A date at a small shop
The time and place for the date the next day were decided by Ding Xuefei.
Ding Xuefei wasn't dressed up much today; she looked like an ordinary college student.
The production crew's car only dropped him off at the entrance of the alley. He got out of the car and walked deeper into the alley. There weren't many people there. There were residential buildings on both sides. Because they were quite old, there weren't many residents. The elderly people just glanced at Ding Xuefei, a young man dressed in bright clothes, with curiosity.
Bullet comments:
"What were you thinking, taking someone to this kind of hole-in-the-wall restaurant for your first date?"
"Do you dislike your date? Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Stop laughing, things will get interesting when that person arrives."
Because she didn't know who her date was, Ding Xuefei chose a restaurant that she thought was delicious. But when she arrived at the restaurant, she realized that her choice might have been a bit risky.
He didn't have much contact with the other guests. They all seemed quite easygoing, but they might not be able to accept this kind of environment.
He chose this restaurant because the food was delicious, he had eaten there many times, and he had a good relationship with the owner, Uncle Chen.
I wonder who his date will be? Will he be comfortable in this environment? Will he like the food here?
The curtain rustled, and Ding Xuefei turned around in response.
Oh no, that's the most particular guest.
The first thing to step into the store was a pair of shimmering high heels, followed by a glamorous red halter dress that accentuated her beautiful curves. Her long hair was styled in large waves and draped over one shoulder, making her skin appear even whiter.
Stella used her handbag to lift the curtain and peered incredulously into the room. When she saw Ding Xuefei, she looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"Don't tell me you're going to eat here with me?"
Ding Xuefei knew he was doomed just by looking at her outfit. He himself was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, which was simply mismatched.
In front of the camera, he didn't say much, only offering a smile: "Yes, this is the place."
The shop was so rudimentary that Ding Xuefei couldn't even pull out a chair for the lady, because she was sitting on a long bench.
It was clear that Stella rarely came to places like this; she tried her best not to touch anything and just sat there awkwardly.
She took a sip of the tea and began to frown: "Your taste is truly extraordinary..."
Ding Xuefei knew she had disappointed Stella, so she didn't argue. She could only say, "Don't let the small size of this shop fool you, the food is actually very good. I remember you're from the South, right? I think you'll like it."
"Okay, I'll look forward to it then." Her voice was light and airy, sounding like she wasn't looking forward to it at all.
The two sat there awkwardly, Ding Xuefei unsure what to talk about with Stella. He had originally intended to introduce the shop, but it was clear she wouldn't be interested.
Stella spoke first: "If I had known we were coming to a place like this, I wouldn't have wasted time picking out a dress and getting my hair done."
Ding Xuefei had a sudden inspiration and only now remembered to offer a polite compliment: "You look beautiful today."
"When am I not beautiful?" Stella swept her hair back, not with any intention of flirting, but purely with impatience.
Ding Xuefei got up, got a clean rag, wiped the table, and then asked Uncle Chen for alcohol wipes to help Stella wipe the tableware.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Stella saw that Ding Xuefei was being so proactive, so she couldn't keep giving her a hard time.
Stella had given Ding Xuefei a lot of attitude before, so she figured the other party probably didn't like her either. When she entered the house and saw Ding Xuefei, she didn't have any expectations. Unexpectedly, Ding Xuefei, though slow-witted, was quite gentlemanly.
Ding Xuefei took another alcohol wipe and wiped his tableware as well. He said, "I'm sorry, it was my oversight. If I had known it was a date with you, I would have chosen a place that better suited your style."
"You..." Stella was no longer angry at all, and even a little embarrassed. "Why are you saying all this? I also like these little restaurants, it's just that I wore the wrong clothes today..."
The two exchanged a smile, both feeling that what they had just said was not quite in line with their own style, but the atmosphere had finally improved.
"The food is here." Uncle Chen came out from the kitchen; the aroma arrived before he did.
Even Stella couldn't help but exclaim, "What? It smells so good!"
"This is fish roe braised tofu, a specialty of our family." Uncle Chen explained in broken Mandarin, adding a compliment at the end, "It's rare for Xiao Ding to bring a girl here, and the first time is with such a beautiful young lady."
Stella was very pleased and said "no," but her face lit up with a smile.
"Looks like you come here often. Is it really that good?" Stella picked up her chopsticks and pointed at it. It smelled delicious, but she was still a little hesitant.
Ding Xuefei thought to herself that it was the same when she first brought Lu Huai and the others to eat here. Lu Huai was a very fussy guy, but after tasting it, he was completely won over.
"Try it, but be careful, it's hot."
Stella picked up a piece of tofu with some skepticism, first smelled it, then took a small bite, and then simply threw the whole piece into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out slightly. After chewing it, her eyes lit up, and she said with some restraint, "It looks unremarkable, but the taste is actually not bad."
The aroma of the second dish filled the entire space even before it was served. Stella asked what it was while eating, and Ding Xuefei blinked and said, "Stir-fried liver and kidney, I really like it."
"You did this on purpose, Ding Xuefei," Stella put down her chopsticks, as if she was about to get angry, "How did you know that this is my favorite food?"
Ding Xuefei laughed heartily. Seeing Stella enjoying her meal, she breathed a sigh of relief before picking up her chopsticks and calling out to the kitchen, "Uncle Chen, bring two servings of rice."
Bullet comments:
"Help! I'm drooling just looking at the screen, when is my food delivery?!"
Stella: What a waste of my fancy outfit today... It smells amazing!
"Where is this restaurant? I want to eat there too!"
"Who was swearing just now? Doesn't your face hurt?"
Both of them were quite full after the meal. Before leaving, Stella added Uncle Chen on WeChat and made an appointment to come back for another meal sometime.
"Ahhh, Ding Xuefei, it's all your fault!"
"What's wrong?" Weren't you enjoying your meal?
Stella playfully complained, "I'm wearing a fitted dress today, it won't look good when we go out!"
Ding Xuefei mocked her mercilessly and handed her her light coat.
The two walked out side by side. Stella's steps were light and quick. She asked, "How did you find this little shop? You must know how to eat."
Ding Xuefei could tell that Stella was in a good mood, and smiled and said, "Not really. I used to live around here and only ate here occasionally. I thought it tasted great, so I often brought my friends here to eat."
"This area?" Stella looked around. The nearby residential buildings looked to be at least twenty years old, and there weren't even elevators. Suddenly, she thought, "Then you must have been eating here for many years, right?"
"Right, four or five years?"
Stella nodded in agreement: "You're very loyal~ But don't you think it's a pity? We ate at this restaurant today, and many people may come to check it out in the future. Then it won't be your 'secret base' anymore."
"It's okay, good things should be shared." Ding Xuefei shrugged.
Taking advantage of the moment when the camera wasn't rolling, Stella said mysteriously, "I know what you're up to. I just overheard Uncle Chen and his wife talking on the phone."
Ding Xuefei winked at her, put her index finger to her lips, and made a "shh" gesture.
Because this shop is small and inconspicuous, and the elderly owner doesn't know how to advertise, only a few people like Ding Xuefei would travel a long way to eat here. The business mainly relies on local residents. In the past two years, many residents have moved away, and the shop's business has declined. In addition, Uncle Chen's wife is sick, and the shop is on the verge of going out of business.
Since hearing about this last month, Ding Xuefei had been thinking about whether he could help. So when the program team suggested that he choose the date location himself, he immediately thought of this place.
Stella laughed and said, "How was the response? Not bad, right? Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Yes, thank you all to the beautiful and kind-hearted Miss Stella!"
"Ha, you're really interesting." Stella suddenly laughed, patting Ding Xuefei's arm as she skipped and hopped forward.
Ding Xuefei quickly followed behind, saying, "Be careful, the road here is uneven."
Just then, Stella, wearing high heels, lost her balance and fell to one side. Ding Xuefei quickly reached out to support her.
Are you alright?
If Ding Xuefei hadn't caught her, Stella would have almost fallen into his arms. When she looked up at Ding Xuefei, Stella's eyes trembled.
"I'm fine!"
Why did you suddenly shake him off and stride forward if there was nothing wrong with you?
The two soon reached the alley entrance. While waiting for their car, Ding Xuefei asked, "Miss Stella, are you satisfied with today's date?"
Stella thought for a while before saying, "It's passable. I guess my initial expectations were low, so now I feel it has exceeded my expectations, so I'm satisfied!"
"That's good."
The production crew's vehicle arrived, and filming was temporarily suspended.
Ding Xuefei thought that Stella's attitude towards him would change after he turned off the machine.
He was right in his thinking, but he was going in the wrong direction.
She patted Ding Xuefei's arm and spoke in a rather arrogant tone, but Ding Xuefei could tell it was out of good intentions.
"Hey, Ding Xuefei, I've noticed that you're quite different from what's said online."
Ding Xuefei was not surprised at all: "Tell me what they said to me."
Stella listed them off on her fingers: "He has a bad temper, he's opportunistic, rude, loves to create hype, he's basically a terrible person!"
The two of them threw their heads back and laughed. Ding Xuefei said, "I'm not exactly a good person, but I'm not that bad either!"
“I know, I believe what my eyes see.”
Ding Xuefei shrugged. He didn't really care what others thought of him. He said, "Whatever."
Stella tilted her head and said, "I was a little prejudiced against you before, so..."
Ding Xuefei generously gave the girl a way out: "Really? I didn't really notice."
Stella understood what he meant, but she lightly punched his arm and concluded to herself, "Anyway, we're friends from now on."
Ding Xuefei shrugged, offering no comment, but couldn't help but laugh.
After the conversation started, Stella treated Ding Xuefei even more like family. She patted Ding Xuefei and asked, "Hey, by the way, is there anyone you like on the show?"
Are all girls these days so direct? Ding Xuefei wasn't used to discussing this. He didn't like expressing his thoughts, especially when it came to relationships. He felt that saying it out loud seemed frivolous and might cause trouble for others.
He's past the age of being able to forge ahead, or rather, once in a lifetime is enough to be able to forge ahead in love.
But appearing too serious isn't good either. Ding Xuefei said, "We've only been recording for a few days, so it's hard to say we like it yet."
"That means you have feelings for her! So, do you feel anything?"
Ding Xuefei touched her nose guiltily: "No, I'm slow to warm up, I need to observe more."
Stella was amused by him: "Wow, so innocent, I'm starting to like you a little."
"No way?"
Just kidding!
After a few seconds of silence, Ding Xuefei belatedly realized what she meant and asked as if waking from a dream, "Do you have someone you like on the show?"
"Yes, I like Yu Songlin."
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