In the group photo after the event, Kaledo had been wandering in the corner and the six boys kept bowing. The host and the editor-in-chief kept asking them to go to the center, but they always refused. Under Cheng Qiang's instructions, Fang Juexia, who was standing next to Pei Tingsong, shouldered the difficult task of reminding the little devil to bow. His hand was always on Pei Tingsong's back, and every time he bowed, he would press him down.
The group photo was a time for artists to compete with each other. Everyone made a variety of poses under the camera, but these six big boys in white suits were nothing new. They still tacitly made the group's representative gestures and stood straight, like six little princes fleeing together on white horses.
Coincidentally, the senior group Highfive was the same. On the same day, netizens ridiculed them on Weibo — the combination of star maps was automatically bordered without fighting.
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 music just as everyone had a variety show broadcast, so as to ensure the maximum exposure.
That night, the terms # kaleido white suit #, # kaleido live #, and # aural couple # once again rushed to the hot search on Weibo, causing heated discussion. Some music VIPs even edited Kaleido's performance and praised it as a model for a boy group's live performance. Of course, many netizens also compared Seven Luminaries' performance with Kaledo's. The fans of the two groups had a small quarrel, and it was considered the first confrontation. Seven Luminaries had a large fan base. They came up and slaughtered Kaleido's square, causing many passers-by to feel pity for Kaleido and become his fans.
After not returning to the dormitory for a week, Fang Juexia almost forgot what it felt like to sleep in bed. He quickly washed up, lay in bed, and rolled up the quilt. The moonlight climbed in from the balcony at three o 'clock in the morning, and his vision was hazy. He couldn't help but think of the night he spent alone with Pei Tingsong. Although he drank until he had no memory, there seemed to be some residual feelings in his heart.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered that he had bitten Pei Tingsong's hand, and his sleepiness suddenly disappeared.
Fang Juexia was someone who couldn't stand things being put on hold. After tossing and turning on the bed for a few minutes, he finally got out of bed. There was no one else in the house, so he turned on the lights without hesitation. He went to the living room to get the first aid kit and tiptoed to Pei Tingsong's bedroom. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Instead, the door creaked open on its own.
Don't you close the door when you sleep?
Fang Juexia hesitated for a moment. The bookshelf was blocking Pei Tingsong's bed, and he felt that there was no movement from the other end. Fang Juexia still went in with the idea that some people were better asleep. He turned on the lights on He Ziyan's side and went through, ready to end the battle quickly.
As expected, Pei Tingsong fell asleep. He was lying on his side with a book next to his face. He had probably fallen asleep in the middle of reading because he didn't even turn on the bedside lamp. Coincidentally, his right hand, which had been bitten, was hanging out of the bed. The area between his thumb and index finger had been covered by a glove all night, and it was already inflamed and red.
If he didn't deal with it now, it would be more serious. He didn't want his teeth marks to remain on someone's hand for the rest of his life.
Fang Juexia went around the bed and sat down quietly. He gently opened the first aid kit, took out a cotton swab, dipped it in anti-inflammatory medicine, and carefully used the tip of the cotton swab to gently touch the wound.
Was it so deep? Fang Juexia looked at the wound and subconsciously used the tip of his tongue to push against his teeth.
The guilt in his heart suddenly increased exponentially.
The medicine seemed to be a little irritating. Pei Tingsong's hand moved, and Fang Juexia immediately retreated. He held his small cotton swab tightly and observed the enemy's reaction.
Fortunately, he didn't make any big movements. He just retracted his right hand and put it on the side of his face. Fang Juexia moved closer to the bedside and applied some medicine to the area between his thumb and index finger before gently wiping it open with a cotton swab.
Pei Tingsong's finger moved again. Fang Juexia looked up alertly and saw him frowning. He seemed to be muttering something in English.
Before he could recognize it, the hand had already raised and groped for something. Then it patted the top of Fang Juexia's head and rubbed his hair.
"Stop, lily." Pei Tingsong murmured a few words with his eyes closed. His voice was a mixture of Chinese and English, and his tone was gentle. "Good girl, good girl … sleep together, okay?"
Hearing this, Fang Juexia's cotton swab suddenly fell out.
He blankly waited for Pei Tingsong to finish rubbing his hair. He withdrew his hand and turned around. Then he quickly packed his things and left the room as if he was fleeing from a disaster.
That night, Fang Juexia had a strange dream.
In the dream, Pei Tingsong announced that he actually had a fiancée named Lily. He was going to retire from the military and return to the United States to get married. It happened so quickly that it was as if he had landed out of nowhere. They were invited to attend the wedding and sat in the church's pew. However, there seemed to be a problem with the church's door. When the priest invited the bride in, the door wouldn't open. The bride was outside desperately pounding on the door.
Then, Fang Juexia, who had been watching the show, woke up.
"Knock, knock, knock."
He had already 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 in a daze. He got out of bed and hurried to open the bedroom door. It was Pei Tingsong.
"What's wrong …"
Before he could finish speaking, Pei Tingsong dragged him to the entrance and called the property management. "The people downstairs have been calling for a long time. They said that you didn't pick up your phone, so they called the surveillance camera at the entrance. They said that someone who claims to be your family is here. "
Fang Juexia suddenly woke up and remembered today's date. The property management answered the phone. "Hello, Mr. Fang?"
"Hello, is my mother here?"
Mother?
Pei Tingsong was shocked and asked softly, "Is your mother coming up?"
Fang Juexia nodded and continued to communicate with the property management until they confirmed that there was no mistake. He hurried back to wash up, leaving Pei Tingsong standing alone at the entrance.
Pei Tingsong was a person who didn't know how to deal with family relationships at all. During his childhood, he didn't have any other elders except his maternal grandfather. He only saw his father a few times a year and every time they met, he would be scolded by his father. His mother, who indulged in luxury, and his sister, who lived like an excellent specimen, formed his absurd and complicated family.
The doorbell rang. Pei Tingsong shouted towards the bathroom, but Fang Juexia was still washing up. He braced himself and walked over to open the door.
A dignified lady stood outside the door. She was wearing a neat and elegant camel-colored coat and was carrying a lot of things in her hands. She smiled when she saw him. Pei Tingsong was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted and bent down to take the things from Mrs. Fang's hands. "A- Auntie, I'll get them for you."
"Thank you." Mrs. Fang smiled kindly. "You must be Xiao Pei. You're so tall. You're such a good child." Mrs. Fang had been sighing since she walked in. Pei Tingsong hadn't heard much praise from other adults and was not used to it. "Thank you … Are you changing your shoes? That … that Fang Juexia is washing up now. "
"You're up so late." Mrs. Fang changed into a pair of guest slippers and glanced at the clock. "You must be working late again. Where are the other children? Is Yiyi around today? "
"No, he's filming a show."
Mrs. Fang was used to being a teacher, so she kept addressing the children as children. "Come, come, Xiao Pei, pass the things to Auntie. I'll put them in the fridge."
"I'll help you."
When Fang Juexia came out, he saw Pei Tingsong standing beside the island in the kitchen, passing something to his mother. They cooperated very well.
"Auntie, what's in this jar?"
"Ah, this is XO sauce. It's very delicious fried rice. Have you tried it before?"
"No."
"It's okay. Next time, I'll ask Juexia to cook it for you. You'll definitely like it."
"Okay!"
Fang Juexia stood aside, feeling as if he was an outsider.
"Mom, sit down and rest for a while. I'll do it." Fang Juexia rolled up his sleeves and walked over. Just as he was about to help, Mrs. Fang immediately stopped him. "Sit down. Xiao Pei and I will do it."
Fang Juexia looked at Pei Tingsong when he was suddenly rejected by his own mother. This guy actually turned around and stuck out his tongue at him proudly.
Fine.
Fang Juexia could only sit at the bar and watch the two of them perform a food science and food production program together. From time to time, he would interject a sentence or two, but he was ignored by his own mother.
"Auntie, I've cut this green onion."
"Here, give it to Auntie." Mrs. Fang took the green onion that Pei Tingsong had cut and smiled like a flower. "You cut it just right. Xiao Pei is very talented."
Pei Tingsong smiled like a primary school student who was praised by his teacher. Fang Juexia couldn't help but laugh.
Thanks to Mrs. Fang, the two of them were able to have a rare home-cooked meal. Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong sat on one side while Mrs. Fang sat opposite them. She kept putting food into their bowl with her chopsticks. "Eat more. You've been working too hard. Juexia, eat more carrots. Your eyes … "Mrs. Fang paused mid-sentence.
Fang Juexia said calmly as he stuffed the food into his mouth. "It's okay. He already knows."
Mrs. Fang was shocked. "Xiao Pei knows?!"
Pei Tingsong smiled embarrassedly. Just as he was about to say that it was an accident, Fang Juexia beat him to it.
"I told him," Fang Juexia said as he put more food into his mother's bowl. "Eat more. How's Grandpa?"
"He's still the same. I'll go to the hospital to visit him after we finish eating. He said last night that he wanted to eat peach cake. I just saw a Chinese dessert shop outside the neighborhood."
"The peach cake is too oily. He can't eat too much."
Pei Tingsong was not used to hearing the two of them talk about family matters. However, he was more envious of them. His gaze kept moving back and forth between Fang Juexia and Mrs. Fang. He watched the two of them interact and listened to every word they said. This kind of warm moment was too unfamiliar to him.
Unfamiliar things seemed to always be so good.
"Xiao Pei, eat more." Mrs. Fang saw that he was in a daze and put some beef in his bowl. "Didn't you grow up overseas? You should like beef."
Pei Tingsong was a little surprised. "Auntie, how did you know?"
Fang Juexia turned to him and whispered, "She watched our troupe's program every day at home. She even searched online …"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mrs. Fang tapped his chopsticks. Fang Juexia immediately shut up.
"Auntie, you're so cute." Pei Tingsong smiled as he stuffed the beef into his mouth.
Mrs. Fang was a little surprised to hear this. Pei Tingsong grew up in an environment where he could express his feelings very straightforwardly. However, Fang Juexia did not. Therefore, this was the first time she heard this kind of praise from the younger generation. Naturally, she was happy.
"Xiao Pei, you're cute too. Auntie likes you very much." Mrs. Fang's chopsticks did not stop moving. Pei Tingsong's bowl was soon piled up into a small mountain. "Auntie brought a lot of delicious food this time. I asked your older brother to cook for you."
Older brother …
As soon as she said this word, Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong looked up at the same time. Their expressions and movements were completely synchronized.
"Why are you looking at me?" Mrs. Fang said to Fang Juexia. "You're almost four years older than Xiao Pei. You should be taking on the responsibility of an older brother and taking care of your younger brother. Xiao Pei has to run around with you guys when he's still a child. It's so hard. Many children at that age are not even fully developed yet. "
How much more did he want to develop … Fang Juexia's mouth twitched.
"Auntie, I've developed quite well." Pei Tingsong's expression now was like the fat bird in the fluffy emoji pack. He puffed out his chest and looked as if he was about to fly.
Mrs. Fang smiled at him. "Yes, you're even taller than Juexia. He hasn't been growing in the past two years."
She was attacking his height again. Fang Juexia silently endured his mother's malice.
"As an older brother, you should act like an older brother. You should take the initiative to take care of your younger brother."
Fang Juexia was like an emotionless nodding machine. "I know."
Seeing him like this, Pei Tingsong was very happy. He originally thought that only big ice cubes could give birth to small ice cubes. He did not expect Fang Juexia's mother to be so kind and talkative. Most importantly, she was always protecting him. Pei Tingsong liked this gentle auntie very much. After dinner, Mrs. Fang wanted to rush to the hospital, but he was a little reluctant.
"Auntie will come to see you next time. Go in quickly. It's cold outside."
"Goodbye, Auntie ~"
"Goodbye. If you need anything, just tell your brother and let him help you."
Seeing Pei Tingsong standing at the door and reluctantly watching his mother leave, Fang Juexia said with a hint of sarcasm, "If I didn't know better, I would've thought that you were her son."
Pei Tingsong closed the door. He wanted to.
Fang Juexia walked over and put his mother's slippers back into the shoe cabinet. He turned around and was about to leave when Pei Tingsong stopped him. He stretched out his hands and placed them on the edge of the cabinet, trapping him inside.
"What's wrong?" Fang Juexia looked up at Pei Tingsong. His expression was calm, as if he was used to Pei Tingsong's pranks.
Pei Tingsong smiled. "Nothing. I just remembered that I forgot to praise you in front of Auntie."
Fang Juexia frowned and looked puzzled.
Pei Tingsong seemed to have known that he would be like this. He raised his right hand and waved it in front of him.
The traces of medicine on it were almost invisible. Fang Juexia did not want to admit that he had done it. Even if he had done such a ridiculous thing last night and applied medicine on a sleeping person.
"What's wrong?"
Pei Tingsong had guessed that Fang Juexia would not admit it, so he took out a used cotton swab from his pajamas pocket and twirled it. "Stop pretending. I found out."
"My brother was taking good care of me." He laughed shamelessly.
Sure enough, he was exposed in the end. He should not have thought that Pei Tingsong was a little slippery.
Fang Juexia sighed in his heart. Yesterday, he was suddenly touched on the head and did not even know that the cotton swab had fallen to the ground. He could not think of anyone who would do such a stupid thing.
Thinking about it, he actually thought of it.
Cinderella.
Compared to the crystal shoes, this small cotton swab was even more of an eyesore. Fang Juexia reached out to snatch it, but Pei Tingsong took it back. "It's mine since I found it. Why are you snatching it? Is it so hard to admit that you applied medicine on me last night?"
Pei Tingsong's eyes were full of smiles. "Actually, when you're not so stubborn, you're quite like a good brother."
"Get out of my way." Fang Juexia was about to pry his arm away, but Pei Tingsong tightened his grip. "What? Didn't we hug before?"
"Pei Tingsong …"
Hearing his teeth-gnashing voice, Pei Tingsong felt even more accomplished. "Do you want me to play the recording again? Play it on the home stereo. "
Fang Juexia tried hard to calm down. "You'd better not."
"Then you'd better beg me."
Here we go again.
Sure enough, he should not have underestimated this devil incarnate.
"If you continue to be like this, I'll tell others that you actually have …"
Halfway through his sentence, Fang Juexia's cell phone rang. He took a deep breath and glanced at it. It was Cheng Qiang.
"Hello?"
The tone on the other end was obviously happy and even a little excited. "Juexia? Come to the office quickly. Is Xiao Pei around? "
Fang Juexia glanced at Pei Tingsong. "He's here." After speaking, he switched to the speakerphone mode.
"Does he have classes in the afternoon? If not, he can come over. "
"Okay, right away."
Pei Tingsong interrupted. "What's the matter?"
"Something good." Cheng Qiang had just finished speaking when he realized that something was wrong. "You two are next to each other? What are you doing? "
The two of them looked at their current position at the same time. Fang Juexia was about to push him, but Pei Tingsong grabbed his hand. "Flirting."
"Ah, okay, okay. Come over quickly. I have something to do. I'll hang up first."
After hanging up, Fang Juexia shook him off and went to change his clothes. However, Pei Tingsong had not forgotten the previous topic. "What did you just say? What are you going to tell others? "
"You're on your own."
Seeing Fang Juexia leave with such a sentence, Pei Tingsong was baffled.
The two of them drove to the office. Along the way, Pei Tingsong kept thinking about what Fang Juexia had said. He did not understand why Fang Juexia suddenly had something against him. It should not be. However, Fang Juexia did not respond to him. He did not reply to him even after entering the office. This made Pei Tingsong even more curious.
As soon as they arrived at the office, Cheng Qiang called the two of them to a small conference room. When they opened the door, Fang Juexia saw the back of a familiar woman. Hearing the noise, the person inside turned around.
It was Jiang Yin.
"Hello, we meet again." Jiang Yin gestured with her hand. "Sit down and talk."
They sat opposite Jiang Yin. Jiang Yin took out two documents from her briefcase and pushed them in front of Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong. "You're both smart people. You should have already guessed the purpose of my visit today."
Pei Tingsong glanced at the documents. "I can guess, but I don't dare to." After speaking, he raised his eyebrows at Cheng Qiang. After all, he had said yesterday that he did not want to make empty promises.
Jiang Yin laughed. Her red-painted hand tapped on the table lightly. "Is there anything that Pei Tingsong doesn't dare to guess?"
Fang Juexia flipped open the documents. Both of them were contracts. They were the guest contracts for 'Escape'.
Just as Jiang Yin said, he had guessed and had a hunch. However, he did not expect the production team to come so quickly. He also did not expect Jiang Yin to come in person.
"The purpose of my visit is to reassure you." Jiang Yin went straight to the point. "Also, I'm determined to win you over." Her assistant came in and brought her a cup of coffee. Jiang Yin thanked her softly and took a sip. "You've been doing well recently. I also paid attention to the magazine sales this morning. Congratulations, you've set a new record. "
Fang Juexia did not know about this. They were still sleeping in the morning.
"The previous record was set by my artist. Speaking of which, you're a couple who escaped." Jiang Yin's hint was obvious. "I know that there should be countless big and small shows coming to you to invite you to be their permanent resident. There might be many reality shows on big satellite channels that have much more exposure than our show. "
She crossed her arms. "However, there are differences between different shows. Some variety shows use your popularity in return, while others use your potential."
Cheng Qiang asked, "Are there any additional conditions for signing the contract?"
"Hmm …" Jiang Yin thought for a moment. "If there's one, it's that Juexia and Tingsong have to appear together. If we want it, 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 was very willing to participate.
However, he also knew that Pei Tingsong had always wanted to participate in hip-hop shows. If he signed the contract, there might not be any slots for other music shows in the future.
Cheng Qiang took over the conversation. "Actually, they're both fans of 'Escape'. During the interview, they also said that we're looking forward to working together."
"You're flattering us." Jiang Yin smiled. "However, I want to recruit all the smart kids in the industry into my show. If you go, you can even record with Sirui. That's pretty good."
"I'm okay with that." Pei Tingsong did not wait for them to continue their persuasion. He signed the contract without hesitation. "I'm signing it."
Jiang Yin found it interesting. "Aren't you going to read it carefully?"
Pei Tingsong shrugged. "You're already here. Why would you cheat me?"
Fang Juexia was a little surprised. He turned to look at Pei Tingsong. He did not understand why this guy was so decisive now. In the past, he did not want to take on any shows and slacked off all day.
"Why are you looking at me?" Pei Tingsong whispered. He even winked at him. "Sign it."
How strange. Fang Juexia took a deep breath. He still found it unbelievable that his favorite show had taken the initiative to come to him overnight. Everything good happened at the same time. He knew that Cheng Qiang must have confirmed the contract many times in advance, so he only skimmed through it and finalized it.
Jiang Yin was not as swift and decisive as the rumors said. In fact, she did not seem much older than them. She gave off the feeling of an older sister.
"Okay." After keeping the contract, Jiang Yin heaved a long sigh of relief. "I'm finally relieved. You don't know how difficult it was for me to find a guest." It was as if she had suddenly become a different person. She started to complain to them. "Those who came to us all wanted us to change the script. They said that it was too difficult and that there was no way they could escape. Or they agreed to be on the show, but they wanted us to give them a script and let them act according to it. They also wanted outstanding roles. Our small scriptwriter refused to agree. Our show is good because of the scriptwriter. Of course, the scriptwriter is the most important thing. "
"Then how did you find us?" Fang Juexia was curious. "We're not very famous artists."
"Don't be humble. Your popularity is already very unusual." Jiang Yin laughed. "Our editor saw the magazine interview and thought that you guys were very good. He mentioned it to me. I did a little research on the two of you. Oh yes, I also saw the cut of your arithmetic competition. It was amazing. You won a car full of milk. "
When she said this, everyone laughed. Only Fang Juexia was embarrassed.
After confirming the recording time and basic requirements, Jiang Yin was in a hurry to go back to the meeting and left in a hurry. As soon as she left, Cheng Qiang showed his true colors. He no longer put on the airs of a manager. He was overjoyed. He hugged Fang Juexia and then Pei Tingsong. "That's great, that's great. I didn't expect this big cake to come to us on its own. You're indeed my little friend! "
"Chang Ge!" Xiao Wen pushed the door open. "The boss is looking for you."
"I'll go now." Cheng Qiang rubbed his hands happily and took the contract. "The boss must know about it too."
Only the two of them were left in the meeting room. Fang Juexia still did not understand. "Why did you agree to sign the contract so quickly?"
Pei Tingsong glanced at him. "Didn't you want to go?"
"Me?" Fang Juexia was stunned.
So it was because of him?
"Just treat it as playing escape room at the company's expense." Pei Tingsong leaned against the table and smiled. "It's quite interesting." As he spoke, he remembered the problem that he had not solved. "Oh yes, you said at home that you were going to tell them about me. What is it? Could it be that I told you my secret when I was sleep-talking last night? "
Fang Juexia said, "Oh, you still remember."
"Of course. If you didn't tell me, I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight. "
Fang Juexia smiled slightly. "It's … about you and Lily. Don't worry, I'm just saying. I won't tell anyone."
"lily?"
After Fang Juexia finished speaking, he was ready to go to the practice room. He did not care about the strange expression on Pei Tingsong's face.
"Wait." Pei Tingsong, who was leaning against the table, grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to him. "Tell me, what happened between me and Lily?"
There was a meaningful smile on his face. He stretched out his legs and surrounded Fang Juexia, who was standing in front of him. The sudden distance between them compressed the air until it became sticky, and even the ending of a sentence became ambiguous.
"What did I tell you in the dream? Hmm? "
His voice was low and soft, and in an instant, Fang Juexia was pulled back to the early hours of the night. Pei Tingsong had also used the same tone to ask him to stop, touch his head, and mistake him for Lily.
"You …" Fang Juexia broke free from his wrist. "I didn't hear what you said clearly. Anyway …"
You let Lily sleep with you.
"Anyway what?" Pei Tingsong's eyes were full of smiles. He sized up the person in front of him. "How many inappropriate things did I say? Your neck is red."
Fang Juexia rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "Don't give me that."
Pei Tingsong could no longer hide the smile on his face. "What are you afraid of? You're almost four years older than me. I've been with you since I was an underage. "
These words were clearly instructions left by his mother, but when Pei Tingsong said them, they became extremely ambiguous. Fang Juexia's heart was beating wildly again. He did not want to be entangled with him anymore. After all, it was Pei Tingsong's private matter, and it had nothing to do with him.
"Say whatever you want."
Fang Juexia turned around and was about to leave when he heard the person behind him suddenly laugh.
Was there something wrong with this person? Fang Juexia was puzzled. He turned around and saw Pei Tingsong sitting at the table, laughing so hard that he could not straighten his back. It was as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He was almost out of breath.
"What exactly is wrong with you?" Fang Juexia finally could not help but speak in a fierce tone.
Pei Tingsong was laughing so hard that his teeth could not be seen. His face was full of childishness. He took a few deep breaths to hold back his laughter. "There's nothing wrong with me. You're the one with the problem."
Fang Juexia was full of anger. He was about to refute when he heard this nasty guy speak again.
"Lily is my dog." Pei Tingsong jumped down from the table, still smiling.
"Idiot."