A band, or a battleground?

The car quickly arrived at its destination.

As you drive through the gate of the residential area, the noise of traffic outside diminishes considerably. Inside, the tall, lush ginkgo trees seem to have a noise-reducing effect.

The car drove into the underground parking garage, where the light gray epoxy flooring was bright and dry.

Liu Weiting parked the car and turned off the engine. As soon as the young men and women got out of the car, they found that the parking lot was not only quiet, but also had fresh and comfortable air.

It was sweltering outside, just like the end of August.

Liu Weiting led them into the elevator lobby, up to the fifth floor, and to a door. She said, "I just sent you the password. Let's register your fingerprints."

Qi Yuan has registered his fingerprint, so he won't need a key to enter the house anymore.

Thinking back to the rusty old security door from last night, Qi Yuan felt that this environment was indeed much more comfortable.

After the door opened, the three girls couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Wow, the living room window is so big, it's a floor-to-ceiling window!

"The renovation is quite nice..."

"The floor is so clean, was it cleaned beforehand?"

Liu Weiting laughed and said, "We definitely made preparations in advance to ensure that Qi Yuan could move in with just his bags."

Qi Yuan walked through the living room and came to the floor-to-ceiling window.

From the fifth floor, you can see most of the neighborhood from above the low shrubs and landscaping stones.

The neighborhood is filled with ginkgo trees, their canopies swaying gently in the breeze. Besides the streetlights, there are also some landscape lights hidden among the trees, but since it's still daytime, none of them are turned on.

Qi Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Liu. This place is really nice, I'm very satisfied."

Liu Weiting walked to his side and said with a smile, "You haven't even looked inside yet, and you're already satisfied with just the living room?"

So Qi Yuan turned around and went into the bedroom to take a look.

Qiu Mengxue walked to the French windows and asked softly, "Sister Liu, how big is this house?"

Liu Weiting: "120 square meters is more than enough for him to live in alone. And the soundproofing is also very good. There are two elevators and two households per floor. If he is just playing the guitar and doesn't shout, he won't disturb the neighbors."

Qiu Mengxue nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Liu Weiting suddenly turned to look at her and reminded her, "Although this house has two bedrooms and a study, it's enough for a family to live in, but it's rented for Qi Yuan, so you guys shouldn't stay here."

Qiu Mengxue was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course we won't stay here. Our home isn't far from the school, why would we come here to freeload a room?"

Liu Weiting hesitated for a moment, but still didn't make her point more clearly.

Having spent these past few days with the band, she had already noticed some clues. Qi Yuan might not have any ulterior motives yet, but it seemed that more than one of the girls in the band had impure thoughts.

Sister Liu is an experienced woman; she's dealt with countless celebrity scandals and sees things very clearly.

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.

168 zipped up

Qi Yuan had a very pleasant life in the days that followed.

The place Liu Weiting rented for him was quite nice, with a great environment. His situation at school was impeccable; the teachers still didn't bother with him much, and the students' 'respectful distance' was replaced by a deep sense of 'respect'.

Students from other classes often come to the door of Class 7, peering and observing, as if Qi Yuan were a rare giant panda.

For middle school students, classrooms of other classes seem like forbidden zones; they would never step into them without a very good reason. In reality, no teacher would care about such a trivial matter, but only delinquent teenagers dare to disregard the rules.

They are too young to know that many rules in this world are unbreakable, while others are simply rules that managers slack off on or have become accustomed to.

Qi Yuan would give an autograph to any classmate who dared to talk to him, regardless of their class.

Anyway, it doesn't take much effort.

The first few days of September went smoothly until he and his bandmates arrived at the recording studio.

"The drummer goes in first, remember to wear your in-ear monitors. Everyone else, especially the lead singer, get ready."

The sound engineer, sporting a full beard, said this and then put on his monitoring headphones.

Ning Qianyu walked into the recording studio, while the others remained in the control room. Through a transparent glass panel, everyone could see Ning Qianyu walk behind the drum kit, sit down, put on headphones, and pick up two drumsticks.

"First time, the drummer begins."

At the sound engineer's instruction, Ning Qianyu started typing.

Everyone in the control room watched quietly.

Only after Ning Qianyu finished tapping it once did Jiang Yi ask softly, "I wonder if Qianyu is used to it?"

Qiu Mengxue also whispered, "We have to get used to it. Each instrument is usually recorded separately. There are times when the whole band records together, but that makes it inconvenient to adjust the tracks."

Qi Yuan's expression turned serious: "Without the cover of the other band members, any mistake will become very obvious. We have to be more serious."

Qiu Mengxue shook her head: "It's not just about being a little more serious, it's about being extremely serious. But you don't need to be too tense, since you can't possibly get it right the first time anyway, you can do it a few more times if you want."

The sound engineer glanced back at them.

The three of them immediately shut up and remained quiet.

After Ning Qianyu finished playing the second time, Jiang Yi couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "The drum set needs to be... By the way, how many times do we need to repeat it?"

The sound engineer suddenly turned around: "Record four or five takes first, and I will choose the most stable one as the main track."

Qi Yuan: "What if it's still not very stable after four or five tries?"

The sound engineer didn't scold him for being so bad; instead, he earnestly explained, "There's always something usable. Just pick the usable parts from each take and cut them together. Ensuring the best possible result is what our profession is all about. Alright, drummer, third take, get ready to begin."

Jiang Yi glanced at Qiu Mengxue.

Qiu Mengxue was staring intently at Ning Qianyu across the glass.

Jiang Yi suddenly reached out and touched Qi Yuan's hand, then quickly withdrew it.

Qi Yuan glanced at her with some surprise.

He realized that this was probably a way to replenish his energy.

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 recorded it five times and passed the test smoothly.

She returned to the control room and breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, it's all set. You guys continue, I'm going to the restroom."

Recording engineer: "Next, bassist."

Jiang Yi walked into the recording studio.

Just then, Qiu Mengxue quietly moved a step to the side, thus getting closer to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan noticed the change in the distance between the two and glanced at her.

Recording engineer: "I'll play the main drum track for you, the bass can follow along, get ready, first take."

Qiu Mengxue took another small step closer.

Qi Yuan stopped looking at her and stared at Jiang Yi. He suddenly realized that Jiang Yi's attention was entirely focused on the bass guitar in her arms, and she hadn't noticed the subtle changes in the control room at all.

He was certain that Qiu Mengxue hadn't noticed Jiang Yi's little action just now. In other words, the two of them had acted on the same plan today?

Qi Yuan secretly wondered what Qiu Mengxue's intentions were in sneaking up on him, and whether she would make a move like Jiang Yi had done earlier. However, Qiu Mengxue did not make a move even after Jiang Yi finished playing the first verse.

Then Ning Qianyu came back after using the restroom.

Qiu Mengxue quietly took two more steps, widening the distance between herself and Qi Yuan.

A question arose in Qi Yuan's eyes—what was this girl thinking? Could it be that she wanted to do something but didn't dare?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "What an innocent girl."

Ning Qianyu said casually, "This recording studio is pretty good. The toilets are squat toilets, and they're quite clean... uh?"

The sound engineer turned around and glared at her fiercely, making Ning Qianyu shut up.

Qiu Mengxue shook her head and whispered, "Keep quiet when recording, otherwise Yi Yi will be able to hear you."

Ning Qianyu took a deep breath and made a zipping motion in front of her mouth.

Next, Jiang Yi recorded five more takes and passed the test.

Before Qiu Mengxue went in, the sound engineer reminded her, "You're on keyboards, so it won't be as easy as with drums and bass. Four or five takes probably won't be enough. You need to be mentally prepared."

The girl took a deep breath, nodded, and went into the recording studio.

Jiang Yi stood in the spot where Qiu Mengxue had just been.

"Keyboard, first time."

As soon as the sound engineer finished speaking, Jiang Yi reached out her hand again. This time, it wasn't a fleeting touch, but she took his hand in hers.

Qi Yuan turned to look at her, lowered his voice, and asked quietly, "You don't need to replenish your energy now, do you?"

Jiang Yi replied quietly, "I feel nervous for Mengxue."

Qi Yuan: "...To replenish her energy, right?"

Jiang Yi winked playfully.

Just then, Ning Qianyu also noticed the two people's little actions and was stunned.

Jiang Yi immediately looked at Ning Qianyu.

Ning Qianyu then made a zipping motion in front of her mouth, and the meaning in her eyes was clear—girl, I understand, I support you!

However, Qi Yuan broke free from Jiang Yi's grasp.

Jiang Yi was stunned for a moment, then realized her mistake.

If you really need to relieve tension and replenish your energy, then yes.

However, if you clearly don't need to replenish energy, then you shouldn't force yourself to do it.

The girl lowered her head, looking dejected for a few seconds. But after that brief moment of dejection, her peach blossom eyes rekindled with fighting spirit.

Although Qi Yuan broke free from her grasp, his movements were gentle, even somewhat cautious. This was likely not only because he didn't want Qiu Mengxue to see him, but also to save her face.

What does this mean?

This shows that Qi Yuan's intention to refuse was not firm!

This shows that he is also wavering!

Jiang Yi convinced herself of this, secretly considering what reason she should use next time to make Qi Yuan unable to refuse.

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.

169, you're trending again!

Qi Yuan is the guitarist and lead vocalist, but during the recording, the guitar part is recorded first, and then the vocal part is recorded.

Because his guitar skills weren't very solid, it took him more than ten takes to get a usable main track. But once he started singing, he realized that more than ten takes was actually quite easy.

The recording engineer made him sing for a full hour, eight times.

After finishing the song, Qi Yuan did not return to the control room. Instead, he sat in the recording studio chair, listening blankly to the sound in his headphones.

"Of the eight times you sang it just now, the fourth, sixth, and seventh times were the best. Let me play them for you." The recording engineer said this and played those three times for him.

After hearing it three times, Qi Yuan didn't react for a moment.

Did you sing this yourself?

I've sung a cappella many times without accompaniment, and just now I was singing with accompaniment in my headphones, yet there are still so many problems.

However, as he listened, he realized that it wasn't his own mistake.

Because the recording engineer is now playing a pure vocal track for him, without any accompaniment, and using professional recording equipment with no background noise, all the flaws are exceptionally clear.

Not only were there slight off-key notes and trembling, but also the sounds of breathing and even swallowing could be heard clearly.

After playing these three times, the recording engineer said, "The high notes on the fourth time were the most stable, the beginning of the sixth time had the best emotion, and the melody of the verse on the seventh time was the most accurate. If you want to use these three times as a basis, I can cut out a main track for you."

Qi Yuan shook his head: "No, let's continue recording."

The sound engineer said, "You can continue recording, but you need to rest for half an hour. Drink some warm water, relax your neck and shoulder muscles, don't talk too much, and let your vocal cords rest."

Qi Yuan finally came out of the recording studio and returned to the control room on the other side of the glass.