A band, or a battleground?

The four members of the Kasuga Shadow Band walked towards us. Of course, they weren't coming for the Katz Band; they just had to pass through here to get to the entrance to the stage lift.

Nika saw the expression on Qi Yuan's face clearly. There was no mockery, no contempt, and no pity, only complete calmness.

This calm made Nika feel even worse, as if this guy was ignoring her.

Nika bit her lip, wanting to say something, but Qi Yuan walked right past the three of them without stopping, as if they didn't exist.

The three girls behind Qi Yuan hesitated only briefly before following in his footsteps.

After the Spring Shadow Band had walked away, the guitarist suddenly sneered, "Envious? Envy is useless. I told you long ago that money isn't easy to earn. How can you make music if you get your hands so dirty?"

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.

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

The audience was initially worried that Katz's poor performance might affect the performances of the subsequent bands. However, the Polar Day band, who took the stage next, dispelled these concerns.

They not only performed as expected, but also won more enthusiastic applause than the previous bands.

In other words, there was no mentor commentary segment in the finals. Otherwise, the three mentors would definitely have given him a lot of praise, especially mentor Chen Jiashu.

At that moment, Chen Jiashu, sitting in the mentor's seat, took out his phone and sent a message to Mr. Lin of Jufeng: "Polar day is no problem, you guys will put in the effort, right?"

Mr. Lin replied: "Don't worry, we will do our best. However, it's not the right time yet; the finals have three rounds."

Chen Jiashu replied, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Lin," but after putting down his phone, a shadow still lingered in his eyes.

He certainly knew the finals would have three rounds. The first round would eliminate two bands, leaving only the top three. The second round would determine the third-place winner, and the third round would determine the champion and runner-up. Given Kasuga Kage's popularity, it was impossible for them not to make it to the final round, and the Polar Days band would most likely also make it to the end.

In other words, the effort should be put in last.

As for the means of exerting influence, it's nothing more than vote-rigging, a point that Chen Jiashu is well aware of, so there's no need to explain it too clearly to him.

Just as Chen Jiashu was deep in thought, the host He Dong's voice brought him back to his senses:

"The next band to come on stage is one that everyone has been waiting for a long time. That's right, it's Kasuga Kage... Wow, judging from everyone's cheers, you really can't wait, can you?"

Chen Jiashu covered his mouth with one hand to avoid his tense expression being captured by a camera. He had, of course, heard the cheers from the entire stadium, so enthusiastic that they echoed repeatedly in the tens of thousands of people in the stadium.

Host He Dong: "...Okay, without further ado, please welcome the Spring Shadow Band to the stage to perform their latest original work, 'I Want to Fly'!"

Then, amidst the sparks, the band came on stage.

But just then, Chen Jiashu frowned. He noticed that the Spring Shadow Band's positioning today was a bit strange.

There were two microphone stands on the stage, which was normal, but Qi Yuan stood next to the drummer Ning Qianyu. And standing in front of those two microphone stands were Jiang Yi and Qiu Mengxue!

Jiang Yi was still holding her bass, but Qiu Mengxue didn't have a keyboard in front of her; she was just holding another guitar.

Why isn't Qi Yuan the lead singer this time?

Just as Chen Jiashu was in a daze, the prelude began.

Qi Yuan strummed the guitar, producing a highly explosive, distorted sound. Immediately following, the drums joined in, faster than any of Chunri Ying's usual songs.

Chen Jiashu blurted out, "That must be at least 140 BPM!"

Zhou Taishan, who was standing next to him, laughed and said, "They really like to surprise people; their style is different every time."

Chen Jiashu looked at the veteran musician and couldn't help but ask, "Did you arrange the music for them?"

Zhou Taishan said meaningfully, "I only offered a suggestion."

Chen Jiashu shut his mouth and looked at the stage.

Qiu Mengxue has already started singing:

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

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

Everyone has already heard Qiu Mengxue's singing in the semi-finals. Her ethereal high notes in "Existence" contrast sharply with Qi Yuan's forceful high notes, leaving a deep impression.

But today, Qiu Mengxue's voice sounded a little different.

That ethereal feeling was gone. Although it wasn't as high as the chorus of "Existence," she sang it with great effort, conveying a sense of stubbornly moving forward in a storm.

"I dare to fly, I chase my dreams, a beauty of pride and dignity."

"A tremendous test, now we must overcome it."

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

"Chase, chase, chase, chase, never retreat!"

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

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..."

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.

"The lead singer of this song is actually Qiu Mengxue!" Zhang Yanyan exclaimed in surprise. "And she sings it so well!"

Lin Yan laughed and said, "I've known for a long time that Mengxue sings well. I've seen the three of them perform before Qi Yuan joined, and Mengxue was the lead singer back then. She just hadn't encountered any good original songs back then, but things are different now."

Zhang Yanyan added, "But Jiang Yi also has a microphone. Does that mean she's going to sing too? But she hasn't sung yet."

Lin Yan: "I don't know..."

As they were talking, the interlude ended, and the second verse began. This time, it was Jiang Yi who started singing.

Zhang Yanyan and Lin Yan exchanged a glance and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

A little further away, an audience member shouted, "Two lead singers?"

Wow, this works too!

On stage, Jiang Yi finished singing the second verse and continued singing the repeated chorus, her bass guitar playing without stopping.

At that moment, the girl who always liked to hide behind her friends became the focus of attention for tens of thousands of people.

Qi Yuan remained silent, focusing solely on playing the guitar.

Ning Qianyu was sweating profusely from tapping the drums. The song's rhythm was indeed very fast, demanding a high level of skill in drumming, which was quite a challenge for her.

While Jiang Yi was singing, Qiu Mengxue gently harmonized on the side, ready to take over at any time.

After all, her teammates knew that Jiang Yi was prone to nervousness, and with so many audience members today, what if she made a mistake? To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Qiu Mengxue had to be prepared.

But this preparation was of no use.

Jiang Yi didn't look at the vast sea of ​​black heads; instead, she raised her small face, looked up at the sky, and sang the chorus with all her might:

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..."

Then, the chorus repeats again, and Qiu Mengxue joins in, singing a duet with Jiang Yi.

The lyrics aren't complicated. Compared to Haruhi Kage's previous works, they're quite simple. But amidst the dense drumbeats and the dazzling guitar strumming, everyone felt a sense of courage to forge ahead.

That ornate guitar playing was certainly beyond Qi Yuan's capabilities. He was only responsible for laying the foundation and providing the main accompaniment melody. The fancy details were left to Qiu Mengxue's guitar.

At this moment, Qi Yuan on the stage looks like a supporting actor, but few people really treat him as one.

As the music ended and applause erupted, host He Dong took the stage and asked the question that everyone was concerned about:

"Did you write this song, Qi Yuan?"

Qi Yuan didn't speak because there was no microphone in front of him.

The speakers were Jiang Yi and Qiu Mengxue.

"Of course!"

"Yup!"

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.

132 I choose to quit (additional chapter)

The host's appearance on stage did not quell the noise in the stadium. This noise was ignited by Kasuga Kage's performance on stage just now.

When Qiu Mengxue and Jiang Yi answered "yes" and "of course" respectively, the audience who had just stood up finally sat down, but they were still waving glow sticks, turning the inner field and the stands into an undulating sea of ​​light. Because there was no unified support color, the colorful lights intertwined together, making it look even more vibrant.

The cheers, applause, and screams from the audience mingled together, while online viewers could see the director switch the camera to the audience seats, panning across faces, some beaming with smiles, others flushed red.

The camera then returned to the host, He Dong, who announced: "Okay, thank you to the five bands for their wonderful opening performances. Now I announce that the voting channel for the first round of the finals is officially open! All contestants, please come to the stage and wait for the results in ten minutes."

Audience members pulled out their phones to vote for their favorite bands, and some even campaigned for votes by chanting the names of their favorite bands. Among them, the chants for "Spring Shadow" were almost constant, only occasionally mixed with the sounds of "Polar Day" or "Paper Wind Chimes".

Soon, all five bands returned to the stage. The instruments used by the Kasuga Kage band during their performance were also moved away by the staff.

Standing among the contestants, Ning Qianyu suddenly whispered, "Can we use our phones to vote for ourselves?"

Qi Yuan, standing nearby, was both amused and exasperated: "Is this really necessary?"

"I really want to see..." Ning Qianyu actually took out her phone. But instead of opening the voting page, she stayed on the live stream page.

Qi Yuan leaned over to take a look and saw that almost all the comments floating on the screen were related to Haruhi Kage.

It's so beautiful!

[That bass-playing girl actually spoke up today!]

[What kind of all-around monster is Qiu Mengxue? She's good at playing the keyboard...]

[Who understands? When Jiang Yi looked up at the sky just now, with the pink stars on her face, it was incredibly captivating.]

[This is amazing! This is what a real band is like! Not just a lead singer with three supporting actors, but all four of them are awesome!]

Qi Yuan's songwriting ability is off the charts, isn't it?

The drummer girl's hands seemed to leave afterimages as she swung them...

[Compared to Katz's car crash scene, it's truly an ear-splitting experience.]

[This gave me goosebumps; I just want to go downstairs and run five kilometers right now.]

Ning Qianyu specifically clicked on the comment "[The drummer girl's hands seemed to leave afterimages as she waved them]" and gave it a like.

Qi Yuan complained, "Is this really necessary?"

Ning Qianyu put away her phone and said seriously, "I think what they said is right, and they should be praised."

Qi Yuan: "Weren't you going to vote for yourself? Why aren't you voting?"

Ning Qianyu smiled gently: "I felt it wasn't necessary just by looking at the comments."

A few minutes later, the host, He Dong, suddenly announced, "Okay, ten minutes are up, so the voting channel is now officially closed!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense. The noise from the stands quickly subsided, and tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on the large screen behind the stage.

He Dong continued, "According to the rules of the finals, the real-time votes of all online viewers will directly determine which three bands can advance to the next round. The two bands at the bottom will unfortunately stop here. First, let's look at the band that ranked fifth. Katz Band, with a final vote count of 818,542."

On the big screen, Katz's vote count froze. A soft sigh rippled through the audience, but no one seemed surprised. The performance mishap earlier was a stark reminder of their near-bottom ranking; it was perfectly normal for them to be last.

"The fourth-ranked band, Reverse Gear, received a final vote count of 3,512,050. It is with great regret that Katz and Reverse Gear will be leaving our stage tonight."

"Next up are the three who have successfully advanced to the second round! The Paper Wind Chimes Band ranked third, with a final vote count of 5,467,800! Congratulations to them!"

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. The camera panned across the waiting area, where several girls from Paper Wind Chimes excitedly hugged each other, jumping and skipping.

"So, who will take first place in the first round? Will it be the consistently stable and mature Polar Day Band, or the ever-surprising Spring Shadow?"

As He Dong spoke, the vote counts for both Polar Day and Spring Shadow on the big screen began to surge simultaneously, with the numbers below jumping wildly.

Three million...five million...seven million!

Within seconds, both bands had surpassed seven million votes.

But in the end, the bar chart representing the Polar Day band stopped first.

"Polar Day Band, 7,623,110 votes!"