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

"What's so hard to explain?"

Longhe pouted in dissatisfaction.

Last time, when I asked Ding Heng about his relationships with other women, he answered openly and honestly about the others, but when I asked about Wen Jing, he started to evade the question.

But he deliberately brought Wenjing to meet him, as if he was afraid she wouldn't know that he and Wenjing had something going on.

What are the twists and turns inside?

"I'll go visit Teacher Cao."

Ding Heng interrupted Long He's thoughts: "Are you going or not?"

Long He snapped out of his daze and temporarily suppressed the jumbled thoughts in his mind.

"Sure, I haven't seen Teacher Cao in ages."

Ms. Cao was their shared elementary school homeroom teacher. Her given name was Huilan, and she taught Chinese. She must be in her fifties this year.

Longhe has always had a very good impression of Teacher Cao.

When they were young, neither she nor Ding Heng were easy to deal with, but Teacher Cao never treated them like "bad students".

In particular, after learning about Long He's family situation, he even gave her a lot of care that went beyond the scope of his duties.

As he stepped out of the convenience store, Longhe's gaze returned to the Touareg.

She doesn't know much about cars, but she remembers that Zeng Jie's husband drives the same Touareg, and she also remembers that Zeng Jie complained that the car cost more than 600,000 yuan, saying that her husband "spends more money on buying a car than on marrying me."

There were only Xiao Tan and Wen Jing in the shop. Xiao Tan could never afford a car worth 600,000 yuan, so it must belong to Wen Jing.

Wenjing actually drives a car worth over 600,000 yuan!?

Long He caught up with Ding Heng and tentatively asked, "Is Wenjing's family very wealthy?"

Ding Heng shook his head and replied, "Even in ordinary families, there's still a preference for sons over daughters."

"So she drives a car worth over 600,000 yuan?"

"What? You care so much about what kind of car someone drives?"

"Humph……"

Longhe pursed his lips and didn't ask any further questions.

Teacher Cao's home is on the second floor of an old-style residential building at the other end of the street.

Cao Huilan was pleasantly surprised by Ding Heng and Long He's visit. She quickly instructed her husband to bring out the best tea in the house, as well as a large plate of melon seeds, peanuts, and fruit, practically piling them all over the coffee table.

During their subsequent casual conversation, Cao Huilan kept praising them for their success.

Longhe thought he was being praised in a specific way, and he was a little smug, wondering how to say something modest.

After all, it's not an exaggeration to call her "promising" when applied to a popular star like her.

"Especially you, Xiao Ding, it hasn't been easy for you..."

Cao Huilan suddenly sighed sadly, "If your mother were still alive, she could have retired earlier and enjoyed a peaceful life with you."

Especially? What does that mean?

Long He's little bit of smugness vanished in an instant.

Enjoying a life of leisure with Ding Heng? What kind of leisure does a college student who hasn't even graduated yet have to enjoy?

Ding Heng casually changed the subject: "Teacher Cao, how are you feeling? I heard from Grandma last time that your back wasn't doing well, how is it now?"

"It's an old problem, nothing serious."

Cao Huilan continued the conversation following Ding Heng's lead, without returning to the previous topic.

Half an hour later, Ding Heng got up to say goodbye, and Cao Huilan saw him to the door, bidding him a reluctant farewell.

Back at the convenience store, Longhe's questions only grew.

Last night, when everyone was having a late-night snack, their attitude towards Ding Heng struck her as odd. At the time, she simply thought it was because they were old classmates with a good relationship, but now that she thinks about it, it's definitely more than that.

The more he thought about it, the more conflicted he became, so Longhe simply asked, "Brother, have you struck it rich?"

"correct."

Ding Heng's decisiveness left Long He bewildered.

She had expected him to deny it, or to give a vague answer, like he had done with Wenjing earlier, using "I can't say for sure" to brush it off.

"Then why are you pretending to be poor?"

"When have I ever pretended to be poor to you?"

Ding Heng tilted his head, looking completely innocent.

"..."

Long He was speechless.

Thinking about it carefully... it's true, Ding Heng never pretended to be poor to her.

Whenever he was with me, he was never stingy with money, and he never deliberately acted poor in terms of food, clothing, or daily necessities.

On the contrary, he himself has been intentionally or unintentionally flaunting his wealth in front of his brothers to show off his status as a big star!

Even when it came to hiring him as her assistant, she took it all on herself, forcefully pushing him into her team without ever asking him if he needed the job.

Thinking of this, Long He couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

She composed herself, cleared her throat, and tried to ask in a less awkward manner, "Um...brother, how did you make your fortune?"

Ding Heng's answer remained straightforward.

"Stock trading."

"Can you consistently make money from stocks?"

"Well, someone helped us out."

"Who? That Lin Man?"

"I guess so, she helped me a lot."

Longhe's brain instantly switched to high-speed operation mode, and he mentally filled in the blanks of a whole plot.

Ding Heng got involved with Lin Man through some means, and his strong physique made the rich second-generation financial man in Hong Kong very happy.

He then used the market information provided by Lin Man to make his first fortune by trading stocks, and then used the money he earned to support his "young girlfriend".

As for why he avoids discussing his relationship with Wenjing?

It's likely that the two were involved in financial transactions, or to put it bluntly, "being kept," and deliberately concealed it to avoid making things awkward for each other.

No wonder Wenjing listens to him so much...

A handsome young man from an ordinary background skillfully navigates between a rich and beautiful woman and a naive and innocent girl, using the resources he obtains from the rich and beautiful woman to enrich the life of another girl.

Long He's expression gradually became subtle. Ding Heng didn't explain, just smiled and let Long He imagine it.

He didn't lie from beginning to end, but he couldn't care less how his brothers interpreted it.

Chapter 328: Brother and Sister Reunited

The lunch table was set up between the convenience store and the back room, with a full five dishes and a soup.

Wenjing then carefully placed a steaming bowl of soup in front of Longhe.

"Sister Longhe, you just finished your competition. This is a stewed bone broth with snow pear and fritillaria, which is good for your throat! I just didn't have time to prepare much, so the cooking time might be a little short. Please try it."

Long He looked up at Wen Jing.

The little white rabbit has a sincere expression and clear eyes, simply wanting to share a good dish with someone who deserves it.

"Th-thank you!"

Longhe picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

Warm and slightly sweet, the pear flesh melts in your mouth.

"Delicious!"

"Then drink more, after all, you strain your voice a lot every day."

Wenjing turned around, went back to her seat, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating, saying nothing more.

Everyone at the table was preoccupied with their own thoughts, but Xiao Tan was engrossed in eating, completely absorbed in her meal!

Wenjing's cooking skills are truly exceptional!

Ding Heng picked up a piece of cured meat, glancing at Long He out of the corner of his eye.

Longhe continued to sip his soup slowly, his face full of worries.

After learning that Ding Heng had "made a fortune," she couldn't help but start to overthink things.

Was I too ostentatious in front of Ding Heng over the past year? Buying a car and using his connections to make myself seem like I was incredibly rich and successful.

It turns out that the guy didn't need it at all...

As Longhe pondered this, his ears began to burn again.

She put down her soup bowl, picked up her chopsticks, faced the table full of delicious food, and then put them down again.

Wenjing asked with concern, "Sister Longhe, is the food not to your liking?"

"No, no, it's fine."

Long He quickly picked up his chopsticks again: "I ate too much this morning, and I haven't finished digesting yet."

Wenjing's cooking skills are definitely not a problem; it's just that she's too preoccupied and has no appetite at all!

"Oh……"

Wenjing continued eating with her head down.

Like Zhao Yanxi, she knew that Longhe would eventually end up like them.

Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at chatting with Long He and could only express her goodwill in the most clumsy way.

It's always better to act friendly now than to feel awkward later.