Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

Ding Heng could tell that Hua Qing's jealousy was stronger than ever before.

In the past, when Hua Qing was jealous, it was an awkward feeling of "I know I shouldn't be jealous, but I just feel uncomfortable."

Today, she was like a little girl whose dessert had been stolen, holding back her anger.

Ding Heng guessed that it was probably because he hadn't touched Hua Qing at all during his several days in the capital. Then, upon returning, he immediately sought out Zhao Yanxi and Wen Jing, which inevitably caused Hua Qing to feel a sense of loss.

In short—Hua Qing is vying for favor.

Although not as intensely as Zhao Yanxi, Hua Qing herself might not even realize it.

But the tone and questioning in her voice during that phone call were unmistakable.

Some genes in women are almost ingrained in their very bones.

Even the most aloof and proud fairy is not immune to worldly concerns.

Ding Heng snapped out of his thoughts, his tone becoming even gentler.

"Senior."

"Ok?"

"I miss you."

The wind suddenly stopped, probably because Hua Qing had stopped at some intersection.

"You...you shouldn't do that..."

A rustling sound came through the earphones, and then the voice call turned into a video request.

Ding Heng pressed the answer button.

The screen lit up, and the image shook before stabilizing.

Hua Qing's face appeared in the camera's view, her hair slightly disheveled by the wind.

She was riding a shared bicycle with a canvas bag in the basket, and a water bottle and the strap of her dance costume were sticking out of the bag.

Ding Heng jokingly asked, "Senior, is it really necessary to be so frugal?"

"It's not about saving money."

Hua Qing parked her bike and picked up the canvas bag from the basket: "Fan Chenxi also lives nearby. I rode with her for a while and we chatted about rehearsals."

"Looks like the senior has made some friends?"

"It was just on the way."

"Okay, okay, it's on my way."

Ding Heng walked back to the bedroom from the bathroom and began to get dressed, his upper body muscles on full display in front of the camera...

Hua Qing pretended not to care, but she kept glancing at the screen out of the corner of her eye.

"Ding Heng".

"Um?

"What exactly is the gift you mentioned last time for April?"

Ding Heng was buttoning his shirt when he heard this and paused.

"Are you looking forward to it, senior?"

"No, I'm just afraid you'll torment me again."

With a "ding," the elevator doors opened.

Hua Qing walked in carrying her bag, pressed the floor button, and faced the camera again.

His eyes were cold and tired, yet held a hint of warm expectation.

"Bye-Bye."

"Bye-bye, senior, get some rest."

The image freezes, the call ends.

Ding Heng put down his phone and slowly buttoned the last button.

Judging from Hua Qing's reaction, his strategy of "ignoring" her was effective.

When she returns to Xingcheng in April, the intensity of their romantic entanglements will definitely surge dramatically.

Back at school, Ding Heng drove his beat-up Chang'an back to the men's dormitory and slowly climbed to the fourth floor.

Before I even reached the door of 412, I could hear the howling of ghosts coming from the slightly ajar door.

"If I had been successful in my youth, I would have known what was precious—those beautiful dreams..."

The tune was way off track, and the accompanying buzzing of a beat-up acoustic guitar made it as devastating as a pile driver on a construction site.

Ding Heng pushed open the door and went in. He saw Qian Pu sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a guitar in his arms, passionately shouting at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window.

Liu Chiwang lay slumped on the table, his head buried in his arms, looking utterly hopeless.

Chen Mo wore headphones, pretending not to hear anything, and focused on flipping through the professional book in his hand.

Ding Heng tossed the keys onto the table and gestured with his chin towards Qian Pu: "What's going on here?"

Liu Chiwang lifted his head from his arms, looking weak and listless: "I just broke up with my boyfriend."

"Heartbreak? With Wang Xinran?"

"Who else could it be?"

Liu Chiwang said helplessly, "They confronted him yesterday, saying they felt it was better to remain friends. And now, he's been howling since yesterday morning, his voice is hoarse."

Ding Heng glanced at Qian Pu and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

"The sooner you break up, the sooner you'll be free."

Qian Pu looked up at him, then continued her heart-wrenching sobs.

"Those beautiful dreams—I feel guilty for not giving them to you. If I had been more sensible and knew when to back down when I was young, you wouldn't have suffered for me."

Ding Heng: "…………"

Liu Chiwang covered his face and let out a painful groan: "Qian Pu, I beg you, please stop singing. If you keep singing, the neighbors will be knocking on the door. How about we go to a karaoke bar?"

"Alright, tonight you'll drink with your brother until you drop!"

Qian Pu finally stopped plucking the strings and looked longingly at Liu Chiwang.

Liu Chiwang joked, "Then you're treating?"

"I have no money!"

Qian Pu said righteously, "I've spent all my money on women."

Liu Chiwang's lips twitched, and he turned to look at Ding Heng and Chen Mo, his eyes simple and clear—"Look at this idiot."

"Eh..."

Liu Chiwang sighed, "Alright, alright, it's on me today. But it's a deal: no more depressing songs at the karaoke bar, give me something cheerful."

Qian Pu immediately put down his guitar: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Liu Chiwang then turned to Ding Heng and Chen Mo: "Are you two going or not?"

Chen Mo was about to refuse when Ding Heng spoke first: "Old Liu, it's your birthday today, right?"

Liu Chiwang chuckled and stepped forward to hug Ding Heng, saying affectionately, "Look at that! Old Ding is a true brother. I told him my birthday once when school started, and he was the only one who remembered!"

Qian Pu and Chen Mo exchanged a glance before belatedly realizing what had happened.

Happy birthday, Lao Liu!

"Happy birthday!"

"Go, go, go!"

Liu Chiwang waved his hand and said in a thick Northeastern accent, "Stop with the formalities, let's have a couple more drinks later!"

The four of them went out laughing and joking, and got into Ding Heng's old Chang'an car.

The car turned out of the school gate and arrived at a KTV in the city center more than 20 minutes later.

"Wow~"

Ding Heng turned off the engine, opened the door, got out of the car, looked up at the sign "Brilliant Planet," and let out a cryptic sigh.

Liu Chiwang curiously leaned closer: "Old Ding, what are you yelling about?"

"Old Liu, you actually have money to spend here?"

"What's wrong? It's just a regular KTV. I booked a large private room online for only 200 yuan. With drinks included, it'll probably only cost around 1,000 yuan."

"There are only two hundred Brilliant Planets now?"

Ding Heng looked incredulous.

Seeing that there was something to gossip about, Liu Chiwang quickly asked, "Old Ding, are you very familiar with this place?"

"I wouldn't say we're familiar with each other."

Ding Heng, hands in his pockets, slowly walked inside: "I've just heard some things."

Chen Mo's curiosity was piqued: "What is it? Tell me."

As a native of Xingcheng, Ding Heng began to speak slowly.

"Don't be fooled by how cheap Brilliant Planet is now. A decade or so ago, it was the number one KTV in Star City."

"Number one? How awesome is that?"

“When I was in kindergarten, around 2012, there was a rumor that a campus beauty from the teachers’ college next door was working part-time here. Not counting her salary, the overnight fees and tips alone amounted to nearly 300,000 yuan a month.”

Three hundred thousand?!

Qian Pu's eyes widened in surprise.

"That was 12 years ago."

As Ding Heng walked, he said, "Back then, the price of apartments in the city center of Xingcheng was only five or six thousand yuan per square meter. People could earn half a house a month."

Liu Chiwang gasped, and the four of them followed him into the elevator.