A band, or a battleground?

Chen Jiashu stood with his arms crossed, wearing a dark gray suit and sporting an elegant hairstyle, which made him appear cool and composed.

"I will use the most stringent standards to help you find the key to the championship."

After he finished speaking, even more enthusiastic shouts and applause erupted from the audience. Among the three mentors, this one was clearly the most popular; otherwise, the production team wouldn't have placed him in the middle.

He Dong pointed to the third mentor: "Finally, we have the universally acknowledged godfather of rock... How many of you had your rock music enlightenment through 'Northwest By North' and 'Rust Age'? Please raise your hands and let's welcome Zhou Taishan!"

This was a man in his fifties, wearing thick-rimmed black glasses, a T-shirt and jeans, and with half-gray, messy hair, making him look like an average middle-aged man next door. But as the host said, no one in this studio dared to underestimate him.

The bands competing in the audience, no matter how much they considered themselves rock veterans, were no match for this true veteran.

Zhou Taishan laughed freely: "Only the real stuff matters on this stage. If there's nothing there, then go home."

The applause rang out, but it was slightly weaker than the previous two. After all, Zhou Taishan's active period was quite far removed from the present; his last hit song was over a decade ago. In recent years, Zhou Taishan has been playing experimental music, the kind of music that even his die-hard fans can't understand.

The lights returned to the stage, but the audience could no longer see the host, He Dong; instead, they could only see a large curtain obscuring his view.

But He Dong's voice continued: "Tomorrow Band, enough talk, we live for music. Next up, please welcome Titan Band with their original song 'Concrete Forest'!"

All the lights went out, and the huge studio became dim.

Then, just a few seconds later, the lights came on again, illuminating the curtain on the stage.

The curtain rose to the beat of the powerful drums, revealing the Titans band in the center of the stage. Among them, the drummer with dreadlocks was already pounding away.

Then the guitar, bass, and keyboard joined in, immediately heating up the atmosphere.

Lead singer Zhao Xukun opened his mouth, his voice carrying a smoky quality:

"Steel bars are cold fences, trapping the souls of those who work from 8 to 5."

We wandered through a gray maze, through fog that neon lights couldn't pierce...

The atmosphere was electric; the singers on stage were sung, and the audience swayed along.

However, in the corner of the last row, four teenagers didn't sway at all.

"I think this song is just so-so," Ning Qianyu pouted as she looked at the figures swaying to the beat of the drums in front of her. "Is it just my prejudice?"

Qiu Mengxue analyzed, "It's not exactly prejudice. The highlight of this song is the rhythm arrangement and the instrumental parts. As for the lead singer... even putting aside prejudice, the singing is just average."

Jiang Yi: "But it has a very rock and roll feel, so that's why everyone's reaction is so enthusiastic, right?"

Qiu Mengxue: "It's not just because of the rock feel, but more importantly, everyone has been waiting for a long time, and this is the first song at the start, so it's easy to arouse everyone's enthusiasm."

Ning Qianyu nodded, then looked at Qi Yuan and asked, "What do you think?"

Qi Yuan: "You asked me what I think of this song?"

Ning Qianyu: "Yes."

Qi Yuan chuckled and picked at his ear: "Listening to this song puts my mind at ease."

Why are you at ease?

"This is the level of the contestants who were directly admitted to the semi-finals. What's there to worry about? The lyrics are so-so, the music is so-so, the arrangement is okay. After the show airs, not many viewers will specifically search for it to listen to."

Jiang Yi whispered, "With so many talent shows and so many original works, there aren't many songs that would make viewers listen to them after watching the show, right?"

Qi Yuan smiled but remained silent.

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.

Titans' performance received unanimous praise from all three mentors. Although it wasn't announced on the spot, everyone could tell they would definitely pass the first round.

Next came four more bands, and the three mentors' reactions were mixed.

In Qi Yuan's opinion, these four bands are not as competitive as Titans, and there is no need to pay much attention to them.

Then there's the Star Elements band.

Seeing the three handsome, idol-like boys go on stage, Qiu Mengxue nudged Qi Yuan's elbow and whispered, "Didn't we promise them? Shouldn't we give them some kind of response?"

Qi Yuan said calmly, "There's no need. Look, where are the cameras pointed at us? Even if we applaud and cheer like crazy, no one will see it, so let's just let nature take its course."

Qiu Mengxue: "Does 'let nature take its course' mean that if the performance is good, we can applaud?"

Qi Yuan: "Yeah, let's see if they can give us a surprise..."

The three boys on stage have already begun their performance.

The Star Elements band only has three members, so the lineup is quite simple: a lead vocalist/guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer, with the bassist also handling harmonies. Before Qi Yuan came, this was also the lineup of three girls: Qiu Mengxue, Jiang Yi, and Ning Qianyu.

They sang "Dopamine Trap," a hit song released by one of the mentors last year.

When the song ended, Qi Yuan clapped and commented, "The cover was good. To be honest, it was better than I expected."

Qiu Mengxue: "It's just that the style of the music isn't very rock. The original song is more pop-oriented, but they made it softer and more of a pop-lyrical tune."

Qi Yuan laughed and said, "They definitely want to attract female fans, so there's no need to make it too hardcore."

Ning Qianyu suddenly asked, "What about us? What kind of fans will we attract?"

Qi Yuan said, "There's no need to think about fans now. Tomorrow, just do your best on stage."

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.

It's a miracle that 048 didn't get into a car accident.

The next day, after lunch, the four members of the Spring Shadow Band, led by the staff, went to the waiting area behind the stage to do a final check of their instruments.

Qi Yuan didn't have any musical instruments, so he just watched the three girls busy with their heads down and noticed their nervousness.

However, he didn't point it out.

The more you point out nervousness, the more obvious it becomes. No matter how much you tell him not to be nervous, it won't help; it might even have the opposite effect. Fortunately, the piece they'll be performing later has been practiced many times in the small square over the past two months, so even if it's purely based on muscle reflexes, it shouldn't be a problem.

Suddenly, Qi Yuan heard an unexpected voice: "Hi, everyone, are you ready to go on stage?"

Turning her head, she saw the gorgeously dressed, handsome man, Su Muluo.

Qi Yuan: "Yes, it should be our turn in about ten minutes."

Su Muluo walked up to him and said with a smile, "Then I'll be right here in the audience, ready to cheer you on."

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you. You guys did a great job yesterday, but it's a pity we were too far away to be filmed."

Su Muluo waved her hand dismissively, "It's okay, I think you guys can definitely get through the first round. We can help each other out in the second round. This time, we'll be your fans."

That puts a little pressure on me.

Qi Yuan revealed a perfectly measured hint of unease: "Don't overdo it. I think you should just let things take their natural course. There's really no need to be too deliberate. Otherwise, we'll feel bad."

"Haha, don't worry, it'll look natural. I won't disturb your preparations any longer, good luck!"

Su Muluo made a gesture of encouragement, then turned and left, walking between his two teammates.

One teammate asked, "Should we cheer too?"

Su Muluo's smile remained, but her gaze turned slightly colder as she said in a low voice, "Just clap your hands, it's not difficult at all."

Another teammate asked, "What if they get eliminated as soon as they go up?"

Su Muluo merely curled one corner of her mouth: "Sister Liu said they are indeed amateurs, easily eliminated, but also the easiest to bribe. It's just emotional investment, we don't need to do anything..."

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.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, just treat it like a small square..."

Standing behind the curtain, Qi Yuan heard Jiang Yi muttering to herself.

He suddenly patted the girl on the shoulder.

Jiang Yi was startled and hugged Beth tightly, turning her head to look at him with a look of astonishment.

Qi Yuan asked with a mischievous grin, "Are you still nervous?"

Jiang Yi nodded subconsciously.

Qi Yuan slapped her forehead again.

Jiang Yi was a little angry: "What are you doing!"

Qi Yuan also asked, "Are you still nervous?"

"Whether you're nervous or not, hitting me won't help..." Jiang Yi said, but then got hit on the forehead again. She covered her head and yelled, "Don't hit me!"

Qi Yuan grinned mischievously, "This is called the distraction technique. Are you still nervous? Be honest."

Jiang Yi clutched her chest, feeling her heart, which had been pounding wildly just moments before, actually become calmer. She secretly guessed that perhaps the playful banter with her bandmates had brought her emotions closer to their normal state.

Ning Qianyu let out a long "Oh," and deliberately laughed, "Looks like this trick works. If you're still nervous next time, I can do it for you."

Jiang Yi quickly shook her head, about to say no, when she heard the host He Dong's voice:

"Next, please welcome the Spring Shadow Band to perform their original work, 'Blue Lotus'!"

Jiang Yi quickly shut her mouth.

A staff member handed him a microphone and then quickly walked away.

He Dong had already turned off the microphone, walked to a corner behind the curtain, and made a gesture towards the four band members.

The four exchanged glances, Qiu Mengxue nodded heavily, then pressed the guitar strings with her left hand and plucked the strings with her right.

As the curtain was drawn back, Qi Yuan gripped the microphone tightly with both hands:

"Nothing can stop your yearning for freedom..."

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 Spring Shadow Band, isn't that the guy who gave you two the middle finger?"

In the front row of the audience, a drummer with dreadlocks spoke in a low voice.

The lead singer Zhao Xukun, standing next to him, remained expressionless to avoid being caught on camera, but a hint of disdain still crept into his eyes.

He also whispered, "It wasn't just to me and Yezi, his middle finger was given to all five of us."

The drummer laughed: "We didn't say anything, he was just targeting the two of you."

Zhao Xukun slightly pursed his lips.

Short-haired guitarist Li Qiye: "When we were stir-frying the noodles, we cooked them together, but now we've skimmed them off quite well."

The drummer also pursed his lips and remained silent.

Li Qiye added, "This kid, with three little girls, they're obviously students. It'll be good enough if he doesn't cause a car accident—"

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking. The curtain rose on the stage, and Qi Yuan's singing began.

The first few lines of the lyrics silenced all five members of the Titans.

Zhao Xukun managed to force a smile and found what he considered a flaw: "There's only a guitar and bass; is the drum set just for show?"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Qi Yuan's singing rose a notch.

"The world of freedom in my heart is so clear and lofty."

"Blooming, never fading, the blue lotus—"

The moment the high notes soared, the drum kit suddenly joined in, giving everyone a sense of unexpected relief.

It was as if I had started as a traveler, searching desperately in the darkness, following a glimmer of light, until finally, I found the blooming blue lotus. And at the same time, the flower burst forth with dazzling light.

After the high notes, the guitar, bass, and drums joined together.

This ensemble piece closely followed the main melody. It wasn't particularly complex or technically demanding, but the melody alone drew cheers from the audience.

"Holy crap, they really know how to write songs..."

"That tune is awesome!"

After a full half-minute interlude, Qi Yuan spoke again: "Having traversed the dark years, I have also felt lost..."

None of the five members of the Titans could laugh anymore.

Zhou Tie suddenly sighed and said, "They will definitely pass the test, do you believe me?"

Li Qiye replied without any curiosity, "Nonsense, do you even need to tell me that?"

The keyboardist, who had been silent all along, scoffed, "Didn't you just say that it would be good enough if they didn't cause a car accident?"

Li Qiye was silent for a few seconds, then sneered, "If I were to give him a throat-slitting salute right now, would it cause him to cause a car accident?"

Zhou Tie said leisurely, "I don't know if he'll get into a car accident, but Jufeng Company will definitely make us pay a huge amount of breach of contract fees. Do you think the camera is blind?"