After Being Reborn, He Became An Ace In A Boy Band Chapter 11

Chapter 11 The First Fan Meeting “Hello everyone, I am To5’s Jiang Yi…

The fan meeting was imminent, and they entered a tight rehearsal schedule.

This time they were releasing a single, so besides the new song, they also had to sing several old songs and perform a solo medley segment. This was all new to Li Xun; he had more and more complex things to memorize than the others. Fortunately, he hadn’t been completely idle during this period. He listened to To5’s old songs almost every day. His lines weren’t extensive, and his dance moves when standing in the center position were simple. He only needed to focus on the group choreography and his solo.

Jiang Yilan’s solo was relatively simple. In the last full album, each member had a personal track. His was a light, sweet song with no choreography, high notes, or low notes. The entire song stayed comfortably in the mid-range, making it singable for anyone who wasn’t tone-deaf—perfect for the former Jiang Yilan.

For Li Xun, the song was too easy, but this was his first official stage performance, his first time singing a solo song. No matter how simple, he would prepare thoroughly and dedicate all his energy to it.

The other members’ solos included spectacular dance tracks or technically demanding ballads. His little sweet song was scheduled in the middle, acting as a transition. The setting was on the right side of the stage, featuring a pink backdrop, a high stool, and a basket of roses on the floor, allowing him to toss flowers to the fans below while singing.

The fan meeting was the next day, and they were conducting their final rehearsal tonight. Li Xun’s solo followed Tang Ruining’s performance. After Tang Ruining finished in the center, the central lights dimmed, and the side stage lights illuminated Li Xun. He sat on the high stool, dressed in a white suit. Under the lights, he looked like a prince described in a fairy tale, and a flower was pinned to his microphone.

Despite it being an easy sweet song, everyone could hear the difference in his singing technique. Previously, Jiang Yilan sang this song at a karaoke level—nothing majorly wrong, but nothing exceptional either. Now, his voice projected with depth; not a single word sounded airy. He sang in a way that matched the song’s atmosphere, his voice sounding cheerful, sweet but not cloying, making listeners feel happy.

“I think Yilan’s song should be placed at the end of our solo medley,” Rong Xiao suggested. “A relaxed sweet song is perfect for a closing number.”

Originally, Wu Xingye was scheduled to close with a highly difficult ballad meant for the finale. The stage director agreed with Rong Xiao, finding the suggestion reasonable. They adjusted the sequence and tried it again. The effect was excellent; Jiang Yilan could completely handle the closing spot.

Rehearsals lasted late into the night, and the five members were exhausted when they returned to the Company Dormitory. Li Xun finished washing up and saw a WeChat message from his sister around 3 AM. They hadn’t had much time to talk these past few days. Li Mo was coming to the fan meeting tomorrow to see him. Her last message read: [See you tomorrow, Gege, good night!]

Li Xun smiled gently at the screen, replied, closed his phone, and quickly fell asleep.

He woke up early the next day as usual, typically being the first or second one up. Today, Wu Xingye was also up early and already sitting at the dining table.

“Morning, Xingye, you’re up so early.”

“Morning,” Wu Xingye replied. He was eating and asked Li Xun, “Want some? There’s plenty.”

“What are you eating?” Li Xun pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Yogurt mixed with nuts.” Wu Xingye helped him tear open a box of yogurt and scooped two large spoonfuls of nuts into it. “This yogurt is delicious. I buy this kind every time. Try it.”

“Okay, thank you.” Li Xun took it, stirred the yogurt, noting the variety of nuts.

He finished the bowl of yogurt in a few bites. A few minutes later, Li Xun suddenly felt something was wrong.

His throat tightened, he felt slightly breathless, and several spots on his body began to itch.

Clearly, these were symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Li Xun immediately went to the bathroom to induce vomiting, but even after throwing up, the symptoms didn’t subside.

“What’s wrong, Yilan?” Wu Xingye asked.

“I need to go to the Hospital.” His voice was already hoarse. His chest felt tight, and he struggled to breathe, but he managed to finish his sentence. “I might be allergic to a certain type of nut.”

“What?” Wu Xingye froze, then panicked. “How could this happen… I, I’ll go with you!”

Li Xun had already quickly grabbed his things and opened the door. “I’ll ask Xiao Cheng to go with me. Don’t come; you need to prepare for the fan meeting.”

The fan meeting was at 7 PM. Li Xun didn’t know if he would even be able to perform.

In the car, he leaned against the seat, eyes closed and silent. Xiao Cheng was beside him, anxious to the point of tears. As soon as they arrived, Xiao Cheng rushed to help him out of the car. Li Xun offered a weak smile, still having the strength to joke, “I haven’t reached the point where I can’t walk.”

“Don’t talk!” Xiao Cheng urged.

Back at the Company Dormitory, Wu Xingye explained what happened to the others. Rong Xiao decided to go to the Hospital, telling the rest to proceed with their makeup and styling preparations so as not to delay the fan meeting.

When Rong Xiao arrived at the Hospital, Jiang Yilan had already received an injection, and his symptoms had greatly improved. He was resting in a private room for observation, with Xiao Cheng accompanying him.

“Are you okay?” Rong Xiao asked. Jiang Yilan smiled at him. “Much better. It wasn’t too serious.”

“That’s good.” Rong Xiao sighed in relief. “We didn’t know you were allergic to nuts. Did you forget yourself?”

“Yes, I completely forgot.” He shook his head helplessly. He had never experienced an allergy before. If a former roommate hadn’t had similar symptoms when allergic to mangoes, Li Xun probably wouldn’t have realized immediately that he was having an allergic reaction.

Just in case, he needed to ask Jiang Yilan’s mother if he had any other allergies.

The three of them rushed to the fan meeting venue. Most of his allergy symptoms had subsided, but he still felt unwell, especially his throat. His condition was naturally not as good as usual. However, being able to go on stage was a blessing. Missing the first show would be difficult to explain, not only to the fans who bought tickets but also to himself.

As soon as he arrived, everyone rushed over to show concern. Yuan Zhiyan, halfway through his makeup, ran over and grabbed his arm, his face full of worry. “Are you okay, Ge?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Li Xun smiled at his half-finished eyeliner and affectionately patted his arm.

Tang Ruining stood behind them without speaking. The moment Li Xun met his gaze, Tang Ruining turned and walked away.

He took medication again before going on stage. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous for his first performance, especially after the small accident, which made his heart pound in his chest, fearing another physical issue.

He could hear the fans cheering from backstage. Li Xun closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Rong Xiao stood beside him and patted his shoulder.

The new song began. Li Xun’s voice trembled slightly when he first started singing, but he quickly adjusted and maintained a stable performance afterward. During the paired dance, the screams from the audience reached an unprecedented peak. The two stood back-to-back, yet their dancing was synchronized as if they were mirroring each other. Tang Ruining grabbed his hand and pulled him up. He turned and met the other’s gaze. Light poured down, their palms met, and they seemed like the only connection on the stage.

After the song ended, Li Xun was breathing harder than usual. The residual chest tightness from the allergy persisted. He lowered his head to hide his discomfort, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face, hitting the floor.

During the members’ individual greeting time, Tang Ruining went before him. His greeting was usually simple, typically ending with, “Hello everyone, I am To5’s Tang Ruining.” But today, he glanced at the person next to him and added a few more words.

“Hello everyone, I am To5’s Tang Ruining.” Cheers erupted, but Tang Ruining didn’t lower the microphone, continuing unhurriedly, “Tonight, I hope everyone enjoys themselves. Besides this new song, we have prepared other old songs.”

Tang Ruining turned to look at the audience on the other side, his peripheral vision catching Jiang Yilan beside him.

“So, please look forward to it with us, okay?”

“Okay!!” “Ahhh—”

Tang Ruining lowered the microphone and looked at Jiang Yilan. He was breathing less heavily now. He raised the microphone and smiled brightly. “Hello everyone, I am To5’s Jiang Yilan.”

The giant screen magnified his face. Besides the screams, many people in the audience involuntarily gasped, “Wow…”

“I’m very happy to be standing here now, and I hope everyone here is happy too. Thank you all!” He bowed, causing another commotion in the audience.

After singing a slow song, it was time for the game segment, the classic Pictionary. A few fans were randomly selected to come on stage and play. Li Xun drew a male fan, which was rare. As soon as the fan came on stage, he excitedly tried to hug him, and once he did, he wouldn’t let go. Rong Xiao, acting as the MC, patted the fan and said, “Hey, hey, let’s play first. We’ll let you hug him again after, okay?”

The male fan’s drawing was very abstract. When the game ended, Li Xun’s team came in last and had to accept the punishment.

Although they lost the game, the male fan still remembered the promise of another hug. He hugged Jiang Yilan again and said, “Lán Lán, I really love you!”

He hugged him too tightly and was a head shorter than Li Xun, practically hanging onto him. With the voice so close, Li Xun patted his back and whispered, “Thank you.”

The punishment was administered only to Li Xun after the fans had left the stage. Staff brought out a table with three cups of black liquid, and he had to choose one to drink. One cup was flat cola, and the other two were extremely bitter herbal tea.

Unable to smell or observe closely, Li Xun made a quick decision and chose the middle cup. He downed it in one gulp. Under the expectant eyes of the crowd, he didn’t show any sign of distress but smiled mysteriously.

“Hey, good luck, was it cola?” Rong Xiao asked.

Li Xun slowly exhaled, his expression unchanged, and softly uttered three words: “It was herbal tea.”

Everyone laughed gleefully. Yuan Zhiyan didn’t believe him and picked up the other two cups to smell them, confirming that it was true.

“You have amazing tolerance!” Yuan Zhiyan exclaimed.

During the solo medley segment, Jiang Yilan’s white suit once again stunned the fans below. The front-row fansites frantically pressed their shutters, knowing that tonight would produce a large number of legendary photos.

During the instrumental break, Li Xun picked up the flower basket and scattered the roses into the audience, making sure to cover several sections. The atmosphere reached its peak again.

The positive fan reaction made Li Xun happy, and his condition improved steadily. The final song was their debut track from their first album. Debut songs meant to establish fame are never simple, and the choreography for this one was highly difficult. The former Jiang Yilan always struggled to keep up with the beat and dance well. Not to mention his only two lines, which he sang while standing still, still sounding breathless and weak, relying on backing tracks. But Li Xun executed it perfectly, even feeling like he performed better than usual. The final pose was a kneel. When Li Xun knelt, he instantly released all his strength. His legs were slightly weak, and his knee hit the floor with a heavy thud, so loud that Tang Ruining, who was next to him, glanced over. But Li Xun didn’t feel the pain at the moment.

The fan meeting, Li Xun’s first time on stage, concluded successfully. Once backstage, he relaxed completely. His head felt dizzy, and his steps were unsteady.

Rong Xiao walked over and supported him. “Are you okay? How is your body?”

Li Xun smiled gratefully at him. “I’m fine, just a little tired.”

He hadn’t told Li Mo about his physical discomfort. As soon as he got his phone, Li Mo had sent him many messages, all excited praises and pictures, scrolling endlessly.

In the van, Li Xun replied to his sister’s messages, closed his eyes, and immediately fell asleep.

Tang Ruining turned to look at him. The car was dim, playing soft music that flowed across Jiang Yilan’s face along with the streetlights outside the window. His face was buried in the hood of his hoodie, sleeping soundly, looking utterly exhausted.

Tang Ruining then looked at Wu Xingye, who was sitting in the front, his eyes suddenly chillingly cold.