A band, or a battleground?

Shen Xingyun: "Of course it's about making money. You don't need your whole band to come, just one or two people will do."

Qi Yuan: "Then there should be time."

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.

Qi Yuan walked out of the reception room and saw Shen Yihan standing at the door looking at her phone.

Seeing him come out, Shen Yihan put down her phone and asked, "You agreed?"

Qi Yuan: "Promise what?"

"He's making a cameo appearance in 'The Killing Game Superstar'!"

At this point, Shen Yihan couldn't help but laugh, her smile exceptionally bright.

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.

Teacher Zhou's alcohol tolerance: 144

When Qi Yuan returned to the banquet hall, he saw that all three girls looked distracted. Even Ning Qianyu seemed unable to eat the food.

But as soon as he came back into view, the girls immediately perked up.

As soon as Qi Yuan sat down, Qiu Mengxue asked curiously, "What were you talking about just now? What kind of person is the boss of Tianhua?"

"It was just an older man who talked to me about the follow-up developments."

Before she could finish speaking, Ning Qianyu sighed, "So it really is the most boring kind..."

Qi Yuan: "?"

Qiu Mengxue waved her hand: "Don't worry about Qianyu, you can continue. Are you talking about our band's follow-up developments?"

Qi Yuan nodded: "Yes, we're supposed to continue our studies, right? He said we can just finish high school and skip the college entrance exam, and go directly to take the entrance exam for the Huaxia Conservatory of Music. That way, we can go to university next year, and then we'll have more time to make music and perform on stage to earn money."

Jiang Yi asked, "But the talent show just ended, isn't that when our popularity is at its peak? Aren't they worried at this time?"

Just then, manager Liu Weiting walked over and overheard Jiang Yi's question. She leaned on the table and smiled, "Of course we can't turn down all the performance opportunities now. However, we don't need to plan a national tour; just participating in a few music festivals will suffice. Qi Yuan, have you already talked to President Shen?"

Qi Yuan nodded: "We've talked about it. We'll work less in the first year and then work overtime in the second year. But it would be best to finish the album in the first year."

Liu Weiting smiled and said, "The company will rent a recording studio near your high school to make things as convenient as possible for you. For your first album, we'll put all ten songs you sang on the show, and that will be enough."

Qiu Mengxue: "This workload is indeed not very large."

Liu Weiting: "President Shen said that the first year should be a bit easier. But Qi Yuan, there's something you might need to pay attention to."

Qi Yuan: "What is it?"

Liu Weiting pointed to a dining table diagonally behind him.

Not only Qi Yuan, but the three girls also craned their necks to look over. They saw Zhou Taishan and a man in a suit raise their glasses, clink glasses, and drink them down in one gulp.

Liu Weiting whispered, "Just now, people kept toasting Teacher Zhou Taishan, and he accepted every toast. It seems he drank a bit too much. Qi Yuan, you and Teacher Zhou have a good relationship, right?"

"I gonna go see."

With that, Qi Yuan stood up and walked in that direction.

The man drinking with Zhou Taishan was an executive from a second-tier entertainment company. Seeing the lead singer of Chunriying approach, he immediately filled his own glass, poured some into an empty glass, and handed it to him, saying, "Isn't this our champion!"

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "Uncle, I am a minor."

The executive then realized what had happened, the alcohol in his eyes lessening slightly. He shook his head, "My bad, my bad, I completely forgot, hahaha..."

Qi Yuan then said, "I'd like to talk to Teacher Zhou, is that alright?"

"Okay, you guys chat, I won't disturb you anymore." The executive got up and left. Although his face was flushed with alcohol, the man still walked with a steady gait.

Qi Yuan glanced down at the glass. The liquid inside was clear, and after smelling it, he knew it was baijiu (Chinese white liquor).

Zhou Taishan finally managed to lift his eyelids and glance at the scene, then smiled and said, "Qi Yuan is here. Sit down, let's have a chat!"

Qi Yuan sat down opposite him and said, "Isn't Teacher Zhou supposed to have a high alcohol tolerance? Why is your face all red?"

Zhou Taishan shook his head, his hands gripping the table. "Who told you I have a high alcohol tolerance? If I really did, why would I be drinking beer with you at dinner?"

Qi Yuan thought to himself, "So it's because he's a terrible cook."

Zhou Taishan added, "You're the champion, and I'm the champion's mentor. The prize money from the show isn't anything; the key thing is that you really let me shine..."

Qi Yuan laughed and said, "It's all thanks to Teacher Zhou. Without your help with the arrangement, winning the championship wouldn't have been so easy."

Zhou Taishan shook his head again: "There are plenty of people who can compose music, but the only one who can write those songs, hiccup, is you. You're still young, you have a bright future ahead of you!"

Although the old man had a smile on his face, there was a hint of loneliness in his old eyes, which were hazy with the smell of alcohol.

Qi Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "And what about you, Teacher Zhou?"

"what happened to me?"

"Taking advantage of this favorable trend, why don't you release some new songs or do something else?"

Zhou Taishan joked, "I'm like a rock in a latrine, smelly and hard. I can write songs the old way, but I really don't want to. The songs I want to write, people don't want to listen to. So what can I do? I'm stuck here!"

Qi Yuan was silent for a few seconds, then asked in a low voice, "If I write a song, will you sing it?"

"Take a song from you, kid? Do you think I'm that kind of spineless coward..."

Zhou Taishan, slightly drunk, appeared to be full of heroic spirit. However, he stopped halfway through his sentence.

Then he composed himself and asked in a low voice, "Are you serious?"

Qi Yuan suppressed a laugh and nodded: "Yes, I recently read about your life and got some inspiration. I think this song would be very suitable for you."

Zhou Taishan raised his hand, his fingers trembling slightly: "Aren't you going to sing yourself?"

Qi Yuan: "Because it is related to your experiences, it is quite weathered and not suitable for a high school student like me."

Zhou Taishan: "What experiences have I had?"

Qi Yuan: "Didn't you fall out with your family and get divorced because of making music? I saw in the media that your son went with his ex-wife."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Taishan's fingers, and even his mouth and beard, trembled: "You can write a song about something like this?"

Qi Yuan solemnly said, "The heavier the subject matter, the more profound the feeling becomes when it is written into a song."

Zhou Taishan remained silent.

Gradually, he stopped trembling, and his eyes became clearer.

Suddenly, Zhou Taishan asked, "How much do you want to sell me for?"

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "Don't talk about selling it or not, I'll give you a song instead. The reason I wanted to write a song for you is to thank you for your help."

"One thing at a time!" Zhou Taishan shook his head vigorously, making his messy hair even more disheveled. "I'm helping you because I'm your mentor. How far you go in the show is related to me. I can't just take your song for nothing. I have to buy it!"

"Then I won't name a price; you can give me whatever you think is fair. Here's what I'll do: I'll sing a short piece first."

Qi Yuan's statement wasn't merely out of generosity. He realized that both he and Qiu Mengxue were still quite inexperienced in arranging music. Zhou Taishan's arrangements had played a significant role in the most popular songs he performed in "Tomorrow's Band."

Whether you choose to learn music composition on your own or continue to ask your mentors for help, you should definitely maintain good relationships with them. You can't just abandon your mentors after winning the championship.

Then Qi Yuan sang softly:

"Though my hair has turned white, I have crossed the hills."

"Incessant chatter, a sorrow that accompanies the passing of time."

Zhou Taishan's eyes widened immediately.

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.

145 hill

"What did they go about?"

As Ning Qianyu was eating, she looked up and realized that Qi Yuan and Zhou Taishan were gone, so she asked them.

Qiu Mengxue said, "Qi Yuan should be taking Teacher Zhou home, right? Isn't Teacher Zhou drunk?"

Jiang Yi whispered, "But I just saw that Teacher Zhou seemed to be pulling Qi Yuan away, and she looked like she was in a hurry..."

Ning Qianyu shrugged: "Maybe he suddenly had an inspiration. That's good, we can look forward to Qi Yuan's new song."

Qiu Mengxue expressed her doubts: "The competition is over, will Teacher Zhou still help us with the arrangement?"

Just then, Jiang Yi glanced at her phone and reminded her, "Qi Yuan sent a message in the group chat."

So they all picked up their phones and saw the message: "Zhou and I have something to do. You guys take your time eating."

"Why does this guy always have to get along with everyone..." Ning Qianyu complained, standing up with the empty plate in her hand.

Qiu Mengxue glanced at it and asked, "Are you going to get food again? Can't you take more at once?"

"Tch, the point of coming to a place like this is to savor it slowly. It would be such a waste to take a bunch of food at once and fill your stomach..." Ning Qianyu said as she walked toward the food display table.

Only two girls remained at the dining table.

Qiu Mengxue suddenly noticed that Jiang Yi was staring intently at her phone. She peeked over instinctively and saw what appeared to be an online shopping page.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Yi noticed Qiu Mengxue's gaze and quickly turned off her phone screen.

Qiu Mengxue narrowed her eyes: "Are you buying something?"

Jiang Yi opened her mouth as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word. She could only nod in response.

Qiu Mengxue then asked, "What are you planning to buy? Would you like me to give you some suggestions?"

Jiang Yi subconsciously shook her head, forcing an excuse: "Actually, there's nothing I want to buy, I'm just looking around..."

However, Qiu Mengxue's next words left Jiang Yi speechless.

"Are you buying something for Qi Yuan?"

Jiang Yi: "..."

Seeing this, Qiu Mengxue smiled and said, "Is it because I bought him a guitar that you want to buy him something too?"

For Jiang Yi, this was indeed one of the reasons. But more importantly, Qi Yuan's birthday was less than two weeks away. Of course, Jiang Yi couldn't reveal this crucial information to her rival.

Seeing her conflicted expression, Qiu Mengxue gradually suppressed her smile and said in a low voice, "Yiyi, there's a very important question I want to ask you."

Jiang Yi forced a smile: "What's the problem?"

Do you like him?

Hearing Qiu Mengxue's question, Jiang Yi was completely stunned. She never expected that Mengxue would actually bring this up so directly!

Facing her teammate's intense gaze, Jiang Yi took a deep breath and asked in return, "So, do you like him?"

Neither of them received an answer to their question. But when their eyes met, they both found an answer.

Just then, Ning Qianyu returned with the food.

"This little cake looks delicious... Why aren't you two eating anything? What are you spacing out for?"

Ning Qianyu sat down and casually placed the plate on the table.

There were only two small cakes on the plate she brought.

Qiu Mengxue forked off a piece.

Jiang Yi was only a second slower and snatched the other piece.

Ning Qianyu was stunned: "No, if you want to eat, take it yourself! Why are you taking mine?"

As Qiu Mengxue ate, she said, "Of course we should grab the best food!"

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.

Zhou Taishan took Qi Yuan into a ride-hailing car and headed straight for his home.

The old man's house was still in a mess, and there was still no one else there.

As soon as he entered, Zhou Taishan found a wooden guitar and asked, "Do you need this?"

Qi Yuan shook his head: "No need. I only have the lyrics and the main melody right now, no arrangement. Why don't you take a look at the lyrics first?"

Zhou Taishan nodded quickly and then took a handwritten piece of paper from Qi Yuan.

The two sat down on the sofa.

Qi Yuan took out his phone and glanced at it, only to see that the copyright application he had submitted in the car earlier had been approved. He didn't intend for anyone to know that he wrote the song, so he used a pseudonym.