A band, or a battleground?

Jiang Yi gently shook her head: "I know you're tired. These past few days, you've been writing songs, discussing arrangements with Teacher Zhou, and rehearsing with us. I've seen it all. Now that the semi-finals are over, even if we have to rehearse again tomorrow, at least you can get some rest today."

Qi Yuan's lips twitched slightly: "No, I meant to say thank you for your comfort, but there's no need to pat my head, is there? Do you pet cats and dogs like that?"

Qiu Mengxue asked, "Then where should we touch you?"

Qi Yuan was speechless.

Why does the question "Where do I touch you?" sound so strange?

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.

118 bands for a lifetime

Qi Yuan felt that it was strange for the girl to touch his head, and it seemed strange for her to touch other places...

So he reached out his hand.

Qiu Mengxue asked, "Does that mean you want to touch my hand?"

Qi Yuan shook his head: "No, what I mean is we can put our hands together, count 'one, two, three,' and then press down together. You know, those little rituals that teams often do, right?"

"Ah, I understand!"

Ning Qianyu was the first to react, and she smiled as she reached out and placed her hand on his palm.

Although this girl had a tomboyish appearance, her hands were quite small, just like her height. And the touch from her fingertips to her palms was very smooth and tender.

Jiang Yi reacted quickly, also reaching out her hand, but instead of placing it upwards, she supported Qi Yuan's hand from below.

Qiu Mengxue was stunned for two seconds, and could only silently place her hand on the back of Ning Qianyu's hand.

Then Qi Yuan said, "One, two, three, Spring Shadow, long live!"

Everyone press their palms down together, then separate them.

Ning Qianyu looked at her palm: "I don't know what happened, but after doing this, I suddenly feel like I have a lot more strength in my body!"

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "This is the power of unity."

Qiu Mengxue glanced at Ning Qianyu's hands, then at her own, remaining silent. She noticed that Qianyu's hands were delicate, as she hadn't practiced any other instruments besides the drums. But her own hands were different; she played guitar and keyboard, and with so much practice, calluses were inevitable. And her right hand, which she had just extended, was relatively fine; her left hand, used for pressing guitar strings, had calloused, hard fingertips.

Ning Qianyu said with great interest, "I think we can think more about whether there are similar small ceremonies in the future. We can do one before going on stage to boost morale."

Jiang Yi: "Like touching Qi Yuan's head?"

Qi Yuan: "That's not 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.

Inside the studio, the lights once again focused on the center of the stage.

"Voting is now closed! Let's look at the big screen; the final data is being tallied in real time. This will determine which five bands will secure their tickets to the grand finale!"

On the large screen, eight bars lit up simultaneously and began to climb upwards.

This time, the audience seemed to have a tacit understanding. Their eyes didn't immediately search for the pillar representing Kasuga Kage, but instead focused on the bands ranked lower in the standings. Everyone knew that first place was already decided; the real battle lay in the fight for fifth place.

All three bar charts came to a stop.

"Eighth place, Traffic Lights Band, 1.2 million votes!"

"Seventh place, Moss Band, 1.5 million votes!"

"Sixth place, Insomniacs Band, 2.1 million votes!"

He Dong took a deep breath, his tone tinged with regret: "It's a pity that these three bands were just one step away from advancing. Let's give them a round of applause! Next, let's congratulate the teams that have secured their place in the finals. Fifth place, Reverse Gear Band, 2.4 million votes. Fourth place, Paper Wind Chimes Band, 2.9 million votes."

In the waiting area, both a band of all-male contestants and a band of all-female contestants breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then there are our top three. Third place, Katz, with 4.1 million votes. Second place, Polar Day, with 5.2 million votes."

On the mentor's panel, Chen Jiashu looked at the data and let out a soft sigh. Polar Day and Katz, the teams heavily favored by Jufeng Music, had successfully secured high votes. But he knew in his heart that Jufeng's earlier confident assertion that Katz could influence Chunriying's performance now seemed utter nonsense.

Or even if it does have an impact, that impact would probably be negligible...

"Finally, let's look at the first place."

All eyes were fixed on the pillar representing the Kasuga Kage band. The pillar was still rising, the numbers easily surpassing the ten million mark.

Fifteen million... Seventeen million...

Finally, the numbers were displayed.

"First place, Spring Shadow Band!" He Dong's voice echoed throughout the studio, "Eighteen million five hundred thousand votes!"

There were no gasps like in the previous round, only expected applause.

Audiences seem to have gotten used to the miracles that spring films can create, so even this record-breaking number of votes is not surprising at all.

Nearly 20 million real votes.

The Polar Day Band won second place with over five million votes, which seems like a remarkable achievement, but it pales in comparison to Kasuga Kage's data.

Despite leveraging various resources, Jufeng Music could only lag behind due to its absolute strength and massive fan base.

"The semi-finals of 'Tomorrow's Band' have now come to a successful close! Congratulations to the five teams: Spring Shadow, Polar Day, Kaz, Paper Wind Chime, and Reverse Gear. See you next week at the same time for the grand finale!"

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.

In the waiting area, contestants from various bands came to congratulate them, except for the Katz band.

Of course, the four members of Kasuga Kage didn't take it to heart. However, after the others left, they discussed the topic again.

"We've made it to the finals," Ning Qianyu said, her voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "Shall we have a little ceremony to celebrate?"

Qiu Mengxue: "Shall we go out and get something good to eat?"

Ning Qianyu waved her hand: "That's for sure. I mean the band's celebration ceremony, like when we just formed a circle and stacked our hands."

Jiang Yi pondered for a moment and said, "I've seen many band lead singers jump off the stage when the atmosphere is at its most exciting, so that the fans can catch them... But the audience should all be gone by now, so if I jump now, no one will catch me."

Ning Qianyu suggested, "I've seen some matches where the most crucial player or coach gets tossed up by other teammates and caught. Qi Yuan, would you like to try that?"

Qi Yuan countered, "Can you catch me?"

The three girls could only shake their heads.

Qi Yuan added, "I could catch you all, toss you up one by one and catch you... but it feels weird to think about, so let's forget about it."

Let him hold you, toss you up, and catch you? That's more than just strange; it's downright suggestive!

Ning Qianyu suddenly clapped her hands: "I've got it! The four of us will stick out our fists, touch them together, and then each of us will say what we truly think right now. Remember, it has to be true!"

Qi Yuan complained, "Is this some kind of truth or dare game?"

Jiang Yi clapped her hands and said, "I think it's a good idea!"

Ning Qianyu raised her fist first, and after the four fists touched, she smiled and said, "I want to eat hot pot later!"

"You're so real..." Qiu Mengxue rolled her eyes at her, then looked at Qi Yuan, her eyes suddenly filled with a hint of shyness. "I want to say, Qi Yuan, when you feel helpless in the future, you can rely on us."

Qi Yuan: "?"

Ning Qianyu suddenly chimed in, "Mengxue, you're not being realistic! You clearly meant to say that Qi Yuan can call you Mom, didn't you?"

Qi Yuan chuckled: "Then Mengxue, you can call me Dad."

Qiu Mengxue bit her lip and lowered her face.

Ning Qianyu asked, "Is this your honest opinion now?"

Qi Yuan: "Yes, you can all call me Dad, I don't mind."

At this moment, Jiang Yi suddenly said, "It's my turn! It's my turn! I want to say, I want to form a band with you guys, preferably for life!"

Qi Yuan gasped: "A band for life??"

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.

119 I Want to Fly

Teacher Su Wan picked up the four band members in her car and, as expected, went to a hot pot restaurant.

The five of them went into the best private room. When ordering, they didn't even look at the prices and just ordered whatever they wanted.

The prize money from the previous rounds of the competition has already been distributed, and the band's financial situation is better than ever. This kind of hot pot restaurant is no longer a burden for them.

Whether it was taking orders or serving food, waiters were always eager to serve. Two particularly bold female waitresses even asked if they could get an autograph.

The four members of the band readily complied with their request.

However, after all the dishes were served, Teacher Su Wan closed the door to the private room to avoid being disturbed again.

"Let's get down to business now, we can talk while we eat. The finals are in a week, and to win, we need three songs... Qi Yuan, what are you doing?"

Before Teacher Su could finish speaking, she saw that Qi Yuan had already taken out a pen and notebook.

Qi Yuan: "I'm writing a song."

Teacher Su Wan looked shocked: "You've already started writing? Don't you have any creative blocks at all?"

Qi Yuan said calmly, "Of course there are bottlenecks, but I had already thought of this song before I started writing it. Now I'm just writing it out, so of course there are no bottlenecks."

The girls watched him quietly.

Ning Qianyu, in particular, had already picked up a slice of marbled beef and started dipping it in the hot pot. Upon hearing this, she became much more careful in her movements.

As Qi Yuan hummed the song, he wrote the lyrics with lightning speed, quickly finishing all the lyrics and adding musical notation numbers under each line.

Compared to the deliberation I went through when writing "Existence," writing this song went surprisingly smoothly this time.

He had heard this classic song by F.I.R. many times in his previous life, and had also recalled it once before. Writing it down now was naturally not difficult.

The aunties and young girls sitting at the table could tell that he was in good spirits, so they didn't dare to interrupt and just ate in silence.

While they were eating, Qiu Mengxue suddenly picked up a piece of hot pot meat and put it in his dipping sauce dish.

Jiang Yi did the same thing.

Then Qiu Mengxue picked up another piece, and Jiang Yi picked up another piece for him...

When Qi Yuan finished writing, he stretched and looked up, only to find that the oil dish in front of him was already full.

"Thanks, take a look at this song. This one was written for you, Mengxue and Yiyi, you two sing it, I'll just play the guitar."

Qiu Mengxue had just put down her chopsticks and taken the notebook when she heard this, and her hand trembled, almost dropping the notebook into the pot.

She asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to sing?"

Qi Yuan shook his head: "This song is written in a female tune, so it would be a bit difficult for me to sing. And more importantly, I think it would suit the two of you better."

Ning Qianyu quickly asked, "If I serve you food, can you write a poem for me too?"

Qi Yuan couldn't help but roll his eyes: "You can sing?"

“The usual stuff won’t do, but you can write rap!” Ning Qianyu said, pouring a glass of iced cola and handing it to him. “Brother Gun, please!”

Qi Yuan: "It's not impossible, let me think about it..."

At this moment, Qiu Mengxue had already read through the lyrics and music, and began to sing on the spot:

"I want to fly, to fly over sorrow, to feel closer to the light."

"Freedom is a dream, a boundless source of energy..."

"Fly, fly, fly, fly, fly, I want to fly."

"Chase, chase, chase, chase, chase! Never retreat..."

I will fly with all my might, no matter how far.

"A challenge that pushes the limits, an adventure that defies convention."

"I will bravely chase my dreams and run towards the finish line."

"The tears of pain are exchanged for sweetness..."

After listening to Qiu Mengxue sing it once, Jiang Yi couldn't help but ask, "Should I sing with her too?"

Qi Yuan nodded: "Now we're preparing for the finals. It will be broadcast live in a large stadium with a huge audience and a very large venue, so we should try to make the stage atmosphere as lively as possible. Two people singing will definitely be more passionate. And that way, we'll have more room for error."

Qiu Mengxue put down her notebook and said solemnly, "Although the music hasn't been arranged yet, I can already imagine the style of the accompaniment for this song. It'll be rock again, and a very energetic one, right?"

Qi Yuan nodded as he ate, "Of course."