Jiangzhou Music Academy has produced many singers. Students who sign contracts with entertainment companies and officially debut are allowed to live off-campus as long as they pass their semester exams. The school leadership even encourages the emergence of stars, as it helps with admissions and publicity.
Since Fang Yinnian had already signed a contract with Shengyao Media, his approval process with the school went smoothly. Going forward, dorm supervisors wouldn’t include his name during room inspections.
After returning from the administration office, Fang Yinnian quickly packed his belongings. He didn’t have much—just a few sets of clothes, about a dozen books, and some daily necessities. Everything fit neatly into one large suitcase.
By 3 p.m., he had finished packing and sent a message to Mo Xun: “Captain, I’m ready.”
Mo Xun replied: “Meet me at the school gate in 15 minutes.”
Dragging his suitcase to the gate, Fang Yinnian saw the familiar black SUV parked there waiting for him.
When Mo Xun saw him arrive, he quickly stepped forward, took the suitcase from Fang Yinnian’s hand, and efficiently placed it in the trunk. “Let’s go,” he said.
Fang Yinnian climbed into the passenger seat and noticed that the music playing in the car had changed—it was no longer the intense, fast-paced K-pop boy band song from before. Instead, it was Xie Shiqi’s latest hit ballad “Never Forget,” a song that had taken the country by storm.
Xie Shiqi’s gentle voice echoed softly in the car as Fang Yinnian listened quietly.
Suddenly, Mo Xun asked, “Do you like Xie Shiqi?”
Apart from veteran singers, Xie Shiqi was currently one of the most skilled ballad singers among the new generation. Mo Xun guessed that Fang Yinnian might be a fan.
Sure enough, Fang Yinnian nodded and said, “Her singing skills are incredible, and her voice is beautiful.”
Mo Xun agreed. “Xie Shiqi is indeed amazing—she made her way to the top purely through hard work and talent. I really respect her for that.” After a pause, he added, “Of course, Old Xu deserves some credit too. A good manager is crucial for planning an artist’s career path. I heard that when Xie Shiqi was still relatively unknown, Old Xu was the one managing her.”
Hearing this, Fang Yinnian couldn’t help but look at Mo Xun. “I didn’t expect Director Xu to personally manage us.”
Mo Xun smiled slightly. “That’s why—even though our group’s formation feels a bit rushed—we still have hope of making it big.”
Fang Yinnian felt reassured by this statement.
While each of them might have some talent or special skills, they were all newcomers in the entertainment industry without any resources or connections. Decisions about which shows to appear on, what gigs to take, or what style of music to perform—all of this depended on their manager’s planning and arrangements.
For them, Old Xu was like an anchor—a stabilizing force.
Having an experienced manager guiding them gave them more confidence moving forward.
—
A short while later, Mo Xun’s car arrived at the apartment building’s underground parking lot. As soon as he parked, his phone rang—it was Tan Junwen calling: “Captain, I’m downstairs. This apartment has elevator halls labeled East, South, West, and North—which one should I use?”
The king of getting lost strikes again.
Mo Xun replied calmly: “Take a photo of where you are now and send it to me—I’ll come find you.”
Tan Junwen sent over a photo of his location.
Mo Xun told Fang Yinnian to wait by the elevator while he went to fetch Tan Junwen.
When Mo Xun returned with Tan Junwen a few moments later, Tan Junwen looked disheveled—his curly hair was a messy bird’s nest. It seemed like something chaotic had happened while he was packing his belongings; his clothes even had strange colorful stains on them.
Noticing Fang Yinnian secretly observing him, Tan Junwen squinted his eyes with a smile and greeted him, “Yinnian, you don’t have much luggage, huh?”
Fang Yinnian replied, “Yeah, I only brought some clothes and books.”
Tan Junwen scratched his messy hair and said, “You look more like you’re traveling and staying at a hotel. Now this—this is what you call moving house.”
He carried two large suitcases, with two overstuffed oversized backpacks balanced on top.
The dormitory was located on the 17th floor in Room 1. The three of them found the room, and Mo Xun entered the password to unlock the door.
Fu Fei was sitting on the sofa, engrossed in a mobile game. When he saw the three enter, he quickly said, “Mo-ge, you’re here! I’ll finish this round soon!”
Mo Xun replied, “Keep playing; I’ll check the rooms first.”
He placed his luggage down and began inspecting the dormitory. Fang Yinnian and Tan Junwen followed him like a patrol squad, touring the place together. After completing their walk-through, Tan Junwen asked curiously, “Why is it a three-bedroom apartment?”
Mo Xun explained, “Most of the tenants in this building are nearby office workers. One- and two-bedroom apartments are more common here. Three-bedroom units are already the largest available in this area—it’s hard to find five-bedroom apartments in the city center.”
Tan Junwen scratched his head. “So how do we divide the rooms?”
“Let’s leave the luggage in the living room for now and decide once Tang Che arrives,” Mo Xun said. He turned toward the water dispenser to get a drink but realized there were no cups. The fridge was also empty. Seeing that there was still plenty of time, he said, “I’ll head downstairs to the supermarket to buy some essentials. Anyone want to come along?”
Fang Yinnian responded, “I’ll go buy some things too.”
Tan Junwen added, “I’ll come as well.”
Mo Xun glanced at Fu Fei and said, “Xiao Fei… never mind. You keep playing—since you’re familiar with this area, you can go shopping later if you need anything.”
Fu Fei waved them off casually. “Alright, you guys go ahead—I’ll guard the house!”
The three of them took the elevator downstairs.
On the second floor of the building was a large supermarket stocked with daily necessities, fresh produce, and snacks.
Mo Xun quickly filled half a shopping cart with towels, slippers, cups, and other essentials.
Fang Yinnian grabbed another cart and started loading it with kitchen items: knives, bowls, cutting boards, frying pans, and other cooking tools.
Seeing Fang Yinnian pick up a pan, Tan Junwen stared at him in shock: “Why are you buying a pan? Don’t tell me you know how to cook?”
Fang Yinnian countered with a question: “Don’t you guys know how to cook?”
Mo Xun and Tan Junwen exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously: “Nope.”
Fang Yinnian chuckled and said, “I can cook. Since there aren’t any pots or utensils in the kitchen right now, I figured we should buy some. The apartment’s kitchen is spacious—it’d be a waste not to use it. When we don’t feel like ordering takeout, we can make something ourselves.”
The two looked at Fang Yinnian with newfound admiration.
A teammate who can cook! This was rare indeed—they needed to stick close to Fang Yinnian from now on.
As they reached the snack aisle, Fang Yinnian picked up a box of chocolates and placed it in his cart.
Tan Junwen came over carrying an armful of sunflower seeds and potato chips and grinned: “Essential items for binge-watching dramas!”
Curious, Fang Yinnian asked: “What show are you watching?”
Tan Junwen replied: “A new urban romance drama called Wrong Love, starring Qin Luo—it’s pretty good.”
Fang Yinnian rarely watched TV dramas and had no idea what new shows had recently aired. Apart from actors with high national recognition, he didn’t know any of the younger trending stars. Even Qin Luo’s name sounded unfamiliar to him.
Clearly, his interests were completely different from Tan Junwen’s.
—
The three returned to the dormitory carrying large bags filled with purchases. There were so many items that they had no choice but to pile them on the floor for now.
When Fu Fei saw all the oversized plastic bags scattered across the floor, he ran over to rummage through them and exclaimed in shock: “What?! You guys even bought a frying pan? And bowls? And cutting boards? And spatulas?! Are we seriously going to start cooking here?”
Mo Xun smiled and said, “Yinnian bought it—he knows how to cook.”
Fu Fei immediately changed his attitude and ran over to Fang Yinnian. “Brother Nian, from now on, I’m sticking with you! I’ll be your assistant in the kitchen!”
Fang Yinnian replied, “…Alright, when we have time, we can cook something at the dorm.”
Just then, Tang Che entered the room after punching in the password. He glanced at the messy living room and asked indifferently, “Which room am I staying in?”
Fu Fei quickly remembered. “Oh right, there are five of us but only three bedrooms—how are we dividing them?”
Mo Xun explained, “This apartment has three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms are the same size and each has two beds. The third bedroom is smaller and has just one bed.”
The beds in the larger rooms were bunk-style: a bed on top for sleeping and a desk underneath for studying or working. Each person had their own small wardrobe and a bit of space for storing miscellaneous items.
Although two people would share a room, everyone still had their own little area. Plus, with the shared living room, dining area, kitchen, and two bathrooms with separate wet and dry areas, this setup was far more spacious than a typical school dormitory.
Mo Xun tore five pieces of sticky notes and quickly wrote “A,” “B,” and “C” on them before crumpling them into balls and placing them in a box.
He pointed to the three bedrooms and said, “This one is Room A, that one is Room B, and the smaller one is Room C. Let’s draw lots—whichever room you pick is where you’ll stay. If anyone feels uncomfortable later, we can discuss switching.”
This method was undeniably fair.
Fu Fei grinned. “I don’t mind sharing a room with anyone.”
Mo Xun said, “You go first then.”
Fu Fei reached into the box, pulled out a paper ball, and unfolded it. “Room C—it looks like the single room?”
The other four: “…”
Room C was indeed the smaller single room. Fu Fei’s luck was impressive. Since he got the single room, it meant that the remaining four would have to share two double rooms.
The box now contained two “B” notes and two “A” notes.
Mo Xun said, “Tang Che, your turn.”
Tang Che reached in and drew a note with “B” written on it.
Mo Xun continued, “Junwen, you’re next.”
Tan Junwen followed suit and also drew a note for Room B.
The two exchanged glances before turning to move their luggage into their shared bedroom.
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Mo Xun: “…”
That left no need for further drawing—they were automatically assigned to Room A together.
Recognizing Fang Yinnian’s white suitcase, Mo Xun picked it up effortlessly and carried it into Room A. He said casually, “Don’t worry—I have a very regular schedule. I don’t snore or talk in my sleep or anything like that.” As he walked into the room, he turned back to Fang Yinnian. “Which bed do you want?”
Fang Yinnian replied, “Either is fine.”
Mo Xun decided quickly: “I’ll take the one by the door; you can have the one by the window.”
Fang Yinnian nodded in agreement and bent down to unpack his belongings. He carefully arranged his books on the bookshelf—most of them were textbooks from school or music-related materials borrowed from the library.
Meanwhile, Mo Xun also began organizing his things.
Neither of them had much luggage, so they finished unpacking within half an hour and returned to the living room together.
Tang Che had also finished unpacking and was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone with a blank expression.
Meanwhile, Tan Junwen, who had way too much stuff, was still busy organizing in his room. His hair was now so messy it was beyond salvageable—looking from afar, it resembled a wild patch of chestnut-colored weeds.
Mo Xun said, “Let’s have dinner together tonight—my treat. What do you all want to eat? Any dietary restrictions?”
Tan Junwen’s voice floated out from the bedroom: “Captain, I can’t eat spicy food—it makes me break out. Also, no cilantro, onions, or ginger for me.”
Tang Che said indifferently, “I love spicy food—the spicier, the better. I never eat sweet things.”
Fu Fei raised his hand enthusiastically: “I love sweets. Can I order a separate dessert for myself?”
Fang Yinnian said calmly, “I don’t have any restrictions—I can eat anything.”
Mo Xun sighed lightly in his heart.
This team is going to be hard to manage! If only everyone were as easygoing as Fang Yinnian.
He waved his hand decisively and said, “Let’s go for a buffet. They’ve got sour, spicy, sweet, and savory—all in one place. Take whatever you like.”
Thank goodness for the existence of buffets.
Otherwise, this boy band might end up fighting just over what to eat.
