After finishing the entire song, the five exchanged glances and collectively sighed in relief.
The performance was over. They had made no mistakes—everyone had performed well, even better than during rehearsals.
They had exceeded expectations!
The elevator platform began slowly descending as the stage lights brightened.
The female host’s voice, amplified by the microphone, echoed throughout the stadium: “Thank you to these five handsome guys for their wonderful performance! Everyone, how was their singing?”
The host, skilled at engaging the audience, pointed her microphone toward the seating area.
“Wonderful!” The audience responded with a unified shout that nearly blew the roof off.
“I think it was incredible too!” The female host pulled back the microphone and said with a beaming smile, “Please come to the center of the stage.”
The elevator platform had just descended to the main stage.
Tang Che walked first, followed closely by Mo Xun, then Fang Yinnian, and finally Tan Junwen and Fu Fei. The five arrived at the center of the stage and lined up in order beside the host.
Earlier, they had been positioned around the piano, and with the rotating elevator platform, many audience members hadn’t clearly seen their appearance.
Now, with all five standing side by side in a row, what immediately caught everyone’s eye was… a screen full of long legs.
Their custom-tailored performance outfits had distinctive designs—less formal than traditional suits, with gold patterns adding a bright accent that perfectly complemented the unique quality between youthful innocence and mature masculinity that the five embodied.
Especially striking was Fang Yinnian’s pure white outfit with dark gold patterns, its hem extending almost to his knees. While sitting at the piano, the fabric had elegantly draped at his sides; now standing, it accentuated his tall, slender figure.
The five were arranged in a visually pleasing formation, with Fang Yinnian occupying the center C-position.
It’s often said that placing attractive people in the C-position enhances a group’s overall visual appeal—this certainly proved true. Fang Yinnian’s features had a clean, gentle quality that appealed to people of all ages and genders. His eyes were clear and bright, and when he smiled, they curved into crescents, giving him an approachable warmth that was impossible to dislike.
Mo Xun and Tan Junwen stood to his left and right respectively—the former projecting a cool, handsome image, the latter resembling a laid-back artist. Both were exactly 188cm tall, creating perfect visual symmetry.
On the far left stood Tang Che with his sharp features and ponytail, exuding coolness, while on the far right was Fu Fei with his platinum blonde hair, radiating youthful cuteness. The contrast between cold and warm perfectly complemented each other.
The five standing in a row created a remarkably harmonious visual. Each had a distinctive appearance, making it impossible to confuse them.
However, who exactly were these five young men?
Were they a boy band?
Both the live audience and livestream viewers were puzzled.
Boy bands typically performed dance routines—what boy band debuted playing piano? So, had Shengyao gathered five solo artist trainees for a special anniversary performance?
Amid countless curious thoughts, the male host smiled and said, “Come, introduce yourselves to everyone.”
Mo Xun took the microphone and declared confidently, “Hello everyone, we are—”
The members responded in unison: “FTM group!”
They had practiced this greeting privately and executed it with perfect coordination, led by team captain Mo Xun.
Mo Xun continued, “I am FTM’s captain, Mo Xun.”
Then introductions proceeded from left to right:
“I am FTM’s Tang Che.”
“I am FTM’s Fang Yinnian.”
“I am FTM’s Tan Junwen.”
“I am FTM’s Fu Fei.”
The live audience and livestream viewers: “…”
So they really were a boy band?!
FTM—a completely unfamiliar name, a brand-new boy band debuting today!
But who had ever seen a boy band debut in suits playing the piano? This was extraordinary!
The livestream comment section was flooded with question marks.
The female host asked curiously, “FTM group? Do these three letters have a special meaning?”
Mo Xun explained straightforwardly, “FTM stands for ‘For the Music,’ representing being born for music.”
The male host had a moment of realization: “Born for music—so that’s why you chose a piano performance for your debut, right?”
Mo Xun smiled and replied, “Yes. We all sing in harmony, so you can also call us—a harmony group.”
[Harmony group? Wow!]
[Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never seen a boy band like this]
[Debuting directly with piano performance—so different from other boy bands!]
[Feels quite fresh, I’ll follow them for now]
[Shengyao’s new group? Such a sudden debut!]
Of course, there were also mocking comments, likely from fans of other artists who weren’t pleased with them:
[This is the 10th anniversary surprise? This is it?]
[A bunch of ugly dolls backed by capitalists, parachuted in through connections!]
[Debuting directly at the 10th anniversary—truly royal treatment]
[They must be the company’s little princes! The entire company’s artists carrying these nobodies?]
Many curious viewers searched online for FTM.
Their encyclopedia entry had already been created—searching “FTM” brought up the official introduction first: a male vocal harmony and dance group launched by Shengyao Media, consisting of Fang Yinnian, Fu Fei, Tan Junwen, Tang Che, and Mo Xun.
The five members’ profiles were complete, showing ages 17-19, with team captain Mo Xun being the oldest.
A harmony-singing dance group? Absolutely unique in the Chinese entertainment industry.
This group… seemed interesting!
The female host continued, “Could you explain how your harmony works? We don’t really understand it. Can you briefly introduce it to our live audience and livestream viewers?”
Mo Xun explained, “Actually, a harmony group functions like a small choir, divided into different vocal parts. When we five harmonize, I usually handle the bass section.”
He looked toward Tan Junwen, who immediately took the microphone and said, “I’m responsible for the middle range.”
Tang Che continued, “I handle the high register.”
Fang Yinnian smiled and said, “I’m in charge of the main vocal line—the song’s primary melody.”
Mo Xun nodded and looked toward Fu Fei: “Our youngest brother Fu Fei is the free part.”
The host asked curiously, “What’s a ‘free part’?”
Fu Fei took the microphone with a bright smile and said, “If they need high notes, I’ll sing high. If they need low notes, I’ll go low. I’m like the utility player in a game—assigned tasks based on the situation. Our vocal teacher says, ‘Xiao Fei is like a brick—he can be moved wherever he’s needed.'”
The venue erupted with laughter.
Xiao Fei was quite natural during this interview. It was accurate to describe him as an all-around ACE who could do a bit of everything, useful wherever needed.
Mo Xun concluded, “We’re a rookie boy band and hope everyone will support our group, FTM.”
All five bowed together.
The female host said, “Congratulations to the five newcomers on your official debut today. FTM boy band, may your future path be strewn with flowers!”
Mo Xun replied, “Thank you, hosts.”
The male host continued, “Everyone, please continue to support our new boy band. Next—”
Just as he was about to speak, the director’s voice suddenly came through his earpiece: “Emergency situation. Find a way to stall on stage for two minutes.”
The experienced male host smoothly changed direction, smiling as he asked, “Would you like to demonstrate your harmony for us right now?”
The five members: “???”
What the hell?
This segment wasn’t in the rehearsal! What was going on?
All five simultaneously froze in surprise.
Weren’t they supposed to sign the signature wall after self-introductions and then exit? Where did this live harmony demonstration come from?
Mo Xun reacted quickest, smiling as he asked, “A live harmony demonstration? What do you mean?”
Mo Xun was using his eyes to ask the host what was happening. The host gave him a meaningful look and smiled, saying, “Just sing something a cappella—let the audience understand your harmony style better.”
The five: “…”
This sudden change completely bewildered the rookies.
Hadn’t they been told the official performance would follow the full rehearsal exactly? Why was it suddenly changing?
They hadn’t practiced any other songs—for a live harmony performance, should they sing “Never Forget” again?
Mo Xun’s mind was racing.
This unexpected situation must mean something had gone wrong backstage; otherwise, the established program wouldn’t be arbitrarily changed. Large multi-performer events had strict time controls, and hosts would be severely criticized for suddenly altering the flow.
But they couldn’t refuse the host’s request either—what should they do?
Mo Xun instinctively looked toward Fang Yinnian on his left, who met his gaze with confused eyes.
When lined up, the two stood next to each other.
Mo Xun quickly leaned over and whispered in Fang Yinnian’s ear: “Must be an emergency schedule change. What should we do about the harmony?”
This was a question for the lead vocalist.
As team captain, he couldn’t make a hasty decision that might lead to an embarrassing performance failure.
Fang Yinnian’s eyes darted thoughtfully before he quickly made up his mind, leaning to Mo Xun’s ear and saying: “Let’s sing that children’s song we practiced in vocal class—simple melody, everyone knows it well.”
They could have performed “Never Forget” again.
But Fang Yinnian felt the audience had just heard it, so repeating would be uninteresting.
Moreover, without accompaniment, if their harmony had issues, the effect wouldn’t be good—idle netizens would make comparisons and question whether their earlier performance was “lip-synced.”
Singing something unfamiliar would be safer. Even if they made harmony mistakes, no one would notice.
Mo Xun immediately understood and whispered to their teammates: “Children’s song.”
The broadcast camera caught this close-up moment of Mo Xun and Fang Yinnian whispering and discussing.
The host’s request for an impromptu harmony demonstration made the captain and lead vocalist’s consultation seem perfectly reasonable—the audience thought nothing of it.
—No one knew that FTM had been forced to stay on stage for an impromptu performance.
Watching this scene backstage, Xu Baichuan nearly cursed out loud. Damn it, the host changing the segment without warning—trying to terrify our rookies?
Fortunately, after Mo Xun’s consultation with Fang Yinnian, they seemed to have found a solution.
Mo Xun signaled with his eyes: “Let’s go.”
Fang Yinnian took the microphone and began setting the pitch. He started with an E note in the middle register—his pitch was always stable, allowing him to set the key precisely even without reference. Having established the key, he sang the first line solo: “Castle of colorful hues”
His four teammates immediately joined with harmony: “Stars shining on the rooftops”
All five harmonized together: “Elves running everywhere, leaving all troubles behind~”
The entire audience was bewildered.
This… they just started singing a children’s song?!
But it actually sounded quite good? And it perfectly matched the occasion—today’s stage happened to be a “fantasy castle” theme.
This was a simple children’s melody typically taught in kindergarten, but they were performing it in harmony.
Fang Yinnian’s main melody was remarkably stable.
As for the harmony, their teammates were constantly shifting their pitch in various ways. The audience couldn’t comprehend how this “vocal part division” worked—they only knew that when combined, it sounded beautiful, as if accompanied by natural reverb.
How could a common children’s song become so interesting when performed in harmony?
The livestream comments section exploded again:
[A childish song suddenly becoming sophisticated?]
[This is the best “Colorful Castle” I’ve ever heard!]
[This group is kind of amazing—they can harmonize just like that?]
[They definitely practiced beforehand, but it sounds great]
[All singing a cappella, incredibly steady~]
In truth, this segment was far from perfect.
Their group had formed too hastily, and their chemistry wasn’t yet strong enough.
Combined with the host’s sudden request for an impromptu performance, all five were confused and nervous. Their spontaneous a cappella attempt sounded decent overall, successfully getting them through the awkward moment…
After finishing the short piece, they all felt quite insecure about their performance.
Mo Xun maintained his composure, smiling as he bowed to the audience: “Thank you everyone!”
“Wow, a very pleasant harmony version of a children’s song,” the male host applauded before continuing, “When did your group form?”
The five: “…”
When are they going to let us leave??
Mo Xun reluctantly replied, “We just formed as a group in July.”
Host: “So your group has only existed for a little over a month, right?”
Mo Xun: “Yes, as of today, we’ve known each other for exactly 42 days.”
Host: “That you’ve managed to develop such harmony in that time is quite impressive!”
Mo Xun smiled and said, “Thank you. We practice singing every day and will continue working hard in the future.”
