A band, or a battleground?

Because Jiang Yi didn't hold his hand, but instead mustered up her courage and opened her arms to hug him!

Suddenly, Qi Yuan was caught off guard and froze on the spot, like a piece of wood.

In contrast, the girl's embrace was soft and yielding.

Qi Yuan could still smell the soft fragrance of her hair, and he could clearly hear her slightly rapid breathing near his ear...

Instinctively, he wanted to hug her. But before he could move his arms, he stopped.

I can't respond carelessly! If I do, wouldn't that be encouraging her?

At first, the so-called "recharging" was a handshake; tonight it turned into a hug. What about next time, and the time after that? I don't even want to think about what will happen in the future!

Qi Yuan was still struggling with how to react when Jiang Yi took two steps back, creating some distance between them.

Thankfully, the hug was brief, lasting only a few seconds.

The girl's cheeks were already as red as apples. She glanced at him furtively, then stared at the floor and said, "That's fine, thank you."

Qi Yuan: "There's no need to thank me..."

"Thank you for not pushing me away," Jiang Yi said, laughing to herself. "A hug from a teammate like that makes me feel much better. I guess I won't be nervous when I go on stage tomorrow."

Qi Yuan repeated, "Aren't you nervous anymore?"

Jiang Yi nodded: "If I feel nervous, I just think back to this hug, and I realize that you are by my side, supporting me. It's not just you, there's also Qianyu and Mengxue, they support me too. As long as I think like this, I can overcome my nervousness."

Qi Yuan: "Do they support you too?"

"Of course!" Jiang Yi waved her hand with a smile. "That's all for tonight, it's almost midnight. Anyway, happy birthday, Mr. Birthday Boy, you're already seventeen! I'm only two months shy..."

Qi Yuan: "Then I'll have to give you a gift too."

"We'll see then. Goodnight!"

As Jiang Yi said this, she turned and walked out.

Reaching the door, the girl opened it, then suddenly smiled and said, "Actually, you don't need to think about giving me any gifts. I think the best gift is just having you at my birthday party!"

Her figure disappeared outside the door, and the door closed.

Qi Yuan sat on the edge of the bed, his hands behind his back, looking up at the ceiling.

He thought that Liu Weiting's birthday cake would be the end of the day, but then two more girls came with gifts, he chatted with Qiu Mengxue and heard her call him "Dad," and then there was Jiang Yi's whole stunt...

"Was it wrong to make a birthday wish?"

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.

Ning Qianyu realized that her mind was in such a mess that she couldn't even finish the problem.

So she simply found the e-book of her Chinese textbook, took out her phone, and tried to distract herself by reading the texts. Because those texts were the most familiar to her, reading them didn't require any extra thought, and it forced her to focus her thoughts on some grand issues far removed from reality.

"Today they cede five cities, tomorrow ten, and then they can have a night's rest. But when they rise and look around, the Qin army is already at their doorstep. Thus, the lands of the feudal lords are finite, but the desires of the tyrannical Qin are insatiable. The more they offer, the more aggressively they invade..."

Ning Qianyu suddenly put down her phone.

She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Why? It doesn't seem to be working. The more I read, the more confused I get... Am I overlooking something?"

Suddenly, her eyes widened: "Right, hasn't Yi Yi gone back to her room yet!"

Ning Qianyu got up and went to the door, her hand on the doorknob, her mind racing through her words—what should she say when she rang Yi Yi's doorbell? She was so much better than Yi Yi in her studies, she couldn't very well say she wanted to ask about her studies, could she?

Asking about music? But what problems could a drummer possibly have that he needs to consult with a bassist about?

As Ning Qianyu was pondering, she suddenly heard what sounded like something outside the door.

She quickly peered through the peephole on the door.

Jiang Yi's room is right across from Ning Qianyu's.

At that moment, she saw through the peephole that Jiang Yi was standing in front of the door, swiping her room card to open it, then going inside and closing the door.

During the brief process, which lasted only a few seconds, Jiang Yi mostly kept her back to Ning Qianyu, who was spying on her, only revealing her profile the moment she opened the door and went inside.

Ning Qianyu clearly saw that Jiang Yi had a smile on her face, and it seemed... she was humming a song?

The door across the hall is closed.

Ning Qianyu walked back to the bedside step by step, sat down, put her hands behind her head, and vigorously rubbed her hair.

"Ugh, this is so annoying! I can't sleep at all!"

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.

157 ordinary fans Shen Yihan

On this day at the end of August, the much-anticipated Shanghai Music Festival finally began.

At 4 PM, almost the hottest time of day, tens of thousands of music fans still took the subway, buses, public transport, or drove themselves to the music festival. As a result, parking lots were completely full.

The entrance ticket checkpoint was completely blocked by a dense crowd.

Fortunately, the organizers turned on a high-powered air conditioner and blew it on the people queuing, otherwise someone would have definitely suffered heatstroke and fainted.

Unbeknownst to everyone, among the people in line was a young girl wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, who was none other than Shen Yihan.

Some people around noticed her, but they only thought the girl's features and facial contours were delicate, giving her a celebrity-like aura. However, since they couldn't see her eyes, they couldn't recognize her. And more importantly, who would have thought that Shen Yihan, coming to experience a music festival, would actually queue up to get in just like any other music fan?

Despite the cold wind, the air was thick with a complex mix of perfume, sunscreen, and sweat. Normally, no one would enjoy such an environment if they could gain entry through special privileges.

However, Shen Yihan didn't want anyone to know that she had come specifically to see Chunriying's performance, including her manager and assistant. So, this was the only way.

After queuing for nearly half an hour, she finally passed through security and stepped into this paradise for music fans.

In the vast green park, the organizers set up five separate stages, each more than a hundred meters apart, to minimize interference between them. Five performances took place simultaneously on these stages, allowing music fans to go to whichever stage they preferred.

Shen Yihan checked the time. There was still some time before Chunriying's performance, so she decided to take a stroll around the venue first.

She first walked to the nearest stage and saw a typical heavy metal band.

Four musicians, shirtless and covered in large tattoos, stood with the lead singer gripping the microphone and roaring. The distorted guitar blasts from the amplifiers, accompanied by the intense bombardment of double bass drums, making one's eardrums tingle.

The fans in the audience were shaking their heads wildly, and some even formed a circle to play "train".

Shen Yihan stood on the periphery and listened for a minute, feeling a throbbing pain in her temples. Unable to grasp the essence of this heavy metal, she rubbed her ears, turned around, and walked away.

She walked through a market area selling barbecue and trinkets and arrived at the second stage.

The music on this stage was noticeably gentler, and standing on it was a folk singer who had gained considerable online fame in the past two years. She was sitting on a high stool, holding an acoustic guitar, and softly singing into the microphone.

The melody was soft and slow, and the lyrics were full of "distant places," "long journeys," and "lonely nights"...

Most of the audience members stood quietly, some with their eyes closed, swaying their bodies slightly to the rhythm.

Shen Yihan stopped and listened for a while. The singing was indeed quite good, and the pronunciation was very clear, but for some reason, she always felt that the singing lacked a certain soul.

Less than two minutes later, she started walking away again.

She then walked to the vicinity of the third stage.

On stage, a pop band was delivering a high-energy electronic dance track, accompanied by dazzling laser effects and synthesizer sounds. The lead singer was energetically singing and dancing, and the audience below was jumping and dancing along.

Shen Yihan glanced at it and felt that the performance was too formulaic, and the singing was full of electronic music. After listening for less than a minute, she completely lost interest.

"Without Spring Shadow, the music festival is really boring..."

Shen Yihan muttered something under her breath and took out her phone to look at it.

It's 4:40 PM. Less than 20 minutes remain until the main show on the main stage.

She turned back. When she returned to the vicinity of the main stage, the scene before her made Shen Yihan gasp in shock.

The lawn was already packed with an unusually large number of people. As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of ​​heads, several times denser than when she had left. Not only was the inner area completely full, but even the small earthen mounds and fences on the perimeter were crowded with spectators.

Shen Yihan struggled to push forward, the chatter of the surrounding music fans constantly reaching her ears.

"Is Haruhi Kage really going to sing six songs? I've seen other veteran bands only do four or five at most."

"They're currently very popular, so the organizers must have given them plenty of time!"

"I don't believe their live performances can be as stable as their shows. Open-air music festivals with tens of thousands of people are completely different from those in a studio..."

"Come on, the finals were broadcast live the whole time, what are you complaining about?"

"I came here specifically for the song 'Life in Full Bloom'!"

Although "In the Name of the Father" wasn't on today's setlist and seemed completely unrelated to her, Shen Yihan felt secretly pleased as she listened to the discussions.

She pulled out her expensive VIP ticket from her pocket and, guided by staff, smoothly passed through the special entrance. The first two rows of seats inside were very spacious and offered excellent views, with the audience less than ten meters from the stage.

Shen Yihan sat down in the second row on the left, her bright eyes fixed on the stage, which was still covered by the curtain, through her sunglasses.

It's exactly five o'clock.

A clear guitar strumming suddenly burst from the main amplifier. The heavy curtain slid open to the sides, and a dazzling spotlight instantly focused on the center of the stage.

Qi Yuan, Qiu Mengxue, and Jiang Yi stood in the center of the stage, in the brightest spot. Ning Qianyu sat behind them, a drum set in front of her, her drumsticks already striking each other.

The cheers in front of the stage almost drowned out the sound from the speakers.

Qi Yuan didn't waste any words, only saying six simple words: "The first song, 'Blue Lotus'!"

The intro begins, and then:

"Nothing can stop your yearning for freedom..."

As soon as Qi Yuan's voice came out, the noise from the audience almost stopped.

Shen Yihan sat in the second row, but to hear the singing and instrumental music, she still had to rely on the large speakers on both sides of the stage. The sound quality at the venue wasn't actually as refined as it was on the show. However, being there in person added a sense of immersive passion.

Especially when the chorus comes, the surrounding audience starts singing along.

As the chorus drew to a close, Qi Yuan hit a high note, and the audience's sing-along began to falter. But at that moment, Ning Qianyu's drums and Jiang Yi's bass suddenly intensified.

In that instant, Shen Yihan even felt her chest vibrate along with the speakers. This was a feeling that could never be experienced while watching television.

When the music ended, applause and cheers erupted.

Qi Yuan didn't waste any words: "The second song is 'Hair Like Snow'."

Qiu Mengxue's piano keys began to play.

At this moment, despite the large number of people gathered around the stage, the atmosphere became even quieter.

Shen Yihan couldn't help but turn her head to look around, making sure the audience hadn't left. Everywhere she looked, there was a sea of ​​heads.

She murmured to herself, "She's really popular... almost as popular as me."

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.

158 Special Invitation

After the opening pieces "Blue Lotus" and "Hair Like Snow," the next pieces performed by Haruhi Kage were "A Thousand Years Later," "Life Like Summer Flowers," and "I Want to Fly."

These are all songs that received high praise on the show.

The order of these pieces was clearly carefully arranged. The tempo increased as the music progressed, and the atmosphere became increasingly energetic…

Until the final sixth song, "Blooming Life".

When the chorus line, "I want a life in full bloom, like flying in the vast sky," burst from Qi Yuan's throat, a column of fire several meters high shot out from the edge of the stage.

Countless people were screaming along, and even those who weren't singing along, and even those who had doubts about this new band before the performance, couldn't utter a single word of criticism in this atmosphere.

As Qi Yuan's last note faded and dissipated, the instruments also came to a stop.

The four people stood in front of the stage and bowed deeply to the audience.

Thank you everyone, see you next time!

Qi Yuan's closing remarks were exceptionally simple. It wasn't just a lack of fluff; they practically turned and left the stage before anyone could even react.

The area around the stage was silent for only a few seconds before everyone, after recovering, began to shout:

"Encore! Encore! Encore!"

Shen Yihan also stood up from her chair, cupped her hands around her mouth, and joined the surrounding fans in shouting, "Encore! One more song!"

Her cheeks flushed red, and her forehead was covered in sweat. At that moment, she completely forgot that she was actually a bigger star than Haruhi Kage, as if she were just an ordinary, enthusiastic music fan.

The shouts lasted for a full two minutes, even interfering with performances on two nearby stages.

Finally, the curtain slowly opened to both sides once again.