IDEI CH42

While the trending topics were still brewing, the TND members at the scene had already surrounded the trio, inspecting them closely.

Especially Xiao Yingyi, Wei Mingzhe, and Mo Jinghai—the subtle inconsistencies they had previously forced themselves to ignore suddenly rushed back to their minds.

Xiao Yingyi furrowed his brows. “So, the reason the old lady’s voice sounded so gruff earlier was because it was An Zai…”

“Of course!” An Zai said excitedly. “You guys would have recognized my normal voice the second I spoke, so I deliberately roughened my throat and spoke in dialect. You didn’t recognize it at all, right!”

Wei Mingzhe looked at An Zai, caught between tears and laughter. “And that sprained ankle was crafted out of makeup. I was just thinking the texture didn’t feel right.”

Gong Jiayu forcefully pulled up the pant legs on both his legs. “Time was super tight when we were doing the makeup, so I even asked Qi-ge why he was applying makeup to both ankles. He said he was afraid someone might walk right up and lift my other pant leg.”

“And it turns out, it was true! Wei-ge, you went straight for the other leg! I broke out in a cold sweat. You even wanted to feel it with your hands! Scared me to death!” Gong Jiayu complained.

In his agitation, he yanked his pant legs up even higher, exposing his knees.

Everyone present could clearly see that just below his fair, smooth knees was a short section of pale calf, which then abruptly—as if cursed by some dark magic—turned aged, wrinkled, and rough.

Even the live broadcast camera zoomed in, snapping close-up shots of Gong Jiayu’s calves.

[My god, this is so impressive!]

[Even with the camera this close, you can’t see any flaws! If it weren’t for Gong Jiayu’s knees being exposed, I would have thought they just hired an actual old man!]

[How on earth did they do this?]

[Qi-ge, you’re a god…]

……

Mo Jinghai scratched his head with a sheepish, goofy smile. “No wonder I thought the grandpa was in oddly good shape when I carried him. He even had muscles!”

The live comments instantly burst into laughter.

[Hahahaha, Hai-ge, did you seriously not give that a second thought?]

[A seventy-something grandpa with solid muscles, who manages to sprain his ankle just walking in the park, and Hai-ge didn’t find that suspicious?]

[Ah, in that atmosphere, it’s probably hard to overthink things.]

An Zai loudly complained, “Hai-ge, I was terrified when you hoisted Xiao Yu onto your back! I thought our cover was blown for sure, but you didn’t notice a single thing…”

After the three had taken turns answering questions, Director Lin cleared his throat. “An Zi’ai, Lou Yuxing, Gong Jiayu, would you like to explain your master plan?”

An Zai exchanged a look with the other two, stepping forward to explain with brimming pride. “From the very beginning, we chose Xiao-ge and Wei-ge as our targets because neither of them has much experience interacting with the elderly…”

Xiao Yingyi and Wei Mingzhe exchanged a glance and sighed. Both had left home at a young age; they hardly spent time with their own parents, let alone elderly people.

“Targeting them made it much harder for our disguises to be seen through. And having Little Xingxing dress up as a girl asking for help lowered your guard even further, using your own kindness to lure you in.”

At this point, An Zai suddenly turned serious. “To the viewers watching the show: our scam today was just a game, but as you can see, the elderly and young girls naturally cause people to drop their guard. So, if a girl traveling alone encounters someone asking for help on the street, you must remain vigilant, regardless of whether the other person is an elder, a pregnant woman, or a child!”

Director Lin hadn’t expected An Zai to deliver such a speech, but it certainly elevated the core message of the show perfectly.

“Exactly.” Xiao Yingyi paused, turning serious as well. “The three of us originally maintained a high level of vigilance toward everyone in the park, yet we were still fooled by An Zai’s team. Everyone, please be careful.”

The live comments quickly echoed the sentiment.

[Yes! Girls absolutely need to protect themselves! Bad guys nowadays easily exploit a girl’s kindness and empathy to achieve their goals!]

[Being kind is a good thing, but protecting yourself is the most important thing of all!]

[In short: if someone singles out a young girl for help when there are other people around, you need to be extremely cautious!]

……

An Zai didn’t linger on the heavy topic for long, swiftly steering the conversation back. “The person we have to thank the most for our successful escape today is Qi-ge! When I pitched the idea to him, it was a desperate Hail Mary, but I never expected Qi-ge to be this magical!”

Mo Jinghai agreed, “Yeah! Thinking back on it now, there were so many flaws in your act. Xiao Xing’s walking posture didn’t look like a girl’s, An Zai was walking way too fast for a seventy-year-old lady and keeping up with our hurried pace, and Xiao Yu had zero ‘old person’ vibe about him. When I carried him, his joints felt incredibly supple, not at all like an elderly man.”

“But your makeup was just too absurd!” Mo Jinghai’s face was full of sheer disbelief. “Even up close, it was flawlessly indistinguishable from the real thing, so I completely stopped overthinking it.”

An Zai bounced on his heels excitedly.

At this point, Director Lin announced their team’s final score. Aside from the 100 points per person for escaping, there were the 30 points An Zai and Lou Yuxing earned from talking to Xiao Yingyi, Wei Mingzhe, and Mo Jinghai, 90 points for physical contact, and 32 time-bonus points for escaping in twenty-eight minutes. In this single game, they scored a whopping 452 points!

Adding the points they earned as the defending team earlier, An Zai’s group leapfrogged to become the highest-scoring team in the fifth game, claiming the ultimate victory for today’s variety shoot!

When presenting them with this episode’s “Demon King” award, An Zai practically dragged Qi Yanning onto the stage, arguing self-righteously, “More than half the credit for this victory goes to Qi-ge’s magical hands, so he absolutely has to come up and accept the award with us!”

Thus, surrounded by the three kids, Qi Yanning took the small trophy and stood helplessly on the makeshift podium, leaving behind the final shot of this episode.

Once the livestream officially ended, all the viewers migrated to Xingbo, making the platform even livelier.

Under the hashtag #QiYanningYouStillSayYouDontKnowMagic!#:

@AnZaiIsMyBaby: Good heavens, I really mean good heavens. I knew Qi Yanning’s skills were top-notch and he could make my baby look his absolute best, but I never expected his skills to develop in this direction! While watching the livestream earlier, my baby’s group had zero screen time, and I thought the production team was bullying them. I was just about to demand an explanation when it turned out my baby teamed up with the production crew to bully everyone else, hahahahahaha!

Honestly, while I was camping in the livestream trying to spot An Zai, I watched that entire ‘good deed’ play out. Forget Lou Yuxing and Gong Jiayu, I didn’t even remotely suspect that the raspy, loud-mouthed old lady was An Zai! Baby! Could you care about your idol image just a little bit?!

When I saw the three of them walk into the conference hall, I even got a bit conspiracy-brained and thought it was the production team staging a forced, preachy moral lesson, but who knew… sigh, I’m still too young. And even after I knew those three were An Zai’s team and the camera zoomed in right on their faces, I still couldn’t recognize them (crying_face.jpg). Qi Yanning, put away your magical powers! I never thought the day would come where my baby would turn into a grandma…

[An Zai Before & After Comparison Pics * 3]

Under this fan’s post, the replies were a sea of laughter.

@LittleRainStar: Hahahahaha, I feel the exact same way! I originally thought the day my baby wore women’s clothes would be for some specific stage performance, wearing a stunning red dress and blowing everyone away! But instead… this messy hair, this completely unstyled outfit, this face drained of all its life force by corporate wage-slavery… Little Xingxing, why are you cosplaying as me? That’s really rude, you know! (crying.jpg)

And Qi-ge, please control your magic! You really don’t need to observe and recreate us miserable corporate drones with such agonizing accuracy!

[Lou Yuxing Gorgeous Pic] [Lou Yuxing Comparison Pic] [Selfie Comparison Pic]

@WickedCrowd: Let me tell a joke: Gong Jiayu doing a backflip, hahahahaha!

@EatingMelonsGrowingTaller: The person above me, you are forbidden from playing GIFs inside other people’s brains, hahahahaha!

The hot search feed was filled with laughter, and many started creating fan edits. For example, stitching together photos of Gong Jiayu’s backflip, An Zai’s dramatic leap, and Lou Yuxing collapsing weakly to the ground, captioned: “Contemporary Elderly vs. Contemporary Youth.”

Or photoshopping text under Qi Yanning’s photo: Qi-ge doesn’t want to listen to you and turns your idol into a grandpa/grandma.

In short, the wicked netizens always found new ways to entertain themselves. Because the before-and-after contrast of An Zai, Gong Jiayu, and Lou Yuxing was so drastic, and the SFX makeup so flawless, it made fan edits incredibly easy.

There were also netizens genuinely discussing Qi Yanning, with prominent influencers joining the conversation.

@EatingMelonsGrowingTaller: Wait, so Qi Yanning is actually using makeup and not magic? I just watched the edited makeup process video released by the production crew (props to the crew, they must have busted their livers editing that so fast), but even watching him apply the makeup with my own eyes, I’m still stunned. Is SFX makeup really this magical?! How good is Qi Yanning’s actual skill level?

In the replies, several accounts with millions of followers chimed in.

@MakeupKnowItAll: Just saw this topic. When I saw the makeup effects Qi Yanning created, I was blown away! I already knew Qi Yanning had a real knack for styling and exceptional aesthetic taste. The makeup academy I recently enrolled in has used his stage looks as teaching examples several times because his color coordination and use of light and shadow are flawless, perfectly highlighting the model’s beauty.

But I had no idea he was also this skilled at SFX makeup! (shocked.jpg) Saw someone asking about his skill level?

Hehe, just look at my teacher’s WeChat Moments. She’s a heavyweight brought in by the academy straight from one of Hollywood’s biggest SFX studios. She posted three updates in a row. First, expressing her sheer awe at Qi Yanning. Second, breaking down exactly why this makeup is so god-tier (so many details I completely missed, like the skin texture of the elderly, which Qi Yanning nailed and my teacher specifically praised). Her final post was asking if anyone had Qi Yanning’s contact info because she wants to invite him to join her studio as a partner. A partner! That tells you exactly how satisfied she is with his work.

@RookieMUALingling: Qi Yanning’s skill level? Let me show you. Here are three pictures of elderly SFX makeup captured on camera: one done by me, one by my teacher (a domestic expert), and one by my teacher’s teacher (a top-tier domestic legend), compared to Qi Yanning’s work. Can you see the difference? Essentially, Qi Yanning’s level leaves the domestic industry eating his dust. Furthermore, my grand-teacher said Qi Yanning’s work is the most satisfying SFX makeup he’s seen all year. Who gets it? Other people painstakingly spend hours polishing their SFX makeup, and it still falls short of Qi Yanning improvising on the fly on a variety show… sob sob. Other people in their twenties have skills rivaling industry legends; me in my twenties, being told by an industry legend I should consider a career change.

[Pictures * 3]

@BeautyHasNoLimits: It’s more than just that. There’s another detail. Although Qi Yanning used standard SFX materials, his technique differed significantly from mainstream methods. This proves he’s already developed his own unique system, achieving incredible results in far less time… So basically, is Qi Yanning accepting apprentices or what?!

Numerous professional makeup artists personally weighed in to vouch for Qi Yanning, pushing the topic’s popularity into the stratosphere. Casual onlookers finally gained a clear understanding of Qi Yanning’s caliber. Seeing him now, they felt as if they were bathed in the radiant glow of pure genius.

@kkCutie: Wow… So Qi Yanning is actually this much of a badass? This is… insanely impressive.

@EmotionalDragonfly: If Qi Yanning is this incredible, why on earth did he join a survival show as an idol in the first place?! This officially belongs in the realm of unsolved mysteries.

@SodiumCitrate: So Qi Yanning is this young and this incredible. Is it because he actually knows magic? Oh, wait, as a Chinese person, the question should be: does he actually know Daoist sorcery?!!!

@NumberOneScoldingSister: Who understands how happy I am? As a TND group fan, having a stylist with god-tier aesthetics and god-tier technical skills… It feels so good, it really feels so good!

@HaoHaoEating: Scolding Sister above me! Tone it down… Forget it, let’s duel! My pink eye is flaring up, wuwuwu. When will my idol ever get a stylist like this?!

@ChaChaLovesMelons: Hehehe, Scolding Sister gloated too soon and got hit with karma! Go check Director Wang Ning’an’s Xingbo, Qi-ge doesn’t belong to you guys anymore! Hahahahahaha

?

The casual onlookers, still reeling from Qi Yanning’s incredible skills, instantly swarmed to Director Wang’s Xingbo.

@WangNingan: #QiYanningDoYouActuallyKnowMagic?# Xiao Qi, when do you plan to join the crew? No worries, Jinge Changfeng Xing and I will wait for you as long as it takes.

[Image: Director Wang sipping green tea]

The comments section exploded immediately.

@FlowersLikeGold: Hahahaha, Director Wang is acting so ‘green tea’!

@RowRowRowScaringUpCorporateDrones: Director Wang stealing people at a time like this? Beautifully done!

@BeautifulSoul: Wait, Qi Yanning’s idol makeup and SFX makeup are great, but this TV drama is a historical costume drama, right? Can Qi Yanning pull that off?

@Ning123422: Exactly! Historical costume styling is completely different from modern styling! Seeing curtain bangs, Korean straight brows, and glossy plump lips in a historical drama would completely take you out of the story!

@IReallyWantToEscape: Qi Yanning probably wouldn’t do that, right? His skills have always been solid. Plus, we can trust his aesthetic… right?

@ChangfengAsBefore: I’m still a bit skeptical… I absolutely love the original novel for this drama and have been looking forward to it for ages… Can they please just hire a recognized master for the styling?! Hiring an idol makeup artist feels a bit low-tier!

@CantBeatMe: Qi Yanning’s historical aesthetic is amazing! Go watch the mentor collaboration stage on Your Star, it’s genuinely incredible!

@Backstreet: That was still idol makeup! Not looking down on idol makeup, but it’s fundamentally different from actor makeup for TV. Just because Qi Yanning is a pro at idol makeup doesn’t mean he can nail historical drama styling.

The comments section was ablaze with debate, but the majority leaned toward doubting Qi Yanning. As the skepticism grew increasingly fierce, the hashtag earned a bright red “Boiling” tag.

More casual netizens clicked into the topic, first discovering Qi Yanning’s badass skills through the SFX makeup.

@AToad: Wait, this makeup artist is this incredible? This old-age makeup, I’m hallucinating my own grandparents looking at it!! Watching the video, he even accounted for the specific scent of the elderly. That’s insane.

@OneBiteWillDo: This is way too impressive. The old-age makeup I’ve seen before always looked a bit fake, and I thought that was just the inherent limitation of makeup. I never realized old-age makeup could look this hyper-realistic!

@DearLittlePig: So why are people doubting this stylist? With this level of skill, historical makeup should be a piece of cake for him, right?

……

Some people tried explaining the specific nuances of historical drama styling to the casuals. Half-convinced, many onlookers were swept up and joined the wave of skepticism.

Meanwhile, Qi Yanning had just returned to the villa.

At the dinner table earlier, a remarkably daring An Zai had smeared a smudge of frosting on Qi Yanning’s face. Although he wiped it off immediately, Qi Yanning still felt a lingering discomfort on his skin and wanted to hurry back to wash it off.

“Qi-ge!” An Zai approached hesitantly, stammering.

Qi Yanning turned his head, casting an icy gaze toward An Zai.

An Zai shuddered. “Qi-ge! I’m sorry, I got carried away earlier!”

Qi Yanning stopped in his tracks, watching him with quiet composure, saying nothing.

“Qi-ge, I’m really sorry.” With his SFX makeup removed, An Zai’s face looked a bit flushed and rather pitiful. “Today was supposed to be about thanking you, but I still managed to mess it up. Why on earth did I smear cake on your face…”

Qi Yanning wasn’t actually angry; it was just kids playing around. But he remained silent, watching the pitiful An Zai to see exactly what kind of reflection he could squeeze out of himself.

“So!” An Zai squeezed his eyes shut, speaking with the tragic resolve of a martyr. “I’ll do a dance cover of that girl group song ‘Cupid’ tomorrow. Will Qi-ge forgive me?”

An Zai had eventually realized that Qi Yanning telling him to dance to a girl group song earlier had just been a joke, which brought him immense relief at the time. Yet he never expected the day would come where he would willingly volunteer to do it.

Truly, the world was utterly unpredictable.

He had no idea what Qi-ge actually wanted. It felt like Qi-ge lacked nothing in the world except sheer entertainment. Therefore, the only apology he could think of was dancing a girl group routine—the one thing Qi Yanning had actively brought up before.

A dark gleam flashed through Qi Yanning’s eyes. He curled his lips into a meaningful smile. “Puffy princess dress included?”

“…Deal!” An Zai agreed, like a warrior cutting off his own wrist.

Qi Yanning laughed. “Alright then. You go practice the dance, and I’ll go prep your outfit. I guarantee it’ll make you…”

“Go viral across the entire internet.”

An Zai looked as if the sky had just collapsed on him.

“Qi-ge!!! I was wrong, please take it easy on me!!”

An Zai’s wails echoed throughout the villa.

***

After thoroughly teasing An Zai, Qi Yanning returned to his room and received a call from Director Wang Ning’an.

“Xiao Qi!” Director Wang’s voice boomed heartily. “I announced you as our crew’s stylist on Xingbo, but the public reaction isn’t great. So I’m calling to ask: is it alright if I post that video of you styling my assistant on Xingbo?”

“Of course.” Qi Yanning’s tone was completely unbothered, seemingly entirely unaffected by the online discourse. “Director Wang, feel free to do whatever you think is best.”

“Hahaha, I knew Xiao Qi wouldn’t be petty about it!” Director Wang’s laughter rang through the phone.

“By the way, Xiao Qi, do you have any free time recently? We need to completely repurchase all the costumes, accessories, and props for the production. Do you have time to act as a consultant for us?”

Repurchase everything? Qi Yanning arched an eyebrow.

That would chew through a massive chunk of the budget. Had Director Wang struck gold?

Before he could ask, Director Wang continued on the other end, “A little while ago, President Ling injected another massive wave of investment into our production, explicitly stating it should be prioritized for wardrobe and props. Now that we have this money, we can finally trade in our muskets for cannons!”

A little while ago… Qi Yanning’s gaze paused. “Director Wang, by ‘a little while ago’, do you mean last weekend?”

“Yep!” Director Wang sounded absolutely thrilled. “Didn’t see that coming, did you! I didn’t either. President Ling really values our production!”

Qi Yanning understood instantly. After finishing his chat with Director Wang, he hung up the phone. Sitting quietly on his bed, he lowered his eyes in deep thought, the overhead light casting a shadow beneath his eyelashes.

After a long moment, he let out a soft laugh. The usual aloofness in his eyes completely vanished, replaced by a warm, deeply engaged amusement that made his features look all the more stunning and vivid.

With a slight, unconscious upward curve to his lips, he opened the contacts on his phone.

[yanN]: Yuchuan, you are really… too cute.

Ling Cangzhou replied instantly. He sprang up from his bed in a flash. Seeing this sentence, he froze, and then…

A flush of red crept all the way from his cheeks to the tips of his ears.