Teacher Luo Hua sitting below was incredibly excited. Actually, when Fang Yinnian reached the second verse, he’d already recognized this highly distinctive vocal tone—very similar to FTM’s former lead vocalist Fang Yinnian.
He still remembered the young man continuously taking deep breaths backstage after the concert on debut day to adjust his emotions. Back then, Fang Yinnian’s vocals were raw and immature, his technical music handling and stage experience obviously insufficient, but his voice was very pleasant.
As a special guest for Sheng Yao, Luo Hua had stood backstage with Xie Shiqi, discussing: “This lead vocalist has outstanding tone and great potential. With proper cultivation, he’ll definitely achieve greatness.”
Later, FTM’s development momentum was swift—their first album reached top three in annual sales and won the industry’s highest honor, the Chinese Golden Song Award’s Song of the Year. He’d thought this group would have smooth sailing and increasing popularity.
Unfortunately, such a promising group mysteriously disbanded after releasing only one album without even holding a single concert—their musical journey ending abruptly.
Fang Yinnian had disappeared for two and a half years. Luo Hua never expected his sudden return. Today, standing on stage, all his youthful inexperience had vanished—he’d become more mature and excellent.
His confident smile was dazzling with brilliance, truly carrying a “king’s return” bearing!
Meanwhile, livestream viewers collectively exploded.
“Holy crap, is that Fang Yinnian??”
“Instant critical hit when he removed the mask—this little brother is way too handsome!”
“I said this voice sounded familiar—it’s actually him?”
“Wait, excuse me, who is Fang Yinnian?”
“Time is truly a pig-slaughtering knife—someone doesn’t recognize Fang Yinnian anymore, sigh”
“FTM’s lead vocalist, the one who suddenly disappeared abroad during peak popularity”
“Damn, I remember now! I even followed the drama back then”
“Speaking of which, why did FTM actually disband?”
“What what? Fang Yinnian is back??”
The country’s largest forum immediately opened a thread.
The title read: “Fang Yinnian has killed his way back!!!”
A string of exclamation marks fully represented the poster’s excitement. The main post included a livestream link and two screenshots of Fang Yinnian removing his mask on stage.
“Everyone go watch! Fang Yinnian is participating in CCTV’s ‘Chinese Good Songs’ program. He’s back with an original ancient-style song ‘Jiangnan Misty Rain’ that sounds great!”
Forum browsers clicked into the thread.
“Holy crap, is this real? Did the poster photoshop these images?”
“It really is Fang Yinnian ahhhh!”
“Missing person suddenly returns? Playing it this big?”
“Ah? Fang Yinnian really came back? Former musical notes are crying and can’t believe it!”
“Really living long enough to see everything—I thought he was completely blacklisted by Sheng Yao”
“He looks more handsome than before—face-control fans fully satisfied!”
“Ahhh so happy I want to run laps downstairs~”
“Seeing him in a suit confidently standing on stage, why do I get white moonlight returning to the country vibes?”
“CEO literature: I’ve returned to reclaim everything that belongs to me!”
The hashtag #Fang Yinnian Returns# shot up Weibo trending at rocket speed.
Countless viewers flooded the livestream through trending links to watch this mysterious figure who’d disappeared for two and a half years.
At this time, on the program recording set.
After hearing his self-introduction, Teacher Ji Ying’s voice trembled with excitement: “It really is you, Yinnian! When did you return?”
Fang Yinnian replied: “I just returned to China at the end of June.”
A nearby teacher unfamiliar with FTM asked puzzledly: “Sister Ying, you know him?”
Ji Ying smiled: “Of course! Yinnian was the lead vocalist of the once-popular boy group FTM. We collaborated before on ‘Sounds of Nature.'”
The questioning teacher suddenly understood, looking at Fang Yinnian: “Oh, so you’re FTM’s lead vocalist. I’ve heard of you… You seemed to study abroad, right?”
Fang Yinnian said frankly: “Yes, I went to Lausanne Academy in Britain for graduate studies and just graduated this year.”
The teacher gave a thumbs up: “Impressive! Lausanne Academy is a world-renowned music school.”
Luo Hua asked: “Is ‘Jiangnan Misty Rain’ your independent composition?”
Fang Yinnian: “Yes, teacher.”
Luo Hua praised generously: “Very well written and sung. Our four mentors turning for you already proves this song’s quality—it’s among the best of the entire season.”
Fang Yinnian politely bowed: “Thank you, teachers.”
A senior nearby smiled: “Now the choice is in your hands—which teacher’s team do you want to join?”
Ji Ying said excitedly: “Yinnian, come to my side! My team only needs one last person—I really want to give you this spot.”
Luo Hua said: “How about joining me? My team really needs creative writers like you who write ballads.”
Another mentor said: “Yinnian, I love your voice. Are you currently signed with a company? You can sign directly with me—I’ll help you make a solo album.”
The last mentor said helplessly: “Yinnian, you’re so popular! What do we do when all four mentors like you? Think it over carefully—who will you choose?”
Luo Hua immediately sweetened the deal: “I can give you a green pass ticket for direct advancement next round.”
Teacher Ji Ying wasn’t to be outdone: “I can also give you a green pass ticket!”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
The so-called “green pass ticket” was given by mentors during internal team battles to exceptionally outstanding students, allowing direct advancement to the next round—a “guaranteed promotion ticket.” Each mentor had limited green pass tickets, so giving one meant the mentor was very optimistic about that student.
Seeing this scene, livestream viewers got excited.
“Holy crap, two green pass tickets, 666!”
“Green passes can skip the next internal battle round for direct advancement!”
“Shows both teachers really like him!”
“Good-looking people who sing well are indeed popular~”
“Fang Yinnian became the hot commodity mentors are fighting over? Unbelievable.”
“He just suddenly returned like this? Feels like a dream”
“Thinking of when FTM had no takers, now Yinnian is fought over by four mentors—so heartbreaking”
Fang Yinnian was also moved—he similarly recalled FTM’s first competitive music variety show “Sounds of Nature,” being awkwardly left on stage with no one choosing them.
Those past experiences with laughter and tears had become his most precious memories.
Now, having passed countless trials, his vocals and mentality had greatly improved. Coming to this stage, he directly achieved a four-turn with two mentors offering green pass tickets.
Fang Yinnian took a deep breath to adjust his emotions, smiling: “Thank you teachers for recognizing me. All of you are seniors I greatly admire—it’s really difficult to choose.”
After consideration, he looked at Luo Hua: “I choose… Teacher Luo Hua.”
Luo Hua excitedly stood up with open arms.
Fang Yinnian walked down and lightly hugged him, then turned to hug Teacher Ji Ying, saying quietly: “Sister Ying, I’m sorry. We’ve collaborated many times—I want to try working with different teachers. Sorry, I’ll treat you to dinner later.”
Ji Ying smiled and patted his shoulder: “It’s fine. It’s good you’re back—I’m happy to see you on this stage!”
Fang Yinnian finished his performance and returned backstage.
Xu Baichuan immediately approached: “Yinnian, you sang wonderfully—direct four-turn with a green pass! News of your return is trending. Fans are very excited. Want to post on Weibo to officially announce your comeback?”
Fang Yinnian nodded, picking up his phone to post: “Hello everyone, long time no see. I’m back. I’ll continue singing in the future. Please follow CCTV’s ‘Chinese Good Songs’ every Saturday night. I hope to bring everyone more beautiful songs ^^”
His Weibo hadn’t been accessed for two years—suddenly coming back to life, fans were stunned.
Countless fans rubbed their eyes in shock, thinking they were hallucinating. But checking trending showed #Fang Yinnian Returns# at the top!
Fang Yinnian really returned?
Fans excitedly left comments.
“It’s good you’re back ahhhh!”
“Really returned? This isn’t a dream, right!”
“Disappeared for two years—I thought I’d never see you again!”
“Living long enough to see this—I’m happier than winning the lottery”
“My missing idol from two years ago finally returned—universal celebration~”
“The corpse is suddenly warm, full health revival!”
“You better not disappear again this time! I’ll temporarily forgive you for vanishing for two years—hurry up and work more, sing more, to make up for our losses these two years!”
A discussion thread soon appeared on the forum—
“Is there any possibility of FTM reuniting?”
The poster said: “As a former musical note, FTM was the only boy group I ever truly followed with real feelings. The disbandment was too sudden back then—Fang Yinnian mysteriously went abroad and disappeared, the remaining four went solo. I cried for a long time.
Now that Fang Yinnian is back, is there any possibility of FTM reuniting?
Are there any musical notes left on this forum?”
Soon people clicked in to reply to the post.
“Musical note +1. I’m quite happy Fang Yinnian returned, but don’t dream about reuniting—he’s clearly going solo by appearing on shows alone.”
“Group fan reporting! Mo Xun has completely transitioned to film/TV, Junwen’s focus is also on dramas, Tang Che formed a rock band, Xiao Fei is thriving in variety shows. All four are developing well individually—how could they possibly regroup as a boy band?”
“Unless the members were all flops, they’d need to huddle together for warmth, right?”
“Exactly—a bunch of nobodies might group together, but how could five people developing so amazingly individually possibly group up!”
“All five are very capable—regrouping is basically impossible. Maybe in my lifetime, I hope to see this century-defining frame before I die [crying]”
“Hahaha still dreaming about regrouping a group that disbanded long ago. Stop dreaming.”
“Unless there are industry weddings or funerals, those five might only gather together then, right?”
“To the four, Fang Yinnian is just a ‘former teammate.’ When Fang Yinnian made his comeback, none of the four reposted his Weibo—isn’t this attitude obvious?”
“People have long grown cold and distant, drawing clear boundaries.”
“Group fans are so sad but also clear-headed—they can never go back.”
Forum discussions about whether FTM would regroup intensified, with this post becoming the day’s hot topic.
Bystanders couldn’t help sighing: “FTM disbanded two and a half years ago, but fans and haters are still so numerous? Any random post can become a tall building.”
“Musical note sisters’ fighting power is truly legendary.”
“Two and a half years later, domestic entertainment still has no group that can beat FTM.”
“FTM is domestic entertainment boy groups’ white moonlight—the irreplaceable top configuration in many people’s hearts. Such a pity.”
“The group Sheng Yao later launched was absolutely eye-burning—poor imitation completely incomparable to FTM!”
“Too bad FTM only released one album and never held concerts. When I die, I must have descendants burn that album for me.”
“In my lifetime, I can probably only see their concerts in dreams.”
Fang Yinnian’s return sparked heated online discussion.
What netizens found subtle was that on his return stage, none of his four former teammates reposted or even interacted with him—as if they hadn’t seen it.
This indifferent cold treatment made group fans’ hearts extremely uncomfortable.
It seemed the saying “when people leave, tea grows cold” was true. The five could never return to the past—FTM had ultimately become “history,” with all five having moved forward with big steps.
Each was developing well—perhaps only fans still missed the old times?
***
After Fang Yinnian’s original song “Jiangnan Misty Rain” went online on music platforms, saves quickly surpassed 1 million, becoming the highest-saved track from “Chinese Good Songs” Season 3 so far.
Chinese-style songs had been very popular with the public in recent years. Fang Yinnian’s song had smooth melody with traditional instruments like guzheng, pipa, and bamboo flute, plus operatic vocals in the second chorus section, causing quite a stir among ancient-style music lovers. Cover platforms also had many people imitating his operatic vocals.
The next day, a hashtag suddenly appeared on Weibo.
#Fang Yinnian Jiangnan Misty Rain Plagiarism#
The accuser presented sufficient evidence.
One melodic section of Fang Yinnian’s song was very similar to a song by a foreign producer named “Francis” posted on his personal Twitter.
This accuser was very professional, even using song analysis software to compare the two melodies’ overlap, finding over 85% similarity.
The blogger said indignantly: “Fang Yinnian’s song melody is definitely plagiarized! Francis is a very talented music producer who posted many song demo clips on personal Twitter. Since they weren’t officially released songs, most people hadn’t heard them. Did he think plagiarizing foreign producers’ songs wouldn’t be discovered? Taking plagiarized songs to compete on shows—truly shameless!”
Bystanders were shocked.
The two melody sections did sound very similar—how to explain this?
Public opinion quickly fermented. The hashtag #Fang Yinnian Jiangnan Misty Rain Plagiarism# rapidly rose to entertainment trending top three amid countless haters’ abuse and passersby’s discussion.
Someone was definitely muddying waters trying to smear Fang Yinnian.
However, Fang Yinnian quickly responded on Weibo.
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
