A band, or a battleground?

Higgs Boson: [Okay, Stick Bro, I'm waiting for you to upload it.]

Qi Yuan's eye twitched, and he immediately changed his nickname.

He certainly wouldn't treat his messaging app name like a teenager would, using it as a platform to showcase his personality; it's just a contact symbol.

Therefore, the phrase "[Tongtian Battle Staff Collapses Mountains and Rivers]" became the letter "Q", derived from the initial of his own name.

Higgs boson: [Brother Stick, what's wrong with you?]

Q: [You've changed, Explosive Fallen Angel.]

Higgs boson: [...]

Higgs boson: [Say that again!]

Higgs boson: [kitchen knife.jpg]

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

016 Start with Breathing

On Saturday morning, Qi Yuan took a half-hour bus ride to the residential area where Qiu Mengxue lived, following the address on his phone.

Stepping into the residential complex, one is greeted by neatly manicured green areas and rows of orderly buildings over twenty stories high. Compared to Qi Yuan's old and dilapidated home, the environment here is undoubtedly much better. However, from an adult's perspective, it's just an ordinary mid-range residential area.

After taking the elevator to the 17th floor, Qi Yuan rang the doorbell in front of a security door.

The door opened quickly, and standing in the doorway was naturally Qiu Mengxue.

Today she wasn't wearing her school uniform, nor the bohemian maxi dress she wore during her street performance the other day. Instead, she was dressed casually at home: a white cotton short-sleeved T-shirt paired with light gray athletic shorts, and her long hair was pinned up in a bun with a shark clip.

She didn't put much thought into her clothes, but they were still quite eye-catching.

"I thought you were going to be late. I heard from Yi Yi that you're late every day in your class."

"Today is different. I'm here to learn real skills, not to go to school."

Given Qi Yuan's past persona, going to school was obviously just a way to pass the time.

"Okay... I don't have any spare men's slippers at home, you can wear these."

Qiu Mengxue stepped aside to let him in, took a pair of light blue non-woven shoe covers from the shoe cabinet, and handed them to him.

Qi Yuan nodded and took the slippers, then bent down and put them on his sneakers. This saved him the trouble of finding and changing into slippers.

After changing into shoe covers, he walked into the living room and found that the interior was much nicer than the one in the neighborhood. There were light wood floors, a beige fabric sofa, several thriving green plants on the balcony, and a piano covered with a dust cover in the corner.

The entire space is decorated without elaborate carvings or large chandeliers, yet it exudes an elegant style.

"Come over here. I'll teach you here today, and it'll be convenient for you to practice," Qiu Mengxue said, leading Qi Yuan to push open a door.

Qi Yuan followed him inside and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

This was originally supposed to be a study, but it has been completely renovated. The walls are covered with gray and black wavy sound-absorbing foam, and even the ceiling has been renovated. A large workbench stands by the window, with two monitors, studio speakers, an external sound card, and a MIDI keyboard on it. Two acoustic guitars and an electric guitar hang on a shelf in the corner.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "Musical families are really something else; they own a recording studio!"

Qiu Mengxue pouted: "You're overthinking it. Recording studios are much more professional than this. But at least here, noise cancellation is no problem. You can sing as loud as you want, and the neighbors won't complain. Okay, let's get down to business..."

Before we could even get down to business, there was a knock on the slightly ajar door, and then it was pushed open.

Su Wan came in carrying two glasses.

"Before you practice your voice, let's moisten your throat first." Su Wan placed two glasses of warm water on the coffee table next to her, her face still bearing a gentle and kind expression.

Qiu Mengxue muttered, "If we want to drink water, we can just go outside."

Qi Yuan picked up his water glass, took a small sip, and then smiled and said, "Thank you, Teacher Su."

"Then you guys continue, I'll go prepare lunch."

Su Wan didn't linger. She glanced at the two of them, then turned and left, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door closed, the soundproofing of the room became immediately apparent. The noise from the outside world seemed to be instantly sucked away, and the only sound was the breathing of the two people.

Qiu Mengxue picked up a glass of warm water, took a small sip, and got into teaching mode.

"Let's get down to business. I heard you sing 'Blue Lotus' and 'Those Flowers' before. Your vocal condition is okay, but you sing entirely on instinct, especially in the high notes, where you just force it out. This kind of singing is okay once or twice, but if you rehearse and perform it frequently in the future, your vocal cords will be damaged very quickly. The truly scientific way to produce sound is not from the throat, but from here."

She reached out and pointed to her abdomen.

"To sing high notes well, you must first learn diaphragmatic breathing. Most people usually breathe using chest breathing. Try taking a deep breath."

Qi Yuan did as instructed, taking a deep breath. As he did so, his shoulders unconsciously rose, and his chest expanded.

Then Qiu Mengxue immediately pointed at him and said, "Stop, that's it. When you inhaled just now, your shoulders rose, your chest lifted, and your lower abdomen tucked in, right? That's typical chest breathing. This way of breathing doesn't allow you to inhale enough air, and the breath is very shallow. Once you use it to sing, your breath will run out quickly. In order to maintain high notes, you can only squeeze your throat."

"What about diaphragmatic breathing?" Qi Yuan asked.

"Abdominal breathing means controlling your diaphragm to descend and inhale air more deeply into your lungs. Let me think about how to explain it to you... Try it: when you inhale, don't move your shoulders or your chest, but let your stomach expand. Then when you exhale, your stomach slowly contracts. Watch me."

To give him a better view, Qiu Mengxue turned to the side and pulled her clothes tighter so that Qi Yuan could see how steady her shoulders were and how her flat stomach would bulge and deflate with each breath.

However, Qi Yuan could not only see her breathing demonstration, but also her shapely figure.

A teenage girl, of course, wouldn't be as voluptuous as an adult woman; she would appear thinner and more slender. However, she wasn't just thin; her neck was also quite long, forming a remarkably graceful curve.

After demonstrating, Qiu Mengxue suddenly asked, "Did you understand?"

Qi Yuan nodded: "It doesn't seem difficult."

"It looks simple, but it's easy to go astray in practice. Try it yourself: put your hands on your stomach and take a deep breath."

Qi Yuan did as instructed, placing his hands on his stomach, concentrating on controlling his body, and taking a deep breath.

Qiu Mengxue stared at his movements and immediately frowned: "Something's not right. Your shoulders are still moving. And when you inhale, your stomach doesn't bulge at all; it's more like you're holding your breath. Do you usually keep your body tense?"

Qi Yuan then realized that there might be a problem with this body.

Those extensive experiences in street fights have ingrained muscle memory into their very bones. The moment they try to exert force, their bodies instinctively tighten their core, and their abdominal muscles reflexively tense, as if preparing for a heavy blow. This defensive muscle response is the complete opposite of the relaxed state required for diaphragmatic breathing.

"I'm used to it, it's a bit hard to change, and it still feels a bit tight."

“Singing requires muscle control, but not this kind of stiff defensiveness. How about this, I'll help you find the feeling, don't move…”

As she said this, Qiu Mengxue stretched out her hands to him.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

017 Mother and daughter team up

She walked up to Qi Yuan, gently placing one hand on his left shoulder to prevent him from shrugging when he inhaled. With the index and middle fingers of her other hand together, she poked at a spot slightly above Qi Yuan's navel.

Through the thin T-shirt she was wearing, Qi Yuan could clearly feel the coolness from the girl's fingertips and smell a faint fragrance, which seemed to be some kind of citrus shower gel.

The atmosphere wasn't ambiguous. Qiu Mengxue's gaze was focused, befitting a mentor.

"Relax. The spot I'm pressing on is where you need to lift your breath. Focus your attention on where my fingers are touching and take a deep breath."

Qi Yuan tried to relax his abdomen and slowly inhaled.

This time, with the small hand resting on his shoulder, his chest didn't rise, and the air he inhaled went straight down to the bottom of his lungs.

Qiu Mengxue also felt that the muscles under her fingertips were no longer like hard stone slabs. With the injection of air, they slowly pushed outwards, lifting her fingers. The pushing force from her fingertips was even and steady.

"Yes, that's the feeling!" The girl's eyes lit up, and she poked at it with her finger. "Now, hold onto this full-in-air position, don't exhale immediately. Can you feel it? Your waist and abdomen are now expanded, there's tension. This is the breath support you need when you sing."

Qi Yuan did indeed have a slightly different feeling.

Qiu Mengxue continued to instruct: "Okay, now exhale slowly, using a 'hiss' sound, the slower and more even the better, and slowly pull your stomach back in."

"Hiss—" Qi Yuan did as instructed, controlling the airflow to slowly escape from between his teeth.

Qiu Mengxue's fingertips didn't leave, pressing inward little by little as Qi Yuan's abdomen contracted. Time passed second by second, five seconds, ten seconds, twenty seconds.

Qi Yuan's breathing remained steady, without any interruption or trembling. The physical attributes of this body were evident, with an astonishingly large lung capacity.

Finally, he exhaled completely.

Qiu Mengxue withdrew her hand, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "You have such a large lung capacity?"

Qi Yuan: "Maybe it's because I exercise a lot."

Qiu Mengxue nodded in satisfaction: "It's better than I expected. Many people who are just learning diaphragmatic breathing either can't find the right position or can't control the speed of their exhalation. Just remember the feeling you just experienced and make it your usual breathing habit, and it will be very natural when you sing."

Qi Yuan picked up the water glass on the coffee table and took a sip: "Not bad, Teacher Qiu, I'm starting to get the hang of it."

"Got the hang of it? But just learning to breathe isn't enough," Qiu Mengxue walked to the keyboard, sat down, and casually played a chord. "Next, we need to combine breath and vocalization. Follow my piano playing, make an 'ah' sound, from low to high. Don't shout it out; use the air you just had in your stomach to push it up."

Then she played one note at a time, getting higher and higher, and Qi Yuan also followed with an "ah" sound, his voice getting higher and higher.

He found that breathing with his abdomen made it easier and more supportive to produce high notes, unlike before when they sounded weak and unsteady.

Qi Yuan asked, "Besides diaphragmatic breathing, what else do I need to learn?"

Qiu Mengxue thought for a moment and said, "Just in terms of breathing alone, besides diaphragmatic breathing, you also need to practice panting and 'tugging' (a specific breathing technique). Then, in addition to breathing, you also need to practice core exercises, learn how to close your vocal cords, and then learn how to open your throat, find the feeling of head resonance, raise your voice, open the passage, and then try to use a soft voice. Finally, you can truly sing high notes. In short, there is still a lot you need to learn."

After saying this, she found that Qi Yuan not only showed no signs of backing down, but instead looked eager to try.

Of course, she didn't know that many of the lyrics she wrote last night required high-pitched singing skills.

Although the road ahead is long and there are many obstacles to overcome, Qi Yuan is very excited to see a clear and feasible path.

A singer or band usually only has a few signature songs. But what he wrote down last night was several times that number. There are also hundreds more songs that he listens to often but just can't recall right now... Thinking about it this way, his motivation to study naturally becomes even stronger.

But just then, there was another knock on the door.

Then Su Wan opened the door and asked, "How's your practice going? Do you need any guidance?"

Qiu Mengxue was a little surprised: "You're going to teach him too?"

Su Wan smiled and said, "I'm a music teacher, and he's my student. Isn't that normal?"

She hadn't noticed anything because the door had been closed, but now that Qiu Mengxue suddenly smelled a delicious aroma in the air, she couldn't help but ask, "Mom, are you cooking pork ribs again?"

Su Wan: "Yes, the ribs are in the pot, and it will take another half an hour. So I came over to check on your progress since I had nothing else to do."

Qi Yuan said, "Mengxue just taught me abdominal breathing."

Su Wan: "This is indeed the basics. What you need to focus on practicing is the high notes?"

Qi Yuan nodded: "Yes, what I lack most right now is high notes."

Su Wan smiled and said, "But don't just focus on the high notes. Rhythm, rhythm, and pitch are all things you need to practice. Especially when performing with a band, because your bandmates aren't machines and may often miss the beat. As the lead singer, you have to find the right rhythm."

Just as she finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

Qiu Mengxue asked instinctively, "Are there any guests today?"

Su Wan shook her head, looking bewildered, and said, "I'll go take a look," before heading towards the security door to the living room.

Qiu Mengxue and Qi Yuan followed.

Then, when the security door opened, the mother and daughter's expressions changed.

If Qiu Mengxue usually only appeared somewhat aloof, then at this moment, she was truly as cold as frost.

When Su Wan spoke, her previous warmth and gentleness were completely gone; her voice sounded like it was mixed with ice: "What are you doing here? How did you find this place?"

Qi Yuan sized up the visitor.

The man standing at the door was about forty years old. He still had some of the handsome features he had when he was young, but now he had more wrinkles and his casual men's clothing looked a bit old-fashioned.

The man's gaze swept over the mother and daughter before settling on Qi Yuan.

Then he grinned and said, "Looks like I came at the wrong time. Did I run into your little hottie?"

Qi Yuan: "?"

Su Wan gritted her teeth and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? This is my student!"

“Hey, I get it, I get it, it’s a teacher-student relationship,” he stared at Qi Yuan, pointed to his chest and said, “Kid, didn’t your teacher Su tell you that I, Qiu Fengfan, should be the master of this place?”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

018 The melon tastes better than the vegetables

If it were the old Qi Yuan, being stared at and provoked like this, he would have already clenched his fists and started fighting.

But Qi Yuan is very calm now.

He knew this was Ms. Su's family matter, and if anyone was going to argue, it should be her. If the other party didn't make a move, then there was no need for him to get involved and cause even more trouble. But if this man dared to lay a hand on him, he could let the other party experience the power of a delinquent.