A band, or a battleground?

Qiu Mengxue played a guitar solo.

Qi Yuan commented, "It's not quite right. It should be inserted between the first chorus and the second verse. Your key is too high, and it doesn't quite fit the main theme. The song 'Blue Lotus' doesn't want to feel too energetic; purely showing off your skills won't work. It's best to have a touch of melancholy."

Qiu Mengxue pouted: "You're so good at it. You just say it has a sense of vicissitude. I would lose so much hair just composing it."

Qi Yuan shrugged and said, "There's nothing I can do, I don't know how to arrange music. But, although I can't explain exactly how to arrange it, I can still eliminate the wrong answers."

At this moment, Ning Qianyu interjected, "Then why don't we skip the guitar solo and add the drums too?"

Qiu Mengxue and Qi Yuan turned to look at them.

Ning Qianyu pointed behind the two of them: "The aunties have finished dancing, let's get ready to start. Don't rush to rearrange the music yet, at least the effect is pretty good so far."

“Yeah, but my mom said the arrangement is much weaker than the lyrics and music, and this guy also said…” Qiu Mengxue pointed to Qi Yuan beside her, “The arrangement can still be adjusted, and there’s still a lot of room for improvement. But he can’t explain exactly how to improve it.”

Ning Qianyu laughed and said, "In that case, Qi Yuan, why don't you just learn how to compose music yourself?"

Qi Yuan: "How long does it take to learn this?"

Seeing that he seemed to be taking it seriously, Ning Qianyu quickly explained, "I was just kidding. You see, neither Yi Yi nor I are very good at arranging music, so this job was given to Meng Xue because she learned it from her mother since she was little. Arranging music is a lot of trouble; you have to understand the function of each instrument and their effect in the song..."

Qiu Mengxue also said, "That's only a small part. You need to learn music theory first, rhythm, meter, intervals, chords, modes, scales, and these are just the basics. You also need to listen a lot, listen to a lot of music, and learn by transcribing sheet music."

Qi Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Then how did you learn to compose music?"

Qiu Mengxue: "First of all, my arrangement skills are only so-so among amateurs. Secondly, I've already told you that."

Qi Yuan: "No, what I mean is, you have excellent grades, you can play musical instruments, you can sing, and you can compose music. Where do you find so much time to study?"

Qiu Mengxue pursed her lips: "Because I learned music theory from my mother when I was very young. Also, when she wasn't working, she would play with me by playing musical instruments or singing, so I've been familiar with music since I was little."

Suddenly, a dejected girl's voice rang out from beside her: "Because she's a genius, you're all geniuses..."

The three of them turned to look at Jiang Yi.

The popular song playing on the loudspeaker stopped, and the square dancers began packing up to leave.

Qi Yuan clapped his hands: "Cheer up, we're about to perform. Yi Yi, can you see? There's already an audience gathering around."

The oppressive atmosphere around Jiang Yi dissipated a little.

Recently, the number of spectators coming to the small square to see this high school band has been increasing. From just a few people at the beginning, to a dozen or so, the group has now grown to thirty or forty people.

Thinking about how so many people would be listening intently to the music I was about to play... wait, could these audience members really distinguish the bass from the singing, guitar, and drums?

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.

026 Thank you so much

It was another Sunday afternoon.

While Qi Yuan was practicing singing at Qiu Mengxue's house, Jiang Yi also went out, claiming that she had arranged to study with her classmates.

This was the first time she had seriously lied to her parents since starting high school.

Jiang Yi felt that she hadn't performed well when she lied to her parents; her voice even seemed to tremble slightly. Fortunately, her parents didn't think much of it and let her go out.

After leaving home, I went straight to the school gate to meet Ning Qianyu, whom I had arranged to meet the day before.

Seeing Jiang Yi approach, Ning Qianyu asked, "What are you doing so mysteriously? Where are we going now?"

“Let’s go to the mall.” Jiang Yi said, pointing to the mall closest to the school.

Ning Qianyu yawned: "So you didn't take a nap, just dragged me shopping? No, you should know I'm not interested in this kind of thing."

Jiang Yi said, "This isn't just ordinary shopping; I've already decided what I want to buy."

Ning Qianyu then asked, "What do you want to buy?"

“One set of clothes, maybe…” Jiang Yi’s eyes flickered, “and a wig as well.”

Ning Qianyu looked puzzled: "I can understand buying clothes, but why do you need a wig?"

Jiang Yi: "Because I want to change my image."

Ning Qianyu: "Change your image?"

Jiang Yi: "We're in a band, and we're going to be on a show in less than two months. Do you think I look like someone in a band right now?"

Ning Qianyu looked him up and down.

It's the weekend, so naturally no one would wear their school uniform when going out. However, Jiang Yi's outfit was even more uniform-like. A light-colored short-sleeved T-shirt, paired with a skirt that covered her knees, white socks, and sneakers—she looked incredibly well-behaved.

“I’m different from the stereotypical image of band members,” Ning Qianyu said thoughtfully. “However, just like the relationship between grades and daily performance, that’s just a stereotype. What determines whether you get good grades is your learning ability and how hard you work. What determines whether you’re in a band is your music and your live performance.”

Jiang Yi was a little annoyed: "Can you please stop talking about grades?"

Ning Qianyu slapped her forehead, suddenly realizing, "Oh, so it's because you're feeling things aren't going well, so you want to change your image?"

Jiang Yi: "...Should I have asked you for advice?"

Ning Qianyu laughed and said, "If you don't come to me, who else can you come to? Mengxue and Qi Yuan are practicing singing right now. You can't possibly come to your parents, can you?"

Jiang Yi: "I also have friends in my class!"

Ning Qianyu: "But the girls in your class have never played in a band before, so they can't give you any suitable advice, right? You might as well ask Qi Yuan instead of them."

Jiang Yi took a deep breath: "Qi Yuan said Meng Xue is a contrarian, but I think you are too!"

Ning Qianyu laughed: "Not at all, you flatter me."

Jiang Yi said earnestly, "Come with me now, I'll pick out some clothes, and you can help me decide if they're suitable for the stage. Other than that, please don't say anything else, okay?"

Ning Qianyu: "Okay. See how easygoing I am? Unlike Mengxue, right?"

Jiang Yi: "...Thank you so much."

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.

In the afternoon, Qi Yuan declined Teacher Su's dinner invitation and left Qiu Mengxue's residential area alone.

He walked with his mouth closed, only making continuous "hmm" sounds through his nose.

As he did this, he could feel his lips and brow vibrating in sync.

He hummed from a low note to a high note, and suddenly, he felt that focal point again—the bridge connecting his true and falsetto voices. Then, the pitch fluctuated around that focal point.

Repeating this exercise, he opened his mouth again, trying to sing high notes with a very small volume, especially the transition from his true voice to his falsetto.

Compared to how I used to sing randomly in karaoke, the feeling now is definitely different.

But then, Qi Yuan suddenly realized that he had taken the wrong path.

Because he was focused on practicing, he didn't pay attention to his direction and walked almost instinctively. So at a familiar intersection, instead of turning towards his home, he followed the route to school and headed towards the school.

When they found it, it was already next to the school.

Qi Yuan scratched his head, turned around to leave, but his eyes were fixed on something.

He saw two girls walking out of the shopping mall not far away—Jiang Yi and Ning Qianyu.

Ning Qianyu was dressed as usual, in a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and sneakers, giving off a tomboyish vibe, but Jiang Yi's style was quite different from her usual well-behaved image.

Her hair was actually pink!

Beneath the striking pink hair was a rather punk-style outfit—a studded black leather jacket paired with ripped jeans, the jeans adorned with several thin chains that jingled with each step she took.

The girl's originally innocent face was now adorned with exaggerated smoky eye makeup.

Qi Yuan was stunned.

If it weren't for the petite Ning Qianyu beside him, he really wouldn't have been able to tell that the unrecognizable punk-style girl was Jiang Yi.

The two girls left the mall and headed towards the school. After walking a few steps, Ning Qianyu looked up and saw Qi Yuan, immediately smiling and waving:

"Hey, Stick Bro!"

Qi Yuan wasn't concerned about the form of address at that moment; he was simply curious about Jiang Yi's new look. He quickly went to greet her.

Hearing Ning Qianyu call out "Brother Gun," Jiang Yi didn't react for a moment. By the time she realized that the person who came was actually Qi Yuan, it was already too late.

There was no time to cover their faces and run away.

Qi Yuan stopped in front of the two of them, looking Jiang Yi up and down, and asked curiously, "What kind of look is this?"

Jiang Yi covered her face with her hands and remained silent.

Ning Qianyu explained with a smile, "We'll be on a show soon, right? Yi Yi thinks her usual image is too well-behaved, not like someone in a band. So she asked me for advice to try out a new visual style."

Qi Yuan asked, "Did she choose this, or did you pick it?"

Ning Qianyu: "Yes, both. I already said that she asked me for advice, but the decision-making power was still in her hands, and she paid for it herself."

Qi Yuan looked at the mischievous smile on the girl's face and bluntly said, "Yi Yi is easily influenced. You're the one who instigated her to do this, aren't you!"

Ning Qianyu spread her hands, looked away, and looked completely innocent.

Jiang Yi carefully moved her hands away: "Do you think I look... bad dressed like this?"

Qi Yuan looked at it carefully again and asked, "Since you're wearing smoky eye makeup, why aren't you wearing lipstick?"

Jiang Yi whispered, "The lipstick is a bit expensive..."

"Pfft," Qi Yuan couldn't help but laugh, but he immediately composed himself and said seriously, "If you say it's not good-looking, that's definitely not it. Actually, it's quite good-looking, but it's not harmonious."

Jiang Yi: "It doesn't look right, is it because there's no lipstick?"

Qi Yuan explained, "That's a minor issue. No one says heavy makeup has to be accompanied by bright red lips. The key is that your expression, your temperament, and your overall feel don't quite match this style."

Jiang Yi: "...Does it really not match?"

Qi Yuan nodded.

Jiang Yi turned and glared at the staff officer: "See, I told you something was wrong... I've spent all my allowance this month!"

After a brief, awkward silence, Ning Qianyu whistled, still whistling the tune of Blue Lotus.

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.

027 Image Transformation Operation

"Okay, I'm sorry, I was wrong."

On Monday at lunchtime, Ning Qianyu put down her chopsticks and put her hands together in prayer position.

Qiu Mengxue snorted and said, "It's no use talking to Yiyi or us. It's not like our allowance has been used up."

Ning Qianyu turned to her good friend beside her and said, "I'm sorry, Yi Yi, it was my fault for giving bad advice."

Now in the school cafeteria, Jiang Yi, dressed in her school uniform, naturally reverted to her delicate and well-behaved self. In this state, her expression was much more natural, but also tinged with a hint of melancholy.

Jiang Yi asked, "Why are you giving me such random advice?"

Ning Qianyu: "Because you said you wanted to change your image, to move closer to the band members. And I think, if you're going to change, then go all the way..."

Qiu Mengxue sneered, "You can just admit that you want to watch a good show and have some fun."

Ning Qianyu clasped her hands together again: "Anyway, I'm sorry Yiyi, we'll go to the mall again after school tonight, and I'll pay this time!"

Qi Yuan suddenly interrupted, asking, "How much pocket money do you have?"

Ning Qianyu thought for a moment and replied, "I don't have a monthly allowance, but my grandparents and maternal grandparents give me lucky money during the Chinese New Year, which I can spend as I please. I probably get about 20,000 yuan a year."

The currency in this world is not much different from that in Qi Yuan's familiar home world, except that prices are slightly higher.

Qi Yuan was also a little shocked: "Should I say that your family is well-off, or that your parents are particularly strict with you?"

Ning Qianyu smiled smugly: "This is the treatment of a good student."

Qi Yuan looked at Qiu Mengxue.

Qiu Mengxue shook her head slightly: "I don't get that kind of treatment. Qianyu's family is just too well-off."

Jiang Yi asked, "Then, shall we skip the performance tonight and go to the mall together?"

Qiu Mengxue shook her head again: "You guys go ahead, I'll pass. I finally have some free time, I need to think about the arrangement. Blue Lotus and those flowers need to be rearranged, and Qi Yuan can never explain it clearly, so I need to design several arrangement schemes, let my mom listen to them, and then let Qi Yuan choose."

Although the girl's tone remained aloof, the meaning behind her words was quite intriguing.

Ning Qianyu exclaimed "Wow!" and asked, "You listen to Qi Yuan so much?"

Qiu Mengxue instinctively wanted to argue, but didn't know how to start, so she could only purse her lips, looking like she was too lazy to explain.

Jiang Yi was a little worried: "Mengxue, if you don't go, and Qianyu gives you bad advice again, I..."