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

Zhao Yanxi was tickled by her teasing, and while dodging, she laughed and then pulled Wen Jing to be her shield.

Wenjing was caught off guard and dragged into the fray. She screamed and tried to dodge to the side, and the two of them started making a ruckus.

Ding Heng sat on the shore, downed his beer in one gulp, and brought up the system interface in his mind.

Crown of Thorns: Lin Man

[Current Status: A Princess Defiled by Worldly Affairs]

[Penalty Value: 41%]

Atonement Value: 0%

[Refuge Value: 3%]

The tasks got harder with each one.

At first, he thought it was just a matter of adding a progress bar, but now he realizes that Lin Man's task is far more difficult than Wen Jing's and Hua Qing's.

Wenjing is starved for love, so just give her special attention. Huaqing is aloof, so just make her fall in love.

In short, feelings will warm up as the task progresses.

But Linman is different.

With her punishment value already exceeding 40%, her relationship with him is essentially still a transaction.

From what I can see, Lin Man is a person who absolutely adheres to business ethics.

She was attentive to her service, never spoke too much, and never overstepped her bounds...

After receiving sufficient benefits, they became even more dedicated and loyal, with no ulterior motives.

Even at this rate, the quest progress still isn't enough.

Especially the value of atonement...

What the hell is it?

Once the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, the four returned to the villa, took turns showering with fresh water, and put on clean clothes.

Zhao Yanxi changed into a loose white shirt dress, with the belt loosely tied at the waist, revealing a section of her fair calves.

Wenjing wore a simple T-shirt and shorts, with no makeup, looking fresh and clean.

Lin Man wore a light gray spaghetti strap dress, her long hair flowing freely, exuding a relaxed and casual vibe.

The group drove along the coastal highway and eventually arrived at a bustling food stall market.

The signs around were lit up with colorful lights, and the seafood stalls were lined up one after another.

According to Lin Man, the group had been staying at the Chujiang Hotel every day and were tired of eating high-end seafood, so they decided to come and experience the local atmosphere.

Zhao Yanxi was the first to rush over: "This one first, then this one!"

Wenjing followed behind her, muttering softly, "Yanxi! That's enough, that's enough, you can't finish it all."

"It's alright, come to the beach and enjoy some fresh seafood..."

Lin Man picked up a plastic basket, occasionally reaching into the tank to scoop out a fish, weighing it in her hand before putting it back.

Ding Heng walked at the back, his gaze sweeping over the colorful signs, when he suddenly heard a quarrel coming from the side.

"That's not the price! You just said eighty-one jin!"

The familiar Northeastern accent, quite loud.

Ding Heng turned around and saw Liu Chiwang standing in front of a stall, holding a crab in his hand, his face flushed red.

The vendor was a local man with dark skin, speaking Mandarin with a heavy accent. He gestured wildly, implying that the vendor had misheard him and that he had said 120.

There were seven or eight people beside Liu Chiwang, men and women, all of whom looked tired.

Bai Zhiya stood at the back of the crowd, wearing a white dress, her expression blank.

"Old Ding?"

Liu Chiwang also spotted Ding Heng and quickly walked over.

"What a coincidence, Lao Liu."

Ding Heng went up to him: "What's wrong?"

"Don't even mention it."

Liu Chiwang threw the crabs into the basket: "It was supposed to be 81 jin, but it's 120 after I took them out. Isn't this blatant ripping off customers?"

Ding Heng glanced at the vendors, then at the crowd behind Liu Chiwang.

Where is Qian Pu?

"He's hiding at home."

Liu Chiwang's tone was displeased.

"His cousin canceled everything, downgraded his hotel and car, and messed up his itinerary. He felt too ashamed to face anyone, so he simply stayed home and left behind a mess..."

He sighed and said helplessly, "Anyway, everyone didn't have a good time, so I'm thinking of heading back the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll just wander around somewhere, and use the rest of the money to treat myself to something nice today, so that the trip wasn't a complete waste."

The vendor started yelling from behind, implying that the customer should either take the crab or not, and not take up space if they didn't.

Liu Chiwang then suggested, "Old Ding, how many of you are there? Why don't you share a table? It'll be more lively with more people, and we can order more dishes."

Before Ding Heng could answer, Lin Man stepped forward.

"Boss, this basket of crabs is on us."

Lin Man smiled politely at Liu Chiwang: "Perfect! Let's calculate it together, so you don't have to haggle with the boss."

Liu Chiwang was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Ding Heng.

Seeing Ding Heng nod slightly, Lin Man immediately ordered a few more seafood dishes, plus the basket of crabs from Liu Chiwang, and the total came to an end.

The vendors announced the number.

Lin Man scanned the QR code to pay, her movements swift and efficient.

Liu Chiwang leaned over to glance at the price, and his lips twitched.

The ten or so people on their side spent a long time picking and choosing, and the total price they paid was still less than that of Ding Heng and his group of four.

Lin Man put away her phone, neither offering to treat nor suggesting splitting the bill, and obediently stepped back to Ding Heng's side.

Paying the bill is her business; how to define it is the boss's business...

Ding Heng then took the initiative to say, "Old Liu, this meal is on me. Please invite everyone to sit down."

Liu Chiwang glanced at Lin Man, then at Ding Heng, his expression subtle.

Of course he knew Lin Man, and he never thought she would work at Shang K, but what was her relationship with Ding Heng?

The vendors delivered the ingredients to the kitchen, and the two groups of people pushed the two tables together.

Liu Chiwang sat down to Ding Heng's left, and the others followed suit.

Bai Zhiya sat at the other end of the table, several people away, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards Ding Heng.

Because there were outsiders present, and they were all from Hubei University, Zhao Yanxi didn't dare to be too presumptuous. She could only obediently pretend to be a "friend" and give the status of girlfriend to Wenjing.

Liu Chiwang finally asked out of curiosity, "Ding Heng, what's your relationship with Senior Lin Man?"

Lin Man told the truth: "I work for the boss."

"boss?"

Everyone's gaze shifted between Ding Heng and Lin Man.

"Correct."

Lin Man picked up a peanut and popped it into her mouth, saying casually, "Personal secretary."

There was a moment of silence on the table.

Liu Chiwang was the first to react, slapping his thigh and exclaiming in a thick Northeastern accent, "Goodness, Lao Ding, you're quite the actor! You eat in our canteen every day, I thought you came from an ordinary family, but it turns out you even have a private secretary on vacation..."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Ding Heng put down his chopsticks, looking completely innocent: "Am I pretending?"

Liu Chiwang continued to joke, "You haven't installed it yet? You drive a car worth around 100,000 yuan, but you're buying your girlfriend a car worth over 500,000 yuan..."

Another burst of laughter

It has to be said that Liu Chiwang is very clever. In just one round trip, he immediately figured out that Wenjing's car was bought by Ding Heng, and took the opportunity to praise Ding Heng.

As for Ding Heng, of his three roommates, Qian Pu was a clown, and Chen Mo was an honest man...

Liu Chiwang was the only one who was quick-witted, knew how to get along with people, and had high emotional intelligence... He was able to thrive in the student union during his freshman year.

The student council's team-building activity turned out like this; anyone else would have given up long ago.

He was able to step up and stabilize the situation, cutting costs where necessary and saving money where appropriate, minimizing the losses.

This demonstrates their competence and sense of responsibility...

A little interaction is no problem; it might even become a connection in the future.

Ding Heng raised his beer glass, his tone relaxed: "Stop joking! Come on, we're all classmates from the same school. It's fate that we bumped into each other in another city. Let's have a drink."

Let's have a drink!

Everyone raised their glasses, and the atmosphere became lively.

Bai Zhiya sat in the crowd, her gaze occasionally drifting towards Ding Heng.

Suddenly, she noticed someone was looking at her, and when she looked up, she met Lin Man's foxy eyes.

Bai Zhiya's heart tightened, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending to eat.

Lin Man, however, became increasingly brazen in her scrutiny.

I didn't look closely at the barbecue restaurant last time.

Bai Zhiya's features are indeed quite good; she has a pure and innocent look and would definitely have no shortage of suitors in college.

Posted online, she'd be more than qualified to be a popular internet celebrity or a campus beauty.

But compared to the three women beside Ding Heng, they still fall short.