TTIG Chapter 18

[Rehearsal Scene]

 

The central elevator platform was 40 square meters—still spacious even with a grand piano in place.

 

Xu Baichuan helped them position themselves correctly.

 

Director Liu’s voice echoed throughout the venue over the walkie-talkie: “Everyone in position! Countdown 3, 2, 1—elevator platform, rise!”

 

At the director’s command, the panel above them that served as a “lid” suddenly split open to the left and right. The evening sunlight streamed in as their elevator platform began to rise rapidly.

 

It felt like a scene from a science fiction movie—incredibly thrilling!

 

In an instant, the five were elevated to the main stage.

 

Fang Yinnian looked around. They were positioned exactly at the plaza in front of the central castle they had seen earlier.

 

This rehearsal was for blocking purposes only—no music or singing yet, just determining camera positions.

 

Director Liu called through his walkie-talkie: “Camera 1, test shot. Let me check the effect with the broadcast director.”

 

After a moment, the director said, “That curly-haired young man… yes, you—turn 45 degrees to the right.”

 

Tan Junwen immediately adjusted his angle. “Like this?”

 

Director Liu seemed to be confirming with the broadcast director. After a pause, he nodded. “That’s good. Remember your positions and don’t move around. Camera 5, prepare for close-up shots… Pay attention to the cameras! Close-ups will be magnified on screen—don’t give your profile, face the camera directly.”

 

The five were so nervous they could barely breathe.

 

There are so many cameras around—which one should we look at?!

 

Xu Baichuan quickly apologized. “Sorry, Director Liu. This is their first time on stage and they don’t know how to find camera positions. Let me give them a quick lesson.”

 

Director Liu sighed. “Fine, hurry up and teach them.”

 

Xu Baichuan stepped forward and pointed to several cameras. “Don’t worry about identifying Camera 1 or Camera 5. These cameras are on motorized tracks and will move continuously. When a camera rotates to face you and you see its red light on, that’s your signal to give the audience a direct frontal shot, which will be projected onto the LED screens.”

 

“Don’t worry about the cameras otherwise. Don’t look around trying to find camera positions—let the cameras find you. Understand?”

 

The five generally understood but still felt somewhat confused. They had no experience singing while being mindful of camera positions. They might get too absorbed in their performance and fail to notice when cameras approached them, leaving them showing only their profiles to viewers.

 

Xu Baichuan reassured them, “Don’t worry—you’ll rehearse several times and get familiar with it. If you’re not sure about facial expressions, just focus on singing, but try not to keep your eyes closed the entire time.”

 

All five nodded. “Got it.”

 

Stage presence was another important quality for singers. They lacked experience and would need to develop this skill gradually.

 

Director Liu called out impatiently, “Are you ready, Old Xu?”

 

Xu Baichuan gave a hand signal. “We’re ready, Director Liu. Should we go through it with the master track first?”

 

Director Liu: “OK, all teams in position. Lower the elevator platform, sound team prepare the music—321, rise!”

 

They were lowered underground and then raised again moments later.

 

As the elevator platform reached the surface, familiar instrumental music began playing. The five stood there waiting for cameras to film them, but the constantly rotating camera positions were making them dizzy.

 

Xu Baichuan signaled to Director Liu: “Director Liu, during the second verse, the elevator platform should continue to rise.”

 

The director spoke into the walkie-talkie: “Elevator platform, higher!”

 

As the second verse began, the platform rose again, stopping at its highest point during the second chorus—just when Fang Yinnian and Tang Che were about to hit their high notes.

 

Fu Fei looked down at the empty seats filling the stadium below and turned pale. “Damn, it goes up this high…”

 

Tan Junwen smiled. “Singing while suspended in mid-air—that’s incredibly cool, brothers.”

 

Mo Xun quietly reminded them, “Be careful, don’t move around.”

 

Fang Yinnian had only heard their manager describe the elevator platform arrangement. Only after actually ascending did he realize how spectacular this setup was.

 

If they began rising during the second verse, they could time their ascent with the song’s rhythm, reaching the peak as the song hit its climax.

 

He and Tang Che would deliver explosive high notes at that moment.

 

Their voices would resonate throughout the entire venue.

 

With spotlights shining down from above, the visual effect would be absolutely stunning.

 

Fortunately, their manager had insisted on using the elevator platform and piano—otherwise, the visual impact would have been greatly reduced.

 

Xu Baichuan double-checked the elevator platform’s timing with the staff.

 

The director, tired of verifying details, suggested: “Old Xu, stay backstage during the performance and coordinate the elevator platform based on the music’s rhythm. The staff aren’t familiar with your song and might not time it correctly.”

 

Xu Baichuan immediately gave an OK signal. “No problem, I’ll handle the timing!”

 

Director Liu announced through the walkie-talkie: “Next, we’ll test the in-ear monitors and microphone effects. Sing a section with your microphones on—not the entire song, just the chorus harmony to check if all five microphones work well together.”

 

Fang Yinnian began playing the piano, and his teammates immediately joined in with their five-part harmony.

 

Director Liu asked, “Sound team, how is it?”

 

A female voice came from the right castle: “Director Liu, the piano audio is too quiet. The main vocalist’s microphone has static noise and needs to be replaced. Also, that handsome guy with the ponytail—his microphone is too loud and drowning out everyone else’s voices.”

 

Director Liu ordered, “Adjust everything quickly!”

 

A group of staff members with “Sound Team” badges rushed onto the stage to adjust their microphones and in-ear monitors.

 

Director Liu shouted into his walkie-talkie: “Wire team, move that moon to the right behind the castle! Otherwise, when the elevator platform rises, it will block the drone’s panoramic shot!”

 

“Props team, clear away those items on the right side of the stage immediately! Stop dawdling and delaying the rehearsal, will you?”

 

The five members: “…”

 

The executive director’s voice had grown hoarse from constant shouting.

 

They were witnessing firsthand the chaotic reality of large-scale events.

 

It took tremendous effort for a performance to appear perfect to an audience—the backstage staff were spinning like tops trying to coordinate everything.

 

—

 

The five were raised and lowered countless times. As rookies venturing beyond the “newbie village” for the first time, they felt bewildered about many aspects of the process.

 

As dusk approached, they finally managed to coordinate camera positions, sound effects, and other details.

 

Director Liu’s voice came through: “Ready—this time sing the whole song with microphones on!”

 

Fang Yinnian asked quietly, “Brother Xu, since the band will provide live accompaniment, should I rehearse with them a few times?”

 

All songs in the concert would feature live band accompaniment rather than pre-recorded tracks.

 

For their song, Fang Yinnian would open with piano and vocals, but having only piano throughout would be too monotonous. Therefore, during arrangement, they had added string instruments for the climactic sections to enhance the atmosphere.

 

Fang Yinnian hadn’t rehearsed with the concert’s band yet and was concerned about coordinating their timing properly.

 

Xu Baichuan reassured him, “The band will follow your rhythm—your piano is the lead instrument. Don’t worry, Teacher Qiao will personally conduct the band.”

 

Fang Yinnian: “Teacher Qiao is here too?!”

 

Xu Baichuan nodded. “She’s inside the central castle.”

 

Fang Yinnian sighed with relief, feeling instantly reassured by this information.

 

Following Director Liu’s countdown, the elevator platform rose once again.

 

This time it was a formal rehearsal with lighting, sound effects, and live microphones.

 

The moment the five were delivered to the stage, the darkened stadium suddenly brightened—

 

Spotlights precision-targeted the central elevator platform, illuminating all five members.

 

It was a remarkable feeling, as if they had become the focal point of the entire stage.

 

Fang Yinnian blinked at the intense light, took a deep breath, and began playing the piano.

 

Fluid piano melodies immediately resonated throughout the venue.

 

—”As long as the piano is brought up, I won’t play a single wrong note.”

 

His promise wasn’t empty boasting. His piano playing was as flawless as a pre-recorded track—incredibly stable.

 

After a gentle instrumental introduction, Fang Yinnian began singing the first verse, his amplified voice echoing throughout the stadium.

 

Director Liu paused in surprise—this newcomer’s voice was beautiful!

 

The sound team members exchanged glances.

 

His voice was full and rich even without audio processing, with exceptional texture. Opening alone with piano and vocals? And showing no signs of stage fright.

 

There wasn’t even the slightest tremor in his voice.

 

Very steady.

 

Director Liu quietly asked Xu Baichuan, “This young man is your boy band’s lead vocalist?”

 

Xu Baichuan replied proudly, “Yes. Not bad, right?”

 

Director Liu smiled. “He’s got something special!”

 

…

 

They soon reached the harmony sections.

 

Xiao Fei’s voice trembled slightly—he was extremely nervous. Tang Che’s voice also sounded tense, his falsetto transitions less smooth than usual, clearly showing his nervousness as well.

 

Mo Xun’s performance was adequate with no mistakes, but his expression management was problematic. On close-up camera shots, his face looked so serious it resembled someone at a political criticism meeting.

 

Tan Junwen, surprisingly, was the most relaxed. Despite his vocal weaknesses, he was completely comfortable in the large venue. Perhaps due to his previous experience in rap competitions, his stage presence was relatively rich. Combined with his naturally laid-back personality, his relaxed attitude translated extremely well on camera.

 

Fang Yinnian remained steady throughout.

 

—He was like an “anchor” for the entire group!

 

Throughout the performance, he didn’t miss a single note in his singing or piano playing, and hit his high notes effortlessly.

 

Listening to his voice, Xu Baichuan’s face lit up with pride.

 

This was exactly why the vocal team had repeatedly discussed and selected him as lead vocalist!

 

In such a high-pressure environment, if the lead vocalist couldn’t maintain composure, everything would fall apart.

 

As long as Yinnian remained stable, at least the song’s main melody would sound good. The others could adjust their mindsets and perform better during the official show.

 

After completing the song, the elevator platform slowly descended back to ground level.

 

Fang Yinnian’s palms were covered in sweat.

 

Director Liu reviewed the recording and said, “Let’s do it once more. After the elevator platform is suspended, lighting team and props team, add some aurora diamond effects. Three aurora lights, snow machines blowing from above the castle. All teams prepare—321, begin!”

 

No one understood what this special effect meant.

 

The pure white spotlights from before had looked quite good already.

 

Until the second rehearsal, when they were suspended in mid-air…

 

With a sudden flash, three beams of light shot simultaneously from three angles at the top of the castle.

 

The silver-white aurora gradient lighting effect was filled with countless “diamond fragments.”

 

The five of them were enveloped in this spectacular light show, appearing as if they were suspended in a river of diamonds among the stars!

 

They exchanged glances, their excitement beyond description.

 

Xu Baichuan exclaimed, “The effect is incredible!”

 

Director Liu smiled and said, “We added some special effects for you, perfect for those high notes. Let your lead vocalist really shine.”

 

Xu Baichuan stepped forward to shake his hand gratefully. “Thank you, Director Liu! Sorry for taking up so much of your time with all these rehearsals today. I’ve ordered milk tea for all the staff—it should arrive soon. Thank you for your hard work.”

 

Director Liu replied, “It’s nothing. That’s thoughtful of you.”

 

Xu Baichuan gestured to the five members.

 

They immediately ran over and bowed together. “Thank you, Director Liu.”

 

The director waved dismissively. “You’re welcome. Now hurry and clear out when you’re finished—other singers are coming next.”

 

The five returned backstage and left the venue with their manager.

 

On the way back, Fu Fei couldn’t help asking, “Brother Xu, why did the director suddenly change our lighting effect? That diamond aurora effect was absolutely stunning.”

 

Tan Junwen was also curious. “How did they create that diamond fragment effect? It looked so premium—far better than the single-color spotlights.”

 

Xu Baichuan explained, “It’s a combination of laser lights, starfield projectors, and snow machines on the roof, creating the effect of countless diamonds falling from the sky. The director saw that you sang well and decided to put extra effort into your design.”

 

Everyone: “…”

 

The director is so generous!

 

Xu Baichuan looked at them. “In the entertainment industry, remember to be courteous to the behind-the-scenes staff—it will benefit you.”

 

The five quickly nodded in understanding.

 

The stage effects were ultimately controlled by the executive director.

 

If the director had insisted they couldn’t use the piano, they would have had no choice. Fortunately, today’s director was reasonable, the backstage staff were cooperative, and their rehearsal went smoothly, even receiving upgraded lighting effects.

 

Fu Fei clenched his fist and took a deep breath. “I’ll practice a few more times—I definitely can’t be nervous during the official performance. Standing up there, you don’t know how much my legs were shaking! My goodness, it was my first time singing from such a height!”

 

Tang Che said, “Same here—first time in such a massive stadium.” He turned to Fang Yinnian. “Weren’t you nervous at all?”

 

Fang Yinnian wiped the sweat from his palms and smiled. “Actually, I was extremely nervous too. But I’ve played piano since childhood, and whenever I sit at the piano, I feel the world becomes quiet, making it easier to calm my mind.”

 

Tan Junwen exclaimed in surprise, “You mean the piano isn’t a debuff for you but actually a buff?”

 

Fang Yinnian nodded. “Yes. The piano is like my companion—with it there, I can focus better.”

 

Listening to their conversation, Xu Baichuan said with satisfaction, “Overall, the rehearsal went quite well. Yinnian was very stable—keep that up. Everyone else, adjust your mindset a bit. With this rehearsal experience, you should perform much better at the actual show!”

 

All five responded in unison: “Understood.”

 

Mo Xun suggested, “Since we don’t need to attend rehearsal tomorrow, let’s practice a few more times ourselves? To ensure everything goes perfectly.”

 

Fu Fei nodded eagerly. “Yes! Let’s sing through it several more times.”

 

Tang Che: “Agreed.”

 

Tan Junwen: “Count me in.”

 

It was clear that their teammates’ fighting spirit had been fully ignited.

 

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