A band, or a battleground?

Second place went to the Katz band with 185 votes, and then the votes decreased in descending order...

Eleventh place naturally went to the Wildfire Band, with a mere 9 votes, all of which were encouragement votes for the table tennis champion.

After announcing the votes for these eleven bands, He Dong said, "Everyone may be wondering why there are only votes for these eleven bands. It's because just before the voting, the production team received news that Titan Band and Lin Jianqi withdrew from the competition, so their votes are not included in the statistics."

Despite Titans' current poor public image, their unexpected withdrawal from the competition still sparked much discussion among the audience.

Lin Yan whispered her speculation: "Do they think that even if they make it to the semifinals, they'll definitely do badly in the online voting, so in order not to be at the bottom and lose face, they simply gave up in this round?"

Zhang Yanyan, who was standing next to her, shook her head: "No, it should be because of the trending topics."

"Trending topics?"

"You'll see when you see it now."

Lin Yan quickly took out her phone, and sure enough, she saw the hashtag "#TitansBandMultiplePersonSports" ranked sixth on the trending topics list.

"This is... my God..."

As Lin Yan watched, she suddenly realized what was going on.

It turns out that many netizens gathered under this trending topic to discuss the scandal that had just broken out involving the Titans. This scandal concerns a relationship between a man and a woman, but it's not your average relationship.

[Titan's lead singer Zhao Xukun invited my friend to their multi-person party! Pictures don't lie...]

Girl, is that really your friend?

The junior reporter made a huge sacrifice.

[Are the young reporters enjoying themselves?]

[Oh my god, did you guys see that video? It's actually true!]

Please send me the video!

Please send this to me; I want to criticize them!

[Damn, I can't even send private messages? Two of my accounts got banned...]

Lin Yan was a little dumbfounded and muttered, "Are their relationships really that complicated?"

"So what?" Zhang Yanyan said nonchalantly. "It's common for rock bands to harass celebrities. The problem is that Lin Jianqi, who is collaborating with them this time, has a lot of fans, and they are all female fans who like to gossip and play detective. The power of these people to dig is too great."

Lin Yan suddenly remembered something and said, "The Spring Shadow Band shouldn't do that."

Zhang Yanyan shrugged: "I don't care if Chunriying's private life is messy or not, as long as it's not exposed and doesn't affect my listening to music. Besides, didn't you hear what Shen Yihan said? She said Qi Yuan is great."

Lin Yan's face looked like she'd just eaten a bitter melon: "Dating a top celebrity isn't that easy..."

Zhang Yanyan nodded: "Yes, so Qi Yuan should never talk about Shen Yihan, or he'll be overwhelmed by her fans. If he has to talk about her, he should just keep it to himself within the band."

Lin Yan shook her head: "I don't think we should handle it internally either. If relationships are all about breaking up and getting back together, how can the band function? If they break up and have conflicts, can they still release songs and perform together?"

Zhang Yanyan thought for a while and agreed, "You're right, Qi Yuan should prioritize his career."

Lin Yan twitched the corner of her mouth: "I don't think it's necessary..."

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.

Meanwhile, in the waiting area, the contestants were also discussing the matter.

Everyone had heard what He Dong had just said about the Titans' withdrawal from the competition. When they turned around, they couldn't see the Titans or Lin Jianqi in the waiting area, so they must have already left.

"So that's how it is..." Jiang Yi said, looking at the trending topics on her phone. "They're making such a mess of things."

Qiu Mengxue's face was frosty: "Serves you right! If you don't focus on music and just mess around, you'll eventually fall into this trap."

Ning Qianyu rested her chin on her hand and pondered, "It's not like they've been doing this for the first time. The reason it came out at this time is probably because they've offended someone..."

Just as Shen Yihan was about to express her opinion, she saw Assistant Zeng walking quickly toward her, so she got up to greet him.

Before she could speak, Assistant Zeng quickly asked in a low voice, "You've seen the Titans trending on social media, haven't you?"

Shen Yihan nodded: "I saw it. Uh, could it be Tianhua Entertainment..."

Assistant Zeng shook his head: "It has nothing to do with us, but you should still be on your guard!"

Shen Yihan: "Huh?"

Assistant Zeng: "Your thanks after your performance could easily be misunderstood. If we don't take some precautions, there might be some unnecessary gossip about you and Mr. Qi Yuan after this episode airs."

Shen Yihan realized what he meant and was both amused and exasperated: "I just thanked him. Besides, we didn't do anything else except practice rapping."

Assistant Zeng shook his head again: "But most people just love to watch the drama unfold, and when the production team came to your dormitory to film footage that day, there were many things that could easily be misunderstood... In short, Tianhua Entertainment has already communicated with the production team, and those materials that could easily be misunderstood cannot be broadcast. Moreover, you'd better keep your distance from Mr. Qi Yuan."

Shen Yihan said blankly, "There's already a big gap between us. Besides, I'm only participating in this round, and I won't be going on stage for the next semi-final."

Assistant Zeng: "What I mean is, you can just come with me after the show, there's no need to go to the band's dorm. I'll take your luggage from there. The film crew is also urging us to continue filming tomorrow."

Shen Yihan paused for a few seconds, then sighed wistfully, "After all that hard work, I was thinking of treating them to a celebration dinner."

Assistant Zeng shook his head and said, "The Titans just had an accident, and there are definitely a lot of gossip reporters watching this place. If it's not necessary, I really don't recommend that you spend more time with Chunriying, especially with Qi Yuan."

Shen Yihan: "I understand, but if we invite him to other variety shows in the future..."

Assistant Zeng: "The company's idea is that once the show ends and the hype dies down, then it's fine."

Shen Yihan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to walk in front of Qi Yuan.

She said solemnly, "My schedule is a bit full. I was originally thinking of going to the celebration banquet with you all, but..."

Qi Yuan glanced at Assistant Zeng, who was a little further away, and smiled, "It's alright, you can go about your business. The Wildfire Band just messaged me, wanting to have dinner with us."

Shen Yihan: "Why did Wildfire invite you to dinner?"

Qi Yuan: "They said that the table tennis champion wanted to treat them because he felt bad for dragging them down. Wildfire also wanted to talk to us, so..."

Shen Yihan suddenly interrupted, "I'm not used to you being like this."

Qi Yuan: "?"

Recalling the time spent in the villa, Shen Yihan said softly, "When you taught me to rap, you were like a teacher, and I got used to it. Now you're too polite to me, and I'm not used to it."

"Good grief, you're asking for it!"

"Hee hee hee……"

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.

091 For Whom the Bell Tolls

Lin Xin sat in his office, watching the latest round of performance recordings from "Tomorrow's Band".

As the president of Jufeng Music, Lin Xin can certainly see the latest stage footage, as the production team will send him the rough cut version directly.

He frowned as he watched Kasuga Kage's performance.

If the band had already signed with Jufeng Records, then naturally, the more popular they are, the better. But the current situation is that the contract hasn't been signed yet, and the better Haruhi Kage performs, the more leverage they'll have, naturally leading to higher demands on the company. Moreover, other companies are also eyeing them...

While playing the video, Lin Xin also clicked on the trending topics.

The controversy surrounding the Titans made his already furrowed brows even more tightly furrowed.

Suddenly, a series of loud bangs made Lin Xin's heart skip a beat. His attention returned to the video playing, where he saw Qi Yuan and Shen Yihan pointing their fingers, like gun barrels, at the camera.

It's like pointing to his brow.

Lin Xin felt a tightness between his brows, and in a daze, he felt as if someone was really pointing a gun at his head, and there was more than one.

By the way, Shen Yihan works for Tianhua Entertainment, and her subordinate Sun Man reported that when she was trying to sign a contract with Chunri Film, she happened to run into people from Tianhua Entertainment...

Anyone with inside knowledge knows that the lottery system used by the "Tomorrow's Band" program was a joke. So why did Shen Yihan and Chunriying collaborate? Was Tianhua Entertainment involved in this?

Thinking further, why did Titans run into trouble? From being accused of being a capitalist who squeezed out Spring Shadow Band on that show, losing all public favor, to the recent exposure of their large-scale gathering, could Tianhua Entertainment be behind this again?

There was no evidence for these speculations, but Lin Xin felt that by the time he saw the evidence with his own eyes, it might be too late. And to prevent his competitors from succeeding, he had to do something.

We can no longer rely solely on subordinates to get things done...

Lin Xin immediately picked up his phone and made a call.

"Hey, yes, it's me. Start that plan immediately! Their band has internal disagreements? No problem, as long as they get things done..."

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 my fault. I'm sorry to my friends in the Wildfire Band. They are really good people. I'm the one who dragged them down..." Long Heng picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp. Then he wiped his mouth and continued, "I really can't drink alcohol. I'm using tea instead. I just want to say sorry to my friends in the Wildfire Band."

Wildfire's lead singer waved his hand: "Brother Long, you're being too polite. Now that we're on stage, we're all in the same boat. If the boat doesn't sail well, it's not just one person's fault."

Wildfire's guitarist also said, "Yeah, we were secretly thrilled when we picked you. When we saw Qi Yuan and the others pick Shen Yihan, we thought they were the unlucky ones. Sigh, in the end, it's all our lead singer's fault for not choosing rap, otherwise, this wouldn't have happened."

The lead singer laughed and cursed, "I've never done rap before, how come I didn't think of this breakthrough route!"

Long Heng sighed, "Choosing rap won't work either. They're actors, their mouths are quick. If it were me, I couldn't even finish that rap..."

Qi Yuan comforted him, "Brother Long, don't blame yourself too much. Everyone has their own expertise. You've already reached the pinnacle of table tennis. If you could also rap or sing well, would you leave any room for others to survive?"

Long Heng raised his glass: "Thank you. They also said you're aloof and hard to talk to, but I don't think many of these rumors in the entertainment industry are credible."

Qi Yuan also raised his glass, clinked it with his, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Anyway, he was just drinking tea, so downing it in one gulp wasn't a problem. Of the nine people at the table, only the four members of the Wildfire Band were drinking—they had just been eliminated and were drowning their sorrows in alcohol.

Just then, the door to the private room opened.

Three people appeared at the door, two men and one woman. The people in the private room immediately recognized who they were—the Katz Band, the band that had received the most votes in this round besides Kasuga Kage.

Katz's lead singer, whose stage name is Nika, is also a young and beautiful girl. Not only is she stylish and fashionable, but she is also quite lively.

As soon as she opened the door, she said, "I heard the waiters talking about the Tomorrow Band having a get-together here. So it's you guys!"

The lead singer of Wildfire beamed with delight upon seeing the beautiful woman: "Oh my, you guys are here for a get-together too, what a coincidence!"

“Yes, it’s our victory celebration,” Nika glanced at the Wildfire band members before her gaze settled on Qi Yuan. “Are you guys almost done eating? We just started. Want to have a couple of drinks and chat with us?”

Qi Yuan pointed to the cup in front of him: "If you can accept that I drink tea while you drink alcohol, that's fine too."

Nika giggled, "Why not? Handsome, you have no idea how many people want to ask you out to dinner right now, right? Come on, come with us. We haven't ordered yet. Let's see what you want to eat."

Qi Yuan: "We're not done yet, let's finish later."

"Okay, then you guys have to come and join us after you're done. Don't even think about running away, I'm watching you..." Nika pointed two fingers in front of her eyes, then pointed at Qi Yuan, indicating that her gaze was on him, before turning and walking away.

Nika was the band's lead singer and bassist, while the band's guitarist and drummer, two long-haired men wearing sunglasses, simply waved to the people in the private room as a greeting before turning and leaving.

The door to the private room was closed.

Wildfire's lead singer took a sip of his drink and sighed, "Brother Qi Yuan, you're still the most popular. You're handsome, young, and can write such great songs."

Qi Yuan laughed and said, "It's no big deal. You guys have a lot of fans too. Haven't you ever made an appointment with someone, bro?"

"You can't say things like that!" Wildfire's lead singer quickly interrupted. "Titan and the others just had an accident, we have to keep a clean record."

Wildfire's guitarist further exposed their argument: "Besides, our band's fans are mostly men. Just look at his belly, does he look like he could attract female fans? To be honest, we've never even seen a bone-and-flesh skin before!"

The lead singer put down his glass and said, "It's okay, I'm content. Male fans buy tickets to see our performance just the same, that's enough. Titans do have quite a few female fans, and that's why things got messed up. Besides, we made it to the fourth round of the competition, which is really worth it. We gained tens of thousands of new followers on our blog, and they're all real, active fans."

The guitarist suddenly asked curiously, "What about you guys? With Kasuga Kage being so dazzling, you must have millions of fans, right?"

Qi Yuan and the three girls exchanged glances and laughed, "We don't have a band account."

The lead singer slapped his thigh: "Then hurry up and start, or we'll lose out big time!"

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.

092 You'd better be careful.

After the gathering with the Wildfire Band ended, the four members of Kasuga Kage's group sat in another private room, facing the Katz Band.

On Chunriying's side, the three girls were relatively quiet. Jiang Yi was looking down at her phone, Ning Qianyu was silently observing the three members of the Katz band, and Qiu Mengxue sat between them, occasionally whispering a few words to her friend.

Only Qi Yuan seemed to be socializing.

The same applies to the Katz band.

Nika smiled brightly and chatted happily, while her two male teammates hid their eyes behind their sunglasses, making it impossible to tell what they were thinking or where they were looking.

"...So, our band's songs are all written by the three of us together. But yours, Qi Yuan wrote them all by himself, didn't he?"

Qi Yuan nodded, but said, "However, my teammates helped me a lot, such as with the arrangement. And my inspiration for writing songs often comes from them."

Nika squinted and smiled, "Oh, where did this inspiration come from? Could it be something about ambiguity..."

Qi Yuan immediately denied it: "No, no, no, we are teammates, there is nothing ambiguous about it."