[Departure]
After lunch on August 10th, everyone carried their luggage downstairs to head to the airport.
The journey would take an hour and a half. Xu Baichuan, sitting in the passenger seat, made good use of the time by turning around to say, “I’ve prepared the draft for your encyclopedia entries and sent them to the group chat. Check if anything needs revision—we need to finalize them today.”
The encyclopedia introduction read: “FTM (For the Music) is a male vocal harmony and dance group launched by Shengyao Media, consisting of five members: Fang Yinnian, Fu Fei, Tan Junwen, Tang Che, and Mo Xun.”
The entry was simple and clear, emphasizing the key phrase “vocal harmony and dance” along with their company affiliation.
Each member’s name linked to their individual profiles. Fu Fei’s height had been updated from 179cm to 180cm.
Fu Fei asked excitedly, “Am I really 180cm now?”
Xu Baichuan nodded. “Yes, congratulations. When the stylist measured you a few days ago, your height was exactly 180cm, which means you’ve grown another centimeter in the past six months.”
Fu Fei’s data had been submitted in January, when he measured 179cm. Being young, he still had room to grow. His wish to reach 180cm before debut had finally come true.
Fu Fei grinned happily. “Hehe, now we’re officially an all-180cm team!”
After finalizing other details through the group chat, the manager would forward everything to the publicity department for creating their official encyclopedic entries.
A new file titled “Artistic Signatures” appeared in the group chat. Xu Baichuan explained, “These are custom signature designs for you as artists. Each person has three options—save the one you like or design your own if none appeal to you. I’ve prepared paper and pens so you can practice your signatures thoroughly during the next few days.”
Fu Fei happily exclaimed, “These look great! The character for ‘Fei’ in mine looks like it’s about to take flight!”
Fang Yinnian’s signature designs were also quite flowing and elegant. He selected his favorite and saved it.
These artistic signatures would accompany them throughout their careers and needed to be perfected—they would frequently use them at events and for fan autographs.
Mo Xun asked, “We don’t have fans yet—nobody’s asking for our signatures, right? Do we really need to practice so urgently?”
Xu Baichuan replied, “There will be a signature wall at the 10th anniversary event that all performing artists must sign. It will eventually be displayed at company headquarters as a memento. When the five of you sign, remember not to write in the center C-position—stick to the lower corners. Junwen, you should draw the FTM logo, and the rest of you sign in a circle around it for better visual effect.”
Tan Junwen nodded. “Got it.”
Another colorful promotional page appeared in the chat. Xu Baichuan continued, “This is the concert program. You’re scheduled around 10 PM as the eighth act—please review it carefully. For this concert, the company has partnered with Tao Corporation to livestream the entire event on the TaoHe app. They’ve also hired an executive director and host.”
Whoa! A full livestream?!
TaoHe was one of the three major video platforms in China. Tan Junwen was even a VIP Diamond member who regularly watched dramas there.
The five hadn’t expected the 10th anniversary to be such a grand affair—a concert with a full network livestream.
They immediately bent their heads nervously to examine the program.
“All of Shengyao’s popular singers will be there—Tao Yizhou, He Yan, Xie Shiqi, Black Sky Band… with veteran artist Luo Hua closing the show.” Mo Xun’s eyes quickly scanned the program before he asked with confusion, “Why isn’t FTM listed here?”
Xu Baichuan explained, “This program will be released publicly tomorrow, but the news of your debut is being kept secret by the company for now. During the concert, you’ll appear as a ‘surprise special act.’”
Tang Che quipped sarcastically, “A boy band suddenly appearing—I don’t know if that’s a pleasant surprise or a shocking surprise.”
Xu Baichuan gave him a look. “If you sing well, it’s a pleasant surprise. If you mess up, it’s a shocking one.”
Everyone: “…”
Better make it a pleasant surprise then.
Fang Yinnian quietly gripped his phone—he noticed that Xie Shiqi was listed as the seventh performer on the program.
Xie Shiqi would sing two songs, immediately followed by a “10th Anniversary Surprise Special.”
—They would be performing right after the diva.
Following the original singer, who was also his idol, Fang Yinnian felt indescribable pressure.
Mo Xun noticed Fang Yinnian’s sudden silence and asked quietly, “Yinnian, are you okay? You look pale.”
Fang Yinnian forced a smile. “I’m a bit nervous.”
Mo Xun said, “It’s definitely nerve-wracking to perform after the original singer. Don’t worry, we’ll adjust our mindset when we get there.”
The slow-to-react Fu Fei looked at the program again and finally realized, “Holy crap! Is THE Xie Shiqi performing right before us? If we don’t sing well, we’ll be humiliated in front of everyone!”
Tang Che asked, “Who arranged this hellish lineup?”
Xu Baichuan replied, “The boss arranged it.”
The five: “…”
Fang Yinnian felt like a mountain was pressing down on him.
As he was silently adjusting his mindset, a phone suddenly rang in the front seat.
Xu Baichuan answered, “Hello… What? They’re joining too? Hmm… alright, have the parts been assigned?… Okay, send it to my email.”
After hanging up, Xu Baichuan turned around and said, “I have news that might be either good or bad.”
The five immediately perked up their ears.
Mo Xun braced himself. “Whether good or bad, just tell us!”
Xu Baichuan said, “To celebrate the 10th anniversary, the concert will close with all performers singing the theme song ‘Shining Voices’ together. The lyrics have been distributed—there are many singers this time, so you’ll need to sing one line independently and then join in for a small part of the final chorus.”
He forwarded the file to their group chat. “You’ll sing the second line of the chorus independently, which is highlighted in red.”
Fang Yinnian reviewed the score once and immediately sang, “Every syllable is a signal of life?”
His pitch was perfect—he could find the most precise note as soon as he opened his mouth.
Hearing Fang Yinnian’s voice, Xu Baichuan felt relieved. He nodded and said, “That’s right, that line. The range is moderate—neither too high nor too low. Practice it and decide whether everyone should sing in the same key or arrange it as a harmony version.”
Mo Xun didn’t hesitate: “Let’s do harmony.”
Everyone looked at their captain. Mo Xun smiled and said, “Harmony is FTM’s signature, isn’t it?”
Even though they were only assigned one line in the group performance, they would harmonize it well to create a unique sound. After all, their encyclopedia entry described them as a “vocal harmony and dance group”—they needed to make that trademark part of their DNA.
Although Tan Junwen had struggled with harmony practice, he supported the captain’s decision this time. “Let’s harmonize. It’s just one line, and we have eight days to practice. By the way, we don’t need to harmonize for the final all-performer chorus, right?”
Fang Yinnian said, “Probably not—there will be over a dozen singers joining the grand chorus.”
Fu Fei asked, “How will we arrange the harmony? If Brother Nian sings the main melody, the four of us will need to change our keys.”
Xu Baichuan replied, “Teacher Qiao will be at the concert to assist with rehearsals. I’ll ask her to prepare the harmony arrangement for you to practice. It’s just one line, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. After nearly three weeks of harmony practice, they had developed a good sense of how to approach it.
A single line lasting less than 10 seconds, with 8 days to practice—they could definitely master it. Plus, performing in the grand finale with all the other artists was a rare opportunity.
Xu Baichuan turned to look at them again. “By the way, do you want your families to attend your debut stage?”
This question made all five pause.
Xu Baichuan continued, “You’ll have many performances in the future. But the debut appearance is a one-time event for FTM. For such an important moment in your lives, would you like your families and friends to witness it from the audience?”
Fu Fei exclaimed excitedly, “Yes, absolutely! My grandmother was thrilled about my debut and really wanted to come, but she couldn’t get tickets!”
Mo Xun added, “My parents couldn’t get tickets either.”
Tan Junwen raised his hand. “Me too.”
Xu Baichuan said, “Then how about this—I’ll arrange two private boxes that can accommodate up to 16 guests. You can decide among yourselves who to invite. Your family and friends can fly to Yaan on the 17th and stay at the Yaan International Hotel. After watching the concert on the 18th, they can either stay a few more days for sightseeing or return home. Return tickets can be booked at their convenience—I’ll cover all round-trip flights, hotel, and meals.”
The five members: “…………”
How fortunate they were to have such a thoughtful manager!!
Xu Baichuan was right—they would have many performances throughout their lives. But their debut stage—FTM’s first official appearance—would happen only once. Missing it would be a lifelong regret.
Their parents would surely want to witness their sons’ debut performance in person.
However, for such a star-studded concert, tickets were impossible to get—even fans of established artists were fighting desperately for them.
As complete unknowns, they hadn’t dared ask for internal “guest tickets” from the company.
They hadn’t expected Xu Baichuan to offer this arrangement proactively, and it warmed their hearts. Xu truly cared about them—not just superficially, but by considering things from their perspective, like a parent looking after their interests.
Mo Xun said decisively, “Then we’ll gratefully accept. Thank you, Brother Xu!”
Xu Baichuan raised an eyebrow. “Why are you suddenly calling me ‘Brother Xu’ instead of ‘Director Xu’?”
Mo Xun smiled. “Since we’ll be seeing each other frequently, ‘Director Xu’ feels too formal. You’re only about 10-15 years older than us—I think ‘Brother Xu’ sounds more personable?”
Xu Baichuan pretended to be serious. “I’m more than 20 years older than you—I’m almost 40.”
Fu Fei grinned. “That just shows how successful you are—becoming an executive by 40!”
Xu Baichuan gave him a look. “Stop with the flattery. I’ll be very strict with you all in the future. But regarding what you call me… although I’m old enough to be your uncle, ‘Brother Xu’ does sound better than ‘Uncle Xu’… alright, ‘Brother Xu’ it is!”
Everyone laughed—calling him “Uncle Xu” would have been too strange.
Even the driver chuckled. “Don’t let Old Xu’s serious appearance fool you—he’s actually very approachable.”
Xu Baichuan cleared his throat, touching his nose self-consciously before continuing seriously, “The relationship between artists and their manager requires mutual trust and support. I’ll do my best to secure more resources for you. In return, I hope you’ll cooperate with my work, okay?”
Mo Xun replied, “Of course. Don’t worry, Brother Xu—we’ll fully cooperate.”
Xu Baichuan nodded. “Good. After your debut on the 18th, you’ll have relatively free time from August 19-31. Focus on dance practice during this period. I might also book you for some variety shows to maintain exposure and keep your post-debut momentum going.”
“For now, focus on this performance. Don’t put too much pressure on yourselves—we’re not aiming for an explosive debut, just a solid performance.”
“Understood!” The five felt reassured after hearing this.
The importance of a good manager in the entertainment industry couldn’t be overstated. What resources artists could access, what treatment they received, even what clothes they could borrow for events—all depended on their manager’s negotiations.
They had no objections to appearing on variety shows after the concert. Their original songs weren’t ready yet, so they’d be relatively free anyway. While practicing dance privately, they needed to maintain public visibility.
As newcomers with limited understanding of the industry and no connections or resources, they needed a reliable guide.
Although Shengyao had rushed their debut, they had assigned them a truly capable manager who could coordinate various departments efficiently and arrange everything in an orderly manner on short notice.
Most importantly, Xu Baichuan didn’t look down on them for being unknowns—instead, he genuinely respected their opinions.
—
Their flight took off smoothly. After arriving at the hotel that evening, Fang Yinnian called his family. The concert happened to fall on a weekend, so his parents and grandmother could attend.
That night, all the family members who could attend were added to a group chat.
Everyone in the chat changed their display names to formats like “XX’s Dad” or “XX’s Mom,” making it feel like a parent-teacher conference.
Xu Baichuan specifically assigned an assistant to receive them and announced in the group: “Hello to all family members. Since the five team members will be busy with rehearsals these next few days, and I’ll be supervising the venue, we’ll be extremely occupied with little time to host you properly. I’ve arranged Assistant Chen to help with all your flight, hotel, and meal arrangements. Please contact Chen in the group chat for any issues.”
Assistant Chen promptly introduced herself: “Your all-purpose assistant here! Family members, feel free to message me privately with any questions~”
The group chat flooded with flower and applause emojis.
“Director Xu, you’re too kind! Don’t worry about us—let the boys focus on their rehearsals.”
“We’re so grateful for the guest tickets! Thank you, Director Xu!”
“Thank you for your help, Assistant Chen. We’ll send our ID information privately to you—please book us flights for the evening of the 17th.”
The parents and relatives continued chatting in the group.
With the manager having made such thorough arrangements, the five members felt reassured. Without worries about their families’ accommodations, they could concentrate fully on practicing.
—
After arriving in Yaan, the group was taken by Xu Baichuan to practice with the piano.
The piano was borrowed from the local music academy. Fang Yinnian quickly familiarized himself with the touch sensitivity of the keys and adapted to the new instrument, allowing him to rehearse live performances with his teammates’ harmonies.
The group also practiced their line for the grand finale chorus several times after Teacher Qiao’s arrangement. Since they only had one independent line to sing and two lines in the final group performance, they mastered it quickly.
Their training days in Yaan were proceeding very smoothly.
Before they knew it, August 15th had arrived—just three days before the concert.
Xu Baichuan announced in the group chat: “The stage setup is complete, and the director is in position. Today at 4 PM, we’ll go to the venue for the official rehearsal!”
![After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Your-paragraph-text-1.png "After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]")