Chapter 18 Debut Group
Miracle Boys is a good group. The five members have had a smooth run of success. They are not too famous, but they have a lot of die-hard fans. This meets Meng Fanxi's initial requirements for a stable and long-lasting group.
He couldn't be happy, though; a voice kept calling out from some corner of his heart.
That's not how it works.
This shouldn't be the case.
On his way back to the dormitory, the cold wind blew against Meng Fanxi's cheeks. His thoughts were in turmoil. He sat on a bench by the roadside for a while, staring blankly at the fallen tree branch at his feet. It seemed that a fork in the road in his life after his rebirth had arrived.
The sixth member of the Miracle Boys sounds alright. He remembers that in his previous life, the Miracle Boys were always five people, and it was he who triggered the butterfly effect.
Meng Fanxi took a deep breath, got up and walked slowly towards the dormitory building. He needed to calm down and analyze the situation.
The benefits of becoming a prospective member include gaining more recognition compared to other newcomers, reaping the rewards without effort, and perhaps even winning some favor from Du Rong and the higher-ups behind him.
The downsides are that he faces boycotts from fans, lacks camaraderie with existing members, and still needs time to gel.
It seems he can bear the downsides.
But he didn't really want to go.
Why would he join an already debuted group? He just wants to debut as a group normally.
The problem is that if they refuse, they will definitely offend the planning team and the senior members of the review committee that Du Rong mentioned.
Having offended the higher-ups, he will most likely fall into a vicious cycle of being unable to form a group, having to change careers, and struggling. He doesn't even have a W1 team now; he's just a B-level trainee.
His fate was still decided by others, and he was still powerless to fight back.
The lights were already off. The broken lights in the corridor had been replaced with motion-activated ones, which lit up as Meng Fanxi walked heavily. Looking at the dormitory at the end of the corridor, Meng Fanxi suddenly thought of VIER.
The group that added a new member a year after their debut did not have a happy ending.
Turning the doorknob, the door opened with a click, not locked from the inside. A desk lamp was on Gu Huailang's desk, the dim light allowing him to barely see his feet as he slowly walked forward.
"You're back." Gu Huailang's voice sounded tired. He sat up from his bed when he saw Meng Fanxi return to the dormitory.
Meng Fanxi said apologetically, her voice muffled, "Did I wake you up?"
“I wasn’t asleep,” Gu Huailang stared at Meng Fanxi, noticing his unwell expression. “Why did the coach suddenly call you out? And why were you gone for so long?”
Meng Fanxi sighed, went to the bathroom to wash up, and left only one sentence: "It was Teacher Du Rong who talked to me about debuting."
"Huh?" Gu Huailang stared at his retreating figure, processing what he had just heard.
In the pitch-black dormitory, the two sat on their respective beds. Gu Huailang's small desk lamp had little power left, and its dim light made it even more uncomfortable for their eyes, so he simply turned it off.
Meng Fanxi didn't turn on his small desk lamp, and the two sat quietly in the dark, unable to see each other's expressions.
"You agreed?" Gu Huailang roughly learned about the situation from Meng Fanxi.
"Not yet, but it's not up to me." Meng Fanxi was in a state of turmoil, feeling like a stone was lodged in her chest, and she couldn't sleep at all.
Gu Huailang suggested, "Let's stall for now."
“I’m afraid,” Meng Fanxi hesitated, remembering Du Rong’s words, “the Miracle Boys’ tour is coming soon, and I may be called to rehearse the tour’s dances soon.”
The air seemed to stand still; both of them knew that once they passed through, the path would be fixed.
Gu Huailang was filled with thoughts. Wei Ye had clearly told him that Meng Fanxi was also a member of the group plan, so why was he now joining Miracle Boys?
Wei Ye has remained silent since then, leading Gu Huailang to suspect that the plan has changed. Meng Fanxi is already in a low mood, and it would be even worse to tell him this uncertain news.
Unable to think of a solution immediately, he could only comfort Wei Ye, saying, "Go to sleep first, we'll talk about it tomorrow." Then, he hid under the covers, picked up his phone, and typed a long message to Wei Ye.
"Hmm." Meng Fanxi closed his eyes, Du Rong's words kept playing in his ears, and all sorts of speculations filled his mind. He didn't know what time he finally fell asleep, and when he was about to wake up, he was still dreaming about this.
Meng Fanxi was absent-minded during class and did not joke around with everyone as usual during breaks. He felt like all his strength had been drained and he felt better when he lay on the table.
"Fanxi, are you feeling unwell?" Qi Xiaohan asked her deskmate with concern.
Ren Yuchen also noticed the situation and walked over, only to hear Meng Fanxi's low voice: "Hmm, maybe he didn't sleep well last night."
"Should we go to the infirmary?" Ren Yuchen patted Meng Fanxi's shoulder. Compared to Xu You, who took leave to rest this morning when he felt slightly unwell, this person seemed determined to endure even the worst pain.
"It's nothing, I was just tired from staying up late last night." Meng Fanxi raised his head and forced a smile. When he left, he asked Gu Huailang to keep it a secret. He didn't have any solutions, but he didn't want others to worry or cause any unnecessary trouble.
Ren Yuchen observed Meng Fanxi.
The person in front of me doesn't want to be disturbed.
Noticing Meng Fanxi's expression, Ren Yuchen looked away and said nothing more.
On the way home from school at noon, Xu You and Ren Yuchen were not there. Meng Fanxi silently followed Qi Xiaohan and Xu Weiguang to the parking lot. Qi and Xu were discussing something in hushed tones, but Meng Fanxi did not care.
After a while, Qi Xiaohan asked Meng Fanxi hesitantly, "Fanxi, has anyone from the planning team contacted you recently?"
"?" Meng Fanxi looked at Qi Xiaohan suddenly. How did they know about this?
"Yes!" Qi Xiaohan exclaimed in surprise, looking at Xu Weiguang with a relieved expression. "It seems we're not the only ones. That's great."
Meng Fanxi didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
Xu Weiguang explained: "Recently, some people from the planning team came to talk to us, asking all sorts of questions, like having a chat. We've never experienced this before, and we were quite scared."
“Yeah, I heard that the planning team’s talks are either related to debut or changing direction. We haven’t heard of any new groups being planned recently. We’ve been talked to twice, so we’re a little worried…” Qi Xiaohan changed the subject: “Luckily, you were called in to help us too. I think you’ll definitely debut.”
"Don't think too much about it," Meng Fanxi said helplessly. "You guys will definitely debut." Compared to him...
If we calculate the timeline, it's indeed time for VIER to begin its formation.
Fate seemed irreversible; Qi Xiaohan and Xu Weiguang were still destined to debut with VIER. Fortunately, their relationship improved during this time thanks to his efforts.
But he still couldn't debut as part of a group normally.
The phone suddenly rang. "Hello? Brother Ye?" Meng Fanxi answered the phone. It was Wei Ye inviting him to lunch together, and he agreed.
In a Sichuan restaurant near the Weier Company, Wei had booked a private room in advance. Several dishes of home-style dishes, such as braised pork, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and home-style tofu, were already served, still steaming. The two of them sat facing each other at the large round table, which seemed a bit empty.
Wei got straight to the point: "Fanxi, I won't beat around the bush. Let's talk while we eat." He then gestured for Meng Fanxi not to forget to pick up her chopsticks.
Meng Fanxi nodded. He wasn't on guard in front of Wei Ye, but the scene before him reminded him of when Du Rong came to find him. He secretly suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind.
"I heard that Du Rong called you in to talk about your debut. He wants to add you to the Miracle Boys?" Wei Ye's expression remained unchanged, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
Meng Fanxi paused, her hand still holding the food she was picking up. "Yes." Did Gu Huailang tell Wei Ye? Or was it already common knowledge within the company?
But there's no need to worry about it; everyone will probably find out soon enough.
He joked, "Could this break the company's record for the fastest debut time for trainees? But I guess joining the debut group doesn't count."
"Ahem," Wei Ye picked up the water beside him, took a few sips, and cleared his throat. "What are your thoughts? Are you really planning to join Miracle Boys?"
A faint hint of melancholy crossed Meng Fanxi's brows. "To be honest, I don't want to. But Teacher Du's meaning is very clear: if I refuse, I might not be able to debut smoothly."
"What if I could help you?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Fanxi did not relax as if he had been saved. His brows furrowed, and he remained silent, unsure of how to begin.
Initially, he considered asking Wei Ye for help, but Wei Ye had already helped him enough. Helping him in this matter would mean offending Du Rong and the higher-ups behind Du Rong. He couldn't drag Wei Ye into this mess.
Wei also understood: "Are you afraid of troubling me?" Seeing Meng Fanxi nod, he chuckled and said: "Fanxi, of course I'm not stupid. If I help you with this, you have to help me in return."
Meng Fanxi was puzzled, so he sat up straight and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Where should I begin? It's my fault too. I've been busy perfecting the plan lately, and if Gu Huailang hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have known that Du Rong was poaching people from behind." He pursed his lips, then became serious. "You know I'm planning a debut group, right? Actually, this group includes you, Gu Huailang, Ren Yuchen, and Xu You."
As Meng Fanxi heard familiar names pop up one by one, his expression grew increasingly subtle.
How come this is most of the VIER members?
Wei paused briefly, took a bite of food, and said angrily, "I went to inquire this morning and found out that Du Rong is also planning a new group. The members include Gu Huailang, Ren Yuchen, Xu You, Xu Weiguang, and Qi Xiaohan. He even has his eye on you and wants to add you to the Miracle Boys."
“According to his plan, all the people I had my eye on have been poached.” Wei Ye snorted coldly and put down his chopsticks.
This was the first time Meng Fanxi had seen Wei Ye with such an expression, and he couldn't help but find it amusing. He became even more certain that Du Rong was the mastermind behind VIER in his previous life.
Wei Ye said sincerely, "So, you can refuse him, because you are also in my plan. When a trainee is faced with two plans, he goes from being passive to being active and can choose the plan he likes." This is an olive branch extended by Wei Ye, and it is also a way to help Wei Ye himself in return.
Meng Fanxi's life was not easy.
Another option presented itself to him: to form a group with the members of VIER from his previous life.
Admittedly, after working at the same company, he found that they were not as difficult to get along with as he had heard in his previous life. In fact, they were excellent, humble, and truly the cream of the crop.
He wasn't opposed to forming a group with them, but what about them? What were their thoughts? It seemed that no matter what their starting point or where they were, they could always reach a point that others envied.
They must have standards and expectations for their teammates. Can he meet them?
"Brother Ye, do Gu Huailang and the others know?"
"Gu Huailang knows and agrees."
A hint of surprise flashed across Meng Fanxi's eyes as the figure from the front row of the awards ceremony in his previous life darted past.
"Xu You and Ren Yuchen don't know yet, and it seems Du Rong hasn't contacted them either." Wei didn't think he would encounter any difficulties in persuading Xu You and Ren Yuchen.
Meng Fanxi had a lot to consider. His expression was serious, his arms were on the table, and his hands were in front of his chin. "If the combination you've planned goes through, what will happen to Qi Xiaohan and Xu Weiguang?"
"Whatever!" Wei said irritably. Someone must have said something that hit a nerve. He suddenly leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and said, "You can't even take care of yourself, yet you're worrying about others?"
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