Surprise and shock
"This, this isn't... I..." Ding Xuefei didn't know what to say for a moment, her face turned red. If she said it directly, there would be no surprise, but if she didn't say it directly, what else could she say!
What is everyone else doing? Ding Xuefei glanced around; the living room was quiet.
"Um, there's some in the fridge!" Ding Xuefei quickly changed the subject, finally remembering something to say.
Ke Ran ran to the refrigerator, opened the door and exclaimed "Wow!" Then she took out a very beautiful birthday cake, with warm white cream, decorated with strawberries and cherries, and a short birthday wish written in the middle of the cake.
Ke Ran asked, "Did Brother Xuefei prepare all of this?"
Ding Xuefei vaguely felt that Ke Ran's gaze was a little too eager, but since Ke Ran was so happy, he didn't want to spoil the mood, so he said ambiguously, "Not entirely, you'll find out in a little while."
Ke Ran put down the gift box and took a step closer to Ding Xuefei. Ding Xuefei involuntarily took a step back, awkwardly trying to start a conversation: "Speaking of which, where are the others? Where did they go?"
"Aren't they all here?" Ke Ran didn't seem to care. "It's good that they're not here. There are some things I want to talk to Brother Xuefei about alone."
"Huh?" Ding Xuefei suddenly turned her head and stared at Ke Ran, her eyes wide open.
What's going on? Did his gaydar mess up again? Isn't Ke Ran straight? Why is he getting more and more scared as he talks about it!
What are the others doing?! He could even hear Xu Yimeng's laughter!
"Who said he wasn't here?"
Suddenly, Yu Songlin emerged from behind the curtains, clapping his hands and singing an off-key birthday song.
Happy birthday to you~
Seeing that they couldn't hide any longer, or perhaps because Yu Songlin's singing was really awful, the others came out and joined in the singing.
Ke Ran was startled, but quickly composed herself, smiling as she didn't know how to react.
Everyone surrounded Ke Ran, while Ding Xuefei quietly retreated to Yu Songlin's side, hiding slightly behind him.
Bullet comments:
"Ugh, why won't you let him finish! Let him talk! Let him talk!"
"I love watching these hidden camera videos, can you make more?"
"Who's so clueless! My partner was just a hair's breadth away from confessing!"
"It's Yu Songlin, right? He came out first. Who else got to ship him with [soybean heart emoji]?"
"Yu Songlin, remember your mission is to be a good actor. Don't ever try to enter the music industry in this lifetime. [soybean cracks]"
The song was finally over, and everyone happily sat down, then quickly asked Ke Ran to open the gifts.
Ke Ran unwrapped the packaging, revealing Lego and board games inside. Ke Ran exclaimed "Wow!" a few times in an exaggerated manner and asked, "So, did everyone prepare these gifts and cake for me together?"
Stella laughed and said, "Yes! Bai Ge and I picked out the gift for you together. What do you think? Not bad, right?"
Bai Mu stroked his chin and said, "Why do you seem a little disappointed?"
"Of course not!" Ke Ran quickly denied, sincerely thanked everyone, and said some polite words.
The atmosphere shifted from pleasant to sincere, and everyone started cracking jokes in an attempt to bring the mood back to normal.
Xu Yimeng was still a little disappointed: "Oh dear, why did you suddenly speak up just now, Brother Lin? We had already agreed on this!"
Yu Songlin smiled without saying a word, but Ding Xuefei understood: "So you all planned to trick me! And now that the time has come, none of you have shown up. That's too much!"
The others laughed and said that it was indeed only when Ding Xuefei came that it would be effective.
As for what Ke Ran wanted to say, everyone tacitly refrained from asking.
Ding Xuefei had nothing to say. He hid in the corner, holding the largest piece of cake that had been given to him, thinking to himself that someone who is good at cooking must also be good at making desserts.
"Is it tasty?"
Ding Xuefei nodded hurriedly, but after speaking, he realized that the person who spoke was Yu Songlin, so he added a "humph".
Bai Mu asked, "Xiao Ran, what's your birthday wish?"
Stella enthusiastically chimed in, "Yes, you can tell us what your wish is, and we'll see if we can help you make it come true!"
“That’s right~” Xu Yimeng laughed, “Since it’s a dating reality show, there has to be some entertainment value!”
Everyone offered suggestions, ranging from confessing their feelings to various forms of intimate contact, which made me feel quite embarrassed.
Ding Xuefei ate her cake silently, remaining quiet, but for some reason, she had a bad feeling...
“Since that’s the case…” Ke Ran raised his voice, and everyone stopped to listen to him.
Ke Ran's gaze fell on Ding Xuefei, who immediately sensed something was wrong.
"I'd like to invite Brother Xuefei to go for a walk with me!"
There was an uproar.
"Wow, I didn't expect Ke Ran to be so old-fashioned!"
"No way! That's it?!"
"Xuefei! We have to seize this opportunity, Xuefei!"
No way?! Ding Xuefei was utterly shocked. Could it be that his supposedly straight male roommate wasn't straight at all? Not only was he not straight, but he also had feelings for him? No way?! Didn't he say he didn't like younger men?! How come he's so attracted to younger men?!
There was a younger man sitting next to him, and Ding Xuefei glanced at his reaction out of habit—Yu Songlin's expression was not good.
However, Ding Xuefei was not influenced by Yu Songlin at the moment. The atmosphere had been set up, and besides, this was not an unreasonable request. Ding Xuefei hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded.
*
The weather was nice, sunny but not too hot, with gentle sunlight falling softly on people and occasional breezes, making people feel good.
Ding Xuefei felt uneasy. If it was with people he didn't know well, he would rather be with a lot of people than be alone.
Actually, he and Ke Ran have been alone together for a long time, and they chat for a bit every night before bed, but they've never been this nervous before.
I can't even bear to think about it. What if, just what if Ke Ran likes him? How awkward must those nights they spent alone together have been...?
Ding Xuefei dared not think about it too much; the thought of such a possibility made her scalp tingle.
"Brother Xuefei, what are you doing?"
Ding Xuefei looked up and realized that he had accidentally fallen behind Ke Ran and was now quite a distance behind.
Perhaps it was a subconscious reluctance to go there.
There are no live cameras following them right now, only cameras in the garden, which may be shown in the final cut.
"Um, little Ke Ran, haha, is there something you want to tell me?"
They were maintaining a normal social distance when Ke Ran suddenly stepped forward, rapidly closing the distance. Ding Xuefei was so startled that she quickly retreated.
Ke Ran burst out laughing and said, "Brother Xuefei! What are you thinking! I'm not going to confess my feelings!"
Ahhh, please don't say those two words!
Wait a minute? He said he wasn't going to confess his feelings, oh...
Ding Xuefei finally felt relieved and punched Ke Ran hard on the arm: "You little brat, were you trying to scare me on purpose?"
Ke Ran also said helplessly: "Oh, you know I don't have any female guests I really like. It would be so awkward to call them out. You saw the atmosphere just now. If I don't do something, wouldn't the show be ruined?"
"Why worry about the show's effect!" Ding Xuefei didn't care about that, but he was actually a little concerned about what Ke Ran had wanted to say to him privately before. "What did you want to say?"
Ke Ran sat down on the swing in the garden. It didn't seem so easy to say this, and he hesitated for a while.
Ding Xuefei had no more reservations at this point. He sat down next to Ke Ran, the round hanging basket squeezing them together so that their thighs were almost touching.
"Actually, it's nothing. Sigh, it's a little embarrassing to say it out loud."
"What is this! Stop dawdling and being so annoying!" Ding Xuefei tapped Ke Ran lightly.
Little did they know that someone inside the house was watching this scene.
After a moment of hesitation, Ke Ran said, "I originally wanted to say that I am very grateful to Brother Xuefei for taking care of me. The biggest gain from being on this show is that I made you as a friend."
"Huh?" Ding Xuefei had imagined a million possibilities, but he never expected Ke Ran to say this, especially with such sincere emotion, which made him feel particularly uncomfortable.
But she couldn't say it out loud. Ding Xuefei stammered, "Uh, I'm also very happy to have made you my friend. Let's keep in touch often in the future. I mean, after this show..."
"Well, I'm planning to quit this show." Ke Ran casually dropped a bombshell.
"Huh?!" Ding Xuefei was genuinely shocked this time. Although he had guessed that Ke Ran didn't have a favorite on the show, he didn't think she should quit...
"It's just like you think. Even though it's a dating reality show, I'm not really interested in anyone, and I feel like everyone feels the same way about me." Ke Ran shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.
"Actually, before going on the show, I even thought about whether I could meet my soulmate on this show, haha," he said, looking a little embarrassed, and then lowered his head and chuckled. "Is Xuefei going to say I'm naive again? But that's really what I think. I'd really like to find someone in the industry, because we can understand each other better. I guess it's just not meant to be..."
"There's no need to rush off like that!"
Ding Xuefei grabbed Ke Ran's arm to try and stop him. Ke Ran glanced at him, a little stiff, but didn't push him away.
Ke Ran said, "I just received another invitation to a program. If I go, I might not be able to continue recording here."
"Oh, is that so..." Ding Xuefei's voice trailed off as she spoke, "If you leave, who will keep me company at night, gossip about me, and pass on the juicy stories..."
"I'll really miss you all! It's a pity I'm not gay. If I were, you would definitely be the first one I pursue!"
Ke Ran exaggeratedly as she spoke, then reached out and put her arm around Ding Xuefei's shoulder. The two of them huddled together like two little animals, heartbroken.
The person inside the room became even angrier.
Ke Ran: "Wait a minute, are you gay?"
Ding Xuefei: "Uh, this, this..."
He quickly changed the subject: "Why don't you wait and see? Didn't you say there would be more guests coming later? What if there's one you like?"
"Sigh, I've given up hope. Maybe Brother Xuefei could give me a chance..."
Ding Xuefei quickly stepped away from Ke Ran, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Ke Ran laughed again: "What are you thinking! I meant, I'll be your little security guard in love! So, does Brother Xuefei have anyone he likes?"
It's not exactly that she likes him... Ding Xuefei went through the guests in her mind. Apart from one person, the others were just ordinary friends, and as for that person, it was hard to define her feelings for him...
Ke Ran: "It seems so."
"No!" Ding Xuefei quickly denied. "I don't need your help whether I have it or not. You should handle things like dating yourself!"
“That’s right…” Ke Ran nodded and helped Ding Xuefei swing on the swing.
"But the recording time for the show is very short. If we don't seize the opportunity, we might miss it later."
Ding Xuefei turned to look at the villa. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw that there was no one in the living room.
He clearly saw a tall figure by the window just now. Was it just a hallucination?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com