These two idols, who were initially not expected to succeed, ultimately demonstrated a contrast and expressiveness that the editor-in-chief had never imagined. The prejudices against idols in the secular sense were shattered the moment they dared to engage in intellectual exchanges, unleashing astonishing creativity.
They are not like typical idols, yet they seem to embody the essence of what an idol should be.
“I can already envision this photo series trending on social media,” the editor-in-chief said to Lin Mo. Lin Mo lit a cigarette and replied, “You should be thinking about the scene of people scrambling to buy the magazine.”
“That’s true. We changed the cover because we saw their potential.” The editor-in-chief smiled, “They have buzz, good looks, and real talent. Kids like this will only get more popular in the industry.”
After the shoot, the magazine interview followed. Fang Juexia felt her eyes were a bit uncomfortable, so she removed her eye makeup and sat next to Pei Tingsong. The first part was a quick-fire question and answer session, with the host hidden behind the camera asking the two questions one by one.
“What’s your favorite food that you never get tired of?”
Pei Tingsong answered without hesitation, “Cheeseburger, no pickles.”
Fang Juexia looked hesitant, “Shrimp dumplings, I guess.”
“Who in the group is the most caring?”
Pei Tingsong didn’t even think about it: “Miao Ge, he has a knack for taking care of people.” He added, “But He Ziyan also takes care of Miao Ge… but the most caring is still Miao Ge.”
Fang Juexia agreed, “Captain, maybe because he’s been taking care of his younger sister since he was little.”
“What’s the most common form of entertainment in the dorm?”
Fang Juexia: “Hmm… playing video games?”
Pei Tingsong shrugged: Sorry, I just moved into the dorm, so I’m not qualified to answer this question.”
The host burst into laughter, “What’s your favorite book lately?”
Pei Tingsong tugged on the tail of the small dinosaur pillow on the sofa, “The Roots of Romanticism.” After saying that, he seemed to look at Fang Juexia on purpose, “I recommend it to you.”
Fang Juexia knew he was implying that he wasn’t romantic, but he didn’t argue. After all, there was nothing wrong with that. He even raised his right eyebrow slightly and casually answered the previous question, “I’m currently reading The Outsider.” After saying that, he also looked at Pei Tingsong, “It suits you well.”
The two of them seemed to be competing with each other, their incompatible magnetic fields clearly repelling each other. Even the host laughed along, “Next question: What do you do when you can’t sleep?”
Pei Tingsong: “Listen to music, read books, write something.”
Fang Juexia: “Play Sudoku or Rubik’s Cube.”
“What’s so fun about Rubik’s Cube?” Pei Tingsong asked.
Fang Juexia smiled: “If you memorize most of the Rubik’s Cube formulas, you’ll understand how fun it is.”
“Do you prefer coffee or tea?”
Pei Tingsong: “Coffee.”
Fang Juexia: “Black tea.”
“Your preferences are really different.” The host found it increasingly interesting. Even though they were two members of the same group and currently a very popular couple, their interests and hobbies were at opposite ends of the spectrum.
“What is your favorite variety show?”
Just when it seemed like they couldn’t agree on anything, they unexpectedly answered in unison, “Escape from Heaven.”
The host asked, “Is it because the regular guest is your senior Shang Sui?”
Fang Juexia laughed, “Of course, but the show itself is also excellent. It’s very tense to watch. When the first season aired, we would all gather in the dormitory to watch the updates and discuss the plot and who the killer was.”
Pei Tingsong was very straightforward, “Some of the plot settings are very interesting, and there are a lot of word games. It’s much more interesting than most reality shows that are just trying to get attention.”
His words were too blunt, but it seemed everyone had gotten used to it. The host laughed, “The production team and screenwriters of ‘Escape from Heaven’ would be very happy to hear that. Last quick-fire question: what’s your favorite movie?”
Pei Tingsong answered quickly, “Dead Poets Society. The Chinese title is…”
“Death Poets Society,” Fang Juexia answered for him.
Pei Tingsong nodded, “Right, Death Poets Society.” He was a little surprised. Did this mean that Fang Juexia also liked this movie?
The host asked again, “What is your favorite movie, Jue Xia?”
Fang Juexia replied, “Hmm… Fermat’s Last Theorem.”
Pei Tingsong asked, “A movie?” Fang Juexia nodded, “A documentary.”
“Why do you like it?” He was simply curious.
Fang Juexia lowered his eyes, a common gesture when he was thinking, and tried to explain simply, “Because it moved me.” After saying that, he added, “It moves me every time I watch it.”
Pei Tingsong wanted to ask more questions because he was genuinely curious. He wanted to know why a documentary named after a mathematical theorem would move Fang Juexia so much. However, the host had already signaled the next part of the program, preparing to begin the interview segment, so he had no choice but to give up.
The interview questions had been reviewed by Cheng Qiang, and there were no particularly difficult ones. However, Fang Juexia was not someone who was good at handling interviews, so he mostly gave superficial answers. Although Pei Tingsong was much younger, he was never afraid to express himself and always seemed to be in control of the situation.
The host began asking questions, “A few days ago, Kaleido performed their debut song at a live broadcast event. As everyone knows, there was a minor incident that day. We’re all curious about how you felt or what your state of mind was at the time of the incident. Is there anything you can share with us?”
They all knew this question was inevitable; the magazine just happened to be the first to ask it.
Fang Juexia was a bit worried that Pei Tingsong might be too honest, so she spoke up first, “First of all, we are very grateful to the organizers for giving us this opportunity. Yes, our group has been on hiatus for a long time, so this is a rare stage for us, and we’ve been practicing for a long time. At the moment of the accident, we were still quite panicked. At that time, there wasn’t enough time to think about many things. The first reaction was to continue the performance. Plus, we believed the backstage staff were working hard to repair the sound system, so we couldn’t just give up easily. The mindset at the time was actually quite simple.”
He spoke very politely, giving Yunshi Network plenty of face, as if he had prepared in advance knowing this question would come up. Pei Tingsong, of course, knew why, and he also knew that Fang Juexia had more concerns than others. He often represented the Kaleido group, and he had to take responsibility for the group.
If it were before, Pei Tingsong would have spoken his mind freely, but upon seeing the person beside him, he began to hesitate.
The host asked again, “After the performance, this song became a hot search on major music platforms, with the highest playback and download counts. I listened to it too, and I noticed that some of the rap lyrics seemed different from the studio version. Did you change the lyrics on the spot?”
The question hit a sensitive nerve. Fang Juexia couldn’t help but look at Pei Tingsong.
Pei Tingsong smiled calmly, “Yes, I got carried away while singing and made some changes. I often change lyrics on the spot. You know, inspiration often comes from intense emotional collisions. The live stage is when emotions are at their peak, so it’s the perfect time for freestyle.”
Fang Juexia added, “He often does that, and he really enjoys energizing the live atmosphere. He doesn’t like the same performance format every time.”
“But boy groups place more emphasis on consistent performance formats, leaving little room for freedom. If that’s the case, why did Pei Tingsong choose to join a boy band?” The host took the opportunity to throw out a new hot potato, which wasn’t even on the list of questions.
Standing behind the camera, Cheng Qiang immediately became alert. After all, Pei Tingsong hadn’t voluntarily chosen to debut through a boy band. If this kid told the truth again, they’d be in trouble.
Fang Juexia was worried like Cheng Qiang, but he was also curious about Pei Tingsong’s answer. He felt strange about himself. Pei Tingsong was like a knife. When he got close, he felt afraid, but he was even more obsessed with guessing whether the knife was sharp or dull.
“I just mentioned my favorite movie, Dead Poets Society. There’s a line in it, and since I watched the original version, I can only say it in English.” Pei Tingsong kept a smile on his face, his usual childishness seeming to have retreated to some corner. “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, and not when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.”
Fang Juexia found it curious that he too had a vivid memory of that line.
[I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deeply, I wanted to suck out all the marrow of life, and not when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.]
Pei Tingsong continued, “The woods in my heart are not just a forest; they can be spruce or cedar. I am still so young, so why not walk from a spruce forest to a cedar forest, and perhaps in the future there will be maple forests, cherry blossom forests… I want to try all kinds of lives, poet, writer, hip-hop singer, boy band member… My wish list is filled with countless woods. I want to live like this, and that’s why.”
What he said made Fang Juexia truly realize that this proud yet childish person had indeed been nurtured by a humanistic upbringing. He was free, and he was incredibly proud of pursuing that freedom. Even if it was just to cover up the truth or handle an interview, he could speak poetically and authentically.
What about him?
The stage is the only forest he wants to explore deeply.
The host seemed unprepared for Pei Tingsong’s response. She paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but exclaim, “I never expected that answer. It’s really thought-provoking.” This question, which was originally intended to trip up Pei Tingsong, was defused by him in such a convincing manner. It was truly unexpected.
He is certainly not an idol in the conventional sense.
“Next question: both of you are members of male idol groups. There’s a widely accepted notion that idols are just selling fantasies. What do you think about that?”
This question seemed ordinary, but it was actually a hotly debated topic online, with strongly opposing viewpoints. For idols like them, answering such a question was like walking on thin ice.
Pei Tingsong paused for a moment before responding, “I understand this perspective. Idols, to some extent, differ from other artists in their profession. They have less distance from the public, their images are more idealized, and they distance themselves from human nature, resembling beautiful products in a store window. People like you because your perfect image creates a fantasy in their perception, a form of desire stimulation. Most of the time, it’s not the real you—not your flaws or bad habits, nor the darker aspects of your humanity.”
“They essentially fold away that part of you when they like an idol. So once all your traits are laid bare, it inevitably creates a significant gap between expectations and reality. To be honest, the notion of selling fantasies isn’t wrong either. The more you trim and shape your public image to approach perfection, the higher the fantasy value becomes—and the heavier the price you must bear.”
He spoke bluntly, laying everything out in the open with a rigorous logical argument, as if he were not part of the idol industry at all. So when he finished speaking, the staff present were somewhat surprised. However, Pei Tingsong is not someone who can be measured or predicted by conventional standards.
“What about Jue Xia? What do you think?” The host tried to prompt Fang Juexia, as he had been rather reserved in his previous answers.
“Obviously,” Fang Juexia said, “this is already the mainstream view. But I might still need to refute it slightly.”
This was a rare moment, especially since the word “refute” had a certain punch to it, even exciting the host. “Really? What do you think?”
“The situation Song mentioned does indeed exist, but its prevalence is hard to verify. In fact, for many fans, their liking is not simply a matter of desire stimulation; it’s quite complex. Of course, I don’t deny the existence of such liking; it’s normal. Liking itself is a form of desire. No matter how you classify or explain it, the essence of emotion belongs to desire. The difference lies in the proportion of desire within liking. For example, maybe I like an idol, and in my liking for him, possessiveness accounts for only 10%, while my friend’s possessiveness in liking someone else accounts for 80%.”
Pei Tingsong listened, intrigued by his perspective. Fang Juexia seemed to always quantify his thoughts, pursuing precision and accuracy, which he found fascinating.
Fang Juexia continued, “I think for most fans, the proportion of desire isn’t as high as the public imagines. It might follow a normal distribution, with fewer at the extremes and more in the middle. So rather than saying idols sell fantasies, it’s more accurate to say they embody dreams—not as a stimulus for desire, but as an emotional incentive.”
He realized his expression might not be very accessible, but he had done his best. He paused and then put it more bluntly, “Real life is tough, and everyone has their own struggles. So often, the word ‘dream’ feels distant and hollow to people. They start to think it’s unattainable. In my view, a successful idol is simply a concrete manifestation of a dream. Like a proof problem, people can clearly see the existence of dreams in him.”
“Is existence important?” Pei Tingsong suddenly asked.
“Of course. Existence means there is a concrete path to the final answer, proving the feasibility of dreams.” He smiled after speaking, “In this difficult world, that’s truly remarkable.”
His expression was more vivid than ever, especially when he said the last sentence, almost radiating with enthusiasm.
It was as if he were saying, “See, this is why I want to become an idol.”
I will become the proof of existence.
Pei Tingsong couldn’t help but stare at him in awe.
He thought of Lin Mo asking him if he regretted becoming an idol. In the past, he would have said yes without hesitation, because this was not the path he wanted to choose. If it weren’t for his responsibility to the group, he wouldn’t have hesitated to say it.
But he saw Fang Juexia practicing dance moves in the snow, so he couldn’t say he regretted it.
This radiant presence had swayed his once firm judgment.
The atmosphere grew slightly awkward. The hostess smiled and spoke up, “It seems like the two of you, even though you’re in the same group, often have completely different viewpoints.” She jokingly mentioned the online rumors, “I think those rumors about you two not getting along are actually…”
Cheng Qiang was sensitive to this and, out of a desire to protect the artist, tried to interrupt, “This is…”
“It’s okay,” Pei Tingsong smiled brightly, “Qiang Ge, what’s there to be shy about?”
If it were just Fang Juexia alone, he would have found it difficult to handle. Because this wasn’t like the baseless rumors he was used to dealing with before. The discord here was real; they had maintained a cold war relationship for two years. He found it hard to smile and lie to everyone, saying how deep their friendship was and how close they were as friends.
But at this moment, he felt torn. On one hand, he couldn’t bring himself to speak, yet on the other, he was curious to hear what Pei Tingsong would say. After all, this person hated lying more than anyone else.
Would he just admit it outright?
Fang Juexia’s palms rested on the sofa. He warned himself to be mentally prepared, because with Pei Tingsong present, anything could happen. Precisely because everyone knew, the focus of the interview was on him, because he himself was the highlight.
He heard Pei Tingsong speak, “The rumors of discord, I understand. After all, with modern technology so advanced, the cost of spreading rumors has decreased. I suppose that when everyone sees that scene, they’ll be even more certain that we’re not compatible.” He laughed, “But look at Aristotle and his mentor Plato—didn’t they also engage in a heated debate over the concept of ‘universals’? “ Pei Tingsong’s education had trained him to always find arguments to support his position. ”And what about Brutus? Didn’t he love Caesar? After he successfully assassinated him, he calmly said, ‘I loved Caesar, but I loved Rome more.’”
Fang Juexia’s fingers relaxed. He hadn’t expected this outcome.
These examples were too cunning. Only Pei Tingsong would dare to make such a comparison without blushing or batting an eyelid.
After finishing, Pei Tingsong turned his head to look at Fang Juexia and quoted the famous words of the ancient Greek sage Aristotle.
“Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth.”
I love my teacher, but I love truth even more.
“You feel the same way, don’t you?” He smiled, “Juexia.”
