Terrible date
"The Mystery of Love" DAY 9, a date for two.
As a former idol, Ding Xuefei has no confidence in the audience voting system. She believes that anything can happen under these rules, and sometimes the production team might even rig the votes. Since it's unmanageable, she just wants to see the results.
The show hasn't officially aired yet, and there are only some fans watching the live stream. Ding Xuefei doesn't know what will happen.
Now he has only one wish: that he won't be grouped with Elio.
Even being in the same group as Yu Songlin would be fine, since we know each other well and it's not like it's our first date.
...Never mind, he wouldn't know how to explain it if he were asked about it later.
He arrived at the meeting place with trepidation, and the production crew dropped him off at the entrance of a small shop.
This is a small alley behind the commercial street. There isn't much foot traffic, but there are many stylish small shops along the street.
The shop in front of him was bright and clean. Through the gleaming floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see many low stools and tables inside, and brightly colored cups and plates on the shelves next to it.
It's a pottery shop.
What's going on? A love story between a human and a ghost?
Ding Xuefei was startled by the movie scene in her mind, but then she thought that this was a serious program and the guests were normal people, so it shouldn't be that outrageous.
He pushed open the shop door and went inside. There was only one employee in the shop, a young woman in her twenties. She greeted Ding Xuefei warmly and told him that his date had not yet arrived.
According to the show's format, the date locations are chosen by one of the guests, so it seems that this pottery shop was chosen by his date.
Ding Xuefei wasn't very good at these handicrafts. He thought for a moment and wondered if Xu Yimeng or Shang Rou would choose this one.
"Can you reveal who it is?"
The staff member smiled and shook his head at him: "The teacher told us to keep it a secret. There's a surprise, so stay tuned."
"Okay." Ding Xuefei shrugged helplessly. Since his date hadn't arrived, he couldn't start anything. He could only wander around and look at the handicrafts in the cabinet.
A few minutes later, the door bell finally rang again.
Ding Xuefei silently prayed in her heart: Please, please, please don't let it be Elio!
"I'm sorry, Brother Xuefei, I'm late!"
We're doomed.
Upon hearing that title, Ding Xuefei knew that today was a complete disaster.
Some people may appear aloof and sculpted like statues, but in reality, they are already shattered into pieces.
He turned around and saw that Elio was dressed... well, let's just say his outfit was questionable. He was wearing a high-necked silk shirt with some lace detailing at the collar and sleeves, and wide-legged shorts that revealed his long, slender legs.
He could tolerate him dressing like that on stage, but seeing it in real life was still a bit shocking.
Elio noticed Ding Xuefei's gaze and asked happily, "Why is Brother Xuefei staring at me? Do I look good?"
...It's impossible for it to be good-looking. Ding Xuefei's "average" means good-looking. You can't say it's bad-looking on the show. Ding Xuefei is at a loss for words.
"Ah, it's just that I rarely see you dressed like this." After saying that, Ding Xuefei was afraid that the other party would say, "Then I'll wear more of these for you to see in the future," so she quickly added, "It's okay, let's get started now that we're here."
Elio, as expected, picked up his breath and quickly changed the subject: "Brother Xuefei, thank you for waiting. Let's get started!"
The staff immediately brought over an apron and towel, which Ding Xuefei put on herself in a few quick movements. Elio, whether intentionally or unintentionally, insisted that Ding Xuefei tie it on for him.
After finally getting the preparations done, the staff brought over some clay and introduced the two of them to pottery. Ding Xuefei was drowsy listening to the explanations, but she had to force herself to stay awake and try to understand.
Because he knew that if he didn't listen now, he might get scammed later, so it was better to rely on himself than on others.
With some people, you don't have to worry about anything, while with others, you have to worry about everything and be careful not to get scammed.
The staff found them two potter's wheels and let them try it themselves first. Ding Xuefei put her hands on them as explained earlier, felt the slippery texture of the clay, and then centered them as the teacher instructed, keeping her hands steady.
Elio sat beside Ding Xuefei, still trying to shape the lump of clay herself, but was already exclaiming in admiration, "Wow, Xuefei, you're amazing! You finished it so quickly! Have you ever done pottery before?"
Ding Xuefei gave a selective answer: "No, this is my first time here."
"Wow, Xuefei's first pottery experience was with me! I'm so happy!"
"..." Ding Xuefei used all her acting skills to control herself and maintain a blank expression, so as not to roll her eyes or sigh.
He just wants to finish his work quickly, concentrate, and not be distracted by the people around him.
Ding Xuefei was holding the clay blank with both hands, working on it well. He was planning to make the simplest cup when he was suddenly bumped on the shoulder.
He almost broke the cup, and that wasn't all; his arm got warm, and Elio, who was sitting next to him, practically leaned against him.
"What are you doing?" Ding Xuefei moved her arm, trying to push the person away, but the latter stuck to her.
"Oh dear, I just can't get this to stay in shape. Brother Xuefei, you're so amazing, could you help me take a look?" Elio wiggled against Ding Xuefei like a little snake.
Ding Xuefei said helplessly, "I don't know how either. Why don't you ask a staff member for help?"
"Then we'll lose the point of doing pottery together!"
Money is hard to earn, and food is hard to eat.
Ding Xuefei wondered once again if he really wanted to go through all this trouble for such a small appearance fee.
After mentally preparing herself, Ding Xuefei had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.
He re-centered Elio and pressed out the hole in the middle with his thumb. Ding Xuefei thought to herself that she was glad she had listened carefully just now.
"Isn't that better?"
"Oh dear, I'm so stupid~"
Ding Xuefei didn't want to deal with Elio's coquettishness and was about to pull her hand away when she felt a pair of wet, slippery hands cling to her.
This time, it truly is a love story between a human and a ghost.
Ding Xuefei already disliked that kind of touch. He could tolerate it because it was mud, but human hands were different. He subconsciously shook his hand away, and even the clay that had been positioned earlier could no longer be used.
He irritably withdrew his hand and went back to his potter's wheel to continue making his cups.
Bullet comments:
"Whose couple is on a date? It turns out to be E kissing Ding Qing!"
"My younger brother said his first sexual experience was with his older brother, and I'm totally smitten."
"The help the older brother did for his silly younger brother, I absolutely love our pairing!"
"Is the CP fan filter really that thick? Ding Xuefei's impatience is written all over her face."
"That's because he's rude. This is a one-on-one date. If you don't like it, don't watch. And don't come at us for being sarcastic!"
The two of them finally finished making the cups, and less than half an hour had passed.
The two were visibly doing their own thing, but Elio would often try to talk to Ding Xuefei, and Ding Xuefei would only reply with one sentence after asking three questions.
The staff began to introduce the second activity: "After experiencing the making process, the two guests can try the coloring process. This is different from the making process; the two of you can paint together, which will help the guests build rapport."
Ding Xuefei frowned as she listened. "This is a dating reality show, but don't be too blatant. Did the production team let the fans in?"
The staff brought over pens and paints, and Ding Xuefei and Elio squeezed together at a small table.
"Brother Xuefei, what pattern do you want to draw?"
"Anything is fine with me. It's my first time drawing, so I'll make something simple."
"Okay, how about we draw a starry sky then?"
Ding Xuefei had no objection: "Then let's draw it."
So Ding Xuefei mixed the paints, and Elio first painted the stars with gold.
Seeing that nothing unexpected had happened while she was drawing, Ding Xuefei heard:
"Oops, it's gotten on my face, Brother Xuefei, could you help me wipe it off?"
How did it get on my face? How did you draw that on?
The tissue was placed next to Ding Xuefei. He took one, but ignored Elio's close profile and simply shoved the tissue in front of him.
"Wipe it yourself."
After a while, Eilo had probably finished drawing his own half and was about to draw the part in front of Ding Xuefei. He suddenly crawled in front of Ding Xuefei, almost leaning against her.
Ding Xuefei, as if facing a formidable enemy, retreated silently.
Elio wouldn't let him have his way: "Brother Xuefei, don't move! I've drawn it crookedly."
Ding Xuefei frowned, unable to bear it any longer: "If you draw it crookedly, you can turn it around and draw it."
"No way~ I want to draw it like this, it's so much more interesting."
The two were very close, and Elio was still moving closer to Ding Xuefei, almost lying on his lap.
Ding Xuefei's internal alarm bells went off. First, she shifted her body, then moved the chair, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, she said, "Sit still!"
"Why are you being so fierce?" Elio sat up straight, but looked aggrieved and complained softly, "I just wanted to make a pottery with Xuefei."
He tugged at Ding Xuefei's sleeve, looking pitiful: "It's rare for us to go out and play together, but Brother Xuefei is unhappy. Does he not like Elio anymore?"
It even sounded like she was about to cry. Ding Xuefei was amazed. It's such a waste of your talent that you're not an actress.
"Didn't you tell people that I bullied you? Can't I just keep my distance from you?"
Ding Xuefei now understands that Elio is a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. The more you tolerate such a person, the more he will take advantage of you.
Bullet comments:
"Ebao didn't do anything, why is DXF so fierce? They even made her cry."
"Exactly, they think they're so delicate, like they can't be touched or messed with."
"This person has had a sullen face since the start of today's recording, and now they're messing with 80 again."
"Is it really that exaggerated? Is Ding Xuefei straight? Is he just not used to this kind of contact?"
"What did E-Bao do wrong? She just fell in love with a straight man. Their dates are so sweet!"
"This must be pure industrial saccharin, right? I wouldn't eat it even if you fed it to me."
After Ding Xuefei said some harsh words, Elio behaved much more normally.
The date ended awkwardly, but everyone gathered together again for dinner.
Today, Bai Mu was in charge of cooking, and Yu Songlin also helped cook two side dishes.
During dinner, everyone happily chatted about the fun things that happened on their date that day. Ke Ran and Stella went to the amusement park, Yu Songlin and Xu Yimeng went to learn skateboarding, and Bai Mu and Shang Rou went to the library.
Ke Ran complained, "We can go to the library? I feel like that'll be so boring..."
Stella nudged him: "We only get bored if we don't read. Shang Shang loves to read."
Elio also enthusiastically recounted his date with Ding Xuefei, omitting the awkward parts of the conversation. He showed everyone photos of the pottery blanks and painted pieces they made, which everyone found very interesting.
Ding Xuefei didn't talk much, only occasionally chiming in with a few words.
Since returning, he has been trying to calm himself down. It seems there's no way to resolve this issue for the time being, and he doesn't know what to do.
I wonder if many people are criticizing him now after the live stream, saying that he took his anger out on Elio for no reason... Indeed, to uninformed netizens, it seems like he was deliberately excluding Elio, and it's unlikely that he would bring up his past grievances with Elio so publicly.
There's no way around it, the show still has to be filmed. He can only try to avoid it a bit, but completely avoiding it is basically impossible...
Thinking about this, Ding Xuefei felt an overwhelming sense of irritation, but he had no choice but to put on a brave face and smile. When others asked him about his date today, he responded very positively.
Ding Xuefei thought, "I don't want to cause trouble for the other guests."
*
The evening ended early. After dinner, everyone went about their own business. The girls played badminton in the backyard, and the others joined in as soon as they finished their tasks.
Ding Xuefei sat on the balcony, not really wanting to go over.
The night breeze of late spring brought a chill. Ding Xuefei curled up alone in a corner of the balcony, unconsciously clutching a cushion in her hand. One moment she wanted to talk to someone about these upsetting things, and the next she felt that she should relieve herself and not bother others.
Just as she was feeling conflicted, Ding Xuefei heard footsteps behind her.
If I had to tell these things to one person, I would hope it would be...
Ding Xuefei turned her head sharply, and the moment she saw who it was, she felt a sense of relief that she had expected.
In an instant, he realized how dangerous the idea was! So his eyes flashed with wariness, as if he wanted to scare people away.
Yu Songlin was frozen in place by Ding Xuefei's gaze, and the water he was holding swayed, almost spilling.
"No tea today, how about some juice?"
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