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

Chapter 233 The Girls After the Man Left.

Chengdu villas.

Hua Qing opened her eyes groggily and instinctively reached to her side.

The man was gone, leaving only a faint trace of his presence.

After a moment of stunned silence, Hua Qing slowly sat up, her long hair disheveled.

Not only the men, but all her teammates who played five-player matches with her last night had already gotten up early; she was the last one to get up.

Hua Qing lifted the covers, got out of bed, and went into the bathroom. After a quick wash, she changed into a simple long dress, walked out of the bedroom, and went down the stairs.

The sizzling sound of oil frying in the kitchen came from where Wenjing was busy.

In the living room, Zhao Yanxi and Lin Man sat side by side on the sofa, each holding a cup of coffee.

Hearing the noise on the stairs, the two of them turned around at the same time.

"Good morning, Sister Hua Qing."

Zhao Yanxi smiled at her: "There's porridge in the kitchen, Xiao Jingjing just cooked it."

'

Hua Qing responded and turned to walk into the kitchen.

Wenjing was putting fried eggs into a plate when she heard footsteps and turned around to look at her.

"Sister Hua Qing, the porridge is in the pot, and the side dishes are on the counter. Please help yourself."

"it is good."

Hua Qing took a white porcelain bowl from the cupboard and opened the lid of the clay pot. Steam rose up, carrying the aroma of rice mixed with the sweet scent of red dates and goji berries.

Lately, Wenjing has been preparing nourishing and beautifying recipes for them, to improve their appearance and strengthen their bodies so they can withstand the demands of men.

Hua Qing scooped a bowl of porridge, added some pickled cowpeas and fermented bean curd, and sat down at the table to drink it slowly.

Zhao Yanxi and Lin Man also moved over from the sofa, while Wen Jing brought the fried eggs and several side dishes to the table, took off her apron and draped it over the back of the chair, and sat down next to Hua Qing.

Occasionally, a bird chirped outside the window. Four women sat around a table, quietly eating their breakfast.

Zhao Yanxi was the first to break the silence.

She complained, "Ding Heng is really something. He just left in the middle of the night without even saying goodbye."

Wenjing picked up a piece of fermented bean curd: "I woke up when he left, but I was still groggy and thought I was dreaming—I only realized he was really gone when I woke up in the morning."

Lin Man remained calm: "Bai Ma had some family matters to attend to, so it's normal that she left in a hurry. Didn't the boss leave a message? Accompany her back for a while, and she'll be back in a couple of days."

"In a couple of days?"

Zhao Yanxi put down her spoon, her tone resentful: "He said two days, and he actually said two days? Who knows if he's going on another date with some other vixen, and Baima is covering for him?"

"Yan hope".

Wenjing gently nudged her elbow: "Don't talk nonsense, Baima is Ding Heng's sister."

"Sister, sister—"

Zhao Yanxi smiled wryly: "We're not related by blood, so what kind of sister am I?"

Hua Qing lowered her head and drank her porridge, without replying.

Lin Man laughed out loud: "Why are you worrying about these things? You know what kind of person the boss is. Can you stop him from doing whatever he wants? Instead of overthinking here, you should think about how to kill time later."

Zhao Yanxi pouted, picked up the spoon again, and put a mouthful of porridge into her mouth.

"I'm just bored—without a man around, I have no one to keep me entertained."

"Aren't we human?"

"You can't—"

Zhao Yanxi stopped mid-sentence.

There was a moment of silence on the table.

Then Lin Man burst out laughing.

"Are you even hungrier than I am?"

"Isn't this her peak menstrual period? How can she live without a man?!"

Zhao Yanxi was completely uninhibited and spoke her mind without hesitation.

The girls laughed and joked together, making the atmosphere much more lively than before.

Zhao Yanxi continued, "You guys think that Ding Heng accompanied Baima back to her hometown because there was something going on at home?"

"Otherwise what?"

"I just feel like something's not right."

Zhao Yanxi lowered her voice: "Think about it, he spent several days in the capital with Long He, and then we just arrived in Chengdu, barely had time to settle in, and he turned around and ran off with Baima. What a coincidence!

Wenjing took a bite of her fried egg and mumbled, "Maybe something really happened to Baima—after all, they're siblings, so we have to help each other out."

"I just feel like something's off."

Zhao Yanxi shrugged, unable to pinpoint what was wrong.

Hua Qing rarely chimed in, saying, "He knows his limits. Even if you worry yourself sick, he won't spend more than two days with you."

Zhao Yanxi was taken aback and looked at Hua Qing with a resentful expression.

She knew Hua Qing didn't have any bad intentions, but the truth was too hurtful.

"Sister Hua Qing, whose side are you on?"

"I'm just telling the truth."

Hua Qing remained expressionless.

Lin Man was amused, put down her coffee cup, and leaned back in her chair.

"Alright, alright, stop speculating. You all know Baima, she can be a bit mischievous at times, but she's a good person at heart, and the boss genuinely treats her like a younger sister. If her family really needs help, it's only right that the boss lends a hand."

Zhao Yanxi hummed in response and then remained silent.

Seeing her absent-minded look, Wenjing sighed softly, "Why don't you call Ding Heng and ask him?"

Zhao Yanxi's eyes lit up, and she put down her spoon to grab her phone.

"Yes, yes, let me ask."

She unlocked her screen, opened Ding Heng's chat window, and pressed the voice call button.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

It rang several times, but no one answered.

Zhao Yanxi frowned slightly, hung up, and dialed again.

Still no one answered.

Wenjing leaned closer to look: "What's wrong?"

No one answered.

Zhao Yanxi muttered something to herself as she swiped her finger across the screen, switching to phone dialing.

"The user you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."

A mechanical female voice came from the receiver, and Zhao Yanxi's brows furrowed even more.

"Can't get through."

She looked up and her gaze swept over the people at the table.

"Maybe it's a bad signal."

Wenjing guessed, "Isn't Baima's hometown quite remote? It's normal to not have a signal in a place like that."

Hua Qing put down her bowl of porridge: "Did he say anything to you when he left last night?"

The girls exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.

Zhao Yanxi: "I was sleeping soundly, I didn't know anything."

Wenjing quietly chimed in, "Me too—"

Hua Qing looked at Lin Man.

Lin Man shrugged: "Last night, I was with the boss—well, anyway, he was still there when I fell asleep."

Zhao Yanxi let out an "Eh," glanced at her sideways, and asked in a suggestive tone, "Sister Man, did you sneak a bite again last night?"

"What do you mean by 'stealing food'? That sounds so awful."

Lin Man remained unfazed: "The boss wants to do something interesting, how could I refuse?"

The cat and the fox kept spouting their wild and lewd words, making Wenjing blush slightly as she lowered her head and buried herself in her porridge.

Hua Qing remained expressionless, pretending not to have heard anything.

Just as Zhao Yanxi was about to make another teasing remark, Wen Jing suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh right! Ding Heng sent me a message in the early hours of the morning."

Several people looked at her at the same time.

Wenjing picked up her phone, unlocked the screen, scrolled to her chat history with Ding Heng, and handed it over.

"Look."

The screen displayed a short text message, sent at 2:13 AM.

[Just arrived in Shanxian County and there's a signal. I'm refueling now. The road ahead is a rural national highway, so there might be no signal. Don't worry. I'll message you when I get there.]

"What kind of place is Shanxian?"

"have no idea."

Let me check.

Lin Man picked up her phone and opened the map to search.

"Shan County is located in the northwest of Tibet, near the Qiangtang Plateau, and it seems to be only about 200 kilometers away from Baima's hometown county seat."

Zhao Yanxi blinked: "Qiangtang Plateau, what kind of place is that?"

"It's—a very, very remote place."

Lin Man showed them her phone screen.

On the map, that area is marked with large blank spaces and sparse town names, with winding roads that meander through the mountains.

An unease slowly spread through Zhao Yanxi's heart.

"So—how's the signal over there?"

"No wonder there's no signal in a place like this."

Lin Man put away her phone and reassured him, "Don't worry about it. The boss is incredibly lucky; nothing will happen."

Zhao Yanxi pursed her lips, her fingers still unconsciously swiping across the phone screen.

Hua Qing was the first to stand up: "Just sitting here won't solve anything. We need to do something. Ding Heng will naturally get back to us once we arrive at our destination."

Wenjing stood up and began to clear the dishes.

Lin Man stretched and patted Zhao Yanxi on the shoulder.

"Let's go out for a walk. There's no point in just waiting."

Zhao Yanxi nodded and said nothing more.

The four women went back to their rooms to change their clothes, and half an hour later, they left in a Land Rover from the villa's garage.

Wenjing drove, Huaqing sat in the passenger seat, and Zhao Yanxi and Lin Man sat in the back.

The car drove out of the villa area and merged into the busy traffic of Chengdu.

Zhao Yanxi leaned against the car window, her mind still a jumbled mess.

She would occasionally pick up her phone to check it. The time on the screen ticked by, but Ding Heng's chat window remained silent, with no new messages popping up.

Lin Man was busy processing work messages when she casually asked, "Yan hope, what do you want to buy later?"

"have no idea."

Zhao Yanxi's voice was low: "Just take a look around."

"How about we pick out some autumn clothes together?"

Lin Man looked up: "I see that several brands have released new products, and the styles and designs are quite nice."

"Alright."

Zhao Yanxi responded, but still seemed listless.

The car arrived at the underground parking lot near Taikoo Li.

The four women took the elevator to the ground floor, where the sunlight hit them, slightly dispelling their worries about the man.

Taikoo Li is never short of people, especially during the National Day holiday.

The streets were bustling with people, and groups of stylishly dressed young people strolled by, hand in hand, chatting and laughing.

Four beautiful women walked side by side down the street, each with their own unique style and figure.

Wherever she goes, she attracts attention. Passersby always take a second look, and occasionally someone tries to offer her a ride, but Lin Man always manages to deflect and block them.

Afterwards, the group strolled around Taikoo Li for nearly two hours, carrying bags and bags of clothes, shoes, scarves, and skincare products.

Shopping is indeed incredibly effective for women.

They gradually adjusted their state and temporarily suppressed their anxiety.

Around noon, the four women returned to the parking lot, put their shopping bags into the trunk, and got back into their car.

Zhao Yanxi took out her phone and looked at it again, but there were still no messages.

She placed her phone face down on her lap, and her anxiety slowly resurfaced.

Wenjing, as usual, picked up her phone to take a look, and suddenly gasped.

"Look, everyone!"

Wenjing, sounding nervous, handed her phone to the group.

The screen displayed a news notification with a striking red-and-white headline: "Breaking News: A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Gaitan County, with its epicenter at 33.2 degrees north latitude and 86.8 degrees east longitude—a focal depth of 10 kilometers. As of now, it has caused—local authorities are urgently organizing rescue efforts. This station will continue to monitor the situation."

The carriage was silent for a moment.

"Gaiqin County?"

Zhao Yanxi was the first to react: "Isn't Gaitan County Baima's hometown?!"

Wenjing's face turned pale, and her lips trembled: "Th-then Ding Heng and Baima—"

She didn't dare finish her sentence, but her meaning was already clear.

Hua Qing reacted the fastest. Almost reflexively, she picked up her phone and tapped rapidly on the screen to open the ticketing app.

Lin Man turned her head to look at her: "Sister Qing, what are you doing?"

"Buy tickets."

Hua Qing's voice was tense, her fingers trembling: "Which is the nearest airport to Chengdu? Shuangliu? Or—"

"Calm down! Why are you buying tickets?"

Lin Man reached out and pressed down on Hua Qing's wrist, with considerable force.

Hua Qing looked up and met Lin Man's gaze, her eyes filled with anxiety and urgency.

"Let's go build a forest."

"You're going to build a forest? Can you even do that?"

"try to find----"

"What are you looking for?"

Lin Man interrupted Hua Qing, her tone extremely serious: "Do you know where Gai Qin is? Do you know what the situation is like there? What could you do if you went? Just cause trouble?"

Hua Qing's lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

Lin Man released her wrist, picked up her own phone, reopened the news feed, and read it carefully from beginning to end.

"Gaiqin County has a permanent population of 2.5. The epicenter is very close to the county seat, but there is still some distance between them."

She read it aloud word by word, as if she were giving herself a pep talk and reassuring others.

"The news just said that the casualties were not high, and the boss is probably okay. Besides, if the boss spent the night in Gaitan County last night, he would definitely have sent us a message to let us know he was safe, so I guess he is still on his way."

Although she tried to comfort everyone, her pale fingertips betrayed her inner unease.

The carriage fell silent. No one spoke; the sound of breathing was clearly audible.

Zhao Yanxi lowered her head and redialed Ding Heng's number.

"The user you dialed is temporarily unavailable."

It was still a mechanical female voice.

She hung up, then dialed again. She hung up again, then dialed again.

The third time, Wenjing reached out and gently pressed the back of her hand.

"Yan hope—stop fighting now."

Wenjing's voice trembled: "No matter how many times you try to reach Ding Heng, it won't help."

Zhao Yanxi bit her lower lip, slowly moving her finger away from the screen: "Then what do we do? Are we just going to wait here like this?"

Lin Man took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm.

"Wait a little longer."

She spoke, her tone more composed than before: "I'll contact Aunt Quzhen first. The boss is with Baima, so she's probably just as anxious as we are. Besides, as a local, she can arrange supplies for disaster relief, and she might even have official information channels—"

The group exchanged glances and sat quietly in the car, none of them speaking again.

The car doors were closed, and the windows were half open.

Zhao Yanxi leaned back in her seat, her gaze fixed on the car window, her eyes seemingly veiled in mist.

Hua Qing unconsciously rubbed the edge of her phone with her fingers.

Wenjing stared blankly into space.

Lin Man clasped her hands together, as if in silent prayer.

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