Depressing breakfast
Ning Yusheng handed the bracelet to Ding Xuefei, and everyone noticed that Ding Xuefei's heart rate was around 80 as soon as she put it on.
"What's Fei Ge so nervous about?" Ke Ran asked, puzzled.
When no one else was paying attention, Yu Songlin whispered the secret to him: "Relax and just don't think about anything."
The warm breath brushed against his earlobe, and Ding Xuefei's heart tightened. Hearing the cheers of the others, he turned his head and saw that his heartbeat had indeed risen again.
If only it were as simple as he made it sound. Ding Xuefei glared at him.
Yu Songlin smiled somewhat awkwardly. He didn't dare to say anything more and just stood there properly, looking at Ding Xuefei with his eyes that were said to be affectionate even when looking at a dog.
Despite having made eye contact countless times already, Ding Xuefei was particularly unwilling to meet Yu Songlin's gaze today.
Yu Songlin mouthed to him, "Don't be nervous."
Why am I getting even more nervous?
The others continued to egg them on: "They held hands! They were just holding hands!"
Seeing that there seemed to be no way to avoid it, Yu Songlin asked softly, "Is it okay?"
That scoundrel has his hand already raised, yet he's still asking all sorts of questions!
Ding Xuefei glared at Yu Songlin again, though without any imposing manner.
A slightly cool touch covered the back of his hand. He saw Yu Songlin lower his head slightly, and his hand was pulled up. The touch was very light, with almost no force.
Ding Xuefei suddenly regretted not wiping the sweat from her palms earlier. Yu Songlin must have noticed by now. His eyes darted away unconsciously, but his hands clenched tighter and tighter.
Yu Songlin's hands were slightly cooler, and felt as dry and soft as he remembered.
"Start the timer." Ke Ran pressed the stopwatch and urged, "Make eye contact, Xuefei-ge, don't cheat!"
Ding Xuefei's reluctance was written all over her face as she muttered under her breath, "Why does it have to be like this..."
Yu Songlin smiled slightly upon hearing this.
"Brother Xuefei is shy again."
"Stop talking!"
Along with Ding Xuefei's anger and embarrassment, there were also excited shouts from others.
"87, 89, 93!"
"My God, what's going on?"
"Could it be that I've actually gotten it?"
Upon hearing this, Ding Xuefei's heart pounded even harder, his back was covered in sweat, and his cheeks were burning hot. He looked at Yu Songlin's annoying face, whose smile, which initially showed a hint of surprise, quickly turned into bewilderment.
"Stop laughing! I... I'm just not used to being like this with people! It's not that..."
However, the others laughed even harder when they heard Ding Xuefei's explanation.
The numbers on the screen continued to climb, jumping from two digits to three digits in an instant. The speakers emitted an explosive sound effect, making Ding Xuefei feel utterly ashamed.
Damn it, he shouldn't have agreed to participate in this, no, he shouldn't have come to this show in the first place! Or he should have quit when he saw Yu Songlin! Anyway, he's been criticized enough times, it's better than being publicly humiliated here!
What will the other guests think? Have they already figured out that he and Yu Songlin are exes? Do they think he has a crush on Yu Songlin?! Help!
What will Yu Songlin think? This guy still has a smile on his face. Ding Xuefei never knows what he's thinking. Anyway, if he asks any silly questions about "lingering feelings," Ding Xuefei will never admit it!
Just as the atmosphere reached its climax and Ding Xuefei was filled with shame and indignation, he suddenly felt a warmth on his hand; it was Yu Songlin squeezing his hand.
"Xuefei, don't be nervous."
Ding Xuefei ignored him and instead glanced at the big screen. The right side showed 105, while the left side only showed 77.
He suddenly felt angry for no reason, glared at Yu Songlin, and pinched him hard with his other hand, earning an innocent look of confusion from the latter.
"Why are you so calm?" Ding Xuefei wanted to question him, but she knew it wasn't the right time. So she just snorted and tried to calm herself down by silently reciting the Three Character Classic.
Just as she was feeling defeated, Ding Xuefei heard Xu Yimeng's voice:
"Wow, this must be the first time Rin has jumped above 80."
"That's right, it's still rising. What's going on?"
"Could it be...?"
Ding Xuefei glanced at the screen again and found that Yu Songlin's heart rate had indeed jumped to 85, while his own had dropped to 92.
What's going on? What does that mean?
He tentatively glanced at Yu Songlin, only to see the smile on the other's lips vanish, followed by a light cough before he looked away first.
Yu Songlin released Ding Xuefei's hand, his face remaining calm and showing no emotional fluctuation. "The time should have passed long ago."
Ding Xuefei then realized what was happening, took off the bracelet, and rushed to Ke Ran's side, pretending to grab his neck, "What are you up to, you brat! You're bullying your brother!"
Ke Ran shouted "Brother Fei, spare me!" and Ding Xuefei finally managed to get through this part amidst the playful fighting.
The subsequent heart rate test had some exciting moments, including Stella and Xu Yimeng teasing each other, Bai Mu and Shang Rou with both of them having relatively calm heart rates, and Ke Ran and Bai Mu being forced to interact intimately at everyone's request.
Ding Xuefei had calmed down a lot while playing this game with Stella. Stella tried her best to tease Ding Xuefei and make her heart rate rise, but no matter what she did, Ding Xuefei's heart rate remained around 90.
Stella was utterly defeated: "Don't you like women?!"
Having no other rebuttal, Ding Xuefei could only say, "I was probably just too excited..."
After sitting down again, Ding Xuefei's mind was still like mush, and she couldn't think of anything.
Fang Jinyu, who was standing nearby, said, "This seems really fun, but unfortunately I'm not a suspect at all."
Ding Xuefei didn't know for a moment whether he genuinely thought that way, or was simply being sarcastic or mocking him. But since he was her idol, he probably wouldn't be that bad.
He said with a pained expression, "It's not fun at all! It's extremely embarrassing!"
Fang Jinyu leaned closer and asked him, "Xuefei, which couple do you think were your exes?"
To be honest, Ding Xuefei had been in a daze all night and hadn't been able to think about this issue at all. When Fang Jinyu asked him, all he could say was, "What do you think?"
“I think…” Fang Jinyu drawled, gesturing for Ding Xuefei to come closer.
Ding Xuefei had no doubt and stepped forward, only to hear the other person's amused voice: "So hard to guess."
If it were Yu Songlin, Ding Xuefei would definitely be angry, but Fang Jinyu wouldn't. He just echoed, "It's really hard to guess."
"Could it be you?" Fang Jinyu tilted her head, as if she had already seen through Ding Xuefei.
"No, no." Ding Xuefei avoided eye contact; his acting was terrible. Fortunately, Fang Jinyu didn't press him further.
*
That evening, Ding Xuefei sounded out the others and was surprised to find that he and Yu Songlin were actually the least suspicious. This was probably because he acted naturally, and he wasn't the only one whose heart was racing yesterday, so he wasn't suspected.
In fact, his worries were completely unnecessary. By the end of the heart rate test game, the entertainment value had become more important than finding the "ex-boyfriend suspect." People didn't care much about that; they just wanted to create some entertainment value.
The next morning, Ding Xuefei went downstairs. There was someone in the kitchen, and he habitually sat down at the island counter—in the past, Yu Songlin would soon place a delicious breakfast in front of him.
"Good morning, Xuefei."
Ding Xuefei was taken aback when she heard this, and when she looked up, she found that it was not Yu Songlin, but Fang Jinyu.
For a moment, I didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed: "Good morning, Teacher Fang."
Fang Jinyu scooped the noodles out of the pot, feigning disappointment as she said, "Didn't I tell you? Calling it that way sounds too unfamiliar."
"Oh, Jinyu-ge."
Fang Jinyu smiled slightly upon hearing this. He made noodles and mixed a bowl for Ding Xuefei and himself.
In a daze, Ding Xuefei wondered if Yu Songlin had prepared breakfast today, since it seemed like she ate his cooking almost every day.
When Ding Xuefei came to his senses, he realized that the silence had lasted a bit too long. Although Fang Jinyu didn't seem to mind at all, he always felt restless in front of his idol.
Ding Xuefei took the initiative to start a conversation: "Brother Jinyu, I've always wanted to thank you in person for helping me out at the TV station last time."
Fang Jinyu was taken aback, but quickly remembered what it was about: "Oh, that was nothing, no need to be so polite."
"Of course I have to thank you," Ding Xuefei shook her head. "At the time, Brother Jinyu didn't even know me, yet he was willing to risk offending the media to help me. I'm really grateful."
Fang Jinyu laughed upon hearing this: "Those unscrupulous media outlets are all bullies who prey on the weak. You have to be tough on them... Also, who said I didn't know you back then?"
"Huh?" Ding Xuefei was taken aback. After thinking back, he realized that he and Fang Jinyu had only met once on a TV show before, and they didn't really know each other.
"Actually, I've always known about you and your team. Back then, ah, it should have been when you released your first single, I heard it by chance and thought this newcomer was very talented."
"Really?" Ding Xuefei felt like he was dreaming when his idol praised him for the first time. He was not used to being praised and was speechless for a moment.
“Of course it’s true,” Fang Jinyu said, looking at Ding Xuefei’s somewhat dazed expression. She couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes filled with amusement. “I was looking for an opportunity to get to know you, so I sent you a collaboration invitation a while ago. I didn’t expect the program team to invite me. I’ve gotten to know you ahead of time.”
Ding Xuefei once thought that his idol's collaboration invitation was just sent by his company or agent. He didn't expect that his idol had actually heard his songs. He immediately felt that all his hard work over the years had been worthwhile.
Her bad mood vanished, and Ding Xuefei exclaimed excitedly, "I'm so happy to have met Brother Jinyu!"
"And last night you said you'd teach me to sing..."
"Ah, that!" Ding Xuefei interrupted Fang Jinyu. He felt extremely embarrassed whenever this topic came up. It was all that damn system's fault!
"That was actually... for the sake of the show, you don't have to take it too seriously."
"Oh, what a pity." Fang Jinyu looked genuinely disappointed. "I was even starting to think about singing a duet with you."
"Okay, let's wait until the recording is finished!"
Seeing Ding Xuefei's bright eyes, Fang Jinyu naturally ruffled his hair as she stood up and said with a smile, "Eat quickly, the noodles are getting cold."
Ding Xuefei was taken aback. He was very uncomfortable with others touching him, but then he thought, "It's my idol, so I'll let it go."
What should we eat for breakfast this morning?
Ding Xuefei recognized Xu Yimeng's voice, turned around and saw Ye Ming following behind her.
"Brother Jinyu made noodles!"
The two sat down in front of the island and exclaimed how delicious it smelled. Fang Jinyu cooked another pot and said modestly, "If you don't mind."
While waiting for the noodles to cook, Xu Yimeng exclaimed, "Boys these days are all such good cooks!"
Ye Ming asked, "Are there any other male guests who are also good at cooking?"
"And then there's Brother Lin, he usually made breakfast before, he's a really good cook, and Brother Bai..."
Ye Ming nodded, and Xu Yimeng said, "By the way, I didn't see Brother Lin this morning. I'm not used to it."
Ding Xuefei sat down next to her and drank milk. See? It's normal to feel uncomfortable like this!
"I think I saw him leave this morning," Ye Ming said.
Xu Yimeng: "Didn't he say where he was going?"
No.
Fang Jinyu brought over two bowls of noodles, thus ending the conversation.
Ding Xuefei held the glass, trying to hide the slight downward curve of his lips. He thought to himself that Yu Songlin used to always tell him when he had to leave the villa for work, but this time he left without a word.
Even during the Cold War, this shouldn't be done.
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