After all, they had worked together for two years. Fang Juexia was already used to Pei Tingsong's teasing. His expression did not change as he picked up the jacket on the ground and prepared to leave the practice room.
However, Pei Tingsong was not used to his disregard. He grabbed his arm and said, "Hey, is this how you treat your benefactor?"
Fang Juexia stopped in his tracks and glanced at him. His tone was cold. "I don't want to either, but you don't seem to see yourself as a benefactor when you tease me." He pulled Pei Tingsong's hand away, and the jacket fell to the ground.
"What is that?"
Fang Juexia's eyes were indifferent. "Benefactor."
He was ready to leave, but Pei Tingsong did not intend to let him go so easily. This time, he did not pull back and directly stepped in front of Fang Juexia. He almost bumped into him.
"Now that you mention it, you really reminded me."
Pei Tingsong lowered his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved with a hint of evil.
"I can't help you for free."
Fang Juexia calmly raised his eyes and looked directly at his teammate who had never stopped making things difficult for him.
"As your benefactor, I have to get something from you." Pei Tingsong smiled. "Isn't that so?"
He originally thought that he had lost his reaction to this kind of teasing, but when the initiator became Pei Tingsong, Fang Juexia's emotions began to exceed the scope of calmness.
"I don't have time to play this kind of boring game with you." He moved away and was about to leave, but Pei Tingsong calmly blocked his way again.
"Don't worry, I'm not greedy for your body." Pei Tingsong looked him up and down, and the contempt on his face was undisguised. "But since we're going to do business, one side has to cooperate with the other. Look at your expression … "He bent down, picked up the jacket on the ground, and put it on Fang Juexia's shoulder." It's too fake. "
Fang Juexia stared at him and did not speak. He had always been like this. His eyes were cold and direct, as if he was never afraid and did not care.
This reminded Pei Tingsong of winter.
He liked the smell of winter. It was cold, mixed with the last bit of fragrance of the withered plants. Although it hardly ever snowed in Atherton, where he lived, he liked winter.
Pei Tingsong had a strange hobby since he was young.
In the winter garden, the half-withered branches and leaves of the plane trees were cut off by the gardener. They no longer had the vitality of summer. This was the happiest time of the year. He would squat on the ground and carefully pick out the straightest branches. Then, he would hold both ends and break them in half.
These broken branches were beautiful and straight, but lacked elasticity. They looked like they would not yield. The moment he pulled, he could feel the stubborn resistance under this hardness. However, it was useless. In the end, they would still break apart, releasing a clear and crisp sound. The broken section displayed the last of its fresh vitality. The fragrance of plants and the complex smell of decaying branches spread out. It was very charming.
The moment he snapped it would bring him great psychological satisfaction.
At this moment, this familiar feeling of satisfaction was approaching.
He seemed to have found another withered branch that he liked.
"Don't be so incompatible. I really don't have that kind of interest in you. But since we've agreed to open for business, we have to make it look like we're doing business. If you don't know what to do … "Pei Tingsong's smile looked very pure.
He reached out and pushed Fang Juexia's wet hair away from his forehead. His voice was very low. "Just listen to me, Juexia Ge."
This was the first time Fang Juexia heard this guy, who was three years younger than him, call him brother.
In two years, their lives seemed to have intersected, but in fact, they existed on two straight lines with different coordinates. There was no overlap at all. Fang Juexia's emotions were always very calm. It seemed that no matter what kind of difficult person he met, he could deal with it indifferently. This was because people always followed the basic laws of animals. They were all projections of the laws of nature.
But Pei Tingsong was an exception.
He was a combustible and explosive element of uncertainty.
Fang Juexia maintained his habitual silence. His eyes were still looking straight at Pei Tingsong. After a few seconds, he reached out and helped Pei Tingsong straighten the collar of his shirt that he had accidentally turned up, like a competent brother. This beautiful mouth did not say anything in the end. He just pulled the corners of his mouth and left.
They spent the next few days in planning meetings and practice rooms. The concept of the new specialty was still a little vague. Until Cheng Qiang made a joke in the middle of the meeting.
"It's really hard. If it really doesn't work, let's get Jiang Miao to play the zither, Ziyan to play the disc, then Yiyi to sing, Juexia to Lu Yuan to dance, and Xiao Pei to rap. "
It was originally a joke. Everyone laughed happily. Unexpectedly, the two people at the table really listened.
"Wait a minute." "I have an idea."
Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong spoke in unison. The meeting room instantly fell silent. Everyone was shocked by this unprecedented tacit understanding. The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
Just as everyone was waiting for the two of them to continue speaking, the two of them seemed to be competing with each other.
Cheng Qiang knocked on the table with his knuckles. "You two are so funny. Okay, Lao Si first. "
"Why?"
Knowing that Pei Tingsong would be dissatisfied, Cheng Qiang said, "Then you first."
"… I'll say it." Pei Tingsong cleared his throat and spun the pen in his hand a few times. "The new specialty allows us to participate in the production of it ourselves."
Rather than an idea, his tone and expression were more like an announcement of the result.
Cheng Qiang rolled up his sleeves. "Hey, you little rascal …"
"I also agree with his point of view."
Everyone turned their heads and looked at Fang Juexia in surprise.
Ling Yi leaned back in his chair and whispered to Lu Yuan, "Don't you think it's weird …"
"I do." Lu Yuan nodded seriously and looked at the two of them. "Why do I think they're a good match? What's wrong with me?"
Ling Yi rolled his eyes. "You've been poisoned."
Fang Juexia did not hear his teammates' discussion and said, "Actually, we put a lot of thought into the concept of the two specialties, but the effect was average. Of course, maybe our ability to digest the concept isn't enough. So I thought, "he looked at his boss and said sincerely," Instead of creating a new concept for everyone to adapt and digest, we might as well … "
As a mathematics graduate, his quirk appeared once again. His teammates couldn't help but laugh out loud. Ling kept on saying, "We might as well set an x, obviously …"
Everyone laughed. Pei Tingsong looked sideways at him and saw that his slender white neck was starting to turn red.
Fang Juexia coughed and tried to bring the topic back. "What I mean is that we should just completely abandon the previous model and participate in the creation. Like Chang Ge said, everyone has their own strengths. Although we can't guarantee that the effect will be a simple accumulation, there will always be a collision during the fusion process, right? "
He rarely spoke so much, so he seemed more serious.
Chen Zhengyun was a little surprised, but still nodded. "Give me a more specific idea."
"China's classical folk music and electronic music." Pei Tingsong stopped writing. "This is not new, but it shouldn't be too common in boy bands. Miao Ge's guzheng can be used as a pluck or lead. Take trap for example. The bass and guzheng's clear tone should create a good sense of up and down space. Coupled with the ear-scratching drum set, I think it can make a great dance song. "
(There's a scientific term for composition)
His idea was quickly approved by the electronic music player He Ziyan. "I've thought about this before. To be honest, I still have a few demos in my hands that are made according to this idea. There are traps and future basses. It would definitely be cool to make a steam wave with a zither as the base. Moreover, the guzheng's fingering is changeable and the rhythm can be very fast. It's very suitable for the foreshadowing before the drop. "He then looked at Jiang Miao." What do you think? "
Jiang Miao smiled. "It's quite interesting. If you really want to try it, I'll make another suggestion." He looked at Ling Yi. "Yiyi, you can try acting. You have a high voice. If you hang it up and mix it with folk music and electronic music, it should give you goosebumps."
"Captain, now that you mention it, I'm a little nervous." Ling Yi touched her arm. "But I've never tried it before. What about Juexia? Do you want to try it too? "
Before Fang Juexia could say anything, Pei Tingsong said, "His voice has its own mixing effect. It's very suitable for hooks."
Ling Yi immediately teased, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You've found yourself a hook so quickly."
He Ziyan said seriously, "Hooks are the soul of hip hop."
"Wow … soul ~" Lu Yuan joined in. "I've been watching CP videos these past two days. I'm a little addicted."
"Addicted?" Cheng Qiang knocked Lu Yuan on the head. "Where's the choreography?"
Ling Yi immediately started to imitate him. "Hold it in and hit his wavy head."
"F * ck off. That's the top of his head." Lu Yuan rolled her eyes and became serious. "It's finally my home ground. The choreographers of the boy band want to memorize and perform tension. Since everyone has decided on the theme, I think there's no need to rely on traditional choreography for the performance. We can use two live modes. One is the band version, where they play the zither and play the disc live. The other is the live singing and dancing. "
"That's a good idea." Chen Zhengyun smiled as he watched everyone's inspirations collide. "Anything else?"
"I suggest ha." Lu Yuan looked at Juexia with a grin. "We'll have to let our Juexia do the memorization."
Fang Juexia was confused. "Me?"
"Since it's a clash between tradition and modernity, the choreography should also have traditional elements. A scene flashed in my mind just now. It's Juexia performing a classical dance. He only needs a short solo, placed on the bridge in the middle. If the live performance can be matched with a camera, it'll definitely be amazing … "
Hearing this, Pei Tingsong's mind automatically presented a scene. Under the zither solo, the black stage projected a beam of light that shone only on him. He bent his waist and put up his sleeves. Coupled with a folding fan, his slender figure stretched and twisted. The light shone through the silk fabric and touched the soft texture of his muscles and bones. The moonlight chased after the flowing water.
His straightened toes landed on the ground with a final clang. The folding fan opened instantly, and a touch of red extended from his eyebrows.
"Xiao Pei? Pei Tingsong. "
Cheng Qiang's voice pulled him out of his imagination. Pei Tingsong came back to his senses and looked up to find everyone looking at him. "Why are you looking at me?"
"What are you thinking about? You're so fascinated." He Ziyan had already stood up. "Let's go, the meeting is over."
So fast.
It was only the time of one dance.
"What do you think? My suggestion just now. " Lu Yuan put her arm around Fang Juexia's shoulder. "I remember you said before that you learned classical and modern dance when you were a child."
Fang Juexia nodded. "I danced when I was a child."
"When you were a child?" Ling Yi could always interrupt the conversation at any time. "Juexia, did you also learn to dance when you were a child? You didn't even tell us. "
Pei Tingsong walked behind with his hands in his pockets. When did this guy ever share his experience, let alone when he was a child?
"Yes." Fang Juexia couldn't help but lower his eyes. The white tiles of the corridor were illuminated by the lights. A glowing brick reflected the light of a stage. The man on the stage danced leisurely, his figure relaxed and comfortable. As he walked forward, he saw his young self below the stage, holding his mother's hand and looking up.
[Mom, I want to be like Dad in the future!]
[Okay, our baby will definitely become the best dancer, even better than your father ~]
"I learned for a few years, but I stopped after that." Fang Juexia raised his head and looked straight ahead. He walked to the elevator with everyone. His tone was calm, as if to prevent everyone from asking further questions. He quickly continued, "The basics should still be there. I can give it a try."
Jiang Miao lowered her head and looked at her hand. "Aiya, I have to go back to my old profession too." As soon as she finished speaking, He Ziyan grabbed her right hand. He made a gesture of washing dishes and laughed. "Go back to your old profession 2.0."
Lu Yuan: "Then quickly make a demo. I want to choreograph now!"
Ling Yi started to fawn over her. "Brother Yuan! Dalian City Beauty! I want a super handsome part! "
Looking at the noisy crowd, Fang Juexia felt a long-lost warmth in his heart. It was as if he had returned to the beginning of his debut, when everyone was working hard towards their dreams, trying to present the best stage, except for one person.
He glanced over and saw Pei Tingsong's figure reflected on the metal wall of the elevator. He lowered his head and seemed to be in a daze.
In Fang Juexia's memory, Pei Tingsong was still a seventeen-year-old child when he first came. In fact, he did not have much of an opinion about being dropped in. After all, they were teammates, and he got along well with them.
But at that time, Pei Tingsong was really disobedient. Because of his bad attitude during dance practice, Fang Juexia, who had never been angry before, had a conflict with him. That was the first time they had a conflict. When the two young men fought, no one could stop them.
[Do you think I came here to be an idol? What's the point of practicing? I have nothing to say to people like you who put in so much effort to get to where you are!]
After hearing this, Fang Juexia finally understood why Pei Tingsong, who was quite friendly when they first met, changed his attitude.
But he was not angry at that moment. He was unusually calm.
[I heard that you want to be a hip-hop singer.]
As early as the second day after Pei Tingsong entered the company, the story of him being forcibly sent back to China by his parents when he was a teenager in the United States was known to everyone. Everyone more or less heard that he was sent to a small company like Star Map by his sister, probably to let him have a taste of the entertainment industry.
Whether it was the original intention or the method, it was different from what they had worked so hard for.
[There is no high or low in dreams, only those that can be realized and those that can't.]
Fang Juexia let go of his collar.
[I have nothing to say to people like you who are childish and biased.]
A paranoid person who was surrounded by rumors and an arrogant rebel. The trajectories of their lives should have been different. But somehow, they bumped into each other, and the encounter turned into an accident that could not be fixed for two years.
No one cared to understand each other. Anyway, as long as they kept a safe distance, they could always maintain a superficial peace.
"By the way, Miao Ge," Pei Tingsong said after they got out of the elevator, "You guys practice first, I have to move."
"Move?!" Ling Yi's eyes lit up, "Move back to the dormitory? Today? "
Pei Tingsong nodded, "Tomorrow. Brother Qiang urged me for a long time. After all, I have to record the team competition."
Fang Juexia stared at his side profile. Coincidentally, at the same time, he also turned around and their eyes met. Everything was very clever. Just like the second official meeting between them, it was also related to the "unspoken rules", but he knew about it and did it. If it were not for this, they would have continued to have no interactions, perhaps until the day the team disbanded.
Pei Tingsong laughed, revealing a sense of mischievousness, "It seems that not every brother welcomes me home."
He heard that many murderers liked to review the crime scene for some kind of pleasure. Strangely, he always thought that Pei Tingsong was such a person, but at this moment, his dull body seemed to secrete some kind of neurotransmitters that induced pleasure, as if he was looking forward to something.
Once the safe distance was broken.
The tragedy of this accident would probably repeat itself.
"Welcome back." Fang Juexia smiled.