of the car and slowly walked forward along the main street.

The street is not long, and most of the shops on both sides sell local specialties such as Tibetan medicine, Thangka paintings, and handmade silver jewelry.

There weren't many tourists, just a few here and there.

Longhe stopped in front of a stall selling dzi beads.

"This looks good."

She picked up a dark brown dzi bead and examined it closely in her hand.

The stall owner was a Tibetan man in his forties, wearing a dark Tibetan robe and a string of old amber beads around his neck.

He said in heavily accented Mandarin, "Young lady, you have a good eye! This is a pure dzi bead, made of old material. Look at the patterns and the patina; it's at least several hundred years old. I'll only ask for this price."

The man held up three fingers.

"Three thousand?"

Longhe asked tentatively.

"Thirty thousand!"

The stall owner said confidently, "This is an old item, it has spiritual power. Wearing it can ward off evil, ensure safety, and bring good fortune."

Baima decisively stepped forward, took the dzi bead from Longhe's hand, looked at it over and over, and spoke a sentence in Tibetan.

The stall owner's smile immediately froze, and he replied in Tibetan, his tone clearly guilty.

Baima spoke a few more words, this time even faster, like a machine gun.

The stall owner looked embarrassed, then gave an awkward laugh and said nothing more.

Baima put the dzi bead back on the stall, grabbed Longhe, and left.

Longhe asked curiously, "Bai Ma, what did you just say to him?"

"I said this thing is fake."

Baima scoffed, "What pure dzi bead? It's just ordinary dyed resin, costing less than a hundred yuan. He saw that the three of us looked like young tourists and wanted to rip us off."

Long He continued, "How did you figure that out?"

"I grew up in Tibet, so I've seen similar tricks all the time."

Baima shrugged: "A few years ago, when the internet wasn't as developed, there were even more scammers like this. They would swindle tourists out of things like dzi beads, cordyceps, and saffron. Especially those middle-aged and elderly tour groups, the tour guide would take you to some craft shops, and then you would bump into a big lama who would tell your fortune and sell you dzi beads for thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of yuan."

"Are people really that easy to fool?"

"Don't disbelieve me, they can tell you exactly how long it took you to get married, how long it took you to have children, sons and daughters—in short, they can calculate your entire life story clearly, leaving you completely bewildered, and in the end, they'll give you a set of dzi beads worth hundreds of thousands."

"How was it calculated?"

"The tour guides work together from the inside and outside. They try to get information out of you on the bus, and by the time you enter the shop, the lamas already have printed information in their hands."

The two women were chatting enthusiastically when Ding Heng suddenly interrupted with a question.

"Bai Ma, you seem to know her quite well?"

"I----"

Baima suddenly hesitated, then quickly changed the subject: "Um—Brother! Let's go look at other places."

Ding Heng smiled and didn't delve too deeply into it.

Qu Zhen's rise to wealth must have been quite extraordinary!

The three of them strolled around until evening before finally arriving at the famous landmark Potala Palace to take photos.

Back at the hotel, the three of them took showers one after another, with Baima being the last.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Baima changed into a pink and white cartoon pajama and knelt down in front of Ding Heng.

"Brother, help me blow-dry my hair."

Ding Heng picked up the hair dryer and gently ran his hands through Bai Ma's hair.

The technique was skillful, and the force was just right.

Pema closed her eyes and let out a comfortable hum.

Longhe watched quietly from the side, suddenly recalling his childhood.

When she often stayed at Ding Heng's house, she would squat down in front of Ding Heng after taking a bath and ask her brother to blow her.

Ding Heng always complained, but he would always help her blow-dry her hair carefully.

Long He felt increasingly jealous.

"I'm going to sleep now."

Goodnight, Sister Longhe.

Bai Ma Chong waved to her.

"Good night."

Long He turned and walked into the master bedroom.

My mind is in a mess.

Because the overall landscape of Sunshine City is mainly based on humanities and religion, Longhe was not very interested.

So the next morning, the three of them immediately drove to Namtso Lake.

Namtso Lake is at an altitude of over 4700 meters, much higher than Sunshine City.

This time, Longhe got out of the car, his steps were noticeably unsteady.

My breathing was rapid, my heart was pounding, and my temples were throbbing.

She held onto the car door and took out an oxygen cylinder to take a couple of breaths, but it didn't help much.

"Sister Longhe, are you alright?"

Baima walked over, her face full of worry.

Compared to Longhe, Baima is a girl who grew up on the plateau. After a brief period of altitude sickness yesterday, she quickly adapted today and regained her previous physical memory.

"good----"

Long He's voice was weak: "I'm just a little out of breath."

"You look terrible, your lips are even purple."

Baima reached out and touched Longhe's forehead: "How about we go back first? Or go to the nearby clinic?"

"Need not----"

Long He tried to be strong, but his legs went weak and he almost lost his balance.

Baima quickly helped her up and turned to look at Ding Heng.

"Brother, Sister Longhe is not doing well; she needs to go to the clinic for an IV drip."

"Don't worry, no need."

Ding Heng stepped forward and handed over a pill: "Open your mouth."

Without any doubt or hesitation, Long He immediately opened his mouth obediently.

Ding Heng put the pills into her mouth and then handed her a bottle of mineral water.

Long He swallowed the water, and a few seconds later his breathing gradually stabilized, his heartbeat returned to normal, and the stabbing pain in his temples slowly disappeared.

Ding Heng asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Long He took a few deep breaths and nodded.

"Much better————"

Baima's eyes widened in disbelief: "Brother, what did you give her? A miracle drug?"

Ding Heng replied dismissively, "Just ordinary plateau medicine."

"Yeah?"

Bai Ma scratched her head.

She had lived on the plateau for more than ten years and had seen all kinds of altitude sickness medications, but she had never heard of one that worked so quickly.

Longhe stretched his limbs to make sure he was alright.

"Let's go, let's see the sacred lake."

The three people walked forward along the boardwalk.

In the distance, the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains stretch endlessly, and Namtso Lake gleams with a deep blue light under the sunlight, like a giant sapphire set between the snow-capped mountains.

Longhe stood by the lake, took a deep breath, and the fatigue accumulated over the past six months slowly dissipated in the embrace of nature.

Ding Heng came to her side and stood beside her: "You should go out more often in the future. Don't exhaust yourself."

"That's not something I can decide."

Long He pouted: "Putting everything else aside, once I go solo, I'll only have more gigs and work."

When she goes solo, Longhe will face an even more complicated situation, with hundreds of people depending on her to work and support them.

She is an adult, after all, and it's impossible for her to leave everything to her mother to decide.

"Maybe someone will lend you a hand?"

Who is it?

"A powerful boss who wants to sexually harass you?"

"Go! Go! Go----"

Long He said irritably, "If a big boss really wants to sexually harass me, I'd rather go back to my grandparents' shop."

Ding Heng grinned mischievously: "Really?"

"Definitely!"

Longhe gazed at the lake, his tone unwavering.

"I'm not that kind of person! No one can do it!"

Over the next few days, guided by Baima, the three of them visited the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, Namcha Barwa Peak, Gongdelin Grassland, and other popular natural attractions in Tibet.

On their last night, the three returned to the Rizhao City Hotel.

When Baima came out of the bath, Longhe was sitting by the window drinking tea.

"Sister Longhe, aren't you asleep yet?"

"I can't sleep."

Long He put down his teacup and patted the seat next to him: "Come and sit down."

Baima walked over and sat down, and the two remained quiet for a while.

"Pema".

"Um?"

"When do your mother and Uncle Ding plan to get married?"

As a junior, if Ding Wenjie remarries, Long He should at least show proper respect.

Asking beforehand will give you peace of mind.

Baima was taken aback and asked in return, "Didn't you tell me, brother? My mother and uncle have already broken up."

Longhe almost dropped the teacup in his hand.

"separate?"

"Um."

Baima said calmly, "It happened last month."

"So—you and Ding Heng now—"

"It has nothing to do with it."

Baima spread his hands.

Long He was speechless for a moment.

It has nothing to do with you?

So what about your intimate "brother-sister interactions" these past few days?

"You guys—these past few days—"

Long He hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Baima, however, was quite frank: "Sister Longhe, do you think I'm too close to the prince?"

Long He didn't say anything.

"Actually, it's alright — adults are adults, and we are us, each to our own."

Baima sighed, "Besides, we're all only children. We've been alone since we were little, without any brothers or sisters. Now that we finally have a brother, of course we have to cherish him."

Long He: "————"

What does that mean?

Only child! Lack of companionship growing up?

Hasn't she always been by Ding Heng's side since she was little?

Getting into trouble together, skipping school together, fighting together —

All those days, all those days—

Isn't that considered spending time with someone?

"Sister Longhe?"

Baima's voice pulled Longhe back to reality.

"Um?"

Are you alright?

"fine."