A band, or a battleground?

He had already noticed that while he wasn't sure what Ning Qianyu's intentions were, Qiu Mengxue and Jiang Yi probably had some feelings for him. However, as he had said before, dating within the band would affect unity and their careers, so he didn't plan to take any initiative to do anything about it; in fact, he intended to avoid it altogether.

Fortunately, before today, the girls were able to express their feelings while remaining within the bounds of propriety. Those feelings of affection were always fleeting, revealed only slightly before being withdrawn.

But today, if I'm not mistaken, she wouldn't be going to...

Qi Yuan silently put down his guitar and stood up, feeling his heartbeat quicken uncontrollably.

He walked with Qiu Mengxue towards his bedroom.

The door opened and closed again, and the two stood facing each other, their eyes shining like stars.

The bedroom lights were off. However, the light from the streetlights outside the window was enough for them to see each other's expressions clearly.

Qi Yuan noticed that Qiu Mengxue was clearly a little nervous.

He broke the silence with a smile: "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Qiu Mengxue took a deep breath, took off her violin case from her back, and handed it over with both hands.

Qi Yuan took the instrument case and weighed it in his hand.

It's heavier than I expected.

Qiu Mengxue spoke, her voice trembling slightly: "This is a gift for you, an electric guitar, a portable effects pedal and amplifier. The connecting cables and picks are also included."

"No wonder it's so heavy," Qi Yuan chuckled. "Did you just buy me the whole set?"

"Yes, I think you should have your own guitar, a brand new one..."

The girl's voice was still trembling slightly.

Qi Yuan felt that the trembling wasn't due to worrying about the money. But to calm himself down, he still asked, "How much did all of this cost?"

Qiu Mengxue said, "All of it adds up to less than 50,000 yuan."

Qi Yuan was taken aback: "So expensive!"

Qiu Mengxue smiled and said, "Compared to your talent, it's already very cheap."

Qi Yuan carefully put down the violin case and said, "You just received the signing fee, and you've already spent one-fifth of it."

Qiu Mengxue: "But I don't have any other expenses. I haven't even spent half of the prize money we received during the audition. I also asked my mom to save the rest of the signing fee."

Qi Yuan placed the violin case on the table, then looked at the girl in front of him, unsure of what to say.

Seeing his hesitation, Qiu Mengxue seemed to have thought of something and quickly said, "Please don't refuse it just because it's too valuable, and don't treat it like a treasure. A guitar is meant to be played. Besides, I think it's already very, very lucky that you can play this guitar."

"Lucky?" Qi Yuan touched the tip of his nose. "You mean the guitar?"

Qiu Mengxue nodded solemnly: "The greatest misfortune for a violin is to leave it unplayed, gathering dust in a corner. Secondly, it's to be used to produce noise. But if it can help your creative process, accompany you on stage, and play the songs you've written... I think that's the greatest fortune. Nothing is more meaningful than that."

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment."

Qiu Mengxue then said, "This is not a compliment, it's the truth. It is indeed very expensive, but it's an honor for it to be put to use by you."

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "You're being so serious, I don't know how to respond."

Qiu Mengxue paused slightly, then finally smiled: "Then just tell the truth. Now, what are your thoughts?"

Qi Yuan: "My feelings are simply thank you. Thank you so much for the gift; I will use it carefully."

He knew from Qiu Mengxue's gaze and the slight trembling in her voice that he couldn't refuse this.

If you insist on refusing, you will not only hurt the young girl's feelings, but you will also make her overthink things.

But Qi Yuan soon realized another problem.

"If I use it daily or on stage in the future, Yi Yi and Qian Yu will definitely notice. So I'll just tell them the truth and say that you gave it to me?"

Qiu Mengxue smiled and nodded: "Of course, I never intended to hide it from them."

Qi Yuan was a little puzzled—since you didn't intend to keep it from them, why did you insist on coming to the bedroom with me instead of handing it over to me directly in the living room?

Could it be that she had something else in mind after giving the gift?

Qi Yuan wanted to tentatively ask a question, but he didn't know how to bring it up. Should he say something like, "Is there anything else you want to do?" That would be incredibly awkward.

The two then stared at each other silently for a while.

Qiu Mengxue couldn't take it anymore and lowered her head, saying, "Then you should rest well. We'll continue rehearsing tomorrow, and you can try the guitar again then... I'm going to rest too, goodnight!"

The girl turned and left.

Qi Yuan watched the door close, feeling somewhat dazed.

When was the last time I received a gift from a girl?

Did you really receive it in your previous 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.

126 Please come in, please come in again.

The next morning, when Jiang Yi got up, she was still thinking about the video call with her parents the day before, especially her mother's words:

"Mom will go to the bank tomorrow and deposit this money into a five-year fixed deposit for you. The production team has arranged very good living conditions for you, so you don't need to spend any money. Five years from now, after you graduate from university, no matter what job you get or whether the band is still around, this money will be your safety net..."

The girl realized that she really couldn't refute it.

So the signing fee was deposited directly into a fixed deposit account.

She initially thought it was no big deal, since, as her mother had said, the production team would cover her food and lodging, and there would be sponsors for new clothes in the future, so she didn't seem to have any expenses... until she and her teammates started today's rehearsal.

Qi Yuan picked up a brand new guitar.

This guitar is entirely glossy black, with silver trim along the edges of the body and fretboard. From the bridge and metal pickup housings to the tuning pegs at the headstock, everything is made of a dazzling gold-plated material. Against the black background, these gold accessories stand out strikingly, even exuding a subtle sense of luxury.

Jiang Yi knew at a glance that this guitar was definitely not cheap.

Ning Qianyu immediately said, "Hey, Brother Gun got a new guitar! Getting the autograph fee really makes a difference. How much was it?"

Qi Yuan: "Then you'll have to ask Mengxue. She bought it for me as a gift."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Yi froze.

Ning Qianyu's mouth dropped open, her tone exaggeratedly surprised: "Mengxue, you're really willing to spend a fortune! This thing must be worth five figures, right?"

Qiu Mengxue said calmly, "If it weren't for Qi Yuan, there wouldn't have been any signing bonus or bonus, so I think it's normal to give him something nice."

Ning Qianyu: "This isn't just a little better, it's... how much does it actually cost?"

Qiu Mengxue: "It's only a little over forty thousand."

"You mean?" Ning Qianyu exclaimed in surprise. "You really spend money extravagantly. Did Teacher Su agree to you buying this?"

Qiu Mengxue smiled and said, "She went with me."

Ning Qianyu sighed, "That's great. If I spent money like this, my parents would definitely say something... Hey, Yi Yi, why aren't you saying anything?"

The three of them turned their gaze to Jiang Yi.

The girl was looking out the window, but her gaze seemed unfocused, and it was unclear what she was looking at.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yi came to her senses and said, "Now that we have a new guitar, why don't you try playing it? Or, why don't you do a solo for us?"

Qi Yuan: "Stop with the solo, let's just practice normally."

"Okay!"

Jiang Yi smiled and nodded, seemingly without any sign of anything amiss, as if the guitar Qiu Mengxue gave to Qi Yuan had nothing to do with her.

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 a morning of rehearsals comes lunch, followed by a lunch break.

Summer afternoons always make people sleepy, and even in an air-conditioned room, it seems difficult to resist the creeping drowsiness. So the four of them put down their instruments and went back inside to rest.

Qi Yuan was lying in bed when he heard footsteps outside, so he looked towards the door.

Based on his experience over the past two days, his bedroom is likely to attract visitors.

Sure enough, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

Then Jiang Yi came in.

Qi Yuan sat up and gestured for her to sit down in the chair. The two looked at each other, and Qi Yuan spoke first, asking, "Is there something you need?"

Jiang Yi asked, "I'm a little curious, why did Mengxue give that gift?"

"I also found it a bit sudden, but..."

Qi Yuan recalled that when he was scouting the venue for the finals, he sang several songs in a row, which probably impressed Qiu Mengxue. The opportunity to give her the guitar might also be related to that time.

However, at that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door again, and they were getting closer and closer.

The two people in the bedroom noticed and their expressions immediately tensed up. Jiang Yi, in particular, couldn't even stay seated and stood up, as if she wanted to run away at any moment.

Unfortunately, there was no road for her to run on.

Then there was a knock on the door, and Ning Qianyu's voice from outside: "Is Brother Gun asleep? Is it convenient for me to come in?"

Jiang Yi looked around and noticed that the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling window led to a balcony, and the corner of that balcony against the wall was a blind spot. Without thinking twice, she ran over, opened the window, and hid in the corner of the balcony.

Qi Yuan was stunned.

Girl, we're just having a simple chat. If you keep hiding like this and someone finds out, then there'll be no way to explain it!

But since Jiang Yi had already hidden herself, it wouldn't be good to drag her out again, so Qi Yuan could only say helplessly, "Please come in."

Ning Qianyu came in.

She closed the door behind her and asked, "Is it your birthday recently?"

Qi Yuan shook his head: "You want to ask why Mengxue gave me that guitar, right?"

Ning Qianyu: "Yeah, wow, she just gives away things worth forty or fifty thousand yuan like that. That's too outrageous."

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "I also think it's a bit of an exaggeration. But before, we didn't have much money. Now that we have money, it's normal to want to spend it all."

“Since your birthday isn’t recently,” Ning Qianyu asked again, “when is your birthday?”

Qi Yuan: "What, you want to give me a gift too?"

Ning Qianyu smiled like a good buddy, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Of course! Brother Gun is giving us a fortune, how could I not be sensible? Just tell me your birthday!"

However, this problem put Qi Yuan in a dilemma.

What he almost blurted out was his birthday from his previous life. Of course, he couldn't say that, but what about his birthday in this life?

The original owner had no memory of celebrating her birthday, so much so that even the exact date of her birthday was somewhat vague.

Seeing his hesitation, Ning Qianyu subconsciously smiled and said, "What's so hard to say? Don't you celebrate your birthday?"

Qi Yuan: "Well, but..."

The girl's smile froze on her face.

Ning Qianyu then realized that, given Qi Yuan's family circumstances, the tradition of celebrating birthdays might not even exist. Even if he was invincible in the area around the school, he would only earn respect, not the friendship of someone wanting to celebrate his birthday.

“If Yi Yi were here,” Ning Qianyu sighed, “if she heard you say this, she would probably burst into tears right here and now.”

Qi Yuan: "You'd better not cry, would you?"

Ning Qianyu shook her head: "Yi Yi's parents care about her a lot. I even went to her birthday party last time. I specially invited my good friends to have dinner together, and we chatted and played together. She probably can't imagine that there are people her age in this world who don't celebrate their birthdays."

Qi Yuan glanced at the window subconsciously.

Right outside the window, Jiang Yi leaned against the wall. Although she didn't actually cry, she couldn't help but purse her lips, revealing a somewhat sad look in her eyes.

But Ning Qianyu's next words immediately disrupted Jiang Yi's mood.

"If Mengxue heard this, she would show you even more of her maternal love."

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.

On the eve of the 127 final

Ning Qianyu, of course, had no idea that someone was eavesdropping outside the window, but she asked again, "So what is your birthday?"

Qi Yuan immediately pulled out his ID card and confirmed the date: "August 28th".

Ning Qianyu perked up: "Then it's the end of this month? Wow, I really need to think about this carefully now."