A band, or a battleground?

She noticed that Qi Yuan's eyes were somewhat glazed over.

At this moment, Jiang Yi, who had just taken a shower, changed into a nightgown. It was a pure white dress, looking exceptionally simple, with two thin straps hanging over her shoulders, the white skirt draped down to her knees, with no extra embellishments except for a ruffle around the chest. However, the dress was quite fitted at the waist, which suited the girl's slender figure perfectly.

The dress accentuated her figure perfectly. But the problem was, it was a little too perfect, especially the ruffles.

Above the ruffled edge is fair and delicate skin, with a curve like a steamed bun, and two steamed buns coming together to form a natural groove... Although only a small part of the complete line is visible, it is quite eye-catching.

By the way, do girls wear underwear after taking a shower?

Anyway, Jiang Yi only had two thin straps on her shoulders at this moment, which were obviously from a nightgown.

Qi Yuan coughed twice and asked, "Are you going to sleep in this?"

Jiang Yi nodded: "These are my pajamas. I often wear them to bed at home. By the way, did you see them just now...?"

Qi Yuan: "What do you see?"

Jiang Yi lowered her voice: "Where is Qianyu?"

Qi Yuan: "It's not in the living room, it should be in the bedroom."

Jiang Yi then went to the bedroom.

The house has two bedrooms. The master bedroom with an ensuite bathroom belongs to Qi Yuan, while the second bedroom, although it has a bed and a wardrobe, is usually empty.

Jiang Yi pushed open the door to the second bedroom and saw Ning Qianyu lying on the bed playing games, her two little legs swinging back and forth.

"You're finally done showering?" Ning Qianyu turned around and looked at her, then exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, why are your pajamas like this!"

Jiang Yi closed the bedroom door: "What happened to my pajamas?"

Ning Qianyu couldn't care less about playing the game anymore. She paused it, turned around, sat up, and said, "Tsk tsk tsk, even the cleavage is showing. It's indecent, indecent!"

Jiang Yi was both amused and exasperated: "These are pajamas, not clothes to wear outside. What's with all this talk about being indecent?"

Ning Qianyu shook her head: "But you brought these pajamas here and wore them at Qi Yuan's house. What does that mean? It means you wanted to seduce him! Confess honestly, was it seduce?"

Jiang Yi remained silent, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

There's no need to press further; that slight smile says it all.

Ning Qianyu was heartbroken: "Love is about mutual attraction between two people, a collision and exchange of souls. What are you doing? Are you trying to turn a perfectly good relationship into base physical desires?"

Jiang Yi couldn't help but laugh and said, "You don't have one, right?"

Ning Qianyu was stunned: "I didn't... what?"

Jiang Yi pointed to her chest: "Are your pectoral muscles as big as Qi Yuan's?"

Ning Qianyu was stunned at first, but after two or three seconds, her face turned increasingly red, and a fierce glint appeared in her eyes.

"You vulgar...vulgar cow!"

The petite, short-haired girl bared her teeth and claws, aiming straight for the waist of the graceful girl.

Jiang Yi quickly covered the itchy area on her waist with both hands.

However, this was merely a feint by Ning Qianyu. Her true target was somewhere else entirely.

The next second, Jiang Yi couldn't help but exclaim, "Don't grab there! Are you a lesbian?!"

"Hmph, if you want to seduce my brother with this, you'll have to get past me first... Waaaaaahh ...

Ning Qianyu's smugness lasted less than three seconds before being interrupted by Jiang Yi's counterattack.

Tickling her waist always works on her.

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.

214 Why are you hugging me?

Jiang Yi was lying on the bed, while Ning Qianyu was lying next to her, happily playing with her phone.

Suddenly, Ning Qianyu yawned, turned her head, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about what time I should get up tomorrow... Oh right, I should set an alarm." Jiang Yi said, picking up her phone and setting the alarm.

Ning Qianyu suddenly asked, "What's your alarm clock ringing?"

Jiang Yi: "Ringtone? Uh, it's just a normal ringtone."

"The system comes with its own ringtone? No way, I don't believe it. Come on, let me see..." Ning Qianyu peeked out and then laughed, "Oh, Visiting the Vampire at Night."

Jiang Yi retorted stubbornly, "This song starts off very loudly and has a fast tempo, perfect for an alarm clock. What about you? What's your alarm clock ringtone?"

Ning Qianyu said frankly, "One thousand years later."

Jiang Yi: "Don't you also use Qi Yuan's voice as your alarm clock?"

Ning Qianyu laughed and said, "Yes, I didn't hide this, and I'm not embarrassed at all. I wrote all the related novels. I like this song, so what's the problem?"

These words were spoken so openly and honestly that Jiang Yi didn't know how to respond.

Ning Qianyu added, "Of course you're different from me. You like not only his songs, but also his voice, right? It's okay, there's nothing to be embarrassed about in front of me, just admit it."

Jiang Yi said in a self-deprecating tone, "Yes, I like his voice, and I like everything about him. I like him! Are you satisfied now?"

Ning Qianyu suppressed a laugh and said, "Then why don't you tell Qi Yuan? Why don't you tell him?"

Jiang Yi: "That's called confessing your feelings!"

Ning Qianyu: "You like him so much, but you don't dare to confess?"

Jiang Yi: "It's precisely because I like it that I don't dare to..."

Despite saying this, the girl was secretly thinking that when she proposed this experiment, Qi Yuan should have been able to guess her intentions, right?

As for statements like "you can date whoever you want after the experiment is over," that's just making excuses.

At this moment, Ning Qianyu yawned again: "I'm really sleepy, let's turn off the light."

Jiang Yi got up to turn off the light, a silent smile playing on her lips.

Once Chiyu falls asleep, the experiment will continue...

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.

The night grew deeper and deeper.

After washing up, Qi Yuan lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

He couldn't help but recall the feeling he had just experienced.

A girl's small hands feel so nice to touch. Of course, the touch itself isn't anything special, but the blushing and heart-pounding shyness when holding hands is simply irresistible.

Qi Yuan couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if only he and Yi Yi were in the house tonight, and he let her lie down on his bed...

He could only think about it and forget about it. He would absolutely never actually do it.

Jiang Yi has just turned seventeen. Moreover, rationally speaking, what's most important to him right now is to maintain the status quo of the band. Whether it's Jiang Yi or Qiu Mengxue, the goal is to keep them on the sidelines, not to pick up girls.

Just as his rationality was gaining the upper hand, a sudden knock on the door signaled the end of his internal struggle. Immediately afterwards, the bedroom door opened, and a timid figure shuffled in.

Qi Yuan sat up and asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Jiang Yi closed the door, stood by the bed, and clasped her hands together in front of her: "I can't sleep, so I wanted to talk to you..."

Qi Yuan turned on the bedside lamp: "What do you want from me?"

Jiang Yi whispered, "Let me chat with you."

Qi Yuan observed her shy expression, and a thought struck him. He patted the empty space next to him on the bed.

Jiang Yi breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to him.

The two sat side by side on the edge of the bed and remained silent for a long time.

The girl suddenly asked in a low voice, "What do couples usually do?"

Qi Yuan retorted, "Don't you know?"

Jiang Yi shook her head honestly.

Qi Yuan took her hand once again.

Jiang Yi blushed and lowered her head once again.

Silence, this time for an even longer period.

Qi Yuan suddenly asked, "What is Qian Yu doing?"

Jiang Yi whispered, "She's already asleep. I was watching her play games, and I got sleepy while playing."

Qi Yuan nodded: "It's so late, you really should go to sleep. So what do you want to talk to me about now?"

He asked the question and waited a short while, but heard no response.

Upon closer inspection, Jiang Yi's face drooped even lower.

Qi Yuan thought for a moment, then took her hand and stood up. Thus, the two went from sitting side by side to standing face to face.

The girl looked up at him, her face filled with a clear, bewildered expression.

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "I'm sorry."

"What 'sorry'... huh?"

Before Jiang Yi could finish her question, he pulled her into his arms.

Qi Yuan whispered in the girl's ear, "We originally agreed that it would only be holding hands, not hugging. But you're so cute, so I couldn't help but do it this way. I'm sorry."

Happiness came too suddenly, and Jiang Yi didn't react for a long time until the warm embrace left her.

Qi Yuan hugged her for only a few seconds before taking two steps back to create distance.

At this moment, Jiang Yi's hands, which were hanging by her sides, moved slightly.

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "Alright, I don't know what to talk about anymore, and if we talk too much, I might not be able to sleep. Go to bed now, goodnight."

"Okay..." Jiang Yi nodded in agreement, feeling dizzy.

Then Qi Yuan took her hand again, led her out of the master bedroom, to the door of the second bedroom, gently pushed her inside, and closed the door.

Jiang Yi went to bed and lay down, feeling dizzy.

Then she suddenly realized her huge mistake—when Qi Yuan hugged her, she didn't hug him back; instead, her arms hung straight down like a wooden stake!

My God, how foolish!

If I had placed my hands on his back and hugged him, wouldn't the hug have lasted much longer? At least it would have made it harder for him to pull away when he tried to let go.

And it wasn't just the hug; from entering the room to speaking, and then leaving, every word and every gesture was so awkward...

Jiang Yi regretted it more and more as she thought about it.

Going back to him now? That would be too greedy, too embarrassing.

Jiang Yi lay in bed, trying to recall the feeling of Qi Yuan's embrace, hoping to remember it vividly. But no matter how hard she tried, all she could feel was warmth. What else was there besides that warmth?

The hug, lasting only a few seconds, was far too short and insignificant.

The girl tried to relive the experience and instinctively hugged another girl next to her.

Then Ning Qianyu woke up with a start.

"Ugh, why are you hugging me... Hey, hey, hey, could it be that you're the lesbian one?!"

"Don't be silly, don't you know who I like!"

"Then what are you doing?"

"Can we have a rehearsal?"

"Good grief, what do you take me for...?"

"If you say another word, I'll scratch you!"

"Good sister, I was wrong..."

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.