After the event concluded, a group photo was taken. Caledo lingered in the corner, while the six boys kept bowing. The host and editor-in-chief repeatedly urged them to move to the center, but they politely declined. Under Cheng Qiang’s instructions, Fang Juexia, who was standing next to Pei Tingsong, took on the arduous task of reminding the “little devil” to bow. His hand was always placed on Pei Tingsong’s lower back, and every time they bowed, he would press him down to bend over.
Group photos are a time for artists to show off their unique styles, with everyone striking various poses in front of the camera. However, these six young men in white suits offered little in the way of innovation, instead maintaining their usual synchronized group gesture, standing straight and tall, like six young princes escaping on white horses.
Coincidentally, the senior group HighFive was the same, and on the same day, netizens joked on Weibo that Star Map’s groups were all uncompetitive and automatically framed.
After the event, they flew directly back to Beijing. Except for Pei Tingsong and Fang Juexia, the other four members had their own variety shows to participate in. The company’s plan was to release the new album at a time when each member had a variety show airing, maximizing exposure.
That evening, the hashtags #Kaleido White Suit#, #Kaleido Live#, and #Auditory CP# once again trended on Weibo, sparking heated discussions. Some music influencers even edited clips of Kaleido’s performance, praising it highly as a benchmark for male group live performances. Naturally, many netizens compared Seven Stars’ performance with Kaleido’s, leading to a minor clash between the two fan bases—their first confrontation. Seven Stars’ larger fan base overwhelmed Kaleido’s square, prompting many bystanders to feel sympathy for Kaleido and even become fans.
Having not returned to the dormitory for a week, Fang Juexia almost forgot what it felt like to sleep in a bed. He quickly washed up and lay down on the bed, pulling the blanket over himself. At three in the morning, the moonlight crept in through the balcony, casting a hazy glow over the scene. He couldn’t help but recall the night he spent alone with Pei Tingsong, though he had blacked out from drinking and had no memory of it. Yet, there seemed to be a lingering sensation in his heart.
For some reason, he suddenly recalled biting Pei Tingsong’s hand, and all traces of sleepiness vanished instantly.
Fang Juexia was someone who couldn’t stand leaving things unresolved. After tossing and turning on the bed for a few minutes, he got up. There was no one else at home, so he turned on the light without hesitation, went to the living room to get the first-aid kit, and tiptoed to Pei Tingsong’s bedroom. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. Instead, the door creaked open on its own.
Does he not close the door when he sleeps?
Fang Juexia hesitated for a moment. The bookshelf blocked Pei Tingsong’s bed, and he sensed no movement from that side. Holding onto the idea that certain people sleep more peacefully when held, Fang Juexia still went in. He turned on the light on He Ziyan’s side, walked through, and prepared to act swiftly.
Sure enough, Pei Tingsong was asleep. He was lying on his side, with a book by his face. He must have fallen asleep while reading, as he hadn’t even turned off the bedside lamp. Coincidentally, his bitten right hand was sticking out, hanging halfway off the edge of the bed. The bite wound on his palm had been covered by a glove all night and was now inflamed and red.
If left untreated, it could get worse. He didn’t want his teeth marks to stay on someone’s hand forever.
Fang Juexia walked around to the bedside, sat down quietly, and carefully opened the first-aid kit. She took out a cotton swab, dipped it in the anti-inflammatory medicine, and moved as gently as possible, carefully dabbing the wound with the tip of the cotton swab.
Is it that deep? Fang Juexia looked at the wound he had bitten and unconsciously touched her own teeth with her tongue.
A sense of guilt suddenly surged within him.
The medicine seemed to be a bit irritating, as Pei Tingsong’s hand twitched. Fang Juexia immediately retreated, gripping the cotton swab tightly as he observed the other’s reaction.
Fortunately, there was no major movement; he simply withdrew his right hand and placed it beside his face. Fang Juexia moved closer to the bedhead, reapplied some medicine to his wrist, and gently spread it with the cotton swab.
Pei Tingsong’s fingers twitched again. Fang Juexia looked up alertly and saw him frowning, muttering something under his breath, which seemed to be English.
Before she could make out what he was saying, his hand had already lifted, feeling around for something, then landed with a soft thud on Fang Juexia’s scalp, gently rubbing his hair. “
Upon hearing this, Fang Juexia’s cotton swab dropped suddenly.
He stood there dumbfounded, waiting for Pei Tingsong to finish rubbing his hair, then withdraw his hand and turn away. Only then did he quickly gather his things and leave the room as if fleeing a disaster.
That night, Fang Juexia had a strange dream.
In the dream, Pei Tingsong announced that he actually had an fiancée named Lily, and he was leaving the team to return to the United States to get married. The speed at which he made this decision was as sudden as his initial arrival, catching everyone off guard. They were invited to attend the wedding and sat in the pews of the church. However, there seemed to be a problem with the church doors. When the pastor announced that the bride should enter, the doors wouldn’t open, and the bride was banging on them frantically outside.
Then, Fang Juexia, who was watching the scene, woke up.
“Bang bang bang.”
He opened his eyes, but the knocking continued.
Wasn’t it a dream?
“Fang Juexia, are you awake?”
It really wasn’t a dream. Fang Juexia rubbed his eyes dazedly, got out of bed, and hurried to open the bedroom door. It was Pei Tingsong.
“What’s wrong…”
Before he could finish, Pei Tingsong dragged him to the entrance and called the property management, “They’ve been calling downstairs for a long time, saying your phone isn’t answering, so they called the entrance surveillance. They said someone claiming to be your family member came.”
Fang Juexia suddenly snapped out of his daze and remembered today’s date. The property management answered the call, “Hello, Mr. Fang?”
“Hello, is my mother here?”
Mother?
Pei Tingsong was startled and whispered beside him, “Is your mother coming up?”
Fang Juexia nodded and continued communicating with the property management until they confirmed it was correct and let the person up. He hurried back to wash up, leaving Pei Tingsong alone at the entrance.
Pei Tingsong was completely incapable of handling family relationships. Besides his grandfather, he had almost no other elders in his childhood. His father, whom he saw only a few times a year and who always criticized him, his mother, who was obsessed with luxury and materialism, and his sister, who had always lived like a model child, made up his absurd and complicated family.
The doorbell rang, and Pei Tingsong called out to the bathroom, but Fang Juexia was still washing up. He steeled himself and walked over to open the door.
Standing outside the door was a dignified-looking woman wearing a neat, elegant camel-colored coat, holding many items in her hands. She smiled as soon as she saw him. Pei Tingsong was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered, bending down to take the items from Fang’s mother’s hands. “Auntie, let me help you.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Fang smiled kindly. “You must be Little Pei. You’ve grown so tall. That’s wonderful. You’re such a good boy.” Mrs. Fang had been praising him since she entered the door. Pei Tingsong wasn’t used to being praised by adults, so he felt a little uncomfortable. “Thank you… Would you like to change your shoes? Um, um, what about Fang Juexia? He’s still washing up.”
“You’re sleeping so late,” Aunt Fang changed into her guest slippers and glanced at the clock. “You must have worked late again. Where are the other kids? Isn’t Yi Yi here today?”
“No, he went to record a program.”
As a teacher, Aunt Fang referred to everyone as “kids.” “Come on, Xiao Pei, give Auntie the things, I’ll put them in the refrigerator.”
“Let me help you.”
When Fang Juexia came out, she saw Pei Tingsong standing by the kitchen island, handing things to his mother, working together seamlessly.
“Auntie, what’s in this jar?”
“Oh, this is XO sauce. It’s delicious with fried rice. Have you tried it before?”
“No.”
“No problem. Next time, Juexia will cook it for you. You’ll definitely love it.”
“Okay!”
Fang Juexia stood to the side, feeling like an outsider.
“Mom, sit down and rest for a while. I’ll take care of it.” Fang Juexia rolled up her sleeves and walked over to help, but her mother immediately stopped her, “Sit down, I’ll do it with Xiao Pei.”
Suddenly rejected by her own mother, Fang Juexia looked at Pei Tingsong, who turned around and stuck his tongue out at her, looking very pleased with himself.
Fine.
Fang Juexia could only sit at the bar, watching the two of them put on a food science and cooking show, occasionally chiming in with a comment or two, only to be ignored by his own mother.
“Here, give it to Auntie.” Fang’s mother took the unevenly chopped scallion pieces from Pei Tingsong, smiling like a flower, “You chopped it perfectly. Little Pei is very talented.”
Thanks to Mrs. Fang, the two of them enjoyed a rare home-cooked meal. Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong sat on one side, while Mrs. Fang sat across from them, continuously serving them food with her chopsticks. “Eat more, you two work so hard. Juexia, eat more carrots, your eyes…” She paused mid-sentence.
Fang Juexia spoke calmly, stuffing the food his mother had served him into his mouth. “It’s okay, he already knows.”
Fang’s mother looked surprised. “Xiao Pei knows?!”
Pei Tingsong smiled awkwardly, about to say it was an accident, but Fang Juexia beat him to it.
“I told him,” Fang Juexia said, then served her mother some more food. “Eat more. How is Grandpa doing?”
“He’s the same as usual. After we finish eating, Mom is going to the hospital to see him. He said last night that he wanted to eat peach cookies, and I just saw a Chinese pastry shop outside the community.”
“Peach cookies are too greasy; he shouldn’t eat too many.”
Listening to the two of them talk about family matters, Pei Tingsong felt a bit out of place, but more than that, he felt envious. His gaze kept shifting between Fang Juexia and his mother, watching the two of them interact and listening to every word they said. Such a warm moment was too unfamiliar to him.
Strange things always seem so appealing.
“Eat more, Xiao Pei,” Fang’s mother said, noticing his daze, as she served him some beef. “You grew up abroad, so you must love beef, right?”
Pei Tingsong was a bit surprised, “Auntie, how did you know?”
Fang Juexia turned her head and whispered to him, “She watches our group’s shows every day at home and searches for them online…”
Just as she finished speaking, her chopsticks were tapped by Mrs. Fang, and Fang Juexia immediately fell silent.
“Auntie, you’re so cute.” Pei Tingsong smiled and stuffed the beef into his mouth.
Hearing this, Fang’s mother was also a little surprised. Pei Tingsong’s upbringing allowed him to express his feelings directly, but Fang Juexia was not like that, so this was the first time she had heard this kind of compliment from a younger generation, and she was naturally happy.
“Little Pei, you’re cute too. Auntie likes you very much.” She kept picking up food with her chopsticks, almost piling up a small mountain in Pei Tingsong’s bowl. “Auntie brought a lot of delicious food this time. Let your brother cook it for you.”
Brother…
As soon as this word was uttered, Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong both looked up, their expressions and movements completely synchronized.
“What are you looking at?” Aunt Fang scolded Fang Juexia. “You’re three years older than Xiao Pei, so you should naturally take on the responsibility of an older brother and take good care of your younger brother. Xiao Pei has been following you around since he was a child, which must have been very tiring. Many children his age haven’t even developed yet.”
What else does he want to develop into… Fang Juexia tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Fang’s mother smiled at him, “Yes, you’re taller than Juexia. He hasn’t grown much in the past two years.”
The height attacks began again. Fang Juexia silently endured the malice from his own mother.
“An older brother should act like an older brother and take care of his younger brother.”
Fang Juexia nodded mechanically, “I understand.”
Seeing him like this, Pei Tingsong was overjoyed. He had originally thought that only a big ice block could produce a small ice block, but he didn’t expect Fang Juexia’s mother to be so kind and talkative. Most importantly, she had been protecting him the whole time. Pei Tingsong really liked this gentle aunt. So much so that when Fang’s mother had to rush to the hospital after dinner, he was a little reluctant to let her go.
” Auntie will come visit you again next time. Go inside quickly; it’s cold outside.”
“Goodbye, Auntie~”
“Goodbye, goodbye. If there’s anything, tell your brother, and he’ll help you.”
Seeing Pei Tingsong standing at the door, reluctantly watching his mother leave, Fang Juexia spoke with a hint of sarcasm, “Someone who doesn’t know you might think you’re her son.” ”
Pei Tingsong closed the door. He wished he was.
Fang Juexia walked over to put his mother’s slippers back in the shoe cabinet, then turned to leave, but was stopped by Pei Tingsong. He stretched out both hands and leaned against the edge of the cabinet, trapping him inside.
“What’s wrong?” Fang Juexia looked up at Pei Tingsong, his expression calm, as if he had already grown accustomed to Pei Tingsong’s sudden pranks.
Fang Juexia frowned, his eyes filled with confusion.
As if he had known this would happen, Pei Tingsong raised his right hand, turned his palm toward him, and shook it.
The traces of medicine on it were barely visible, and Fang Juexia didn’t want to admit it was him. Even though he had done such a ridiculous thing last night, applying medicine to someone who was asleep.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Big brother is taking good care of me, isn’t he?” He laughed shamelessly.
Fang Juexia sighed inwardly. Yesterday, he had been suddenly touched on the head, causing him to drop the cotton swab on the ground without noticing. He couldn’t imagine anyone else doing such a foolish thing that would leave evidence behind.
Thinking about it, he actually did think of someone.
Cinderella.
Compared to the crystal slipper, this little cotton swab became even more annoying. Fang Juexia reached out to grab it, but Pei Tingsong took it away. “I found it, so it’s mine. Why are you trying to take it? Is it that hard for you to admit that you came to apply medicine for me last night?”
Pei Tingsong’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Actually, when you’re not being stubborn, you’re quite the good older brother.”
“Move aside.” Fang Juexia tried to pry his arm open, but Pei Tingsong held it tighter. “What’s the big deal? We’ve already hugged each other before.”
“Pei Tingsong…”
Hearing his voice, which sounded almost like he was gritting his teeth, Pei Tingsong felt even more accomplished. “Do you want me to play the recording again? I’ll use the home stereo.”
Fang Juexia tried to calm himself down. “You better not.”
“Then you better beg me.”
Here we go again.
He really shouldn’t have underestimated this troublemaker.
“If you keep this up, I’ll tell everyone that you actually have…”
Before he could finish, Fang Juexia’s phone rang. He took a deep breath, pulled it out, and saw it was Cheng Qiang.
“Hello?”
The tone on the other end was clearly happy, even a bit excited. “Juexia? Come to the company right away. Is Pei Tingsong there?”
Fang Juexia glanced at Pei Tingsong. “He’s here.” After saying that, he switched to speakerphone mode.
“Does he have class this afternoon? If not, come over too.”
“Alright, I’ll be right there.”
Pei Tingsong interjected, “What’s going on?”
“Good news.” Cheng Qiang realized something was off as soon as he said it, “Are you two together? What are you doing?”
The two of them glanced at their current posture. Fang Juexia was about to push him away, but Pei Tingsong grabbed his hand, “Communicating, feelings.”
“Alright, alright, then come over quickly. I have something to do, so I’ll hang up first.”
After hanging up, Fang Juexia shook him off and went to change clothes, but Pei Tingsong hadn’t forgotten the previous topic. “What did you just say? What were you going to tell others?”
“You should take care of yourself.”
Watching Fang Juexia leave with that statement and go back to his room, Pei Tingsong was baffled.
The two of them drove to the company, and on the way, Pei Tingsong kept dwelling on what Fang Juexia had said. He didn’t understand how he suddenly had something over him. It shouldn’t be like that. But Fang Juexia didn’t respond to him at all, and even after entering the company, she didn’t say a word to him. This made Pei Tingsong even more curious.
As soon as they arrived at the company, the two were called into a small meeting room by Cheng Qiang. Opening the door, Fang Juexia saw the familiar silhouette of a woman. Hearing the noise, the person inside turned around.
It was Jiang Yin.
“Hello, nice to see you again,” Jiang Yin gestured with her hand, “Sit down and talk.”
They sat across from Jiang Yin, who took out two documents from her briefcase and pushed them toward Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong. “You’re both smart people; you should already know why I’m here today.”
Pei Tingsong glanced at the documents. “We can guess, but we’re not quite daring enough to guess.” After saying that, he raised his eyebrows at Cheng Qiang, after all, he had said yesterday not to make empty promises.
Jiang Yin smiled, her red-painted nails gently tapping the table. “Is there anything you, Pei Tingsong, dare not guess?”
Fang Juexia opened the documents—both were contracts for the guest appearance on *Escape to Freedom*.
As Jiang Yin had said, he had guessed it and had a premonition, but he hadn’t expected the production team to come so quickly, let alone for Jiang Yin to come personally.
“I came here to reassure you,” Jiang Yin said bluntly, “and besides, securing you is a must for me.” An assistant entered and brought her coffee. Jiang Yin murmured a thank you, took a sip, and said, “You’ve been on a roll lately. I even checked the magazine sales this morning. Congratulations, you’ve broken the record.”
Fang Juexia didn’t even know about this yet; they were still sleeping this morning.
“The previous record was set by one of my agency’s artists. Speaking of which, they were also a pair who managed to escape and make it big.” Jiang Yin’s implication was clear, “I know that there must be countless programs of all sizes coming to find you, inviting you to be regulars. There may be many reality shows on major TV stations, with much higher exposure than our program.”
She crossed her arms, “However, there are differences between programs. Some variety shows consume popularity, while others dig out your potential.”
Cheng Qiang asked, “Are there any additional conditions for signing the contract?”
“Hmm…” Jiang Yin thought for a moment, “If there are any, it’s that Jue Xia and Ting Song have to appear together. We want both of them.”
Fang Juexia knew very well that this was a conscientious variety show, and he had always liked it. Even if there were no additional benefits to increase his popularity, he would still be willing to participate.
However, he also knew that Pei Tingsong had always wanted to participate in a hip-hop-themed show. If he signed this contract, and other music-themed shows approached him later, he might not have the time to participate.
Cheng Qiang took over, “Actually, both of them are fans of Escape from Heaven. They mentioned it during the interview, and we’re also looking forward to collaborating with them.”
“You’re flattering us,” Jiang Yin laughed. “But I want all the smart kids in the industry to be on my show. If you join, you can also record with Si Rui, which is great.”
“I’m okay with it.” Pei Tingsong didn’t wait for them to continue their persuasion; he signed the contract directly, without any hesitation. “Signed.”
Jiang Yin found it amusing. “Aren’t you going to read it carefully?”
Pei Tingsong shrugged. “You came here personally. How could you trick me?”
Fang Juexia was a bit surprised and turned his head to look at Pei Tingsong. He couldn’t figure out why this guy was being so decisive at this moment, when he had previously refused to take on any shows and had been slacking off all the time.
“Why are you looking at me?” Pei Tingsong whispered, giving him a meaningful glance. “Sign it.”
It was strange. Fang Juexia took a deep breath. He still found it hard to believe that his favorite show had come knocking on his door overnight, and that all these good things had come together at once. He knew that Cheng Qiang had already reviewed the contract thoroughly beforehand, so he just skimmed through it and finalized it.
Jiang Yin wasn’t as decisive as rumored; in fact, she didn’t seem much older than them, giving off a big sister vibe.
“Alright.” After putting away the contract, Jiang Yin exhaled deeply. “A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. You have no idea how difficult it was to find a guest.” She seemed to have suddenly transformed into a different person, beginning to complain to them, “Everyone who approached us demanded we rewrite the script, saying it was too difficult to escape from once they got on stage. Others agreed to appear on the show but insisted we give them the script so they could follow it, and they wanted standout roles. Our young screenwriter refused outright. Our show’s strength lies in the screenwriter, so naturally, everything must prioritize the screenwriter.”
“How did you find us?” Fang Juexia asked curiously. “We’re not exactly famous celebrities.”
“Don’t be modest. Your popularity is already quite remarkable,” Jiang Yin laughed. “Our young screenwriter saw an interview in a magazine and thought you spoke very well, so he mentioned it to me. I then looked into the two of you. Oh, I also watched your math competition clip. That was impressive—you won a truckload of milk.”
Everyone laughed at this, except Fang Juexia, who felt embarrassed.
After confirming the recording time and basic requirements, Jiang Yin hurried back to a meeting and left in a rush. As soon as she was gone, Cheng Qiang let her guard down, shedding the agent persona she had been putting on, and couldn’t contain her joy. She hugged Fang Juexia and then hugged Pei Tingsong, “This is great, this is great! I never thought this big opportunity would come to us on its own. You’re truly my little protégé!”
“Qiang Ge!” Xiao Wen pushed open the door, “The boss is looking for you.”
“I’ll go right away.” Cheng Qiang rubbed his hands together excitedly, took the contract, and said, “The boss must have found out too.”
The conference room was suddenly left with just the two of them. Fang Juexia still didn’t understand, “Why did you agree to sign the contract so quickly?”
Pei Tingsong glanced at him, “Aren’t you the one who wanted to go?”
“Me?” Fang Juexia was taken aback.
So it was because of him.
“Just think of it as a company-sponsored escape room adventure.” Pei Tingsong leaned back against the table and smiled, “It’s pretty interesting.” Then he remembered the unresolved issue from earlier, “Oh, right, you said earlier that you were going to tell them about me. What was that about? Did I tell you some secret in my sleep last night?”
Fang Juexia hummed, “You still remember that?”
“Lily?”
After saying that, Fang Juexia got up and headed toward the practice room, completely ignoring Pei Tingsong’s strange expression.
“Wait a minute.” Leaning against the table, Pei Tingsong grabbed his wrist and pulled him back in front of him. “Tell me, what happened between me and Lily?”
His smile held a hidden meaning as he spread his legs, enclosing Fang Juexia in front of him. The sudden closeness compressed the air into a sticky thickness, even the trailing notes of his words becoming ambiguous.
“What did I say to you in my dream? Hmm?”
His voice was low and soft, instantly pulling Fang Juexia back to the early hours of last night. Pei Tingsong had used the same tone to make him stop, touch his head, and mistake him for Lily.
“You…” Fang Juexia broke free from his grip. “I didn’t hear what you said clearly, but anyway…”
You let Lily sleep with you.
“Anyway what?” Pei Tingsong’s eyes and eyebrows were filled with laughter as he studied the person in front of him. “How many inappropriate things did I say? Your neck is red.”
Fang Juexia awkwardly touched his neck with his hand, “Stop it.”
Pei Tingsong couldn’t hide his smile, “What are you afraid of? You’re almost four years older than me. I’ve been following you since I was a minor.”
These words were clearly his mother’s instructions, but when Pei Tingsong said them, they became incredibly ambiguous. Fang Juexia’s heartbeat became erratic once again. He didn’t want to continue this entanglement with him. After all, it was Pei Tingsong’s private matter and had nothing to do with him.
“Say whatever you want.”
Fang Juexia turned around, about to leave, when he heard the person behind him burst into laughter.
Is this guy crazy? Fang Juexia looked puzzled and turned his head. He saw Pei Tingsong sitting at the table, laughing so hard he couldn’t straighten up, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, almost unable to breathe.
“What’s wrong with you?” ” Fang Juexia finally couldn’t hold back and spoke harshly.
Pei Tingsong laughed so hard that his teeth were showing, his face full of childishness. He took several deep breaths to hold back his laughter, “I’m fine, it’s you who has a problem.”
Fang Juexia was furious and was about to retort when he heard this nasty guy speak again.
“Lily is my dog.” Pei Tingsong jumped off the table, still smiling.
“Idiot.”
Author’s Note: After Pei Tingsong became a dog for love, Fang Juexia also…
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