Back in the backstage dressing room, Fang Yinnian received many congratulatory messages for winning the weekly championship, from family, classmates, his master, and senior brothers.
Chen Mian also sent a row of thumbs up: “Your stage today was fantastic, the weekly championship is well-deserved!”
Fang Yinnian replied happily: “Thank you, Brother Mian. Are you coming next week?”
Chen Mian said: “Yes. I’ll learn from you guys and grind more experience.”
Back when he lost to Tao Yizhou in the 7-to-4 competition of “Soul Singer” due to in-ear monitor issues, he had been silent for a long time, even becoming self-destructive and disgusted with singing.
Later he gradually adjusted his mindset, but spent most of his time doing offline work, taking various commercial performances for quick money. He didn’t dare appear on TV shows much. He had only mustered the courage to go to Yuntu TV’s New Year’s Eve gala once, where he met Fang Yinnian.
His decision to come to “Music Billboard” to promote songs was actually inspired by seeing how hard these FTM idols worked.
The scale of FTM being blacklisted across the internet was terrifying.
Getting last place in the first week, the hashtag had over 100 million views, with the entire internet mocking coldly—too weak in ability, relying only on marketing hype, beautiful on the outside but rotten within, coming to music shows was just asking for humiliation.
Netizens (haters) cursed extremely harshly.
But FTM’s five members turned a deaf ear to negative comments and actually had the thick skin to come back for a second week.
These young idols had the courage and boldness to not fear losing, not fear criticism, and swim against the current.
As a senior, what did he have to fear?
Chen Mian sent a smiley face and asked: “Are you guys coming next week?”
Fang Yinnian said: “Probably not, we need to prepare to record an album in June.”
Chen Mian was somewhat envious: “That’s great, having an album so soon.”
Being backed by a big company like Sheng Yao indeed provided many resources. FTM didn’t need to worry about having no songs to sing. For “freelancers” like Chen Mian, getting good songs wasn’t so easy.
This new song was also produced at his own expense.
Fang Yinnian said: “Brother Mian, your singing is so beautiful, you’ll definitely be able to release your own album. When you hold a concert in the future, I’ll go support you ^^”
A concert? Not many singers had the ability to hold concerts—they needed at least twenty to thirty songs, plus a certain level of national recognition and fan base to sell tickets.
Did he have that qualification? Fang Yinnian was just encouraging him.
Chen Mian’s eyes welled up, sending a hugging emoji: “Thank you. I’ll take your good wishes to heart and work hard [fist bump]”
Fang Yinnian: “[Fighting][Fighting]”
Mo Xun watched Fang Yinnian chatting happily with Chen Mian from the side, and that intense displeasure rose in his heart again. He asked coolly: “When did you and that Chen Mian become so close?”
Fang Yinnian looked up at Mo Xun and said: “Brother Mian and I are both from Binzhou, an eighteenth-tier small city. Very few people from there make it in the entertainment industry.”
He smiled slightly and said: “Plus Brother Mian sings beautifully. I quite liked him when he participated in ‘Soul Singer’ back then.”
Quite liked him…
Mo Xun’s head buzzed, this sentence echoing repeatedly in his ears, and a nameless fire suddenly erupted in his heart.
He couldn’t help asking: “How much do you like him?”
Fang Yinnian was startled, looking at Mo Xun puzzledly: “Just that kind of admiration and liking for a senior brother.”
Mo Xun blurted out: “Compared to me?”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Compare what? He blinked, not quite understanding Mo Xun’s meaning. After hesitating for a moment, he said softly: “You’re different.”
Mo Xun pretended to joke, sitting next to Fang Yinnian and putting his hand on his shoulder, turning back to ask: “How am I different? Don’t you have that kind of admiration and liking for me as a senior?”
Fang Yinnian’s ears instantly turned completely red.
Mo Xun was one year older than him, but he had never regarded Mo Xun as a “senior brother,” since they were members of the same group after all.
Fang Yinnian tried hard to control his heartbeat and said: “You’re my teammate, we’re more like… more like brothers, family?”
Seeing his nervous and flustered appearance, Mo Xun’s heart softened, and he withdrew his hand. The nameless fire in his mind instantly extinguished.
Fang Yinnian’s close relationship with Chen Mian was due to being “fellow townsmen,” plus he had watched Chen Mian’s shows when he was young, which was why they became friends.
Mo Xun also felt that this inexplicable anger of his was quite baffling.
It was probably when he saw Chen Mian intimately patting Fang Yinnian’s head earlier that his displeasure had been building up in his heart.
Mo Xun cleared his throat lightly and said with feigned casualness: “I have no problem with you being close to Chen Mian. Coming from the same city, being friends, you can look out for each other in the future.”
Fang Yinnian nodded: “Mm, having one more friend in the entertainment industry is better than having one more enemy.” He paused, then said softly: “You have such a good relationship with Brother He Yan, and I didn’t say anything about it.”
Mo Xun’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly explained: “He Yan, he actually… he…”
Fang Yinnian looked over puzzledly: “What about him?”
Mo Xun hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to Fang Yinnian’s ear and whispered: “He’s gay, Yan Chi is his boyfriend. You didn’t notice, did you?”
Fang Yinnian: “!!!”
He hadn’t noticed at all?! These two brothers weren’t just simple friends? They were actually a couple?
Mo Xun said seriously: “This is their privacy. I don’t dare tell anyone else, and you must keep it secret too.”
Fang Yinnian immediately nodded: “I won’t say anything.”
Mo Xun said: “I discovered their relationship was off last year during Brother Chi’s birthday. Didn’t Xiao Fei say that time I drank a whole bottle of baijiu without getting drunk? At that time, most people were completely wasted.”
“Then these two ran to the garden to secretly kiss, and I discovered them. I happened to see them through the window when I went to the bathroom. Damn.”
“I wished I had a pair of eyes that hadn’t seen it.” Mo Xun helplessly covered his eyes. “At that time, Yan Chi gave me a look that scared me to death. I was super worried he would silence me.”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Mo Xun must have been very shocked.
One was his dance enlightenment teacher, the other was a singer he greatly admired, and privately they were actually… that kind of relationship.
Fang Yinnian, with a gossip mentality, curiously asked: “What happened after?”
Mo Xun said: “Brother Yan was drunk and confused at the time, not very clear-headed. Brother Chi talked to me privately, saying they’d been together for quite a while, and asked me to keep my mouth shut. I’ve been keeping this to myself ever since.”
Mo Xun sighed lightly: “Today when you mentioned He Yan, I thought I’d explain it to you. That… I have pure brotherly feelings with both of them, but they’re the couple.”
Fang Yinnian’s heart was beating somewhat fast.
He had never been in contact with the homosexual community in his life. This was the first time living, breathing homosexuals had appeared around him.
It seemed also…
Not as perverted as he had imagined?
He Yan’s singing and dancing were top-tier in the industry, a particularly sunny and lively singer. Yan Chi was a very talented choreography teacher who danced incredibly handsomely. Both of them were very good-looking.
If they were together, they seemed quite well-matched…
Seeing Fang Yinnian quietly thinking with his head down, Mo Xun suddenly asked anxiously: “Yinnian… would you discriminate against homosexuals?”
Fang Yinnian was stunned and didn’t speak.
Mo Xun probed: “They have similar interests and are mutually attracted, which is quite normal, right?”
Fang Yinnian said sullenly: “Of course I wouldn’t discriminate against them. Sexual orientation is a personal choice, and outsiders have no right to comment.”
Thinking carefully, every time he saw He Yan, Yan Chi seemed to be by his side. During FTM’s dance classes, Yan Chi would often directly hand things over to Mo Xun and run off to handle He Yan’s work.
Whenever He Yan was holding a concert or had any performance, Yan Chi’s dance troupe would definitely accompany him—this kind of silent companionship was perhaps also his way of protecting He Yan.
Fang Yinnian felt somewhat moved in his heart. Looking at Mo Xun, he said seriously: “If they truly like each other, I would of course bless them.”
Mo Xun breathed a sigh of relief, gently rubbing Fang Yinnian’s head and saying softly: “Mm, homosexuality isn’t scary. As long as they truly want to be together, they can face any difficulties together.”
Fang Yinnian’s heart beat violently twice.
Wait, why were they discussing this topic?
The dressing room was very quiet, and Fang Yinnian’s breathing became somewhat rapid. He suddenly felt embarrassed to be alone with Mo Xun in this enclosed space, with the two of them discussing homosexuality-related topics…
They were both straight men.
What did homosexuality have to do with them?!
Fang Yinnian’s brain was frantically warning him, when suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Xu Baichuan’s voice came through: “You two are taking forever to change clothes, still not done?”
Mo Xun and Fang Yinnian, like students caught secretly dating by their homeroom teacher, hurriedly jumped up from their seats and quickly walked into the changing area.
Mo Xun said: “Almost ready!”
Today’s music promotion outfit was red leather jackets. Fang Yinnian took off his outer jacket and hung it on the rack, leaving only a black V-neck undershirt.
At this moment, the black shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his body, with a thin layer of perspiration on his neck and collarbone.
Fang Yinnian had a flexible figure, with a lean and beautiful waist curve, and the tight pants made his legs look straight and slender.
Seeing Fang Yinnian like this, Mo Xun’s Adam’s apple bobbed forcefully, and he quickly looked away.
Fang Yinnian pulled the curtain closed and continued taking off his clothes and pants.
Mo Xun heard the sound of his own heart beating wildly.
The two changing areas were only separated by a curtain, and the rustling sounds of clothes rubbing together came clearly to his ears.
Thinking of the image of Fang Yinnian undressing… Mo Xun’s throat went dry, and he shook his head forcefully, driving away his inappropriate thoughts.
Next door was his teammate—having these messy thoughts in his head was simply desecrating their pure socialist brotherhood.
But then again, his feelings for Fang Yinnian had long ceased to be pure brotherly feelings. On that Spring Festival night when Yinnian gently interlocked fingers with him, when he inexplicably felt jealous because Fang Yinnian was making friends…
He no longer regarded Fang Yinnian as simply a brother.
Mo Xun guiltily scratched his head and quickly changed his clothes before coming out.
Fang Yinnian had also finished changing.
The two looked at each other, both appearing somewhat uncomfortable, with reddened ears, looking guilty as if they’d been caught doing something wrong.
Xu Baichuan continued knocking: “Come out when you’re done.”
Mo Xun and Fang Yinnian opened the door together.
The three teammates in the adjacent dressing room had also finished changing. Everyone handed their music promotion outfits to assistants to take for dry cleaning.
Xu Baichuan looked at them suspiciously: “What were you doing for so long?”
Mo Xun smiled and said: “We were just tired, so we sat and chatted for a while.”
Xu Baichuan: “Chatted about what?”
Fang Yinnian proactively spoke up: “We just discussed other singers’ stages, and then concluded that we’re still the most handsome.”
Xu Baichuan raised an eyebrow and didn’t ask further: “Let’s go.”
On the way back to the hotel, Xu Baichuan said cheerfully: “Winning the weekly championship this time, I’ve looked at the online public opinion. Most netizens really recognize your stage, and a small portion of haters are having meltdowns.”
Fu Fei excitedly clapped: “Haters having meltdowns is great hahaha, there’ll be many more meltdown moments in the future.”
Everyone was particularly happy hearing this.
Mo Xun asked: “Brother Xu, we’re not coming next week, right?”
Xu Baichuan nodded: “Right, I told you before—starting in June we’ll prepare for the album. Everyone will be busy again. The album has quite a few songs, so we’ll record them one by one.”
He turned back to look at the five: “When summer vacation starts in mid-July, we’ll do a travel variety show episode and also shoot the new album’s MV.”
The five said excitedly: “That’s great!”
Tan Junwen scratched his hair and asked: “Where will we travel? For summer, should we find some cool places to escape the heat?”
Xu Baichuan said: “Don’t worry, I’ll arrange everything.”
With the manager’s assurance, everyone looked forward to it.
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
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