After ending concerts in July, FTM’s five members began solo development.
After Tan Junwen’s summer blockbuster “Midsummer” aired last year, his image, temperament, acting, and dialogue all gained market recognition with strong fan-attracting ability. Many production teams had approached him with scripts this past half-year.
Tan Junwen’s management contract was currently with Sound Wave Entertainment under general manager Xu Baichuan, but Xu Baichuan alone couldn’t manage these five stars, so he recruited experienced film/TV management teams specifically for Tan Junwen and Mo Xun, with Sound Wave’s commercial management teams continuously expanding.
After carefully reviewing scripts, management teams filtered several options for Tan Junwen’s selection.
Since Tan Junwen became popular through modern romance, 80% of approaching scripts were modern romance with many repetitive campus drama character types. Tan Junwen really didn’t want to film four consecutive modern romances, ultimately choosing a grounded period idol drama.
He had some self-awareness about his abilities—unlike Mo Xun with professional training and excellent acting skills, he hadn’t studied performance and was a self-taught outsider. His current acting was acceptable for idol dramas, but competing with veteran actors in major productions would only highlight his inexperience.
He was still young anyway—a few more years of training wouldn’t hurt.
External critics constantly mocked Tan Junwen for only acting in idol dramas, but he didn’t care—let them mock. What was wrong with acting in idol dramas at 23? Weren’t idol dramas still dramas?
There were no bad genres, only bad shows—plenty of so-called serious dramas flopped too.
Xu Baichuan appreciated Tan Junwen’s attitude. After script selection, he directly approved and signed contracts.
The production team had prepared thoroughly, waiting only to confirm the male lead. After Tan Junwen signed, they prepared for filming. Within days, he joined the crew for script readings.
Fu Fei’s hosting contract with Nanxing TV wasn’t finished—he’d continue hosting the new season of “Always Smiling.” After concerts ended, he went to the TV station preparing for variety show recordings. Variety shows paid well and were relatively relaxed—Xiao Fei’s personality suited variety show work.
Of course, he hadn’t abandoned singer dreams. Sound Wave Entertainment’s producer team was writing his first original music album. As FTM’s all-around ace, Fu Fei excelled at singing and dancing, with development paths potentially following He Yan as a singing-dancing artist.
Tang Che’s rock band was currently stable. After following FTM’s half-year national tour, being overwhelmed by various gorgeous stages, they all felt mixing in music industry with Tang Che was quite enjoyable.
Besides earning good money, they could sing on such large stages.
They’d also benefited from Tang Che’s success—band members all deeply respected Tang Che. Already being schoolmates, they got along harmoniously. Next, Tang Che would lead them to rock festivals nationwide.
After ending concerts, Tang Che took his rock band to rock festivals for exposure. He also wanted to participate in Western rock festivals abroad, with Xu Baichuan coordinating international arrangements.
These members’ subsequent developments were predictable to fans.
What fans didn’t expect was Fang Yinnian’s sudden disappearance. He posted on Weibo: “After half a year of concerts visiting 16 cities, want to rest a few months in seclusion writing songs. See everyone at year-end ^^”
Fans all expressed: understanding and support.
“Baby worked so hard, take a good rest for a while!”
“Don’t compare yourself to those workaholic teammates—our Yinnian has his own rhythm~”
“Singing and dancing through 32 consecutive concerts, I feel exhausted for you—resting is good.”
“Nian-nian’s songwriting retreats will definitely bring us more beautiful songs [fighting].”
“Looking forward to your new works~”
Actually, many variety shows had invited Fang Yinnian as flying guest or regular guest.
Xu Baichuan asked his opinion, but Fang Yinnian declined.
He’d once dared to suddenly leave the industry to study abroad, and now he dared to retreat for songwriting at his peak popularity—as netizens said, he had his own rhythm and things he wanted to persist in.
Songwriting required quiet and inspiration. During this period preparing for concerts, he’d barely touched songwriting software—many ideas in his mind hadn’t been realized.
It was time to quietly organize his thoughts.
Fang Yinnian went into seclusion directly at FTM’s base, which had a workspace Mo Xun had renovated for him—very convenient. With an auntie cooking daily, life was worry-free, letting him focus on creation.
Mo Xun would also be very busy next.
His movie “Witness” filmed last year would premiere this summer.
Fang Yinnian had seen his stills then—Mo Xun played a young detective, looking especially handsome.
With the movie about to premiere, as the lead actor he’d definitely need to run promotional campaigns. Mo Xun was practically dragged to media press conferences the day after concerts ended.
Fang Yinnian felt somewhat sorry, messaging: “Working again after barely resting a few days—won’t it be exhausting?”
Mo Xun replied: “It’s fine, I’m used to high-intensity work. Running promotions is much easier than filming.”
Fang Yinnian said helplessly: “Alright, but don’t overwork yourself.”
Mo Xun said: “Work doesn’t feel tiring, just a bit annoying.”
Fang Yinnian: “How annoying?”
Mo Xun: “Having to separate from you again [crying][crying]”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Seeing him send a row of crying emojis, Fang Yinnian couldn’t help smiling: “Separation is only temporary. You can return to Jiangzhou anytime you have time—I’ll always be at the base.”
Mo Xun immediately said: “Good, I’ll find time to come back and see you whenever possible.”
All teammates had work, leaving the base one by one.
Fang Yinnian lived alone in the empty villa, feeling somewhat hollow.
Everyone was used to being lively together—suddenly being alone, though this quiet atmosphere suited songwriting, he inevitably missed happy times with teammates.
And couldn’t help missing Mo Xun.
During this period, Fang Yinnian saw Mo Xun’s news through various media reports.
“‘Witness’ production team holds media conference in Beijing”
“‘Witness’ directed by Zhang Ran starring Mo Xun scheduled for August 2nd nationwide release”
“This summer’s fierce cinema competition: 600-million-yuan sci-fi blockbuster ‘Interstellar Voyage,’ urban romance ‘After Breakup,’ suspense new work ‘Witness,’ animated film ‘Ocean Legend,’ comedy ‘Family Joy’—who will be summer box office champion?”
Reading these news reports, Fang Yinnian couldn’t help worrying for Mo Xun.
Mo Xun’s actor transformation path could be described as steady and solid.
His first role was self-auditioned for “Wind Rises Chang’an” as male supporting role #5. This period suspense drama was Taohe Platform’s annual viewership champion with average episode views exceeding 100 million, winning many awards. Though as male #5 the achievements couldn’t be credited to Mo Xun, his guard character was very popular with acting and action scenes gaining public recognition.
His second work “Qingzhou Mystery Files” was a period suspense detective drama where he played male #3, a constable—humorous, witty, and martially skilled with unique characterization. Mo Xun’s noteworthy performance further impressed audiences with his “good acting.”
Starting with his third work playing male leads, he took a 16-episode modern suspense drama—a key project for Penguin Platform’s suspense theater. He played a clever detective unraveling mysteries through careful analysis. This drama became that summer’s dark horse with 60-million average episode views, ranking top three in annual TV drama averages with over 9-point ratings on review sites—a must-watch classic for suspense lovers.
Later he filmed a classic IP-adapted period martial arts drama with handsome fight scenes and massive online fight scene compilation videos, attracting countless fans.
“Witness” was Mo Xun’s first foray into cinema. The director wasn’t A-list and investment costs weren’t high. The film industry had numerous resource connections and backdoor entries—not easy to navigate. This movie’s performance was crucial for Mo Xun’s future development.
If it flopped, he might have to return to TV drama tracks.
If results were excellent with representative works, he might access better film resources.
Fang Yinnian naturally hoped Mo Xun’s movie would become a hit.
However, today’s summer season was indeed fiercely competitive with 600-million-yuan sci-fi blockbusters, renowned actor comedies, plus urban romance and animated films…
Suspense was already a niche genre—under siege from so many movies, it could easily become cannon fodder.
The production team choosing the competitive summer season for release was do-or-die.
Recently, Mo Xun had been running promotions everywhere like a spinning top.
Mid-July, “Witness” held its Beijing premiere and media screening.
The production invited major domestic media, website reporters, and industry celebrities to the premiere.
Mo Xun also sent invitations in the FTM group: “Brothers, my first movie ‘Witness’ will hold its premiere at Beijing XX Cinema on July 15th. If you have time, please come support. If busy, no worries—the production asked actors to invite friends and family groups, so even one representative would be fine.”
Fang Yinnian immediately replied: “I already booked tickets ^^”
Mo Xun was surprised: “Your hand speed is so fast [hug]”
Fang Yinnian’s ears warmed because he’d been missing Mo Xun greatly during this period, urgently wanting to meet his boyfriend—the premiere was a perfect excuse.
Tan Junwen said: “Brother Mo, I’ll ask for leave from the crew to come.”
Mo Xun quickly said: “That’s unnecessary—film your drama properly. Using ‘attending friend’s movie premiere’ as a leave excuse isn’t great.”
Tan Junwen laughed: “No problem—we haven’t officially started filming yet. The contract has stipulated leave time—worst case I’ll take less leave later. For your first movie, I definitely need to support you.”
Fu Fei said: “Brother Mo, I’m recording variety shows on the 16th—I’ll fly to Beijing the morning of the 15th to support you!”
Tang Che said: “I can also come.”
Mo Xun was very moved—these brothers really gave him face.
Actually everyone was quite busy, especially Junwen whose new drama had already joined the crew preparing for filming, yet he specially requested leave to attend his premiere. Xiao Fei too—flying to Beijing for the premiere then flying back to Nan City for variety recording. Tang Che had weekend music festivals, similarly becoming a frequent flyer.
Yinnian was relatively free recently, but Mo Xun knew that even if he were busy, he’d definitely attend his first movie premiere.
***
July 15th, at the Beijing premiere of movie “Witness,” all FTM members attended to support their captain.
Many media reporters seeing this scene were quite surprised.
Entertainment industry plastic brotherhoods and fake sisterships were too common—FTM’s genuine feelings with full attendance supporting brothers was truly rare.
Many reporters came over greeting them. Some jokingly asked if future FTM concerts could reserve some internal tickets for media.
Mo Xun’s fansite admin was also excited that FTM members could all attend, posting photos of all five sitting together on personal Weibo: “Brother Mo’s premiere—all four came, so happy!”
Many of Mo Xun’s fans also interacted in comments: “Thank you friends and family for support~”
“These brothers are still quite reliable!”
“All five together, so good~”
“Hope this movie performs well—break 1 billion box office first.”
As the lead actor, Mo Xun sat in the front row with directors.
Four teammates were arranged in the second row by organizers.
Mo Xun frequently turned back to talk with everyone, smiling—clearly in good spirits.
At 3 PM sharp, the movie officially screened.
Everyone quieted down to seriously appreciate Mo Xun’s suspense drama.
The opening was immediately tense—police officer Mo Xun returning home at night passed by a residential complex when he suddenly noticed rustling sounds. Investigating, he found a stray dog rummaging through garbage for food.
The next moment, the camera suddenly zoomed in.
In the garbage the stray dog had overturned, a human severed hand appeared!
Fang Yinnian’s spine chilled. Though this movie’s director wasn’t a renowned major director, atmosphere creation was excellent with outstanding background music rendering, instantly maxing out thriller suspense atmosphere.
Police launched searches around the complex, quickly finding scattered body parts.
It was actually a brutal dismemberment case.
The victim’s identity was quickly confirmed through DNA testing—a complex resident.
Many complex residents had seen this resident three days prior, but these witnesses’ testimonies differed and contradicted each other, including a hearing-impaired elderly person, single mother with child, middle school student, etc.
Soon after, someone at a suburban garbage processing plant again reported finding human remains.
Public opinion fell into complete chaos as netizens and media reporters speculated whether this was a serial killer case. Thinking of a psychopath lurking in the city’s shadows made everyone uneasy.
The investigation process was extremely mind-bending with plot twists every ten minutes.
Fang Yinnian rarely watched TV or movies, but objectively speaking, this film was really well-made!
No boring moments throughout.
Once you got into the beginning, you’d quickly be drawn in by the tense, thrilling plot.
Many actors who perform well in TV dramas appear stiff or exaggerated in movies, because films magnify actors’ faces—on giant screens, audiences easily see your eye expressions and micro-expressions.
Mo Xun’s eye acting was excellent, with micro-expressions perfectly matching the police character.
He engaged in battles of wit with several suspects, gradually narrowing the scope through multiple interrogations and investigations.
The film’s latter half featured an especially thrilling chase scene between Mo Xun and a suspect.
In the pitch-black night, Mo Xun tracked the suspect through abandoned unfinished buildings in the city center. His face was scraped with dried blood on his cheeks, adding a sharp, fierce aura to his entire face.
The young police officer moved quickly against old cement walls as pale moonlight streamed through windows onto stairs, illuminating mottled bloodstains.
Suddenly, a heavy thud came from overhead.
Mo Xun grabbed the stair railing, flipping nimbly to the upper floor. He kicked open a rusty iron door, turning on his flashlight to beam into the room while pointing his gun and shouting sternly: “Police! Don’t move!”
On the ground was a burlap sack with something wriggling inside, making muffled sounds.
…It was someone the killer had just abducted but hadn’t yet killed.
Mo Xun immediately opened the sack.
A pale face emerged, voice trembling: “Don’t kill me!”
Mo Xun spoke into his earpiece: “Team 1, immediately come to Building 10, 16th floor to seal the scene.”
Following sound directions, he looked out the window to see a black figure climbing down air conditioning pipes. Mo Xun didn’t hesitate to climb out the window.
Fang Yinnian tensely sat upright.
He knew this was filmed with wire work—directors wouldn’t let actors actually climb out windows at such heights on pipes—but post-production made it look especially dangerous, with silent audiences’ hearts in their throats.
Fortunately, Mo Xun’s agile movements caught the “killer” first!
However, after interrogation, this “killer” wasn’t actually the dismemberment murderer but a thief who’d come to the abandoned building at night to steal electrical wire to sell.
This twist left audiences stunned.
Who was the real killer?
Everyone stared tensely at the screen until the final revelation when Fang Yinnian felt sudden realization—completely unexpected!
The killer was the pale, trembling man Mo Xun had rescued from the sack.
The real killer had disguised himself as a victim, continuously misleading police investigations.
All crime scene footprints were his forgeries.
He wore size 42 shoes despite being size 39, deliberately placing various items at crime scenes to confuse police.
High-intelligence antisocial personality killer versus clever, calm detective captain—this suspense drama was highly accomplished with solid logic and multiple twists that thrilled audiences.
Mo Xun’s acting was excellent, vividly portraying an upright, passionate young detective. His action sequences were smooth and sharp, with piercing gazes when holding guns—truly resembling a real police officer.
Police teammates, passersby, villains—everyone’s acting was on point.
When the movie ended with the killer brought to justice, enthusiastic applause erupted.
The director and main actors walked to the stage, bowing to thank the audience and hoping media reporters would provide positive reviews and support.
#Witness Premiere# trending topic landed at #1.
Many media outlets gave high scores.
Fang Yinnian also reposted the official Weibo: “Went to Beijing today to see @FTM Mo Xun’s movie premiere—acted superbly [thumbs up]. Everyone should watch after release—the plot is especially exciting!”
Fu Fei: “My Brother Mo is amazing—a suspense film that got my blood pumping!”
Tan Junwen: “Must support Brother Mo’s first film. Saw the premiere—very good, a suspense movie masterpiece. Not bragging—you’ll know when you watch.”
Tang Che: “Plot logic was solid with many foreshadowing elements all resolved—excellent suspense work. Of course, our captain’s detective role was also handsome.”
Mo Xun’s teammates’ high praise might stem from “personal favor” factors that netizens didn’t believe, but many media outlets’ equally high post-screening evaluations made netizens reconsider.
Post-premiere screenings also received high praise.
On August 2nd when “Witness” officially released, FTM teammates all booked theaters for Mo Xun’s new movie, treating fans to free screenings.
Day-one box office exceeded 100 million yuan.
For suspense films, this was excellent performance.
Meanwhile, other simultaneously released movies suffered critical failures one after another.
The 600-million-yuan sci-fi blockbuster drew complaints: “You filmed a fantasy movie, right? Earth’s about to be destroyed but the leads are still dawdling over romance!” “Romance drama disguised as sci-fi—suspect money laundering.” “Stop casting traffic stars as leads—their acting is terrible.” “Annual bad movie reserved.”
Comedy reviews were equally disastrous: “Each joke more awkward than the last.” “Hot meme compilation—don’t know what the plot’s about.” “Logic flaws—my expression after watching was like subway grandpa looking at phones.”
While other movies suffered critical failures, “Witness” reputation kept improving.
First audiences were shocked by thrilling suspense atmosphere, clear logic, and reasonable twists. With solid acting throughout, organic word-of-mouth began spreading recommendations.
“If watching only one summer movie, I choose ‘Witness.'”
“Except for very squeamish people who faint at blood, everyone can watch—this film isn’t too graphic. Police rarely have such smart captains—so satisfying to watch.”
“Many detective dramas either dumb down villains or protagonists—this show’s strong versus strong confrontation was great.”
“I gave five stars—a rare suspense masterpiece.”
Five-star reviews multiplied.
On major ticketing platforms, “Witness” ratings led summer season at 9.5 points.
Day 2: box office counter-declined to 150 million.
Day 3: continued counter-decline to 180 million.
Day 4: word-of-mouth fermented, completely exploding with 200 million!
Producers were stunned. After theater cuts and marketing costs, filmmakers typically received about 33% of box office—meaning box office needed to triple investment costs for break-even.
This film’s total investment was only 100 million. Mo Xun was new to cinema with low fees, other actors also had modest fees, with remaining money entirely for production—every shot meticulously crafted. The script was also long-polished with unexpectedly excellent results.
Break-even in three days—everything afterward was profit!
The director excitedly called Mo Xun: “Box office far exceeded expectations—at this pace, we might break suspense film box office records!”
Mo Xun was also thrilled. He’d chosen this film for its script, feeling the story was excellent, so despite low pay he’d been willing to act.
He’d argued extensively with Sheng Yao’s President Zhou then, trading several variety show guest appearances for this opportunity.
The film’s explosion was truly wonderful!
Fang Yinnian specially downloaded a movie box office app to follow summer season trends.
Initially leading sci-fi films suffered Waterloo reputation crashes followed by plummeting box office; comedies with ruined reputations became sluggish; other animated and romance films performed moderately.
Against peer backdrop, the least favored “Witness” became this summer’s dark horse!
Day 5: “Witness” leaped to daily box office champion.
With increasing organic recommendations, the first weekend saw another counter-decline breakthrough past 1 billion, with “Witness” crew beginning nationwide roadshow promotions.
Roadshow venues were packed, with many audiences hoping for Mo Xun and Director Zhang’s future collaborations on more excellent suspense films.
After fierce summer season battles, dark horse “Witness” ultimately broke 3 billion box office, becoming Chinese cinema’s “suspense film” box office champion.
Mo Xun’s debut film performance stunned the industry.
Fang Yinnian was overjoyed—he’d known Mo Xun would succeed in acting, since his beloved man was serious and hardworking in everything with acting talent.
Fang Yinnian messaged Mo Xun: “Congratulations, suspense film box office champion—you’re amazing [thumbs up]”
Mo Xun sent a shy emoji: “Thank you baby.”
This “baby” address warmed Fang Yinnian’s ears. Next moment, Mo Xun sent another message: “Roadshow promotions ending—finally getting a few days off. Coming back to Jiangzhou to accompany you immediately. Wait for me.”
**
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