After that, she gave a mischievous smile. "Poor thing, I never thought I'd see you again!" Gao Ruolan added, lifting her small pink fist, and their exchange made everyone in the room burst into laughter. "Alright, today's my birthday! Don't make a fuss! Since you've come, we're all friends!" Fan Weizhe tried to soothe them. "Fan, I've prepared a birthday gift for you!" Chen Yanling broke the tension, speaking in a mysterious tone. "Guess what I'll give you?" She placed her hands behind her back, clearly playing it cool. "What?" Fan Weizhe also pulled out his English—F3's habit of doing so had been picked up from Gao Liang. "Guess! I insist you guess!" Chen Yanling's voice grew soft and tender, reminding Gao Liang of the way the star of bad luck had cooed the day before. "No need to guess! She's got nothing in her hands!" Gao Liang chuckled. This surprised everyone, except Fan Wei Ze, whose eyes were the only ones not fixed on Chen Yanling. All the others were now turning their attention to behind Chen Yanling, and upon looking, they saw—truly—that there was nothing there at all. Chen Yanling and Xia Le Tao Gao Ruolan were genuinely stunned, because all three of them had clearly brought carefully prepared gifts, neatly placed in a black box, which they had been holding firmly. How could it have simply vanished when Gao Liang mentioned it was missing? "Look! It's right in my hands!" Gao Liang raised the black box high as everyone focused intently on him. "Wow! How come it's in his hands?" Chen Yanling, Xia Le Tao, and Gao Ruolan all gasped in surprise. Everyone else was left speechless. "Guess what it is," Gao Liang said. "If you all get it right, what will you reward Wei Ze?" "Before Wei Ze could speak, Fan Tianlong came striding forward, beaming with enthusiasm and saying, 'Today is my son's birthday. To express my gratitude for everyone's kind support, I'd like to present a RMB 10,000 cash gift! How about that? Would anyone like to take a guess?' Wow, RMB 10,000! Everyone's eyes lit up instantly. The crowd buzzed with excitement, pointing at the black box and discussing enthusiastically. 'A crystal vase featuring a photo of the two of you—pure as your love!' 'A cup with your joint photo—'a cup for life!' 'A pillow bearing your photo—so she can hold you whenever she misses you!' 'A photo album!' 'A couple's bracelet!' 'A belt!' ...Guesses poured in, yet Chen Yanling remained shy, shaking her head repeatedly, and no one guessed correctly." Xia Le Tao and Gao Ruolan were devastated. They hadn't even asked Chen Yanling what she was bringing when they arrived. If only they had—then they could have made something up. But Chen Yanling was clearly hinting at something. Gao Ruolan noticed that Chen Yanling was making gestures with her mouth, and after struggling to decipher them for a while, suddenly had a revelation and exclaimed loudly, "Basketball!" "Sure?" Gao Liang smiled. With a nod from Chen Yanling, Gao Ruolan affirmed confidently, "Absolutely sure!" Gao Liang smiled warmly and said, "You're out of luck—there's nothing inside!" "My goodness! Nothing at all? That's impossible!" Chen Yanling gasped. Then, without hesitation, she rushed forward, snatched the black box from the others, opened it quickly, and stared in disbelief. Everyone turned to look. To their astonishment, the box was completely empty—nothing inside. To everyone's amazement, the crowd cheered heartily for Gao Liang. Fan Tianlong, known for keeping his word, immediately announced a cash bonus of ten thousand yuan, leaving everyone envious. Chen Yanling couldn't believe it was true, clutching her head and saying, "It's impossible! It's impossible! I clearly placed a basketball there—where did it go?" Xia Le Tao was also quite surprised. Gao Ruolan stepped forward and said, "He's a magician!" "Exactly! The wand of the poor star—well said!" Gao Liang, full of pride, said, "I can bring it back. Cover this box now, and when I count three seconds, open it again. See what happens?" Everyone followed his instructions. After three seconds, they opened the box and found a smartphone! Now Gao Ruolan was stunned—wasn't that her own smartphone? She had just been carrying it in her pocket a moment ago—how had it ended up inside the box? Everyone's interest was growing stronger—what kind of magic was this? Never had I seen anything so magical—it was as astonishing as Columbus discovering a new continent. Even more impressive than Liu Qian's magic act on this year's Spring Festival Gala. Liu Qian is renowned for his magic and made a huge splash at the Gala, yet this young man here is even more skilled in magical performances. It's clear that coming to Fan Wei Ze's birthday celebration today wasn't in vain; one has witnessed a magic show that surpasses even the Gala. While everyone was in awe, suddenly someone shouted, "Look! Look!" Everyone quickly turned to gaze upward, seeing something fall from the sky. Chen Yanling reached out to catch it, but as soon as it neared her hands, it seemed to have a life of its own, deliberately stepping aside and drifting to the side. Others tried to grab it too, yet no one could succeed. Chen Yanling finally identified what it was and rushed to catch it, only for the object to move even faster. She stumbled and fell forward. Found herself not lying on the ground, but instead in someone's arms, while that person held onto the very thing she had intended to grasp. It was Fan Wei Ze—him! Chen Yanling's face turned crimson, her head bowed low. His chest was so warm, so comforting to lean on! Chen Yanling, in turn, felt powerless and gradually moved away from his chest. The crowd witnessed this scene and clapped and cheered enthusiastically. "Thank you so much for giving me this Nike premium basketball!" Fan Wei Ze was a composed young man. Though his face had turned red and his voice slightly softer—unlike Gao Huang's confident and commanding tone—he spoke with genuine warmth. "As long as you like it!" Chen Yanling gazed at Fan Wei Ze with deep affection. Fan Wei Ze nodded gratefully. Both of them smiled warmly at each other, happy and content. Yet at that moment, Chen Yanling still couldn't find the strength to move away from Fan Wei Ze's embrace. Instead, it was Fan Wei Ze who gently pushed her gently, a gesture that deeply moved Chen Yanling. Everyone was thrilled by the scene. The birthday host, excitedly, said, "Ladies and gentlemen, friends, please welcome the newly arrived pianist, Ms. Liang Qinyun, to perform a piano recital! Please give her a warm welcome!" "Li Qinyun?" Zuo Tianpei found the name familiar, and turned to look. There, a poised and graceful young woman in a formal evening gown stepped onto the stage with regal elegance—like a princess—sat down at the piano, tuned the strings gently, and then began to play the "Happy Birthday" melody with smooth mastery. Her music was soothing and captivating, earning enthusiastic applause from everyone present. She played so beautifully! Each note was perfectly executed, infused with a fresh sense of expression. As the music prince Zuo Tianpei listened, he was completely refreshed—his senses awakened and his spirit stirred. He felt that the one he had dreamed of had finally arrived. At least, the quality of her piano playing seemed to resonate with his own in a way that felt destined. Their styles were quite similar—something unique in his musical experience, which left him both surprised and delighted. Just as he was about to step up and perform together, to his surprise, Liang Qin Yun had already finished her piece, bowed deeply to the audience, said a simple farewell, and then gracefully took her violin and left. This left Zuo Tianpei feeling deeply regretful—when would he see her again? "Go ahead and dance freely! Dance with the people you love!" the host called out to the microphone with his lively and engaging voice. Chen Yanling stepped forward naturally and invited Fan Wei Ze to join her in the center of the hall. At first, they didn't quite match, but after a few rounds, they gradually found their rhythm. Their movements became lighter and lighter, dancing joyfully to the vibrant music filling the hall, drawing a growing crowd of admirers. Yet the atmosphere on site didn't truly come alive. The host announced, "To make the evening more enjoyable, please gather at the central dance floor and draw lots to determine your dance partners!" Everyone found this fresh—rare even in a music and dance hall—so both men and women eagerly made their way to the dance floor. Under the host's guidance, each person drew a paper slip from a square red box. Then, the host called out the numbers one by one, and anyone who drew the same number became a dance partner.