CH 107

Chapter 107 – Highest Level Of Praise

Hearing this, Fang Juexia’s nose stung. 

Having been born with such a birthmark had led him to hearing too many beautified legends, such as that it was a mark from heaven, and after reincarnating, it would be the marker that would let the relatives or partners from your last life remember you, no matter what you turned into. However, Fang Juexia was a total atheist, a person who only ever believed in science, ever since he was a child. When he came across these kinds of words, he could only regard it as a superstitious legend.

It was already hard to predict a person’s present life, so how could anyone place their trust in an afterlife?

What’s more, he had once very much hated this wrong mark that had made him miss out on his dreams of performing on a stage. 

But his naive and stubborn lover, who, even if he had no natural birthmarks, still wanted to carve one out to match his own birthmark. This way of doing difficult things no matter what really fit Pei Tingsong’s personality. 

But thinking of what he had said before, Fang Juexia still couldn’t help laughing. He even stretched out his index finger and chucked his chin, imitating Pei Tingsong’s past actions. “What nonsense, how is your skin mediocre?”

Pei Tingsong also laughed with him. “Mediocrity is always relative. I’m glad to be inferior to you on this point.”

Knowing he couldn’t outtalk this guy, he only smiled in response. “Anyway, you are the best at quibbling.” Fang Juexia lowered his head and hands, sliding his fingertips gently down the “scar” on Pei Tingsong’s hand. “Did it hurt more when I bit you or when you got the tattoo?”

Pei Tingsong didn’t even think about it. “Neither hurt.”

“Liar.” When Fang Juexia looked up at him, he looked at him with the same look as when he had blamed him for saving him on the stage before. “The skin here is so thin, it must have hurt.”

“Don’t worry, even the scabs have fallen off, I don’t feel anything there anymore.” Pei Tingsong even deliberately rubbed that spot, demonstrating that it really didn’t hurt. 

“Then how will you explain this?” Fang Juexia asked, “Qiang Ge and the media, they will all ask about it.”

Pei Tingsong shrugged. “I’ll just say I wanted to get a tattoo. After all, who can control me?”

He really didn’t fear the heavens or the earth, he hadn’t changed at all. Fang Juexia looked down at the scar, and thought of that night, how he and Pei Tingsong had gotten through it with Fang Juexia drunk. Although he had no memory of it, based on his alcohol tolerance and drunken behavior, that night, this young master should have suffered a lot.

But Pei Tingsong also didn’t behave that well while drunk, and hadn’t he also gone to a lot of trouble to take care of him? Fang Juexia rebutted himself in his heart.

Thinking of something, Fang Juexia raised his head, rubbed his throat, and then drew close to Pei Tingsong’s ear. “Should I get a tattoo here? This is where you bit me.”

“That’s not okay.” Pei Tingsong directly moved his hand down. He didn’t want his baby to run out to get a tattoo; when he got pricked by the needle, Pei Tingsong wouldn’t even have the time to get distressed. “Having your birthmark at the corner of your eye is enough, that’s the most special one.”

The live broadcast of the awards ceremony only finished at 11 p.m., but this big music event that everyone watched had already aroused lively discussion all over the Internet. Many big verified Weibos had followed the award results in realtime and published it online.

Originally, the three awards most paid attention to in the BMA awards ceremony were the Best Male Singer of the Year, the Best Female Singer of the year, and the Best Group of the Year, and since the Best Group award would usually be given to a band, it held a more niche audience. But this time, the Group Award was given to a popular boy-band, which could be said to be a very hot topic, so Kaleido once again appeared on the Hot Search list. 

[@Can you lend me a lighter: It’s really amazing that a boy-band can get nominated for four awards and win two at the BMA.]

[@You are very beautiful: When I saw that Kaleido was nominated for Best Group, I made a bet with my friend. At that time, I thought I would have to pay him, after all, Kaleido has only had two popular albums, and even if they were solo singers, they wouldn’t have great chances. Within a year, at the speed of light, they’ve become more and more popular. K really has been chosen by the heavens.]

[@You’re thinking about peaches to eat: BMA is getting worse and worse…]

[@456 come with me replying to @You’re thinking about peaches to eat: Change your profile picture first, then talk about BMA ba. After all, your bias can’t win at this level for their entire life.]

[@Goldfish brain can’t be saved replying to @You’re thinking about peaches to eat: I think they are totally worthy of it ah. There were more than ten live performances there, and K was definitely in the top three, and the bands who were also nominated were just alright ba. Oh, if you’re a hipster, pretend I didn’t say that, but your profile picture also looks to be of an idol, so why do you bother your own family?]

[@Not a fish: Pei Tingsong’s acceptance speech was very awesome, proud but not crazy. He spoke casually and skillfully, no wonder he can write such good lyrics. Sure enough, P College professionally churns out unmatched geniuses in the same profession.]

[@WWW replying to @Not a fish: Yes, yes, yes, Fang Juexia’s acceptance speech was also very good, it didn’t sound like it was impromptu at all. I feel that both of them are idols with their own ideas, it’s very rare. Maybe it’s because they all went to college ba [dog head]]

[@Lilychou: Before, I even bet they could win Album of the Year, but it seems that the BMAs were more balanced. After all, in the year-end selection of several other music platforms, if the Song of the Year wasn’t “Break Through” then it was “Night Trip”, so how is everyone else supposed to compete?]

[@Smarui: They’ve become gods, they’ve become gods. Once you win a Best of the Year, you’re not at the same level as other groups. I envy K fans everyday]

[@Dududu laugh: I’m going to say I’m going to become a fan of that crybaby…so cute ah]

[@Is it wrong for me to like handsome guys: I found that this group are all pretty cool, and they have strong abilities]

[@We’re not compatible, thank you: Although Star Chart is small, at least it’s serious about music and has good judgment when choosing artists. They don’t follow the capitalist line of killing the chicken to get the eggs. I’m always a bit relieved to see that there are still some boy-bands that are seriously engaged in creative work; at least not everyone is only concerned about the numbers while neglecting the quality of the work. I hope that there will be more and more groups like this. Don’t let original music die, okay.]

While everyone was talking about Kaleido winning the BMA Best Group award and the Best Lyric award, TingJue fans were busy pressing down on the closet door, because Pei Tingsong and Fang Juexia had displayed many fluffy moments during the awards ceremony that they nearly exploded. The once-in-a-century scene when Pei Tingsong’s award was announced alone attracted a large number of passers-by.

[PTS and FJX are a good match ah], [They can’t really be dating ba, this atmosphere is too real], [Shit, I’m bewitched, what kind of God’s Favored Son x Beautiful Wife pairing is this, it’s too real, it’s too real]—these kinds of words emerged endlessly, increasing more and more. At first, the TingJue girls were still very proud, but soon they started growing more and more flustered, and eventually even began to doubt themselves and life.

But this topic was really too blazingly popular, with even big verified entertainment Weibos producing a collection of fluffy moments, taking the lead in shipping them. This forced the CP fans to press down on the closet door everywhere for the sake of these two completely unaware biases.

[@As long as you ship then ship fast: Today’s BMA was really wonderful, I finally understood why the TingJue CP was so hot. You guys can have a look at this collection, it’s amazing. P1 is PTS holding FJX’s chin during the performance, be sure to watch the video! P2 is an official BMA camera shot! And it’s the scene when Pei Tingsong’s award was announced, and as a result, we caught a shot of Fang Juexia’s hand on his chest [swoon]. P3 is the scene where Pei Tingsong mentions Fang Juexia during his acceptance speech. The following pictures are all of Pei Tingsong and Fang Juexia madly whispering into each other’s ears while seated in the audience. Fang Juexia also rubbed Pei Tingsong’s hand with his index finger (this slow-mo gif is so yearning). Thank you Star Chart, thank you K, I’ve never done such a real CP before, I’m falling straight into the pit, going immediately deaf now!]

[@The Fine Jeweled Xeriscape around the Pinot Tree Supreme: In fact, they just have a very deep working relationship.]

[@Today I am also a deaf girl: Um, that’s all just stage design, stagecraft.]

[@Can’t cure deafness: It’s just choreography. If you ask, it’s Teacher Yuan’s fault! (Sorry, Teacher Yuan)]

[@Shipping TingJue is shipping Bros: The lyrics are actually just Pinot Tree Supreme’s usual storm, don’t take it seriously…]

[@SSSStkl: This comment hahahahahaha, are all TingJue girls so timid?]

[@TingJue is fake: The most bewitching thing about this group is that each pairing looks very real, but they are all just doing fanservice. We all know it very well, and if you ask, it’s all showing love and respect as good brothers should.]

[@Didn’t get to eat red bean slushie today either: P6, that photo, Fang Juexia’s eyes really are….ordinary male friends don’t look at each other like that ba, that look is too affectionate.]

[@Has your TingJue recovered replying to @Didn’t get to eat red bean slushie today either: No, no, no, our Juexia Gege even looks at dogs like this. Besides, the venue is so dark so he’s actually blind (not)]

TingJue girls on Weibo gingerly shipped them while making sure to hold the closet door closed. On Kaleido’s side, they had already started their livestream a long time ago. After all, this December 25 marked their third anniversary since their debut.

As soon as the six of them finished with the BMA event, they went to Cheng Qiang’s new home, but instead of being forced to work, they ordered a lot of midnight snacks, sat on the floor, since Cheng Qiang’s home was so brand new that he didn’t even have a sofa, and started the livestream. Although it was very sudden, as soon as the livestream started, the screen froze. 

“This is too laggy.” Ling Yi was so frantic that his legs were vibrating, and he pushed Lu Yuan to hand him the box of fried chicken wings. “It’s so crowded, so why don’t I have a piece of fried chicken first?” Saying this, he took out a fragrant wing from the box, and had just stuffed it into his mouth when the livestream suddenly cleared up. 

Lu Yuan clapped and then pointed the camera at Ling Yi. “Okay, please enjoy the first segment of this Kaleido livestream—Big Transformation: Chicken Bones. Friends, Ling Yi has already stuffed the chicken wing into his mouth, so let’s see how he turns it all around and spits out a whole chicken bone for us…”

Without waiting for him to finish talking, Ling Yi beat and kicked at him, before seizing Lu Yuan’s phone, which was livestreaming, and handing it to Fang Juexia. Originally, he had wanted to happily watch the show, but when a cellphone suddenly drew close, Fang Juexia’s beautiful face, bare of any makeup, appeared on the screen amidst his bandmates’ fight. 

[AHHHHHHH JUEXIA GEGE IS TOO ATTRACTIVE BA!]

[My God, that bare face is really too beautiful! That little birthmark is super cute]

[Come on, screenshot! I’m in a daze ah!]

[Mama, I’ve seen an angel wuwuwuwwuwuwuwu]

“Ling Yi, don’t pull him into the battlefield.”

[Ahhhhhh, that’s Pinot Tree Supreme’s voice!]

[This sentence is too doting ba!]

[Pinot Tree Supreme is actually wearing that ‘Melt for you’ sweater! It’s the same clothes he wore when he moved back to the dormitory for the first livestream! And it’s Juexia Gege’s!]

[When TingJue girls have nommed on fluff so much and reach 200 pounds, no Pinot Tree will be innocent]

Finally, the cellphone was taken away by Pei Tingsong, and he handed it to Jiang Miao. The group leader set up a tripod and pointed the camera at the six of them. “Say hello to the fans ba.”

“Wu—” Ling Yi quickly turned his head to hide from the camera and spat out the bone. “I’m good now.”

Only then did the six people perform their official opening. “Hello, everyone, we are Kaleido!”

After they finished saying that, everyone started clapping away. He Ziyan looked up at the clock and said, “Speaking of that, there’s less than half an hour left before the anniversary of our debut.”

Jiang Miao nodded. “Yes, so we will probably livestream for one and a half hours ba. Staying up too late isn’t good for everyone’s health.”

[It doesn’t matter, I’m very weak anyway!!!]

[Congratulations on winning the awards, Geges! Happy third anniversary!]

“Yeah yi,” Lu Yuan suddenly thought of something. “Today’s our third anniversary, if I had remembered earlier, I would have mentioned it during the acceptance speech.” After that, he also pointed the coke bottle at himself and made a sensational gesture. “In fact, today is the third anniversary of our Kaleido’s debut, and being able to get some affirmation on this special day really means so much to us.”

Pei Tingsong raised his foot to kick him, and directly kicked Lu Yuan out of view of the camera. “You are too fake like that.”

[hahahahaha the group tyrant is online and kicking people out]

[Fake Yuanyuan has been kicked out of the groupchat hahahaha]

He Ziyan suddenly chimed in earnestly, “Time flies, three years have passed in a blink of an eye. When I remember the days Xiao Pei first arrived…” He raised his hand and compared it a bit. “He was only this tall.”

Pei Tingsong was quite dissatisfied with the height He Ziyan was showing. “Am I a potted plant, being that short?” As soon as he finished talking, Fang Juexia didn’t know what was going on, but he did turn to look at Ling Yi.

Ling Yi immediately grew frantic. “Who are you calling a potted plant?!”

[Hahahahaha!]

[I clicked on a crosstalk livestream again]

[Hahahahahaha, Teacher Fang turning his head is too sage!]

Jiang Miao hurried to comfort Ling Yi. “Our Yiyi is much taller than a potted plant.”

“That’s right.” Ling Yi angrily took a bite of the fried chicken.

[Hahahaha What kind of good words are that, M-Dash??]

“A bit more seriously.” Jiang Miao got back to business, “First of all, we want to wish the Dominoes a Merry Christmas. I don’t know if you guys have received any Christmas gifts.”

The barrage crazily spammed that they hadn’t and wanted them to send each of them one. Jiang Miao smiled and cued Fang Juexia. “Juexia will send a gift!”

Fang Juexia was sipping almond milk with great relish when he was suddenly called on to give gifts. He almost choked and patted himself in confusion. “I… Where’s my cellphone?”

Pei Tingsong didn’t understand. “What do you want your cellphone for?”

“To send red envelopes ya.” Fang Juexia looked completely serious.

[Hahahahaha, Juexia Gege is really too sincere ba]

[Dominoes’ black material: Asking your own family’s Gege for money during festivities.]

Pei Tingsong was so amused by him, he started laughing. He suppressed the instinct to squeeze his cheek in front of the livestreaming camera. “Sing a ‘Wish You a Merry Christmas’ song ba.”

“That’s right. This cellphone is Qiang Ge’s backup phone, use it to send red envelopes ba.”

[Hahahahaha Qiang Ge:???]

Fang Juexua sat on the ground with his legs crossed, and very seriously sang the song ‘Wish You a Merry Christmas’ to their fans. Ling Yi harmonized with him from the side, and although it was very short, the two singers’ singing was moving enough.

[Fairy in the Human World, Fang Juexia! Peacock of the Human world, Ling Yiyi!]

“Aiya, you guys don’t mention peacocks anymore, cut it out!”

[Hahahaha!]

Lu Yuan also deliberately teased him. “Everyone type the word ‘peacock’ into the public channel!” He finally begged for mercy after being hammered by Ling Yi’s fans.

[My nearly cancelled K really is poor. They don’t even have a decent celebration after winning at the BMA, just eating takeout on a bare floor, too pitiful, too pitiful.]

Fang Juexia saw this line in the barrage and laughed, but also explained, “This isn’t just a bare floor, this is Qiang Ge’s new home. We stopped by for a housewarming party. There will be a celebration party, and it’ll be at the company tomorrow, with all of us.”

[Kaleido’s main business is doing cross talk, and their side business is moving bricks, hahaha]

[What’s that on Pinot Tree Supreme’s hand ah, is it a tattoo?]

“Hey, they’re asking you.” He Ziyan grabbed Pei Tingsong’s hand. “The fans asked, ‘What is this?’”

Pei Tingsong openly admitted, “It’s a tattoo bei, it’s new.”

[It’s really a tattoo???]

[It’s so special ah, what’s its meaning?]

Fang Juexia stared at the barrage silently, some misgivings stirring in his heart. He didn’t know what this guy would say.

“En…” Pei Tingsong displayed his hand to the camera, “It’s just a bite mark.”

He actually said it so straightforwardly. Fang Juexia’s heart started beating a little faster. Clearly, he had only drunk almond milk, but his mind was being manipulated by non-existent alcohol.

Ling Yi suddenly thought of something and started bragging, wearing an expression of having received the script for this beforehand. “I know!”

Fang Juexia’s heart immediately hung in mid-air, waiting for Ling Yi’s follow-up.

“Sansan once told me that when you filmed the first Escape episode, you had told him that you were bitten by your own family’s little master! Is that it?”

It was okay, it was okay. 

“No…” Lu Yuan frowned. “When did Pei Tingsong get a cat?”

The atmosphere suddenly turned very awkward.

Jiang Miao, who was the first to respond, immediately started his support mode. “He had one in his apartment before, have you forgotten?”

He Ziyan also chimed in. “Right, right, I’ve even seen it before. It’s very beautiful, completely snow-white.”

Lu Yuan also realized what was going on now, and immediately shifted to an expression of ‘having seen the light.’ “Oh, right, right, I almost forgot. Xiao Pei is hiding a cat in a golden boudoir. “

[Wow, Xiao Pei is also a cat slave!]

[When is cat-owner Pinot Tree Supreme going to show a picture of the cat?!]

Seeing all these ups and downs, Fang Juexia really started sweating for himself and Pei Tingsong.

It seemed that they had to buy a cat to straighten out their lie. 

Everyone ate, had fun, and very soon, changed the topic. Because it was Christmas and their anniversary, the six people decided to let the fans wish for things that they would do. It would be a triple reward for Christmas, their anniversary, and winning the award. 

The fans wanted to listen to the acapella version of “Hunt”, so the six boys simply sang a bunch of songs in a row, in the acapella style. The barrage then wanted a girl group dance, and Fang Juexia knew that he couldn’t avoid it, so he said, “I can promise you guys a dance, but I have to learn it first, otherwise I won’t look good when dancing it.”

[Beautiful Baby looks good dancing anything!]

[How do you have any dances you don’t look good dancing?! Look at your face!]

[Juexia Gege’s most doting fan!]

[Want to see the six people practicing a girl group dance!]

“There’s still half an hour left,” Jiang Miao said, looking at the barrage. “What else do you guys want to see? Quickly say it oh, I’m about to take a screenshot.”

Who knew that the screenshot would cut to this request:

[Miao Ge, look at me! I want to see nicknames! Fire Ge and Miao Ge in a group, Yiyi and Yuanyuan in a group, and Pinot Tree Supreme and Juexia Gege together.]

“Wow…” Lu Yuan was holding a French fry in his mouth. “It’s time for all our affections to be broken down.”

[This sister’s thought process and mine are too identical ba!]

“Okay?” Jiang Miao asked everyone.

Fang Juexia hesitated a bit, but his saying ‘no’ to this would seem even more strange. He didn’t need to give a reason behind the nickname, and if worst came to worst, he could just make up a few words. 

Besides….

He was also a little curious about what Pei Tingsong’s nickname for him was. 

It couldn’t still be ‘Just a pretty face, and also still pretty’ ba. 

“Since no one is disagreeing, let’s start ba.” As the group leader, Jiang Miao first took out his cellphone, opened up his chat with He Ziyan, and then covered up the actual contents before showing it in front of the camera, “The nickname I gave Ziyan is actually a little flame emoticon la, isn’t it very cute.”

He Ziyan also took out his cellphone. “The nickname I gave Miao Ge is…” He accidentally laughed.”Hey, I think it’s a little easy to misunderstand.”

“What ah?” As soon as Ling Yi came to look at it, he also laughed. “Hahahaha, why did you nickname him the Group Wife ah?! You pervert!”

“No!” He Ziyan immediately argued for himself, “It’s because when I was filming outside some time ago, and then he was also filming, and he kept reminding me that I needed to put on sunscreen ah and that I needed to eat, and later, he even came to visit me on set ma. So, when I was scrolling through Weibo, I saw a fan call Three Water ‘Group Wife,’ and I thought it was particularly appropriate, so I nicknamed him this way.”

[Wow~~~~]

[This ‘wife’ word is true, tchtchtch]

[Group wife group wife group wife]

“It’s my turn!” Ling Yi couldn’t wait to show his nickname for Lu Yuan. “The nickname I gave Lu Yuan is Round Melon.” He also explained, “Because in the Sichuan dialect, melon means silly.”

“What a coincidence ah,” Lu Yuan picked up his cellphone, “What I gave Ling Yi was the nickname Hanhan, because in the national online context, Hanhan means a fool.”

“Hahahahaha!”

[What kind of MelonHan team are you hahahaha!]

[It’s TingJue’s turn, it’s TingJue’s turn!]

Fang Juexia glanced at Pei Tingsong and said softly, “You go first.” Pei Tingsong teased him deliberately, “What if you don’t tell me when I’m finished?”

“I wouldn’t do that.” Fang Juexia’s expression was very serious, but Pei Tingsong had already raised his hand. “Rock, paper, scissors.”

[Are you two primary school students, so cute]

[This smoky purple sweater looks really good on Pei Tingsong, but it hasn’t been returned to Gege for nearly a year now!]

Fang Juexia held out his hand for rock-paper-scissors, and then lost to Pei Tingsong, so he just had to resign himself to his fate. However, he couldn’t find his cellphone after searching for a long time, so he could only tell everyone directly, “The nickname I gave him is ‘One Constant Truth.’”

[What’s with that??]

He then explained, “In fact, it’s a tautology in a proposition. To put it simply, it’s the proposition of eternal truth.”

[Wow, I suddenly feel it’s a little romantic…]

Hearing this nickname, Pei Tingsong was surprised. After pondering it over a bit, he felt a little emotional. It was probably only Fang Juexia who could come up with a nickname like that ba.

“What do you mean?” Pei Tingsong lightly bumped their shoulders together. 

How could he explain the true meaning directly in front of the livestream camera?

Fang Juexia hesitated for a moment before giving an official answer, “Because you are very confident. No matter what happens, you will stick to your own ideas and live like you’re a ‘one constant truth.’”

Pei Tingsong let out a meaningful “oh”; he had received Fang Juexia’s message directed at him, and so didn’t continue to ask.

Ling Yi urged, “It’s your turn now.”

“Mine ah.” Pei Tingsong took out his cellphone, showed it, and then put it on the floor. “The nickname I gave Fang Juexia was ‘Moonlight.’”

[Wow, these two people are just a fresh breath of air in the crosstalking boyband]

[Moonlight wuwuwuwuwu, as in white moonlight?]

Fang Juexia didn’t have to ask why to know Pei Tingsong’s meaning behind it. In a second, he thought of that night at the hotel, when Pei Tingsong had said he wanted to see the moonlight.

Almond milk trembled in his stomach, making him feel as if he had swallowed butterflies. The sweet taste was making them crazily flutter their wings. 

Fang Juexia’s fingers moved along the ground to touch Pei Tingsong’s cellphone, which he then picked up, only to type a line in the chatbox before quietly putting it next to Pei Tingsong’s hand.

This was a secret message transmitted tacitly between the two people. Pei Tingsong took hold of the phone and glanced at it as if nothing had happened.

[You asked me before what type I like, and that you could change into that.]

[I don’t know what type I like, I only know that I like you.]

[Therefore, the proposition “you” is already always true. No matter what the component or condition is, the truth value of the statement will always be true. No matter what kind of type you are classified into, it will not change the fact that I like you.]

Ling Yi poked Pei Tingsong with his finger. “Why did you call him Moonlight?”

“Do I even need to explain that?” He locked the screen, raised his head, and the corners of his mouth drew up.

“Because Moonlight is the highest level of praise.”

—

Juurensha: Waaaaaah they’re both so romantic! (Also–more WaterFire crumbs????)

Noks: I got butterflies from all the romance in this chapter…