A band, or a battleground?

Amid cheers and screams, the three returned to the stage with their instruments. Ning Qianyu, carrying a stool, followed behind the staff member who was moving the drum set.

"Since everyone is so enthusiastic, we'll dedicate another song to you all," Qi Yuan said, his hands already on the guitar strings.

Ning Qianyu snatched a microphone from somewhere and yelled, "Wait a minute, my drum isn't set up yet!"

The whole room erupted in laughter.

After waiting for another half minute, the drums, guitar, and bass started playing again.

There was no need for Qi Yuan to say it, nor for anyone to announce it; everyone could immediately recognize the song—"Existence," the song from the semi-finals, the song that Qi Yuan wrote on the spot during an interview program.

It is also widely recognized by music fans as the song that best represents Qi Yuan's true feelings.

"So many people walk, yet remain stuck in the same place; so many people live, yet are as if they are dead..."

This time, Qi Yuan sang the same key that almost led to his mistake during the semi-finals. The slightly rough and grating high notes echoed in the glow of the setting sun.

When the chorus came, Qiu Mengxue sang again, creating a duet of yin and yang.

Who knows where we are going? Who understands what life has become?

"Should I find an excuse to continue living a wretched life, or should I spread my wings and fly away, remaining angry? How should I exist..."

As the last note faded, the Spring Shadow Band bowed again and left the stage, and the curtain was drawn once more.

The audience lingered, reluctant to leave, with few even considering departing immediately. Some, still unwilling to give up, chanted "Encore! Encore!"

But far fewer people joined in the chanting. Everyone understood that Kasuga Kage had already performed seven songs in a row, exceeding an hour. Another encore seemed a bit excessive.

Just as Shen Yihan was packing up to leave, several staff members walked over from both sides of the VIP seating area.

They bent down and quietly reminded the audience members in the first two rows of VIP seats: "Dear music fans, please keep your ticket stubs safe. Those with exclusive VIP tickets can now go backstage. The Spring Shadow Band will be there to sign autographs for everyone."

"Wow!"

The group of wealthy people in the front row all looked surprised, and some even couldn't help but shout out.

Shen Yihan's eyes lit up, she pulled her baseball cap down further, and followed the others through the passage.

They were led to a spacious room.

A long table was set up here, and the four members of the Spring Shadow Band were sitting side by side behind the table, each holding a pen and smiling.

However, it was clear that this was the first time these four people had experienced such a scene, and there was some tension in their eyes, especially the three girls.

As expected, most of the dozens of VIP audience members spontaneously lined up in the queue in front of Qi Yuan after entering.

The line in front of Qi Yuan was the longest. The lines in front of Qiu Mengxue and Jiang Yi were shorter, and the line in front of Ning Qianyu was much shorter.

As Ning Qianyu signed autographs for her fans, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the long line of fans in front of Qi Yuan.

Jiang Yi stole a glance at Ning Qianyu's expression, suppressed a laugh, and also lowered her head to carefully write her name on the fans' ticket stubs.

Shen Yihan naturally joined the line in front of Qi Yuan, watching as the people in front of her signed their names one by one, and each of them couldn't help but say a few words.

A woman with crow's feet at the corners of her eyes smiled and said, "Brother Qi Yuan, I really love your songs!"

Qi Yuan's expression remained unchanged, as if there was nothing wrong with what the other person said, and he simply replied, "Thank you for your support."

Then a girl who was about his age said after he finished signing: "Your songs are great, I especially love them, especially 'Hair Like Snow'!"

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "It only has meaning if the audience appreciates it. Thank you."

He still didn't say much, but his gentle expression and tone surprised many fans who knew the name 'Warrior Monk'.

Finally, it was Shen Yihan's turn.

Qi Yuan was looking down.

After signing dozens of names in a row, his fingers were starting to ache. He didn't look up to see the person's face; he simply extended his left hand habitually, palm open, waiting for the other person to hand him the ticket stub or notebook.

However, what was handed to him was a hard black card with gold trim.

Qi Yuan was slightly taken aback. He turned the card over and saw several large, hollowed-out artistic characters printed on it—"Special Invitation to the Script Murder Mystery Superstar".

He was stunned. How did this thing end up at a backstage autograph session at a music festival in Shanghai?

Qi Yuan raised his head and looked at the girl in front of him.

The young girl standing in front of him was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. But despite this, Qi Yuan still recognized her.

Shen Yihan raised her index finger, making a shushing gesture.

Qi Yuan realized what was happening and smiled, "Where would this lady like me to sign?"

Shen Yihan pointed to the "Special Guest" section on the invitation.

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.

159 Stereotypes about people in the entertainment industry

Qi Yuan understood Shen Yihan's meaning in an instant.

However, he didn't sign immediately, but instead looked to his left and right. To his left were Ning Qianyu and Jiang Yi, and to his right was Qiu Mengxue, who didn't notice his brief change in demeanor.

Shen Yihan smiled slightly and pointed at him.

Her meaning was quite clear: the show would only invite him, not anyone else.

Qi Yuan finally put down his pen, but instead of signing his own name, he wrote: "I'll go back and discuss it with my teammates."

Then he returned the card to the girl in front of him and smiled, saying, "Thank you for your support."

Shen Yihan was still staring blankly at the words when she was pushed aside by another female fan behind her.

Chunriying's fans are both male and female, but the majority of those who paid high prices for VIP tickets are women. And those queuing in front of Qi Yuan are almost all women. The one who ruthlessly pushed Shen Yihan aside at this moment was also a slightly overweight woman.

"Hi Qi Yuan, I've been waiting in line for ages, could you give me an autograph?"

"Just don't make it too long. What should I write?"

"Just write 'Happy Birthday'! Tomorrow is my birthday, hehe..."

Shen Yihan watched Qi Yuan chatting and laughing with that fat woman, writing "Happy Birthday" and her own name on the paper, and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

But suddenly, she came to her senses.

Qi Yuan was just signing autographs for ordinary fans, so what was there to be dissatisfied about?

As for discussing it with his teammates before deciding whether or not to appear on the show, isn't that perfectly normal? After all, it's already the end of August, and he should be going back to school after the music festival...

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.

That evening, Qi Yuan and his teammates had just returned to the hotel when they ran into their manager, Liu Weiting, who was having a meeting with the band.

In his room, Liu Weiting told them that Qi Yuan had received an invitation to the "Script Murder Detective" program—he was the only one invited, excluding the other members of the band.

Qi Yuan then realized that the invitation Shen Yihan had given him two hours earlier wasn't from an official channel. Could it be that Shen Yihan had simply arranged for that invitation, and the production team and Tianhua Entertainment were completely unaware of it?

Liu Weiting suddenly asked, "What do you think? Do you want to go?"

Before Qi Yuan could say anything, Ning Qianyu eagerly asked, "Does the show pay?"

Liu Weiting nodded: "Of course, the appearance fee is 80,000. The recording time is only one day, which is tomorrow."

Ning Qianyu slapped her thigh: "Is that even a question? Of course we have to take it! Earning 80,000 yuan a day recording a show, it's free money!"

Liu Weiting laughed and said, "Didn't you say you needed to balance your studies and therefore couldn't take on too much work? Besides, you're flying back tomorrow..."

Qiu Mengxue said, "Yes, but school starts the day after tomorrow. He can finish recording the show tomorrow and take the flight back the day after tomorrow. Let's change our tickets tomorrow so we can both take the flight back the day after tomorrow."

Liu Weiting looked at Jiang Yi again.

Jiang Yi quickly said, "Since we only invited Qi Yuan, we should ask for his opinion. Qi Yuan, do you want to go?"

Their gazes returned to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Qian Yu is right. It's only one day, so why not make some money?"

Liu Weiting laughed and said, "Then I'll reply to them right away. You all should get some rest tonight, especially you, Qi Yuan. You'll definitely be exhausted tomorrow, so you need to conserve your energy to record the show."

Qi Yuan: "I understand."

After finishing their business, Liu Weiting took her leave.

But now only three girls remained in the room. They looked at each other, and none of them got up.

Qi Yuan stood up and asked, "What are you doing sitting here?"

Jiang Yi said, "I'm a little curious. Because I've watched the 'Script Murder Detective' show many times before, so I'm a long-time viewer..."

Qi Yuan shrugged and said, "It's no use being curious. I'm just a guest star who doesn't know anything. I haven't even received the script yet, and I don't even know what kind of role I'll be playing tomorrow."

Ning Qianyu asked, "So what's the purpose of this program?"

Jiang Yi complained, "You don't even know what this show is, yet you're encouraging him to take it?"

Ning Qianyu argued confidently, "Who cares what kind of program it is? As long as it won't tarnish the image of our Chunri Film Studio, and there's no personal safety involved, that's enough. Eighty thousand yuan a day—could you have even dreamed of that before this summer vacation?"

Qiu Mengxue said leisurely, "I think Yiyi is a little disappointed that the production team invited Qi Yuan but not you, right?"

Jiang Yi quickly waved her hand: "I'm just a spectator, I didn't intend to participate."

Ning Qianyu: "So can anyone tell me what this show is all about?"

Jiang Yi asked, "Have you ever played a murder mystery game?"

Ning Qianyu shook her head: "I've never played it, and I'm not interested in this kind of thing, but I've heard of it. It seems to be a game where several people participate, each receiving a script and playing different roles?"

Jiang Yi nodded and said, "Yes, that's how murder mystery games are. This show is the same, except that all the players are celebrities in the entertainment industry, and they are all quite famous. Then everyone has to change clothes and wear clothes that match their character's identity, and they also have to memorize the script."

Qi Yuan: "Are you sure you want to memorize this?"

Jiang Yi: "Don't worry, the scripts they provide are very simple. In fact, compared to the script-based murder mystery games that ordinary people play, the scripts in this show are quite simple. The highlight of the show is the interaction between the celebrities."

Qiu Mengxue summarized for her: "This is a celebrity reality show, so they won't set too high a difficulty level for you."

Ning Qianyu thought for a moment and then asked, "In a murder mystery game, is there always one person who plays the murderer?"

Jiang Yi said, "Yes, but sometimes there is more than one murderer. There was an episode where there were two murderers, and they only identified one of them. In the end, the murderer who was not discovered won."

"The production team is really..." Ning Qianyu said, resting her chin on her hand. "It's such a pity that we missed out on a real detective."

Jiang Yi rolled her eyes at her: "Do you think Qi Yuan isn't smart? He's also very good at deduction. If you can find the real culprit right away, then he definitely can too!"

Ning Qianyu pursed her lips: "How did you know?"

Jiang Yi: "I just knew it!"

Qi Yuan suddenly said, "Is it possible that the script I receive tomorrow will tell me that I am the real culprit?"

Jiang Yi shifted her gaze from Ning Qianyu to Qi Yuan, a gentle smile immediately spreading across her face: "That's possible, it all depends on your acting skills. But I'm sure your acting skills can fool them."

Ning Qianyu: "No, you really have that much confidence in him?"

Jiang Yi: "Anyway, although those celebrities are famous, their IQ is definitely not as good as Qi Yuan's."

Ning Qianyu blinked and nodded: "That's true. Those people probably can't even solve a linear equation with two variables, right?"

Qi Yuan laughed and said, "We're practically part of the entertainment industry now, is it really okay to still have such stereotypes?"

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.

160 connections in the entertainment industry

Upon arriving at the studio for "The Great Murder Detective," Qi Yuan received his script. He was surprised to find it unexpectedly thin, consisting of only three pages, one of which was the cover.

He was working with the program's assistant director.

Qi Yuan opened the first page of the script, read only a few lines, and then looked up in astonishment: "The scene is a mental sanatorium, the deceased is the director, and the role I play is... an air conditioner repairman?"

The assistant director explained with a smile, "I'm sorry, there are five regular celebrity guests on the show. You decided to make a guest appearance at the last minute. Due to the short notice, we could only add a character without making major changes to the script, so this is how it was arranged."

Qi Yuan continued reading and quickly finished the first page. When he turned the page again, he found that the content of the second page was even simpler than that of the first page.

Then he raised his head and said, "I'm not the murderer. My only grudge against the deceased was that he owed me wages."

The assistant director nodded: "So the real culprit is among the other five guests. What you need to do is search for clues and find the real killer. But this is a reality show after all, so you can't just focus on solving the case. You also need to interact with the other people to make the show more interesting."

Qi Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "It needs to be entertaining, I understand."

The assistant director said, "Would you like me to show you around our set so you can get familiar with it?"

Qi Yuan naturally agreed.