Chapter 93

The new round of the competition is a remix round. Several old songs were shuffled and drawn randomly. The lead vocalist drew “Your Happiness, Therefore My Happiness.”

This is a very laid-back little song, like a girl who has just washed her hair after being swept away by a tide of love, sitting on a bamboo chair in the sunlight at three or four in the afternoon, clipping her toenails and humming. The electric guitar and drums are quite outstanding, and when the vocalist and guitarist were drawn, there was a lot of envy, jealousy, and hate.

Since their band barely made it through the last two rounds, placing at the bottom in points, this round is particularly crucial. If they can’t surpass one team, even if they win this round, they will be eliminated in the overall rankings.

Xiang Feiran doesn’t like owing people favors, so since he agreed to step in, he would do his best and leave the rest to fate.

For the next two weeks, he left the lab every day at six o’clock sharp, heading to the band’s practice room. His long-term high-efficiency work mode had already influenced the members of his research group, so it wasn’t a team that would fall apart just because he was away for a short time. When the recording day came, he took three days off with no worries.

No one knew what Xiang Bo was up to, but they noticed his hearing seemed to worsen by the day. Sometimes, when someone talked to him during the day in a low voice, it would earn them a gentle “Huh?” with a frown, which made the aunties in the administrative office frequently come to him for signatures.

Each band has a follow-cam photographer and an assistant, but they don’t follow them all day. When they came to get material, Xiang Feiran would put on a mask and sit silently in the corner filled with drum kits, his eyes downcast.

The director’s assistant asked, “Will you wear a mask in the second scene and on stage too?”

The vocalist pointed with his thumb, “Why not? He’s an amateur.”

The director’s assistant replied, “And you’re a celebrity now?”

The vocalist wiped the oil off his head, “If you say so.”

Xiang Feiran often convicted himself based on his actions, concluding that he might have sold drugs in his previous life.

On the day of recording.

“Your Happiness, Therefore My Happiness” was the third-to-last performance. Due to some earlier incidents, the recording time was greatly delayed. When it was their turn, it was already 11 p.m. Everyone was exhausted and complaining. Even the guests on the judging panel were struggling to stay awake, and the fans in the pit had started sitting on the ground out of fatigue.

“The next band on stage is Potney, performing a remix of ‘Your Happiness, Therefore My Happiness.'”

The electronic lift screen slowly rose, and the musicians took their positions. Some in the audience noticed that the drummer had been replaced. Under the black T-shirt, his chest was broad, and his exposed arms were muscular, with veins bulging, but nothing else could be discerned.

Before the music started, Xiang Feiran improvised a brief drum fill.

A basic move when the atmosphere is cold, he didn’t overthink it or show off. A group of rock veterans napping in the second scene woke up with an “Oh?” and opened their eyes. “Is there an expert here?”

The vocalist’s heart trembled with excitement beyond words, thinking, “There’s no doubt, I must have saved his life in my past life.”

After a pretentious and cool opening remark, he turned around and signaled to Xiang Feiran. Xiang Feiran raised the drumsticks, crossed them, tapped twice, and then a pleasant and gradually intensifying cymbal sound led into the drums, electric guitar, bass, and synthesizer.

They remixed the song into a more electronic and psychedelic style, which also suited the vocalist’s lazy vocal tone better.

The transformation in the fan pit and the judging panel was evident. It took only twenty seconds for them to be drawn into the atmosphere from their drowsy state. Generally, a more energetic stage would have the upper hand, but there was no doubt that their laid-back, psychedelic performance made this midnight hour much more comfortable.

Their competitors in the second scene also changed their postures, leaning forward to watch the live feed on the big screen.

“This drumming is so steady, where did they find him?”

“He’s better than the original drummer, Xiao Dong.”

“Careful, Xiao Dong might come after you with a cast.”

Everyone laughed, and the person who made the comment shouted to the camera, “Make sure you cut that out.”

Drums are the anchor of a band, and the difference in overall effect brought by the quality of the drumming is immediately apparent. The scene was filled with well-known veterans of the industry, and their eyes stopped looking at the vocalist and other instruments, focusing solely on the drums. After watching for a while, one quietly muttered, “His style is spot on.”

“The arrangement is good too,” a bandmate chimed in, thinking the label had sent someone to fill in and jokingly said the label wasn’t being fair by keeping the good stuff to themselves.

When the performance ended, the venue, while not at its peak energy, had been swept clean of the earlier dullness.

The electronic screen lowered, and the four band members stepped forward: the vocalist, the guitarist (the vocalist’s cousin), the bassist, and the auxiliary members, the keyboardist, and the drummer, Xiang Feiran. The show’s dress code is casual, so everyone wore their own clothes. Xiang Feiran was dressed entirely in black, with only a pair of black, white, and green basketball shoes adding a splash of color.

Just after the performance, everyone was still a bit out of breath. After the votes were locked in, the host started the usual small talk.

The host asked, “I heard your drummer, Xiao Dong, is in the hospital. What happened?”

The vocalist replied, “Yeah, we barely made it through the last round. We were so happy that he got drunk and fell into a ditch. This guy is my childhood friend.”

The host turned to Xiang Feiran, “Introduce yourself.”

Lead Singer: “He’s mute.”

The host was stunned, and the audience reacted with a mix of surprise and pity.

“Is that true?”

The lead singer didn’t even blink: “Yes, it’s true.”

The host had no choice but to ask, “Then why is he wearing a mask? Can he take it off?”

Lead Singer: “No, he can’t.”

Host: “Is it because he has scars on his face?”

The lead singer touched his nose: “No, he’s just too handsome. We’re a band that relies on talent; if he took off the mask, we’d turn into a boy band.”

Host: “You really know how to offend people.”

The other bands backstage were already whispering among themselves.

“Have you seen him?”

“No one has.”

“He always wears a mask wherever he goes?”

“Ha, quite the mysterious guy.”

Guest #1 stood up, stirring things up: “After this airs, people will think the show’s just hyping him up.”

The lead singer clarified: “He’s not going into showbiz; he’s got a secure job.”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

Under the mask, Xiang Feiran sighed and glanced at the guitarist. His hand, hidden by his side, subtly signaled him to quickly change the subject.

Host: “Your childhood friend seems to have an issue with you. He’s conspiring with Ah D to knock you out.”

The audience erupted in laughter, and the atmosphere finally lightened up as the host steered the conversation back on track, asking the on-site musicians for their opinions.

“It’s a refreshing cover. This song is actually quite hard to pull off. Its style and production are very complete, so just adding embellishments would be pointless, while too much alteration would ruin the feeling of the lyrics. I really like this version—it’s comfortable, everything is just right, which is rare.”

A female guest chimed in: “I like it too. ‘Your happiness is my happiness’—it’s not about self-sacrifice, which would be too heavy. His humming and playing have a faint sense of resignation and surrender, which is super cool. And I especially like the drummer…”

The instigating guest interrupted: “You could’ve skipped the earlier part and started with liking the drummer.”

The female guest, still young and susceptible to teasing, blushed slightly, maximizing the show’s effect. Amidst a flurry of whistles, she smiled and finished, “I really like his style—it’s effortless, lazy, and detached, which is something innate.”

The host raised an eyebrow, not missing the opportunity: “Didn’t seem like your vocabulary was this rich in previous recordings.”

The second site was in stitches, with people laughing uncontrollably.

“I’ve learned from this. Next time, we’ll all wear masks, press our hats low, and just nail that mysterious handsome vibe.”

“First, you’ve got to have the physique for it.”

Xiang Feiran hadn’t anticipated this. In his plan, he was just supposed to play the drums, quietly helping out in the background. And with a mute persona, there shouldn’t have been any focus on him. He forgot that at nearly 1.89 meters tall, he’d be hard to ignore, whether standing or sitting.

As the chit-chat wrapped up, the host said, “The audience is really enthusiastic about you. Can you say something to them, using sign language?”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

This was a miscalculation; he didn’t know any sign language.

The host pressed: “You should at least understand the sign language of your childhood friend, right?”

The lead singer confidently assured, “He can, absolutely.”

Given the situation, Xiang Feiran had no choice but to calmly raise his hands and make a few gestures.

Host: “What did he say?”

The lead singer extended his arm, forming a heart with his fingers: “He said, ‘Love you all, darlings.’”

Xiang Feiran: “?”

There’s no hiding the look of wanting to throttle someone. The guests were almost rolling off the couch laughing, the audience screaming nonstop, and the host laughed so hard that he almost dropped his cue cards. “I’m pretty sure that’s not what he said.”

“Right, right. Actually, what he said was he’s had a great time tonight, thank you all, and please support us online!”

Even before the episode officially aired, the official discussion groups were already buzzing with content about them, with rumors spreading wildly. By the end, it had turned into the narrative that the lead singer of Portney had invited an idol as a guest performer.

That Friday, the new episode was officially released.

The lead singer bought peanuts, beer, and skewers, and the band members huddled in the hotel room to watch it together.

He confidently said, “Don’t worry, bro. They definitely cut out all those wild things I said—they’re just outtakes.”

They fast-forwarded to their segment and silently watched the whole thing, realizing not a single frame was cut.

Sitting at the foot of the bed, Xiang Feiran’s initially relaxed posture turned into one leg draped over the other, his arms crossed—this was his go-to posture when anxious.

Stay calm. Each episode has so many highlight performances and exciting moments; the audience probably wouldn’t pay attention to this segment.

The bassist picked up the remote and rewound their performance, playing it again.

Xiang Feiran behind the drums occupied quite a few solo shots, captured in high frame rate. In the slow-motion footage, with the screen behind him and the stage lights adding atmosphere, Xiang Feiran, wearing his in-ear monitors and with his eyelashes lowered, looked incredibly composed and effortlessly cool with his subtle movements.

As Xiang Feiran sat there, expressionless and silent,

The lead singer bit down on a skewer stick: “We’re screwed.”

His cousin chewed on a peanut: “We’re screwed.”

The bassist cracked open a beer: “We’re screwed.”

“We’re gonna blow up! Hahaha!”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

The room, which was once occupied by four seated individuals, had turned into a space with one person and three jumping monkeys.

The lead singer leaped up and hooked his arm around Xiang Feiran’s neck, “Don’t worry, relax. I guarantee no one will be able to dig up anything on you!”

Xiang Feiran gave a cold glance: “Shut up.”

His promises had never once been fulfilled!

An hour after the show aired, Potney, who had been at the bottom, shot up on the entertainment hot search.

“Alright, so you’re just teasing me? Next episode, take off the mask!”

“Which idol is this? I’m so anxious!”

“He looks so cool and cute as a mute.”

“Seems like one of those shy, handsome types who can be pursued with persistent effort.”

“Calm down, sisters. Maybe without the mask and hat, he’s just an ordinary guy.”

“A rock drummer doing pure love? What kind of Andersen fairy tale are you telling?”

“Haha, laughing so hard. A drummer with these conditions wouldn’t be clean unless he’s been through a truckload of exes.”

Originally, there were thousands of handsome men in the entertainment industry. Rock music is a niche, and the audience’s interest would pass. But then a person claiming to be a sign language teacher left a comment:

“Seriously, with my expertise as an eight-year deaf-mute school teacher, what is the sign language he used? I, you, %?&#…?”

“Deaf-mutes say they can’t understand. Is the handsome guy not very educated (sympathy)?”

In the rock band scene, a network hub for the industry, everywhere was filled with “know-it-alls,” and no musician could come out unscathed. They diligently scrutinized with magnifying glasses.

“Is there any network at all? Is Potney this obscure? A whole day has passed, and no insider information has been revealed!”

“Potney’s history in Ning City performances is quite long. I vaguely remember the earliest drummer was indeed very handsome but wasn’t mute and could speak. Later, he left the band and went to study in the U.S.”

An IP from the U.S. commented:

“? Wait a minute, actually, I’ve been thinking, he looks very much like a drummer I saw at a FO in New York. That drummer was indeed mute, incredibly handsome, and looked like this.”

“Image 1.jpg”

“Ah? Isn’t this the Boston guy? He’s not mute; he’s just quiet.”

“?”

“Yes, he can talk, and his voice is quite nice. He’s indeed handsome. I have pictures too.”

“Image 2.jpg”

Because the photos were taken from a distance under stage lighting, both were a bit blurry. However, based on the profile and highly recognizable features, it was undoubtedly the same person.

“Does he have a code name? English name starting with F?”

“Felix…”

“Damn! Are you sure you’ve heard him speak?”

“Sure.”

“Damn… how dare he trick me! He’s been pretending to be mute for four whole years!”

“So, this is a story about a handsome drummer pretending to be mute, but he got exposed.”

“Laughing so hard. So his sign language on stage was just random gestures! How dare he!”

“Suddenly thinking about his sign language at 21N… (lighting a cigarette)”

“But speaking of which, it can’t be confirmed that it’s Potney’s foreign aid, right?”

Soon, someone returned from the lead singer’s Weibo with photos.

“If we add this photo (^ ^)”

The photo was posted ten years ago. Xiang Feiran’s face had not changed, but he was obviously more inexperienced than when he was in the U.S. He wore a hood, had wired earphones in his ears, and was sleeping in the corner of the rehearsal room. His long bangs fell to his eyebrows, and his complexion was very pale against his black hair and the surrounding wires.

The lead singer’s caption: “All-nighter data running and rehearsals, brother!”

The matter was settled.

Thus, Xiang Feiran’s hat, mask, and mute disguise were completely stripped away.

“Case solved. Never thought chasing a band would involve being a detective.”

“Why doesn’t this count as a joint case between China and the U.S.?”

“Guys, how can someone pretend to be mute for four whole years just to avoid talking?”

The focus of the group quickly shifted back to their old favorite—who slept with whom?

No musician could come out unscathed, as no musician avoids the fruits!

“Let’s get straight to it. Who’s slept with whom? I’m staying here today.”

“Slept with the lead singer.”

“Slept with the cousin.”

“Alright, so only the bassist hasn’t been slept with (today is also a day for insulting bassists).”

“Everyone in the court is mumbling, and no one is admitting!”

“Really no one? How can I not believe this? With these conditions, wouldn’t private messages be flooded?”

“Didn’t the American friend sleep with anyone?”

“He doesn’t sleep around. Haven’t heard that. My friend pursued him, let me contact her; she’s in Southern France and has a time difference.”

“Five minutes passed.”

“Ten minutes passed.”

“Did you fly out to find your friend?”

During the waiting period, the thread was rapidly being updated.

Fifteen minutes later, the American IP fan finally appeared again.

“Here! My friend was so shocked when she saw him on the show. She pursued him crazily during the 21N period but never sent gifts, didn’t accept gifts, and didn’t drink. Mainly, she was someone who was aloof and indifferent.”

“By the way, my friend is extremely beautiful and wealthy, undefeated in both domestic and international entertainment. Only he was the exception. By the way, ask the show team if he really plans to debut. If he does, she’s preparing to come back from Southern France.”

“Maybe… gay?”

“Seems very straight; my radar didn’t pick up anything.”

“Gay people also sleep around. The key now is that whether straight or gay, no one is claiming him.”

“Don’t be like this. My belief is shattered. How can there be a musician who doesn’t sleep around?”

Hundreds of layers of replies built up and were stamped by marketing accounts and moved to Weibo.

One of the postdocs who was quietly surfing the net while PI was away saw the photos and shouted: “Ah!!!”

They fell two meters away, rolling and wetting themselves.

What filth!

How could Xiang Bo appear on such a notorious entertainment marketing account?

Seconds later, the remaining doctoral student from Lin Xigong’s team and two postdocs huddled together, silently examining the posts on their phones.

“Xiang Bo.”

“Drummer.”

“Mute.”

“Variety show.”

“Debut.”

“Sleeping around.”

“……”

They exited the post and looked at each other: “What are they saying about a top talent?”

The doctoral student lamented, “How can they discuss such filthy topics in front of such a noble soul as my advisor!”

Postdoc: “So you don’t want to see Xiang Bo drumming?”

Doctoral student: “I do.”

After the episode aired, each band’s performance clips were also edited separately. Potney’s “You Make Me Happy” had a view count that far exceeded all the other bands combined. The comments were all pointing out: “Sisters, there’s no interview here; the interview is in the main episode, go watch it quickly!”

The three doctoral students painfully subscribed to the premium membership, followed the instructions, and watched the main episode, where they enjoyed the brilliant segment of their boss on stage, calmly making random sign language gestures.

Since the reveal, the comments were all laughing, and when the lead singer said “I love you, babies,” the comments completely drowned out the face.

The three postdocs all wiped their faces in distress.

“I feel like my mental state isn’t very good.”

“I feel like this world isn’t very good.”

“Should we send Xiang Bo some encouragement and tell him we voted for him?”

Postdoc was shocked: “Do you want to extend your graduation?”

“……”

“The best way is to pretend not to know!”

The whole botany department knew about it, and the whole department pretended not to know, maintaining a calm and peaceful demeanor.

On a Q&A website, someone asked, “Why did Potney’s new drummer become a hot search overnight?”

“You need to ask his clueless good buddy. The performance was normal; a chat with the host would have ended it. Even if he played the mute card, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But then he had to say ‘more handsome than idols,’ ‘@Infinite Good Literature, All in 52 Bookstore 52shuku.vip

not debuting, within the system,’ and the later comedic sign language segment was truly spot-on, but it’s too explosive… Anyway, the show team must have pushed it, and netizens indeed have investigative skills.”

“Poisonous. The interests are hidden. If you knew his real identity, it might be more than just a hot search.”

“Ah ah ah ah hiding. The lab has been in an uproar all day.”

“Ah, can’t tell at all (resting chin). Hiding.”

“The second-year female student has been holding her phone all day. Hiding.”

“Don’t mention the second-year female student; even my advisor (60, male) has been researching all day. Hiding.”

“My advisor asked what new recruitment method this is. Hiding.”

Eventually, this thin veil was pierced by a newly created anonymous account:

“Top talent, PhD advisor, researcher, a big shot in plant classification evolution and diversity conservation, the youngest advisory expert at the UN and Biosphere, and the least significant point, international gold medalist in the Biology Olympiad in a certain year, truly brought glory to the country. Stop discussing if he sleeps around; focus on useful research, such as academic achievements and popular science on biodiversity conservation!”

With this, the real name was on the verge of being revealed.

Netizens took the advice and swarmed to search for his papers. When the doctoral thesis appeared, the outdated dedication was also screenshotted:

“To the only love—Mingbao”