A band, or a battleground?

"Rock veteran Zhou Taishan, love song queen Liang Fei, and multi-talented musician Chen Jiashu. Tonight, they will also be able to cast their votes using their mobile phones, just like any other ordinary audience member."

Liang Fei smiled and said, "But we can comment and give our opinions after each performance."

Zhou Taishan was more relaxed, leaning back in his chair: "If any audience members don't like the comments from us old guys, then we can only apologize."

Chen Jiashu said with a serious expression, "I hope all the contestants will perform to their full potential."

He Dong concluded by saying, "I hereby declare the semi-finals of Tomorrow's Band Competition officially open! Now, please welcome the first band to perform..."

Watching the audience applaud excitedly and hearing the screams coming from the screen, Qiu Mengxue suddenly asked in a low voice, "Should we rehearse again?"

Qi Yuan laughed: "You specially found this instrument to practice here? Don't be ridiculous, you're practically wearing 'I'm nervous' on your face."

Qiu Mengxue instinctively covered her cheeks with her hands: "Really...?"

Qi Yuan asked with a smile, "I didn't see you this nervous in the previous rounds, what's wrong with you today?"

Qiu Mengxue murmured, "Maybe it's because it's the first time I've done a live broadcast, and it's the first time I've felt like I'm facing so many viewers? Besides, we're the last to go on stage, so we have to wait a long time."

"Okay, I'll think of a way to calm you down. Give me your phone."

The girl handed over her phone, and Qi Yuan browsed through the game market before downloading a game.

Then Qi Yuan handed the phone back to her: "Try playing with this."

Qiu Mengxue discovered as soon as she tried playing: "Is this a music game?"

Qi Yuan: "Yeah, rhythm games, have you ever played any?"

Qiu Mengxue shook her head.

Qi Yuan: "Then go ahead and play. You'll feel less nervous after a while. Besides, I specifically chose a game that involves playing the piano, which might even help you when you perform on stage."

Qiu Mengxue was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "Thank you."

Qi Yuan waved his hand: "We're teammates, no need to be so polite."

After he finished speaking, he looked up and found that Jiang Yi had gotten rid of Ning Qianyu and was standing in front of him.

Qi Yuan asked, "What's wrong with you now?"

Jiang Yi whispered, "I'm a little nervous too, what should I do?"

Qi Yuan: "It's normal for you to be nervous. You've been nervous several times in the previous rounds of the competition."

Jiang Yi: "But I'm really nervous right now..."

Qi Yuan observed the girl's expression and scratched his head.

He couldn't tell whether Yi Yi was genuinely nervous or just wanted the same treatment because she saw him giving Meng Xue advice.

After a brief moment of thought, Qi Yuan said, "You can try to forget that today is being broadcast live, and just treat this as the same match as the previous rounds."

“But I can’t do it,” Jiang Yi immediately shook her head, “I just can’t forget it, that’s why I’m nervous.”

Qi Yuan: "Then think of it this way: even if you make a mistake on stage, it's okay. Just play however you want."

Jiang Yi was taken aback: "Why is it okay to make mistakes on stage?"

Ning Qianyu appeared behind her, craning her neck and laughing, "Anyway, the audience won't be able to hear the bass, so it's fine to just play whatever, right?"

Jiang Yi: "Huh?"

Qi Yuan snapped his fingers: "That's right!"

“If that’s the case, then I’m not nervous anymore…” Jiang Yi gritted her teeth, then suddenly turned around and grabbed Ning Qianyu’s waist. “But I’m very angry!”

Ning Qianyu: "You're angry, so you're taking it out on Qi Yuan? It was clearly him, hahaha... why are you scratching me again!"

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.

113 Mountains and Seas

Qiu Mengxue found that as one band after another finished performing and her turn to go on stage drew closer, she became increasingly distracted while playing the game.

She realized that the game Qi Yuan had chosen did not help relieve her tension, but Qi Yuan himself could.

Qiu Mengxue was still holding her phone, but she had exited the game and was merely using it as a cover to pretend she was playing. In reality, she was staring at Qi Yuan for quite a while.

Because it was just a sneaky glance and there was no interaction, Jiang Yi didn't even notice.

As Qiu Mengxue watched, she tried to put herself in Qi Yuan's shoes and guess his thoughts.

As the most watched member of the band, how much pressure did he endure?

Will he feel nervous?

When his father went to prison and all he had left was an old house and a few thousand dollars, did he feel anxious?

Thinking about these issues, Qiu Mengxue felt more and more that her current nervousness was simply insignificant.

Finally, it was time to go on stage.

"...Next up is the last band, and the one who received the most votes in the last round of the collaboration competition, the Kasuga Kage Band! Oh, I haven't even finished speaking, and I can already hear everyone cheering. As you all know, the Kasuga Kage Band has brought different surprises in every round of the competition. Now that there are no restrictions, what kind of performance will they bring? Will they bring me an even bigger surprise? Let me welcome the Kasuga Kage Band and their original song, 'Mountains and Seas'!"

By the time Qiu Mengxue heard this, she and her teammates were already on stage.

She touched her MIDI keyboard.

When Mom bought this keyboard, did she ever imagine this day would come? No, she certainly didn't.

How many people are watching the live stream right now? Millions? Tens of millions? No, none of that matters.

The girl looked up at the figure diagonally in front of her.

From her angle, she could see Qi Yuan's eyes. His gaze remained as calm as ever.

If he's not nervous, then why should I be nervous?

Ning Qianyu tapped the drumsticks.

Qiu Mengxue pressed the piano keys.

The bass and guitar started playing almost simultaneously, just like in many rehearsals before today.

Although Jiang Yi also said she was nervous, Qiu Mengxue could tell that the bassist hadn't made any mistakes.

Then it's time for the lead singer...

"I look at my own naive self."

"Appearing in a story where I am not."

"Waiting for my response."

"One reason why things have come to this..."

Qi Yuan's singing style carries a touch of decadence, which is typical of many rock bands. But when applied to Qi Yuan, it feels rather novel.

Will the audience find Qi Yuan's rock music novel?

Anyway, Qiu Mengxue knew she wasn't surprised at all. Having spent several months with him, the girl was only surprised that he was showing a bit of dejection and anger at this moment.

The low-pitched verse is decadent, followed by anger, which is the high-pitched chorus.

He understands, he understands, I can't give him that.

So he turned and walked into the mountains!

After a brief pause, Ning Qianyu's drumbeats resumed with an even more explosive rhythm.

He understands, he understands, I can't give him that.

"Then he turned and walked towards the sea!"

Qi Yuan shut his mouth, and the musical instruments began to play a melody in response.

Qiu Mengxue nodded. This was her understanding of rock and roll: the lyrics might be simple, but they contained exceptionally strong emotions. The instrumental parts were extremely important. And the lead singer's voice was just another instrument.

She looked at Ning Qianyu, who was swinging drumsticks incessantly with both hands.

Qiu Mengxue suddenly became curious. What was Qianyu thinking about at this moment? Was she simply busy performing, or was she also thinking about Qi Yuan? Was she also moved by his experiences and his creations?

She couldn't tell.

During this time, Qiu Mengxue had already noticed that Jiang Yi definitely harbored special feelings for Qi Yuan. Even when the other band members were present, Yi Yi's eyes would always drift towards him.

And I'm pretty much the same. Is it admiring his charm, envying his talent, or some other more complex kind of liking?

Qiu Mengxue herself couldn't explain it clearly.

So Chiba should have similar feelings. It's just that those emotions are probably hidden in her playful daily life.

Thinking about this, she found it a little funny.

On this rock stage filled with decadence and anger, amidst the dense drumbeats, the subtle thoughts of three girls are surprisingly hidden.

Qi Yuan sang this song, which has short lyrics, with great ease and fluency.

In the past, he might have struggled to handle the high notes in the chorus. But for him now, those high notes are a piece of cake.

After an interlude longer than the lyrics, Qi Yuan continued singing in a slightly melancholic low voice:

"I hear it, the boy's voice."

"In the past, where there is still a future"

"Longing for a happy ending"

"Yet I failed to become myself."

As Qi Yuan finished singing, Qiu Mengxue glanced at the mentors' seats.

The admiration on Liang Fei's face, Zhou Taishan's uncontrollable smile, and Chen Jiashu's solemn gaze.

The mentors must have been very surprised, right?

They must also be amazed by Qi Yuan's talent, right?

Qiu Mengxue looked away and continued staring at the keyboard. The keyboard hadn't been a primary consideration during the arrangement of this song. Unlike the more pop-oriented songs from the previous rounds, her task wasn't heavy, so she couldn't help but get distracted by other things.

The girl felt that even those three highly respected mentors didn't understand Qi Yuan. Xu Xi, who had been interviewed a few days ago, also didn't understand Qi Yuan. So, did she understand him?

It's hard to say...

He understands, he understands, I can't give him that.

"Then he turned and walked towards the sea!"

After the last line of lyrics was sung, there was still more than half a minute left in the performance.

Qiu Mengxue was completely absorbed, her hands moving rhythmically across the keyboard.

The original arrangement relied heavily on guitar and drums for its highlights, but Qi Yuan's guitar skills couldn't support it, so a keyboard was added. The keyboard was used to simulate the guitar's tone, playing the melody with its angry undertones.

Judging from the lyrics, this anger seems to be directed inward, angry at one's own lack of self-resistance.

But Qiu Mengxue's anger was directed at the entire world beyond Qi Yuan. If there were a creator, the girl wanted to say to Him—did you set up so many setbacks and misfortunes for Qi Yuan to see a young man destroyed?

You wouldn't believe it, but the song that destroyed him has transformed into the dazzling brilliance he shines today.

Even when faced with hundreds of people watching live and millions watching online, he remained calm and became the backbone of his teammates.

The musical instruments stopped one by one.

Qi Yuan's guitar, Ning Qianyu's drums, and Jiang Yi's bass all stopped.

Only Qiu Mengxue's keyboard remained, playing the last few notes of the melody.

The music stopped, and applause erupted, like a surging tide that swept through the entire studio.

Qiu Mengxue looked at Qi Yuan, watching him stand there holding his guitar. He was looking down, a slight smile on his face.

The girl couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth into a smile.

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.

114 is a brain-driven organization.

As the thunderous applause subsided, host He Dong's voice rang out: "Thank you to the Spring Shadow Band for their amazing performance. Now, let's hear the comments from our three mentors. Ms. Liang Fei, would you like to go first?"

Looking at Qi Yuan on stage, Liang Fei's eyes were full of undisguised admiration: "Qi Yuan, your progress has really surprised me. Not only in songwriting, but also in your singing ability and handling of high notes, you have made great progress. Of course, the most outstanding thing is still the songwriting. This song is really too good."

Upon hearing this praise, Qi Yuan bowed slightly to the instructors' table: "Thank you, Professor Liang."