A band, or a battleground?

Jiang Yi didn't know what Meng Xue was trying to say, but she had a bad feeling and her heart tightened.

After a brief pause, Qiu Mengxue continued, "At the time, to help you out of that awkward situation, I said it was normal for him to write songs for us, that he was drawing inspiration from us. But the song he wrote for me back then wasn't girly at all. It was a song about family."

Jiang Yi: "Oh, I see."

Qiu Mengxue: "That poem, 'A Thousand Years Later,' is the same. Qi Yuan didn't write it for Qian Yu, but rather he wrote it inspired by Qian Yu's novel."

Jiang Yi: "Mmm."

"And yours?" Qiu Mengxue stared at her and asked, "Was it inspired by you? Or was it written specifically for you?"

Jiang Yi smiled naturally: "It's probably the same as yours, an encouraging song."

Qiu Mengxue: "Encouragement?"

Jiang Yi thought for a moment and said, "Because I was a little insecure back then. You know me, I've never been very confident. At that time, I felt like anyone who could play bass could play better than me. So I doubted whether I was qualified to be in such a good band..."

Qiu Mengxue couldn't help but comfort her, saying, "You're also a member of the band. The band is so great because of your contributions."

Jiang Yi smiled and said, "Qi Yuan said something similar back then, and then he wrote a song for me, no, half a song. The melody and lyrics are indeed very girly, but not the kind of girly style about falling in love. It's the kind that's very warm and encouraging to me."

Qiu Mengxue suddenly realized: "Oh, I see..."

Jiang Yi asked again, "Is that all you wanted to ask? Or do you still want to hear that song?"

Qiu Mengxue was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "You found out."

Jiang Yi: "Hehehe, I'm not going to sing it. If I'm going to sing it, I'll have to wait until I finish finishing this song."

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.

Is 109 really considered black?

"Look at them, and then look at you! Aren't you all in the same class?"

The father stood beside him, glanced at the screen, and began to criticize.

Qi Yuan wasn't on the screen, but seeing the "Tomorrow's Band" logo, he knew what the kid was watching. The controversy that band had stirred up online was already a well-known topic in real life, at the school where the four band members attended.

Even Xie Jinpeng's father, a truck driver who doesn't watch variety shows or talk much with other parents, knew about it.

Xie Jinpeng said impatiently, "Didn't you want a sports car? Hurry up and go!"

The father took an energy drink from the refrigerator, then checked his car keys and cigarette pack in his pocket. He went to the door, changed his shoes, and prepared to go to work.

"If I ever catch you smoking at home again, I'll smoke you to death!"

After saying that, the father opened the door and left.

Hearing the sound of the door opening and closing, Xie Jinpeng immediately called his friend: "Come on up, my dad just left, don't let him see you... Damn, Brother Yuan is here, hurry up!"

A few minutes later, the three friends arrived.

Xie Jinpeng opened the door for the three of them, and then they all sat down on the sofa. They saw Qi Yuan and the girls eating on the TV screen.

Why are you even filming your meals?

“Brother Yuan is already a big star, so everyone is happy to watch him eat.”

"How come even Shen Yihan is on this list? Doesn't she sing off-key? What's going on here?"

"They're collaborating guests. And you know what, the place they're dining in is really nice, it must be a villa..."

"Brother Peng, do you have a fire?"

Xie Jinpeng turned his head and saw that his three buddies had already lit cigarettes.

He laughed and cursed, "What the hell is wrong with you guys who bring cigarettes but no lighters?"

Just then, Ning Qianyu on the TV screen said, "Before Qi Yuan joined our band, he was a problem student at school, the kind whose grades were at the bottom and the teachers didn't care about him."

Shen Yihan was completely shocked: "Huh?"

Qiu Mengxue added, "But after joining our band, he completely changed. Not only did he start writing songs, but he also worked hard to make up for his shortcomings in music theory and practice vocal performance. The most amazing thing is that his exam scores went from being at the bottom to being a good student."

Now that the people on TV were talking about things they had witnessed in real life, the three guys all sighed with emotion:

"I can't say about other things, but this is true..."

"It's too fantastical."

"Brother Peng, is there a fire? Or can I use your stove?"

Xie Jinpeng pulled his hand out of his pocket where he was taking out a cigarette, and for some reason changed his mind, saying, "Don't smoke in my house today. We'll go outside to smoke after we finish watching. What if my parents suddenly come back and see us smoking? They'll unplug the power cord."

Seeing his serious expression, the three guys reluctantly put away their cigarettes.

On the TV screen, the band chatted about finishing lunch and then continued rehearsing. Then everyone saw how Qi Yuan disciplined Shen Yihan.

"No, you're following the wrong beat."

"It's still not right. This is a triplet, so the rhythm needs to change."

"Raise it up, lower it again."

"Wait...why don't you want to rest for a while?"

Qi Yuan's tone was calm, but it was clear he couldn't tolerate any dissent. This big star was like a schoolchild in his presence.

The editing of the show was also very interesting. They cut out everything Shen Yihan was practicing, leaving only Qi Yuan's scolding and Shen Yihan's obedient reaction.

This makes the audience even more eager for their official stage performance.

Then the camera returns to the studio.

Host He Dong: "Next, let's welcome the Spring Shadow Band and guest Shen Yihan to perform their original song, 'In the Name of the Father'!"

Xie Jinpeng and his three good buddies stared intently at the television.

First came a language I didn't understand, like a young and devout nun praying.

"Holy crap, the music class representative!"

"What kind of gibberish is Jiang Yi speaking?"

Xie Jinpeng was about to join in the吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to complain or criticize) when Qi Yuan started to speak up.

Then he exclaimed in surprise, "It's rap!"

Qi Yuan's rap consisted of only two lines, after which he continued playing the guitar. However, the guitar sound wasn't prominent in the accompaniment; what was more noticeable was Qiu Mengxue's keyboard playing.

And Shen Yihan's rap:

"A helpless realization can only lead to greater cruelty."

"Everything is for the road to the sanctuary..."

The four good buddies looked at each other, and Xie Jinpeng was the most excited of them all. He didn't listen to music much, except for rap. Even the English words he was most familiar with were those that often appeared in rap music and started with N, F, M, S, or B.

Xie Jinpeng commented: "Shen Yihan's flow is so-so, but her beats are great, so it's fine to listen to."

One of my friends said, "It's good enough that she doesn't sing off-key."

Another guy said, "If even the rappers are off-key, that's just outrageous!"

Xie Jinpeng quickly shook his head: "Don't think that rap can't go off-key, rap does have a tune! But I've never seen lyrics like these before, did Yuan Ge write them too...?"

"It must have been written by Brother Yuan. Look, it's a song about gangs!"

"This is a high-level gang, not like ordinary thugs."

As they listened, after the first rap verse ended and Qi Yuan finished the chorus, suddenly, five gunshots rang out in succession. Qi Yuan and Shen Yihan pointed straight ahead, and the camera gave them a close-up shot.

Xie Jinpeng couldn't help but slap his thigh: "Holy crap, that's so handsome!"

"Now I know why Brother Yuan is bored. These thugs in China don't even have guns, they just fight in the streets, and they can't even beat Brother Yuan. If I were him, I'd be bored too!"

Xie Jinpeng rolled his eyes at his buddy: "Shut up, listen to the music!"

Then the living room fell silent again, with only "In the Name of the Father" playing on the television.

When the song ended and the mentors gave their comments, Xie Jinpeng couldn't sit still anymore and paced around the coffee table.

But then, a guy holding his phone suddenly said, "Something's weird online. Everyone's saying this song is good, but some people are saying it's real..."

Xie Jinpeng quickly turned his head: "What, really?"

The guy swallowed hard: "They say Brother Yuan really did have connections in the underworld."

Xie Jinpeng scoffed, "Do you even call Yuan Ge's gang the underworld? You're kidding, he's never even taken protection money!"

"Forget about protection money, he's never even asked the weaklings in the class for any money."

Xie Jinpeng picked up the remote and opened the comments section for this episode. Then, the most upvoted comment appeared on the TV screen:

Why is Qi Yuan able to write songs like this? Because his family is involved in organized crime! You think calling him "Monk Warrior" in the band is a joke? No! Qi Yuan's dad is in jail, and he's still able to appear on TV shows!

The four boys were stunned.

"Did Yuan's dad go in?"

"His dad does seem to be a thug..."

"What thugs? Those are debt collectors!"

"Aren't they all the same..."

Xie Jinpeng slapped his thigh again: "Damn it, someone is trying to smear Brother Yuan and ruin his reputation!"

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.

110, then tell more truths.

"The accompaniment in the middle of this song is quite long, and we need to add some embellishments. Qi Yuan's guitar can't handle it, Qian Yu, at times like this, we can only rely on your drums."

In the living room of the villa, the Spring Shadow Band was rehearsing, and Qiu Mengxue said this.

Ning Qianyu asked, "I think this score is already quite complicated. Do we need to add more? Otherwise, I won't be able to handle it."

Qiu Mengxue smiled and said, "You don't need to change the score. I'm just reminding you that the rhythm of that drumbeat needs to be intense and the volume needs to be loud. You need to hold on to it."

Qi Yuan: "Yes, we can rehearse on stage before the semi-finals, right? Tell the sound engineer to move the drum microphone closer this time."

Ning Qianyu looked at him and complained, "You write such good songs and your grades are improving so fast, so why is your progress in practicing guitar so slow?"

Qi Yuan shrugged, feeling somewhat helpless.

Whether it's songwriting or studying, you rely on memories from your past life. But practicing guitar is different; you have to rely entirely on yourself.

Qiu Mengxue spoke up for him: "Qi Yuan's guitar skills have improved very quickly! How long have we been in the band? How long did you play instruments before you formed the band? It's already quite remarkable that Qi Yuan can keep up with us."

Jiang Yi also said, "Moreover, the guitar is inherently more difficult, and it gets harder to practice as you progress, unlike your drum set, which is much simpler."

Ning Qianyu glared at Jiang Yi: "We've known each other for so long, and you're criticizing me for a man? You've forgotten your friend for a pretty face, Yi Yi!"

Jiang Yi blushed slightly, but still insisted, "Guitar is inherently more difficult than drums!"

At that moment, the villa's gate opened.

The person who opened the door with the room key was Ms. Su Wan, and her companion was her agent, Liu Weiting.

As soon as Liu Weiting entered, she hurriedly said, "There's already some negative information about Qi Yuan's family background online. Our colleagues in the public opinion monitoring department discovered it very quickly. Before it even trended on social media, we arranged for Xu Xi to interview you. That interview program attracted attention online, and the tide has already turned since it first started."

Qi Yuan asked, "Just now, during our rehearsal?"

Liu Weiting laughed and said, "Yes, we agreed on this when we signed the contract. You just need to focus on making music. Leave these details to us."

Ms. Su Wan, who was standing next to her, said, "Tianhua Entertainment is indeed professional. I just watched Ms. Liu handle these matters. She made a few phone calls, and then there were comments on the hot list explaining things to Qi Yuan, and they all looked like ordinary people."

Liu Weiting: "It's also fortunate that Qi Yuan doesn't have any other scandals. His father's imprisonment is a scandal, but it's not enough to ruin an artist's career. We don't need to use too many methods; just releasing more facts is enough."

Ning Qianyu scoffed, "What era are we living in? What are those people thinking, still practicing collective punishment?"

Qiu Mengxue asked, "Has that interview been released yet? Can we watch it now?"

Liu Weiting nodded: "Of course! It's already trending on social media!"

They took out their phones and saw that, sure enough, the number ten trending topic was 【#XuXi's Sharp Interview with Chunriying】.

The four of them lost interest in rehearsing and simply sat down and took out their phones.

Qi Yuan also clicked on the interview, but only glanced at it briefly before scrolling down to the comments section, then smiled quietly.

[I was just calling him a "gangster's son" in that inciting post, but after watching this unedited interview, I just want to slap myself. His father went to jail for illegal debt collection, while he himself works hard and studies diligently. How does that make him involved in organized crime? The people spreading these rumors are so malicious!]