IDEI CH44

Chapter 44

This jewelry exhibition was sponsored by a renowned international brand. In addition to showcasing the brand’s main haute couture jewelry for the season, it also invited many jewelry collectors from all over the world to display their private collections.

As a result, the jewelry displayed at this exhibition was remarkably comprehensive and rare to see all in one place. From the East to the West, from classical elegance to exotic charm, all kinds of styles were included. The exhibition hall was packed with people, including many celebrities and fashion industry professionals.

Naturally, Qi Yanning spotted Editor-in-Chief Ning from Tide magazine.

She was speaking with an avant-garde-dressed man. The man was a foreigner; although he was no longer young, he carried himself with an elegant, upright posture, his face radiating pure confidence.

Catching sight of Qi Yanning, Editor-in-Chief Ning greeted him with pleasant surprise.

“Xiao Qi, you came too!” Editor-in-Chief Ning enthusiastically waved Qi Yanning over.

Qi Yanning smoothly obliged, weaving through the crowd to step forward with Ling Cangzhou.

“Boss Ling, you’re here as well?” Editor-in-Chief Ning was somewhat surprised, as Ling Cangzhou rarely appeared at this type of event. She hadn’t even noticed his presence earlier because, although he was standing right beside Qi Yanning, his attentive, hovering demeanor made him blend right in with the on-site staff.

“I had a rare moment of free time,” Ling Cangzhou smiled with reserved modesty, giving the two a slight nod before standing beside Qi Yanning without another word.

Seeing him like this, Editor-in-Chief Ning knew it wasn’t the right time to strike up a conversation with him, so she simply resumed her chat with Qi Yanning.

“Xiao Qi, this is Alaric, the designer for the brand Aphrodite,” Editor-in-Chief Ning introduced with a smile.

Qi Yanning met Alaric’s eyes—which had been scrutinizing him assessing just moments prior—and offered a polite, placid smile.

His understated reaction caused Alaric to raise an eyebrow in surprise. “You don’t know me?”

The strangely intonated Chinese coming from his mouth, paired with his slightly exaggerated expression, made the moment feel rather theatrical.

“Aphrodite’s ‘Wind and Poetry’ collection from last season, as well as the ‘Bustling Ruins’ collection from the winter two years ago, were both masterpieces. Your talent is deeply impressive,” Qi Yanning replied at a leisurely pace.

Of course he knew Alaric. Aphrodite was one of the absolute top-tier fashion houses, wielding immense influence in the global fashion circle. As for Alaric, he had become the brand’s head designer a few years ago, single-handedly contributing many breathtaking designs and leading Aphrodite to new peaks. He was, without a doubt, a top-level designer.

Alaric’s expression grew even more theatrical, his interest in Qi Yanning finally piqued. His haute couture runway from the previous season had vastly differed from his usual style—it lacked his signature intricate, complex beauty. As a result, many outside voices claimed he was running out of ideas, and in the mainstream commercial sense, it hadn’t been considered highly successful.

Yet only Alaric himself knew that since taking the helm of the brand, his two most satisfying collections were precisely the two Qi Yanning had just named. However, one was the collection that launched him to legendary status, while the other was his worst-reviewed collection, derided as “mediocre fashion.” It was rare for someone to place these two seasons side by side and praise them both as masterpieces.

“Why?” Alaric asked.

“Those were likely your attempts at exploring outward and exploring inward, respectively. Very fascinating,” Qi Yanning said simply.

Alaric burst into hearty laughter, his eyes burning with deep appreciation as he clapped Qi Yanning on the shoulder. He had never explained this to the public, and even his old friends didn’t quite understand, yet Qi Yanning had seen right through it. God, he had actually found a kindred spirit in a foreign country!

“Alaric, this is Qi Yanning. The styling for that magazine cover you were interested in before was Qi’s work.”

“Whoa!” Alaric’s eyebrow shot up dramatically. “You’re that makeup artist! You are incredible!”

Qi Yanning chuckled softly.

“It’s just that, Qi, your outfit today doesn’t exactly look like a makeup artist,” Alaric laughed loudly. “You know, makeup artists usually dress very… extreme. While you look more like a major celebrity or an aristocrat or something.”

Alaric shrugged, appearing incredibly lively and approachable, a complete departure from his previous arrogant and aloof demeanor.

“Qi, do you have more portfolio work? Oh, it doesn’t matter if you don’t. That set of makeup looks and your insights today are more than enough! I’d like to invite you to design the makeup for my new season’s runway show! Trust me, you’ll love Aphrodite’s new pieces, and with your involvement, we’ll definitely spark even more inspiration!” Alaric invited enthusiastically.

A flicker of change finally appeared in Qi Yanning’s expression. Sweeping his gaze past Editor-in-Chief Ning—who was gesturing for him to accept—he nodded.

“Thank you for your appreciation.”

“Oh, Qi!” Alaric looked somewhat awestruck. “Your aura is truly unique. You look like… an exhibit in a Chinese museum!”

Qi Yanning smiled, accepting the highly peculiar compliment.

“Qi, would you like to stroll around with us?” Alaric offered. “You know, several pieces here belong to that guy Isley. He’s a friend of mine, and I’ve listened to him brag about his treasures until I want to throw up, so no one here knows these exquisite little trinkets better than I do.”

Qi Yanning’s gaze slid toward Ling Cangzhou beside him. Although the man’s expression remained neutral, Qi Yanning could read a tiny sliver of disappointment leaking from his demeanor.

“My apologies, Mr. Alaric,” he smiled and declined.

Alaric shrugged. “Alright, I understand.”

“Young couples always prefer to spend time alone together.”

Couple?

Ling Cangzhou’s pupils quaked. He looked at Qi Yanning on pure reflex, his ears already burning bright red.

Yet Qi Yanning’s face showed no change whatsoever. He gave Alaric a polite smile, then turned to leave.

“Yuchuan?” Seeing that Ling Cangzhou hadn’t followed, he called out softly.

“Coming!” Ling Cangzhou’s heart was currently swelling with emotions that felt ready to burst, his eyes looking as though honey could pour out of them. The tail end of his voice pitched up, light as if floating on clouds. With a gentle expression, he nodded to Editor-in-Chief Ning and Alaric, then took long strides toward Qi Yanning.

The two strolled past a few more display cases. Since the pieces here were the brand’s new haute couture jewelry accompanied by detailed plaques, Ling Cangzhou temporarily lost his job as tour guide.

Which happened to give his chaotic mind a chance to cool down.

By the time Qi Yanning finished viewing these cases, they had reached the end of the exhibition, and the two began walking out.

“A-Ning…” He walked beside Qi Yanning, hesitating to speak. “When Alaric said ‘couple’ earlier…”

“Couple… does it have a special meaning?” Qi Yanning looked at him, his eyes filled with pure inquiry.

Ling Cangzhou instantly deflated, a trace of imperceptible disappointment slipping into his tone. “It just means companions. Alaric probably thought you’d prefer to hang out with a friend.”

Qi Yanning nodded.

The two had now stepped outside the exhibition hall. Ling Cangzhou opened the car door for Qi Yanning before walking around to the driver’s side. Feeling somewhat downcast, he completely missed the sly amusement dancing in Qi Yanning’s eyes.

Of course he knew what “couple” meant, but…

If he punctured the meaning of the word right now, the atmosphere between them would become even more ambiguous.

Qi Yanning didn’t want this double dose of ambiguity just yet.

Ling Cangzhou was a very good person. And precisely because he was so good, Qi Yanning treated him with an even heavier dose of caution.

Qi Yanning let out a soft laugh, looking at Ling Cangzhou whose mouth was drooping slightly at the corners.

“Yuchuan?” He raised his right hand, using two fingers to lightly brush against Ling Cangzhou’s cheek. “Aren’t you going to drive?”

Feeling Qi Yanning’s cool, jade-like fingers graze his cheek, the sliver of gloom Ling Cangzhou felt was instantly thrown to the back of his mind.

“Let’s go!” He smiled radiantly, a dimple flickering at the corner of his lips.

The two had Huaiyang cuisine for dinner. The dishes perfectly suited Qi Yanning’s palate, leading him to uncharacteristically take a few extra bites during his evening meal.

“Yuchuan, how much did you invest in Director Wang’s production?” Qi Yanning lifted his eyes to look at Ling Cangzhou across the table.

“Not too much,” Ling Cangzhou said. “For Morning Star Entertainment, it’s not even considered a major investment.”

“Besides, A-Ning, I am a businessman.” Ling Cangzhou’s brow lifted with pride. “I evaluated this investment. It will turn a profit.”

“Also, I have you to thank, A-Ning.” Ling Cangzhou leaned forward, his eyes shining with smiling brilliance as he looked at Qi Yanning. “Director Wang originally didn’t pitch the script to Morning Star, so the company had very little evaluation data on the project. It was only because of A-Ning that I gained a deeper understanding of Director Wang’s project and didn’t miss out on such an opportunity.”

Qi Yanning cast a sideways glance at him. Seeing him deliberately dodging the main point, Qi Yanning played along and let the topic shift.

Ling Cangzhou brought up amusing anecdotes from Morning Star Entertainment to tell Qi Yanning. He had quite a knack for storytelling, turning simple gossip into something thoroughly entertaining, bringing a deep, genuine smile to Qi Yanning’s face.

After dinner, Ling Cangzhou drove Qi Yanning back to the TND villa.

It was just past 8:30 PM, yet the villa district was already completely silent.

Ling Cangzhou parked the car a short distance away and strolled back with Qi Yanning under the streetlights.

He stole glances at Qi Yanning from time to time, keeping it at a frequency that Qi Yanning wouldn’t find intrusive.

“We’re here. Thank you.” Qi Yanning stopped at the villa gate.

“Yuchuan’s explanations today were very professional. To have the CEO of Morning Star Entertainment act as my personal tour guide, I must be the first,” Qi Yanning’s voice carried a light, airy laugh.

Under the streetlights, Qi Yanning’s face was bathed in a soft glow. His entire face looked almost translucent, and his expression, illuminated by the light, was incredibly soft—a tenderness Ling Cangzhou had never seen before.

Ling Cangzhou even felt that the Qi Yanning in this moment might melt into the soft light before him; or rather, that he was the light itself.

“I had a very good time today.” Qi Yanning took a step forward, stepping out of the light but drawing even closer to Ling Cangzhou.

Ling Cangzhou couldn’t quite read the emotion in his eyes, but meeting his gaze, Ling Cangzhou felt a faint, burning heat spreading across his own skin.

Qi Yanning reached out a hand and gently ruffled Ling Cangzhou’s hair. The soft, silky strands slipped through his fingers with a cool touch, prompting Qi Yanning to ruffle it one more time.

“Goodnight, Yuchuan… I’m already looking forward to next time.” Leaving that sentence behind with a smile, he vanished into the villa’s garden the next second.

Leaving Ling Cangzhou rooted to the spot. Patting his own head, he stood dazed for a long time, his smile uncontrollably growing wider and wider.

He cast one last look at the lights of the villa before walking away with a spring in his step.

Right until he fell asleep that night, Ling Cangzhou was smiling. He rubbed his aching cheeks, trying hard to suppress the grin, but the corners of his mouth defied his control and tilted upward again.

He nuzzled into his pillow, sinking into dreams. In his sleep, that deep, woody fragrance that lingered on Qi Yanning seemed to wrap around him once more.

A-Ning is truly so gentle.

***

Meanwhile, the moment Qi Yanning returned to the villa, he found all nine members of TND sitting in the living room. Clutching their phones, they looked completely engrossed.

“Why aren’t you guys asleep yet?” Qi Yanning was slightly surprised.

“Qi-ge!” Gong Jiayu’s face looked like a mix of joy and sorrow, an incredibly complicated expression.

“The ‘Cupid’ dance cover we did got posted on Xingbo,” Pang Nong said weakly, his face flushed bright red.

“Hahahahaha!” Yan Zihao laughed hysterically. “We’re all reading the comments section, it’s way too funny!”

Qi Yanning arched an eyebrow. So it was already posted?

He went to his room and opened his phone to check.

The hashtag #TNDSubUnitCupid# was prominently hanging in the top ten of the hot search.

#AnZai Skirt#

#LouYuxingWifeIsAVibe#

#GongJiayuRulerOfTheSweetBrotherLane#

#PangNong LittlePrince#

These tags were also trending.

Qi Yanning clicked into the first tag and saw the video posted by TND’s official account.

@TND—The Ninth Day: Click to watch the latest dance cover by the Lou Yuxing, An Zi’ai, Gong Jiayu, and Pang Nong sub-unit. Presenting “Cupid” to everyone~

[Video]

@StarsLookAtMe: A sub-unit! So excited… wait a minute, “Cupid”?

@AnXinFangXin: “Cupid”? Emmmmm you guys sure know how to pick songs. Is this seriously not a joke?

A few skeptical comments were pinned at the top, but clicking into the thread revealed a massive wave of “true fragrance” (pleasant surprise).

[omg, this is the first time I’ve seen male idols dance Cupid without it being a joke!]

[I originally thought TND was just memeing and had prepared myself for an eyesore, I didn’t expect…]

[They put so much thought into this! Altering the muscle exertion and adapting the choreography to better suit a boy group, plus this styling that’s full of cuteness without looking greasy or infantilizing. Watching this makes me so happy!]

[It’s so rare for a boy group to do this kind of cute concept, ahhhh wuwuwu my four babies, so cute let mommy give you a kiss]

[Colorful and flashy without looking weird, it’s so pretty. It reminds people of summer, fruity sodas, and bright clear skies, it’s so beautiful]

[Seeing this dance cover, my corpse spots have faded]

The comments section was flooded with praise, the tone incredibly gentle, even carrying a hint of maternal affection (?).

On the topic square, countless adorable GIFs had been clipped. Whether it was Lou Yuxing’s wink or An Zai and Gong Jiayu’s overflowing cute archery gestures, they instantly struck people’s soft spots.

Under the other hot search tags, however, the comment sections had a completely different vibe.

@AnZaiZai: An Zai! This little skirt is too cute, can you wear them more often in the future! It suits you so well, so cute so cute.

@AnZaiMommyNumber10086: An Zai’s legs are so skinny, straight, white, and pretty, legs like these look good in anything… so promise Mommy, wear little skirts more often in the future, okay? Or rather, I should @QiYanning. Qi-ge, please let An Zai wear little skirts more often from now on hahahaha

@AnZaiWantsToBeHappy: hhhhh how can you guys say that? An Zai is a boy!! But then again, boys should definitely wear skirts (convinced)

There were so many comments like this under the hot search that An Zai couldn’t resist popping out to reply.

@TND—An Zi’ai: These are pants! Pants! Pants! Qi-ge treats me so well, he wouldn’t have the heart to do that!

[Image: An Zai stretching into a split trying to prove it’s a pair of pants]

With his appearance, fans swarmed into his comment section for another round of teasing.

Meanwhile, the vibe in Lou Yuxing’s hot search square was a whole different story.

@StarsAreMine: Qi-ge deserves an altar in the Ancestral Temple!!! This styling is mind-blowing. Qi-ge, you are the real Cupid, one arrow made me fall deeply in love with Little Xing hhhhh

@AboveTheMoon: Thank you Qi-ge for making my wife look so beautiful! I’ve said it before, Lou Yuxing is my wife!

…

The squares for the other two were filled with similar praises. Pang Nong’s Super Topic had even impatiently changed its avatar to a screenshot from the video.

They loved this video too much. Four cute young boys dancing a highly energetic routine, injecting viewers behind the screens with a full burst of vitality like a clear spring.

Especially at the line “Cupid shoots through your heart~,” where the four simultaneously winked and struck a gun-shooting pose.

Many people truly felt as if they had been struck, as if returning to the most beautiful moments of their youth—that feeling of high-spirited, boundless energy.

Consequently, the hashtag #TND Sharpshooters# began climbing the ranks as netizens joined in on the fun.

@LightRainFeiFei: #TND Sharpshooters# How are they not sharpshooters? Every single person around me who watched this video, including my straight guy friends, couldn’t help but smile. That’s a 100% hit rate hhhhh

@ToxicWoman108: #TND Sharpshooters#

TND used Vitality Attack

Hit Rate: 100%

Attack Effect: Uses vitality to dispel resentment

Bonus Effect: Targets hit will uncontrollably smile like a doting auntie

…

The hot searches were bustling with noise. Qi Yanning skimmed through it briefly, and seeing no negative reviews, he smiled softly, locked his phone, washed up, and went to sleep.

***

The next day, shortly after waking up, Qi Yanning received a call from Director Wang.

“Xiao Qi! Do you have some time these next few days?” Director Wang’s voice rang out. “There’s not much time left before shooting begins, so we better finalize the costumes as soon as possible.”

“Alright,” Qi Yanning frowned slightly. “I’ll fly over this afternoon.”

“Ah, no need, no need!” Director Wang’s tone was ecstatic. “No need to come over, we came to City A!”

“We hadn’t officially started filming anyway, so we just came straight to City A. For one, it’s more convenient to discuss things with you here. Secondly, the garment industry is much more developed here. Since we have a sufficient budget now anyway, we figured we might as well come take a look.”

“We’re almost at the TND villa,” Director Wang continued. “Xiao Qi, want to accompany us to browse the wholesale markets this afternoon?”

Qi Yanning thought back to the clothes in the wholesale markets he had visited previously, feeling that Director Wang would likely return disappointed.

But…

A thought suddenly stirred in Qi Yanning’s mind. He remembered the shop where he had purchased the costumes for the mentor collaboration stage on Your Star.

A single shop certainly couldn’t supply the wardrobe for an entire drama production, but Qi Yanning recalled a bag hanging in an inconspicuous corner of that store at the time. It was a canvas tote bag filled with small tailoring tools, but embroidered on the outside of the bag was a line of text—

Apparel Culture Research Association.

Though the embroidery was machine-stitched, the design was exquisite and brimming with classical charm. The printed motifs on the bag were also steeped in antique elegance, pairing beautifully without any sense of dissonance.

Qi Yanning had looked it up afterward. It was a grassroots association dedicated to researching ancient attire. The homepage of their website was designed very simply, but the photos of the garments on it were dazzlingly beautiful, packed with meticulous devotion.

“Alright, Director Wang,” Qi Yanning said. “See you in a bit.”

Perhaps this association could bring him, and this production crew, a few pleasant surprises.

Qi Yanning smiled faintly.