Fanservice Paradox

Description

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Kaleido, a talented but unpopular boy band, shot to fame by chance because of a video shot at the airport. In the video, Pei Tingsong, the youngest and most gong member of the whole group, pinned Fang Juexia Gege against a wall as he gently patted his face with a ticket. Yet Fang Juexia just took the ticket away, biting it as he tidied up his clothes. A “bullying” incident within the group thus transformed into an intense flirting exchange, and the TingJue CP was born.

Netizen: holy sh*t that’s so gong! Kabedon AND a bayonet fight! (internet slang for lovey dovey actions between men)

And thus, the abandoned trump card burdened by rumours of having had sold his body and the legendary rich member with a strong backing were bound together. They had clearly never gotten along since their debut, yet they were now forced to embark on an endless path of selling their fake ship together.

Pei Tingsong was famous for being ‘real’ in the circle, and he had offended many people from his lyrics alone because they were overly ‘real’. But he stressed again and again that he and Fang Juexia were only providing fan service.

CP fan: [Someone who has never been fake is selling a fake ship.] May the philosophy students please explain the paradox to this young student Pei here.

Young Pei: Fine, you guys win.

Juexia: (seriously considers the logic) If B is true, then A is also true; but if A is true, then B should also be true…it really is a paradox.

Young Pei: Fang Juexia, you’re heartless.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Doanh Nghiệp Bội Luận
FP
Nghịch Lý “Câu Fan”
ying ye bei lun
YYBL
營業悖論
营业悖论[娱乐圈]
Related Series
Lovely Allergen (Shared Universe)
I Only Like Your Made-up Persona (Shared Universe)
BE Crazy Demon Survival System (Shared Universe)
Manhattanhenge (Shared Universe)
Recommendations
Deep in the Act (2)
Agreement of Being Gay for 30 Days (1)
Fake Dating the Amnesiac School Prince (1)
I Ship My Adversary X Me (1)
Have You Ever Met Such a Cold Author (1)
The Idol Group and the Crown (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. all novels i've read
  2. danmei novel i finished reading part 1
  3. Fav reads
  4. Entertainment industry goldmine
  5. All time favorites

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/11/20 DMlations c1
Write a Review
76 Reviews sorted by


sensingkey
sensingkey rated it
June 22, 2021
Status: Completed
tbh I dont expect too much but I got surprised with this 0ne! Surely exceed my expectations! Deserves 5/5 from me
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LitTLeBeLLE
LitTLeBeLLE rated it
April 25, 2021
Status: Completed
I regret skipping this novel many times ago.

I really enjoyed reading it... touching, tenacious, and full of fluff.

Character building and development were terrific.

I liked the philosophical metaphors so much. I have already memorized many of them like

Spoiler

"It's not surprising. We are two ships of Theseus sailing on the sea. They met unexpectedly and were afraid of separation. So you exchanged your parts for me, and I exchanged mine for you. We are no longer in the past. Of us."
"We become each other."

“不奇怪。我们是两艘在大海上航行的忒休斯之船,意外相遇,害怕分离。于是你把你的零件换给我,我把我的零件换给了你。我们不再是过去 的我们。”
“我们变成彼此。”

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I loved it sooooooooo much

my little heart can not handle all this

I listened to the advice of one of the auditors and did not skip it this time. I hope the rest will not miss it. It is really very good.
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Mello reading danmei
Mello reading danmei rated it
August 19, 2023
Status: Completed
I devoured the novel and loved every second of it. This is, without a doubt, one of the best-written danmei I've read. I stopped and reread entire conversations, just to make sure I caught all the meanings behind each word. I probably can quote from memory some parts. That's how far my obsession reaches.

This beautifully written love story captivated me. I fell in love with the main characters and their relationship. The way they matured and became better versions of themselves and the manner they started to complement each other... more>> was expertly done. I love their sweet affections. It made me feel single but now, I don't think I can conform to anything less than what those two had. <<less
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s.a.d.
s.a.d. rated it
August 18, 2023
Status: Completed
It was truly lovely, the romance didn't feel forced (the build up to the romance was great). The character development was amazing, and I just loved the supporting characters. I put this novel in my top 10 novels I'd come back and re-read (or just my top 10 novels in general). I feel like I grew with the characters.
I have to say Xiao Pei is probably one of my favorite ML, his character was written out so well. I guess what I most enjoyed the most was how human he seemed (and not just a oppressive gong). Maybe it was the 3-d characterization or just my appreciation of a ML who seemed different from other male leads.
I don't know what say about Juexia other than our Juexia grew up so well lol

Love Tingjue<3

Fire ge is cute lol
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lenniax
lenniax rated it
March 25, 2023
Status: Completed
This author writes such precious love stories every single time. I will never forget any of her books just because of the way it's flooded with poetry and complex plotlines. Fanservice Paradox is just another masterpiece with the best ML, and MC plus ML dynamics I have ever read about. My favorite trope 'enemies to friends to lovers' has been done great justice!

If you are still hesitating to read: don't!
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HanYuri
HanYuri rated it
May 30, 2022
Status: Completed
Zhichu always write amazing and beautiful works.

YYBL focuses on entertainment industry and zhichu rly writes the usual procedures of the industry very well (like magazine shootings l/interviews/variety shows).

PTS is a boyfriend material. I repeat. PTS is a boyfriend material. He goes from rebellious teenager to doting band mate and later boyfriend.

... more>> FJX is absolutely the cutest. He's born for stage and he belongs to the stage. No wonder he's the ACE and centre of K.

and the side characters are very adorable and lovable. Especially my fav Ling Yi and Jiang Miao. And I can't help shipping YiYi with YuanYuan.

Spoiler

Thank you zhichu for making waterfire canon. MiaoMiao and Fire Ge deserves to love and to be loved.*hug*

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And Kaleido's boss, manager and driver are so kind. I wish the the real entertainment industry have these kind of ppl.

And as usual my rating for zhichu's work being 10/10. <<less
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xiazahra
xiazahra rated it
March 11, 2022
Status: Completed
Fang Juxia and Pei Tingsong are one of the most alive characters I read in modern danmei novel. I was expecting slightly better enemy to lovers entertainment world romance but I was surprised of how grounded the characters feel to me despite their idol's background. like sure because the story is us watching this boyband's growth, it matter very much but more so, the love story between Fang Juxia and Pei Tingsong are just so much down to earth.

there are a big emphasize of their interest in math and philosophy,... more>> for Fang Juxia and Pei Tingsong respectively, but it make senses when their principles, way of life and logic steam from it. it was especially interesting for me to read the discussion about what true love was for both of them and the way they both learn from each other. (also, the fact that Fang Juxia managed to make me believe what other polymath has tried to tell me about how math is actually such romantic subjects says a lot about me and my interest lol, but hey, it works, I am more interested in math and physic because it feel more alive to me now)

Spoiler

no, but seriously,

[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]

[You're my One Constant Truth]

is just... so AAAAAAAAAAAH

Fang Juexia is actually such a romantic shou despite his cold demeanor

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i love fluffy smooth sailing slice of life novel but it's hard to balance the slow writing with interesting characters yet this author does a good job on making characters with enough depth and interesting traits that make it easy for me, at least, to care about them and want to read despite no big climatic plot line.

and as someone who LOVE flowery language, metaphors and narrations, this book was a treat for me. some works benefits from show, don't tell and some works benefits from tell and show and this book was the latter for me. because there's no big climatic plot line, it focus more on the characters' personality and psyche, their ideas and school of thinking. there's so many beautiful lines we get from it and I love reading it, like the translation did such a good job, honestly.

Spoiler

["But you can see from her example that the overwhelming majority of people suffer from failed love, and you haven't even seen a successful example with your own eyes. Aren't you afraid of stepping straight into failure?"

Facing Fang Juexia's question, Pei Tingsong looked very relaxed. "I'm not afraid of failure, and moreover, I'm even not afraid of low probability and scarcity. On the contrary, I like it a lot." Word by word, he stated boldly and frankly, "What I want is the rarest thing."]

["I, Pei Tingsong, chose a point on the number axis today, It wasn't chosen arbitrarily, it was a very serious decision. I don't know if he's rational or irrational, and to be honest, I don't care. But it's my duty to tell you." He raised the hand that Fang Juexia was holding. "This is that chosen point."]

["I despise trying to integrate to society. Yes, the rules of life in society force us to converge, and only by keeping the same values and behavior as most people can we live a better life. But I hate this kind of life -But now, I find that it turns out that I also have something that I want to draw close to and converge with." He looked at Fang Juexia. "It's you. I want to be close to you, to understand your value, your outlook on life and to be a gentle and powerful person like you -You're so good that you made a rebel give up on his resistance."] (I was just huhuhuhu to my self reading this part, like my god PTS)

[The smallest uninteresting number', this already counts as being a special characteristic -be an interesting minimum uninteresting number."]

["We're two Ships of Thesus sailing on the sea. We met by accident and became afraid of separating, so you give me your parts, and I gave you my parts. We are no longer what we used to be -We became each other."

["When it comes to the word 'freedom', " Fichte said. "my heart immediately open wide and blooms, and when it comes to the words necessity, my heart begins to spasm painfully." The main point wasn't him underlining this, but rather his annotation in English: Fichte, you are another me.

"Necessity" was also circled by him -the letters FJX were written there. That probably meant, this is Fang Juexia, always saying 'obviously' and 'may as well', always taking necessity as the truth.

-He (Fang Juxia) found a pencil and wrote a sentence on the side.

"When FJX refer to freedom, his heart will also blossom. Because the acquisition of freedom is a necessity."]

["First love is all the memories you gave me -Summer is the rain you didn't let me get drenched in."] (my heart keeps on fluttering reading this one)

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they have a lot of face slapping scene too though, and it was fun, if you love entertainment world novel, you'll enjoy this for sure.

but their love story is definitely the main selling point of this book. the transition from misunderstanding one another, to trying to learn more about each other so that they could understand each other better, to admiring each other's quality and outlook of life, to learning from one another and changing to become a better version of them self, it's done so smoothly that it feel natural. the way they influences each other also feel very grounded.

i was actually very reluctant to finished this, because I fall in love with not only PTS And FJX but also the rest of Kaleido so I know that after I finished the book I will miss them immediately and it's true! which also remind me, the author does a good job of portraying the world of boyband and their fandom, I have never saw the appeal of virtual idols until I read Kaleido and I'm very much a Domino now, like everyone in K have depth and complexity, it feel like they really have a life outside our main characters' story, they're not canon fodder side character, tbh nobody in this novel is.

this is definitely one of my favorite modern danmei of all time now, so I definitely recommend a read! <<less
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aceijun
aceijun rated it
March 3, 2022
Status: Completed
after reading this I just started crying I really enjoyed it and I will miss the characters now that im done reading. I really wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did because the reviews seemed pretty mixed. I couldn’t put this book down when reading it, it has probably become one of my favourites.

although I usually tend to prefer a bit more plot heavy novels, watching kaleidos growth was really fun. The characters emotions and the topics brought up throughout the novel were really relatable, which made... more>> it easier to connect and enjoy myself while reading. I also love the little fans comments in the livestream barrage and on weibo they are so funny

the way the author writes is very beautiful, the way they describe pei tingsong and fang juexias love for each other. I really enjoyed watching them grow together and how they complete each other (ik it sounds cheesy as hell but they really do). After their tough pasts having someone love them so dearly and to be open and their complete self around each other.

the translator also did an absolutely amazing job, I appreciate all the hard work they put into translating this novel. <<less
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CrossMyHeart
CrossMyHeart rated it
January 8, 2022
Status: Completed
This is a really cute and entertaining story! If you enjoy entertainment industry stories (especially about idols) this is definitely a story you should check out!

I might be a little biased but this is the story that got me out of my reading rut so I regard it highly!

Summary: Fang Juexia (MC, shou) a member of a boyband, Kaleido, that is not well known but very talented. He is very quiet and aloof, and despite being the ace of the group, he was accused of using the backdoor before he... more>> debuted. As a result of a misunderstanding revolving around this rumor, Pei Tingsong (ML, gong) dislikes him. Even though they have been in the same group for several years, they have hardly interacted. However, after a scene of them at the airport gets misconstrued by fans as romance, they are asked to form a fake CP for fanservice. During this time, they spend more time together and find out that they are more similar than they thought.

Despite this being about boybands, the novel actually is quite deep. The MC was mathematics major and the ML is a philosophy major. Much of their romantic lines involve philosophy. If you're not into philosophy, the translator did a great job providing links and explanations and the author also leaves notes.

Interestingly, because the MC is very aloof and distant, he's very otherworldly but it's the ML that brings him down to earth and uncovers other sides of him. The ML is sassy and the rapper of the group! He writes fantastic lyrics that shred down their haters (shout out to the translator for even making the song lyrics rhyme!). As a result, I think most people will probably relate to the ML more. He's just a fun and confident guy, but he has his own insecurities. (ML's confession scene and the MC's acceptance scenes were so freaking adorable) The MC is endearing but he's a bit Sue until the ML ruffles his feathers.

What makes this story worth reading is definitely the interaction between the CP. They move from being enemies (basically strangers) to friends to lovers and its a very natural development. Also the other members of the boyband are hilarious! I've read the coming out scene multiple times over just for side characters. So while the story might seem a bit cliche, the character dynamics make it so fun! In addition, every member of the group has a backstory that makes them realistic. Honestly I cried many times while reading this because of their struggles. Even though they are idols and the novel itself is a bit surrealistic, there are things that I could relate to.

tldr; if you like entertainment industry novels, fake dating, confident ML, then you should read this! There's more than meets the eye and I found it captivating the whole way through

Also there's an audio drama and the songs are amazing! You should check them out! <<less
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periperi
periperi rated it
December 26, 2021
Status: Completed
4.5 stars

I generally don't like the forced enemies to lovers trope but this book was just that good. And the conflict was barely there between the characters (the turn was very fast). I loved the characters especially PTS! He had the best character development and how he always stayed true to himself and stood out for FJX and his bandmates was swoon-worthy.

I also loved their interaction and the events that slowly led to the gradual change in their relationship and all the metaphors (even if I don't particularly understand them.... more>> The side characters, especially Kaleido as a group, was really tight as well. Especially how funny and supportive they were.
Spoiler

The ending part with them coming out was the funniest.

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As for antagonists, I felt bad for
Spoiler

LR but big spoiler, he gets a good resolution at the end.

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The only minus 0.5, was that
Spoiler

at times, FJX seems to be elevated to a very high status of a done no wrong, too perfect character in the book. I could see flaws with PTS and how he changed his mindset but FJS felt more flawless. Like yes, there were the bad rumours about him in the past but that wasn't his fault, he didn't stand up for himself but he had reasons and PTS understands and accepts and even apologises. I really do like him but I guess I wanted him to express something, maybe even jealousy but even that is something expressed by PTS.

[collapse]

Overall, this is a standout book in the entertainment genre that I really enjoyed and big thanks to the translator for having translated the whole book! <<less
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Reyleisha
Reyleisha rated it
December 24, 2021
Status: Completed
Rating: 4.5/5- I really love this author’s work. She writes really poetically and beautifully and you truly fall in love with her characters.

I loved the surrealism and entertainment backdrop of this story. As a story on its own it’s wonderful, exciting, sad and beautiful! As part of the Shared Universe it’s not as excellent as Lovely Allergen but like I said- on its own I felt it was very beautiful in its own right.

I think it’s a complete work of fiction and many of the points in the story really... more>> wouldn’t ever happen.

I loved the romance and chemistry between the two leads.

Overall, I recommend everyone to read this. It was very enjoyable for me. <<less
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mucheng
mucheng rated it
December 23, 2021
Status: Completed
As someone who used to chase idols a lot (and still likes listening to their music at least), I think this novel really hit hard with how it engaged with darker topics that come with the price of popularity. The floweriness/deep philosophical quotes were tbh a little overdone at times, but I think I like it this way, because it shows the depth of the characters, their character development, and how two seemingly contradictory existences actually thrive together. You can tell the author is smart. Maybe she likes showing off... more>> a bit in her writing, but as someone who took several philosophy classes in college as a part of my minor, philosophy is a tough subject and she really did her research (as someone who isn't qualified to talk about math, I'll let the math majors speak). I read part of the novel in Chinese, and both the translation and the Chinese have really good prose~ I am a huge fan of rivals/enemies to lovers, and I guess you can't really categorize them as enemies at first or rivals, but it's definitely somewhere along that trope and I think this was really, really well done. The audio drama is also really good so highly recommend it (and the songs really help set the mood). I love that the novel didn't just focus on two characters; since it's a band novel, it really let us know that every single member of the band was just as important to the character development and setting of the story (something was mentioned at the beginning about how every single member could be the main character - it's true!!). My hands are now itching to translate her unlimited flow novel oops. <<less
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Queen Cassiopeia
Queen Cassiopeia rated it
November 26, 2021
Status: --
I haven’t finished reading this book because I caught up with the translation, and I hate that feeling, so I took a break from it, but I have so much to say about this.

It’s a masterpiece; divine, utterly rendering me speechless and longing for something impossible.

I can’t even describe how good it is.

The romance, the plot, the thrill, the character development, the pain — I love everything about it. If I could fall in love, then I’d have fallen in love with this book. I’d marry the author if I... more>> could.

What really has me speechless and amazed are Pei Tingsong and Fang Juexia’s declarations of love — beautiful; I can’t think of any other word. Their relationship, in general, is enviable and to die for. It’s the same as how I feel with Yu Sui and Shi Luo from FOG; their dynamics and complexities are breathtaking, and I wouldn’t want for more nor ask for less.

It’s simply one of my favorite books, no questions asked.

Both of them raised my standards — or more like, they became the standard themselves. Shi Luo-Yu Sui, Hua Cheng-Xie Lian, and Fang Juexia-Pei Tingsong are just my standard; you could never go wrong with such profound love the same as theirs.

The author’s writing style is really poetic yet straightforward, complex yet beautiful, and I’ve never loved a writing style more than I loved theirs.

For whoever reads this, be ready to raise your standards higher (for everything else) because this book will blow your mind like it did with mine.

I haven’t even finished it, but I know my love for this won’t diminish for even a bit. <<less
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twobada
twobada rated it
October 30, 2021
Status: c104
It's beautiful overall but what I don't like about this author is that, across all her works, she tends to drag out things for the sake of building up the atmosphere and the feels. So most of the time, you get chunks of pretty and magical text that may or may not hurt your brain.

The good thing about this is that she can add some more profound literary stuff. The bad thing is that, in the long run, it becomes a "tell, not show" kind of style and ends up... more>> becoming a (slight) burden to the story instead of making it more meaningful. Instead of the characters coming to the fore beautifully through their words and actions, the whole thing becomes a tad too forced. There were times the sweet moments between the main CP turned corny/cringe because it felt like it was put there just so the author can write something profound. So in a way, the characters became mere tools of narration. Subtlety is still required in making beautiful art. It's the difference between "look how beautiful I am so you should read me" versus "reading it moved me to beauty". Normally I wouldn't look for this in a webnovel but since the author aimed for it, I think I should mention it (also, the other low reviews about her style are valid).

But the character development is still there and the scenarios are also quite creative. And it can't be denied that the author has a talent for dialogue. It's just that, it's being hampered by the overdone narration/explanation.

Despite the story's faults, I think that it still deserves a high ranking. It's a love story that's so memorable, you'd remember it even if you don't reread this in the next few years. <<less
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mYboiS
mYboiS rated it
September 14, 2021
Status: Completed
My ratings on this is 4.6 out of 5. 💫

So... MC (Fang Juexia) and ML (Pei Tingsong) are both in a boy band singing group. They don't usually get along. After an accident video leakage, fans start to ship them together. To gain more popularity for the group, their managers decide that they should go along with the fans' ship.

So yeah, what starts as a fake ship eventually turns to a real one at the end as these two slowly starts falling for each other! Lol. The story follows... more>> MC and ML their relationships and how their unpopular boy band, which started from the bottom, slowly raises to fame! So, if you are into showbiz and idols/singing, this novel should be enjoyable for you.

This is a pretty good fluff novel!😇 However, the story got a bit boring to me towards the end and I felt MC and ML got together a little too quick in the story. I thought they could've continued their bickering and hatred relationships more longer till the end which would have made the story a lot more fun and enjoyable!

But yeah, still a pretty good story. MC and ML have really good interactions. Their chemistry is so sweet!! Author did a super job with describing their onstage performance!! Omg!!🔥🔥

Dominoes forever!!!

Lol!

Thank you translator for the translations!!🥰🥰 <<less
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Common_people
Common_people rated it
September 10, 2021
Status: Completed
I like it, the most than any other novel made by this author. Sweet, sad, happy, s*xual tension, smut things are well written, execution of the problem is good. And also, I love the character setting, their development from hate to love and from unfamiliar to be the one that closest to you, that was great. So sweet~ the fans make them to be a cp. I can relate with my ship in the real life, hehe. And the wise words as well as the unique view this novel. I... more>> can imagine all the scene my mind even I mtl-ed it. Now I waiting for this one completely translate before I read it again. It Must be so good.

Try it, maybe you found it good too <<less
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Sakura Natsume
Sakura Natsume rated it
August 10, 2021
Status: Completed
Are you a fan of an idol group? Like BTS, EXO, etc.?

Then I'm already sure you'll like this.

That's because this novel shows you what happens behind the glitz and glam of the entertainment industry.

... more>> Don't worry though, while it might get a lil dark sometimes, there's enough cute moments of friendship, teamwork and romance to heal your heart~

As a BTS fan, there were many Kaleido moments that made me squeal— their camaraderie is A++

The romance is... like mathematics blending with philosophy (I did a LOT of google searches while reading ngl). And the way they slowly learn to get along, starting from understanding each other to loving each other... Wow, it's wonderful.

P. S. At the end of the novel, I was stomping my feet and telling God, 'If it's not Pei Tingsong, I don't want it!' That's how much I appreciate him~ 😅😂 <<less
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Seeing Stars
Seeing Stars rated it
October 25, 2023
Status: Completed
As expected of Zhichu, the plot is so well-done. Although I do not understand mathematics all that well, philosophy is definitely a part of my alley and thus seeing all the philosophical narration is inspiring.

What I really are the main character and male lead, they are so cute! At first, they had a rocky start but when the slow burn gets burning, it burns so sweet! I think this is the first time my eyes water because of the fluffness I receive from these two. There are gestures where although... more>> the character doesn't give thousands of lanterns for his beloved, or go back in time to revive them, all of the things the male lead does are grounded in reality and thus could be achieved if someone wants to. And that's where their romance shine, all of the small things that come together make a bigger picture.

Also the lyrics? I could tell both the author and translator worked hard with this, as it could contain lots of original songs that aren't usually written in these idol-themed novels. Translating them is also hard work, as they need to translate it while also keeping the rhyme, meaning, and lyrical integrity.

Spoiler

A little weird though that Pei's sister was hinted to be of importance, but was never really explored.

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Always here
Always here rated it
October 13, 2023
Status: Completed
Stunning story telling. Highly recommended.

Watching the growth of the characters is really a great experience. They're so unique and real.

Just read this, you won't regret it. 💕💕
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Tee jay
Tee jay rated it
May 4, 2023
Status: Completed
A beautiful story that warms the heart. Superb translation. This goes to the top of my 'will be reading this again' list.
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