Ballet involves standing on tiptoes, spinning, and leaping gracefully on stage, resembling an elegant swan. It is highly artistic and visually appealing. In contrast, boy band choreography is typically cool and edgy, with street dance styles emphasizing rhythm, power, and fluidity. Paired with intense dance tracks, synchronized group performances create a visually striking impact that feels incredibly “explosive.”
Mo Xun and Fu Fei couldn’t understand Old Xu’s reasoning—why would he recruit someone with a background in ballet for a boy band? The vibe just didn’t seem right!
As they were puzzling over it, a familiar voice came from behind them: “Is everyone here?”
It was Director Xu.
The three of them turned around and greeted in unison: “Hello, Director Xu.”
Xu Baichuan strode into the meeting room with another person following closely behind him.
The newcomer had a unique aura. He had long dark brown hair tied into a small ponytail at the back of his head. His face was strikingly delicate—almost androgynous—but his height (over 180 cm) and clothing clearly indicated he was male.
His gaze was sharp and intimidatingly aggressive, making it hard for anyone to meet his eyes directly.
Xu Baichuan introduced him: “This is your teammate, Tang Che.”
Fu Fei’s naturally outgoing personality kicked in immediately. With a bright smile, he walked up to Tang Che to shake hands and introduce himself. However, Tang Che ignored him completely, walking past him with an icy expression.
Fu Fei didn’t seem embarrassed by the cold shoulder; he simply scratched his head awkwardly and returned to stand beside Mo Xun.
Xu Baichuan glanced at the group. “Take your seats.”
Since Fang Yinnian didn’t know any of his new teammates yet, he chose a seat in the corner to minimize his presence.
At that moment, Manager Lin Huiqin entered the meeting room carrying a stack of folders. Her gaze quickly swept across the group before she asked curiously, “Is Xiao Tan not here yet?”
Xu Baichuan replied, “Not yet.”
Manager Lin pulled out her phone. “I’ll give him a call.”
The call connected quickly. Since Fang Yinnian was seated close to Manager Lin, he could hear the voice on the other end of the line.
The boy’s voice sounded oddly hoarse—like someone recovering from a severe cold: “Manager Lin, I’m in the courtyard downstairs. Which entrance should I use to come in?”
Manager Lin said, “Enter from the North Gate, turn left, and walk about 100 meters. You’ll find it.”
The boy asked, “Where’s the North Gate? I’ve been wandering around downstairs for ages and can’t find it.”
Manager Lin paused for two seconds before replying, “Do you see the biggest sculpture in the middle of the courtyard? Wait there, and I’ll send Xiao Chen down to guide you.”
The boy replied, “Oh, I see it. Got it.”
After hanging up, Manager Lin smiled helplessly. “Xiao Tan got lost.”
Everyone else: “……”
Ten minutes later, the lost boy was brought in by an assistant.
He had beautiful chestnut-colored curly hair and squinted eyes, looking as though he hadn’t fully woken up yet.
His relaxed demeanor was remarkable—despite getting lost and nearly being late to his first meeting, his expression showed no trace of urgency. Instead, he casually greeted Director Xu with a smile and said, “Sorry about that, Director Xu. I took a wrong turn.”
Xu Baichuan looked up at him. “You’ve been to this company several times already. How do you still manage to get lost?”
The boy replied, “I have a poor sense of direction. The layout of this courtyard is way too complicated for me.”
Everyone else: “……”
It’s just a simple crossroads—how complicated can it be? Well, perhaps for someone with zero sense of direction, it’s an enigma.
Xu Baichuan held back his frustration and said, “Take a seat.”
The boy scanned the room and noticed several empty seats near Fang Yinnian. He walked over and gave Fang Yinnian a very gentlemanly smile. “Hi, may I sit here?”
Up close, his voice was deep and gentle with a naturally husky quality—a rare tone with high distinctiveness.
Fang Yinnian shifted slightly to make space. “Sure.”
The boy pulled out the chair and sat down. He yawned and leaned slightly toward Fang Yinnian to whisper, “I usually sleep until noon on weekends. Why do we have to meet so early? I’m so sleepy.”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Do I know you that well? Why are you complaining to me?
Not knowing how to respond, Fang Yinnian chose to remain silent.
Xu Baichuan began speaking. “Alright, everyone’s here now. You should all be aware of the purpose of today’s meeting—the company is forming a boy band. You five have been finalized as the members. Let me introduce everyone so you can get to know each other better.”
He pointed at the boy who had just arrived late. “This is Tan Junwen. He was last year’s third-place winner in the national rap competition and has a solid foundation in dance. He will be your group’s rapper.”
Tan Junwen smiled warmly at everyone and nodded. “Hello, everyone. Please take care of me from now on.”
Xu Baichuan then turned his gaze toward the long-haired boy sitting across from him. “Tang Che is the former lead vocalist of a rock band that disbanded due to internal issues. He has now signed with our company and will also be joining the boy band.”
Tang Che remained silent with a cold expression on his face. His mood seemed particularly sour today, radiating an odd sense of low pressure around him. Could it be related to his band breaking up? Fang Yinnian wondered curiously.
Xu Baichuan continued introducing: “Fu Fei has been a trainee at Shengyao Media for five years and is one of the most outstanding trainees in this batch—he ranked first in every comprehensive evaluation.”
Fu Fei beamed with a bright smile, looking genuinely happy.
Xu Baichuan continued, “Mo Xun is a trainee we recruited from Korea’s KTE company last year. He just returned from an international dance competition a few days ago, where he won an award. He will serve as the lead dancer for the group.”
Mo Xun nodded politely to everyone.
The more Fang Yinnian listened, the more surprised he became.
No wonder Manager Lin had called this an S-level project. Everyone gathered here today was incredibly talented.
A third-place winner in the national rap competition would be the group’s rapper; an international dance competition awardee would take on the role of lead dancer; a former rock band lead vocalist was now part of the team; and a trainee who consistently ranked first in every evaluation was joining as an all-rounder…
What an unprecedentedly luxurious lineup.
In comparison, Fang Yinnian seemed to be the most “invisible” of the group. He hadn’t participated in any national competitions, nor had he competed internationally like Mo Xun. He hadn’t even been a trainee.
He was discovered by a talent scout while participating in a singing competition at school. Compared to the others, his résumé indeed seemed unimpressive.
All eyes turned to the last member, Fang Yinnian.
Fang Yinnian smiled politely at everyone.
When he smiled, his eyes curved into crescents, exuding warmth and friendliness—a stark contrast to the vibe of his other teammates.
Xu Baichuan introduced him: “Fang Yinnian, a student from Jiangzhou Music Academy. He will be the lead vocalist and visual of our boy band.”
The four others looked visibly puzzled.
Tang Che bluntly asked, “Why is he the lead vocalist?” His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
Xu Baichuan explained, “Yinnian was personally chosen as the lead vocalist by Teacher Qiao Anhua from the vocal department. Among all of you, he has the widest vocal range. Yinnian’s range spans three octaves, allowing him to handle various musical styles. Tang Che, while your singing is excellent, you’re heavily specialized in one style. In comparison, Yinnian’s overall vocal abilities are more versatile.”
He paused for a moment before adding, “You’ll understand his skills as a lead vocalist once you’re in the recording studio.”
Tang Che shrugged and said no more—after all, spanning three octaves was something he couldn’t do.
However, none of them had heard Fang Yinnian sing before, so they couldn’t fully grasp his abilities based on Xu’s description alone.
Besides, in most boy band songs, the roles of lead vocalist and secondary vocalist aren’t distinctly separated. Each member typically sings a segment of the song; after everyone takes their turn, they join together for the chorus. The length of each person’s part is usually similar. If it weren’t balanced, fans might even start arguments online.
Given this setup, the title of “lead vocalist” often felt more like a gimmick than an actual distinction.
As such, the other four members weren’t entirely convinced of Fang Yinnian’s abilities. Some even wondered if this “suddenly parachuted-in” lead vocalist was truly that talented—or if he was just someone with connections to a company executive.
Seeing the room fall silent, Xu Baichuan continued speaking: “Alright then, with this lineup finalized, our group is officially formed.”
The five members: “…”
Wasn’t this a bit too rushed? A group of unrelated individuals just being thrown together like this?
Noticing their doubts, Xu Baichuan explained further: “You five are the most outstanding newcomers at Shengyao Media in terms of overall performance. Each of you has distinct looks, vocal qualities, and personalities that make you highly recognizable. As the company’s first boy band project, our planning team deliberated for a long time and considered various factors before finalizing you five.”
“FTM—that will be your group name.”
He placed a printed logo on the table for everyone to see.
The logo featured a black background with green letters spelling out “FTM.” It was clearly well-designed—the top horizontal line of the letter “T” extended and curved into an umbrella shape. It looked quite stylish.
However…
Fu Fei raised his hand and asked, “Director Xu, what does FTM mean? Is it an abbreviation for an English phrase?”
The others were equally curious and turned their attention to Xu Baichuan.
Xu pointed at the logo on the table and explained: “F stands for Fang Yinnian and Fu Fei; T stands for Tan Junwen and Tang Che; M stands for Mo Xun—each letter is taken from one of your surnames to form your group name.”
“FTM represents you five—it symbolizes who you are.”
—It’s just you five, representing yourselves.
This statement left the five members deeply shaken.
Most boy bands have names with special meanings. For example, the boy band FreeWind symbolizes the “freedom of the wind,” while the recently debuted Twelve-Star boy band is based on the concept of the twelve constellations in the sky. Many boy band names also incorporate English words related to dreams or music.
But FTM? It was simply derived from the initials of their surnames.
This name carried no special meaning—it represented nothing more than themselves.
Such a naming choice came with significant risks. If someone left the group or a member was replaced later, they would need to find new members whose initials matched “FTM.” Fans might not even accept such changes.
Once these three letters were introduced to the public, they would be permanently tied to these five individuals.
Where did Director Xu get his confidence, believing that these five could stay together as a team for the long haul?
The five of them had no emotional connection, no team chemistry—they were meeting for the first time today.
And some of them… didn’t seem particularly easy to get along with.
Privately, all five members harbored doubts.
Can this really work?
But Xu Baichuan, brimming with confidence, looked at the young men and smiled. “I hope that starting today, you’ll slowly come to understand what it means to be a team. Trust me—when you five come together, you’ll achieve a 1+1+1+1+1 > 5 effect.”
