A band, or a battleground?

She finally put down the lyrics and music manuscript.

Ning Qianyu folded the birthday hat, put it on her head, and whispered, "Are you happy now?"

Jiang Yi nodded vigorously: "Mmm!"

Ning Qianyu: "..."

Qi Yuan took a candle, lit it on the stove in the kitchen, and then came back to light all four candles that were stuck in the cake.

Qiu Mengxue suddenly asked, "Why are there four candles? Is it because there are four of us?"

Qi Yuan nodded and said, "Of course, although it's Yi Yi's seventeenth birthday today, I can't possibly stick seventeen candles in the cake, or it'll look like a honeycomb."

Jiang Yi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Thank you, I..."

Ning Qianyu: "Don't thank us, just make a wish."

Jiang Yi nodded, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and closed her eyes.

Qi Yuan and the other two girls sang "Happy Birthday".

After the singing stopped, Jiang Yi opened her eyes.

Ning Qianyu: "What did you wish for?"

Jiang Yi glared at her with a smile: "It won't work if I say it out loud, so I'm not telling you."

Needless to say, Qiu Mengxue could guess what Yi Yi was wishing for, and she genuinely hoped it wouldn't come true. However, she didn't know that Ning Qianyu felt the same way.

Jiang Yi puffed out her cheeks and blew out all four candles in one breath.

Then Qi Yuan turned on the lights and Jiang Yi cut the cake into four equal parts.

Ning Qianyu took only one bite and said, "Brother Gun, the cake you bought is really good. I thought the cheese would be a bit too rich..."

Qiu Mengxue also said, "It's very delicate and fragrant. But... Yiyi, why are you eating the cake so slowly? Are you still watching that song?"

Jiang Yi nodded: "I think I can sing now."

Qiu Mengxue: "Then sing it for us."

Jiang Yi put down her cake fork, picked up the manuscript, and stood up.

All three people's eyes were fixed on her.

After a moment of preparation, Jiang Yi cleared her throat and sang in an exceptionally sweet voice:

My heart is pounding.

"My soul is about to leave my body, it feels so good."

Oh, you smiled at me.

"The temperature is getting higher and higher, what should we do?"

"Her eyes are playing hide-and-seek, her heart is pounding like a deer's, leaping into her soul."

"My heart is swaying like a swing, my cheeks are as red as apples, and the taste is just right..."

Upon hearing this, Ning Qianyu was certain that this song was indeed suitable for Yi Yi. Not only the lyrics, but even the melody was like a little deer hopping lightly on her heart, carrying a childlike innocence, yet with an added touch of deep sweetness.

Is this what youthful charm is?

Ning Qianyu glanced at Qi Yuan again.

This guy had a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes were very clear, and his smile was open and generous. It was as if he only appreciated Yi Yi's singing.

But is it really just about appreciation? If there were no other motives, could someone really write a song like this?

Ning Qianyu couldn't help but have doubts.

Jiang Yi continued.

"Baby, who are you?"

Why have I become a coward?

"I like you so much, but you say it's been so long."

"We only met for the first time..."

When singing the line "The first time we met," Jiang Yi subconsciously raised one finger, but then realized her mistake and seemed a little embarrassed. After all, this wasn't a stage, and there was no need to worry about stage effects. Raising her finger made her seem a bit too absorbed in the song.

Qiu Mengxue sat there, her hands gradually shifting from supporting her chin to covering her mouth.

Otherwise, the unusual clenching of teeth would definitely be noticed by everyone.

Rationally speaking, she had to admit that Jiang Yi was indeed the most suitable person to sing this song. At least she herself would find it difficult to sing with such a sweet feeling as Jiang Yi.

However, at this point, it was difficult for her to maintain her rationality.

Qiu Mengxue couldn't help but glare at Qi Yuan, wanting to grab his ear and question him: You clearly promised to write a song for me, so why did you write one for Yi Yi first, and on such a pure love theme at that!

When Jiang Yi sang the chorus, she couldn't help but blink, and her delicate eyelashes trembled.

"Her eyelashes are long and curved, and her eyes blink frequently."

"Why do words change once they're on the tip of your tongue?"

Your smile is like a crescent moon.

"The atmosphere is so romantic, I need your company."

"Her eyelashes are long and curved, and her eyes blink frequently."

"A world that captivates the heart becomes so much fun."

"Let's play 'The Wind Blows,' what's blowing?"

"The person you fall in love with at first sight."

For a test performance, one take is enough; there's no need to repeat the verses and chorus. So Jiang Yi stopped singing at this point.

Qi Yuan smiled and clapped.

This song, "Curved Eyelashes," was certainly not on his list of songs for office workers, but he had listened to it many times during his adolescence in his previous life.

Moreover, as far as he knew, many boys of the same age at the time would verbally despise these sweet songs and claim that they only listened to rock and rap, but secretly they would listen to them behind their friends' backs.

In his previous life, when he was in middle school, there was a boy who sat behind him. He scoffed at the songs of Jay Chou, David Tao, and others, but whenever music was mentioned, he would always praise Marilyn Manson, Nirvana, and the like. However, one time his MP3 player fell and he discovered that the song playing was "Eyelashes Curled Up," and the next song was "Love You."

For Qi Yuan, although he didn't listen to this song much afterward, he had heard it so many times before, and the lyrics and music weren't complicated. After thinking about it for a few days, it wasn't difficult to reproduce it.

At this moment, Qi Yuan said, "The roles in our band aren't so fixed. As I've mentioned before, both Yi Yi and Meng Xue can be lead singers. 'I Want to Fly' is one song, and this is the second one."

Qiu Mengxue forced a smile and said in a joking tone, "Then I'm at a bit of a disadvantage, since I haven't received a song specifically for me yet."

Qi Yuan: "Of course I gave you one, but your birthday hasn't come yet."

For a moment, Qiu Mengxue was stunned.

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.

211 secretly crossed the Chencang River

At 10 p.m., Jiang Yi's birthday party ended.

After eating cake and singing the new song that was a birthday gift, the four of them chatted for a while.

This semester, although the four band members spent much more time together than last semester, they didn't run out of things to talk about. On the contrary, the more time they spent together, the more they had to talk about.

Qiu Mengxue, in particular, couldn't help but feel happy after hearing Qi Yuan say that the song he had written for her was finished.

Just thinking about how long I still have to wait for my birthday makes me a little anxious...

After 10 o'clock, Qi Yuan offered to take the girls home, so everyone put on their coats and went downstairs, heading towards Qiu Mengxue's house first.

Qi Yuan suggested taking Mengxue home first, and Qiu Mengxue didn't think much of it. Ning Qianyu and Jiang Yi didn't say a word about it either.

Walking home, Qiu Mengxue couldn't help but say, "Among the four of us in the band, I'm the oldest. Qi Yuan's seventeenth birthday is in August, Yi Yi just turned seventeen, and Qian Yu isn't even seventeen yet. As for me, I'll be eighteen next spring..."

Ning Qianyu: "Do you think we should call you 'older sister'?"

Jiang Yi was much more perceptive in this regard, and at this moment, she said meaningfully, "Mengxue means that her seventeenth birthday has already passed, so it would be better to make it up to her."

Ning Qianyu asked in confusion, "How do we repair it?"

Qi Yuan asked, "Do you want me to give you that song right now?"

Qiu Mengxue hesitated for a long time before nodding.

"I was wondering how to fix it, so this is what it is!" Ning Qianyu laughed loudly. "You could have just said you couldn't wait, instead of hesitating, you're so tsundere!"

Qiu Mengxue retorted angrily, "You're the one who's being arrogant!"

Ning Qianyu chuckled and spread her hands: "I'm not being arrogant. I'll just say what I want. And I can wait. Brother Gun, I don't need any gifts, just play games with me all day on my birthday."

Qiu Mengxue: "You..."

Ning Qianyu patted Qi Yuan on the shoulder: "What's wrong? We're buddies, what's the big deal about playing games?"

Qiu Mengxue was speechless.

At this moment, Qi Yuan smiled and said, "No need to be in such a hurry. Anyway, our band's next album won't be released until next year at the earliest. Your birthday is next spring, so there will definitely be enough time by then."

“Okay…” Qiu Mengxue sighed.

As they spoke, the four of them had already arrived at the building where she lived.

Before going upstairs to go home, Qiu Mengxue asked, "Are you still taking Yiyi and Qianyu home?"

Qi Yuan nodded: "Of course."

Qiu Mengxue: "It's almost 10:30 now. By the time you drop them off, it will be past 11, right?"

Qi Yuan: "It should be about the same."

Qiu Mengxue said softly, "Then be careful on your way, and pay attention to safety..."

However, before he could finish his words of concern, Ning Qianyu interrupted him without restraint: "Who do you think he is? This is Brother Stick, a martial monk! Don't think he can't fight just because he writes songs now. If anyone dares to mess with him, they should be worried about their personal safety."

Qiu Mengxue glared at Ning Qianyu.

She discovered that if she wanted to express her feelings or get closer to Qi Yuan, she really couldn't do it in front of Ning Qianyu. Whenever this guy was around, he could shatter all romance and charm without any regard for reason.

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "Yes, there's really nothing to worry about regarding my safety. Mengxue, you should go back and get some rest. We'll be studying together tomorrow."

Qiu Mengxue's gaze shifted from Ning Qianyu to Qi Yuan's face, instantly softening. The girl raised her hand, tidied a strand of hair behind her ear, and softly replied, "Okay, you should rest well too. I'm going upstairs now, bye-bye."

Then she left.

The remaining three turned and left. After walking a dozen meters, Ning Qianyu asked in a low voice, "Should we all go home now?"

Qi Yuan and Jiang Yi exchanged a glance.

Jiang Yi smiled and said, "No, let's go back to Qi Yuan's house."

Ning Qianyu's heart skipped a beat. Yi Yi's move was clearly a feint, a covert maneuver!

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.

Qi Yuan and the two beautiful girls returned to their residence, turned on the lights, and sat on the sofa.

Ning Qianyu couldn't help but ask again, "Are we going to spend the night here?"

Jiang Yi replied, "I did tell my parents that the band is rehearsing tonight and I won't be going home. Qianyu, do you want to go home now?"

Ning Qianyu thought to herself, of course she couldn't go back. Putting aside the matter of helping to cover for her, she couldn't bear to leave Yi Yi and Qi Yuan alone in a room for a night.

However, to feign ignorance about romance, Ning Qianyu asked, "I'm just a little curious, why do you insist on staying here tonight?"

Jiang Yi pointed to the manuscript on the coffee table: "Because I need to figure out how to sing this song, and I also need to discuss with Qi Yuan and talk about a lot of details."

Ning Qianyu: "Didn't you sing quite well just now?"

Jiang Yi gently shook her head: "No, it's still too rough. Qi Yuan, you agree, right?"

Qi Yuan nodded and said, "It does need to be carefully crafted. For example, there's a transition in the pronunciation. In the sentence 'The atmosphere is so romantic, I need your company,' the word 'company' at the end needs to be drawn out a bit longer and made more subtle."

Ning Qianyu asked, "Are there many such details? I thought Yi Yi sang very well."

Qi Yuan replied, "She did sing very well because her voice and personal temperament are very suitable for this song. However, to sing a song well, you can't do it without putting in the effort to figure it out. Moreover, there was no demo of this song, and no singing style for her to imitate, so she could only sing it over and over again, meticulously working on the details."

Ning Qianyu clapped her hands: "I understand, you're going to help her pick at her hair tonight!"

Qi Yuan: "..."