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

The car stopped in front of the Chujiang Hotel.

"Since you're so short of money..."

Ding Heng unbuckled his seatbelt, exhaled a breath of alcohol towards Lin Man, and gave a half-smile.

"Have you decided yet? How much are you planning to charge me for my first time?"

Chapter 165: Lin Man's Price

Faced with Ding Heng's question once again, Lin Man couldn't help but start to ponder.

Was Ding Heng serious, or was he just teasing her?

The "crying scene" in the elevator just now was something she decided on the spur of the moment, wanting to tease this man who always ignored her.

According to her script, Ding Heng should show a surprised expression, and then ask her why she had fallen to such a state. She would then fabricate a tragic backstory to see if he would feel any pity for her.

As it turned out, the man didn't follow the expected pattern at all.

When the word "launch" came out of his mouth, Lin Man almost couldn't hold back.

Have you thought it through?

Ding Heng asked again, his tone still calm and unhurried.

Lin Man tried her best to remain calm and asked with a smile, "How much do you think is appropriate?"

"Let's go inside and talk..."

Ding Heng pushed open the car door, and a cold wind rushed in, dispersing the lingering smell of alcohol in the car.

Without waiting for Lin Man's response, he walked straight to the hotel lobby.

Sitting in the driver's seat, the last vestiges of reason in Lin Man's mind told her that she had better leave now and pretend that nothing had happened tonight.

But a strange obsession welled up inside me...

"asshole."

Lin Man muttered a curse under her breath, pulled out the key, pushed open the door, got out of the car, and chased after the man.

The moment she stepped into the hotel, Ding Heng's mind went blank.

[Congratulations on capturing Princess "Crown of Thorns" of the Heretic Kingdom and bringing her back to your territory. The quest is now officially unlocked. Please begin punishing her as soon as possible.]

Crown of Thorns: Lin Man

[Current Status: A Princess Defiled by Worldly Affairs]

[Penalty Value: 0%]

Atonement Value: 0%

[Refuge Value: 0%]

Ding Heng stared at the three progress bars that had appeared out of nowhere in his mind, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Wenjing is one, Huaqing is two, Linman is three... The missions are getting harder and harder!

The advantage is that I can get a lot of merit points from Lin Man.

The downside is that Hua Qing's two haven't been fully leveled up yet, and now three more have appeared. Who knows when it will be time to level them up?

When the elevator reached the 28th floor, Ding Heng snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at Lin Man.

He asked curiously, "Do you usually dress like this for work?"

Lin Man paused for a moment, then looked down at her clothes.

She wore a loose gray sweatshirt with jeans, her face was bare, and her hair was casually tied in a ponytail.

She never expected to run into Ding Heng before she left home today. She was already being very accommodating by dressing like this to confront Lin Zhiyuan at the KTV.

"It's not my shift start time yet."

She tossed her hair, her tone deliberately casual: "So I didn't have time to get dressed up."

"Oh."

Ding Heng fixed his gaze on Lin Man, looking her up and down, as if he were appraising a commodity waiting to be sold.

Lin Man felt uneasy all over and subconsciously took a half step back.

Ding Heng joked, "Dressed like this to go out for a nice meal with me, you can't raise your price, can you?"

"Hmm... I'll have my friend send me a local package, can you wait a little longer?"

"rest assured."

Ding Heng opened the door and went inside first, throwing out a sentence without turning his head: "I have plenty of patience."

Lin Man gritted her teeth, followed him to check the apartment number, and then suddenly asked, "Don't you usually live on the 27th floor?"

“Wenjing and Zhao Yanxi might come back at any time. It wouldn’t be good to get caught looking for prostitutes.”

Ding Heng said matter-of-factly, "It's embarrassing."

Lin Man almost laughed out of anger.

She deliberately softened her voice, her tone aggrieved: "It seems you still dislike me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ding Heng suddenly reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her into his arms.

Before Lin Man could react, she was already pressed against Ding Heng's chest.

"It's alright, as long as my second brother doesn't mind."

Lin Man was startled and instinctively tried to push Ding Heng away, but she didn't dare to use force when she placed her hand on his chest.

She said nervously, "Didn't you say... you still had patience? I haven't even decided on a price yet..."

[Penalty Value: 2%]

Ding Heng glanced at the numbers in his mind and roughly understood what the system meant by "punishment".

He walked to the sofa, sat down, crossed his legs, and gestured with his chin towards Lin Man, who was standing there dumbfounded at the door: "What, aren't you coming in?"

Lin Man gripped the hem of her hoodie tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Reason once again reminded Lin Man that she had better turn around and leave now; at worst, she would be ridiculed by Ding Heng.

But her feet seemed to be rooted to the ground.

Lin Man took a deep breath, stepped into the living room, sat down next to Ding Heng, and said in a soft and charming tone, "Don't be angry, I'm not ready yet."

"Okay, I'll think about it some more for you."

"It's so kind of you……"

Lin Man rested her chin on Ding Heng's shoulder and gently blew on it: "I've already given you all the perks, aren't you going to comment on how it feels?"

She had hoped to turn the tide and regain the initiative, but Ding Heng showed no embarrassment whatsoever and instead began to think about it seriously.

Ding Heng continued to comment, "To be honest, it's rare to see someone with your figure who studies dance."

Although not as exaggerated as Wenjing, Lin Man still carries considerable weight and is quite different from ordinary dance students.

Lin Man fiddled with her hair, her tone nonchalant: "I didn't develop like this from a young age. I had a hunchback and uneven shoulders when I was little, so my mom sent me to dance classes to train my physique and temperament. She never intended for me to go down the path of art exams."

"You're not a dance major?"

"No, my grades are okay, my academic score is just enough to get into Hunan Normal University."

Lin Man moved closer, her lips gently brushing against Ding Heng's earlobe, her tone becoming increasingly ambiguous.

"Dancing is a plus, and it's also a little perk for my future husband."

"Compared to Hua Qing?"

"Then I won't compete. You know best how flexible she is."

The two were exchanging flirtatious banter when the doorbell rang.

Ding Heng walked over, opened the door, took a local package, and handed it to Lin Man.

"Go get your package."

"No peeking!"

Lin Man picked up the package, tiptoed and gently kissed Ding Heng on the cheek, then turned and walked into the dressing room.

It took nearly an hour for Lin Man to put on makeup and change clothes. Finally, she walked out of the dressing room when the sun had completely set.

Ding Heng put down his phone and turned to look.

The warm light from under the eaves cuts down at an angle, casting a gentle shadow on the off-white wall.

Lin Man's jet-black curly hair was loosely tied back, held in place by a gold hairpin. A few strands of hair fell beside her cheeks, just enough to cover her half-closed eyelashes, revealing only a hint of her rosy lips.

Round gold ornaments of the same color dangled from her ears, swaying gently with her subtle movements. A long chain of the same style cascaded down her collarbone, casting shimmering light on her snow-white skin, exuding elegance without being ostentatious.

The creamy white blouse with its smooth, flowing fabric draped loosely over the shoulders, revealing one shoulder completely with lines as smooth as a crescent moon.

Paired with a flowing black maxi skirt that flares out from the waist, it accentuates the waistline, making it appear even slimmer.

Alluring and elegant, yet with a coldness that keeps people at arm's length.

She tilted her head, a smile playing on her lips: "Can I go have a 'pretty meal' with you now?"

Ding Heng walked up to her and extended his hand in a gentlemanly manner.

Without much hesitation, Lin Man raised her hand and gently placed it on the man's arm, thus taking the opportunity to hold his entire arm.

Stepping out of the room, Ding Heng pressed the elevator button: "What would you like to eat? Chinese or Western food?"

Lin Man obediently replied, "I'll do as you say."

The Western restaurant is located on a high floor of the hotel, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of Changsha's nightscape.

The waiter pulled out a chair, laid out a napkin, and handed over the menu.

Lin Man took the menu, glanced at it, and then naturally turned to the waiter.

"Two servings of Angus ribeye, medium-rare. Side dishes: asparagus and truffle mashed potatoes."

"Okay, would you like some drinks for the ladies?"