Wang Yibo: Our Careers in Sync

In early autumn 2011, 14-year-old Wang Yibo traveled to Seoul, fresh from the glory of a street dance competition. On the plane, he met 13-year-old Zhang Muning, whose short, neat hair and crisp, refreshing presence called to mind a green grape. Both were Yuehua trainees, and they made a promise to debut side by side, beginning four years of grueling training together.

Zhang Muning had studied dance and music from childhood, mastering street dance, ballet, and instruments of all kinds. She disguised herself as a boy to pursue her dream, and she and Wang Yibo became each other’s support. After fifteen hours of practice every day, amid eliminations and pressure, their extraordinary hard work made them the only two Chinese trainees at YG to graduate with straight A’s. Later, the six of them formed the idol group UNIQ. Their work amazed the music world, won international awards, and brought them dazzling fame and limitless promise.

But fate took a sudden turn. In 2016, the restrictions on Korean entertainment in China struck without warning, bringing the group’s activities to an abrupt halt. Even worse, Zhang Muning’s identity as a girl was accidentally exposed, and she was swallowed by a wave of malice and online abuse. Rather than hold back her teammates, she endured the pain of leaving the group and quietly disappeared from the stage.

She never stopped moving forward after leaving the stage. At 17, she skipped grades and was admitted to the Berklee College of Music, earning a full scholarship and an international violin award. At 20, she changed fields and, thanks to her astonishing talent, became a national-level track and field athlete. At 23, invited by the Street Dance program team, she finally returned to the stage she had been away from for so many years.

Under the spotlights, she met again the boy who had made her entire youth unforgettable: Wang Yibo. From standing shoulder to shoulder as trainees, to shining separately through the years apart, to finding their hearts still moved when they met again, their sweat-soaked memories, tender feelings, and steadfast devotion will finally find their perfect ending beneath the stars.