A band, or a battleground?

Qi Yuan: "What I'm unhappy about is that we clearly agreed that I was just making a guest appearance on the show, so why did they suddenly ask me to write a song?"

The director was even more dumbfounded: "Didn't you say that?!"

Qi Yuan: "What did I say?"

"Those guests, and the staff, all said that you were alone and coming up with new song ideas, that the show gave you inspiration... Uh, isn't that true?"

Qi Yuan sighed: "You've heard me say that before? I told you I was going to write a song for the show? Why didn't you ask me privately when you finally came to ask me? Why did you have to ask in front of other people?"

"But I saw you write a poem on the spot on Xu Xi's show... No, could it be that you didn't actually want to? Is Bai Xingye lying to me?"

Qi Yuan sighed again and nodded: "It's obvious that he's lying to you."

The director scratched his head, looking puzzled: "But why would he lie to me?"

Qi Yuan: "I don't know, you'll have to ask him."

The director was silent for a few seconds, then smiled wryly and said, "This really is a misunderstanding. I'm sorry, I genuinely thought you were planning to write a song for our show."

Qi Yuan: "It's okay, I did write it."

The director paused, then said, "If the appearance fee were higher, would you be willing to not release this song?"

Qi Yuan smiled.

The director was considering how much extra money to add when, just then, the assistant director hurriedly pushed the door open and entered.

"Oh no! Check Shen Yihan's blog!"

The director knew something was wrong as soon as he heard this. He quickly took out his phone, tapped a few times, and his hand trembled so much that he almost dropped the phone.

Shen Yihan posted: "[Today's script murder mystery recording was very enjoyable, and I even heard a guest sing, which was a pleasant surprise.]"

There are already thousands of likes below, along with a long string of fan comments:

[Are there singing segments in murder mystery games?]

Who is it?

Which of this season's guests can sing?

[Could it be He Dong? He hosted a season of "The Coming One: Super Band," which honed his musical talent?]

[Stop joking, He Dong's musical talent isn't even as good as Yi Han's.]

【Shirahoshino?】

[I doubt Bai has ever released a song. Aside from acting in two web dramas, he's basically just a variety show personality...]

The director looked up, a wry smile on his face again: "Looks like we have no other choice."

Qi Yuan shrugged: "Then there's nothing we can do."

The director paused for a moment, then said, "I will talk to Bai Xingye and ask him why he lied to me. But ultimately, this is also a mistake on our part. The fact that your appearance fee has been doubled this time is our way of showing our sincerity, and we hope you will not pursue the matter further."

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "I can feel your sincerity."

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.

As Shirahoshino got into the car leaving the studio, he felt a little uneasy.

Halfway through the drive, his agent suddenly called, which confirmed this feeling.

As soon as the call connected, the agent launched into a tirade: "Why did you lie to the director? Why did you start this trouble!"

Shirahoshino subconsciously said, "I was just saying..."

Agent: "Nonsense! The director told me you were the one stirring up trouble! He thought you got along well with Qi Yuan and were even relaying messages for him. Turns out, he never said anything like that; it was all made up by you!"

Bai Xingye quickly defended himself, saying, "It's not all made up. Everyone else was saying that Qi Yuan was going to write a song, so I just relayed what they said."

The agent said, "It's no use explaining to me. Go explain to those people online. Shen Yihan posted an update saying there's such a song. Go explain to the netizens now that the song can't be played because it mocks the show's production team, and you're the one who stirred things up. Go tell them!"

Bai Xingye stared blankly out the car window.

Outside, the streets were bustling with traffic, as vibrant as ever. But in his eyes, everything seemed shrouded in shadow.

The agent sighed and asked, "Why did you cause trouble? Did Qi Yuan offend you?"

Bai Xingye was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "I just can't stand him. We're all busy recording the show, but he's just slacking off."

As for the truth that "the fact that Shen Yihan and he seem to have a good relationship makes me even more disgusted," Bai Xingye couldn't bring himself to say it.

The agent questioned, "Don't you even use your brain? Don't you think about the consequences of stirring up trouble?"

Bai Xingye: "It's not like I haven't made choices before, and nothing ever happened. Qi Yuan is a junior, and this is his first time on this show. How dare he mock the production team?"

The agent sneered, "He's different from you. You're a variety show personality, he isn't."

Shirahoshino: "The Tomorrow Band is also a variety show audition program!"

The agent said, "Some people rise to fame because of a platform, while others just happen to come across a particular platform. Even without anyone deliberately promoting them, they can still become famous. Even without that talent show, Qi Yuan and his band could have become famous by building up their fanbase little by little with the songs he wrote, it would just have been a bit slower. Could you do that? Where would you be now if no company was promoting you?"

Bai Xingye: "..."

The agent sighed, "Of all people to mess with, you had to mess with Qi Yuan? You must not have watched Tomorrow Band, so you don't know. Jufeng Music is a big company, and they can't do anything about Qi Yuan!"

Bai Xingye: "He's just a newcomer, why does he have such..."

The agent interrupted bluntly, "It's because he has work! Don't you understand? His fans are different from yours! Your fans might follow you today, but tomorrow they might follow other handsome guys on variety shows. You're not special at all. But Qi Yuan's fans only follow Qi Yuan and his band because what attracts them is the songs—songs that no one else can write, only he can write!"

Bai Xingye thought about how he had watched Qi Yuan compose and sing the song on the spot today, and his voice became even more dejected: "Okay, he is indeed good at songwriting."

Agent: "Anyway, the director has already spoken to me. Your position as a regular guest this season wasn't a sure thing to begin with, you understand?"

"What?!" Bai Xingye couldn't help but exclaim, "They made a promise back then, they can't go back on their word!"

Agent: "So I suggest you find some time to apologize to the director and offer to lower your appearance fee. Anyway, the appearance fee for this show isn't much, only tens of thousands of yuan per episode. The important thing is the opportunity to be seen."

Bai Xingye hesitated, "Let's lower the appearance fee, but... wouldn't that be too embarrassing?"

Agent: "Lying and stirring up trouble is already shameful enough. You'd better think this through."

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.

165cm tall guys and girls

Qi Yuan was surprised to find that his teammates already knew about his return to the hotel.

There was a knock on the door, and when he opened it, the three girls came in.

Ning Qianyu asked right off the bat, "I heard you wrote a song to criticize people on the show?"

Qiu Mengxue: "How did the talks with that director go? Will that song be released?"

Jiang Yi: "Did they make things difficult for you?"

Qi Yuan pressed his hands down: "Wait, what do you all know?"

Ning Qianyu blinked: "We saw Yihan's post, and then we asked Sister Liu, and she told us."

Qiu Mengxue said, "She told us that you were put in a difficult position on the set of the show, and then you wrote a song on the spot to criticize the production team. They couldn't give you a bad review, so they could only talk to you with a tight nose."

Jiang Yi asked in a low voice, "How did their talk with you go? Did they give you any trouble?"

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "It's not difficult for me, but I'm the one who's making things difficult for them. My appearance fee will increase, and that song will be released. I have to say, Tianhua Entertainment's brand still works."

Qiu Mengxue shook her head: "The point isn't Tianhua Entertainment, it's yourself. Out of so many original musicians in the entertainment industry, how many can write songs like you, just like that?"

Jiang Yi added, "Not a single one."

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your encouragement. By the way, I'll write down the sheet music for this new song tonight. Mengxue, you can help me with the arrangement."

Qiu Mengxue asked, "Don't we need to find Teacher Zhou?"

Qi Yuan: "There's no need to hire him for this kind of song. It doesn't focus on emotional expression. On the contrary, it should be more humorous and have a good online feel."

Qiu Mengxue tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "A viral pop song?"

"It's not that drooling... Anyway, we'll find out tomorrow by trying it out."

Qi Yuan thought Qiu Mengxue would find it difficult to say this. However, after he finished speaking, he saw that the girl did not have any difficulty at all. Instead, she smiled and agreed with a "okay".

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 following morning, as the band set off, Qi Yuan finally understood why Qiu Mengxue had agreed so readily the night before. Ning Qianyu and Jiang Yi understood as well.

On the way to the airport, Qiu Mengxue, citing "arrangement needs," sat next to Qi Yuan. Moreover, she pulled him to sit in the last row of the van. The driver, manager Liu Weiting, and two other young women were in front of them.

In other words, if they don't turn around and look behind them, they won't be able to see what Qi Yuan and Qiu Mengxue are doing.

Jiang Yi was the most worried. She would glance back every now and then, only to see the two of them sitting almost side by side, whispering and laughing. It was mainly Qi Yuan who was making Qiu Mengxue giggle and cover her mouth.

Outside the car window, the sun was shining brightly; inside, the air conditioning was on full blast.

Jiang Yi tried hard to hear what the two people behind her were talking about. Although they were speaking in very low voices, she could still make out some key words...

"C major", "light pop-punk", "eighth note staccato", "muddled strumming", "synthesizer echo" and the like, no matter how you listen to them, they all seem to be just normal music conversations.

But is this really normal?

When the car arrived at the airport, Sister Liu and the four members of the band went through security and were about to board the plane when they were still chatting.

Even after boarding the plane, Qiu Mengxue made even more outrageous demands.

Sister Liu was using the company's accounts, and all five of them were seated in the spacious business class. Unlike economy class, these rows of seats only had four seats per row, with two seats together on the left and two seats together on the right.

Qiu Mengxue said she wanted to continue discussing the arrangement with Qi Yuan, so she pulled him to sit in one of the two seats on the left, and Qi Yuan was even by the window.

what does this mean?

Qiu Mengxue wants to have Qi Yuan all to herself!

Standing in the aisle, Jiang Yi gritted her teeth and asked, "How long are you going to discuss the arrangement of just one song?"

Qiu Mengxue looked up, her expression natural: "I don't know how long this discussion will last, it's not over yet."

Jiang Yi: "Why didn't you arrange the music for 'Blue Lotus,' 'Those Flowers,' and 'A Thousand Years Later' like this before?"

Qiu Mengxue's answer was even more natural: "Because I didn't know so many people would hear it back then. It's different now. The song hasn't even been released yet, but tens of thousands of people on my blog already know about it, so of course I have to take it seriously."

Jiang Yi narrowed her eyes, but still found it difficult to refute.

At that moment, a flight attendant reminded him, "Please sit down, the passengers behind you need to pass."

Jiang Yi could only sit down reluctantly, next to Ning Qianyu, in a seat by the aisle.

Ning Qianyu was looking at her at that moment, and when Jiang Yi turned her head, their eyes met.

Jiang Yi asked in a low voice, "Do you think this is normal?"

Ning Qianyu: "What do you mean by normal or abnormal?"

Jiang Yi: "They talked about music arrangement the whole way!"

Ning Qianyu thought for a moment and asked softly, "When Qi Yuan celebrated his birthday, Meng Xue wanted to chat with him. Do you think that's normal?"

Jiang Yi replied without hesitation, "That's not normal at all!"

Ning Qianyu shrugged and said, "See, so it's not surprising. Things have already started to get abnormal. And if you ask me, it's not normal for you to care about them so much."

Jiang Yi narrowed her eyes: "So, are you normal? You gave him a computer as a gift..."

Ning Qianyu smiled naturally: "It's normal, because he needs a laptop. With our current income, buying a computer is no big deal. We're good friends, so it's perfectly normal for me to give him this gift. If you need one and it happens to be your birthday, I'll give you one too."

Jiang Yi: "Are we buddies too?"

Ning Qianyu waved her hand: "Hey, we're best friends, our relationship should be even stronger, right?"

Jiang Yi: "..."

Ning Qianyu then comforted her, "Besides, look where Sister Liu is sitting. She's sitting right behind Brother Gun, so she can keep an eye on him and Mengxue. If you're worried that their relationship is inappropriate, then you can remind Sister Liu about it."

Jiang Yi shook her head: "Let's not talk about our band's internal affairs with Sister Liu."

Ning Qianyu laughed and said, "Don't worry, Sister Liu is definitely more worried about Qi Yuan's gossip than you are. She's always ready to put out any rumors, afraid that something might happen within our band. So you don't need to tell her, she'll be keeping an eye on things."

Jiang Yi pursed her lips and glanced at the two people on her left.

At this moment, Ning Qianyu whispered again, "And don't forget, I support you."

Jiang Yi suddenly turned her head to look at her.

"Do you remember that night on Qi Yuan's birthday, when we were in his room, you asked me who I supported between you and Meng Xue..."

At this point, a smile appeared on Ning Qianyu's face.