A band, or a battleground?

But Jiang Yi hurriedly said, "But you are clearly the core member of our band..."

Qi Yuan: "But your parents aren't our audience, so there's no need to cause them any extra worry."

Su Wan also said, "That's true, and this isn't even lying. Just don't mention him in front of your parents."

Jiang Yi remained silent for a long time, pursed her lips, and looked at Qi Yuan with deep remorse.

Qi Yuan was completely baffled as to what there was to feel guilty about. He could only conclude that young girls' minds were rather complex and they were prone to getting stuck on strange ideas.

Seeing the somewhat quiet atmosphere at the table, Ning Qianyu suddenly exclaimed, "Wow, can you smell the grilled oysters? Come on, Yi Yi, let's go grab some!"

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.

038 Who doesn't bring paper?

Early in the morning, Jiang Yi stood in front of the dressing mirror in her bedroom, combing her hair. But halfway through, she suddenly frowned and stopped holding the comb.

A dull, throbbing pain came from her stomach, accompanied by a few soft gurgling sounds. She pressed her abdomen, but the feeling of heaviness and pressure didn't go away; instead, it felt like something was churning inside her intestines.

"I hope he didn't eat something that upset his stomach..."

Jiang Yi looked at herself in the mirror and muttered something under her breath.

Last night, to celebrate the band's successful acquisition of a direct entry spot in "The Coming One: Super Band" and to send them off for the upcoming main competition in Beijing, Teacher Su Wan treated Qi Yuan and the three girls to a seafood buffet.

I enjoyed the meal then, but now it seems like karma is coming my way.

Jiang Yi sighed, squatted in the bathroom for a while, and felt a little better. Then she put on her backpack and went out, heading towards the school.

When she stepped into the classroom, that uncomfortable feeling surged up again, and it was even more pronounced than when she was at home that morning. A thin layer of cold sweat even appeared on her forehead.

The classroom was filled with a restless atmosphere. Today was the first day back to school; there were no classes, and the main tasks were to collect report cards and listen to the teacher assign summer homework.

People gathered in small groups, discussing where to go for summer vacation or complaining about their losses in video games last night.

Jiang Yi walked to her seat, put her hands on her stomach, and gently rested her head on the edge of the desk.

In the last row, Qi Yuan leaned back in his chair, flipping through a guitar magazine he'd somehow found. His expression was calm, as if the surrounding noise and the upcoming results were irrelevant to him. Xie Jinpeng and a few others surrounded him, excitedly talking about something. Qi Yuan occasionally nodded, offering a word or two in response.

"Ring ring—"

The bell rang, interrupting the noise in the classroom.

Mr. Zhao, the homeroom teacher, strode up to the podium, carrying a thick folder. He slammed the folder down on the desk and looked around at the class. The students, who had been whispering amongst themselves, immediately fell silent and sat up straight.

"Quiet down, everyone. Your summer vacation officially begins tomorrow. But I must emphasize this: vacation doesn't mean you can let your guard down! You're about to enter your second year of high school, and this summer is a crucial period for you to get ahead. Anyone who dares to sleep in and play games all day during these two months will be crying when the placement test comes back at the start of the semester!"

As Teacher Zhao spoke, she opened the folder.

"Now, we'll be distributing the final exam report cards. We'll be ranked by class; those whose names are called, come up and get yours. First place, Li Haoran..."

As each name was read out, the air in the classroom seemed to freeze.

Jiang Yi clutched her stomach, trying to suppress the churning in her intestines, and listened intently.

"...Ninth place, Jiang Yi."

Teacher Zhao read out her name.

Jiang Yi was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up, enduring the discomfort in her stomach, and walked quickly to the podium to take the thin piece of paper.

My gaze swept over the class ranking column, and there it was: ninety-sixth place.

I'm in the top 100 of my grade again!

For a well-behaved girl like her, who grew up under immense family pressure, grades were the only guarantee her parents would allow her to continue playing in the band. This time, not only did she not regress, but she actually improved, which meant that after her parents agreed to the trip to the capital yesterday with Teacher Su's guarantee, she had even more confidence.

The joy she felt momentarily even suppressed the cramping in her stomach. She returned to her seat with a smile.

"Tenth place..." Teacher Zhao paused here, looked up at the last row of the classroom, "Qi Yuan."

The classroom fell silent again, but the look in everyone's eyes as they gazed at the last row was not as intensely shocked as it had been last time.

Qi Yuan stood up and walked slowly to the front of the podium.

Looking at the delinquent teenager in front of him, whom he had once had to ignore, Teacher Zhao felt rather complicated. In the last midterm exam, Qi Yuan jumped to tenth place in the class, which not only shocked the whole class, but even Teacher Zhao himself went to check the exam room surveillance footage.

But this time, Qi Yuan proved with equally solid results that it wasn't luck last time.

"You're doing well. If I still don't take care of you, next semester..."

"Still the same."

"Well."

Qi Yuan nodded, took the report card, and returned to his seat in the last row amidst the complicated gazes of his classmates.

Like Teacher Zhao, everyone has become desensitized. Since we can't handle the shock, we might as well accept the unfairness of this world.

Jiang Yi, however, had no mind to look at Qi Yuan, because she was experiencing a more intense cramping pain in her stomach than before.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead and slid down her cheeks. She bit her lower lip tightly, pressed her hands against her abdomen, and her body involuntarily hunched over.

I can't take it anymore!

Jiang Yi blushed and shakily raised her right hand.

Teacher Zhao: What's wrong?

"Teacher... my stomach hurts, I need to go to the bathroom." Jiang Yi's voice trembled slightly, with a hint of suppressed sobs.

Seeing her pale face and cold sweat, Teacher Zhao waved her hand: "Go quickly, if you feel unwell, go to the infirmary."

Jiang Yi felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She pushed back her chair and rushed out of the classroom.

The corridor was empty except for the voices of the teachers from each class. Jiang Yi clutched her stomach and ran straight to the women's restroom at the end of the corridor.

Pushing open the bathroom door, Jiang Yi rushed into the innermost stall, slammed the door shut, and then eagerly squatted down.

A few seconds later, a long sigh echoed in the narrow cubicle.

Just then, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly came from the next cubicle.

Is that Yi Yi?

Jiang Yi was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Qian Yu? You're here too?"

Ning Qianyu: "Did you also run out because of a stomachache?"

Jiang Yi gave a wry smile: "Yeah, I haven't been feeling well since I woke up this morning. I almost couldn't hold it in during class just now. It really is that seafood buffet from last night, right? I knew those oysters didn't taste very fresh..."

"Never mind whether the oysters are fresh or not!" Ning Qianyu interrupted her analysis, asking urgently, "Did you bring some tissues?"

Jiang Yi was taken aback: "Who goes to the toilet without bringing toilet paper?"

Ning Qianyu: "...Am I not human?"

Jiang Yi really wanted to laugh, but thankfully she didn't. She took out a pack of tissues that was still unopened, pulled out one, thought for a moment, then pulled out two more, and then passed them through the gap under the cubicle.

Is that enough?

"That's enough!" A hand immediately reached out from below and grabbed the tissues.

After a while, Ning Qianyu from next door sighed, "We're saved. Luckily, Yiyi was here, otherwise I don't know how I would have gotten out of here today."

Then the door next door opened.

Ning Qianyu stepped out of the cubicle, but then let out a strange low laugh: "Hehe..."

Jiang Yi felt uneasy at her laughter and stammered, "What...what are you laughing at? Did you tear the paper just now?"

Ning Qianyu: "Yiyi! Guess what rank I got this time?"

Jiang Yi: "How many?"

Ning Qianyu's tone was full of smugness: "Seventh in the grade! And that's not the point. The point is, I asked Mengxue, and she fell out of the top ten this time! This time, it's my turn to bully her with my grades, hahaha!"

Jiang Yi suddenly asked, "If Mengxue had brought you the tissue just now, would you have bullied her too?"

Ning Qianyu's arrogant laughter came to an abrupt halt.

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.

039 One sentence silences three

The women's restroom is at one end of the corridor, and the men's restroom is at the other end.

Qi Yuan squatted in the cubicle, looking at the notification text messages on his phone.

The 5,000 yuan transferred by Teacher Su Wan has arrived in my account.

The father left behind a little over 5,000 yuan in living expenses before he went to prison, bringing the total to just over 10,000 yuan. For an average 16-year-old high school student, this would be a huge sum. But for a minor whose parents are both deceased and who has no income, it's hard to say how long this amount of money will last.

However, Qi Yuan remained completely calm.

He knew that the prize money for passing the preliminary rounds was just the beginning, far from the end.

At that moment, Ning Qianyu called.

Qi Yuan answered the phone: "Hello, what's up?"

Ning Qianyu said, "Your class has already finished, and the three of us have all gathered in the music room, except for you. Didn't we agree to continue rehearsing this afternoon?"

Qi Yuan: "Oh, I'll be there in a bit."

Ning Qianyu cut to the chase: "Are you in the bathroom?"

Qi Yuan: "...You guessed right. It seems it was the seafood buffet last night that caused the problem."

"So you're going to squat too," Ning Qianyu said with a strange smile. "Then, did you bring any toilet paper?"

"Of course I brought it."

"I brought it..."

"I'm not an idiot, why would I go to the toilet without bringing toilet paper?"

Ning Qianyu: "..."

From the silence on the other end of the phone, Qi Yuan sensed something amiss.

He asked, "You didn't bring it, did you?"

Ning Qianyu: "..."

Qi Yuan asked with great interest, "So how did you solve it? There was no toilet paper, so you used your fingers?"

"Yi Yi brought it, she gave it to me! Seriously, how can you be so disgusting? Okay, hurry up and finish, we're waiting for you."

Ning Qianyu angrily hung up the phone.

Qi Yuan smiled and continued looking at his phone. He opened a web browser and started looking at the competition format of the first two seasons of "The Coming One".

Ordinary viewers might focus on who the show made famous and what memorable moments it featured, but Qi Yuan was more concerned with other things.

"First, there are the judges, then the audience votes... From the first round to the finals, there are at least ten songs, right? There's also the themed competition, so we have to be flexible. Tsk, this is a bit troublesome."

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 music classroom, after finishing rehearsing three songs, Qi Yuan put down his guitar and picked up a pen and paper.

Seeing this, Ning Qianyu immediately asked, "Are you going to write another song?"

Before she could finish speaking, Qiu Mengxue gestured for her to be quiet.

Jiang Yi hugged the bass and leaned closer, whispering, "Judging from Qi Yuan's expression, he seems to have some inspiration. Let him write slowly."

At this moment, Qi Yuan also spoke up: "It's okay, my inspiration isn't that fragile, just say what you want to say."

Although that's what he said, Ning Qianyu still lowered her voice: "So where did he get his inspiration this time, Yi Yi? You?"

Jiang Yi shook her head: "I don't know, it probably has nothing to do with me..."

As Qi Yuan was writing, he suddenly stopped and pondered for a while, then said, "I've looked at the competition format for Tomorrow Band. This year shouldn't be too different from last year. In the first round, all bands will have to perform two songs."

Qiu Mengxue: "At least one of them must be an original song."

Ning Qianyu: "This is a good thing for us, because we have three original songs!"

Qi Yuan asked, "So what happens after the first round? Two of the three original songs will have to be used up."

Ning Qianyu asked with a smile, "The main competition hasn't even started yet, and you're already worried about what happens after the first round?"

Qiu Mengxue, however, followed Qi Yuan's lead and said, "But we should have confidence in ourselves. And the key is that even if Qi Yuan writes songs quickly, we still need to arrange the music and rehearse before we can go on stage. The performance on the show can't be like when we first performed Blue Lotus in the small square, using a formulaic arrangement."