birthday gift
That evening, Elio quietly left the Heartbeat House without saying goodbye to the other guests, simply informing them that he was leaving the show.
Ding Xuefei thought this was a good idea, to save him from the awkwardness of meeting Elio. Elio was thick-skinned enough not to feel awkward, but he would feel even more awkward if they met!
Besides, Yu Songlin alone is enough of a headache for him. He doesn't have the time or intention to argue with Elio right now.
But who released this video? He believes his relationship with the production team isn't that good, and besides, the show has already finished airing for a while, so the buzz it generated won't last long.
Who's so kind? Doing a good deed without leaving their name. If they find out who it was, they'll have to thank them properly.
There was also good news: Guo Chu called that evening to say he had received a collaboration invitation.
Ding Xuefei received quite a few collaboration invitations. Guo Chu would arrange the others for him, but he made a special call because this invitation came from Ding Xuefei's idol, Fang Jinyu.
Guo Chu said that Fang Jinyu listened to Ding Xuefei's songs and thought he was very talented, so she wanted to collaborate with him on a single.
Ding Xuefei was so excited that he jumped up and down. After all, Fang Jinyu had been his idol since his student days! Moreover, Fang Jinyu had always been very popular. Even now, his popularity was no less than Ding Xuefei's, and his public image was hundreds of times better.
It was even the other party who took the initiative to invite her! Ding Xuefei was overjoyed!
He immediately urged Guo Chu to agree and to set a time for the meeting and recording as soon as possible, not wanting to waste a single moment!
After hanging up the phone, Ding Xuefei began to imagine the scene of her next meeting with Fang Jinyu. The previous meetings had all gone by too quickly, and she hadn't had a chance to say more than a few words. Now that they were cooperating, she was sure she would have a chance to talk to him more...
I wonder if Fang Jinyu knows that he is his die-hard fan? Ding Xuefei only mentioned this once when he first debuted, and was even criticized for trying to gain popularity, so he never mentioned it again.
He could imagine the surprised look on Teacher Fang's face when she heard that he had treasured his album for almost ten years...
And so, Ding Xuefei was not affected by Elio's situation at all, and even fell asleep with a smile on her face.
*
The next morning, Ding Xuefei had just gotten up when the production team called her to the interview preparation room.
Ding Xuefei didn't have high expectations, since the production team had always tried to create something big in the past, but it always ended up being a bit of a letdown.
The production team said, "Today is Ke Ran's birthday, so let's all work together to prepare a birthday surprise for him!"
Ding Xuefei wouldn't be sleepy if he were to do this! As Ke Ran's roommate, he really liked Ke Ran as a friend.
It seems that Ke Ran hasn't found someone he likes on the show. At first, Ding Xuefei thought he was a little interested in Stella, but later, probably seeing Stella openly showing affection to Yu Songlin, he simply gave up. Now, he's just dutifully acting as the atmosphere-maker on the show, and his presence has diminished considerably. Ding Xuefei even misses how energetic he was when he first joined the show.
Besides, given Ke Ran's personality, she'd definitely be thrilled to see a birthday surprise!
The other guests also received this task, and they gathered together to discuss it, deciding to split into two groups: one to make a cake and the other to buy gifts.
Finally, Stella and Bai Mu went out to buy gifts, while the others stayed at the villa to make a cake. Ding Xuefei wanted to go with them, but he had just injured his foot, so everyone advised him not to move around.
Yu Songlin and Xu Yimeng were the main people making the cake, while Ding Xuefei used a bad foot as an excuse to refuse to participate and kept her distance from Yu Songlin.
Since they had nothing better to do, Ding Xuefei and Shang Rou decided to play the game that Xia Xingye had brought before. The two worked together to build roads and bridges. Shang Rou was a novice, but she learned quickly. The little character kept running around on the screen, carrying materials in an orderly manner.
Ding Xuefei's gaze kept drifting towards the kitchen.
This guy, who's good with everyone, is chatting and laughing with Xu Yimeng right now; he could hear it from far away.
How come Yu Songlin can bake cakes? I've never heard of him before. He's such a good cook, his desserts must be pretty good too, right? The air smells of milk and fruit already; I'm craving something sweet…
"Xuefei, what are you thinking about?"
Suddenly touched by Shang Rou, Ding Xuefei snapped out of her daze and quickly manipulated the little figure to cooperate with Shang Rou's actions.
Shang Rou laughed as she played, "Why do you seem so absent-minded today? Is something on your mind?" She glanced towards the kitchen as she spoke.
For some reason, Ding Xuefei always felt like a mouse encountering a cat whenever she met Shang Rou, and she couldn't help but feel guilty as she spoke: "Where is it?"
Shang Rou smiled without saying a word, while Ding Xuefei looked on high alert.
Just as Ding Xuefei was wondering what to say, he heard Xu Yimeng call out, "Brother Xuefei, come and help me!"
He hurriedly got up and went to the kitchen, deliberately turning his back to Yu Songlin. As soon as he got there, he saw various fruits and creams in front of Xu Yimeng, which smelled very good. The oven next to her was lit up, and the cake base inside was baking.
"Why did you call me?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Yimeng turned to Yu Songlin, who was busy with something in the kitchen, and said loudly, "Brother Lin, Brother Xuefei is here!"
Ding Xuefei: ...We've fallen for their trap.
It was too late to leave now. Ding Xuefei could only watch helplessly as Xu Yimeng hummed a song and ran off to the refrigerator to prepare things. Yu Songlin walked closer and closer, and in an instant, he stopped in front of him, standing in the spot where Xu Yimeng had been standing.
Ding Xuefei coughed and turned her gaze away: "What do you want?"
"It's nothing, Xiaomeng and I just came up with some combinations, but we don't know which one to use."
Ding Xuefei glanced at it. He liked eating cake, but he had never made one. Moreover, he didn't like making decisions for others.
"Oh, I don't know either."
Yu Songlin wasn't annoyed. He said gently, "I saw that you and Ke Ran have a good relationship. I thought you would know more about his tastes."
"Just say it, why are you making me feel uneasy?" Ding Xuefei rubbed her arms, thinking that the air conditioner temperature might be too low.
"Well, I really don't know what kind of cake he'd like to eat..."
"So what kind of food do you like to eat?"
Ding Xuefei subconsciously replied, "I don't have any particular favorites, anything is fine."
It means I like them all.
Yu Songlin lowered his eyes and smiled: "It seems Xia Xingye was right."
Ding Xuefei frowned, about to ask what he meant, when Yu Songlin continued, "This cream is very good, you should try it."
He naturally squeezed a little cream onto a spoon and fed it to Ding Xuefei's mouth.
Is it too intimate to eat from the other person's hand...?
Uh, the camera's still pointed at them, so they should at least get this much face, right? Besides, the cream smells really good…
Before eating, Ding Xuefei habitually sniffed the food first, then stuck out the tip of her tongue and licked it. Only after licking it did she realize that this seemed inappropriate.
Noticing that the spoon in front of him was about to be taken away, Ding Xuefei quickly took a big bite of the cream. It had a sweet vanilla flavor and was a little icy, very smooth. He was very satisfied.
Ding Xuefei tried hard to control her expression, but satisfaction leaked from the corners of her eyes and brows: "Delicious."
Yu Songlin was silent for two seconds, his voice still a little dry: "That's good, I'll call you when it's ready."
Ding Xuefei took two cherries with her when she left. She was already sitting on the sofa, still savoring the sweetness in her mouth.
Shang Rou asked, "Where did you go?"
I didn't realize it at first, but now that I think about it, nothing happened at all! Yu Songlin is just making trouble out of nothing!
Her voice carried a hint of anger: "Try the fruit and cream, they're delicious."
"Why are you angry when it's so delicious?" Shang Rou laughed at him. "Then let's look forward to it together~"
*
The cake was quickly made. Everyone arranged the fruit on top together, and the words on it were also decided together. After it was finished, it was wrapped up and put in the refrigerator, ready to surprise Ke Ran when he came back.
The gift-buying team was quick to act, returning shortly after the cake was made. They hid the gifts together and discussed what to do with them later.
Finally, it was decided that Ding Xuefei, who was closest to Ke Ran, would represent her. The others would then reappear after Ke Ran found the gift, which would make the show more entertaining.
Ding Xuefei's acting was mediocre, and she was a little nervous. The staff said that Ke Ran would be arriving soon, so everyone hid in various places in the living room, leaving Ding Xuefei alone to wander around.
With a click, the door opened from the outside, and Ding Xuefei turned around to face Ke Ran, who was carrying a bag.
When Ke Ran saw Ding Xuefei, a smile appeared on her face, and she strode inside: "Brother Xuefei, are you the only one here?"
“Yes…” Ding Xuefei was afraid that Ke Ran would go upstairs directly and miss their wonderful performance, so she quickly went up to her and grabbed her arm.
"Um, I can't find my fruit knife. Could you help me find it?"
Ding Xuefei rarely makes any requests, but at this moment he looked at Ke Ran sincerely, his voice sounding hoarse from nervousness, making it all the more irresistible.
"A fruit knife? What fruit does Xuefei want to eat this time?" Ke Ran tossed her bag onto the sofa and started looking for a knife for Ding Xuefei, muttering, "If you want to eat something, I'll peel it for you. You cut your finger eating an apple last time, didn't you?"
Ding Xuefei was a little embarrassed; he wasn't really going to peel fruit! But he still forced a smile and said, "Okay, then help me find it first."
Ke Ran looked around on the counter but couldn't find it, so she started rummaging through the cabinets.
Ding Xuefei said "yes" to herself and kept a close eye on the birthday celebrant's actions.
"Where did the others go?"
Just as they were about to find it, Ding Xuefei was suddenly caught off guard by the question. She stammered for a moment before answering, "It seems like they've all gone out, maybe they've gone shopping."
"Really?" Ke Ran still felt a little strange, but didn't ask any further questions.
Ding Xuefei watched as Ke Ran opened the third locker from the left, where the gifts they had bought for Ke Ran were. However, Ke Ran only opened it briefly before closing it again, seemingly unaware of the gifts.
Ding Xuefei was speechless. She could only go over and open the cabinet herself, widening her eyes in shock as she exclaimed, "Xiao Ran, look what's in here!"
It was a fairly large box, with "Happy Birthday to Ke Ran!" written in big letters on the front.
Ke Ran held the gift box in her arms, her eyes filled with surprise: "This, could this be... Wow, how did Brother Xuefei know it was my birthday today?"
Ding Xuefei clasped her hands together in front of her chest, because according to the plan, everyone should come out now and sing the birthday song together.
However, the villa hall was now silent, and he was the only one facing Ke Ran's question and her clearly moved eyes.
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