[Hahahahahahahahahahaha]
[Actually, the meaning of “auditory CP” is that losing your hearing instantly turns you into a dumbass CP]
[How cute is this, Jue Xia xswl]
[Look at the old man on the subway looking at his phone, hahaha]
[I can’t take this group of idiots anymore! New friends, this is actually a singing (blacklisted) runner-up, a street dance champion, a real DJ, a folk music prodigy, a P University prodigy, and a Beijing Normal University prodigy. Please believe me]
[Don’t believe it, the guy above is a liar]
[Don’t believe it, scammer scammer, these are six stand-up comedians, we’re in contact with the Happy Comedy People show]
[It’s over, this song is already playing on repeat in my head]
The game ultimately failed. Pei Tingsong, who had pinned his hopes on a comeback, couldn’t escape the game’s reputation as a black hole, and instead dragged Fang Juexia into the black hole with him.
In the days that followed, Kaleido’s schedule was non-stop, keeping them so busy they barely had time to rest. They had two commercial events, flew to Nanjing as guests for their senior group HighFive’s concert, and then attended a fashion charity gala. But unexpectedly, this time flying to Nanjing, the number of people sending them off in Beijing alone was almost enough to block their path.
After finally boarding the plane, Pei Tingsong sat by the window. After working continuously for several days, the members quickly fell asleep, leaving only him still awake.
Glancing at Ling Yi, who was sleeping with his neck crooked, Pei Tingsong opened his laptop and clicked on the fjx folder on the desktop, which contained Fang Juexia’s demo—a song he had never had the chance to listen to properly.
However, the naming of this demo was typical of Fang Juexia, just a string of dates and numbers, probably the time the song was completed.
Pei Tingsong put on his headphones and pressed play.
Surprisingly, there was no intro at the beginning. The first second was a brief inhalation sound, followed immediately by Fang Juexia’s voice—no lyrics, just humming. Ten seconds later, a soothing piano melody emerged, sounding more like a live recording than a sample or synthesized sound.
Fang Juexia’s voice was unique, cold and spacious. Pei Tingsong closed his eyes and imagined him sitting at the piano, playing and humming the melody.
The melody of the chorus is outstanding, catchy, and easy to remember after just one listen. Though it is a flawed work, Fang Juexia’s artistic flair is fully displayed in this song. Most ballads are tied to love and often revolve around the sad themes of heartbreak and disappointment, easily falling into clichés.
But Fang Juexia is different. He has exceptional vocal talent. At first listen, the detachment and composure in his voice are evident, with emotions kept in check. Starting from the second verse, he deliberately amplifies his breath sounds, slightly elongating the tail notes. By the end, even the piano erupts, culminating in a sudden halt, concluding with his deep, trembling breaths.
This made Pei Tingsong think of a common yet heartbreaking opening line—I have a friend who hasn’t been doing well lately.
Every word he uttered, every syllable he pronounced, seemed like an act of defiance, repeatedly telling you that this was someone else’s story, unrelated to him. He was merely a mediocre storyteller, unable to maintain his composure or hide his vulnerability. It wasn’t until the song ended that his emotions neared the brink of collapse.
Pei Tingsong was truly captivated.
There are countless singers with good vocal skills, but it’s rare to find someone who can use their technique so seamlessly, with such mastery that they can move mountains with a feather.
Just by humming without lyrics, he could create a narrative feel for the song. He finally understood why the company insisted on having Fang Juexia as the lead singer, even if taking on multiple roles might invite criticism.
But Fang Juexia was more than worthy.
Pei Tingsong turned his head to look at Fang Juexia, who was sitting in the back row, leaning against the seatback and sleeping, still wearing the blue eye mask given to him by fans, his skin glowing white.
The demo was playing on loop in his headphones.
He felt an urge to write lyrics for him.
The plane landed, and the scene at the airport was even more chaotic than at the capital airport. Five out of the six were still groggy from sleep, leaving only the youngest member relatively composed. The company hadn’t anticipated such a large crowd and hadn’t prepared enough bodyguards in advance, so Cheng Qiang and Xiao Wen had to step in to protect the members.
“Excuse us, please let us through first.”
“Excuse us, please move aside.”
“Don’t push their faces! Don’t crowd them!”
As the crowd pushed forward, a young girl was accidentally knocked over by someone behind her and collided with Fang Juexia. Fang Juexia immediately bent down to help her up.
“Are you okay?”
The scene was chaotic. The young girl grabbed Fang Juexia’s arm to steady herself, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you, Juexia Brother.” Others continued to push, and before he realized it, the crowd had separated him from the main group.
His name was being shouted everywhere, and flashes of white light kept flashing before his eyes, causing Fang Juexia a splitting headache.
“Juexia Brother!”
“Fang Juexia, look here!”
“Stop pushing forward!”
“Juexia Brother, how long will you stay in Nanjing?!”
Before Fang Juexia could react, Pei Tingsong had already taken off his baseball cap and placed it on Fang Juexia’s head, the brim pulled down low to cover the upper half of his face. Then he pulled him to the front, using his arm to push others away, and held his shoulders as they walked forward.
Pei Tingsong didn’t say a word, his face expressionless behind his sunglasses as he stared straight ahead, his hand never letting go of Fang Juexia’s shoulder.
The two who had fallen behind finally escaped after great difficulty and boarded the limousine.
As soon as the door opened, Cheng Qiang asked, “Are you okay, Jue Xia? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. It was the fan who fell.” Fang Juexia sat down, and Pei Tingsong followed him. Once he saw him seated beside him, Fang Juexia took off his hat and handed it to him.
Pei Tingsong pushed his sunglasses up to the top of his head and said cheerfully, “Wear them. They look good on you.”
Fang Juexia was a bit confused and was about to speak when he heard Pei Tingsong speak again.
“Anyway, your clothes are still with me.”
The members started teasing again, and Pei Tingsong found it amusing, like being back in middle school when the class teased two classmates who were flirting with each other.
No, why was he thinking that?
To ensure everything went smoothly, Kaleido arrived at noon and joined the senior members for the rehearsal. While the senior members performed on stage, the six of them watched from below.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t envious. Fang Juexia looked up at the vast stage, watching the senior members perform in perfect harmony, and felt a touch of emotion.
“When will we have our own concert?” Ling Yi sighed.
Jiang Miao placed her index finger on her lips, “Shh…” He Ziyan saw this and smiled, wrapping his arm around Ling Yi’s small shoulder, “Soon, as long as we work hard enough.”
Lu Yuan laughed, “Why worry, Little Ling? Didn’t you just perform a solo at the TV station’s year-end gala?” He gave Pei Tingsong a meaningful glance. The youngest, who always liked to stir things up, quickly chimed in, “That’s right, the milk tea shop next to the stadium is playing all the songs you sang for the TV drama. Ling Ge is really popular.”
“That’s because the TV drama is popular.” Ling Yi grabbed Fang Juexia’s arm like he was clinging to a lifeline, shaking it constantly, “Juexia, they’re all picking on me.”
Juexia was annoyed by his antics but couldn’t hide the smile on his lips. He didn’t know how to help him, so after thinking for a while, he finally asked, “What should we do then?”
Everyone laughed even harder, except Ling Yi, who was so angry he wanted to stomp his feet.
Laughing aside, when it came to work, none of the six of them messed around. Although there weren’t many songs in the performance, they were more serious during rehearsals than during the actual concert. The choreography and movements they had rehearsed 24 hours earlier were now completely ingrained in their minds, and both songs went smoothly on the first take. The staff on site couldn’t stop praising them.
After the concert officially began, the six members of Kaleido waited backstage in the green room for their turn to perform. The live broadcast screen showed their seniors’ performances, and everyone watched intently. Pei Tingsong has never been particularly interested in idol singing and dancing, even though he’s now in the same industry. But as he watched Fang Juexia sitting on the other side, he couldn’t help but focus his attention. The dazzling visual effects on the screen flickered in his eyes. His pupils seemed to have turned into beautiful glass beads, with flames burning inside.
Does he like it that much?
Fang Juexia sat on the sofa, but he couldn’t help but follow the music and do the dance moves from the song, though the movements were small, and he looked kind of cute.
Before going on stage, they rehearsed one more time just in case.
In the past, Pei Tingsong rarely interacted with Fang Juexia on stage, and off stage, they were like the head and tail of the team, always separated by the entire stage. Later, whenever they appeared together, Cheng Qiang would subtly hint at their relationship, even if they were slightly apart, fearing that any rumors might stir up trouble again.
But now, Pei Tingsong couldn’t help but look at him. For example, during the rehearsal just now.
Everyone’s dancing style is different.
Fang Juexia is 1.8 meters tall with long arms and legs, and his dancing is very eye-catching. His stage presence is cold, but in private, he has a more relaxed and aggressive demeanor. “Fang Juexia is the best on stage” is a phrase fans often repeat.
The company’s dance instructor has mentioned on multiple occasions that both Lu Yuan and Fang Juexia are skilled dancers, yet their approaches differ. Lu Yuan developed his technique through rigorous street-style training, and even the instructor acknowledges his technical prowess, often suggesting they exchange insights.
In contrast, Fang Juexia is a natural-born dancer. A dancer’s ability lies in captivating the audience on stage. In this regard, Fang Juexia is almost unmatched. He possesses the best innate conditions, an irreplicable stage presence, and a striking appearance—all talents that others can never achieve no matter how much they practice. His limbs, his muscles, and even the shoulder blade hidden beneath his skin would dance.
Before, Pei Tingsong had dismissed such claims as nonsense. But now, when he truly set aside his prejudices to watch, he realized that he was indeed drawn to him as he danced. It was an irresistible gravitational pull.
“Hey, wait!”
Ling Yi’s voice was so piercing that everyone turned around at the sound of his shout, including Fang Juexia himself, who looked completely bewildered.
Pei Tingsong quickly distanced himself, “What are you talking about?!”
“I’m not talking nonsense! “ Ling Yi persisted, ”You were staring at him so intently just now that you didn’t even respond when I spoke to you!”
Fang Juexia glanced at Pei Tingsong in the mirror, saw him shrug his shoulders, and didn’t continue arguing with Ling Yi or look at him again.
Jiang Miao confirmed the time, “It should be our turn soon.”
“Ten minutes! Kaleido, stand by!”
“Got it!”
The staff led them to the elevator platform. Fang Juexia walked at the front, not too fast, but almost right next to the staff member beside him. The lighting in the elevator platform corridor wasn’t very bright, and the pipes on the ground crisscrossed, making it a bit tricky to walk. The six of them arrived at the designated location and took their positions according to the performance lineup. Since the number of Kaleido members was an even pair, the choreography mostly adopted a dual center position format, typically alternating between dual lead dancers or dual ACEs.
The opening featured the dual lead dancers. Fang Juexia exchanged a glance with Lu Yuan beside him and took a deep breath.
“Don’t forget to return from here later; the stage floor will flash lights.” The staff shouted into the walkie-talkie amid the chaos underground, “Kaleido, take your positions!”
The time on stage was extremely brief.
From the moment the elevator slowly rose to the final stage ending where he stood side by side with Pei Tingsong, Fang Juexia felt like only a second had passed, or even less. The small clock in his heart was shattered by his intense love for the stage, losing its function. Because he loved this place too much.
Everything he loved had such a short shelf life.
Looking down at the sea of light signs below, in the blink of an eye, those brilliant HighFive orange support lights seemed to transform into dazzling Klein blue kaleidoscope lights. The people below spun their light poles, projecting the vibrant, ever-changing patterns of light that were uniquely theirs.
“Hello, everyone.” Jiang Miao led the way, and the six of them raised their left hands in unison, “We are Kaleido!”
He loves the stage and loves this team that has gone through all the lows together.
Mission accomplished, the six young men of the kaleido group hurriedly returned to the original lift platform at the end, holding hands and bowing toward the stage. The flickering guide lights on the stage were like the second hand in a fairy tale story approaching midnight, reminding everyone.
The elevator carried their racing hearts as it slowly descended. Fang Juexia, lost in thought, forgot to let go of the hand he was holding, and even more so, forgot who he was closest to as one of the two Cs, and who he was holding tightly.
The view grew darker and darker, while below the stage, staff members continued to coordinate and shout hurriedly.
“Hey.”
He suddenly heard a low voice. The next second, the hand he was holding tightly lifted him up, with a smile in his voice, “How long do you plan to hold on?”
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