Fang Yinnian had been mentally tense these past few days. After last night’s successful performance, he finally relaxed and slept especially deeply, waking up in a daze close to noon the next day.
Looking at the time on his phone, he muttered to himself, “How did I sleep until eleven…”
Mo Xun, lying on the adjacent bed browsing Weibo, heard this and smiled, saying, “You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you. We don’t have any other plans today—just lunch with our parents, then an evening flight back to Jiangzhou. Sleeping in a bit is fine.”
Fang Yinnian rubbed his eyes as he got up and asked, “What time did you wake up?”
Mo Xun replied, “A little after nine.”
Xu Baichuan sent a message to the group: “Everyone meet downstairs at 11:30.”
Fang Yinnian hurried into the bathroom to quickly wash up.
After both changed clothes and went downstairs, the other three soon arrived in the hotel lobby. Since they would be meeting parents, everyone dressed in simple but appropriate attire, all coincidentally choosing the fail-safe combination of jeans and t-shirts.
Xu Baichuan rushed down in the elevator with Assistant Chen beside him. Both carried various packages, and Mo Xun stepped forward to help: “Brother Xu, what are these?”
Xu Baichuan replied, “Some gifts prepared for your parents. Let’s go—our car is at the main entrance.”
The group left the hotel lobby and saw a large tour bus parked at the entrance, where their parents had also gathered after receiving instructions to meet there.
Fang Yinnian quickly approached his family, smiling as he called out: “Dad, Mom, Grandmother.”
His grandmother was 75 years old with completely white hair, but she looked quite energetic. Fang Yinnian’s parents had always been busy with work, so his grandmother had raised him since childhood, cooking delicious meals for him daily, which was why they were especially close.
Fang Yinnian stepped forward to hug his grandmother, who immediately reached out to ruffle his hair, smiling with eyes narrowed: “Nian Nian, wonderful! Your song yesterday sounded so beautiful—everyone’s been praising you.”
Fang Yinnian asked, “Really?”
His father also smiled and said, “Our Nian Nian will soon be a big star.”
Fang Yinnian’s ears reddened: “Dad, keep your voice down. We’re still just an unknown group—hardly big stars.”
His mother had always opposed Fang Yinnian becoming a singer. She had encouraged his piano playing from childhood, hoping he would focus on that path. But after watching last night’s performance, she discovered… her son seemed to shine on stage.
The venue’s LED screens had magnified Fang Yinnian’s face, showing his serious and immersed expression while singing.
In that moment, she suddenly understood her son’s choice.
Fang Yinnian wanted to be a singer more than anything—he had loved singing since childhood, which explained why he looked so happy while performing, right?
His mother stepped forward, gently patted Fang Yinnian’s shoulder, and spoke in a much softer tone: “You’ve grown up. Since you’ve chosen this path, pursue it seriously and don’t give up halfway.”
Fang Yinnian smiled with curved eyes: “I understand, Mom.”
Xu Baichuan’s voice came from nearby: “Parents, please prepare to board the bus.”
Everyone lined up to board and found their seats.
Fang Yinnian sat with his grandmother, with his parents beside them. Mo Xun’s family sat in the row behind.
The bus departed smoothly. With so many parents present, all five members felt too shy to speak, and the bus suddenly fell silent.
Xu Baichuan unexpectedly called out: “Mo Xun, say something—don’t let it get awkward.”
Mo Xun: “…”
Being called on by the teacher during a parent-teacher meeting was truly embarrassing—Fang Yinnian felt relieved that Old Xu hadn’t called his name.
The bus was moving too quickly for Mo Xun to stand up, so he remained seated and spoke in a clear voice: “Welcome, uncles, aunts, grandparents, sister and brother-in-law. We’ve been too busy with rehearsals these past few days to properly attend to everyone. How did yesterday’s performance look?”
A chorus of praise echoed through the bus: “Really great!” “The singing was beautiful.”
Mo Xun smiled and said, “We were actually very nervous during rehearsals, but somehow last night we exceeded even our own expectations.”
Fang Yinnian couldn’t help smiling—Mo Xun handled such social situations with ease. In the future, the responsibility of dealing with reporters should definitely fall to you, Captain.
Suddenly, a girl’s voice called from the back of the bus: “Brother Nian, hello!”
Fang Yinnian turned around to meet a girl’s clear eyes.
She looked about fifteen or sixteen, with very fair skin, wearing a simple beige dress. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail with wispy bangs, and her smile radiated energy.
The girl quickly took out a notebook and pen from her backpack and handed them to Fang Yinnian, saying, “I’m Mo Yao, Mo Xun’s sister—’Yao’ as in ‘distant.’ I absolutely love your voice! Could you give me a personalized autograph?”
“Of course.” Fang Yinnian accepted the notebook and signed: “To sister Mo Yao, wishing you academic success and everything going smoothly.”
The girl was overjoyed: “Could brother Junwen, brother Che, and brother Fei sign too? I want to collect all of FTM’s signatures!”
Fang Yinnian passed the notebook forward: “Everyone, please write a personalized signature for Mo Xun’s sister.”
His teammates obligingly signed for her, with Tan Junwen even adding a small cartoon portrait of himself.
Mo Xun teased, “Mo Yao, you’re really at the forefront of fandom, aren’t you?”
Mo Yao said proudly: “I want to be FTM’s first dedicated fan.” Finally, she handed the notebook to her brother: “You sign too.”
Mo Xun added his signature and returned it to her: “Keep it safe. Don’t sell it after we become famous.”
Laughter rippled through the bus.
Mo Yao exclaimed excitedly: “I’ve got FTM’s first complete set of signatures! I’m going to frame this and hang it on my wall when I get home!”
Fang Yinnian glanced at the back row. Mo Xun must have a good relationship with his sister—she was quite adorable.
Fu Fei’s grandmother and Fang Yinnian’s grandmother began chatting casually, while other parents conversed quietly.
They had been too busy with rehearsals to attend to their families these past few days, but Assistant Chen had been organizing family gatherings, so everyone had already become acquainted. The atmosphere in the bus was warm and harmonious.
A moment later, the bus arrived at the restaurant.
The private kitchen had an excellent ambiance. Xu Baichuan had reserved a private room with a large round table that could seat over twenty people.
Yaan was a coastal city, so local specialties featured seafood. Xu Baichuan had pre-ordered the dishes, and the servers began bringing them out as soon as they arrived. Lobster, king crab, various types of abalone and sea cucumber—everything was available.
This meal was prepared to standard for honored guests and must have cost quite a bit. Was the company reimbursing it, or was Brother Xu paying out of pocket? Fang Yinnian eyed the lobster and crabs eagerly—he loved seafood and could really indulge in this feast.
The dishes were quickly served, and Xu Baichuan took the initiative to pick up his beverage, smiling as he said: “Many of us have return trips today, and I need to take these five youngsters back to Jiangzhou, so we’ll skip alcohol—substituting with tea instead, I’d like to offer a toast to everyone.”
Everyone stood up, raising their drinks.
Xu Baichuan continued: “Thank you to all family members who traveled from afar to personally witness their first stage performance, and congratulations to our five FTM members on their successful debut!”
Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip.
Xu Baichuan smiled: “Please sit down, make yourselves comfortable. Let’s eat and chat.”
Fang Yinnian sat down, put on gloves, and began skillfully peeling shrimp, placing one in his grandmother’s bowl first.
Xu Baichuan continued: “The entertainment industry is much more complex than you might imagine. Today, besides sharing a meal, there are some matters I’d like to clarify with everyone in advance.”
The parents immediately perked up their ears.
Fang Yinnian silently thought to himself: *It really is like a parent-teacher conference—the homeroom teacher is about to give his speech.*
However, Old Xu’s approach was correct.
The families didn’t understand this industry, and if things weren’t explained clearly in advance, family members might unwittingly say inappropriate things at crucial moments, which could be screenshotted and scrutinized by netizens, creating problems for them.
Just recently, a celebrity had been thrust into the spotlight due to parents who were “overly dramatic.”
As relatives of celebrities, they too would need to be careful with their words and actions from now on.
Sure enough, Xu Baichuan said: “These five young people have now officially debuted and are considered public figures, with many eyes watching them. I hope family members will avoid posting various lengthy statements on social media platforms—let’s maintain a low profile.”
He emphasized: “Even if you encounter negative news in the future, I understand family anxiety, but please don’t speak out on your own, as netizens might scrutinize screenshots for any inconsistencies. The company will handle crisis public relations—if you’re really concerned, call me first to confirm.”
The parents nodded in understanding.
If one day these young men were negatively trending on hot searches, and a bunch of “Fang Yinnian’s father” or “Mo Xun’s mother” commenters appeared online, whether they could help was uncertain—but they would definitely complicate matters.
Don’t speak on matters you don’t understand—this principle was what Xu Baichuan needed to clarify in advance.
Xu Baichuan continued: “Additionally, in yesterday’s debut performance, Yinnian and Tang Che had more singing parts, while the other three had less. Let me explain that our group differs from other boy bands that divide lyrics equally. As a harmony group, to make the entire song sound better, we arrange various harmony styles, which may result in unequal parts.”
“You don’t need to worry about whether your child is being treated unfairly.”
“I promise that all five are equally important to me, and I’ll be completely fair. Within our group, we won’t compare popularity, won’t set individual support colors, and won’t encourage fan conflicts. Since we’re starting later than other boy bands, rather than creating internal division to retain fans, we need to present a united front. Only by working together can we possibly compete with top-tier boy bands.”
The parents exchanged glances—this statement contained a lot of information.
Especially the final line about “competing with top-tier boy bands” caught the parents by surprise.
Honestly, everyone hoped their child would have more opportunities to shine. In last night’s debut, Fang Yinnian and Tang Che had stood out brilliantly, while Mo Xun, Tan Junwen, and Fu Fei had become “supporting roles.” Though these three sets of parents didn’t say anything outwardly, they all felt somewhat unhappy internally.
But after Xu Baichuan’s special explanation today, everyone felt truly reassured.
Competition in the entertainment industry was fierce. For their unknown group to succeed, unity was crucial.
Outsiders didn’t understand how to distribute parts in a song or arrange subsequent activities. But the manager’s promise of fairness eliminated parents’ concerns about their children being treated unfairly.
Sure enough, after Xu Baichuan’s speech, the parents’ faces all showed hints of smiles.
A man with slightly curly hair and a gentle, refined demeanor smiled and said: “Director Xu, our Junwen has always been rather lazy, with enthusiasm that typically lasts only three minutes for anything. In the future, if he does something wrong, please feel free to scold him.”
Fu Fei’s father chimed in: “Xiao Fei has been mischievous since childhood—if he makes mistakes, discipline him directly, no need to be polite.”
“That’s right. We don’t understand entertainment industry rules. If they don’t perform well in the future, please criticize and educate them.”
“Exactly, they’re young and not mature enough—standards should be strict.”
The five members: “……”
Great, the parent-teacher meeting had achieved its purpose.
Old Xu was indeed experienced. This way, parents wouldn’t interfere with the group’s future activities.
Unlike entertainment industry business dinners where resources were discussed, this private gathering didn’t require the five to take turns toasting their parents. After Manager Xu’s speech, everyone sat in their respective seats and enjoyed the food happily.
Fang Yinnian was also secretly observing his teammates’ families. Mo Xun looked about 70% like his father, who appeared very serious. His mother, however, was quite smiley, with her hair in a bun, wearing a qipao that gave her an elegant appearance. He heard that both husband and wife worked at a bank.
Tan Junwen’s father was a photographer, and his mother was a publishing editor. His father said that Tan Junwen had originally aspired to be a painter, which is why he studied painting from a young age and got into art school, but then suddenly went off to become an idol, shocking both his parents.
If CEO Xu hadn’t intervened, his parents would have come to confront him during rehearsals two days ago. Junwen was so unreliable—how could he not discuss such an important matter with his family?
Xiao Fei’s parents reportedly ran a fruit shop, and his grandparents were retired factory workers.
Tang Che’s parents didn’t come; his older sister was pursuing a PhD at Jiangzhou University, and his brother-in-law was a lawyer.
All five of them came from working-class families; there weren’t any rich second-generation elites. Their parents were also quite easy to get along with, politely finishing their meal before going their separate ways. After all, they were working people who had to return to work tomorrow.
After lunch, the five of them returned to the hotel together.
They had a flight to Jiangzhou at 9 PM, and Xu Baichuan told everyone to rest, with departure for the airport at 6 PM.
Feeling bored, Fang Yinnian lay on the bed scrolling through his phone. When he opened Weibo, he suddenly froze.
What was going on?
When he woke up this morning, his follower count was around 100,000. After just one lunch, there were red notification dots in the upper right corner showing thousands of reposts and comments, and his follower count had actually… doubled?!
Fang Yinnian rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
With so many comments, could he be getting cyberbullied?
He nervously clicked in, only to find a large number of strange comments.
“Coming from Bilibili, following you!”
“Haha, what an obscure new boy band, I’ll be an early supporter.”
“Bilibili users reporting in, go newbies!”
“Indeed a grassroots operation, they’ve only posted this one Weibo.”
He was about to ask Mo Xun, but Mo Xun spoke first: “What’s going on? Why are there so many people from Bilibili on my Weibo?”
Fang Yinnian said: “Me too.”
The two of them looked at each other’s comments together, exchanging bewildered glances.
What had happened?
