IDEI CH31

[What’s with Meng Ningning’s styling?]

[Intentionally making her look ugly? Who are they trying to push!]

[Who else could it be, yyy of course!]

[Don’t cue our Yangyang, our Yangyang is just naturally beautiful]

The bullet comments refreshed frantically across the screen, with Meng Ningning’s fans in an uproar.

However, the other viewers weren’t about to cater to them.

[Isn’t it fine? Lmao, can Ning Mao just not accept that Meng Ningning actually looks like this?]

[Ah, looking at it like this, Meng Ningning’s body proportions are really unflattering…]

[If fans are triggered, go scold the official Weibo. This is Your Star’s home turf, don’t throw tantrums here!]

The comments section was full of bickering, but Meng Ningning remained completely oblivious. On the contrary, she was feeling exceptionally great about herself at that moment.

Earlier during the styling session, because she was throwing a temper tantrum at her manager, she completely ignored Li-ge’s advice. She couldn’t even listen to Aria’s suggestions either, insisting on doing everything her own way.

Originally, Aria’s skill level was excellent. She had given her an innocent, pure look, styled her hair into airy pigtails adorned with tiny flowers, making her look innocent, charming, and extremely lovely.

However…

Meng Ningning didn’t think so; she only thought the makeup was far too ordinary.

“The aegyo sal isn’t pronounced enough. Aria-jie, can you draw it heavier?”

“The eyelashes have such a weak presence. I want thicker, fuller lashes!”

“This blush doesn’t cover enough area. It needs to be heavier to look sufficiently pitiful and delicate.”

“And the lips aren’t dewy enough.”

“Also, the glitter—I want it bling-bling!”

“The hair—the crown isn’t high enough. I want that perfect high-skull look that wraps around the face!”

Meng Ningning pouted, constantly chiming in with demands. Although her tone sounded cute on the surface, it was packed with undeniable willful arrogance.

Aria hesitated, shooting a pleading look toward Li-ge, but Li-ge simply shook his head.

Usually, when the little princess was in a good mood, he could coax her around by buttering her up, or call Meng Ningning’s mother to intervene and talk sense into her. But today…

Meng Ningning’s mother had just set off deep into the mountains for filming today, and as her manager, he had already offended the little princess.

Aria smiled bitterly. Seeing the little princess’s dissatisfied and urging gaze, she stepped forward to adjust the styling.

She truly couldn’t fathom how this little princess, who grew up wrapped in luxury without a single worry in life, could have such… tacky, generic aesthetic tastes.

Aria exerted every ounce of skill she had, doing her best amidst the little princess’s demands to prevent the makeup from looking too exaggerated, striving to keep it as classy as possible.

Only when Meng Ningning was finally satisfied did Aria wipe away a bead of cold sweat. She would definitely have to think twice before collaborating with this girl again; otherwise, one wrong move could easily ruin her reputation.

Looking at the delighted Meng Ningning, Aria felt thoroughly exhausted. The voluminous, high-crowned curly hair made Meng Ningning’s head look disproportionately huge, completely out of harmony with her frame. Long false lashes, massive aegyo sal, plump pouty lips, chunky glitter—it was the textbook internet-influencer look. It might look fine on video with heavy filters, but under the harsh lights of a stage, it came off as cheap…

Yet, Aria had no way to deal with this little princess, leaving her no choice but to let her walk gleefully onto the stage like that.

Right now, Meng Ningning shot a playful wink toward the audience, snatching away Yun Yangyang’s lines: “I’m so thrilled to be here for Your Star’s finale night! Ningning loves the trainees just like all of you do. Every single one of them is wonderful, and their performances have been amazing!”

“Speaking of which, I suppose I could be considered their senior. Saying that makes me feel like I’m already getting old.”

The audience below yelled out enthusiastically in support, “No way! Ning-bao is forever eighteen!”

“That’s right! Your Meng Ningning will always be eighteen, so please look forward to Ningning’s upcoming new works!”

Off-stage, Li-ge’s vision went dark.

What in the world was this little ancestor doing now?! Trying to steal the host’s thunder and make it all about herself?

In the bullet comments, viewers began getting sarcastic.

[I am forever eigh~teen~]

[What is Meng Ningning doing? Is this her personal press conference?]

[What is she even doing? Hard to watch.]

[How did I not notice before that she’s so brainless?]

[Ning-bao was just making a joke to ease the tension in the atmosphere. You guys are the ones who are hard to watch.]

The host hurriedly jumped in, “Looking forward to Ningning’s new works!” Then, seeking to steer the conversation back to Your Star, he asked, “Earlier Ningning mentioned having watched the stages, so which one did you think was the best?”

“Uh, I think…” Meng Ningning paused, stammering.

The young host found it absurd. He had tried to salvage the flow, but he never imagined that after attending the show, she couldn’t even name a single performance.

“Perhaps there were too many outstanding stages and too many handsome trainees, so Ningning couldn’t make a choice on the spot,” Yun Yangyang said with a smile, giving Meng Ningning a subtle look. “However, past stages are the trainees’ badges of honor, while tonight’s stage is their brand-new battlefield. Let us look forward to their performances tonight!”

The veteran host mentally applauded Yun Yangyang’s quick wit, picking up on her words to keep control of the floor.

While the guests traded witty banter while tactfully steering clear of Meng Ningning, the backstage preparations wrapped up. The trainees were finally about to take the stage!

The fans who had been quarreling with Meng Ningning’s fans in the comments instantly perked up.

[Here they come, here they come, finally here!]

[Let me see, let me see!]

……

The stage went pitch-black. Then, the trainees walked on stage one by one in order from the lowest to the highest rank.

This was the solo performance segment, where trainees could show off their skills to rally votes or present their sincere hearts to their fans. In this part, everyone poured their absolute best.

The trainees emerged one after another, creating a dazzling spectacle.

Pang Nong, who had initially been in the lower ranks but caught everyone’s eye with his mixed-race little prince styling in the theme song MV—and later gained a wave of mother-fans thanks to his dazed yet hardworking personality—took the stage in eleventh place.

His solo was a short cello piece. Dressed in a shirt with ornate lace at the chest paired with black trousers, he lowered his gaze as he bowed the strings. The slender youth and the solemn, deep cello formed a striking contrast.

[Pang Nong can actually play the cello! I’m stunned]

[Ah, baby, why didn’t you showcase this skill earlier!]

When the piece ended, he raised his eyes. Light shimmered in his gaze, and a tiny teardrop mole beneath his eye accentuated his fair, translucent skin.

[Wow, back to where the dream began!]

[This styling brings me right back to the theme song MV. That was when I fell in love with our cub!]

[Baby is even better-looking than on his first stage! Especially this mole—it completely transformed his aura, who gets me!]

He smiled softly, and the camera instantly switched.

An Zi’ai and Gong Jiayu appeared on stage, both sporting nearly identical styling.

Their eye makeup was one red and one blue, both uniquely heavy, accompanied by rich, vintage lip colors. Their fluffy hair had been dyed chestnut and styled into tight curls. Wearing theatrical-style garments, also in red and blue, they began to dance to the music.

At first, their movements were stiff and jerky, like wooden puppets that had just been granted souls. But as the music surged toward a crescendo, their movements grew increasingly fluid and frenzied.

[Ahhhhh! The Gemini concept!]

[My two babies together! I’m ecstatic!]

[Looking at them like this, An Zai and Little Yu truly embody the Gemini twin vibe. Honestly, even their chattiness is on par hhhhh]

[This stage design! I love it so much! Wooden puppet dolls breaking free from their shackles to gain freedom—thinking of what they went through, I’m tearing up]

[The styling is also sublime! So intense yet not looking cheap or gaudy in the slightest. As expected, Your Star’s stylist didn’t disappoint today either~]

Next were Mo Jinghai and Feng Qingyi.

The moment they stepped out, the entire mood shifted.

This time, both wore athletic tank tops paired with wide-leg denim pants. Mo Jinghai wore a baseball cap while Feng Qingyi wore a headband. Both were very sporty outfits, yet their visual impressions were entirely different. Mo Jinghai was muscular and radiant, while Feng Qingyi was tall, slender, and refined.

The two danced a hip-hop routine together, full of explosive, wide-framed choreography that woke up the audience’s spirits.

[Holy crap, the control on these two! Watching Your Star’s main dancers is just so satisfying!]

[A different Hai-ge and Qingyi! But still so handsome, I love it! And… those half-glimpsed muscles, hehehe]

[Why do these two have so much CP chemistry even dancing like this? Is my CP brain just rotting away (despair)]

[Hhhhh you’re too deep in the CP filter, but their styling has so many subtle details—matching accessories and complementary accents. All I can say is, Your Star, you really know how to deliver]

Yan Zihao took the stage right after. This time, he looked entirely different from before.

He had cut his previously medium-length hair into a mullet. This playful hairstyle suited his temperament perfectly.

Furthermore, today’s styling broke away from his usual black, white, and gray: a pale yellow volleyball jersey paired with light blue athletic shorts, and even the peek of socks above his white sneakers was soft pink. His entire look was bursting with color, reminiscent of a summer soda—refreshing and sweet at first glance.

Riding a skateboard onto the stage, he raised the mic, lifted his eyes, and launched into a brisk, upbeat love-song rap. A small pink heart sticker was affixed under his eye, which, paired with his playful and sincere gaze, made viewers smile unconsciously.

[A rapper singing love songs—who could resist that?]

[Wait, ge, since when were you so sweet?]

[Who is this sweet yet cool hunk on stage? I only know our Yan Zihao as a big mop who loves spitting diss tracks]

[Truth be told, so handsome, seriously handsome. I yield, ge, how are you this handsome?]

When the rap ended, he scrunched his nose cockily at the camera, flashed a finger heart, and then rolled off the stage on his skateboard.

At the edge of the stage, he high-fived Wei Mingzhe, who was heading up next.

Wei Mingzhe walked toward center stage while holding his mic and singing. It was a light rock track that, paired with his deep vocal tone, sounded intoxicating.

Wei Mingzhe had dyed his hair blue today. The soft, dusty grayish-blue didn’t extinguish his fiery passion at all; instead, it added an aura of mystery.

He looked straight into the camera, raising an eyebrow with a smirk, instantly releasing a signal of dangerous charm.

[My ge’s red hair is gone! But the blue hair is also breathtaking!]

[Ahhhhh how can Wei-ge’s blue hair look so good too!]

[My ge is truly the god of pulling off any hair color! After debut, I want to see every color of the rainbow on his head, Cody, did you hear that!]

[Trash company—clearly my ge looks better with any color than black hair, why did they keep him in permanent long black hair before! Go bankrupt, useless company!]

[How does he pull off such bold facial expressions without looking greasy at all!]

[The makeup is so clean and refreshing]

[Where is Lou Yuxing? Why hasn’t he appeared yet?]

Finally, Lou Yuxing and Xiao Yingyi took the stage together.

Up until the very last second before stepping out, Lou Yuxing still felt somewhat uneasy.

It was simply because his styling today was too… avant-garde.

Ever since the mentor collaboration stage, although he had stunned the entire internet, he had also received a barrage of malicious comments.

Back then, when giving his acceptance speech after the performance, he had still been slightly dazed, and his movements carried the refined nuances of traditional opera. Yet he never expected that this would become a target for attacks.

“Neither male nor female, acting so sissy—what’s so good about a guy like this?”

Such remarks frequently popped up under his Xingbo posts, piercing his eyes. He had once again fallen into a rut, and this time the backlash was far more aggressive than before.

He had sought out Qi Yanning, asking in a despondent daze, “Does my appearance really look neither male nor female?”

Qi Yanning raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that won’t become your greatest advantage?”

He stared blankly at Qi Yanning, and from that came tonight’s styling.

Lou Yuxing took a deep breath and, alongside Xiao Yingyi, stepped onto the finale stage.

[WHO IS THIS!!!]

[Xiao Yingyi?? Lou Yuxing???]

[Seriously, Lou Yuxing, how many more surprises do you have that I don’t know about?]

The styling for Xiao Yingyi and Lou Yuxing’s stage… in short, was a post-apocalyptic warrior and an AI android.

Xiao Yingyi wore a wasteland-style taupe-brown outfit with bandages wrapped around his calves, tightly bound at the waist by a hand-width belt that accentuated his slender waist and long legs. His hair was simply combed back, his makeup kept in earthy tones with a streak of dust smeared across his cheek. Yet beneath this rugged look, he appeared all the more handsome, sturdy, and dependable.

Like a great hero in an apocalyptic wasteland, steadfastly overcoming every hardship and peril to ultimately save mankind.

In contrast to Xiao Yingyi, Lou Yuxing’s styling was exceptionally clean and dazzling.

He wore an all-white, form-fitting outfit outlining his tall, slender frame, with silver, center-parted long hair cascading neatly over his shoulders. His makeup was pale overall, with a wash of silver-white brushed over his eyelids, lending an inorganic, mechanical sheen to his gaze.

Their track was Hymn to Doomsday. As the music swelled, they seemed to dance, yet also seemed to engage in combat.

[Lou Yuxing! My robot wifey!]

[What kind of flawless AI face is this!]

[As we all know, AI has no gender. But if you must assign one, it’s definitely wifey :)]

[Xiao Xing is truly gorgeous. To be able to carry styling like this, a top-tier beauty beyond doubt!]

[Xiao-ge in this getup—my apocalyptic novel protagonist finally has a face!]

[Xiao-ge! So upright and heroic! Facing the apocalypse with Xiao-ge by your side would feel so reassuring hhhhh]

[Ah, my husband and my wife are fighting on stage]

[Stunning, love watching this! Bring on more stages like this, it truly opened my eyes!]

[Such a daring look—all I can say is, brilliant job!]

As the music ended, the solo segment drew to a close.

The host quickly walked up to bridge the segments, and the guest performers put on their performances while the trainees changed outfits.

Backstage was a scene of utter chaos. The trainees had very little time; they needed to change rapidly before heading back out for the final group performance. For Lou Yuxing and Xiao Yingyi, who had just stepped off the stage, time was especially tight.

“Qi-ge.” The two greeted Qi Yanning in a rush before diving into the dressing rooms, swapping out of their costumes with the help of the assistants.

“Teacher Qi, this segment is running five minutes behind schedule. Time is extremely tight, so please be as fast as possible,” the floor manager said, hurrying into the styling room looking anxious.

“Qi-ge, will there be enough time?” Lou Yuxing asked worriedly.

“Keep your mouth shut and don’t talk, and there will be enough time,” Qi Yanning replied succinctly. His deliberate release of an imposing aura instantly silenced everyone in the room.

The modification priorities for the two were slightly different. Lou Yuxing’s priority was his hair—his natural hair had been pressed under a wig and was currently a messy nest. For Xiao Yingyi, the focus was his makeup.

Qi Yanning moved swiftly to remove Lou Yuxing’s wig. Chu Sixiu promptly took the wig and handed Qi Yanning a curling iron.

Qi Yanning ruffled Lou Yuxing’s flattened hair with his fingers. Just as the curling iron finished heating, he got to work.

Lifting the roots, curling loose waves, and then pulling the upper half of Lou Yuxing’s medium-length hair into a half-up princess ponytail.

Next, focusing on the bangs, he used a smaller curling wand to shape fine, delicately curved strands. For the makeup, he simply and thoroughly wiped away the silver-white from the eye makeup, sweeping on some softer colors. A light tint of red was added to the lips.

In less than five minutes from start to finish, Lou Yuxing had transformed from an AI android into an ethereal, celestial beauty.

Next was Xiao Yingyi. Xiao Yingyi’s makeup had been given a dusty, weathered look to match the song. But with neat, precise motions, Qi Yanning quickly cleaned away the dusty gray cast, restoring his skin to its healthy, fair complexion.

Then, with a couple of deft strokes, Qi Yanning added touches of red to his earth-toned eye makeup.

Just like that, the wasteland styling instantly shifted into something dangerous and alluring.

The hair didn’t require much fixing, but to match the stage atmosphere, Qi Yanning picked up a mist and spritzed a dusting of shimmer over his hair.

“Teacher Qi, is Lou Yuxing ready?” the floor manager knocked again.

“Ready,” Qi Yanning clapped his hands, took two steps back, and nodded.

“Both of their looks are finished. Take them away,” Qi Yanning said, glancing toward the floor manager.

The young female floor manager froze. She knew Qi Yanning worked quickly, but she never imagined it could be this fast!

“Understood, thank you for your hard work, Teacher Qi.” The floor manager nodded to Qi Yanning, then signaled the two to follow her.

Xiao Yingyi and Lou Yuxing smiled gratefully at Qi Yanning and hurried after her.

“Alright, take a breather,” Qi Yanning said to the three assistants.

Li Jinshi sat down, caught her breath, and looked at Qi Yanning with worship in her eyes. “Qi-ge, you’re just incredible!”

During the full-dress rehearsals a few days ago, she had already witnessed Qi Yanning’s quick-change styling skills. If it weren’t for Qi Yanning’s technical backing, the production team would never have dared to employ such innovative, risky styling for the solo stages.

After finalizing these looks, Qi Yanning had unreservedly taught all the quick-change techniques to the show’s stylists, even guiding them step-by-step on how to make adjustments.

The stylists, who were already completely won over by Qi Yanning, were even more filled with gratitude after that.

And in previous rehearsals, Qi Yanning hadn’t even been this fast. Today, under the pressure of the countdown, not a single movement of his was wasted; like a machine, he executed the styling with cold, immaculate precision.

Li Jinshi felt slightly dazed. She had almost forgotten that at the very beginning, Qi Yanning didn’t even really know how to do makeup.

Such a terrifying rate of progress…

As expected of her Qi-ge!

“Rest for now. In ten minutes, the trainees will need another outfit change and touch-ups. Be thorough, understood?” Qi Yanning looked at the three assistants, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The three immediately nodded frantically like chicks pecking at grain.

A dozen minutes later, the trainees hurried backstage, changed into the show uniforms, and after Qi Yanning inspected each one, stepped back onto the stage.

This was the final performance before the debut lineup was announced.

The theme song, I Am the Light.

On stage, twenty trainees danced in unison to the rhythm of the theme song.

They seemed unchanged—still sincere, still giving their all, moving in sync as if they were a single person.

Yet, everything seemed to have changed. In just a few short months, the pearls that had once been covered in dust in various corners had been wiped clean, radiating a brilliant luster.

The bullet comments were filled with emotion.

[Dancing to “I Am the Light” one more time… I’m so moved]

[Xiao-ge, Wei-ge, Little Yan, Qingyi… without realizing it, they’ve accompanied us for so long.]

[Your Star really allowed so many people to shine with their own brilliance.]

[The end of one journey marks the beginning of the next… but still, I can’t bear to let go, wuwuwu]

……

When I Am the Light concluded, the final moment arrived: announcing the debut lineup.

Under the spotlights, every trainee’s face held a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

Following survival show tradition, the announcements began from eighth place.

“In eighth place—he is the happy pill of the show, a radiant little sun. With his sunny personality and a dance skill that defies expectations, he made everyone remember him—”

“He is: An Zi’ai!”

An Zi’ai froze, then stepped excitedly onto the debut pyramid, taking his spot at number eight.

He accepted the microphone and began a flood of incoherent thanks.

“Thank you to my parents for supporting my dream of being a trainee. Also, thank you to the Your Star production team for giving me this opportunity. Thank you to everyone on the show who helped me—Wei-ge, Xiao-ge, all of you…”

“Thank you to my fans. Thank you for your unwavering choice that allowed me to stand here today. I will definitely keep working hard and persevere, and I won’t let you down.”

By this point, An Zi’ai’s eyes were already completely red.

His mind was a total blur as he kept babbling.

“I… I also want to thank Qi-ge. You designed so many handsome styles for me, wuwuwu. I thought I would be stuck as the comic relief for my entire life, I never dreamed I could look this handsome, wuwuwuwu…”

Backstage, watching through the monitor screen, Qi Yanning raised an eyebrow in surprise.