Drama Queen Reborn as a Top Student!-Chapter 807 - 358 Happy Birthday

Rong Xianning’s impression of birthdays was already very vague.

At that time, he was still living at his grandmother’s house in Qingzhou. Early in the morning, his grandmother would cook him a bowl of longevity noodles. The noodles were handmade by her, a single very long strand. She told him not to bite it, but to swallow it whole in one go—only then would it bless him with a long life.

For the older generation, celebrating birthdays might simply involve eating a bowl of longevity noodles; the concept of buying a birthday cake wasn’t there.

But when the neighbor’s older brother had a birthday, he sent over a piece of birthday cake. It was so sweet, so incredibly sweet. His grandmother said to him, "When Aning’s birthday comes, Grandma will buy you a birthday cake too."

So on his birthday, he too ate a birthday cake.

Though it was only a palm-sized little cake, with a simple flavor, it remained the sweetest and most unforgettable taste in his memories.

His grandmother lit a single candle, placed it on the small cake, and after turning off the lights, the pitch-black room was illuminated only by the flickering flame of that candle.

Beyond the candlelight was the aged yet kind face of his grandmother, softly watching him: "Aning, make a wish."

"I wish for Grandma to be healthy and live a long life, always staying with me."

"Silly Aning, you need to keep wishes in your heart. If you say them out loud, they won’t come true."

That candlelight swayed, suddenly expanding into a raging fire. His grandmother’s kind smile was devoured by the flames.

He never celebrated his birthday again after that.

Because the person who loved him most in this world was gone.

Even his birth parents, who gave him life, never once remembered his birthday.

Later, he told himself, not all parents in this world love their children.

Without expectation, there’s no disappointment.

The audience was a sea of heads, every gaze falling on young, energetic faces. Their eyes looked up at him with a kind of reverence, as if he was their entire world.

Feng Cheng pushed a massive three-tier cake onto the stage, with fourteen candles placed on top. The host lit each candle with a lighter, one by one.

All the lights in the venue went out at that moment, leaving only the flickering candlelight at the center of the stage, burning like tiny stars in the dark.

Feng Cheng started singing the birthday song, then the entire audience erupted into a grand, unified chorus. The scene was spectacular.

After singing, Feng Cheng said to Rong Xianning: "Quick, make a wish and blow out the candles."

Rong Xianning glanced at the sea of people in the audience, closed his eyes, and reopened them a few seconds later.

With one big breath, he blew out the candles in an instant.

"Rong Xianning, happy 14th birthday!"

The crowd shouted the phrase in unison, loud enough to shake the air.

Rong Xianning wasn’t someone who easily showed his emotions, especially in front of so many people. He would instead layer himself under a thick shell. But in that moment, he couldn’t help but feel his nose turn sour.

He tilted his head upward, forcing down the surge of tears swelling within.

The lights turned on brightly, illuminating the center-stage boy. He appeared to have an indescribable fragility, stirring something deep in the heart.

"Thank you, everyone. I’m truly happy."

The slightly choked tone of the boy echoed through the microphone, entering the ears of everyone present. At that moment, it felt as though the idol they worshiped was closer, more reachable... 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Every year on your birthday, we’ll be here with you, Rong Xianning. We’ll always love you."

The fiery, sincere affection of youth felt as if each fan was offering their very heart to him, holding it up with reverence before him.

This overwhelming love surrounded the boy, warming him, and slowly began to heal him.

Fans all had gifts prepared. Eternal Century staff had reminded them in advance that the gifts couldn’t be too extravagant, ideally not worth more than three hundred yuan. Many fans brought handwritten greeting cards, folded stars and cranes, knitted scarves, hats, gloves, or handmade bookmarks, a book, or a photo with commemorative significance...

Carefully wrapped gifts were piled like a small mountain, representing the pure and unadulterated sincerity fans felt for their idol.

Yan Lu had brought a travel journal, which she had picked out meticulously, hoping Rong Xianning could go out often and always maintain a happy mood.

"An’an, I think I forgot to remind you to prepare a gift. But it’s okay, since you’re here with me anyway, even if you don’t bring one, no one will mind."

Shen You’an lightly patted his backpack. With a face hidden under a mask and shrouded in darkness, his expression was unreadable.

Rong Xianning opened several gifts, reading the heartfelt messages written by fans on greeting cards, eyeing the glass jars filled with brightly colored stars. His eyes sparkled even brighter than the stars themselves.

There were too many gifts to continue unwrapping all of them. The host began cueing the event’s flow.

"As a token of appreciation for the fans’ love, Xiao Rong has prepared a special surprise for everyone."

At the mention of a "surprise," the crowd buzzed with excitement.

Shi Qingqing clenched her fists. "It’s happening, it’s happening."

"Xiao Rong will randomly select one lucky fan from the audience today. This lucky fan will have the chance to dine with your idol—surprised?"

The venue boiled over instantly.

Even the online livestream exploded.

Dining with an idol, something they hadn’t even dared to dream of before—who could be the exceptionally lucky one?

Staff pushed a large transparent box onto the stage, filled with small colored balls, each labeled with a number.

The host smiled, saying, "Inside the box are balls numbered from 1 to 100, matching the numbers on the hand tags of 100 lucky fans in attendance today. Xiao Rong will randomly draw one ball from the box, and the number on the ball will correspond to the hand tag. This will determine who gets the chance to have dinner with their idol. Let’s see who the lucky fan is!"

The camera swept across the crowd; fans were both anxious and excited.

The host gestured for Rong Xianning to start the draw.

Under countless expectant gazes, Rong Xianning reached into the box. The small balls swirled and rattled as his long fingers moved through them. The camera clearly showed how his slender hand passed over balls of various colors, each emblazoned with a number. This completely transparent drawing process left fans ecstatic.

There was no room for manipulation, purely a game of luck.

On the large screen behind Rong Xianning, live footage displayed his hand clearly navigating the balls inside the box, allowing everyone in the audience to see.

"Twenty-six—he touched the ball with number twenty-six! Is it me?"

An excited fan shouted out loud.

Yan Lu and Shi Qingqing instinctively tensed up. Both unconsciously grabbed Shen You’an’s arm. Yan Lu whispered a prayer, "Lucky God, please bless me again. I’ll go vegetarian for three years...."

Shi Qingqing murmured, "Amitabha, infinite heaven, Amen, Lord Almighty...."

Shen You’an remained the calmest among them, the only truly composed presence amidst the chaos.

Time suddenly elongated, dragging on in agonizing suspense. Everyone’s hearts were suspended in that instant.

But it was only a matter of seconds. Rong Xianning decisively grabbed one ball and pulled his hand out.

The host glanced at the crowd and joked, "Everyone looks so eager. Let’s find out who the lucky person is!"

Rong Xianning opened his palm, revealing a white ball resting quietly in it.

The camera zoomed in, and the black number clearly appeared on the white ball for all to see.