Chapter 1
“‘Dazzling Star’ band has announced their disbandment today. Previously, there were reports of bassist Fan Hongi faking his playing for three years, drummer Cui Yeyi having affairs with multiple women, guitarist Shen Bei fabricating data on fan forums for five years, and numerous recordings of lead singer Bian Rui insulting fans…”
Sitting in front of the computer and reading this entertainment news, Bai Shinian was dumbfounded.
He had been a fan of “Dazzling Star” since their debut, collecting all their albums, merchandise, and fan projects. He had just been immersed in writing his master’s thesis, and now he saw this?
Five years of his youth fed to the dogs!
Furious, Bai Shinian frantically tore and ate spicy strips, but one piece after another couldn’t soothe his anguish. He cracked open a beer and gulped it down.
“Ugh… Ah…” Bai Shinian choked, and the next moment, he suffered a heart attack and collapsed on the desk.
When he woke up again, he found himself sitting in an empty classroom.
The classroom was brightly lit by incandescent lights, the clock pointing to 9:30 pm, and there was no one else around.
Rubbing his eyes, Bai Shinian realized this wasn’t a university classroom – the course schedule on the blackboard indicated this was a high school. He randomly pulled out a textbook from the drawer, and sure enough, it was a second-year high school textbook with his name, Bai Shinian, signed on it!
Glancing to the side, he noticed a banner hung on the wall – it was the honor flag for his class placing second in the sports meet, with the signature of “North City First High School”.
North City First High School?! This was the alma mater of Bian Rui and the others! Of course, it was also his own alma mater, but he had been so focused on studying that he never knew of their existence.
The countdown to the college entrance exam on the blackboard showed a date 10 years in the past. Oh my, he had time-traveled 10 years back, to when they were in high school. Bai Shinian’s heart raced with excitement, as he rubbed his hands eagerly… Hehe hehe.
North City First High School was a boarding school, and all students had to live on campus. Bai Shinian didn’t expect to time-travel 10 years back and end up at the same school as his idols.
Buoyed by the cool night breeze, walking back to the dorm, Bai Shinian was incredibly excited.
At this time, the four of them probably haven’t formed the band yet. I’ll go scout them out early, get their autographs, and I can sell them for a lot of money in the future! Hehe, and I’ll also collect their photos to use for their birthday celebrations.
Passing by the supermarket entrance, Bai Shinian, in a good mood, went in and bought his favorite spicy strips. Munching on them and continuing on his way back.
“Haha haha.” It’s so spicy, so refreshing.
Suddenly, in the distance, a howling, wailing sound of playing instruments reached his ears. Bai Shinian stopped in his tracks, perking up his ears.
So terrible! What is this? How could the school have a funeral procession?
The closer he got, the clearer the sound became, torturing Bai Shinian’s ears. The last time he heard music this bad was at the previous year’s “Dazzling Star” birthday celebration, as a fan club internal benefit.
No, to be precise, it was one year ago.
Bai Shinian was extremely curious. He pushed through the weeds and followed the sound to the abandoned teaching building, certain that this unbearable noise was coming from there.
Until he pushed open the door to the activity room, he was completely stunned.
Weren’t these the four members of “Dazzling Star”?
They were wearing the same North City High School uniforms, their faces not much changed, full of youthful innocence – all in the most beautiful forms of their teenage years.
But what the hell are they playing?!
Ten years later and they still only have this level of skill?! After ten years, they haven’t progressed at all?
Bai Shinian’s spicy strips suddenly lost their flavor, and he silently shed two lines of tears.
It was all a mistake after all…
“Huh? Classmate! Hello there!” The first to notice him was drummer Cui Yeyi. He stopped playing the drums, and everyone’s movements paused as they all turned to look at Bai Shinian with strange gazes.
Bai Shinian was still grieving. The band he had loved for so many years had only become popular by faking it.
Cui Yeyi jumped off the drum set and ran over to Bai Shinian, patting his back, “Old buddy, why are you crying? Could it be that you’ve been moved by our music?”
Bassist Fan Hongi, known for his laziness, was squatting on the floor, teasing, “Bian Rui, we have a fan who appreciates us!”
Lead singer Bian Rui’s lips curled slightly, exuding an aloof, ascetic aura. He coldly glanced at Bai Shinian, “He’s probably been burned by the spicy strips.”
Bai Shinian’s heart ached. He never imagined Bian Rui would always be so blunt.
He shook his head reluctantly, “No, I think… it’s really good! You all will definitely become a super popular band in the future!”
He didn’t know if this encouragement could motivate them to train seriously and diligently.
Hearing this, Bian Rui’s eyes flashed with a strange light.
Beside him, Cui Yeyi tightened his lips, strongly hugging Bai Shinian’s shoulders and patting a few times, “Buddy! You really have an eye for talent! Want to join us?”
Join?
There’s no way he would join, but he could help them with backstage work, serving his idols!
Seeing Bai Shinian hesitating, Cui Yeyi guessed he must be extremely tempted, after all, they were a handsome four-member idol team, and many students wanted to join their band!
“You can try being our manager, help us with running errands and printing sheet music and stuff,” Bai Shinian couldn’t appear too cheap, so he paused, then asked, “What benefits would I get?”
Bian Rui released the microphone and stepped off the stage, “I’ll do your homework.”
Wow, this is really tempting!
For the high school life drowning in piles of assignments and exams, having someone help lighten the workload would be a godsend! Bai Shinian’s eyes brightened.
Bai Shinian: “Then what do I need to do?”
Cui Yeyi grinned, hooking his arm around Bai Shinian’s shoulder, “We four are in different classes, I’ll send you the schedule, you help arrange the time and reserve the venue in advance.”
Bai Shinian glanced at the dilapidated activity room, they still need to reserve this place?
Inadvertently, he glimpsed the long extension cords on the floor, extending from the outside all the way in, the ends near the stage, with various equipment like speakers and kettles all plugged into the same outlet.
“How about it, buddy? If it weren’t for the fact that you can appreciate our music, you wouldn’t even be considered!” Cui Yeyi pressed on.
Bai Shinian forced a smile, “Okay, okay!”
It’s a dream come true.
At such a young age to find a manager, they’re really blessed.
But he has to say, these four have been handsome since they were young!
Bian Rui doesn’t need to be said, already 1.85 meters tall in just second grade, and will grow another 3 centimeters in the future. Tall, long legs, even a simple school uniform worn on his body looks like a model strutting on the runway. Good at schoolwork, good at singing, quiet most of the time and well-behaved, but when he gets irritable, the others would be terrified of him.
But Bai Shinian just loves his simple and straightforward nature, even though he has scolded countless fans, as long as he doesn’t scold him, Bai Shinian loves it!
He also likes Cui Yeyi, coming from a wealthy family, tall and masculine, exuding an abundance of masculinity. When he’s drumming, the aura he emanates can make countless girls swoon. No wonder his love life is constantly in the spotlight, and who would have thought it would end up ruining him in the future.
Fan Hongi, thin and lanky, standing on the stage, can still attract a group of fans to scream. His lazy, nonchalant vibe adds a different elegance to his handsomeness. Too bad he’s really lazy, lazy to the point of not improving his skills for so many years, and in the end could only rely on faking it on that important stage.
Finally, there’s the well-behaved boy-next-door Shen Bei, always quietly accompanying on the guitar, although his skills are not superb, but he works hard to improve! The boy who turns red as a teapot just by saying a few words, who wouldn’t like him? Bai Shinian also really likes him, always wanting to protect him like a baby in his arms.
“Hey, have you looked enough!” Fan Hongi couldn’t help but shout.
“Introduce yourself.” Bian Rui had already approached Bai Shinian, slightly lowering his gaze to look at him.
Bai Shinian was a little shorter than Bian Rui, but just these few centimeters made him feel suppressed by Bian Rui’s powerful aura. Bai Shinian stammered, “I-I’m Bai Shinian from Class 2…”
“Bai Shinian from Class 2? The top student in the grade?” Shen Bei suddenly asked.
Huh? I’m the top student in the grade? Bai Shinian was stunned himself.
A silence fell in the air, and that Bian Rui who said he could help the manager with homework also got stuck.
Who dares to help the top student in the grade with homework?!
Cui Yeyi laughed awkwardly, breaking the silence, “Top student is great, great! You don’t have to help with homework, right? You won’t tell the teacher, right!”
“No, no! I won’t!” Bai Shinian quickly waved his hands to explain.
“Okay, let’s not say anything else. In the future, we brothers will share the good times and bad times together! Let’s go eat instant noodles!”
Bai Shinian was hooked around the neck by Cui Yeyi and dragged to the empty space beside the stage, where the others all sat down cross-legged on the ground.
Fan Hongi and Shen Bei hurried to bring the boiling water, while Bian Rui and Cui Yeyi unpacked the instant noodles.
“Xiao Bai, how come your grades are so good? How did you find us?” Fan Hongi slurped a mouthful of noodles, sizzling.
Before Bai Shinian could speak, Cui Yeyi cut in, “I said, he’s a kindred spirit! The heavens will guide kindred spirits to find us! Didn’t we just need a manager?”
Bai Shinian took a sip of the soup, taking a deep breath, “I heard… um, good music and came over.”
“We just formed the band today,” Bian Rui said coolly.
“Come, let’s toast to our newly formed band!” Cui Yeyi raised his instant noodle cup.
The others all raised their noodle cups, clinking them in the air, then tilting their heads back to gulp down the soup.
How wonderful, Bai Shinian felt the enthusiasm and boldness of the young people. He must save “Dazzling Star”! Bring them back to the right track!
“Sizzle” “Crackle” “Bang”…
A series of sounds caught them off guard, sparks were burning from the nearby electrical wires, then the connected speakers suddenly exploded in a huge burst of light.
“Fuck! It’s on fire!”
Cui Yeyi was the first to scramble, the others also panicked and ran out the door, the activity room erupting in a blaze of light.
“Put it out, put it out!”
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