Shooting

Turning around and bidding farewell to her mother, Chu Lian closed the door and let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure what had happened last night, but the fatigue that had troubled her all day suddenly swept over her again, leaving her unable to resist. In the end, she could only drowsily climb into bed and fall asleep as if she were a corpse, even forgetting to turn off her computer.

When her mother came to wake her up this morning and discovered the issue, she thought Chu Lian had stayed up too late playing on the computer and forgotten to turn it off due to exhaustion. Thus, she spent the entire morning lecturing Chu Lian about how important it was to get enough sleep during her growth period, warning against playing on the computer for too long and neglecting rest.

She listed numerous negative consequences of not getting enough sleep during growth periods, such as not growing tall, developing prematurely, and having poor skin. Finally, she pointed to her own ample chest and made a rather shameless comment, "If you don't take care of your body, you'll end up flat-chested and never have a chest like mom's. Do you really want people to say you're a woman who's 'flattening the world with your chest'?" This completely defeated Chu Lian.

There was no way around it—not only because her mother's concern was something the current Chu Lian couldn't ignore, but also because she couldn't explain why she had suddenly fallen asleep last night without turning off the computer. Although this issue didn't seem particularly serious, Chu Lian knew that since Ayase mentioned she was being punished with ten days of silence, this fatigue had started manifesting in her body. It surged at a fixed time, forcing her to sleep.

However, even if she understood the reason for her fatigue, she could never tell her mother. Otherwise, it would lead to more questions she couldn't answer. If she didn't want to lie too much, she'd have to tell the truth, which was absolutely impossible.

Chu Lian knew very well that if her mother learned about the system, she'd quickly realize that Chu Lian was no longer her daughter. She might not understand that it was a soul from another world that had taken over Chu Lian's body at her request, but she'd definitely figure out why her daughter had changed so much, why she'd been out of sync with this world for the past year, and why she'd been so resistant to her affections before. Further suspicion would lead her to question Chu Lian's motives for taking over her daughter's body.

Countless mistaken thoughts would entangle the threads of fate, involving numerous people. By then, things would spiral out of the system's control, and it would be something Chu Lian didn't want to see.

Therefore, Chu Lian couldn't allow these things to happen. If the truth came out, it would cause her mother's heartbreak, her father's sorrow, her family's distress, and their inability to face her. This was almost certain to happen.

On a larger scale, this would be extremely detrimental to her development in this world. It could delay the completion of the system's tasks, forcing her to follow the system's orders rather than making her own choices. She didn't like this and didn't want to become a puppet.

On a personal level, she feared being rejected by those she had come to see as family. She dreaded being alone and homeless again, terrified of living a solitary life. Most of all, she worried that no one would ever be kind to her without expecting anything in return.

In this, she was very selfish but had no choice but to be. It was the best way to handle the situation, hiding the truth and letting time take care of it.

This was a typical ostrich mentality, but in this case, it was the most suitable method.

Fortunately, her mother merely expressed her concern and gave some heartfelt advice without probing further, allowing the crisis to pass without incident.

Reflecting on the recent events, Chu Lian gradually collected her thoughts. Passing by her family's garage, she looked up and saw her light blue Maserati T-3507 quietly parked next to a white car. She couldn't help but sigh.

At her current age, she was too young to drive alone. Since her mother gifted her this luxury car, she hadn't even touched the steering wheel once. Instead, it had become her father's go-to car for business trips due to concerns that leaving it unused would be bad for the car.

By the time she was old enough to drive, the Maserati T-3507 would likely be outdated. It was a pity that the first car she ever owned was one she could only look at but not use.

She suspected that when her mother gave her this car, she had calculated that Chu Lian wouldn't be able to drive it, thus giving her father a gift in her name.

If her mother was in a tsundere mode, this could be quite possible!

Well, her mother would never do such a thing. Giving her a car was purely out of a doting mindset, thinking that if she had one, her daughter should have one too.

Thinking so much, she actually just didn't want to walk to school. After all, it was so tiring...

——The above is all Chu Lian's inner thoughts and has nothing to do with me!——

The scenery along the way was familiar, but without Ayase's comments, it felt like something was missing. Perhaps this woman in red had long since become an eternal part of her heart's landscape.

In the distance, a large figure hid behind a tree, holding a DSLR camera, quietly capturing the image of Chu Lian's ethereal figure. He followed her without appearing in her sight.

He knew that Chu Lian did not want her identity revealed, and as a die-hard fan, he wouldn't do anything to harm his idol. But recording her beauty was still permissible.

The photos he had taken last week were already stored in his album, and he had been looking for a time to post them online.

Today, he was merely doing his routine of checking outside during school time when he unexpectedly saw Chu Lian, dressed in a white dress, hurrying down the street.

This discovery made him immediately hide himself and then secretly take out his DSLR to capture her lotus-like elegance. His actions at this moment were like a paparazzo secretly photographing a celebrity or a boy secretly photographing his goddess. Although the image was poor, he didn't care; just seeing Chu Lian was enough.

"So beautiful. It seems this road is her way to school. I must keep watch here from now on..." After she disappeared around the corner, he finally stopped and sat down on a bench, muttering to himself.

In the distance, Chu Lian turned around somewhat suspiciously but saw nothing, shaking her head in confusion. "Why do I feel like someone is following me? Hmm, maybe I'm just being paranoid..."

Not seeing anyone, she couldn't confirm if she had truly sensed something or was just overthinking.

A few minutes later, Chu Lian sat in her seat, smiling at the still-unresponsive Cai Ya, and then called Li Xiuer over.

Watching Li Xiuer walk over in small steps, Chu Lian softly whispered, "A new day has begun, but from today, I can't be so casual anymore..."

"The sky is clear; it's a good time for taking pictures..."

Chu Lian shifted to make room for Li Xiuer beside her. Then she opened her school bag, took out the sleeping Tina, and placed it on the desk. Watching its peaceful sleep, she said, "Xiuer, look at Tina. Ever since it came to school last time, it refuses to stay home alone. As long as I go to school, it insists on following. It's so stubborn..."

"I think it's just lonely and still young, so it's very dependent on you. That's why it follows you everywhere. But Chu Lian, your charm is really high. A cat becoming so attached to you in just two days is rare," Li Xiuer said, scratching its chin.

"Dependent on me? It's probably seen too many big-breasted girls at school and insists on following me. Who knows who taught it to have this natural affinity for well-endowed women? If it weren't for the system, it wouldn't care about me, this pervert cat..." Of course, she could only complain in her mind, outwardly agreeing, "Yes, I guess..."

"By the way, Xiuer, I want to shoot a series of cosplay photos today. Can you help me talk to the teacher to free up a day for me to take pictures around the school?" After a moment of silence, she finally spoke up. This was her real intention, though she felt embarrassed to mention it at first, so she chatted about other things to find the right moment.

Li Xiuer seemed to have anticipated this, so she covered her mouth and laughed secretly. She listened as Chu Lian continued, "It would be best if we could get a few others to join. I want to cosplay Misaka Mikoto from 'A Certain Scientific Railgun' and will need some other characters. Can you help me?"

"Mm-hmm, as long as it's meaningful, the teacher will support it. Cosplay is popular at our school, so your request will likely be approved. As for the others, I'll see who I can find..." After she finished speaking, Li Xiuer quickly put down her hand, gathered her smile, and nodded seriously.

She had already seen the Weibo post that Chu Lian had made this morning and knew that for it to be ready on time, she would need to find some time during school. And she was undoubtedly the best person to communicate with the teacher.

She had come prepared, only she hadn't expected Chu Lian to feel embarrassed and start talking about other things first, which made her find it both amusing and cute.

She must be worried about making me feel misunderstood by being too direct, huh? Seriously, as long as it's something you need, I'll always help. Just say the word...

Chu Lian had her concerns, and so did Li Xiuer. She hadn't told Chu Lian that she was one of the thirty members of the "Heart of First Love." She planned to silently develop this fan group to help Chu Lian in the future.