A band, or a battleground?

So someone took a microphone and went on stage, handing it to the girl standing in front of the keyboard.

Zhou Taishan asked with a smile, "Aren't you a guitarist? How come you can play the keyboard too?"

"I know a little bit."

Qiu Mengxue was clearly nervous, so she spoke very little. But given her appearance and demeanor, no one could tell she was nervous; instead, they sensed a cool and aloof air about her.

Liang Fei teased, "So you're the legendary 'somewhat knowledgeable' one? I've heard that the most terrifying big shots are the ones who claim to know a little bit."

At this moment, Ning Qianyu left her drum set, moved closer to Qiu Mengxue, grabbed the microphone, and said, "Mengxue is the most musically gifted person in our team. She's in charge of the guitar only because she's the best at it, but she can also play the drums and bass. And the keyboard? Needless to say, she's the only one who can play it."

A chorus of "Wow!" erupted from the audience.

Liang Fei laughed and said, "I'm becoming more and more interested in your band. It turns out everyone in your band is incredibly talented."

Zhou Taishan also joked, "So you weren't happy to have them in the group stage?"

Liang Fei sighed, "There was nothing I could do. My group was almost full at the time. If there had been any openings, I would definitely have taken them! I really liked the two songs they performed in the group stage."

At this moment, Chen Jiashu said, "But Qi Yuan wrote the lyrics and composed the music for this song, right?"

Ning Qianyu and Qiu Mengxue answered into the microphone in unison, "Yes!"

Chen Jiashu smiled and shook his head: "I have to say, you really gave me quite a surprise. Although this song isn't as explosive as the last one, it still lets us hear a more unique power."

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.

At this moment, Sun Man was sitting in a corner of the audience. Fortunately, no one noticed her, and the lights didn't reach her, so although her face was ashen, she was not conspicuous.

However, the chatter of the unfamiliar audience around her sounded particularly jarring to her.

"What is Chen Jiashu babbling about? The last song was a 'bang'? It was just a forced bang, how can it compare to this one?"

"Just compare them directly. Anyway, they're from his group, so they're shamelessly praising them."

"This song is so good, I think it could be released as a single right away."

"Why release a single? Their two songs from the first round were pretty good too; they could make a mini-album together."

"You've heard the first two songs? The episode with Kasuga Kage hasn't aired yet. I remember seeing it in the trailer. I think she sang something about flowers."

"I haven't heard of them, but Liang Fei said she really likes those two songs."

"I absolutely have to watch the second episode, I'm so curious about those two songs..."

Sun Man took out her phone, opened the Titans band's group chat, and sent a message:

It seems you can't do anything about them; they're definitely going to advance.

Just a few seconds later, Zhao Xukun replied: [Sister Man, we will also advance; we still have a chance.]

Sun Man: [What opportunities are there? If it's a one-on-one PK later on, with the loser eliminated, would you dare to face them?]

Zhao Xukun immediately fell silent.

Li Qiye: [Sister Man, what do you suggest we do?]

"Don't worry about it, I'll think of something."

After sending that message, Sun Man left the group chat. After thinking for a moment, she sent another message to someone with a completely black profile picture and a blank nickname: "Are you there? I need to arrange something."

The other party: 【What is it now?】

Sun Man: [crying over the next round of the draw.]

The other party: [It's them again? Stop kidding, the director already told us to be careful.]

Sun Man: [Is there absolutely no way to solve this?]

The other party replied: "It's not impossible... but let me make this clear first, there will be no preferential treatment in the next round, which will likely put most bands in a difficult position. Because the next round is a style competition, and each draw will have a very different vibe."

Sun Man: [Then let's talk in person. I'll book a private room.]

Then she put away her phone and looked back at the stage.

After the conversation between Chunri Ying and her mentors ended, the four young men and women walked off the stage amidst applause.

Because of the distance, Sun Man couldn't see their expressions. The camera was focused on the host, He Dong, and the big screen also showed He Dong, making it even more impossible to see their expressions.

But even a fool could guess that those four faces must be beaming with smiles right now.

Thinking about this, Sun Man felt a strong urge to bite her.

If Chunri Ying can achieve good results in "Tomorrow's Band", gain popularity, and even make it to the finals without signing with any company... I wonder how much the company's CEO, Mr. Lin, will deduct from his bonus this year?

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.

Upon arriving at the waiting area, Kasuga Kage's group of four encountered three other people.

Those were three idol-like boys from the Star Elements band.

Su Muluo, who was leading the group, once again opened her arms to Qi Yuan with a big smile and said, "We all heard about your 'a thousand years in the future,' it's really unexpected. Everyone thinks science fiction is the hardest to write, but we never expected this..."

Qi Yuan was naturally unwilling to hug him, but he didn't want to slap someone who was smiling at him. Just then, he was holding Qiu Mengxue's guitar in his arms, so he patted the guitar and asked, "Would you like to try this?"

"Uh, no..."

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.

059, are you alright?

The waiting area was large and furnished with all sorts of sofas, including regular sofas, beanbag chairs, and circular sofas... enough to comfortably accommodate dozens of bands without feeling crowded.

It's also a place where people can stroll and chat.

"I have a very important secret, and I'm going to tell you about it in advance."

Su Muluo quickly regained his composure and brought up the topic he really wanted to discuss.

Qi Yuan: "What secret?"

“Since you’re not signed with a company, you probably don’t know,” Su Muluo looked around and lowered her voice, “the format of the next round.”

"Did your company tell you that?"

"They didn't explain it very clearly, but I heard that in the third round of the competition, the production team is going to put some pressure on us and increase the difficulty. This time it's not just you, it's trouble for everyone."

Qi Yuan, however, asked with great interest, "How can we increase the difficulty?"

Su Muluo said in a cryptic tone, "It is said that the production team felt that just rock and pop was too monotonous, so they wanted to force all the contestants to change their style, and it was through a combination of voting and drawing lots."

"Voting plus a lottery?" Qi Yuan didn't understand for a moment. "How does this work?"

Su Muluo said, "We let the audience vote on the style, such as gothic, cyberpunk, etc., and see which three styles received the most votes. Then the bands draw lots to see which style they are drawn, and they must sing that style in the next round."

Qi Yuan's lips twitched twice.

Gothic and cyberpunk—these two styles were really giving him a tough choice. It wasn't that he hadn't heard these kinds of songs in his previous life, but the problem was that almost all the songs he was familiar with on his playlist were in foreign languages!

English is alright, but the lyrics he can remember aren't gothic or cyberpunk; they're mostly mainstream rock and pop. As for French, German, and Nordic languages, he wouldn't even know what they're singing about if he just listened to the songs without looking at the lyrics or translations, let alone write them down.

Su Muluo pointed at him and laughed, "You also find it troublesome, right?"

Qi Yuan gave a wry smile: "Is the production team just bored?"

Su Muluo sighed, "It's all to attract the audience. They say this kind of voting will make the audience feel more involved. And the audience will be very curious about what will happen when bands that are used to playing rock are forced to do other styles."

Qi Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Su Muluo pointed behind him. Although neither of his teammates had come over yet, Qi Yuan understood what the kid meant.

"I have a record company backing me up. None of us in the band write songs, but the company buys them. They might not be as good as yours, but they're still pretty decent... By the way, have you ever considered signing with our company?"

Then Qi Yuan understood his deeper meaning: "Oh, is this a task given to you by Tianhua Entertainment?"

Su Muluo was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "It wasn't really a mission. I just told my manager that I knew you, and she asked if I could help introduce you."

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "That's something I can consider, but I need to see the specific contract terms before I can decide whether to sign it or not."

"Okay, I'll go back and tell my manager. Bye-bye."

Su Muluo turned and left.

At this moment, the three girls following behind Qi Yuan surrounded him.

"Should we sign with Tianhua?" Qiu Mengxue asked, frowning. "Their company mainly produces idols, which isn't suitable for us, is it?"

Qi Yuan shrugged: "Like I said, nothing is certain until we see the contract."

"Let's ignore that for now. The third round of the draw hasn't happened yet, and we don't know what style we'll be assigned. Let's take a look at this first!" Ning Qianyu said, raising her phone.

On my phone, the second episode of "Tomorrow's Band" has just been released.

"We're definitely going to appear in this episode, let's find a place to sit down and watch it!"

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.

For delinquent teenagers like Xie Jinpeng, summer vacation is like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. Summer homework? Forget about it.

That afternoon, he went out for a stroll with two of his close friends from class. After playing a few rounds of pool, all three boys ran out of cigarettes, so they went downstairs to buy some.

At a small shop on the street, Xie Jinpeng took out his money and bought a pack of cigarettes, giving one to each of his two friends.

"Thank you, Brother Peng."

"Brother Peng is awesome!"

Xie Jinpeng waved his hand, indicating that it was no big deal. The reason he was able to wield some influence within the delinquent youth circle, besides his high emotional intelligence and eloquence, was primarily due to his well-off family background and willingness to spend money.

However, just as he put a cigarette in his mouth, took out a lighter and lit it, he looked up and saw the television in the small shop.

The television screen was showing a live performance by Tomorrow Band.

He usually had absolutely no interest in these talent shows, but this time, he couldn't help but care. Because the person on TV was clearly Qi Yuan, the top fighter in their class… no, in their entire school!

Xie Jinpeng, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, stared blankly at the screen, even forgetting to take a puff.

Seeing him like this, his two friends followed his gaze to the television and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Holy crap, isn't that Brother Yuan?!"

"Brother Yuan is on TV? What show is it?"

Xie Jinpeng was about to say, "Can't you two read? You don't even recognize the four characters 'Tomorrow Band' in the upper left corner of the screen?"—but just then, Qi Yuan started singing.

"Through the dark years, I have also felt lost."

"Only when you look down do you realize the path beneath your feet."

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

"Blooming, never fading, the blue lotus..."

The performance was nearing its end. After Qi Yuan finished singing the last few lines, the three girls' instrumental parts began, and then the performance gradually faded out.

Xie Jinpeng recognized the three girls and muttered, "They're really in a band, huh? And on such a big scale?"

He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and spoke very softly, so much so that his two friends next to him didn't notice.

After the performance, the next segment will be guided by questions from the host and followed by praise from the mentors.

When Zhou Taishan said, "Even I back then couldn't have written it so easily," his friend couldn't help but ask:

"Is Brother Yuan going to become a big star?"

Xie Jinpeng opened his mouth as if to say something.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"

"Peng, are you alright? Did you burn Dandan?"

Xie Jinpeng: "Fuck you!"

"Could it be that he got burned..."

Xie Jinpeng: "Shut up!!"

Xie Jinpeng: "Get lost!"

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.

060 I just love original content

In the second round of the competition, all the bands had finished their performances.