IDEI CH48

Hearing this, Qi Yanning glanced at him.

Catching Qi Yanning’s smiling yet quietly scrutinizing gaze, Ling Cangzhou felt his heart tighten.

“Yuchuan… traveling to Ming Province all by yourself?” Qi Yanning smiled, speaking half in jest. “It seems Morning Star Entertainment is running exceptionally well. Boss Ling has quite the leisurely mood.”

Rubbing his nose, Ling Cangzhou replied in an undertone, “Actually, it’s for work. I hold shares in a film production studio currently under construction in Ming Province, so I’m going over to inspect it.”

Qi Yanning looked into his eyes. After a long beat, the corner of his lips tilted upward slightly, and the surrounding atmospheric pressure noticeably eased.

“A film studio?” Qi Yanning asked.

“Yes. Ming Province boasts magnificent, picturesque landscapes, making it ideal for on-location filming. The local conditions are poor, however, making it difficult for production crews to settle in. Therefore, Morning Star Entertainment took the lead in constructing a studio base in Ming Province to facilitate filming,” Ling Cangzhou explained.

“Construction is halfway through, so I came to check on the progress.”

Qi Yanning nodded. He was indeed rather interested in film studio bases; he could visit when time permitted, but not right now.

Saying nothing further, he leaned his head back against the seat cushion and closed his eyes to rest.

Seeing this, Ling Cangzhou refrained from disturbing him, opening his phone instead.

With utmost solemnity, he typed into his notes app:

[MEMO]: Overly clingy, neglects work: A-Ning dislikes.

Directly above this entry was: “Likes eating fish, but dislikes overpowering seasoning.”

Further up was: “Likes how I look in a suit.”

The flight to Ming Province took only three hours, soon touching down at the airport in City X.

Stepping off the plane, Qi Yanning was about to part ways with Ling Cangzhou.

While waiting for the assistant to retrieve their luggage, Ling Cangzhou spoke with genuine concern, “The local culture in Ming Province is fierce and deeply guarded against outsiders, especially in the rural villages. A-Ning must prioritize your safety.”

“How about I leave two bodyguards with you? Or, I can have my assistant accompany you. He can handle many matters on your behalf.”

Qi Yanning turned his head to look at him. “And what about you?”

“I’m heading to the film base. There are plenty of staff members there, so it’s safe,” Ling Cangzhou said with a bright smile. “Besides, it’s merely an inspection. I don’t need an assistant.”

“I appreciate your good intentions, Yuchuan, but there is no need for bodyguards or an assistant,” Qi Yanning shook his head, declining gracefully. “It is not as if I am walking into a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den. With Deng Qingyun as my guide, nothing will go wrong.”

“Alright.” Ling Cangzhou deflated for a brief second, before perking right back up. “Then once I finish my tasks, if A-Ning hasn’t wrapped up yet… may I come find you?”

Ling Cangzhou turned slightly. The sunlight cascading through the airport’s glass facade washed over his face, sculpting his facial features with deep, alluring definition. Lowering his head slightly, with a warm smile resting on his lips, his eyes carried an earnest, pleading warmth.

The corner of Qi Yanning’s mouth curved. “Of course.”

Ling Cangzhou’s eyes lit up instantly, his smile broadening. “Then it’s a promise!”

Right on cue, the assistant arrived wheeling their luggage. Taking his suitcase, Qi Yanning looked back, offering Ling Cangzhou a soft smile before turning to leave without hesitation.

Ling Cangzhou stood rooted in place for quite some time. Pulling out his phone, he jotted down another entry in his memo:

[MEMO]: Once work is concluded, being clingy is completely acceptable!

Pocketing his phone, he departed in high spirits.

Meanwhile, Qi Yanning had already met up with Deng Qingyun.

The vehicle picking them up had been arranged by Deng Qingyun. The two boarded the car, setting off toward the residence of the Red Gate embroidery successors.

The Red Gate embroidery lineage resided in Qingshan Town, a small settlement administered by Yun City in Ming Province. They lived in a hamlet nestled at the foot of the mountains, virtually secluded from the outside world.

For this reason, driving there took four full hours.

Along the journey, Deng Qingyun shared the current situation of Red Gate embroidery with Qi Yanning in rich detail.

The questions in Qi Yanning’s mind were resolved one by one through Deng Qingyun’s narrative.

A thousand years ago, Red Gate embroidery flourished brilliantly; there was no one under heaven who had not heard of it. With the turnover of dynasties, however, the new sovereign deeply resented the old nobility and aristocratic clans of the fallen regime. Consequently, he abhorred Red Gate embroidery, which symbolized lavish extravagance and aristocratic privilege, replacing it with He embroidery as the official court technique.

Once celebrated like blooming flowers upon fine brocade, Red Gate embroidery fell from grace overnight. Still, like a centipede that does not topple even in death, Red Gate embroidery remained highly revered among commoners, thereby surviving through generations.

That lasted until the turbulent era before the nation’s founding, when foreign covetousness forced the lineage to disperse into the populace, drifting across the country.

It was during that period that Grandma Yu’s grandmother fled into Ming Province, settling in a remote mountain hamlet. She was fortunate; the village lay within a liberated zone, allowing her to live out her natural lifespan without enduring severe hardship.

Yet due to the turmoil of war, little of her craft was passed down. Once the political climate stabilized, the cautious Grandma Yu honored her grandmother’s dying wish, placing newspaper advertisements to search for descendants of Red Gate embroidery. After a bitter decade of searching, she discovered in despair that their branch was the sole surviving line.

What pained her even more was that, believing her own skill was inadequate, she felt unworthy of taking on apprentices in the name of Red Gate embroidery. By the time she reached old age, she had not taken a single disciple. At that rate, Red Gate embroidery would go extinct!

Consequently, Grandma Yu discarded her former cautious reserve, opening her doors to take on disciples. In total, forty apprentices were registered under her name.

All had been carefully vetted: their natural talent might have been modest, but their character and integrity were sound. Even if they could not attain supreme mastery, they would preserve the lineage faithfully.

These apprentices followed Grandma Yu to live in Qingshan Town, and even after her passing, none had departed. Being younger and quick-witted, they crafted small embroidery pieces to sell via livestreams, sustaining their daily living expenses.

Therefore, traveling to Qingshan Town meant meeting all the remaining successors of Red Gate embroidery in one place.

Qi Yanning had not expected Red Gate embroidery to have endured such dramatic turbulence. Dynastic shifts, wartime dispersal… the fact that any lineage survived at all was already remarkably fortunate, making it impossible to demand that their present skill rival that of its golden age.

After traversing a smooth highway for an hour, the car plunged deep into the mountains. The road wound through layered peaks, pressing deeper into the wilderness.

They even encountered a minor landslide along the way. As a result, it took five hours before they finally arrived at Qingshan Town.

The Red Gate courtyard stood at the point of the ancient town closest to the mountains.

The town’s architecture faithfully preserved classical techniques, with white plaster walls and gray slate tiles resembling strokes of ink wash within the mountains. The Red Gate courtyard rested quietly at the end of the long street, its gate adorned with a vivid, eye-catching splash of cinnabar red.

“We have arrived,” Deng Qingyun rubbed his aching lower back, casting an envious glance at Qi Yanning.

After five hours, his waist felt broken and his legs were nearly numb, stumbling as he stepped out of the vehicle. Qi Yanning was entirely different; looking as if he had not just endured a flight followed by a grueling drive, he appeared energetic, studying the architecture before them with keen interest.

Pulling out his phone to contact the Red Gate artisans, Deng Qingyun said, “I will have them open the gate. Please wait a moment, Teacher Qi.”

Qi Yanning gestured for him to take his time, his attention captured by the local architecture.

He had only heard of such structures in this region before, but had never seen them in person. Viewing them now, they were as captivating as imagined, radiating a unique, airy grace even under the fading twilight.

Before long, the red gate creaked open, and a slender young woman in her twenties emerged.

A quiet melancholy shaded her brow, making her resemble a delicate orchid nurtured by these mountain mists.

Wearing a gentle smile, the woman spoke in a soft, airy voice, “President Deng, you and your guest have arrived.”

Even Deng Qingyun lowered his volume before her, introducing the two, “This is Yu Youzhen, the daughter raised by Grandma Yu, and the current da-shijie of Red Gate embroidery.”

“This is Qi Yanning, the person I mentioned to you previously.”

A subtle radiance washed over Yu Youzhen’s face as she looked toward Qi Yanning, her gaze a mix of anticipation and doubt.

Her lips parted, but she swallowed her words in the end, smiling softly, “Hello, Teacher Qi. It is wonderful that you could come.”

With that, she ushered the two toward the guest quarters.

“Our rooms are quite limited here, so I must trouble President Deng and Teacher Qi to share a room,” she looked at Qi Yanning, her eyes carrying hesitation and guilt.

Qi Yanning appeared as though nurtured amidst fine jade and gold, carrying an extraordinary presence. Yu Youzhen genuinely felt they were treating him poorly.

Yet they truly had no other spare rooms.

“It is no trouble,” Qi Yanning stated.

With that, he wheeled his suitcase into the room.

The light flickered on, revealing the space. It was a modest room furnished simply with two wardrobes, two single beds, and a table with chairs; there was no room for anything else. Although small, it was kept spotless and neat, and even the bedsheets and duvets appeared freshly sun-dried.

Betraying no discomfort, Qi Yanning gave Yu Youzhen a polite nod. “We are the ones disturbing you. This room is quite pleasant.”

Yu Youzhen sighed in relief, smiling gently. “Then Teacher Qi, President Deng, given the late hour, please rest early.”

The two nodded.

Lulled by the evening mountain breeze, Qi Yanning spent his first night in this small hamlet. He had assumed he would enjoy a sound sleep…

Yet heaven only knew how Deng Qingyun’s snoring could be so thunderous! Jolted awake from his slumber, Qi Yanning initially mistook the sound for muffled mountain thunder. Only after coming fully awake did he realize it was Deng Qingyun’s snoring.

Qi Yanning did not sleep for the rest of the night.

At the first break of dawn, he rose from bed. Stepping out into the morning glow, he strolled outside the courtyard; the town’s scenery was quite lovely, and he took advantage of the quiet morning to explore.

When he returned to the courtyard gate, a young man’s furious voice echoed from within.

“Shijie, do you truly believe that Qi Yanning? I checked: his background has zero connection to Red Gate embroidery! He isn’t even from the fashion industry; he’s a makeup artist!”

The young man’s voice crackled with unrestrained fury. Failing to control his volume, Qi Yanning heard every word with crystal clarity from outside the wall.

“Xiao Zong, even if he is not from the fashion industry, what of it? If he says he has something to teach Red Gate, that could be our opportunity. What is more, Teacher Qi was introduced by President Deng,” Yu Youzhen’s gentle, earnest voice reasoned.

“What opportunity!” Xiao Zong, named Tong Zong, burned with even greater indignation. “Shijie! You cannot trust people so blindly! That Qi Yanning might just want to steal our Red Gate stitches! He works in the entertainment industry; in that kind of swamp, who knows what kind of rotten person he is? President Deng might have been bought off by him as well; they are birds of a feather, colluding together!”

“Tong Zong!” Yu Youzhen’s tone turned stern. “How can you slander our guest like that? Is that how you were taught to behave?”

Having spoken, she began coughing violently from agitation.

Tong Zong’s aggressive stance collapsed instantly. Hurrying forward to support Yu Youzhen, he mumbled, “Shijie, do not be angry, I will stop talking… but I still do not believe he knows Red Gate stitches.”

“It is not as if swindlers haven’t knocked on our door before. Every time they put on a convincing act; a few times we even thought we had found lost lineage members, only to discover they were frauds!”

“And that time! Shijie, you…” Tong Zong blurted out before clamping his mouth shut, his face twisted in resentment.

Her face flushed from coughing, Yu Youzhen could not speak, weakly swatting at him with her fist.

Tong Zong felt aggrieved. “Why do you trust that Qi Yanning so much, shijie! Winning your trust in such a short time with sweet words; how can you claim he holds no ill intent?”

Qi Yanning arched an eyebrow. Sweet words and deceitful charm? He had never heard anyone describe him that way; it felt rather novel.

Pushing open the gate, he stepped inside at an unhurried pace.

With a creak of the wooden door, Tong Zong and Yu Youzhen turned their heads in unison.

Facing their flustered gazes, Qi Yanning held their eyes without flinching, his tone laced with amusement. “Having nothing to do upon waking, I took a stroll outside.”

Turning his gaze toward Tong Zong, the smile in his voice deepened. “Then tell me: what unique qualities do the stitches currently mastered by Red Gate disciples possess that set them apart from the rest of the world? And what is there to scheme for from the present Red Gate, aside from a technique manual that none of you can even comprehend?”

Tong Zong froze, struck speechless by Qi Yanning’s blunt words.

Yu Youzhen’s eyes dimmed as well. Catching her breath at last, she apologized, “Teacher Qi, my apologies. It is my fault for not guiding my shidi properly.”

Qi Yanning gave Yu Youzhen a slight nod, having no intention of bickering with a child.

Tong Zong remained defiant, his baby face pulled taut. After a pause, he declared, “Then how about we make a bet?”

“No…”

“What bet?” Before Yu Youzhen could refuse, Qi Yanning looked over with keen interest. This boy was certainly stubborn.

Having slept poorly, his mood was far from splendid. Seeing Tong Zong’s cheeks puffed up like round steamed buns, however, his curiosity was piqued.

He wanted to see what else this kid could come up with.

“A bet on our Red Gate stitches,” Tong Zong challenged. “Didn’t you claim to know Red Gate stitches? I will pick a shimei or shidi, along with a stitch they have never learned, and you will teach them. If you fail to teach them, you must apologize to me and shijie!”

“And if you lose?” Qi Yanning asked with a faint smile.

“If I lose, I will apologize! Or do you have another condition?” Tong Zong raised his chin.

Qi Yanning’s gaze shifted, his posture leaning into casual ease. “Interesting. Let me raise the stakes. If I lose, I will donate two hundred thousand yuan to your lineage to support intangible cultural heritage. If you lose… for the duration of my stay in your town, you will serve as my assistant. How does that sound?”

Even without judging from Yu Youzhen and Tong Zong’s reactions, he could tell Red Gate did not truly trust him. Furthermore, he did not actually embroider himself; revealing that fact outright would only invite louder skepticism.

Rather than wasting breath wrangling over pointless arguments, he might as well use this wager to bring the entire Red Gate lineage to heel in one fell swoop.

“Tong Zong!” Yu Youzhen frowned, attempting to halt the absurd bet, but Tong Zong had already gritted his teeth and agreed.

They had nothing to lose regardless of the outcome. If he won, Red Gate would receive a two-hundred-thousand-yuan donation, easing life for his shixiong and shimei. If he lost… though embarrassing, if it proved Qi Yanning genuinely understood Red Gate stitches, he would gladly serve as Qi Yanning’s assistant for a lifetime!

“Then let us begin,” Qi Yanning stated briskly. “President Deng, please act as our witness.”

Deng Qingyun wore a face full of sorrow, baffled by how things had escalated to this point when everything seemed fine last night. Seeing the matter settled, he could only nod in agreement.

Soon, Tong Zong brought over a bright, quick-witted young girl, carrying a screenshot of a page from the technique manual.

“This stitch right here. Why don’t you check whether you even know it first?” Tong Zong challenged.

Qi Yanning’s gaze swept over the manual screenshot. Arching an eyebrow, he looked at Tong Zong with an ambiguous smile.

This stitch was called the Huiluan Stitch (Returning Phoenix Stitch), falling at an intermediate difficulty. Coincidentally, this was the exact stitch most frequently employed in the imperial palace when embroidering upon Fengling silk.

Using this technique on gossamer-thin Fengling silk ensured that while patterns remained exquisite, the silk’s integrity and lightness were preserved to the utmost, preventing creasing or stiffness, keeping even dense embroidery flowing and weightless.

And in Qi Yanning’s past life, Fengling silk had been all the rage.

He could not have been more familiar with the Huiluan Stitch.

This kid’s luck was something else: Qi Yanning had been gone for so long, yet Tong Zong began arguing with Yu Youzhen right as he reached the gate; and now, his random pick landed on one of the stitches Qi Yanning knew best.

“Very well,” Qi Yanning glanced at Tong Zong, accepting the terms.

Subsequently, Qi Yanning and the others were guided into an embroidery workroom.

The room was spacious and filled with natural light, vastly superior to the shaded living quarters.

Qi Yanning felt a stir of approval: though the current Red Gate successors lacked high-level mastery, they truly treasured their craft.

He sat by the window in the bright light alongside the young Red Gate xiao-shimei.

Just as Tong Zong turned to leave, a faint sentence drifted from the window:

“I do not handle needles, nor do I know how to embroider…”

Tong Zong’s eyes widened in shock. What filled his chest was not the joy of assured victory, but overwhelming disappointment.

It seemed this man was just another fraud!

He wanted to march back in to expose Qi Yanning immediately, but upon second thought, he stomped his foot and turned away.

He could afford to wait a single day; he wanted to witness how someone who didn’t even know how to embroider planned on teaching stitches to another person!

Inside the room, Qi Yanning cast an amused glance toward the doorway. Once the footsteps faded into the distance, he turned his focus back to the workspace.

On the embroidery frame, a length of sheer silk was stretched taut. Though not authentic Fengling silk, its weave was tight, light, and supple, ranking as high quality.

“Follow the movements I describe, and boldly insert your needle where I direct. You will make no mistakes. Trust me.”

Sitting beside her, he met the young xiao-shimei’s eyes, his phoenix eyes brimming with a calm certainty that inspired absolute trust, as if every challenge in the world was child’s play to him.

The xiao-shimei blinked in awe, then beamed with a bright smile, nodding firmly.

“I trust you! You’re Qi Yanning after all!” the xiao-shimei’s sweet voice rang out, filled with boundless admiration and faith.