After Being Reborn, He Became An Ace In A Boy Band Chapter 6

Two weeks passed, and they had to return to the agency to prepare for their new album.

During these two weeks, Li Xun also worked hard to get along with Wei Qiyao, and their interactions were much more natural than at first. However, Li Xun still decided to move back into the Company Dormitory. Before he left, Wei Qiyao was worried; the recent incident had understandably left her fearful. Li Xun repeatedly assured her that he would be extremely careful about his safety, whether on stage or during outside schedules, before she finally stopped pressing the issue.

Becoming a celebrity was Jiang Yilan’s own insistence, and Wei Qiyao had never fully agreed. His father, however, was indifferent. He knew his son had been spoiled into a wastrel, and debuting as an artist was at least a legitimate job, better than him spending every day eating, drinking, and playing around without purpose. Wei Qiyao had initially thought it was a passing fancy—he had gone to a popular group’s concert with his then-girlfriend and came back saying he wanted to be a star, finding it interesting. She assumed it was just a whim, and he would back out after experiencing some hardship upon debut. But two years later, although he complained a lot, he had never once said he wanted to quit the industry.

He also maintained contact with his sister, calling her every night before bed. On the day of Li Xun’s car accident, Li Mo’s roommates all knew her brother had been in an accident and had seen the news. But when they saw Li Mo the next day, she seemed to be in high spirits. They didn’t dare ask too many questions, fearing Li Mo was suffering from too much shock.

Li Mo could only secretly talk to her brother every day. When Li Xun said he was returning to the company, they met up again.

Wei Qiyao accompanied him to the agency. She rarely came here; Jiang Yilan used to avoid staying in the Company Dormitory whenever possible, preferring to go home. But this time, Li Xun told her he would stay at the company more often, as he had fallen too far behind and needed extra practice.

Wei Qiyao looked at her son, who seemed like a different person after the amnesia, unsure whether to be happy or worried. She was certainly pleased that he was willing to work hard and had become so humble, but there was also a sense of loss—the willful son who used to cling to her and act spoiled seemed gone forever.

Li Xun was the second person to arrive at the dormitory; Rong Xiao had gotten there earlier. Rong Xiao, like him, was a local and the leader, accustomed to being one step ahead of them in everything. Each person in their dormitory had a private bedroom. Rong Xiao led him to his room. As soon as the door opened, Li Xun was slightly stunned. The bed in Jiang Yilan’s bedroom was clearly larger than the standard single beds provided by the company, and the mattress looked identical to the one in Jiang Yilan’s room at home.

“We’re meeting Eris tomorrow to listen to the demo for the new song and tentatively decide on the parts.”

“Okay.” Li Xun nodded.

Jiang Yilan’s parts were always the fewest, and this time was likely no exception.

He had brought Jiang Yilan’s guitar. After setting it down, he tidied the room. Just as he finished organizing the closet, Tang Ruining returned.

Li Xun certainly hoped to improve his relationship with him, so he proactively greeted Tang Ruining.

He was prepared for Tang Ruining to ignore him, but Tang Ruining looked up. Beneath the brim of his black baseball cap, his eyes, hidden in shadow, were cold and impatient.

“How long do you plan on keeping up the act?” Tang Ruining asked.

“Though you won’t believe it,” Li Xun smiled, speaking with a hint of helplessness, “I’m not acting. I really forgot.”

“Forgot, but you remember how to Play Guitar,” Tang Ruining also smiled, though it was a sneer. “It’s rare for the young master to suddenly be interested in playing the amnesia game with us.”

Li Xun thought that perhaps he really should have started by playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Seeing the tension, Rong Xiao skillfully intervened: “Ruining, I was there when Yilan woke up, and the doctor was there too. He really wasn’t faking it.”

“Whatever. If you want to act, that’s your business.” Tang Ruining turned and walked back into his room, his voice tossed over his shoulder. “Just don’t bother me.”

Li Xun gave Rong Xiao a wry smile.

Rong Xiao, however, was relieved: “It’s rare for you two not to fight. Just based on the fact that you didn’t snap back at Ruining at all, I’m one hundred percent sure you really have amnesia.”

Li Xun couldn’t help but give him a look of respect: “Leader, you must have had it rough before.”

The wry smile transferred to Rong Xiao’s face.

The other two members arrived the next morning. They were surprised that the first thing they saw upon entering the dormitory was Jiang Yilan sitting alone at the dining table, quietly eating breakfast.

Yuan Zhiyan had been in contact with him online these past few days but hadn’t seen him in person. He looked at Jiang Yilan with uncertainty. Jiang Yilan looked up, saw the two of them, swallowed the food in his mouth, and waved his fork: “You guys are here.”

Yuan Zhiyan seemed to relax, smiling brightly: “We’re here.”

Wu Xingye still looked quite surprised. When he heard Jiang Yilan ask, “Did you two eat breakfast? I can make you something,” the surprise turned into outright bewilderment.

Could amnesia change a person this much? Yuan Zhiyan, being carefree, happily rushed over and asked, “What did you make? I didn’t even know you could cook!”

“I learned a few simple things at home.” Li Xun had already stood up, preparing to go to the kitchen. “Just simple sandwiches. You guys unpack your things, and I’ll go make them.”

Li Xun woke up early that morning. After he got up, Rong Xiao and Tang Ruining went to the gym. He went to the company’s convenience store to buy bread. The eggs and ham were already in the fridge, ready to be fried in a pan. He also heated up some milk.

Li Xun was quick and efficient; cooking was no problem for him. He finished the simple meal quickly. Wu Xingye stared at the sandwich and milk in front of him for a long time without moving, his expression suggesting he was afraid Jiang Yilan had poisoned them.

Yuan Zhiyan had actually already eaten breakfast, but that didn’t stop him from taking two large bites out of the sandwich, nearly moved to tears. “Do you know, Brother Lanlan, this is the best thing I’ve eaten in days!”

“It can’t be that bad,” Li Xun asked with a laugh. “Didn’t you go home?”

“I’m saying this because I went home!” Yuan Zhiyan complained. “You have no idea how terrible my parents’ cooking is. I lose weight every time I go home… The worst part is, even though I’m this old, they won’t let me order takeout at home. That’s basically abuse!”

No wonder this kid looked happy eating cafeteria food, Li Xun thought.

“Do you have any favorite dishes? I can make them for you,” Li Xun added. “I can follow a recipe. I recently discovered I have quite a talent for cooking.”

“Really?” Yuan Zhiyan looked at him as if he were a benevolent parent, both surprised and delighted.

Li Xun nodded. “Home-style dishes shouldn’t be too difficult. I think I can manage.”

He had learned to cook when he was very young. He generally learned to do anything he could handle himself. He had even secretly worked for an auntie selling fried rice at a street stall when his sister was in college, helping her fry rice and noodles so Li Mo could have more living expenses. That period was grueling, working from dawn till dusk. He practiced at the agency during the day and helped out at the night market in the evening, keeping it a secret from everyone. Fortunately, the night market business was good, and his stall was constantly busy. Some people were amused watching the handsome guy fry rice and came back for several days to support his business. The auntie treated him well and paid him extra. The only issue was the smell of cooking oil when he returned at night. His roommates were already asleep, so he had to be quiet, secretly washing the clothes that smelled before going to bed.

Yuan Zhiyan had already lowered his head and started listing dishes on his phone. Just then, the two who had been exercising returned. Li Xun asked them, “Do you guys want breakfast?”

Tang Ruining went straight to the bathroom to shower. Rong Xiao answered him, “We already ate.”

Yuan Zhiyan quickly showed off: “Brother Lan made us sandwiches!”

Rong Xiao was surprised again. Looking at Jiang Yilan’s increasingly innocent face, the phrase “washing hands to make soup” inexplicably popped into his mind.

Yuan Zhiyan usually liked to stick close to Tang Ruining. He had a kind of admiration for him. Although Tang Ruining wasn’t the type to form close relationships, he tolerated Yuan Zhiyan, letting him chatter beside him. After Tang Ruining finished showering, Yuan Zhiyan immediately clung to him, repeatedly saying things like, “Brother Lan is totally different from before, haven’t you noticed? It’s amazing!” Tang Ruining endured it for about two minutes, then said one word: “Scram.”

Usually, Yuan Zhiyan would know better than to stay, leaving only to stick to him again later. This time was no exception. Yuan Zhiyan quickly scurried out of Tang Ruining’s room and knocked on Li Xun’s door.

“Zhiyan has found another person to cling to,” Wu Xingye said, laughing, to Rong Xiao.

“I didn’t expect this incident to be a blessing in disguise,” Rong Xiao sighed. “I hope that even if Yilan recovers his memory someday, he’ll remain like this.”

The meeting was held that afternoon for the audition and part division. The song was called “Imbalance,” a pop style fused with R&B. Eris, the main instructor responsible for their song, played the demo and meticulously explained each section of the track. He had already roughly divided the parts and asked them to sing their assigned sections for him.

Li Xun had taken his classes before and knew he was quite strict. Li Xun could also tell that Eris genuinely disliked Jiang Yilan.

Eris had already had the other four members sing several rounds without asking Li Xun to open his mouth. Li Xun stayed quietly on the side, listening carefully as Eris coached the others.

“You sing now.” Finally, it was Li Xun’s turn. Eris didn’t even look at him, speaking to the lyric sheet.

It was just two lines, a section with no difficulty. Li Xun cleared his throat and sang.

During his days at home, Li Xun had tried practicing the song himself. Jiang Yilan’s voice lacked the depth of his own. Li Xun’s previous voice had been praised as being perfect for singing heartbroken love songs. His roommate once said: “It makes people want to drink a bitter glass of wine at midnight and cry while calling their ex to ask if they can please not get married, boohoo.”

Jiang Yilan’s voice had essentially never been properly developed due to lack of practice. Li Xun could only rely purely on his past experience and technique to make up for lost time, but this was enough to make the other members and Eris turn their heads to look at him.

“Significant improvement,” Eris commented objectively after a moment of surprise. “Sing the next two lines for me.”

“Okay.” Li Xun sang two more lines. Eris contemplated for a moment, tapping his pen on his notebook. “Try singing the chorus.”

Hearing this, Wu Xingye put down the lyric sheet he was holding, picked it up again, and then pressed his lips together.

While Li Xun sang, Eris kept his eyes fixed on him. When he finished, Eris nodded. “That’s all for today. I’ll finalize the parts when I get back. That’s it, you can go now.”

The group bid farewell to the instructor. Li Xun turned around and saw Tang Ruining looking at him, his face expressionless.

He smiled at Tang Ruining again. Only then did Tang Ruining display that familiar look of annoyance and walk away.