IDEI CH37

[FiveGorillas]: No way! Qi-ge is Qi Yanning? Isn’t Qi Yanning that talentless visual who can’t sing or dance?

[FckTomorrow]: Come on, think about it, there’s no way it’s Qi Yanning! A disgraced artist who got thoroughly canceled suddenly turns into a super badass makeup artist? Not even novels would dare to write such a plot, okay?!

[AiyoweiAh]: Qi Yanning… uh, my impression of him is still that casting-couch scandal, sigh.

[WhenHengStarShines]: I have reason to suspect Qi Yanning wants to make a comeback and is using this opportunity to test the waters! Last time he tested the waters and got flamed across the entire internet, he dragged Luo Heng out as a shield. Don’t think people don’t know! Even as a passerby, I know Luo Heng suffered an unwarranted disaster!

[SexyMamaCockroach]: The person above, drop the act. You didn’t even change your username and you’re pretending to be a passerby here? You should know your most important task right now is passing your elementary school finals 🙂 Luo Heng’s plastic surgery face has already been hammered to death, alright? Even if Qi Yanning wants to seize this chance to stage a comeback, it’s not an opportunity for your Luo Heng to whitewash himself.

[AbaAba]: Speaking of which, this claim actually makes some sense. During Ou Jin, although the trainees rarely wore private clothes, Qi Yanning’s styling was always exceptionally outstanding…

[SugarRoastedChestnuts]: During Ou Jin, wasn’t he outstanding solely because of his face? With that face, he’d look pure and charming even wrapped in a burlap sack hhhhh. But I also think it’s really possible that it’s Qi Yanning. His undergraduate major was fashion design! He even trended for it back then. Truly, the internet has a short memory…

For a time, discussions online grew increasingly turbulent.

However, gradually, the direction of the wind began to turn foul.

[FreeWind]: Qi Yanning is a disgraced artist. On what grounds did he go to another survival show and suddenly become a famous stylist? He used casting couches before, so maybe this time too, lol.

[AmbitionsCrushedToTheGround]: Clearly You Star isn’t anything good either. A person like this can actually thrive like a fish in water on You Star, and even all the members of TND value him so much. Thinking about the casting couch, the more you ponder it, the more terrifying it gets.

[HelloNobodyHere]: Previously, Qi Yanning didn’t display an ounce of styling talent on Ou Jin. God knows how he became a famous stylist the moment he arrived at You Star. Who knows if he relied on a sugar daddy behind him to steal other people’s credit? The two stylists You Star fired earlier are the real victims, and TND building up hype for him makes them accomplices!

Public opinion gradually turned overwhelmingly against Qi Yanning, and people even tried to drag TND into the mud as well. Morning Star Entertainment’s PR department detected the public sentiment immediately and reported it up the chain of command.

During the window while the PR department was formulating a response, someone else entered the fray.

A blogger on Xingbo named @StylistLinHe posted a message.

@StylistLinHe: You have to stay strong. Justice and fairness naturally reside in the hearts of the people.

The text itself wasn’t anything significant, but he attached several pictures.

One was the contract You Star had signed when hiring him, and another was the official dismissal letter letting him go.

There was also a candid, slightly blurry photo of Qi Yanning. It was clearly taken during a meeting; Qi Yanning was pointing at an exceptionally ugly styling design on the projection screen, raising an eyebrow. In the top-right corner of the projection screen, the You Star logo was prominently visible!

These photos definitively confirmed Qi Yanning’s identity as a stylist on You Star. The ugly styling design, combined with Lin He’s subtle phrasing, was an obvious insinuation that Qi Yanning had poor skills and questionable character, stealing others’ credit and burning bridges.

With this, public opinion swung even more unfavorably against Qi Yanning. In the comments section, Ou Jin fans, people who disliked Qi Yanning, and plain passersby all jumped in.

@QingGeForeverFirst: I already disliked Qi Yanning back when Ou Jin was airing. Later, his scandalous dirt was indeed exposed, and he scurried away in disgrace. I thought he would disappear forever, but who knew he could still stir up so much trouble! #QiYanningGetOutOfTheEntertainmentIndustry#

@QYNGetOffTheEarth: Hahaha, the person I hate has finally been hammered to death, who gets me! #QiYanningGetOutOfTheEntertainmentIndustry#

@OfficeWorkersLiveBitterLives: Ah, this miserable corporate slave deeply empathizes with this stylist. An idiot colleague did their own work terribly, but stole my accomplishments so smoothly. Manifesting that all idiot colleagues’ true faces get exposed to everyone #QiYanningGetOutOfTheEntertainmentIndustry#

@CaffeineIsMyLifeSaver: Terrifying. An individual definitely can’t fight capital. The darling of capital can switch lanes and rely on other people’s work to make a glamorous fresh start even after hitting rock bottom. It’s so unfair! #QiYanningGetOutOfTheEntertainmentIndustry#

@LetTheBulletsFly: You all believe the ambiguous words of a single stylist? At least think about it for a second—how could this kind of behavior possibly occur in an environment like You Star with so many staff members around!

Although there were also people speaking up for Qi Yanning, their voices were far too weak, drowned out in an instant by the massive wave of negative noise.

Lin He’s Xingbo post perfectly struck a nerve with the public. After all, who hasn’t had a few idiotic colleagues who love to steal credit? All at once, the condemnation of Qi Yanning was deafening.

At this critical moment, another Xingbo post completely ignited the topic!

@LuoHeng: I’m sorry, everyone. I apologize for speaking out at this hour and disturbing everyone’s rest. But I think, as a former close friend of Qi Yanning, I should say something at a time like this.

When I saw this trending topic, my first reaction was disbelief. Because during Ou Jin, Qi Yanning was a very easy person to get along with. He was kind to every trainee, and he was completely obedient to the stylists, never raising any objections.

So when that incident happened between him and the director, I was shocked and heartbroken. I once advised him to apologize to everyone. As long as he apologized sincerely, everyone would definitely see his sincerity and forgive him. After all, as an ordinary person, what backup plan did he have? But he insisted on withdrawing from the competition, refusing to listen to anyone’s advice, and even blacklisted all our contact information…

Because of that, I can’t reach him personally, so I can only speak to him on Xingbo. Qi Yanning, you used to be so good. Can we go back to the way we were before, okay?

Originally, the top-tier trainees of Ou Jin had collapsed one after another; six out of nine withdrew. The few who stubbornly remained hurriedly finished filming the rest of the show, forming a group named “Cooler” in an anticlimactic finish. But after debut, Cooler almost never performed together, and everyone faded into silence.

Now, under this sudden Xingbo post from Luo Heng, who had been silent for a long time, the melon-eating public gathered in droves.

@HengIsAGentleman: Gege is just too kind-hearted. Why don’t you delete it? That b*tch Qi Yanning who sold his body to climb the ranks isn’t worth you speaking up for him.

@IAteAPoundOfShock: Highlighting the key points for everyone: First, during Ou Jin, Qi Yanning did not demonstrate any styling talent and was completely obedient to the stylists. Second, as an ordinary person, Qi Yanning stubbornly withdrew from the competition—he must have found a new sugar daddy.

@MelonBadgerWantsToEatMelons: Thanks to the floor above for the summary! Just how unpopular is Qi Yanning that even his close friend couldn’t bear to watch anymore!

@SexyMamaCockroach: Yo~ where is this overpowering scent of green tea coming from? It’s choking me. Claiming to be Qi Yanning’s close friend, yet at a time like this, talking in circles to add fuel to the fire of his scandals—truly a “friend who stabs you in the back”! I remember now, weren’t you bragging about your friendship with Qi Yanning all day long in the past? Every single time you brought it up, Qi Yanning got dragged and flamed. Hilarious. A little green tea with only a few years of cultivation trying to put on an elaborate act here?

@MoHe: I said we should have exposed Qi Yanning’s true face long ago! Heng ge was too soft-hearted and couldn’t bear to do it, but now, his true colors are finally exposed!

Mo He was that trainee in Ou Jin who had always followed Luo Heng around. After the top rankers in Ou Jin were hit with scandals, he barely scraped through in last place to debut, and now he had become an even more loyal follower of Luo Heng.

Two idols stepping into the arena personally to hammer Qi Yanning brought explosive results.

For a time, the entire internet was condemning Qi Yanning.

On this side, Qi Yanning had only just been woken up from his sleep.

“Qi-ge!” Tang Xin, the TND assistant, called out from outside the door, his voice laced with anxiety and unease. “Qi-ge, something happened! Are you awake?”

Qi Yanning slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with the irritation of having his sleep interrupted.

Originally, he didn’t have a morning temper; after all, surviving in the imperial palace, waking up grumpy was an unaffordable luxury. But after staying in this world for a while and maintaining a regular routine, he actually developed a morning temper. Truly…

Qi Yanning’s thoughts drifted for a second before he changed into decent clothes and opened the door.

“Qi-ge, you’re finally awake! Your identity has been exposed, and right now, public opinion across the entire internet is totally against you!” Tang Xin didn’t step inside, whispering anxiously at the doorway instead. “Qin ge called you and you didn’t pick up, so he sent me to find you.”

Qi Yanning picked up his phone; there were dozens of missed calls on the screen.

Some were from manager Qin Haoyu, some from Director Lin, and there were even calls from Pei Huan.

And on Feixin, Ling Cangzhou had sent several unread messages.

Qi Yanning raised an eyebrow and clicked into Ling Cangzhou’s chat box first.Red-Eared Puppy

: A-Ning, have you seen the discussions on Xingbo? There’s more than one faction pulling strings behind the scenes. Don’t worry.Red-Eared Puppy

: Or maybe, A-Ning, you shouldn’t look at Xingbo at all.Red-Eared Puppy

: A-Ning, get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow morning, all this noise and chaos will be gone.

Qi Yanning casually typed out a few words.

Then, without waiting for Ling Cangzhou’s reply, he opened Xingbo to take a look.

Scanning through the lines with practiced speed, he quickly caught up on the current state of public opinion.

Tang Xin watched him cautiously. An onslaught of public outrage of this magnitude wasn’t something even every celebrity experienced. He had already prepared a whole basket of comforting words, ready to console this super badass stylist at any moment.

What he didn’t expect was that Qi Yanning’s expression remained completely unbothered, even carrying a faint hint of amusement, as if everything on Xingbo had nothing to do with him at all.

“I already know the general sequence of events,” Qi Yanning looked up and said calmly to Tang Xin.

Tang Xin’s stomach full of comforting words choked in his throat, instantly turning into internal complaints. He wanted to grab this guy’s shoulders and shake him awake:

Da ge, what’s the use of just knowing what happened?! How on earth are we going to resolve such a severe PR crisis?!

Seeing the palpable anxiety written across the little assistant’s face, Qi Yanning curled his lips.

“Relax. For a behind-the-scenes staff member like me, this won’t have much of an impact,” Qi Yanning said at an unhurried pace. “I’ve been through this sort of thing plenty of times.”

Tang Xin was startled. Only then did he realize that this man was a veteran survivor of internet-wide condemnation, the very spokesperson for bloodbaths and storms!

“However, if this matter affects TND, then…” Qi Yanning’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Before he could finish, the lights on the second floor suddenly turned on.

Several figures appeared on the staircase.

An Zai’s pajamas were askew, but his eyes were wide open, looking utterly furious. “Qi-ge, how could they say such things about you!”

The other eight members also nodded. Though their faces showed signs of sleepiness, their eyes burned with a faint fire.

“No way, I’m going to post on Xingbo!” Gong Jiayu flared up in anger.

Looking at them, Qi Yanning broke into a gentle smile. The somewhat oppressive atmosphere around him melted away, turning exceedingly peaceful.

“You guys still have filming tomorrow morning. Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Qi Yanning asked. “And Gong Jiayu! Do you know what it means to protect yourself first?”

“With Xingbo in such an uproar right now, how could we possibly fall asleep!” An Zai declared with righteous indignation.

Not only did they not head back up to sleep, but they also walked down, finding seats in the living room one by one.

Since that was the case, Qi Yanning and Tang Xin no longer needed to suppress their voices for fear of waking them, and walked toward the living room as well.

“Qi-ge, do you have a solution?” Pang Nong looked at Qi Yanning cautiously, his eyes soft and moist with endless concern.

The eyes of the others were also filled with deep worry.

Qi Yanning’s phone rang at that moment. It was a call from Ling Cangzhou.

Qi Yanning answered the call. Facing the phone, as well as the ten pairs of concerned eyes in the living room, he raised an eyebrow and smiled with supreme confidence, “They’re just clownish buffoons, nothing to fear.”

“Wow! Qi-ge, you’re so cool!” An Zai was the first to cheer.

From the other end of the line, Ling Cangzhou’s low chuckle came through, carrying a slight static hum that traveled straight into Qi Yanning’s ear.

“Then I’ll be waiting for A-Ning’s evidence. When the time comes, Morning Star Entertainment’s PR department is entirely at A-Ning’s disposal,” Ling Cangzhou said.

Qi Yanning indeed had plenty of evidence on hand.

First was the casting-couch scandal, the original blemish on his record. He had the surveillance video obtained from the deal he struck with the Ou Jin director back then, which accurately recorded the exact times he entered and exited the director’s room, as well as the sneak-photographer.

During the time he spent at home, the private investigator he hired had also uncovered evidence of close ties between Luo Heng and the trainee manager who took those secret photos. There were even records of a large sum of money transferred into that manager’s account right before the photos were taken, originating from Luo Heng’s assistant’s account.

This was more than enough to prove he had been framed in the casting-couch scandal.

Second was Lin He, the stylist You Star had fired. Unfortunately for Lin He, Qi Yanning held evidence there as well. That ugly styling design in Lin He’s secretly taken photo was Lin He’s own creation; Qi Yanning had the original file Lin He had submitted. Moreover, when Lin He was being dismissed, the little assistant Chu Sixiu had appeared to do nothing, but had actually set up a phone and recorded the entire interaction.

Third was proving the ownership of his works, which was even simpler. To facilitate reviews, all their meetings had been recorded from start to finish, which was ample proof of his genuine skill.

Fourth was Luo Heng. The previous evidence might not completely bury Luo Heng, but it was enough to tear off his mask and give the audience a chance to judge the truth.

Qi Yanning didn’t quite understand why he ended up in a late-night video conference. Not only were the TND boys present in the room, but Director Lin, Ling Cangzhou, and the head of Morning Star Entertainment’s PR department were all connected remotely.

However, once he laid out the evidence in his hands one by one, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Tonight’s wave of public backlash seemed fierce on the surface, but in reality, there was very little solid evidence to back it up—just ambiguous half-truths.

As long as they reacted quickly and slammed the evidence down, public opinion would flip completely.

“I can post on Xingbo to testify for you,” Director Lin offered boldly. “Firing Li Qing and Lin He was my decision back then. If anyone has a problem, come at me! Damn it, claiming people stole others’ work to hand to a ‘crown prince’—they’re questioning my professional ethics!”

Director Lin was so angry he cursed aloud.

“By the way, I still have the surveillance videos from back then, plus the unreleased behind-the-scenes clips of you styling them backstage. We have as much evidence as you need!”

“A bunch of blind fools, believing such preposterous nonsense!”

“Over here at Morning Star Entertainment, the surveillance footage of you styling the Dream Girl group back then is still preserved too. I can have them retrieve it,” Ling Cangzhou said in a steady voice.

“Mr. Qi, Boss, the evidence is already more than sufficient. My recommendation is to overturn everything in one swift move while public opinion is at its peak. It’s just…” The head of the PR department was a decisive and sharp woman. “Regarding these marketing accounts spreading rumors, do we issue warnings, or…?”

“Preserve the evidence, and then sue them all in court!” Ling Cangzhou’s voice brooked no argument. “Morning Star Entertainment has always handled things this way. Why is there even a question?”

The PR director realized her slip of the tongue. Previously, those who experienced such public storms were top-earning celebrities who brought in fortunes daily, which was why Morning Star Entertainment always hit back with an iron fist.

However, this time it was a behind-the-scenes staff member like a stylist… She had misjudged the situation.

“Understood, Boss. I’ll notify the legal department immediately,” she said promptly.

“Then I’ll post on Xingbo myself?” Seeing that they were finished, Qi Yanning raised his phone.

“After A-Ning finishes drafting it, let Lin Yu check it first. At a time like this, the phrasing must not have any mistakes,” Ling Cangzhou turned to Qi Yanning, his tone softening considerably.

Qi Yanning didn’t delay any longer and opened Xingbo—

Only to see that the very first post on his feed was from an unexpected person.

@PeiHuan: Qi-ge is a very, very good person. Everything currently circulating on the internet is pure rumor. Moreover, his skill as a stylist is exceptionally high. My styling for the second public performance was personally adjusted by Qi-ge. I believe that Qi-ge, who possesses such capability, disdains stealing others’ achievements. Please think carefully before speaking, everyone.

With Pei Huan posting on Xingbo at a moment like this, the enraged crowd turned to attack him as well. His comments section became foul and toxic, with many fans loudly threatening to un-stan.

Yet under every single comment, he insisted that Qi Yanning would never do such a thing.

Qi Yanning’s expression softened for a moment.

“A-Ning, what did you see?” Ling Cangzhou keenly caught the change in Qi Yanning’s expression and spoke up.

“Nothing. Just a friend, a very cute and earnest kid.” The corners of his mouth curved into a tender smile.

Ling Cangzhou’s eyes flickered, and he chuckled, “A-Ning’s good friend posted on Xingbo, huh? He really is loyal!”

“Yeah.” Qi Yanning didn’t elaborate further, turning back to edit the contents of his post.

Ling Cangzhou stopped talking as well, looking down at his phone, reading who-knew-what.

Before long, a fresh Xingbo post was completed. After being vetted by Lin Yu, head of Morning Star Entertainment’s PR department, it dropped directly into the trending topics square.

@QiYanning: Regarding the recent false claims on the internet, I initially had no desire to respond. However, the rumors have already brought negative consequences upon my colleagues and partners. Therefore, regarding these matters, I will explain only this once.

First, the “casting-couch scandal.” The hallway surveillance video from that time is attached below: A trainee informed me that the director was looking for me. I entered the director’s room at 21:07 and walked out of the room at 21:09. From then until the following day, there is no record of me entering the director’s room again. If you believe a casting-couch transaction can be completed within two minutes, then I have nothing to say.

Second, stealing others’ work. This is utter nonsense. The styling concept sketch in @StylistLinHe’s photo was created by @StylistLinHe himself, and the original manuscript and sending records are attached below. Furthermore, the dismissal of @StylistLinHe was a collective decision made by the You Star production team due to issues with his professional competence; the footage from the scene at the time is attached below. Additionally, all styling team meetings were audio-recorded in full; an excerpt from the second public performance meeting is attached below. Stealing others’ work did not occur.

Third, my “good friend” Luo Heng. I have never shared any friendship with @LuoHeng. Following an investigation, the person who secretly took the photos during the casting-couch incident was Trainee Manager Li (resigned), who maintained long-term close contact with contestant Luo Heng. Furthermore, before and after the incident took place, there were large remittance records sent from @LuoHeng’s assistant to that manager, with evidence attached below.

In summary, I have preserved evidence regarding the marketing accounts and bloggers spreading rumors, and I do not rule out pursuing legal liability.

[Evidence Video * 3]

[Evidence Images * 6]

[Evidence Audio * 1]

The moment Qi Yanning’s Xingbo post went live, it instantly captured the attention of every onlooker following the drama!

They had originally been furiously denouncing Qi Yanning. Now, seeing that Qi Yanning held such ironclad evidence, their jaws dropped in pure shock, dropping their melons to the floor.

Wait a second… with evidence this solid, how did you even hold back for so long before posting it?!