After the first tour, the company planned a formal comeback for the third album at year’s end. Following the tour, Kaleido returned from a brief break and threw himself wholeheartedly into producing the new album.
It took four months to complete preparations for the third album, with release and promotional activities scheduled for late November.
“The remaining time will be dedicated to post-production.” “At the final meeting for the third album, Cheng Qiang addressed the six overworked young people, ”As for you guys, there’s one more thing to do.”
Pei Tingsong’s face clearly showed his displeasure, “One more thing?”
“So this is the last item on the to-do list?” Jiang Miao leaned back in his chair, “Great, we can rest after this.”
Lu Yuan closed his eyes and gave Jiang Miao a thumbs-up. “You’re the man, Shui. Finding joy in misery like this.”
Fang Juexia, who hadn’t slept for thirty straight hours, felt his eyes burning. He blinked hard several times, waiting quietly for Cheng Qiang to continue.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Ling Yi shook his head weakly, slumping onto the desk. “I don’t want to do anything.”
“Really?” Cheng Qiang swiveled his conference chair. “What about the Maldives?”
“What!?” Ling Yi shot upright like an overexcited Chihuahua. “The Maldives?!”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to do anything?” He Ziyan, seated beside him, spun the armrest of his swivel chair back and forth, teasing him like a child. “Our little Ling Yi should stay home and wait for big brother to return.”
“No, I’m going!” Ling Yi pushed He Ziyan away. “Bro Qiang, I was wrong.”
“Don’t let him go,” Pei Tingsong twirled his pen. “He’s useless at everything except causing trouble.”
Ling Yi shot back instantly, “You’re useless at everything except holding grudges.”
“Enough, both of you.” Cheng Qiang continued, “This trip to the Maldives is actually preparation for Season 2 of the group variety show. The Maldives footage will likely be edited into the first two episodes.”
At the thought of cameras following them, Fang Juexia felt a pang of disappointment. “So it’s still work.”
“Not entirely. The company also wanted to give you guys a break,” Cheng Qiang explained. “We’ll be filming for the first couple of days, and the schedule might be a bit packed for the project. After that, the crew will leave the island, and you’ll have the remaining five days to enjoy yourselves.”
“Yay!!” When Pei Tingsong received the suitcase, he was overjoyed, hugging Fang Juexia and kissing him repeatedly.
“Who says?” Pei Tingsong slid his suitcase along the floor. “This is the first matching couple item you’ve ever bought for me.”
His words made Fang Juexia’s ears burn. “Wh-what matching couple item? They’re just the same model.”
“They are matching couple items!”
“Shut up.”
The Maldives is an archipelago nation comprising thousands of islands, large and small. The plane landed in Male, the capital, at 11 a.m. local time. Everyone transferred to speedboats departing Male for their final destination: JV Island.
Everyone was thrilled, especially Ling Yi, who bounced around like a little kid. Fang Juexia gazed quietly out the speedboat window at the azure sea and sky. The fatigue from the long flight melted away the moment he saw the deep blue water. Crystal-clear, mint-green lagoons encircled the lush, tree-covered islands. The view from afar was breathtakingly beautiful.
Suddenly, his shoulder grew heavy as Pei Tingsong leaned his head against it. Fang Juexia’s heart tightened. Just as he was about to remind him they were still filming, Pei Tingsong began massaging his temples with notoriously poor acting skills. “Ah, I feel so dizzy. I think I’m getting seasick.”
He’d only been on board a few minutes…
Fang Juexia let him play dumb, even ruffling his hair before turning back to the scenery.
Upon reaching JV Island, the production team had the six of them stand on the beach for the opening segment. The director was still the same woman from the first season’s group variety show.
“Welcome everyone to JV Island in the Maldives…”
He Ziyan shielded his eyes from the sun and grinned at the others. “Just listen to Sister Xi talk—you’d think this island was hers.” ” The 6-foot-tall He Ziyan plopped down on one knee with a thud, startling Fang Juexia out of his daze. The crew burst into laughter.
Lu Yuan shook his head. “Er Huo activating his essential skill for sabotaging group activities—the sliding kneel for mercy.”
Pei Tingsong nodded in agreement. “Unnecessary. Totally unnecessary.”
“Staying on the beach isn’t so bad. You can see the stars,” Jiang Miao smiled.
Seeing Er Huo kneeling on the ground, Ling Yi suddenly felt like riding him. Little did she know his black short-sleeved shirt had been baked by the sun until it was scorching hot.
“Staying on the beach isn’t so bad. You can watch the stars,” Jiang Miao smiled.
Seeing Erhuo kneeling on the ground, Ling Yi suddenly felt like straddling him. Little did she know his black short-sleeved shirt had been baked by the sun until it was scorching hot. The intense heat made Ling Yi slide right off, clutching her burned hip as she hid behind Fang Juexia, whimpering.
“Are you here to be a joke, dash?” Pei Tingsong pulled him out from behind Fang Juexia.
Director Xi clapped her hands. “Alright, let’s get serious. Here, we’ll begin the first episode of this season’s group variety show. Though this is a vacation paradise, to add some fun, many activities—including your accommodations these days—will be obtained through special means.”
Pei Tingsong immediately raised his hand. “Objection to drawing lots.”
“Hahahahahaha!”
Lu Yuan clapped. “Typical old unlucky charm, opening his mouth like that.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t be using something as simple as drawing lots this time.” Island staff appeared, assisting them in moving out six small boats. The director pointed to a red buoy in the distance. “See that buoy? It has a Klein Blue flag planted on it. You’ll all paddle out simultaneously. The order in which you reach the buoy and pull up the flag will determine your priority choices for this trip.”
“Ah, but… Xiao Pei already knows how to paddle! That’s not fair!”
“Forget it, forget it. Xiao Pei’s had enough bad luck already.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Under the staff’s guidance, each of them donned life jackets and settled into their boats. Fang Juexia, rowing for the first time, felt a tinge of novelty as he took the oars from the staff member.
“I’m definitely going to win first place.” Fei Tingsong, seated farthest to the left, was supremely confident. “Then I’m choosing the water villa.”
Jiao Miao was a bit afraid of water. “I want to stay in the beach villa. I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep at all if I’m right on the sea.”
The water villas were villa hotels built entirely over the ocean. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows offered unobstructed views of the boundless sea—the scenery was top-notch. In contrast, the beach villas were built on the sand. The production team had designed it this way, ensuring the winner would have first choice of accommodations.
“Hey, Pei,” Lu Yuan offered his seasoned advice, “don’t make any big promises. If you do, you won’t get what you promised.”
“Yeah, you’ve been unlucky for ages, you’re a gaming black hole,” He Ziyan nodded.
“Exactly. This time I’m going to beat the game black hole,” Ling declared war on him, poking Fang Juexia’s oar with his own. “Juexia, which one do you want to sleep with?”
“I’m fine with either.” Fang Juexia was never picky, but thinking about Pei Tingsong’s luck, he still felt a bit uneasy.
What if, as they claimed, Pei’s bad luck meant he didn’t come in first? In mere seconds, Fang Juexia mentally ran through every possible combination of outcomes after the paddling game.
At the director’s whistle, he snapped his head up, eyes fixed ahead.
“Ready—go!”
All six set off simultaneously. The initial gap was minimal, but Pei Tingsong’s kayaking experience gave him an edge. Ling Yi, however, began spinning in circles after just a few strokes. Lu Yuan, He Ziyan, and Jiang Miao stayed close together, gradually falling behind Pei Tingsong.
Fang Juexia, though inexperienced with boats, found this sport easy to analyze. Before starting, he mentally mapped the water currents and paddle angles. After a minute of adjustment, his strokes became exceptionally smooth. Holding both paddles, he alternated dipping them into the water, paddling forward with single-minded focus, driven only by the increasingly clear sight of the small blue flag.
“Wow, Juexia is almost level with Ting Song now!”
“So impressive!”
As they neared the buoy, the gap between Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong had narrowed to almost nothing. Yet he remained utterly unaware, his mind fixed solely on that final target.
The little blue flag was right before his eyes. The bows of both boats passed the red buoy almost simultaneously. Pei Tingsong instinctively glanced toward Fang Juexia, confirming his distance from the buoy while reaching out his hand.
Fang Juexia stretched his arm out, grabbed the flag, and raised it high—the goal he’d been fixated on from start to finish.
“Juexia first!”
“Little Pei got it too!”
The two finished nearly a second apart.
Pei Tingsong waved the flag with a smile, then paddled over to Fang Juexia. “Why did you push so hard this time?”
“Did I?” Fang Juexia lowered his oar, exhausted, suddenly realizing how heavy it was. “It was really tiring.” He looked up at Pei Tingsong, tilting his face slightly and smiling with pursed lips. “You’re so amazing. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have worked so hard…”
The sea breeze was strong, and Pei Tingsong didn’t catch the last part. “What did you say?”
Fang Juexia shook his head and changed the subject. “Isn’t kayaking even more tiring?”
He shook his head under the sun, his hair bouncing wildly, looking adorably like Lily. This unintentional display of endearment struck a chord with Pei Tingsong. He prided himself on being fiercely competitive, yet now he realized his drive couldn’t hold a candle to even a single strand of Fang Juexia’s hair.
Pei Tingsong nodded. “You’re better than me. You paddled so fast on your first try. And your route was perfectly straight.”
Fang Juexia had been watching me the whole time. No wonder I lost. A wave of pleasure rose within him, light and airy like the drifting clouds overhead.
“What are you laughing at?” Pei Tingsong waved his little flag.
Fang Juexia shook his head with a smile, saying nothing.
The remaining participants, He Ziyan, Lu Yuan, and Jiang Miao, arrived one after another, collecting their flags. Only Ling Yi remained, still spinning in circles. “Oh my, I’m dizzy! Move forward!”
Everyone laughed helplessly, and in the end, it was Lu Yuan who pulled out his flag. “The race is over!”
“Can we cut that part?” Ling Yi asked, pretending to wipe away tears.
Pei Tingsong suddenly spoke up, “I agree.”
Ling Yi gasped, “Pei Tingsong finally doing the right thing!”
Pei Tingsong continued, “We’ll edit it into the promo video.”
“Hahahaha!”
“Now for our first task: choosing rooms!” The production team displayed three promotional signs featuring images of three housing options. “For filming convenience, we’ll have two people per room. Here we have Deluxe Water Villas, Deluxe Beach Villas, and Semi-Deluxe Beach Villas.”
“That ‘semi’ is so subtly clever,” Lu Yuan quipped.
“So the order we rowed earlier determined both your house choice and your roommate.”
Ling Yi felt like crying. He knelt down beside Fang Juexia with a thud and clung to his leg. “Juexia! Save the kid!”
Lu Yuan shook his head again. “Here we go again—the traditional Kaleido talent show.”
Fang Juexia pulled him up. “You scared me.”
“Juexia, you’re the best,” Ling Yi pouted. “We’ve been roommates for so many years.”
He Ziyan started playing with the joke. “Fill in the blank: My roommate is the most useful person in the whole world…”
“Tool person,” Jiang Miao and Lu Yuan chimed in unison.
“Alright, now choose starting from first place. Juexia, step forward and stand in front of the house you want.”
Fang Juexia nodded, flag in hand, and predictably walked to the luxury water villa.
“Great, the luxury water villa has an owner. Now,” the director asked, “who do you want as your roommate?”
Everyone frantically pointed at themselves—except Jiang Miao, who wasn’t keen on the water villa. Fang Juexia’s first-place finish presented a golden opportunity for them all. Everyone knew Fang Juexia’s personality: he wouldn’t deliberately choose Pei Tingsong on camera. He’d avoid any appearance of impropriety—and he definitely would. That meant everyone had a chance.
Even Pei Tingsong himself felt this way, his face already clouded with gloom, utterly disinterested in the upcoming choice.
Fang Juexia looked at his enthusiastic teammates and said into the camera, “Pei Tingsong.”
Pei Tingsong, his name called out, froze, his face filled with disbelief.
The others were also a bit surprised, but quickly composed their expressions for their teammates’ sake, playfully “battling” each other with sand to lighten the mood.
Lu Yuan clicked his tongue in disbelief. “How frustrating is that? First place picked second place.”
Jiang Miao countered, “It’s a good thing! Second place’s choice just went straight to third place.”
“Yeah, right.”
The production team announced, “Alright, then Xiao Pei will be paired with Juexia. Third place, Yuan Yuan, you can now choose your house and roommate.”
Lu Yuan jogged over to the luxury sand house. “I choose…” He turned to look at the production team. “Can I live alone?”
“Hahahaha!”
“No way!”
Ling pinned a little flag to her ear, doing her best to grab Lu Yuan’s attention. “Brother Yuan, look at me! You’re the most handsome guy in the world! I’ll give you a massage, pick me! I don’t grind my teeth or snore when I sleep, and I look great in my sleep!”
“Who wants to share a bed with you?” Despite his words, Lu Yuan ultimately chose Ling Yi. “Fine, him then. The kid seems kinda pitiful.”
“Yay! The luxury beach house is still luxurious!”
“Okay, so Zi Yan and Miao Miao automatically get the semi-luxury beach house.”
He Ziyan pulled out a pair of sunglasses from somewhere and put them on. “As the older brother in the team, I should naturally give the better one to my younger brothers.”
Ling Yi fell to the ground, pretending to vomit.
“You’re expecting your second child? Congratulations!”
“Get lost!”
Just then, the director asked again, “How did you make your choice, Juexia?”
Fang Juexia seemed caught off guard by the question, pausing for a second before quickly giving his reasoning.
“Because during the first group variety show live stream, we played the candy wrapper game. Little Pei was amazing—he caught every wrapper that fell. But since I lost, he took the punishment with me. Plus, he’s just unlucky—he keeps losing because of weird twists of fate.”
He smiled as he spoke, a surprisingly candid expression that felt worlds apart from his demeanor during the first season’s group show recordings.
“So this time, I really wanted to… fulfill his wish.”
