TTIG Chapter 22.1

[Grand Chorus]

 

The five followed Xu Baichuan to prepare at the castle stairs and happened to meet He Yan coming out of the waiting room.

 

He Yan looked at Mo Xun and gave a thumbs up: “Xiao Mo, you all sang really well just now.”

 

Mo Xun smiled and said: “Thank you, Brother Yan.”

 

He Yan stepped forward and patted Mo Xun’s shoulder: “Congratulations on your official debut. If you have time, come be guests at my concert.”

 

This statement surprised all five simultaneously. Mo Xun didn’t know how to respond and looked back at their manager.

 

He Yan was currently the hottest singing and dancing performer, with incredible stamina—singing and dancing for three hours straight at concerts without tiring. His concerts had almost become “public dance parties” and were very popular among young people. His national tours in recent years had been completely sold out, with tickets extremely hard to get.

 

Receiving Mo Xun’s help-seeking glance, Xu Baichuan looked at He Yan and said: “A-Yan, you’re not joking, are you? I’m taking note of this!”

 

He Yan laughed: “Of course I’m not joking, let’s be in touch later!”

 

After saying this, he waved goodbye to everyone and turned toward the right castle.

 

The five looked at each other in bewilderment.

 

Xu Baichuan was in a good mood, his lips curving upward as he said: “Not just anyone can be a guest at He Yan’s concerts. He just heard your performance and probably thought it was pretty good. Plus, with his good personal relationship with Mo Xun, that’s why he invited you.”

 

Being a guest performer at a major star’s concert was a rare opportunity for a group of unknowns like them.

 

Xu Baichuan said: “Alright, we’ll discuss this later. Don’t overthink it, let’s prepare for the grand chorus first.”

 

Mo Xun nodded and led his teammates to take their positions at the castle stairs.

 

At 10:30 PM, the concert was about to end.

 

The host’s voice on stage clearly reached everyone’s ears: “Did everyone enjoy today’s concert?”

 

The audience’s response was deafening: “Yes!”

 

The host continued: “Thank you all. Finally, let’s welcome with our warmest applause all of tonight’s singers, who will perform the theme song together—’Shining Voices’!”

 

The stage lights went completely dark, and the glow sticks in the venue were also shut off by central control.

 

In the darkness, a familiar musical introduction began.

 

A spotlight illuminated the top of the left castle, where the most prestigious veteran Luo Hua appeared on the castle roof. Smiling, he sang the first line: “In a corner of the silent world”

 

Fang Yinnian listened carefully in the darkness. The senior’s vocal tone was exceptional. Luo Hua’s grand, majestic, rich voice was something most people couldn’t imitate—truly a treasure in the Chinese music industry.

 

The second level of the castle lit up, and the female singer that followed showed no stage fright, continuing: “A flame of song is burning”

 

The lights on the first level of the castle continued to illuminate as two singers appeared, looking at each other, each singing one line.

 

“Breaking through layers of fog and noise”

 

“Gently wrapping around my heart”

 

The left castle was now completely illuminated, and all four singers began walking down.

 

Next came the right castle, with He Yan opening this section. His voice was high and bright, instantly capturing attention.

 

After him came Tao Yizhou, whose ballad singer’s voice was very gentle, creating a stark contrast with He Yan.

 

The four singers on the right side finished singing the second verse in sequence, leading into the chorus.

 

The chorus was opened by Xie Shiqi standing in the middle castle: “Voices shining bright, singing the beauty of the world”

 

The next line belonged to FTM’s harmony.

 

During yesterday’s rehearsal, Fang Yinnian had felt immense pressure following her, his voice somewhat tense. But today, after hearing all the senior artists sing so beautifully one after another, he suddenly found courage.

 

He looked at his teammates, and all five raised their microphones—

 

“Every syllable is a signal of life”

 

The sudden appearance of harmony singing caught everyone’s attention.

 

No matter how well the previous singers performed, they were all singing solo. But as soon as FTM began, it was a blend of five voices.

 

The audience could more clearly feel the charm of harmony singing.

 

This type of harmony with built-in accompaniment and reverb effects could only be achieved by a group.

 

A flood of comments scrolled through the livestream—

 

[This line sounds so good]

 

[Not overshadowed by Xie Shiqi, impressive~]

 

[What’s the name of the guy in white? His tone is very special]

 

[So many people singing the theme song feels kind of awkward like the Spring Festival Gala’s “Unforgettable Night,” but overall it’s fine hahaha]

 

Group singing truly tests mentality and vocal skill.

 

Among so many singers, if your voice is weak or nervous and off-key, the contrast with the surrounding voices becomes painfully obvious—essentially “public execution.”

 

Fortunately, FTM delivered their line steadily and well.

 

Xu Baichuan finally relaxed completely, his face showing a satisfied smile.

 

The youngsters had trained intensively for a full month, being scolded by Teacher Qiao from morning to night—truly, their hard work had not been wasted!

 

—Today’s debut was perfect.

 

 

All the singers had appeared on stage, the three castles were fully illuminated, and the glow sticks in the audience lit up again.

 

The rainbow effect of the color-changing glow sticks in different sections made the entire stadium resemble a vibrant palette of colors.

 

Everyone walked to the center of the stage and took their positions as rehearsed.

 

Tonight was filled with top-tier talent, and naturally, the newly debuted unknowns of FTM stood at the very edge.

 

But Fang Yinnian was happy.

 

He didn’t care about status or positioning—he enjoyed being surrounded by different voices. Opportunities to perform alongside so many senior artists were rare, and he cherished this precious moment, singing with particular dedication.

 

As the accompaniment reached its conclusion, all 20 singers on stage began the final chorus together.

 

“Hear those shining voices, sounding the horn of hope”

 

“Together we chase our dreams”

 

“No matter the storms, we will never fall”

 

The chorus ended.

 

—BOOM!

 

Fireworks suddenly launched from behind the castles.

 

Simultaneously, countless colorful streamers shot out from the stage.

 

The audience gasped in surprise, followed by deafening screams and applause that swept through the stadium like a storm.

 

All the performers on stage raised their hands, waving to the audience.

 

The fireworks continued, illuminating the sky above Star River Stadium with various colors.

 

The five young men raised their heads together, watching the colorful streamers falling around them and the brilliant fireworks continuously blooming in the sky. Their hearts beat faster, their eyes grew moist, and they felt an urge to cry.

 

—On August 18th, they officially debuted, their identities now permanently linked to the name FTM.

 

Their group formation and debut had been rushed, as if an invisible hand had been pushing them forward from behind.

 

Riding the momentum of the company’s 10th anniversary concert, standing on such a magnificent stage, the five were actually quite anxious and nervous, fearing they might make mistakes.

 

But in the end, they successfully completed their debut performance.

 

—They had made no errors; they had lived up to the standards of this stage!

 

“This concludes today’s concert. Thank you to all the performers for their wonderful shows, and thank you to the audience here and in the livestream for your enthusiastic support!” The host walked to the center, smiling brightly as he said, “Goodbye everyone!”

 

“Please exit in an orderly fashion, avoid crowding, and stay safe!”

 

The stadium lights came on, the singers left the stage one by one, and the audience began filing out in an orderly manner.

 

—

 

Back backstage, Fang Yinnian noticed Tan Junwen’s eyes were reddened, as if he’d been crying. Xiao Fei’s eyes were also somewhat red.

 

Fang Yinnian suggested, “Should we have a group hug?”

 

Mo Xun came to his senses and smiled, “Yes, we need some sense of ceremony. Congratulations on successfully completing our first performance!”

 

The captain reached out his hand and pulled everyone together.

 

They embraced as a group, experiencing for the first time the true meaning of “team spirit.”

 

Yes, on today’s stage, each one of them was indispensable—it was a perfect performance they had accomplished together!

 

Mo Xun gently patted Fang Yinnian’s shoulder and said softly, “Yinnian, you were amazing.”

 

Fang Yinnian smiled and replied, “You were amazing too.”

 

Tan Junwen seemed unable to control his tears as he said, “I can’t even remember how many times Teacher Qiao scolded me this month. I really… I didn’t drag everyone down today, did I?”

 

This past month, Tan Junwen had struggled the most.

 

His vocal foundation was the weakest, so Teacher Qiao pulled him aside for individual coaching every day, correcting his pitch note by note. Though he normally loved sleeping in, this month he had to wake up at 7 AM daily, attending lessons with dark circles under his eyes almost every day.

 

Many times, he had thought about giving up.

 

But seeing his teammates all working so hard, he couldn’t bring himself to say “I quit.”

 

Because FTM was a harmony group.

 

If he chose to leave, the group couldn’t successfully debut, and he would let down his four teammates. Not wanting to be the one who sabotaged the team, he forced himself to continue learning, pushing forward despite his struggles.

 

Today felt like a dream.

 

All the previous hardships and efforts, at this moment, proved completely worthwhile!

 

Tan Junwen shouted, “Thank you, brothers!”

 

Without everyone’s persistence and encouragement, he might not have continued.

 

Fang Yinnian proactively shook Tan Junwen’s hand and smiled, saying, “Junwen, you were especially amazing today.”

 

Mo Xun teased, “Except you look awful when crying—quickly wipe those tears.”

 

Tan Junwen touched his face: “Am I crying?” After feeling tears on his hand, he hastily wiped his eyes: “Damn! Why am I crying? Just pretend you didn’t see this, okay? It ruins my cool image!”

 

The four others burst into laughter.

 

Fu Fei rubbed his own reddened eyes and asked, “What’s next? Are we heading back to the hotel?”

 

Xu Baichuan’s voice suddenly came from behind them: “Everyone will return to the hotel together. The boss is treating us to a late dinner.”

 

All five turned around simultaneously. Besides Xu Baichuan, several executives had also arrived backstage.

 

Fang Yinnian didn’t recognize any of the company leaders and quickly moved next to Mo Xun. They all lined up against the wall to make way.

 

The executives stopped in front of FTM. The man walking in front, dressed in a suit, smiled warmly and said, “Baichuan, you’ve managed this group well. I listened to their performance today—it sounded quite good.”

 

Xu Baichuan humbly replied, “You’re too kind, CEO Zhao.” He signaled to the five with his eyes: “This is CEO Zhao of Shengyao Media.”

 

The five immediately bowed: “Hello, CEO Zhao.”

 

The man nodded, looking at the five: “You are Shengyao’s first group. The company won’t neglect you—keep up the good work.”

 

The five responded in unison: “Thank you, CEO Zhao.”

 

The executives passed by to greet other performers.

 

After they were out of earshot, Fu Fei whispered, “So that’s the big boss? Was he the one who decided we should debut at the 10th anniversary?”

 

Everyone: “…”

 

He must be the mastermind behind rushing five little ducklings onto the stage?

 

Although Fang Yinnian maintained a smile, he instinctively felt this man was not someone to cross—the type who might smilingly dig a hole to bury you in, and you’d still have to thank him. Anyone who could rise to become a major executive in the entertainment industry must possess extraordinary tactics.

 

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