I started as a spirited young man, and the system made me a male god.

Hearing Lu Ziyue call out "Mom" again and again, Meng Sixian, who was cosplaying for the first time, couldn't help but get nervous. She took several deep breaths before she could barely maintain her expression.

Lu Ziyue is really... too much of a troublemaker!

"Great!" The photographer was amused by the interaction. "The background here is a bit messy. Teachers, could you walk a few steps over to the riverbank? There are lights there, and the photos will turn out better."

"Okay, let's go!" Lu Ziyue agreed naturally, taking Meng Sixian's arm and following the photographer.

A cool breeze blew in from the river in the evening.

As evening fell, the venue closed, and most of the cosplayers and tourists went to the riverbank, where the city lights in the distance and the shimmering waves on the river provided a stunning vista.

"Here it is, this angle will frame the night scene behind us." The photographer selected a spot and began adjusting the camera settings.

Lu Ziyue pulled Meng Sixian to stand in the designated spot, seemingly having completely forgotten the little incident that had just occurred.

"Relax, Hsiao-Hsien. Girls at this age should take more photos to commemorate their youth."

Seeing that Meng Sixian's body was still a little stiff, she began to share her experience of taking photos, and she also struck a cute pose, with an infectious smile on her face.

After listening to Lu Ziyue's words, Meng Sixian seemed to be deep in thought.

She had always envied girls who wore glamorous anime clothes since she was a child. Isn't the reason for coming to the big city to work hard for a better life?

Now that incomes have increased, I'll definitely take lots of nice photos to remember the occasion, and I can also turn them into memes to show off to my parents later.

After figuring things out, Meng Sixian felt much more relaxed, and her body was no longer so stiff.

Meng Sixian imitated the anime screenshots she had seen before, slightly turning her body to the side, letting one hand hang naturally, and gently placing the other hand on her waist, recreating the standing posture from the anime poster.

Black pantyhose and knee-high leather boots perfectly accentuated her already shapely legs, while the burgundy dress, outlined by the night and lights, made her fair skin and slender figure appear even more striking.

After the two got into position, the flashbulbs started going off.

Meng Sixian could hear the crisp "click" of camera shutters and the praise from passersby and photographers around her.

Although she wasn't used to being the center of attention, a strange, unfamiliar excitement welled up inside her.

So this is what it feels like to play another role and become a cosplayer teacher in the eyes of others.

However, at this moment when she was at the center of the picture, Meng Sixian's thoughts involuntarily drifted away.

My thoughts drifted from the flashing lights in front of me to Shen Shaoting and Lin Jingyi's WeChat Moments posts from the past few days.

Shao Ting's selfie in the studio shows her sweaty hair plastered to her forehead, but her smile is brighter than the sun.

The captions are always full of energy, sometimes even tinged with a bit of smugness at having found a job.

Jingyi shared photos of her newly decorated kitchen, her words conveying a sense of contentment and tranquility.

They all looked really happy.

That kind of happiness was completely different from the confusion I had shown in our previous conversations.

Meng Sixian had more or less guessed that they were both already with Chen Fei...

The thought of this quickly cooled the novelty and excitement she felt from cosplay and taking photos, replaced by a feeling of tightness in her chest.

For a girl from a traditional family with conservative values, this was something completely incomprehensible and unacceptable.

From childhood, her parents and the environment around her taught her to be devoted, to have boundaries, and to have clear relationships.

She would whisper any secrets she had to her mother over the phone, even the vague feelings of her teenage years.

But she could almost picture it: if she cautiously told her mother, "Mom, the boy I'm interested in seems to be dating two girls at the same time..."

I'm sure I'll hear my mother's anxious and angry voice on the other end of the phone:

"What?! Honey, are you out of your mind?! This kind of man definitely has character flaws, he's got ulterior motives, how can he be with two girls at the same time? He's two-timing! You get away from him right now, you hear me?! Don't contact him again!"

Her upbringing and inner principles played in her mind like a recording of her mother:

Yes, that's how dating should be.

If you know the other person has a girlfriend, you should take the initiative to keep your distance, draw a clear line, and reduce contact. That's what a good girl should do.

Thinking about it this way, in the midst of my excitement about trying cosplay for the first time, I actually took the initiative to contact him...

No matter how I think about it, something feels wrong. It's like I've become that kind of girl who doesn't know her place and is unclear about things.

But another voice in my heart, like a stubborn blade of grass sprouting from a crack in the stone by the roadside, was still struggling weakly.

She wanted to share everything about her day with him, to know his reaction when he saw her outfit, and to know if he thought it looked good.

This desire to get closer to him and to gain his attention did not disappear despite the admonition of reason; instead, it made her even more agitated.

Fortunately, there is Lu Ziyue.

Meng Sixian glanced at Anya, who was skillfully cooperating with the photographer and striking another playful pose.

It was Lu Ziyue who suggested coming to the comic convention, it was Lu Ziyue who enthusiastically helped her with her makeup and outfit, and it was Lu Ziyue who so warmly extended the invitation to go to Shanghai...

I was just going with the flow, right?

I was simply enjoying a newly discovered hobby, and I was just responding to a friend's invitation.

It was Lu Ziyue who invited Chen Fei; it had little to do with me, Meng Sixian.

I didn't take the initiative; I just didn't refuse my friend's arrangement.

Meng Sixian told herself this, as if she had found a shelter, allowing the entanglement between morality and affection to temporarily hide.

"Hey miss, can I add you on WeChat? I'll send you the original photo after it's been edited!"

After the photographer finished taking a set of photos, he took advantage of the break and enthusiastically ran over to Meng Sixian and asked her a question.

Meng Sixian was jolted awake from her chaotic thoughts. Looking at the other person's sincere face, she suddenly felt an impulse that she couldn't quite define—whether it was a fit of pique, a desire to prove something, or simply a rebellious urge.

If Chen Fei can do that... then it's not unreasonable for me to add a guy on WeChat, right?

It's just collecting photos. We're all like-minded people, and collecting photos at comic conventions is perfectly normal.

A childish thought of revenge quickly took root in Meng Sixian's mind:

If I told Chen Fei that I made a lot of new friends at the comic convention, including some male photographers... what would Chen Fei's reaction be?

Will they care? Even just a little bit?

"Okay." Meng Sixian's voice was calmer than she had expected, and even carried a hint of a smile when she heard herself answer.

She took out her phone, opened the QR code, and politely handed it over.

The lights still swayed in the river breeze.