A band, or a battleground?

Qi Yuan nodded: "Yes, I'll finish writing the lyrics and music later, find Teacher Zhou, and then we can start rehearsing. We don't have much time, so we don't need to practice one old song, but we need to work out and rehearse two new songs. Time is not very generous."

Jiang Yi's gaze couldn't help but drift towards Qiu Mengxue again.

She was thinking, what does it mean that only Mengxue has heard this new song that no one else has heard? Although she and Qianyu will be able to hear it soon, she still felt that Mengxue had beaten her to it...

Qiu Mengxue met her gaze openly and suddenly asked, "Yiyi, I noticed that the acne patches you bought are quite nice, and they match the outfit perfectly."

"It suits you well?" Jiang Yi touched her right cheek. "You mean this shape?"

“It’s not the shape, it’s that I think this color suits you really. Why is that…” Qiu Mengxue pondered for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands, “That’s right, it’s exactly the same color as your wig!”

Qi Yuan laughed and said, "Has Yi Yi forgotten that you were wearing a pink wig? Speaking of which, have you worn that wig since we came to the capital?"

Jiang Yi subconsciously shook her head: "I haven't even taken it out of my suitcase."

Qiu Mengxue smiled and made a suggestion: "This acne patch is a kind of image innovation for you. Since that's the case, why don't you make a bigger one?"

Jiang Yi shook her head even more violently: "I'm afraid it will kill me. Seriously, I shouldn't have bought that pink wig in the first place. Just thinking about wearing pink hair in front of so many people makes me too ashamed to face anyone."

Qi Yuan said, "Then don't wear the whole thing. Cut off a strand, make a little pink braid, and tie it in your hair to try it out."

Jiang Yi: "Huh?"

“Just like highlights, wear only one strand, then you won’t feel too guilty, right?” Qi Yuan felt more and more that what he said made sense. “Since you’re going to be a sub-vocalist, why not make some innovations in your image to make yourself more eye-catching?”

Jiang Yi stared at Qi Yuan, seeing that he was giving his advice very seriously. After a moment of contemplation, she finally nodded slightly: "Then I'll go back and try it..."

Qiu Mengxue still had a smile on her lips, but it had become a little stiff: "Yiyi, you firmly reject whatever I say, but you can try what Qi Yuan said?"

Jiang Yi quickly replied, "Because what he said makes more sense!"

Ning Qianyu put her arm around Qiu Mengxue's shoulder and laughed, "You don't even know whose suggestion it was. Yi Yi is timid, but as long as it's Qi Yuan's request, even if it's wearing a swimsuit on stage, I think Yi Yi can do it... Hey, what are you doing? Don't come near me! Don't scratch me!"

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.

After having another dinner with Zhou Taishan, Qi Yuan returned to his dormitory villa alone.

The living room was empty, with only a small lamp on. It seemed the three girls hadn't rehearsed and had gone to their rooms to rest.

Qi Yuan also returned to his bedroom.

However, just as he was about to brush his teeth, he heard a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl outside pushed the door open and entered, then gently closed it behind her.

The visitor was Jiang Yi.

Qi Yuan was about to ask her what she wanted when he looked closely and immediately understood her purpose.

She has already completed the small innovation she mentioned earlier.

A pink braid was tied beside the girl's left ear and hung down naturally.

Jiang Yi's hairstyle has always been the common single ponytail for high school girls, but at this moment, she let her long hair down. And that strand of pink hair tied at the left root really looks like a highlight.

Meanwhile, she also had a small pink star sticker on her right cheek, which was indeed very similar in color to her wig.

Qi Yuan examined it carefully.

Jiang Yi only glanced at him before looking down at the floor.

Until he spoke.

"You're really great, so cute. Paper wind chimes, Katz band, I don't think they're as pretty as you."

Hearing this, Jiang Yi raised her small face and subconsciously covered her cheeks with her hands: "Really? I think it's just so-so..."

Qi Yuan smiled and shook his head: "Absolutely extraordinary. I'm serious, this look suits you perfectly. You're already very pretty and cute. With this finishing touch, wow, even if you debuted as a teenage idol, Tianhua Entertainment would definitely want to sign you."

Jiang Yi couldn't help but want to laugh, but subconsciously she felt she shouldn't get too carried away and should restrain herself, so she pursed her lips. When she looked at Qi Yuan again, she suddenly realized that the moon had already risen outside.

The moonlight streamed through the window, exceptionally gentle, casting a hazy glow on the boy's silhouette.

Before she knew it, Jiang Yi's gaze had become somewhat lost in thought.

However, at this moment, Qi Yuan cleared his throat and asked, "Did you show it to them?"

Jiang Yi snapped out of her daze and quickly looked down at the floor.

“Yes, I saw it, and they said it was good too…”

As the girl said this, she covered her face with her hands, feeling a burning sensation in her palms.

She secretly regretted it; what had she done? Did Qi Yuan think she'd been staring at him like an idiot...?

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.

What is the purpose of the 124 signing fee?

That morning, Ms. Su Wan rang the villa's doorbell. Upon entering, she excitedly shared some good news with the four of them:

"The signing fee from Tianhua Entertainment has been received!"

The band was rehearsing in the living room. Hearing this, smiles appeared on the four young faces, but there wasn't much excitement.

After all, they already knew about this when they were negotiating the contract, and because the contract was only for two years and offered a high degree of freedom, Tianhua Entertainment couldn't offer much in signing fees.

As agreed upon by the band and the company beforehand, the signing fee of one million after tax was 250,000 per person, which was directly deposited into their personal accounts.

However, apart from Qi Yuan, the three girls' accounts were either opened in their parents' names or in accounts that their parents could receive real-time notifications for.

So, just as Su Wan brought up the question, "How do you plan to manage your finances?", Jiang Yi received a video call from her mother and then ran to her room with her phone.

Unlike her, Ning Qianyu didn't hesitate, so when her father called, she answered readily.

"Hey Dad, you saw the bank transfer notification too? Yes, yes, that's my signing fee."

Then the father on the other end of the phone exclaimed, "The entertainment industry is really lucrative! He's only been famous for a short time, and his signing fee is already higher than my year-end bonus."

Ning Qianyu said smugly, "This is normal. Do you think our popularity is a joke? And this is still relatively low. Because our contract is only for two years, the company is afraid of not being able to recoup its investment, so they don't dare to offer us too much. If they were willing to sign a ten- or eight-year contract, with our current number of fans, asking for tens of millions wouldn't be unreasonable!"

The father sighed again and asked, "This is just what you received, already over two hundred thousand. Your band should have received two million, right?"

Ning Qianyu was stunned: "Why would you think that? The signing fee is one million, which is split equally among the four of us."

The father was also surprised: "You're just someone who beats drums and can't sing, how could you get so much? Did you beg them to give you more?"

Ning Qianyu took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible, "Our band is very equal, we're all friends. And the only thing we split equally is the signing fee. When there are performances or anything, it's whoever wrote the song gets the bigger share."

Father: "Those songs were all written by Qi Yuan."

Ning Qianyu: "Yeah, so it's normal that he'll get more shares later, isn't it?"

"Oh..." the father drawled, "So you didn't beg Qi Yuan to give you a bigger share?"

Ning Qianyu suddenly covered the microphone of her phone, told the others in the living room, "I'm going to make a call from inside, you guys can chat slowly," and then ran off.

Even after Ning Qianyu's bedroom door closed, the faint sounds of a girl's unbearable teasing could still be heard from there.

Besides Qi Yuan, only Qiu Mengxue and her daughter, Teacher Su Wan, remained in the living room.

Qi Yuan took out his phone and glanced at the payment notification, but didn't react in any particular way.

Since passing the preliminary selection, he has never worried about the amount in his bank account. This signing fee might be something to be happy about for an ordinary person, but for Qi Yuan, it was just a small, natural gain.

At that moment, Teacher Su Wan gave her daughter a wink, and then took Qiu Mengxue to her bedroom.

Qi Yuan picked up his guitar again and started practicing.

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.

After closing the door and sitting down, Su Wan's first question was:

How do you plan to spend this money?

Qiu Mengxue calmly asked in return, "What do you think we should do?"

Su Wan pondered for a moment and said, "If you want my opinion, it's to save and invest. Keep most of it in the bank, and invest a small portion in slightly riskier investments. Anyway, you don't really need to spend any money right now—"

However, before her mother could finish speaking, the girl interrupted, "You can't leave me nothing at all, can you?"

Su Wan paused slightly, becoming somewhat hesitant.

She wasn't unaware that her daughter might want to spend money after they became wealthy. But in her eyes, her daughter's current situation was already near perfect. She had outstanding academic achievements, musical talent far exceeding her peers, and like-minded friends; it's just that one of these friends seemed to have stirred up ambiguous feelings in her daughter…

But if she has a lot of money and starts spending it lavishly, will it change her daughter's lifestyle and even her values?

Every cloud has a silver lining. Although she hadn't experienced it firsthand, Su Wan knew how many celebrities had fallen from grace after achieving overnight fame. Poor spending habits, shady places they frequented, and the shady friends they made along the way all played a significant role in this.

But Su Wan also felt that if her daughter wanted to spend money, she really couldn't refuse. After all, it was ultimately the child's own money. It wouldn't be right to interfere too much.

Although my daughter has been smart and sensible since she was a child, and she almost never makes excessive demands after entering middle school, what if I am too strict and it causes her to develop a rebellious mentality?

After considering it for a while, Su Wan decided to ask for clarification first.

So she said gently, "Can you tell Mom what you want to do with the money? Eat something delicious, buy pretty clothes, buy electronics, or..."

Qiu Mengxue shook her head: "I don't need those."

Su Wan, however, did not let her guard down. After all, such routine consumption needs were manageable, but unconventional needs could be much more troublesome.

However, her daughter's answer the next moment finally put her at ease.

Qiu Mengxue said, "I want to buy an electric guitar, the record-quality kind."

Su Wan laughed: "Of course, no problem. But maybe the guitar manufacturer wants to advertise with you and would like to send you one."

Qiu Mengxue said, "We're just starting out now, so good guitar manufacturers probably won't approach us, right? Besides, it would be too insincere of me to give away guitars that were given to us by sponsors."

Su Wan was taken aback again: "You're giving it away?"

Qiu Mengxue nodded: "Yes, I want to give it to Qi Yuan."

For a moment, the mother didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

As for whether this request is reasonable, it's absolutely reasonable. Qi Yuan, as the core of the band, doesn't even have a guitar of his own; he's been using Qiu Mengxue's guitar on stage all this time. Even if it's just out of gratitude, buying him a guitar as a gift is only right.

The question is, is the daughter's motivation for wanting to give a gift truly gratitude?

Su Wan asked, "Are you the only one giving it to him? Should we ask Qianyu and Yiyi, and the three of you buy one together and give it to him?"

Qiu Mengxue immediately shook her head: "No, don't tell them."

Su Wan smiled wryly, "You're not avoiding me anymore..."

Qiu Mengxue pouted: "What's the point of avoiding you? Haven't you already figured it out? Yes, I admire his talent, and I hope he admires me too. Is that not okay?"

Su Wan's lips twitched, but she held back from saying—that's not appreciation, that's liking!

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.

125 This is its honor

Qi Yuan increasingly felt that the guitar was truly an unfathomable instrument.

At first, Qiu Mengxue taught him fingering, how to play chords, and how to keep up with the band's rhythm. This part didn't seem too difficult. You didn't need to understand too much music theory; you just needed to practice according to the sheet music until you knew what to do and when to do it.

But as he learned more and more music theory and gained a deeper understanding of the instrument, he discovered that there were just too many ways to play it.

Or perhaps this is true for most musical instruments: before you start, you think you're already amazing if you can play it. But after you start, you realize that the difficulty of playing the same instrument can vary drastically depending on the method.

He practiced guitar alone all afternoon.

Jiang Yi video-chatted with her parents. Ning Qianyu first called her family, then managed her social media accounts and fan groups. Qiu Mengxue went out with her mother; it was unclear what they were doing. Since today's rehearsal ended early, he would have to practice by himself.

Fortunately, it wasn't a complete waste of time. To play rock music, he needed to become more familiar with strumming, which meant he needed more practice.

As dusk fell and the setting sun outside the window was replaced by the streetlights, Qiu Mengxue finally returned.

Only the girl returned; her mother didn't come with her, which was normal. She was carrying a violin case, which was also normal... Wait! Her guitar was right in her arms, so what was in the violin case?

Qi Yuan realized something was amiss and looked up at her.

Qiu Mengxue walked over and whispered, "Can I go to your bedroom?"

What are you doing in my bedroom?

Qi Yuan thought these two girls were really interesting. Jiang Yi had previously sneaked into his room just to show off her pink braids. Now, Qiu Mengxue was going too.

Are you trying to keep it a secret from your teammates?

Could the violin case on her back be...?