FTM’s crisis management became a classic case study in the industry, transforming the negative trending topic #First Big Scandal of the Year# into an exciting series. Various memes went viral, and they actually rode this popularity to soar higher.
FTM’s fame was completely established.
Even non-celebrity-following masses would have an impression when FTM was mentioned—those poor little idols who got cyberbullied.
Of course, some who didn’t get the full story still used various out-of-context brainwashing content to mock FTM.
You can’t wake someone pretending to sleep. In haters’ eyes, even their breathing was wrong—no need to argue with such people.
After the New Year’s holiday ended, the five returned to school to prepare for final exams.
On the 13th, after Tang Che finished his finals, everyone returned to the company together.
Xu Baichuan gathered everyone for a meeting: “This year’s New Year’s Eve is January 22nd. I have a gig I want your opinion on—Nanxing Satellite TV’s Spring Festival Gala. Do you want to go?”
All five were stunned. Fu Fei recovered and immediately beamed: “A local TV Spring Festival Gala invited us?”
Xu Baichuan said: “Yes, you’re not qualified for CCTV yet. Local TV Spring Festival Galas don’t have high ratings, but it’s a good face-showing opportunity.”
He paused and added: “Show your face more, build good relationships with TV stations. Nanxing Satellite TV has many hit variety shows.”
Building good relationships with TV stations was essential in the entertainment industry. For future variety shows, stages, and other resources, familiar artists could negotiate better terms.
Mo Xun said straightforwardly: “Let’s go!”
Everyone nodded in agreement: “Of course we’ll go.”
Xu Baichuan: “Then you can’t go home for New Year this year.”
Tang Che shrugged: “I don’t mind.”
Xiao Fei, Mo Xun, and Fang Yinnian also said it was fine.
Only Tan Junwen scratched his head with a bitter expression: “Can I take leave to go home for a few days? My grandparents are very unhappy about me becoming a celebrity. I want to smooth things over with them.”
Xu Baichuan said: “I’ll give you five days off to reunite with family, return on the 18th. The performance is still ‘For the Music’—you know the dance and song, two days of practice when you return will be enough.”
The next day, the five FTM members each went home.
After officially debuting, Fang Yinnian received 10,000 yuan monthly living expenses. He was very frugal with spending and had saved tens of thousands in half a year, buying many gifts for his parents and grandmother.
As for FTM’s profit sharing, they hadn’t debuted for a full year yet. According to the contract, settlement would happen after a full year, at the end of this year.
Fang Yinnian wasn’t in a hurry. Their income as newcomers naturally couldn’t compare to A-list stars, but they’d definitely earn more later. Then he could buy his parents and grandmother a house—he wanted his family to live well too.
Fang Yinnian’s home was in a small northern city without an airport but with a high-speed rail station. He had Sister Chen help book tickets.
Sister Chen booked business class, three times more expensive than regular seats, which pained Fang Yinnian. But Sister Chen said this could prevent sasaeng fans and provide better rest, so he didn’t object further.
The company would reimburse the tickets anyway.
While Fang Yinnian packed, Mo Xun handed him the U-shaped pillow: “The high-speed rail takes 9 hours, bring the pillow. Also, I downloaded two good movies on your pad—you can watch them if you’re bored. And call me when you get home to report you’re safe.”
Fang Yinnian laughed: “Why are you more nagging than my dad?”
Mo Xun: “…”
Meeting Fang Yinnian’s smiling eyes, Mo Xun’s ears suddenly heated—he just wasn’t comfortable letting Yinnian travel alone and inexplicably started giving all these instructions.
Since FTM formed, they saw each other almost daily. Not seeing each other for several days felt uncomfortable.
Mo Xun touched his nose, ignoring this strange feeling.
That evening, Mo Xun personally drove Fang Yinnian to the high-speed rail station, then drove home.
After boarding, Fang Yinnian quickly found his seat.
The business car was spacious with thick carpet on the floor. The left and right sides of the aisle each had one seat—leather aviation chairs that could fully recline.
Fang Yinnian sat down in the independent small space with charging ports and a work table. He opened his laptop and seriously reviewed the song revision suggestions his master had sent.
While reading, someone stopped by his seat, seemingly observing him. Fang Yinnian realized his neighbor had arrived. Looking up, he met a pair of familiar eyes.
Fang Yinnian immediately smiled and stood up: “Brother Mian, what a coincidence?”
—His seatmate was actually Chen Mian, the senior singer he’d met at the New Year’s Eve gala.
Chen Mian’s eyes also showed surprise as he smiled and shook hands with Fang Yinnian: “It really is you? Why are you here alone? Where are your teammates?”
Fang Yinnian explained: “We got a few days off. I’m going home to see my family.”
“What a coincidence, I’m also going home for New Year.” Chen Mian smiled knowingly and sat down nearby, asking: “Which station are you getting off at?”
Fang Yinnian: “Binzhou Station.”
Chen Mian smiled warmly: “I’m also getting off at Binzhou Station.”
This chance encounter on the high-speed rail made Fang Yinnian very happy. Chen Mian was his fellow townsman from the same small 18th-tier city.
This was also one reason why he paid more attention to Chen Mian during the first season of “Soul Singer” five years ago and even voted for him.
Their small place was too remote with very few celebrities. Currently, only the two of them had any recognition.
The train started quickly. The business car was full and quiet, so they stopped chatting.
After a moment, Fang Yinnian’s phone chimed. He lowered the volume and looked—it was a message from Chen Mian: “I saw all the recent negative news about FTM. Someone’s targeting you guys, right?”
The conversation might have been overheard by nearby passengers. Chen Mian directly sent a message to Fang Yinnian: “Don’t take it to heart, it’s obvious they hired a team of paid trolls.”
Fang Yinnian felt a warmth in his heart and replied: “Yes, my teammates were quite upset when the online abuse first started, but fortunately, it was handled in a timely manner.”
Chen Mian asked: “Aren’t you upset?”
Fang Yinnian: “I’m fine. All the negative public opinion about me is baseless rumors.”
He curved his eyes and said: “I just find it very funny.”
Chen Mian: “…”
The man was silent for a moment, then sent: “You’re young, but your psychological resilience is quite strong.”
Fang Yinnian sent a [Thank you for the compliment] emoji.
Chen Mian smiled softly, finding Fang Yinnian very cute, sent a [Patting head] emoji, then said: “By the way, for your future performances, it’s best to bring your own equipment.”
Fang Yinnian turned his head to look at him.
Chen Mian quickly typed: “Microphones and in-ear monitors are prone to problems. Didn’t your microphone break during your last New Year’s performance? If you bring your own equipment, it’s less likely to be swapped, and custom microphones have better sound quality.”
He took a microphone from his backpack to show Fang Yinnian—a red metallic microphone with Chen Mian’s name on the handle.
This brand is a top international brand specializing in audio equipment. Fang Yinnian curiously asked: “How much does this cost?”
Chen Mian said: “This is a high-end custom model, 300,000 yuan.”
Fang Yinnian didn’t expect a microphone to be so expensive, nor did he expect Chen Mian, who isn’t very famous, to be so particular about equipment—apparently, his attitude toward music is still as serious as before.
Chen Mian smiled and continued typing: “During a crucial competition back then, my in-ear monitor broke, affecting my performance and causing me to lose. Since then, I bring my own microphone and in-ear monitors to every performance.”
Fang Yinnian was stunned and leaned over to whisper in Chen Mian’s ear: “Was that the elimination round of the first season of ‘Soul Singer’ where it was down to seven?”
Chen Mian’s smile stiffened, seeming hesitant to speak.
Fang Yinnian lowered his voice and asked: “The one where you competed against Tao Yizhou?”
These words were not suitable for text chat records, so he lowered his voice to speak in Chen Mian’s ear.
Chen Mian gave a wry smile and nodded: “Yes, you actually remember.”
Fang Yinnian said: “I felt sorry for you when I watched the competition back then. If you hadn’t cracked on the high notes, you could have won that match. I thought you were just nervous and made a mistake, but it turned out… your in-ear monitor broke.”
A complex expression flashed in Chen Mian’s eyes, but he quickly masked it, smiling lightly and saying softly: “I guess my psychological resilience was too weak. When I found the in-ear monitor was broken on stage, I panicked. By the end, my mind was blank, and I couldn’t find the right pitch.”
Fang Yinnian suddenly had a thought—could it be a coincidence that Chen Mian’s in-ear monitor broke during his competition with Tao Yizhou?
The first season of “Soul Singer” required full live singing with open mics. Although Tao Yizhou was very popular, Chen Mian’s live singing ability was stronger. The match was decided by live votes, and Chen Mian had a good chance of winning.
But the result was Tao Yizhou making it to the top four and eventually winning.
Fang Yinnian’s heart started beating violently.
It was five years ago, and now it’s impossible to find any evidence. Tao Yizhou became a top star after winning that competition and signed with Shengyao, becoming a top singer.
In contrast, Chen Mian didn’t do well after that competition, and few people remember who came in fifth.
But Fang Yinnian always remembered.
Chen Mian, like him, came from a small city. Plus, he liked Chen Mian’s voice and had been following the competition.
So when they met at the New Year’s Eve gala, Fang Yinnian took the initiative to talk to Chen Mian and added him as a friend.
Tao Yizhou was also at Yuntu Satellite TV during the gala. Was it a coincidence that Fang Yinnian’s microphone broke while singing?
Fang Yinnian’s mind suddenly became very chaotic.
Everyone thought the microphone was swapped by other boy bands who bribed staff, since FTM was in direct competition with other boy bands.
However, Chen Mian’s “revelation” about the competition today made Fang Yinnian have an even more frightening suspicion.
Those trying to suppress FTM might not be just a few other boy bands, but possibly other singers… even teams behind some singers from the same company.
Lip-syncing Tao Yizhou?
But does FTM have any conflict with him?
Fang Yinnian clenched his fingers, feeling a chill down his spine.
Chen Mian noticed his emotional change, patted his hand gently, and said softly: “Yinnian, you’re outstanding. As a senior, let me remind you, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Sometimes, it’s better to keep a low profile.”
Fang Yinnian nodded: “I understand.”
He paused and looked at Chen Mian: “Brother Mian, you don’t plan to sign with a company? Are you going to keep working independently?”
Chen Mian smiled and said shyly: “I’ve been doing offline commercial performances these years. As long as I don’t give up and want to sing, there are still many opportunities to perform.”
“Of course, offline commercial performances aren’t as glamorous as TV galas. The stages are simple, and the audience might be just dozens or hundreds.”
“But you can always make money.”
Fang Yinnian felt a bit uncomfortable hearing this.
Doing offline gigs? He didn’t know much about this business.
Like mall events, company celebrations, and other offline roadshows, the audience is small, but there are appearance fees. It does provide many job opportunities for small singers. As long as you can put down your pride, there are plenty of ways to make money.
Chen Mian makes money by doing commercial performances independently. His schedule is more flexible. Compared to big stars, this kind of moderate singer is more comfortable. No one attacks him, he sings low-key and earns money easily.
That’s quite fortunate, right?
Only a few singers can become big stars. Many just treat singing as a job to make a living.
Time passed quickly.
After arriving at the high-speed rail station, Fang Yinnian said goodbye to Chen Mian. His father drove him home, and his grandmother had already made his favorite dumplings.
His family knew about the online turmoil and felt sorry for Yinnian being slandered.
His grandmother held his hand tightly: “Nian Nian, don’t be sad when you suffer injustice. We all believe in you.”
Fang Yinnian smiled and held his grandmother’s hand back: “It’s okay, Grandma. I’m not sad. Our manager and teammates are very good. When we encounter problems, we discuss and solve them together.”
At that moment, his phone suddenly rang. Fang Yinnian picked it up and saw it was a message from Mo Xun: “Have you arrived home?”
Fang Yinnian directly made a video call.
Mo Xun answered immediately: “Yinnian, have you arrived? Why didn’t you report your safety to me?”
Fang Yinnian smiled: “I just arrived. Grandma pulled me over to ask about the cold, so I didn’t have time to message you.”
He then went to his grandmother, turned on the front camera: “Grandma, our captain is checking in. Say hello.”
Grandma smiled and waved at Mo Xun: “Hello, Captain. Yinnian has arrived home safely.”
Mo Xun respectfully said: “Grandma, Yinnian thinks of you every day. How is your health?”
Grandma said: “I’m fine. I dance in the square for two hours every day!”
Mo Xun smiled brightly: “This time you only have five days off. Let Yinnian spend more time with you. He’ll be busy again when he returns.”
Grandma squinted: “Being busy is good. Young people, especially you stars, the busier you are, the more popular you are, right?”
Mo Xun said: “Grandma knows a lot. That’s true. We have a Spring Festival Gala on Nanxing Satellite TV coming up. Grandma and uncle can watch us on TV then.”
Grandma: “That’s great. I’ll remember Nanxing Satellite TV!”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Mo Xun gets along well with his family.
His cheerful and talkative personality is indeed liked by elders. After hanging up, Grandma kept praising Mo Xun as a good, responsible child who even cares if his teammates have arrived home.
Fang Yinnian also praised: “Our captain is very nice. My dancing skills are poor, and he taught me.”
His mother suddenly asked pointedly: “What does your Magic Cube CP mean?”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
His father frantically signaled his wife.
But his mother looked serious: “I see many video edits about you online. Is your relationship with Mo Xun a bit…”
“Mom.” Fang Yinnian interrupted her, smiling: “It’s just a company-arranged marketing method. All boy bands do this to boost popularity. Mo Xun and I are good friends, no different from other teammates.”
Though he said this, he felt a bit guilty inside.
Is there really no difference?
During this negative public opinion crisis, his first reaction was to accompany Mo Xun to Thailand, with no time to care about Junwen, Tang Che, or Xiao Fei.
He was also used to telling Mo Xun his thoughts immediately when in the dorm.
He only video called Mo Xun when at home…
