A band, or a battleground?

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.

"I discovered that Qi Yuan is not an honest man."

During the break, Jiang Yi invited Ning Qianyu out for a walk in the open area outside the teaching building, and said this as they walked.

Ning Qianyu: "Where did you get this idea?"

Jiang Yi rolled her eyes at her: "What fantasy novels have you been reading lately?"

Ning Qianyu corrected, "Martial arts is not fantasy."

Jiang Yi: "I've heard that there are many cuckolding plots in martial arts novels, is that true?"

Ning Qianyu shook her head and retorted, "Not all martial arts novels are like that. And the key point is that the chivalrous people of the martial arts world are free to retaliate and live a life of chivalry, which cannot be simply summarized by the two words 'cuckold'."

Jiang Yi: "...Never mind, whatever. I just wanted to say that Qi Yuan definitely knows I like him, and his reaction wasn't to hold my hand or push me away. So this guy isn't actually a martial monk at all; maybe he's a rogue disguised as one!"

Ning Qianyu stared at her blankly: "Wait, sis, how did you know? What did you do? You didn't confess to him, did you?!"

Jiang Yi blushed slightly and spoke vaguely: "It wasn't exactly a confession, we just talked about some things."

Ning Qianyu opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She felt as if she had been cuckolded, and she couldn't say anything. Because in front of Yi Yi, she was playing the role of a good teammate, a supportive friend of Yi Yi's relationship... This feeling was too painful, too suffocating!

After hesitating for a moment, Ning Qianyu gritted her teeth and tried her best to appear indifferent: "Then what do you want to talk to me about?"

Jiang Yi: "Because you said you would support me."

Ning Qianyu pursed her lips: "I will support you, but ultimately it's your business. How Qi Yuan reacts, what he's really thinking, is none of my concern. Even if I wanted to help you, there's nothing I could do."

Jiang Yi then revealed a slight smile: "No, you can help me, and it's very, very important..."

Ning Qianyu: "How do you want me to help you?"

Jiang Yi: "Cover me up."

Ning Qianyu suddenly realized: "So you want me to keep Mengxue occupied and create an opportunity for you to be alone with Qi Yuan?"

Jiang Yi shook her head: "No, I already have that opportunity. I want you to help me stall my parents. For example, when I leave home, I'll tell my parents I'm going to your house to stay overnight, and we'll rehearse together. The coordination between bass and drums is crucial, so it makes perfect sense. If my parents ask, you can cover for me."

Listening to these outrageous words, Ning Qianyu suddenly felt an urge to pull her hair out. Not to pull Yi Yi's hair, but to pull her own—like the feeling of a stock investor who buys a stock only to see it plummet to its daily limit.

Green, everywhere you look is green.

But she had to pretend she didn't care and act like she was just joking: "You're going to spend the night at Qi Yuan's house? Seriously? What kind of opportunity have you found?"

Jiang Yi pondered for a while.

Ning Qianyu tucked her hands into her pockets and couldn't help but clench her fists.

Jiang Yi suddenly said, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."

Ning Qianyu chuckled and said, "If you keep doing this, I won't help you anymore."

Jiang Yi quickly grabbed her arm: "Qianyu, good Qianyu, I'm doing this so that Qi Yuan won't be snatched away by other women, and so that the band won't be broken up!"

Ning Qianyu couldn't help but complain, "You're doing this for the band? If you like Qi Yuan, just say you like him! You're clearly doing this for yourself!"

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.

Late at night.

Qi Yuan lay on his bed in his bedroom, staring at the dark ceiling, but he was not sleepy at all.

A few nights ago, Qiu Mengxue's words, "Sometimes I really want to see you," still echoed in my ears, but before my eyes appeared Jiang Yi's anxious face when she proposed the "experiment."

"They're all a bit petty, but that's kind of cute..."

Qi Yuan muttered to himself.

It's not just Yi Yi who's adorable, Meng Xue is too.

The situation is getting increasingly complicated. One or two girls who initially seemed to have a slight liking for me have suddenly intensified their advances.

Of course, it's not impossible to refuse, as long as you show a more resolute attitude than before... but what's the point?

The reason for not dating is to maintain the band, but now that both teammates have made their stance clear, if I firmly refuse, it will hurt their feelings, and the band will also become superficially united.

"Then there's no point... But if I don't refuse, what am I supposed to do? Do I really want to be a player?"

Qi Yuan asked himself a question.

In the quiet night, he could not hear his own answer.

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.

209 is her song

The day Jiang Yi had been waiting for most had finally arrived.

Her birthday was on a Saturday. That noon, she had lunch with family and friends, which served as a kind of birthday party. Afterwards, she went to a karaoke bar with three childhood friends and spent the afternoon there.

As evening fell, Jiang Yi returned home, tidied herself up, and set off again, arriving at Qi Yuan's residence. This was the venue for the second birthday party.

Then, downstairs at Qi Yuan's house, Jiang Yi met Ning Qianyu, who was waiting there.

"You look so rosy and youthful today," Ning Qianyu remarked after looking at the birthday boy.

Jiang Yi touched her face with both hands: "Really?"

Ning Qianyu pouted: "I wasn't talking about your face, I was talking about how pink you're dressed. Did you change into that outfit especially for Qi Yuan?"

Jiang Yi smiled and said, "Yes, but I told my parents I was going to your house tonight. If they call, I'll have to ask you to cover for me."

The quick-witted Ning Qianyu immediately thought of a question: "Wait, how long do you plan to stay at Qi Yuan's house?"

Jiang Yi: "Didn't I tell you a long time ago that I'd be staying overnight?"

Ning Qianyu: "What if your mom calls me and I tell her you're with me, and then she asks me to give her my phone so she can talk to you for a bit? What if you're staying overnight at Qi Yuan's house and I'm not there? Wouldn't that give us away?"

Jiang Yi smiled confidently: "That's right, so you have to stay at Qi Yuan's house tonight to make sure you're really with me."

Ning Qianyu was stunned.

She couldn't understand what excuse Yi Yi had found to not only stay at Qi Yuan's house for one night, but also to bring along a teammate.

Just then, Qiu Mengxue arrived and said to the two of them, "You two are really quick. Happy birthday, Yi Yi."

Jiang Yi smiled and replied, "Thank you."

Qiu Mengxue handed over a small gift box: "Thank you for saying so early. Here, this is a gift for you."

"Thank you, Mengxue, you're so kind."

As Jiang Yi said this, she took the gift box and put it into the backpack behind her.

Then the three girls took the elevator upstairs together, arrived at the door, and rang the doorbell.

Qi Yuan opened the door.

Instantly, they smelled the aroma of the food.

Ning Qianyu peeked inside and looked at the dishes on the table with a delighted expression: "Brother Gun, you can cook?"

Qi Yuan: "You're overthinking it. I'm not a chef, it's just takeout."

Three girls came in, changed into slippers, and then went to the dining table. They noticed that, in addition to the tempting food, there was also a cake on the table.

The cake wasn't very big, smaller than a typical birthday cake, but it looked exceptionally exquisite.

Jiang Yi looked at it carefully and asked with a smile, "Is this a cheesecake?"

Qi Yuan nodded: "Cheese is power."

“I’m already starting to feel the urge to eat,” Jiang Yi sighed. “But let’s hold back and have dinner first. These dishes look amazing.”

Qiu Mengxue: "Qi Yuan must have chosen the most expensive restaurant to order takeout."

Qi Yuan: "The price is actually not bad. But, Yi Yi, do you still have an appetite? I thought you would eat a lot at lunch."

Jiang Yi shook her head slightly: "I didn't have much of an appetite at noon."

Actually, the lunch gathering wasn't about appetite at all. The birthday boy was suppressing his appetite, afraid he wouldn't be in good shape to see someone in the afternoon.

Ning Qianyu asked curiously, "By the way, you still haven't told me, how was the gathering at noon? Those old friends of yours, they didn't go to the same high school as us, so you haven't seen them for quite a while, have you?"

Jiang Yi shook her head and smiled wryly: "It's just that we haven't seen each other for too long, so we're a bit estranged. Especially after we went on the show during the summer vacation, when they talked to me, it was like they were keeping a great distance between us, being very polite. But thankfully, my parents aren't as strict with me as they used to be."

Ning Qianyu: "Of course. If I were your parents, I would see how much money you make all the time. If your income in a few months is more than their salary in several years, I would feel embarrassed to interfere."

At this moment, Qi Yuan turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Seeing this, Qiu Mengxue said, "I'll help get the food."

"Well then, you can have the food and chopsticks," Qi Yuan turned and walked in another direction. "I'm going to get something else."

He took out the birthday present.

Rice and chopsticks were already set on the table, and the three girls were sitting at the table. When they saw him come out of the inner room, all three pairs of beautiful eyes stared at him.

Qi Yuan handed the gift to Jiang Yi.

This gift, without any fancy box packaging, just two thin pieces of paper, made all three girls involuntarily hold their breath.

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "This is a song I wrote for you. When I was writing it, I felt that only you in our band could sing this song, it's only suitable for you."

The five words, "It's only for you," seemed to possess some kind of magic, captivating Jiang Yi.

She took the two sheets of paper, glanced at the lyrics, and was immediately convinced that it was true.

It's hard to imagine Qi Yuan or Qiu Mengxue singing such sweet lyrics... But could Qi Yuan really write such sweet lyrics?

Could it be that this guy, who seems so nonchalant on the surface, is actually already tempted?

Jiang Yi couldn't help but think this way, and the more she thought about it, the happier she became. But she couldn't express this happiness, so to others, she just looked like she was staring blankly at the lyrics, her eyes bright but vacant.

"What kind of song is this? How could it make you like this..." Ning Qianyu leaned over and glanced at it, then couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Wow, this is unbelievable! This is a song that Qi Yuan could write?!"

When Qiu Mengxue heard that Qi Yuan's birthday gift to Yi Yi was a song, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but she pretended to be calm as usual. When she heard Ning Qianyu say this, she could no longer hold back and got up to walk behind Jiang Yi.

Then, Qiu Mengxue was completely stunned.

Because what she saw wasn't just lyrics, but also sheet music. Looking at the simplified musical notation above each word, the corresponding pitch immediately came to mind. Words formed sentences, pitches formed tones, and together…

Qiu Mengxue initially felt a sweet sensation, like drinking fully sweetened milk tea. But then, realizing who this milk tea was for, the sweetness turned into a strong sour taste.

She pretended to be nonchalant and even tried to joke, "I've never heard Qi Yuan sing such a girlish song before, why don't you sing it for us?"

Qi Yuan shook his head: "I'm the least suitable person to sing this song."

Qiu Mengxue then said, "Then shall I try singing it?"

Jiang Yi suddenly turned around: "No, I have to sing the first time!"

Qiu Mengxue: "It's not like I'm going on stage to perform, it's just a casual a cappella performance."

“I don’t want to sing it a cappella, I want to sing it the first time!” As soon as Jiang Yi said this, she realized that her tone was a bit too harsh, so she softened her voice and smiled, “Mengxue, I’m not as fast at reading sheet music as you, but I can still read it. Don’t underestimate me.”

From her gaze, Qiu Mengxue could tell she was serious. But could such a stubborn look really come from the shy and timid girl she remembered?

Qiu Mengxue suddenly felt that Yi Yi in front of her was a complete stranger...

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.

210 Curved eyelashes

Although the dishes on the table were beautifully presented and delicious, only Qi Yuan was truly enjoying the meal. The other three girls ate absentmindedly.

Jiang Yi held chopsticks in her right hand and the manuscript in her left, eating and looking at it continuously.

Every now and then, she would unconsciously make a sound, as if she were searching for a tune.

Ning Qianyu and Qiu Mengxue appeared calm on the surface, but they couldn't help but steal glances at Jiang Yi. Then they gritted their teeth and chewed the food in their mouths with extra force—not for eating, but for venting their anger.

After finally finishing dinner, Qi Yuan cleared the table, put the candles on the cake, and turned off the lights in the room.

As darkness fell, the only light coming through the window, besides a few lamplights, was the light of the Blue Moment.

Jiang Yi looked up, bewildered, and asked, "Why do we need to turn off the lights?"

"Have you forgotten?" Qiu Mengxue asked with a friendly smile. "What are we supposed to do when we cut the cake?"

Ning Qianyu smiled in return: "Silly child, it's your birthday."

"Oh, right, right, right." Jiang Yi laughed, her eyes full of joy and shyness.