With their fan name, support color, and team logo finalized, the group had a month to focus intensely on perfecting their performance song’s harmonies.
Fang Yinnian asked proactively, “Director Xu, have you decided what song we’ll be singing?”
Xu Baichuan replied, “Yes, you’ll be covering Xie Shiqi’s ‘Never Forget.'”
The five members: “…”
Debuting with a cover of a top diva’s song? That’s immense pressure.
Fu Fei couldn’t help exclaiming, “Will Xie Shiqi be attending the 10th anniversary concert too? That means we’ll be performing her song right in front of her! With the original singer present, if we don’t perform well, we’ll be humiliating ourselves!”
The very thought seemed nightmarish.
Xu Baichuan smiled and explained, “It’s easiest to secure song rights from artists within the same company. Plus, Shiqi has a pleasant temperament, and her fans are relatively mild-mannered. Covering her song carries the lowest risk—if you perform well, you’ll gain recognition, and if not, you’ll face less criticism.”
The manager had clearly considered multiple factors in song selection. Male singers covering a female artist’s song could also bring a unique interpretation.
Fang Yinnian knew this song extremely well—he liked it so much that he had set it as his phone ringtone. But he never imagined that someday he would debut by covering his idol’s signature track.
The familiar melody he heard daily becoming his debut performance—perhaps this was somehow destined.
Fang Yinnian silently vowed to perform his best, especially with Shiqi potentially in the audience.
Xu Baichuan stood up and announced, “I’ve hired a professional nutritionist who will prepare your three daily meals. Starting tomorrow, except for eating, showering, and sleeping, you’ll spend all your time at the company, breaking down this song and practicing it thoroughly, word by word.”
The five exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
They had no other options at this point—they could only focus on mastering the song.
—
The next morning, everyone arrived punctually at 8 AM for vocal training. Tan Junwen, still half-asleep with dark circles under his eyes, followed behind his teammates while yawning constantly, looking like he might collapse and fall asleep at any moment.
Mo Xun asked him, “When did you go to sleep? Why are you so tired?”
Tan Junwen sighed, “No matter when I go to bed, I always feel drowsy when waking up early. It’s been that way since childhood.”
Mo Xun patted his shoulder reassuringly. “You’ll overcome it gradually.”
When they arrived at the vocal room, Teacher Qiao was already waiting for them.
“Hello, Teacher Qiao,” the five greeted promptly.
“Captain, please distribute these scores,” Qiao Anhua handed a stack of sheet music to Mo Xun.
Mo Xun distributed them by name, and everyone instinctively lined up, placing their sheets on music stands and studying them attentively.
This time, the scores were complete and had been thoroughly rearranged with extensive harmony parts. Each member had several pages to work with.
“Xie Shiqi’s ‘Never Forget’ has been arranged into a harmony version tailored for your group. Let’s run through it quickly first. Starting from page one—verse 1, verse 2, chorus… Each page contains a distinct segment to facilitate easier memorization and rehearsal.”
Fu Fei raised his hand with a question: “Teacher Qiao, why is my fifth page only half-filled?”
Qiao Anhua explained, “Page five contains the modulated chorus that shifts up an octave from the original chorus—it’s an extremely high register. Fang Yinnian will sing the main part in his natural voice, Tang Che will accompany in falsetto, and the three of you won’t need to sing this part. That’s why your scores are missing half a page.”
Fu Fei nodded, “Ah, I understand now.”
Mo Xun curiously glanced at Fang Yinnian’s score, wondering just how high this modified section was that exempted three of them from singing it.
After looking at it… he fell silent.
When it came to dancing, Fang Yinnian and Tang Che were the team’s weak points. But in terms of vocal ability, the two powerhouse vocalists were significantly stronger. Only they could reach these ultra-high notes—Mo Xun had to admit his limitations in this area.
Qiao Anhua said, “Let’s watch the music video for this song first to understand the story it’s telling.”
She pulled down the blinds, turned on the classroom projector, connected her phone and played the MV.
Fang Yinnian had watched this music video many times. It had tens of millions of views on Bilibili and was exceptionally well-produced, telling a poignant story about memories.
The MV depicted two children from unfortunate families who grew up together as childhood friends. They accompanied each other through their youth, developing a bond that transcended friendship or romance—it was more like family members relying on and supporting each other.
Later, one of them passes away unexpectedly, leaving the other to continue life alone.
The music video was both heartwarming and sad.
The warmth came from having someone by your side during the most difficult times. The sadness stemmed from the fact that this person could only accompany you so far before disappearing from your life forever.
The leading actors were relatively unknown but delivered solid performances. The video had a fresh, natural style with numerous glimpses of their school days. When it was first released online, it reportedly moved countless viewers to tears.
Fang Yinnian really liked songs with strong storytelling elements.
Compared to loud, incomprehensible singing, music with clear themes like this could truly touch people’s hearts.
The chorus section of the song repeatedly emphasized the theme of “never forgetting.”
The modified score now included a “modulated chorus” raised by a full octave. When sung together by Fang Yinnian and Tang Che, it would convey the heart-wrenching grief of “remembering a loved one who has passed,” elevating the song to its emotional peak.
It was an interesting arrangement.
The challenge was… whether they could hit those notes.
Falsetto made high notes easier to reach than using a natural voice. The most difficult part would be whether Fang Yinnian could sustain his part.
After carefully reviewing his score, Fang Yinnian felt it should be manageable.
He was confident.
The MV quickly finished playing, and Teacher Qiao turned off the video, switched on the lights and asked, “How did you feel after watching it?”
Fu Fei eagerly responded first: “It has a clean, fresh aesthetic. The entire story is quite moving.”
Teacher Qiao smiled. “The theme of this song is reminiscence. We’ll discuss how to control emotions while singing later. First, let’s divide the parts and practice the harmonies. Everyone, look at your scores.”
All five looked down at their sheet music.
Teacher Qiao explained, “For the first verse, Fang Yinnian will start by singing three lines solo. Then all of you will harmonize for two lines, followed by Fang Yinnian finishing the verse solo again.”
“I’ve marked each of your names on the score. When your name appears, that’s when you need to sing. When there’s no name, you rest. Is that clear?”
Fu Fei raised his hand and asked, “So for those two lines about watching the dawn together and weathering storms together, we’ll all sing in harmony. And for the remaining four lines, Brother Nian will sing solo?”
Teacher Qiao replied, “That’s right. For the second verse, Tang Che will become the lead vocalist, with the same pattern—he’ll sing four lines, and everyone will harmonize for two lines.”
This distribution method was completely different from other boy bands where members typically take turns singing separate sections. Instead, Fang Yinnian and Tang Che would be leading the song while the others provided harmonic support.
Teacher Qiao continued, “Starting on page three with the chorus, there will be many duet harmonies. Please review this section carefully.”
Looking at the five different scores, everyone felt somewhat overwhelmed.
Harmonizing was extremely challenging. Each person had a different score with numerous transitions, modulations, and key changes. They would need to ignore distractions from their teammates and focus on their own parts, which required extensive practice and coordination.
The part distribution among the five was also significantly imbalanced.
After going through the entire song, Qiao Anhua asked, “Does anyone have objections to how the parts are distributed?”
Everyone remained silent.
Qiao Anhua explained, “In other groups, fans count every second of each member’s singing time, demanding equal distribution. But we’re a vocal group—similar to a small choir—where each person serves a specific role. As long as the harmonies sound good together, try not to worry too much about who sings more or less.”
They all understood the reasoning.
But who naturally wants to be just supporting foliage?
Xiao Fei was carefree and happy to sing whatever part he was given.
However, Mo Xun’s dancing talents and Tan Junwen’s rapping skills had no opportunity to shine in this song.
Fang Yinnian turned back to glance at Mo Xun with concern.
Unexpectedly, Mo Xun was the first to speak up: “Let’s keep this distribution. I have no objections.”
The others quickly followed suit: “No objections.”
Teacher Qiao nodded with satisfaction. “Good. Then let’s start practicing from the first line. Yinnian, please set the key.”
Fang Yinnian’s pitch accuracy was impeccable. As soon as Teacher Qiao raised her conducting baton, his clear, gentle voice filled the room.
After he finished the first three solo lines, the group harmony was supposed to begin.
Tang Che remained relatively stable, singing his part correctly. Tan Junwen, however, completely failed to keep up, coming in a beat late.
Teacher Qiao interrupted them and said, “Junwen, are you half-asleep with those eyes?”
Tan Junwen rubbed his drowsy eyes and asked, “Teacher, how should I sing this note? I don’t understand the modified score.”
Everyone: “…”
Among the five, Fang Yinnian had the most solid vocal training. Mo Xun and Fu Fei had also been trainees for many years, while Tang Che was proficient with several musical instruments. Only Tan Junwen, as a rapper, lacked formal vocal training.
He hadn’t specifically studied vocals, so his foundation wasn’t strong. He couldn’t fully comprehend the more challenging aspects of sheet music.
Teacher Qiao sighed, “I can’t effectively correct all five of you simultaneously—it’s slowing down our progress. Yinnian, go with Mo Xun to the piano room at the other end of the hallway and practice your duet harmony parts. Tang Che and Fu Fei, go to another soundproof room and practice your duet sections. Today I’ll focus on Junwen, going through the score with him note by note.”
Tan Junwen smiled cheerfully. “Sorry for the trouble, Teacher.”
The other four left the vocal classroom as Teacher Qiao began correcting Tan Junwen’s notes one by one.
——
Fang Yinnian and Mo Xun entered the piano room. Sitting at the piano, Fang Yinnian asked softly, “Mo Xun, do you play piano?”
Mo Xun smiled. “No, the only instrument I learned was guitar.”
Fang Yinnian nodded. “Then give me your score—I’ll play your part once so we can match our pitches.”
Mo Xun placed his sheet music in front of Fang Yinnian, who studied it briefly before his long, slender fingers began dancing across the keys.
A smooth melody flowed from his fingertips—the exact harmony part that Mo Xun needed to sing.
Their duet harmony sections weren’t extensive. After quickly playing through them, Mo Xun frowned slightly and said, “This section has several extremely low transitions—it’s quite challenging to sing.”
Fang Yinnian suggested, “Shall we try singing it together first?”
He handed the sheet music back to Mo Xun.
The two began practicing their harmonies, with Fang Yinnian using the piano to help Mo Xun find the correct notes.
Their voices complemented each other beautifully—one deep and husky, the other clear and full-bodied. Together, they created a striking contrast of dark and light tones.
No wonder the teacher had arranged for duet harmonies. Mo Xun’s voice made Fang Yinnian’s tone stand out even more brilliantly.
Mo Xun said admiringly, “You didn’t miss a single note. My score has so many modifications—did you memorize it after just one glance?”
Fang Yinnian smiled and replied, “I’ve played piano since childhood. Besides, our harmony parts only add up to four lines—it’s easy to remember.”
Mo Xun: “…”
Easy for you, maybe. Others would need to practice multiple times.
Mo Xun had struggled with a few transitions. Fang Yinnian isolated those difficult notes, playing them twice carefully before offering specific guidance: “Try projecting your voice a bit lower here, control your breath during the transition. Want to sing along with my piano?”
“Sure, let’s do it.”
Fang Yinnian began playing Mo Xun’s part while Mo Xun sang along.
Having the piano set the tone made it significantly easier.
Mo Xun’s years as a trainee hadn’t been wasted—his vocal foundation was solid, and he quickly fell into rhythm with Fang Yinnian’s playing.
When Xu Baichuan passed by the piano room, this was the scene he witnessed:
Morning sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Fang Yinnian in a warm glow as he sat at the piano. His entire body seemed to be coated in a soft golden light.
He was diligently playing the keys while helping Mo Xun check his pitch. Mo Xun stood beside him, one hand resting on the piano, the other holding the score, singing along to the melody Fang Yinnian played.
One sitting, one standing—one playing, one singing. The tableau was so beautiful that Xu Baichuan almost wished he could capture it as a photograph.
Fang Yinnian plays the piano remarkably well…
Suddenly struck by inspiration, Xu Baichuan opened the door and asked, “Yinnian, didn’t you study piano for over ten years?”
Interrupted, the two froze momentarily and turned to look at him.
Fang Yinnian stopped playing and replied, “Yes, Director Xu. I’ve been playing since I was four.”
Xu Baichuan asked, “For this song, would you like to try performing it while playing piano?”
Fang Yinnian asked with confusion, “Piano performance? Do you mean you want me to play the piano accompaniment during the concert?”
Xu Baichuan smiled. “Exactly. Having all five of you standing in a row just singing would be too plain. Instead, you could sit at the center playing the piano, with your four teammates gathered around you, all harmonizing together. Let’s create something unprecedented in Chinese entertainment history—debuting with a piano performance!”
