A band, or a battleground?

Qiu Mengxue also moved.

Qi Yuan lowered his voice slightly, making his singing sound even more颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, decadence, or dejection) and hoarse:

"How many times have I lost my way..."

However, after only two lines of lyrics, the ensemble, which should have fallen apart, strangely came back together.

Ning Qianyu clearly wanted to omit an accented note on the snare drum, but on that beat, her right hand instinctively fell down.

Qiu Mengxue tried to deliberately disrupt the rhythm of the strumming, but when the bass drum came up, she subconsciously switched back to the original direction.

This tacit understanding, ingrained in their very being, only became more stubborn when they tried to disrupt it.

The director behind the proctor's monitor rubbed his forehead, looking utterly helpless. He had been shooting commercials for over a decade, managing countless internet celebrities who couldn't even distinguish chords. Usually, his biggest headache was how to edit a messy performance to make it seem plausible.

But today, he encountered the most surreal problem of his life—these four high school students actually made a mistake in faking it.

But suddenly, Qiu Mengxue's guitar stopped.

Just as the director was about to remind her that such a mistake looked too fake, the girl frowned and asked, "Where's the bass?"

Jiang Yi froze instantly, then looked down and noticed a problem.

"Huh? Did you forget to turn it on...?"

Ning Qianyu also realized what was happening and laughed as she tapped the snare drum: "Wait, after all this time, didn't you even notice that the bass was silent?!"

Now, not only the four members of the band, but also the staff and director around them couldn't help but laugh.

For a moment, the studio was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Jiang Yi, the person involved, wished she could throw away her bass and disappear into the ground.

After laughing, the director said, "Alright, alright, we've already filmed the real bass accident. Although it's not suitable for the main film, we can use it as bonus footage..."

Jiang Yi quickly raised her hand: "My bassist and I still want to save face, can we cut it off and not broadcast it?"

Director: "What do your teammates think?"

Ning Qianyu: "It has to be broadcast!"

Qiu Mengxue: "The behind-the-scenes footage is better than the main feature."

Jiang Yi was almost in tears, her pleading eyes drifting towards Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan suppressed a laugh and said, "Let's not worry about that for now, let's shoot the main feature first."

Director: "Okay, turn the bass up, let's shoot the third time!"

The third take went smoothly, and with Jiang Yi leading the way in sabotaging things, the mistakes seemed unusually natural.

Jiang Yi, filled with anger, deliberately played the wrong bass, and then the guitar and drums couldn't work together at all.

The next shot shows Qi Yuan putting down his guitar and going outside to get coffee.

In the shot, it appears as a complete door, but once you step outside the area captured by the camera, you can see that the walls are broken.

Following the director's instructions, the three girls began to act out the exhaustion that followed the burning out of energy.

Ning Qianyu listlessly pressed her forehead against the edge of the drum, her hands hanging limply at her sides.

Qiu Mengxue held a guitar in one hand and rubbed her temple with the other.

Jiang Yi, holding Bess, tilted her head slightly and stared blankly at the closed door.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

Qi Yuan walked in carrying a Cindy Coffee takeout bag and uttered the line from the script:

"Seeing how tired you all are, let me give you a little boost of energy."

The line was delivered smoothly and naturally, and Qi Yuan's positioning was also flawless. But just as he was about to distribute coffee to the girls, his gaze met Jiang Yi's.

At this moment, Jiang Yi was exhausted from her performance. She tilted her head slightly, the small pink five-pointed star on her right cheek was quite eye-catching, and a strand of pink hair was hanging down beside her left ear.

Eyes facing each other.

Qi Yuan recalled the little secret this girl had shared with him before going on stage, when she sought him out alone to replenish her energy. Was she looking at him with that same pitiful gaze back then?

"puff……"

Qi Yuan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

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 power of 150 best friends

"I don't understand, what was so funny just now?"

When Jiang Yi heard Ning Qianyu's words, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

It was lunchtime, and the four people were sitting around a table, each enjoying a delicate set meal.

This morning, the filming of the commercial went fairly smoothly, except for the first three takes.

However, no matter how smoothly things went, they only managed to film the first three shots. There were still two more shots to go, and they also needed to take some photos, so they had a busy afternoon ahead of them.

Qi Yuan replied, "It's mainly because we're too familiar with each other. Suddenly being put in a scene and having to say specific lines just feels a bit funny."

Ning Qianyu: "If you laugh so easily, you can't act at all."

Qi Yuan: "So we still need to focus on making music."

Seeing that her teammates didn't pursue the topic further, Jiang Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew perfectly well why Qi Yuan was laughing.

She had already done this twice before going on stage, seeking out Qi Yuan to 'recharge' his energy. Both times, Ning Qianyu and Qiu Mengxue were completely unaware of it.

Whether it was a real handshake or a gentle touch, Jiang Yi felt... refreshed and wonderful.

She wants to do this again next time.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated, catching Jiang Yi's attention. She took it out and saw a delivery notification text message.

The items I purchased have been delivered to the hotel front desk and received by the staff.

Imagining how Qi Yuan would react if she gave this to him... just thinking about it made Jiang Yi smile, her eyes full of anticipation.

Of course, she couldn't predict Qi Yuan's reaction; she could only guess. Was it joy? Surprise? Or perhaps something closer to mutual affection?

But before that, there's one thing to make sure of: it has to be given to him on his birthday, which is August 28th.

Today is August 21st.

This means she has to keep it a secret from everyone for a full week.

Jiang Yi felt that this was definitely the longest yet sweetest week she was about to experience.

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.

In the evening, after having dinner in the studio, the endorsement photoshoot finally came to an end.

A minivan took the four people back to the hotel.

As Jiang Yi passed through the hotel lobby, she subconsciously glanced at the counter and made eye contact with the female staff member standing there.

The staff member raised his arm and opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Jiang Yi quickly shook her head, put her finger in front of her mouth, and gestured for silence.

The shop assistant looked puzzled, but thankfully didn't say anything.

Jiang Yi followed her teammates into the elevator, went upstairs, and entered their respective rooms... Then she quietly slipped out of her room, returned to the lobby on the first floor, and went to the counter.

Is my package here?

The shop assistant smiled and said, "Ms. Jiang, you've arrived. Yes, there's a package for you here. Do you not want anyone else to know?"

Jiang Yi nodded.

The shop assistant took out the package and handed it over, then said something that made Jiang Yi pause for two seconds.

She asked, "Is this something to give to Qi Yuan?"

Jiang Yi: "Huh?"

The shop assistant quickly explained, "I'm also a fan of Chunriying. I've watched the videos of your appearances on the show several times! I was wondering if you might like Qi Yuan, so..."

For a moment, Jiang Yi had only one thought in her mind—was her performance on stage really that obvious? Could others still tell?

But then she thought about it again, and realized that Qi Yuan had said many times that he didn't plan to date in order to maintain the band's current status, so the girl felt that she had to firmly deny it.

So Jiang Yi said with a serious expression, "I don't like him. This thing wasn't bought for him; I need it for myself."

The shop assistant asked instinctively, "Then why can't other people know?"

Jiang Yi was taken aback for a moment, then stubbornly replied, "Because it's related to my own privacy."

The shop assistant glanced at the package, then at the innocent-looking young girl in front of her. For some reason, she covered her mouth and let out a soft "Ah," before quickly saying, "Sorry, sorry, I asked too many questions. I'm so sorry."

Jiang Yi shook her head, said "It's okay," and then took the package and turned to leave.

The shop assistant stood there looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, then sat down, quietly took out her phone, opened her chat with her best friend, and sent a message:

The Kasuga Kage band checked into our hotel yesterday, you know?

My best friend quickly replied: [Of course, you've been bragging about it to me all night yesterday.]

[The important thing is, I just personally handed a package to Jiang Yi!]

Best friend: [Is it that guitarist?]

[What guitarist, bassist!]

Best friend: [What's the difference between a guitar and a bass?]

[Whatever the difference, the important thing is, I think I've discovered a little secret about Jiang Yi. You really can't judge a book by its cover!]

Best friend: [What's the secret? I'm so angry, tell me now!]

Okay, okay, please don't tell anyone...

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 next two days were uneventful and pleasant for the rest of the band.

After the commercial shoot, there was no other work for a while, so everyone stayed in the hotel, surfing the internet, playing games, doing homework, and trying out any good restaurants nearby.

However, for Jiang Yi, the wait to deliver the gift was still a bit of a struggle.

Two days later, on this evening, her agent, Liu Weiting, came to the hotel and knocked on her door.

Jiang Yi opened the door and asked, "Is there another meeting?"

Liu Weiting shook her head: "No, I want to talk to you alone. Is there anyone else in your room?"

Jiang Yi: "Of course not, uh, what do you want to talk about?"

Liu Weiting closed the door and asked in a low voice, "Have you bought anything recently?"

Jiang Yi was stunned.

Seeing her reaction, Liu Weiting quickly asked, "Is it an electronic product?"

Jiang Yi nodded subconsciously and asked in return, "How did you know?"

Liu Weiting said, "Of course it was a staff member of the hotel who leaked it! Someone posted online, showing the chat history with her best friend. The employee involved has been fired by the hotel, and we just contacted the platform to delete the post. The impact has been brought under control, but I still need to confirm with you, the person involved."

Upon hearing that the situation was so serious, Jiang Yi was stunned: "Why did this happen..."

Liu Weiting explained, "Because they guessed that what you bought was an electric massager."

Jiang Yi: "What is that?"

Liu Weiting was also stunned: "You don't know what that is?"

The naive girl shook her head: "Is it... something for massage?"

After observing for a while, Liu Weiting realized that the child's innocence was genuine, which made her even more puzzled.

She asked, "So what did you actually buy?"

Jiang Yi murmured, "It's a gift for Qi Yuan, because next week is his birthday."

Liu Weiting: "...After all that, this is it?"