Why is the system taking my request to photograph a cosplayer seriously?

For the next few days, Ding Heng was worried about how to cope with the impending Saturday of Death.

Or... should we just find an excuse to cancel?

Anyway, as long as he is assertive, Zhao Yanxi won't force him to go to the live variety show.

But seeing how happy the girl was, Ding Heng felt a little reluctant.

On Thursday afternoon, as the last class was drawing to a close, Ding Heng's phone suddenly vibrated.

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: []

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: Guess where I am?

Ding Heng's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition welled up inside him.

Ding Heng: ?

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: [Image]

Ding Heng clicked on the button, his pupils contracting—the gate of the School of Journalism and Communication at Hubei University!

He almost jumped out of his seat.

Ding Heng: Are you crazy?!

【Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon】: Sister Long, I only have time today. If you don't come to me, I'll come to you, okay?

Ding Heng took a deep breath and typed rapidly.

[Ding Heng]: You didn't cause any trouble, did you?

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: Not yet, but we don't know what will happen next.

【Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon】: After all, wearing a mask and sunglasses, I looked quite suspicious. The security guards had secretly glanced at me several times.

[Ding Heng]: Sister Long, I beg you, please go back.

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: []

Ding Heng covered his face.

[Ding Heng]: Why did you have to come see me today?

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: []

The message popped up again, as if Long He was going head-to-head with Ding Heng.

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: If you don't care about me, I'll just confess when I'm found out.

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: I'm looking for Ding Heng, a freshman in the School of Journalism and Communication!

[Sister Long is a dragon, not a milk dragon]: []

Ding Heng: "..."

[Ding Heng]: Don't run around!

As soon as the bell rang, Ding Heng grabbed his schoolbag and rushed out, startling Liu Chiwang.

"Old Ding, where are you going?"

Ding Heng had no time to deal with it, and ran all the way from the teaching building to the college gate at a speed that almost surpassed Bolt's.

If this really causes any trouble, he won't have a peaceful four years of university!

Finally, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

The girl's face was completely covered by a mask and sunglasses, with only a small part of her nose showing.

She wore a loose, light brown sweatshirt, which was so big that the sleeves were long enough to cover the back of her hands, revealing only a few slender fingers.

She wore a dark gray short skirt, beneath which were a pair of long legs encased in thick black velvet stockings, paired with brown Marc boots.

Her long, brownish-yellow hair was combed into two long braids, hanging down from behind her ears and draped over her chest.

Ding Heng rushed over and grabbed Long He's wrist.

"Brother... Hey! Hey! Hey!"

Long He was about to greet them when he felt a tremendous force pulling him, causing him to stagger and be forcibly shoved into the car.

"Bang."

The car door closed, and Longhe took off his mask and sunglasses, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Aren't you happy to see Sister Long?"

Ding Heng let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair.

"My dear Sister Long, what are you doing here?! Do you think I'm living too comfortably?"

Long He pouted unhappily.

"You really don't remember what day it is today?"

Ding Heng was stunned.

What day is it?

Birthday?

No, their birthdays are both in January.

Long He's eyes gradually hardened: "Think about it again?"

Ding Heng frowned, recalling carefully.

October...27th.

Ding Heng suddenly realized what was happening, and his expression softened instantly, replaced by a hint of self-reproach.

"Thank you, Longhe, you're so kind."

October 27th is the anniversary of my mother's death.

Longhe fastened his seatbelt and turned his face to look out the window.

"So don't think I came here specifically to find you. I just wanted to offer incense to my aunt, but I don't remember where her grave is, so I asked you to show me the way."

Ding Heng didn't say anything more, started the car and drove away from the school.

He first arrived at his grandparents' shop, parked the car at the entrance, and got out with Longhe to go inside.

Grandma was tidying up behind the counter when she looked up and saw Ding Heng, and paused for a second.

"Heng Yazi?"

"grandmother."

Grandpa peeked out from the inner room when he heard the noise, and he was also somewhat surprised.

"Hengya, what brings you here?"

"I'm offering incense to my mother."

"Your dad came with us yesterday. We thought you wouldn't be able to come because you're in school this year."

"My dad came by yesterday?"

Grandpa and Grandma nodded in unison.

"They also gave my husband and me a lot of things."

"He didn't even tell me..."

Ding Heng let out a long sigh of relief. Suddenly, Long He jumped forward and called out to the elderly couple in their dialect.

"Grandma Yu! Grandpa Sun!"

"Oh dear! Little Dragon Girl!"

Grandma beamed, "Come in, come in! What brings you here with Hengya?"

Longhe moved closer to the counter and affectionately took her grandmother's arm: "I just happened to be in Xingcheng today, and it's been a long time since I offered incense to Aunt Sun, so I thought I'd come and visit."

Grandpa said with emotion, "It's kind of you to still remember this."

Long He's smile faded, and his face became serious: "I was raised by Aunt Sun, so I'm practically her daughter. How could I not remember?"

Ding Heng stood aside, quietly watching Long He chat familiarly with the two old people, and suddenly felt a little uneasy.

It seems that only he almost forgot his mother's death anniversary...

He turned and walked to the shelf, took out a bundle of incense sticks, and then stepped forward to take Longhe's hand.

"Grandpa and Grandma, let's go offer incense to Mom first, and then come back for dinner later."

"Grandpa and Grandma, let's go offer incense to Mom first, and then come back for dinner later."

"Alright, alright, drive carefully... Old man, go and buy a couple more groceries!"

The cemetery is not far away, just a few minutes' drive away.

Longhe bought a bunch of snow lilies along the way, wrapped in light green paper.

The cemetery was quiet, with lush pine and cypress trees, and the occasional chirping of birds.

The two walked up the stone steps and finally stopped in front of a tombstone.

"Mom, I almost forgot it was your birthday today, please don't be angry!"

Ding Heng squatted down, lit an incense stick, inserted it into the incense burner, knelt down and kowtowed three times, muttering incantations.

"Take care of yourself over there, don't worry about me. Your son is doing alright now, with someone to keep him company and someone to think of him. It's just that I miss you sometimes, Mom. If you miss me too, try to visit me in your dreams sometime..."

Long He knelt down and kowtowed, then casually placed the lily in front of the tombstone.

"Aunt Sun, I haven't come back to see you for the past two years, please don't be upset!"

Her voice choked with emotion as she gently traced the petals of the lily: "The last time I came to see you was the year I first went to Shanghai. I've been thinking about you ever since, but I always got held up by one thing or another..."

Ding Heng patted his trouser leg and stood up, only to find Long He still kneeling, his cries growing louder.

Suddenly, Ding Heng recalled that on the day his mother passed away, Long He was the one who cried the loudest in the hospital.

Not long after, she was taken to Shanghai.

As Long He cried, she seemed unable to stop. Ding Heng quickly reached out to help her up, took off her sunglasses, and gently wiped away her tears with his fingertips.

"Don't cry, you have to rehearse tomorrow."

Longhe sniffed, his voice broken and intermittent.

"I...I just can't help feeling sad when I think about...the suffering Aunt Sun endured before she died..."

Ding Heng didn't say anything, but continued to wipe her tears.

But Longhe is still the same as when he was a child. He either doesn't cry at all, or when he does, he cries like a baby, and the more he wipes away his tears, the more tears he sheds.

Finally, Ding Heng simply pulled her into his arms and gently patted her to comfort her.

Long He buried her face in Ding Heng's chest and sobbed.

As Ding Heng listened to the girl's cries and gazed at his mother's tombstone, his eyes welled up with tears, yet he couldn't shed a single one...

A gentle breeze rustled through the pine branches.

On the way back, the two of them barely spoke.

Grandma had already prepared a table full of dishes at the supermarket.

"Come on, sit down and eat!"

At the dinner table, Long He showed absolutely no airs of a celebrity.

While shoveling rice into her mouth, she complained to the elderly couple about the entertainment industry.

So-and-so are all lovey-dovey on stage but go their separate ways offstage; so-and-so acted like a diva and was scolded by the director until she cried; so-and-so are sisters on the surface but stab each other in the back behind the scenes.

"You wouldn't believe it, that girl, the CCTV host, she looks so innocent, right? But in private, she smokes and drinks all the time. Last time backstage she was..."

She told the story vividly, making the two elderly people laugh.

Grandpa laughed and teased, "You little rascal, now that you're a star, you're still as mischievous as when you were a kid."

Long He replied matter-of-factly, "Of course! In front of you two, I'll always be a little kid."

After finishing his meal, Longhe, as usual, took a lot of snacks from the store.

Spicy strips, potato chips, chocolate, and a few bottles of soda—all stuffed into a big bag, which I carried out.

Grandma called from behind, "Come again next time!"

"Okay!"

The two got back into the car.

Ding Heng didn't rush to start the car. He carefully examined Long He from top to bottom.

My brother's outfit today is clearly something he dressed up for.

She still had makeup on, and although it had been smudged quite a bit from crying, you could still see the delicate eyeliner and light blush.

In addition, two long braids hung down in front of her chest, which made her look even cuter.

Long He looked slightly uncomfortable: "What are you looking at? Is there something wrong with me?"

Ding Heng shook his head: "No, it's just that you seem quite unfamiliar, Sister Long."

When they met at the hotel that night, Long He was at least without makeup, and you could still see some resemblance to her former self. But today, she completely gave Ding Heng the feeling of "a girl changing drastically at eighteen."

After all, seeing someone in person is completely different from seeing photos or videos.

"Of course!"

Long He puffed out his chest, a smug look on his face: "I dress up occasionally, so you can see my high frame rate footage for yourself. Not bad, right?"

"That's true, after all, my brother is a big star now!"

"Go away, who wants to be a celebrity?"

Longhe waved his hand and chuckled foolishly.

Ding Heng continued, "What do you want to do next? Take me back to the hotel?"

Long He thought for a moment, then tentatively asked in a low voice, "Could you come with me... to walk around your school?"

Ding Heng was stunned, never expecting Long He to make such a bold request.

Longhe probably realized that his demands were a bit excessive.

After all, if a big star like her were recognized at a university, it would definitely attract a lot of attention and become a trending topic that very night.

"If it doesn't work out, then forget it. Just take me home..."

Before Long He could finish speaking, Ding Heng began to mutter softly.

"Okay, I'll go with you!"