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

Hua Yue unloaded her backpack onto the sofa and stretched her shoulders, which were red from being squeezed. "What, aren't you welcome?"

"How can it be!"

Zhao Yanxi quickly stepped forward, took Hua Yue's arm, and pulled her to sit down, saying in a solicitous tone, "Long time no see, long time no see. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to catch up with you properly."

"busy?"

Hua Yue turned her head to look at her, her eyes filled with amusement.

"Busy...very busy..."

Zhao Yanxi's voice grew softer and softer, her confidence waning.

Hua Yue gave a soft snort, didn't ask any more questions, and turned to Wen Jing.

"Jingjing, are you busy too?"

Wenjing scratched her cheek shyly, stammered for a long time, and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"Hua Yue, what have you been busy with lately?"

An incredibly awkward topic shift.

Even though all three of them lived in Xingcheng and their schools weren't far apart, there was an inexplicable awkwardness about them reuniting after a long separation.

From an outsider's perspective, Wenjing and Zhao Yanxi are clearly prioritizing romance over friendship!

Aside from attending classes, she spends all her time with men. Hua Yue asked them out several times but was rejected each time, so she naturally stopped trying to win them over.

"You guys..."

Hua Yue was amused and didn't dwell on it.

She slumped onto the sofa and began to pour out her troubles in the Hanfu club, and the atmosphere between the friends relaxed again.

Afterwards, Ding Heng and the others arrived one after another, boarded the plane, took off, and the twelve-hour flight passed by in fits and starts.

The plane landed in Auckland the following afternoon local time.

The sunshine is gentle, a world apart from the damp and cold winters of the Northern Hemisphere.

Clear customs, collect luggage, and complete formalities.

Lin Man walked at the front, communicating with the staff in fluent English, and occasionally turning back to ask Ding Heng a question.

After leaving the terminal and handing their luggage to the staff, the group took a shuttle bus to a white helicopter.

Baima was the first to jog over: "Sister Man, when did you book the helicopter?"

Lin Man bent down and climbed into the cabin, fastening her seatbelt: "Hengbai Capital has a client in New Zealand who runs a high-end tourism business. This helicopter is being borrowed as a favor."

Ding Heng sat in the passenger seat and realized that the driver was a Chinese girl.

"Hello Mr. Ding, my name is Dong Le, and my English name is Hannah. I am your private butler in New Zealand. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything. I am at your service 24 hours a day!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Dong."

"pleasure."

After a brief handshake, the helicopter slowly ascended, and the scenery on the ground began to shrink.

The coastline stretches out in front of us, and the bay cuts into the land in varying depths.

Forty minutes later, the helicopter flew over a dense forest, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

A white building sits on the lakeside, with clean, modern lines and large floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the color of the sky.

In front of the building is a flat lawn that extends all the way to the lake.

At the end of the lawn is a wooden dock with a pier extending into the lake, and several small boats are moored on both sides.

The helicopter landed steadily on the helipad, and the rotor slowly stopped spinning.

Ding Heng pushed open the door and jumped out, then turned back and shouted into the cabin.

"Get down!"

The girls climbed out of the plane one after another and stood on the lawn, quietly gazing at the building in front of them.

Hua Yue swallowed hard: "This...house, is it for us to live in?"

"if not?"

Lin Man had already picked up her bag and walked into the house: "The customer rented it for free, so why not use it?"

"Provided by the customer" and "free rental" are just excuses; it's nothing more than a transaction of interests.

This beachfront private residence is situated within a 200-hectare estate, featuring only 17 residences and offering exceptional privacy.

Lin Man recruited clients in Europe last time through old friends. Making money was secondary; her main purpose was to expand her network.

By binding customers with shared interests, winning their trust through service, and then leveraging that trust to access more resources, it becomes easier to provide Ding Heng with luxurious services.

The longer Lin Man stayed by Ding Heng's side, the more she understood.

Ding Heng will only become more and more financially secure, but she lacks the channels and means to spend that money. As a sensible and capable secretary, she must properly arrange everything.

The living room is large, with one entire wall made of floor-to-ceiling windows. The sea outside the window shines a brilliant blue in the sunlight.

In the distance, rolling hills are covered with dense forests, with layers of green in varying shades.

Baima lay face down in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, her nose almost touching the glass.

"Sister Man, what's this place called?"

"Bay of Islands".

Lin Man walked over and introduced, "This bay is made up of more than 140 islands, and we are on one of the small islands."

Hua Qing was the last to enter, her gaze sweeping over the living room decorations.

Simple, clean, and comfortably intuitive.

"Is this house usually unoccupied?"

"The client stays here no more than three days a year. If you like it, Sister Qing, you can have the boss buy it. The client is planning to sell it anyway."

How expensive?

Hua Qing asked the question subconsciously, and only after asking did she realize what she had asked.

What are you thinking?!

Lin Man laughed and replied, "It's only around 2000 million US dollars, but the subsequent miscellaneous expenses are not cheap..."

"No, no, no... stop talking."

Hua Qing quickly denied it.

Now, in her subconscious, she is not worried about Ding Heng's financial situation at all, but rather about whether he will actually buy it for her.

Lin Man chuckled: "Sister Qing, have you been reading too many romance novels lately?"

Hua Qing blinked: "What do you mean?"

"Does he really think the boss is some kind of domineering CEO? He'll buy you a whole fishpond just because you say the word?"

"Lin Man!"

Hua Qing glared at Lin Man in embarrassment and anger, then simply ignored her and pushed open the glass door to leave the room.

The setting sun casts a golden glow, turning the sea a vibrant orange-red.

Hua Qing walked down the lawn, and at the end of the pier, Hua Yue was sitting on a wooden plank with her legs dangling above the water.

Hearing footsteps, Hua Yue turned around.

"sister."

"Ah."

Hua Qing sat down next to Hua Yue.

The two sisters stood side by side, their eyes fixed on the setting sun that was about to sink into the sea.

After a moment of silence, Hua Qing spoke first.

"How does it feel?"

"What...what feeling?"

Hua Yue asked the question knowing the answer already.

"What's it like coming to a place like this with us for the first time?"

"Well……"

Hua Yue drew out her words, her gaze shifting from the sea surface to her reflection.

"to be honest?"

"Ah."

"I understand you guys a little better now."

"understand?"

Hua Qing turned her head to look at her: "Understand what?"

Hua Yue didn't rush to answer. She reached out and plucked a withered blade of grass from the edge of the pier, slowly twirling it between her fingers.

"Living in a place like this every day, I can go wherever I want and eat whatever I want. I don't have to squeeze onto the subway, I don't have to worry about living expenses, I don't have to put up with other people's attitudes, and I don't have to worry about basic necessities like food..."

She blew the crushed grass stems out and watched them float on the water.

Who wouldn't be envious?

Hua Qing was speechless.

"Sister, don't misunderstand."

Hua Yue turned her head and grinned at her: "I'm not saying you guys are materialistic, nor am I saying Ding Heng is throwing money around. I just think... this kind of life is really comfortable."

She paused slightly, then spoke more bluntly.

"To put it bluntly, if I had a man willing to support me like this, I would probably be even more devoted than you are."

"Hua Yue!"