A band, or a battleground?

The lead singer was only in his early twenties and had a fairly good-looking face. If he had to rate him, Qi Yuan felt that the other person's appearance was about the same as his own.

Coupled with their stage presence, it's no wonder that Jufeng chose to promote them.

The lead singer then asked, "Are you nervous right now?"

Qi Yuan didn't answer, but instead asked, "And you, are you nervous?"

The lead singer of Polar Day didn't answer either, but just sighed, "I really envy you."

Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh?"

"I really envy you. You can control your own destiny and sign with whichever company you want. You even dared to refuse Jufeng and they couldn't do anything about it. To be honest, I really want to switch places with you."

Hearing this, Qi Yuan glanced at the other musicians of Polar Day and shook his head slightly: "I don't want to switch with you, my teammates are much prettier."

The lead singer of Polar Day paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh: "That's true. How can these rough old men compare to pretty young girls?"

The audience members were either busy voting, scrolling through their phones, or whispering among themselves. Few noticed that the lead singers of the two bands on stage were chatting idly.

Only He Dong, who was standing a few steps in front of the two, heard it, but he only turned around and glanced at it without saying anything.

The lead singer of Polar Day suddenly said, "Your songs are great. I really like 'Blooming Life' and 'Existence' from the semi-finals. They are songs that I want to write but can't."

Qi Yuan: "What about the other songs?"

"Others like it, you have enough fans. My taste is just narrow."

Suddenly, the host, He Dong, turned around, put down the microphone, and said in a low voice, "There are only two minutes left until the results are announced. Have you thought about your acceptance speeches?"

The lead singer of Polar Day pointed at Qi Yuan: "He needs to think about it, but I don't."

He Dong said meaningfully, "The outcome of the vote is still uncertain."

"Does this result matter? If I were to give a speech, what else would I say besides thanking the company and the fans?"

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.

When Fu Hanwen was cornered by the school's delinquents, he thought he would either be beaten or robbed that day.

The one who blocked him was Xie Jinpeng from Class 7.

This evening, Fu Hanwen finished the tutoring class his parents had enrolled him in and was walking home when he ran into Xie Jinpeng and two classmates from Class 7 at the school gate. As a shy, slightly chubby, and introverted boy who was often bullied at school, Fu Hanwen naturally recognized them.

Then he saw the three people heading straight for him, and he couldn't hide from them.

Xie Jinpeng rushed up to Fu Hanwen and asked, "Did you vote?"

Fu Hanwen was completely confused: "What vote?"

Xie Jinpeng said anxiously, "Give me your phone!"

Fu Hanwen's face twitched. The phone in his pocket was a new model he'd bought during summer vacation; it only cost a little over a thousand yuan, but…

Xie Jinpeng angrily retorted, "What are you still dawdling about!"

Fu Hanwen was startled. At that moment, he didn't care how many surveillance cameras were on the street; he only felt that if he didn't do as he was told, he would be beaten up in the next moment.

So he handed over his phone, looking pained.

Xie Jinpeng snatched the phone, operated it for less than half a minute, and then handed it back to him.

Fu Hanwen held his recovered phone, looking completely bewildered.

Xie Jinpeng's friend next to him laughed and said, "What, you thought we were robbing you?"

Fu Hanwen nodded subconsciously, but realized something was wrong after only two nods and quickly shook his head. He glanced at his phone screen again and saw the voting page for the finals of "Tomorrow's Band".

Then it dawned on him: "You're supposed to vote for so-and-so, but why..."

Xie Jinpeng gritted his teeth and said, "Yuan Ge's opponents are rigging the votes! We can't just sit here and wait. What if those bastards snatch the championship away?"

Fu Hanwen blinked, then suddenly couldn't help but ask, "Then why don't you let your parents, relatives, or other family members vote?"

"We made sure they all voted a long time ago!" Xie Jinpeng gestured with his arms outstretched. "Our whole class voted, all the students, and we even asked all our relatives. Maybe some people just went through the motions, but everyone definitely voted themselves. We even posted screenshots in the class group chat!"

Fu Hanwen murmured, "You guys are really united..."

Xie Jinpeng continued, "It's not just our class, but also Class 1 and Class 3. Qiu Mengxue is from Class 1, and Ning Qianyu is from Class 3. Both of their classes are also recruiting people for votes. Hey, which class are you in?"

Fu Hanwen: "Class Five."

Xie Jinpeng shook his head: "Your class is no good. Not only can no one get into Spring Film Academy, but you're not even enthusiastic about voting. No way!"

Fu Hanwen wanted to complain. What did that band have to do with his class? Or rather, even if a classmate became a band star, how would that help him? Would it get him extra points on exams or give him a buff in video games?

But looking at the three delinquent teenagers in front of him, Fu Hanwen didn't dare to say that.

"Okay, thanks." Xie Jinpeng waved casually, then left with his two buddies.

After they walked away, Fu Hanwen looked down at the voting page, then suddenly put on his headphones and opened the live stream highlights.

As a complete otaku who cares nothing about the entertainment industry, Fu Hanwen is usually interested in games and anime, and he never watches or cares about talent shows. Even when he heard that someone from his school had formed a band and become famous, he didn't watch the show.

He always felt that it was a bit low to let other people's topics of conversation distract him from his own interests.

But at this moment, listening to "Life is Like Summer Flowers" in his headphones, Fu Hanwen froze in place.

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 final voting for the grand finale has closed. The champion and runner-up of this season's 'The Coming One' are about to be revealed! Aren't you all excited?"

He Dong said with a smile on stage, while the audience below the stage were already shouting things like "Hurry up!"

Even during the live stream, the chat was flooded with comments like "Stop dawdling!" and "Announce it already!" Besides these urging messages, many other comments included "It has to be Kasuga Kage!", "Don't even bother if it's not Kasuga Kage!", and "Do you dare to rig this again?"

He Dong, however, was not in a hurry at all. He even read the list of program sponsors 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.

139 is great! (Bonus chapter upon release - Part 1)

He Dong finally finished reading the long list of sponsors.

Amid the urging of the audience, he took a deep breath and pointed behind him.

"To the 70,000 music fans here, and to all our friends in the live stream! Now, please look at the big screen!"

On the screen, the bar charts for the Polar Day Band and the Spring Shadow Band lit up simultaneously.

The numbers started jumping wildly, the two bars running side by side, and in the blink of an eye, they both surpassed five million.

However, after breaking the ten million mark, the growth rate of the bar chart for the Polar Day band slowed down significantly, while the bar chart representing Spring Shadow continued to surge upwards at an unreasonable speed.

Then everyone understood.

"It really is Kasuga Kage!"

There's no foul play involved!

Someone at the scene couldn't help but shout out.

In the final round of voting, because it directly determined the champion and runner-up, the side with the fewest votes wasn't allowed to be decided first; instead, both sides were decided simultaneously. However, the slower rate of increase for one side is enough to illustrate the point.

Qi Yuan glanced at the Polar Day Band without making a sound.

Not only the lead singer, but also the other musicians breathed a sigh of relief. Two of them looked somewhat disappointed, but more than that, they were relieved.

After all, being runner-up is already glorious enough. Trying to snatch the championship would only bring unnecessary trouble and damage his public image.

With a beep, both pillars stopped simultaneously. On the pillar with Haruhi Kage, a chilling number appeared.

"Polar Day Band, final vote count: 11,256,000! Spring Shadow Band, final vote count: 21,183,500! These are absolutely miraculous figures that are hard to replicate in the history of talent shows!"

He Dong suddenly turned around and swung his arm at the four young figures:

"Congratulations to the Spring Shadow Band! They've become the national champions of this year's 'Tomorrow's Band'!"

Several cannons around the stage fired simultaneously. Golden ribbons and confetti rained down like a storm, shimmering brilliantly under the dazzling spotlights.

The massive stadium was in an uproar. Shouts, screams, and whistles mingled together, creating a sound so powerful it seemed to lift the roof off the stadium.

We won!

On stage, Ning Qianyu screamed and lunged at Qiu Mengxue beside her. The two girls hugged each other tightly, jumping and hopping around without any regard for their image.

Jiang Yi stood there, her hands tightly covering her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening. A close-up shot on the big screen captured the pink stars on the girl's cheeks and the tears sliding down her cheeks. But only a few seconds later, the camera focused on Qi Yuan.

He stood amidst the fluttering ribbons, his expression remaining calm, though a slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

Of all the players, this champion core member seemed to be the most composed.

The lead singer of the Polar Day band stepped forward and extended his hand to Qi Yuan: "Congratulations. You deserve it, and I'm relieved."

Qi Yuan grasped his hand and nodded.

The group from Polar Day then stepped aside, leaving the center of the stage entirely to tonight's winner.

The rousing award ceremony music then began.

Xue Hai, the general director of "Tomorrow's Band," personally walked onto the stage. This guy's steps were light, and his smile was even brighter.

Xue Hai took the heavy, golden guitar trophy from the hostess and solemnly handed it to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan smiled as he accepted the trophy and casually handed it to Ning Qianyu beside him. Ning Qianyu accepted it without hesitation, raising the trophy high with both hands, drawing another round of cheers from the audience.

Then, Ning Qianyu handed the trophy to Jiang Yi and Qiu Mengxue.

The two girls held the trophy together, whispering something...

Ning Qianyu suddenly patted Qi Yuan on the shoulder.

Qi Yuan turned to look at her.

"My parents and my sister are here. When they saw that we won the championship, I..." The usually eloquent girl choked up for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Qi Yuan laughed and said, "This is a good thing."

"Of course I know this is a good thing, I just wanted to say..." Ning Qianyu pursed her lips and whispered, "Thank you."

Qi Yuan's smile remained unchanged: "How do you plan to thank me?"

Ning Qianyu rolled her eyes and whispered, "If I dared to offer myself to her, Yi Yi would definitely scratch me to death, right?"

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.

Sun Man stood alone in the president's office, facing Lin Xin, and hearing He Dong's voice announcing Chunriying's championship from the computer.

Strangely, Lin Xin's expression at this moment was not angry at all, but rather quite gentle.

Sun Manming was already mentally prepared to be scolded mercilessly.

Suddenly, Lin Xin said in a calm and warm tone, "You've worked hard this time. The final result is not satisfactory, but it's not entirely your fault. I also made mistakes. If I had met Qi Yuan's requirements and given him a contract of only one or two years with more flexible terms, he might have become ours."

Seeing her boss's sudden change in demeanor, Sun Man felt a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason, and quickly replied, "This certainly can't be blamed on you; no one could have predicted it..."

Lin Xin shook his head and interrupted, saying, "But no matter what, a loss is a loss."

Sun Man thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "In the end, why did you call for a halt to the vote-rigging?"

Lin Xin smiled wryly and said, "Xue Hai called me and said that if things get out of hand and attract the attention of higher-ups, no one will be spared. Everything that happened before will be made public. I could tell he wasn't threatening me; it's possible that some higher-ups have actually taken notice of this."

Sun Man sighed softly, "This season is too abnormal, and the attention it's getting is even higher than previous seasons. There's nothing we can do..."

Lin Xin was silent for a moment, then said, "Many of the company's plans may need to be adjusted. You should rest well and relax. I'll approve a paid leave for you to travel and clear your mind. What do you think?"

What working person doesn't love a paid long vacation?

But Sun Man didn't dare to agree immediately; she just stared at him with suspicion and uncertainty.

Lin Xin added, "Don't overthink it. When you come back from your vacation, there's some very important work for you. Polar Day only got second place, but it's still a pretty good result, and we even got paired with Chen Jiashu. After that, we might have to put Polar Day under your leadership. So you can think about it and make some plans during your vacation."

Sun Man quickly put on an excited expression, bowed, and said, "Thank you, President Lin!"

But after bending down, Sun Man's eyes trembled slightly.

When things go wrong, is it really believable that the leader says, "Don't overthink it"?

Sun Man controlled herself and did not show the slightest abnormality.

She knew perfectly well that Jufeng was a listed company, and although President Lin was an initial partner, he held less than three percent of the shares. With the failure of "Tomorrow's Band," President Lin needed to give an explanation to the major shareholders, and wouldn't he need a scapegoat?

Then, Sun Man walked out of President Lin's office in a daze.

She returned to her workstation, looked at the live highlights page of "Tomorrow Band", and subconsciously clicked on the latest song by the Spring Shadow Band.

She was so busy browsing trending topics on the Dida platform that she didn't have time to listen.