A band, or a battleground?

Su Wan observed her daughter's expression and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you worried that the big star is hard to get along with?"

Qiu Mengxue sighed: "I'm more worried about her singing off-key."

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.

077 is innocent!

After the lottery, the four members of Chunriying, along with teacher Su Wan, quickly packed their luggage and, guided by the program staff, went to their so-called dormitory.

This is a villa community located in the suburbs of Beijing.

It was further from the studio, nearly ten kilometers away, but the environment was undeniably much better than the previous hotel. Upon entering the so-called dormitory, the girls were utterly astonished.

"They call this a dormitory?" Jiang Yi looked around. "This is clearly a detached villa!"

It was already dark when he entered. Qi Yuan then looked around at the villa's decor and furnishings.

The living room boasts a ceiling height equivalent to two or three stories, topped with a tiered glass chandelier that exudes elegance and luxury far surpasses typical large crystal chandeliers. The marble floor, bathed in warm light, creates a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.

The living room has a full-length window. Outside the window, you can see the garden scenery of the upscale residential area, as well as several villas in the distance.

Qi Yuan said, "I feel like there will be a lot of mosquitoes."

Jiang Yi agreed, "I hope they have mosquito coils or something here, otherwise sleeping will be a real pain. It's such a big room, it's hard to find mosquitoes to swat."

Ning Qianyu: "And it's inconvenient to buy things. It's several hundred meters to walk out of the community, and it's hard to get takeout delivered."

As for Qiu Mengxue, her attention was still focused on the crossover guest who had caused trouble, but she couldn't see him. She couldn't help but ask, "Didn't the host say that Shen Yihan would be waiting for us in the dormitory? Why isn't she here?"

Ms. Su Wan, who was looking at her phone at the time, replied casually, "I'm talking to the production team right now. They said that Shen Yihan is still filming on set, and she'll come over as soon as she finishes there."

The four young people stared at each other for a few seconds.

Qi Yuan clapped his hands: "Anyway, there's one good thing about this new place: we don't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors anymore. We can play music however we want, and the nearest neighbor is only a few dozen meters away. It seems like other bands live right next door."

"So what are we rehearsing now?" Qiu Mengxue asked. "Should we wait for Shen Yihan to arrive and discuss it with her about what song we'll perform?"

Qi Yuan nodded and said, "We definitely need to discuss it with her, but I already have an idea, which is rap."

Upon hearing this choice, the three girls stared at him in astonishment.

Qiu Mengxue: "Rap?"

Ning Qianyu: "You can also write rap songs?"

Jiang Yi: "Is it the kind of song that has rap sections, but also requires singing parts...?"

“That’s right!” Qi Yuan gave Jiang Yi a thumbs up and then explained, “I’ve already thought of a few songs with rap in them. No matter how off-key Shen Yihan is, she can still recite her lines, right? She’s an actress after all. Here’s what we’ll do: you guys bring your instruments over and improvise a bit. I’ll find an empty room to write the lyrics.”

Qi Yuan's thumbs-up gesture secretly pleased Jiang Yi, but she didn't show it.

Just then, Qi Yuan had just taken out his paper and pen and hadn't even stepped onto the stairs when the doorbell rang.

Ms. Su Wan was the closest to the door. When she opened it and saw the person at the door, she instinctively blurted out, "What, it's you?"

The four young people perked up as well.

They initially thought the visitor would most likely be that top actress, but when the door opened, the person standing there was clearly Sun Man, the manager of Jufeng Music whom they had met before!

Tonight, Sun Man's attitude was completely different from when we last met.

Last time, although she was polite and courteous, she clearly still had the airs of a mid-level manager in a large company, and she put on airs when she presented the contract. When Qi Yuan refused the contract, she even made threatening remarks like "you'll regret it," clearly showing that she had completely broken off relations.

But at this moment, the previous unpleasantness seemed to have completely disappeared. Sun Man had a smile on her face, a smile that was natural, friendly, and even a little humble.

Ms. Su asked in a calm tone, "May I ask what brings Ms. Sun to us?"

"Here's the thing, I went back and spoke with my supervisor. The issue is that the template contract the company provided is a bit too harsh. Initially, he wasn't too keen on it, but Haruaki's recent performance convinced him. So, I've secured a more favorable contract for you. Would you like to take a look?"

For a moment, Ms. Su Wan was at a loss for words.

When she was in a band, Jufeng Music hadn't yet risen to prominence, but there were still large entertainment companies of similar size back then. In her memory, the managers of these large companies were always arrogant and haughty. Even the most rebellious bands had to restrain themselves and speak cautiously and politely in front of such people; they had never shown such an attitude towards a band before.

The last time I met with Manager Liu from Tianhua Entertainment, it went well; at least Liu Weiting's attitude was relatively normal and equal. But this time, Sun Man's tone and eyes were practically humble.

Qi Yuan put down his pen and paper and said, "Let her come in first. If we don't close the door soon, even the mosquitoes will get in."

"Okay, okay..." Seeing Su Wan make way, Sun Man quickly came in.

She not only closed the door, but also took two shoe covers out of her trouser pocket and put them on her shoes to avoid getting the floor dirty.

None of the four members of Chunriying and Teacher Su were wearing shoe covers or changing into slippers—they were in a new environment and preoccupied with how to get along with Shen Yihan, so they hadn't realized this yet.

At this moment, Ning Qianyu said, "Jufeng actually wants to sign a contract with us? They're pulling these dirty tricks with the lottery again. I thought you were only thinking about how to eliminate us."

Sun Man looked completely bewildered: "We didn't do anything underhanded!"

Ning Qianyu narrowed her eyes: "No?"

Sun Man hesitated for two seconds and said, "At least this time, we didn't do anything wrong with the draw. If there's a problem with the draw, it's either arranged by the production team or another company has a secret connection with the production team."

Qiu Mengxue picked up the conversation: "Shen Yihan, who is so famous... well, the off-key singer, was assigned to us. Wasn't this your arrangement?"

The girl originally wanted to say "such a famous tone-deaf person", but considering Shen Yihan's millions of fans, she hesitated and then changed to a more tactful way of saying it.

Sun Man quickly said, "Honestly, only two bands will be eliminated this round, so it would be very difficult to eliminate you even if we wanted to! The production team invited those crossover guests because they were worried about eliminating the most talented bands, which is why they arranged it to be twelve to ten. Even if I wanted to do something underhanded, I couldn't possibly choose this round."

Qiu Mengxue was taken aback: "Then what's going on? We drew Shen Yihan, is it really just bad luck?"

Sun Man's eyes darted around, and she suddenly realized something. She immediately said, "Shen Yihan is also an artist under Tianhua Entertainment! Not only is she their ace, but I've also heard she has a very powerful backer. If someone is making trouble, the most likely culprit is Tianhua Entertainment!"

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.

078. Nature creates all things to nourish humankind.

Shen Yihan spent an unusually long time on set today.

Because she told the director that she was going to participate in a variety show and would be away for a week, the director naturally had to rearrange the recent filming schedule, bringing forward the scenes that Shen Yihan was required to appear in, and finishing them today.

Despite her best efforts to meet the band without missing the deadline, Shen Yihan didn't finish work until 11 p.m.

She immediately got into the van and headed straight for the band's dormitory.

On the way, Shen Yihan couldn't help but doze off, but the music playing in the car suddenly caught her attention.

"The crescent moon hangs low, and she appears haggard."

I raise my cup and drink in the wind and snow.

Who overturned the cabinet of past lives?

"Stirring up trouble and disputes..."

After listening for a few lines, Shen Yihan couldn't help but ask, "Is this also a song by Chunriying?"

Assistant Zeng, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around and smiled, "Your ears are really sharp; you recognized it right away."

Shen Yihan said happily, "That's right. Everyone says I can't sing well, but I have great taste in music."

"Otherwise, why would you value a talented songwriting band like Haruhi Kage?" Assistant Zeng flattered, then explained, "This is Haruhi Kage's song from the third round of the competition. That show has only aired four episodes so far, and it's covering the first half of the second round. So, this song should be featured in the main episode of the sixth episode."

Shen Yihan laughed and said, "The reviews will definitely be great. Hmm, this song is also good, better than 'A Thousand Years Later'... Anyway, it's all good! But we can hear it in advance, did we use our connections with the production team?"

Assistant Zeng continued to explain, "Actually, I didn't use any connections. You're a performing guest, after all. We can hear Haruhi Kage's music, and the other guests should also be able to hear the latest tracks from their collaborating bands. The production team sent me this audio file, and I took the liberty of playing it for you in the car first."

We listened to music and chatted intermittently, while "Hair Like Snow" was coming to an end.

Shen Yihan quickly said, "Keep going, keep going! This song is on repeat! Hmm, are we almost there? I need to check..."

She took out a mirror and a makeup box from her small bag, checked her makeup, and then touched it up a bit.

Assistant Zeng turned around and looked at her movements, teasingly saying, "Miss, you're already pretty enough, why are you so concerned about your image? Are you trying to outshine all the girls in Spring Cinema?"

Shen Yihan shook her head: "I'm not trying to outshine them. The four of them are all high school students, unlike me, who is already an adult. I'm concerned about my image to leave a good impression on them and let them know that I'm a reliable older sister."

Not long after, the van drove into the villa area.

Shen Yihan and Assistant Zeng got out of the car and walked together toward the villa where the Spring Shadow Band was located.

Before they arrived, the staff from the production team had already explained the house number to them, and even the route to the villa area was clearly marked, so they found it very easy. Shen Yihan had been used to this kind of living environment since she was a child, so she wasn't surprised at all.

She felt somewhat uneasy about being so late.

Upon arriving at the villa's gate, before Assistant Zeng could even make a move, Shen Yihan preemptively rang the doorbell.

The person who opened the door was a gentle and beautiful older woman.

Shen Yihan asked, "Are you Chunriying's agent?"

The other person smiled and said, "My name is Su Wan. I am their music teacher and Qiu Mengxue's mother. However, you can also think of me as Chunriying's agent."

Shen Yihan slapped her forehead: "Oh right, I almost forgot, Chunriying hasn't signed with a company yet... Wow, a real student band, that's amazing."

Teacher Su Wan took a close look and confirmed that when the popular actress said "Spring Shadow hasn't signed with a company yet," she didn't show any disdain or condescension, and her comment "That's amazing" sounded very sincere.

But does Shen Yihan really not intend to cause trouble, but rather to cooperate seriously?

Feeling a sense of unease about the dark side of the entertainment industry, Ms. Su wasn't naive enough. She felt she needed to observe further before drawing any conclusions.

"Then I'll be going now, Miss. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything." After saying this, Assistant Zeng turned and left.

Then Shen Yihan followed Teacher Su inside.

Even before she entered the hallway, Shen Yihan could hear the conversation between the young men and women.

"...So here's the arrangement: two songs, we'll choose one. If we choose Nocturne, the instrumental parts will be less difficult, and the arrangement will be easier. But if we choose In the Name of the Father, it will be more challenging. What do you think?"

It was a boy's voice, and without a second thought, Shen Yihan knew it was definitely Qi Yuan.

She had heard Qi Yuan sing many times before. From the first time she heard "A Thousand Years Later" by chance, to "Blue Lotus" and "Those Flowers" that she had found and listened to herself, she was naturally very familiar with his voice. It was just that because of the editing techniques of the program team, she hadn't heard Qi Yuan speak normally much; all she had heard was him singing.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Qi Yuan's tone of voice was calmer than she had imagined, like that of a very composed and steady person, rather than the unruly and talented man she had expected.

"If we perform 'In the Name of the Father,' will we have enough time? From your arrangement, the accompaniment for this song is quite complex." The person who said this was clearly a girl, and she seemed very calm.

Shen Yihan had only listened to the audio of "Hair Like Snow" on her way here and hadn't seen the stage video, so she naturally didn't know that the female voice reciting the lines was Qiu Mengxue. Therefore, she didn't know who it was at this moment.

Then came another female voice, more lively and with a more urgent tone:

"I still think 'In the Name of the Father' is better. It's not that it's better than 'Nocturne,' it's just that our current experiences really resonate with this song. We've encountered so many shady dealings, it's so frustrating. If we could just shoot them all down like the Godfather in the song, that would be so satisfying..."

At this moment, Shen Yihan had already walked out of the entrance hall and into the living room, where she saw that the person who had just said "I want to shoot them all" was the smallest drummer girl in the band.

She saw them, and they saw her too.

The three girls stared blankly at Shen Yihan, seemingly seeing a live top-tier celebrity in front of them for the first time. Liang Fei and Chen Jiashu, who had previously sat in the mentor's seat, were also considered top-tier celebrities, but they were middle-aged or older, and the mentor's seat naturally created a sense of distance.

Qi Yuan, however, merely glanced at her before continuing their previous conversation, teasingly saying, "Heaven creates all things to nourish man, yet man has nothing to repay Heaven, is that right?"

Then, the four girls, including Shen Yihan, looked at him with blank stares.

Qiu Mengxue asked, "What does this poem mean?"

Qi Yuan was a little unsure—was there really such a Great Western King in the history of this world?

He wasn't quite sure, so he immediately took out his phone to check and confirmed that this part of history was the same. It's just that the four people in front of him were all girls, and they might not be familiar with this kind of historical reference.

So Qi Yuan said, "It's nothing, just a very elegant and gentle line of poetry."

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.

079 Great minds think alike

Shen Yihan is an actress, and she acts in youth and period idol dramas, so her looks are naturally not bad.

In the series, she was virtually flawless, displaying impeccable beauty in every shot. The only differences lay in conveying a sense of vulnerability, happiness, innocence, or cunning... In short, she played different roles, but all were beautiful. Even her haters tended to focus their attacks on her being a "pretty face" or "relying on her connections to secure resources," with no one criticizing her looks.

Moreover, she is still very young, having debuted only two years ago, yet she has already reached a level of fame that many actresses can only dream of for their entire lives. She is only in her early twenties, in the prime of her life, and her youthful collagen has not yet disappeared.

Despite the fatigue of a day of filming, the figure appearing in the villa was still exceptionally beautiful.

"Hello everyone, I'm Shen Yihan. Well, I guess I don't need to introduce myself? I hope we can get along well over the next few days, rehearse diligently, and put on a wonderful performance together on stage!"

After she finished speaking, she noticed that the four boys and girls in Haruhi Kage had somewhat subtle reactions.

Ning Qianyu looked up the poem Qi Yuan had mentioned earlier on her phone, and wanted to continue the previous topic: "So it's the legendary Seven Killings Stele. I was wondering why it sounded so familiar. However, the inscription on the stele in reality doesn't seem to have such a strong murderous aura."

Qiu Mengxue took the initiative to greet the big stars, saying, "Hello, we are the Spring Shadow Band. He is Qi Yuan, she is Ning Qianyu, she is Jiang Yi, and my name is Qiu Mengxue. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration."

The girl spoke politely, but her eyes conveyed a cautious distance.

Jiang Yi simply nodded, whispered "Hello," and then fell silent, appearing somewhat introverted and shy.