IDEI Ch5

“It’s good that you’re back.” Warm concern filled Director Mama’s eyes as she circled Qi Yanning.

Basking in such a gaze felt like sinking into a bath of perfectly tempered water, sending a subtle, tingling warmth through Qi Yanning’s chest.

“You’ve grown so thin,” she fretted with aching heartache. “Have you not been eating properly all this time?”

“A-Ma stewed pork ribs. You have to eat plenty later. How can a young man be so scrawny?”

Listening to Director Mama’s relentless nagging, Qi Yu noticed Qi Yanning looking slightly uncomfortable. Though puzzled, she stepped in to take over the conversation: “A-Ma, that’s just a job requirement!”

Pushed gently toward the kitchen by Qi Yu, Director Mama still mumbled under her breath the entire way: “In the prime of his youth, how can being that skin-and-bones be good for him? He needs to eat more and get sturdy…”

Standing where he was, Qi Yanning was entirely unaware that a faint touch of a smile had already surfaced in his eyes.

“A-Ning ge!” A little boy of five or six grabbed Qi Yanning’s hand.

Qi Yanning stiffened slightly with unfamiliar awkwardness, but didn’t pull away.

He looked down at the chubby-cheeked, lively child whose face was brimming with innocent joy, his voice loud and clear: “A-Ning ge, you haven’t visited in so long, I missed you so much!”

Words like these were something Qi Yanning had never heard before. In his past life, he had commanded a troop of little palace eunuchs aged five or six. He was already the kindest, most generous chief eunuch in the entire imperial palace, yet those little eunuchs had never shown such pure, unbridled childhood happiness. Their faces were perpetually etched with cautious vigilance and the forced maturity of survival, their voices kept to a measured tone, thoroughly disciplined into lifeless formality.

Led by the little boy, Qi Yanning walked toward the orphanage dining hall amidst the child’s bright, chattering updates.

The dining hall was a modest room lined with two rows of tables—weathered, yet scrubbed immaculately clean.

Qi Yanning sat down, then stood up again, relying on unfamiliar memories to locate his metal meal tray before walking over to the serving window. The lunch lady hadn’t seen him in ages either, heaping a generous ladle of every dish onto his plate. The sweet and sour pork ribs in particular nearly buried the entire tray.

Carrying the brimming tray, he found a seat. Qi Yu sat down across from him.

“Why aren’t you eating?” After a few bites, Qi Yu noticed Qi Yanning staring at the food without moving, his eyes clouded with complicated thoughts, and couldn’t help speaking up.

Snapping out of his daze at her voice, Qi Yanning finally lifted his chopsticks. Picking up a tender rib, he placed it in his mouth.

It was delicious.

Unlike the refined, flawless perfection of the imperial kitchen’s banquets, these home-cooked dishes were soaked in the rich, comforting warmth of domestic life.

With lowered eyes, Qi Yanning ate with meticulous poise. Despite the simplicity of the home-cooked meal, his impeccable posture made it look as though he were partaking of the most exquisite imperial delicacies.

“It’s exceptionally good,” Qi Yanning paused, emphasizing his words.

“If it’s good, eat up quickly,” Qi Yu beamed, her eyes curving into crescents.

For the rest of the meal, neither of them spoke, quietly savoring the delicious food on their plates.

Until the small television in the corner of the dining hall began playing Idol Evolution.

It was the survival show Qi Yanning had previously competed in. The children at the orphanage had no idea he had been forced out; only Director Mama and Qi Yu knew.

Qi Yu’s expression changed instantly. She moved to get up and change the channel, but Qi Yanning’s expression didn’t ripple in the slightest. If anything, a faint smile touched his lips: “It’s fine, let’s watch this. I’d like to see how my friend performed on the last stage.”

Qi Yu hesitated, wanting to say something, but seeing his composure, she didn’t get up to turn off the TV after all. Instead, she stole glances at him every few moments, clearly worried.

Qi Yanning registered Qi Yu’s reaction, but paid it no heed, fixing his attention on the screen.

Luo Heng’s stage had just passed. Even with clever editing and autotune, it couldn’t mask the plain mediocrity of his performance. Right after came Pei Huan’s stage.

Pei Huan shone with dazzling brilliance on screen. Clearly intending to use this stage as the episode’s viral centerpiece, the production crew had edited the footage with extraordinary care, preserving every drop of Pei Huan’s radiance.

In the intimate, face-framing close-ups, Pei Huan’s bashfully seductive face was magnified to the absolute limit, leaving viewers breathless.

Studying that face, Qi Yanning frowned slightly. Had there been more time, it could have been far more exquisite. But constrained by the clock, he could only push for maximum visual impact.

Once Pei Huan’s stage concluded, he lost all interest in the broadcast.

Leaning closer, Qi Yu offered some awkward comfort: “Your friend, that Luo Heng… maybe he just made a little mistake…”

“No, he isn’t my friend,” Qi Yanning arched an eyebrow. “I was watching Pei Huan.”

“Pei Huan?” Qi Yu’s voice pitched higher. “That gorgeous little beauty from just now?”

“Yes, him.”

“Did your show’s stylists suddenly get struck by divine inspiration? Pei Huan never looked that stunning before… Still, that styling suited him wonderfully, matching his aura and features to perfection,” Qi Yu murmured, recalling the stage she had just seen.

Qi Yanning said nothing, merely smiling faintly.

He and Qi Yu spent the afternoon playing with the children in the courtyard and chatting with Director Mama, finally dispelling all her lingering worries about him.

On the car ride back, Qi Yanning logged onto Xingbo.

The original host’s primary account was undoubtedly inundated with vicious comments and DMs right now. He had no intention of touching it for the moment, registering a burner account instead.

First, he searched “Qi Yanning.”

Unsurprisingly, it was still a barrage of scorn. However, following the production’s official statement and his withdrawal, fans of the other trainees no longer viewed him as a rival, cutting the volume of hate by more than half.

In time, as public attention shifted elsewhere, the name Qi Yanning would fade into obscurity.

Scanning the feed expressionlessly and confirming that Luo Heng hadn’t stirred up any new trouble, he turned to search for Pei Huan.

He didn’t even need to type his name; the “Moonlight” stage broadcast the night before was already dominating the trending searches.

#MoonlightStageIncredible#

#MoonlightPeiHuan#

#PeiHuanTheOmegaFromNovelsFinallyHasAFace#

…

There were a full three trending topics concerning Pei Huan. The first had been bought by the production team, sitting at fifth place on the hot search. The other two had been propelled upward entirely by raw organic engagement.

The trending feeds were plastered with looping GIFs of Pei Huan’s stage. The peach-blossom youth sparked waves of gasps from casual onlookers and seasoned idol stans alike.

[What kind of peerless little beauty is this! Come let Jie jie kiss you!]

[Holy shit, who is Pei Huan? I don’t care, marry me right this second!]

[Who is this? Absolutely breathtaking!]

…

Realizing what was happening, Pei Huan’s newly formed fan club scrambled across every Xingbo thread to drop promotional links.

[This is Pei Huan from Idol Evolution! A peerless sweet bean, introverted personality but god-tier dancer! More importantly, his waistline is insane hehehe…]

Pei Huan’s personal Xingbo account gained hundreds of thousands of followers in a single day. While the number might not seem astronomical, these were newly converted, fiercely active fans. Consequently, his vote counts on the official leaderboard were practically catapulting skyward.

Observing the clamor across the trending list, Qi Yanning remained serenely poised, looking entirely detached from the viral explosion he had personally orchestrated.

The online reception was quite solid. This was good.

Pocketing his phone, Qi Yanning was dropped off downstairs by Qi Yu.

“A-Ning, take good care of yourself.” Stepping out of the car, Qi Yu pulled Qi Yanning into a hug.

Her eyes brimmed with earnest concern as she stroked his hair with tender affection.

Qi Yanning’s body stiffened for a fraction of a second before relaxing once more.

Meeting Qi Yu’s eyes, he spoke with calm confidence: “I will.”

Qi Yu felt that Qi Yanning had changed. He was more grounded than before, carrying an inscrutable aura that made him appear almost like a ruler surveying his domain.

Yet Qi Yu didn’t find it strange, only feeling a pang of heartache. After enduring such a nationwide hate campaign, who wouldn’t change?

Giving Qi Yanning a long look, she broke into a broad smile, patting his shoulder. “You’ll be on set starting tomorrow. I’ll pick you up in the morning, don’t be late.”

“The moment you’re out of Jie’s sight for a little while, such a huge disaster happens. I’m keeping you right under my nose from now on!” Qi Yu put on a mock-ferocious glare.

“Go to bed early tonight. I’m off!”

Without waiting for him to reply, she turned and drove off with her usual crisp efficiency.

Qi Yanning shook his head with helpless amusement, a subtle smile flickering in his eyes.

The next morning, he left early, arriving at the Your Star production base with a single bag of luggage.

The director had already been craning his neck in anticipation.

“Qi Yanning!” The portly director seized Qi Yanning’s hand, looking almost on the verge of tears. “You’re finally here!”

Wrenching his hand free, Qi Yanning looked at the director with a questioning arch of his brow.

Only then did the director offer an explanation with a bitter grimace.

It turned out that yesterday afternoon’s interviews had been disastrous: the candidates were either painfully bland or wildly bizarre. In the end, out of sheer desperation, the director had reluctantly picked a few who were marginally less atrocious than the rest.

Thus, Qi Yanning, with his extraordinary aesthetic vision, had become the director’s ultimate lifeline.

He was firmly resolved to stay on Qi Yanning’s good side.

Late last night, the director had foolishly searched for online reviews of the show again. He had assumed that after so much time, the show’s reputation might have recovered slightly. Instead, with Pei Huan’s “Moonlight” stage blowing up across the internet, their show had been dragged back out into the open to be flayed alive.

Specifically, their theme song MV styling had also made heavy use of sweeping blush.

Consequently, a side-by-side comparison began circulating wildly across social media.

On one side was their theme song Center Xiao Yingyi’s face, flushed red like a baboon’s rear end; on the other was Pei Huan’s delicate cheek, accentuated by immaculate blush to look like a fresh, dewy peach.

The staggering contrast plunged Your Star straight back into a carnival of nationwide mockery.

The director’s mental defenses had shattered.

A grown man, driven to insomnia until 4:00 AM by hate comments, had crawled out of bed and waited for Qi Yanning until now.

Listening to the director’s aggrieved tirade against Idol Evolution‘s stylist, Qi Yanning showed zero reaction, acting entirely as though the stylist who “hid his skills and suddenly had a divine awakening” wasn’t standing right in front of him.

Cutting through the director’s ceaseless rambling, he asked, “Director Lin, what is my task right now?”

Interrupted mid-rant, the director—Lin Xiong—didn’t take offense, turning to Qi Yanning with eager attentiveness: “Here’s the thing… I’m planning to reshoot the theme song MV, which means purchasing entirely new uniforms. Could you take a look and advise me?”

The theme song?

The music video he had seen last night surfaced in his mind.

Skin-tight suits paired with athletic sneakers, theatrical makeup slathered across their faces…

That aesthetic was truly something else.

Massaging his temples, Qi Yanning clicked his tongue.

Seeing his reaction, the director scrambled to explain: “Actually, our theme song was commissioned from a renowned domestic composer, and the lyrics were co-written by a famous lyricist and poet. It really sounds fantastic.”

He mumbled in an attempt to save face, “The MV wasn’t that terrible either, right? It had a vintage flavor! It’s just not trendy anymore, but back in our day, this style was all the rage…”

Qi Yanning cast an inscrutable look at the director, causing him to trail off sheepishly. Even he knew the theme song MV was… rather eccentric.

When Qi Yanning watched it yesterday, he hadn’t registered what the song sounded like at all. Under such severe visual assault, being able to finish the video had purely been a professional necessity.

He felt his temperament had grown remarkably peaceful in this life.

In his previous world, had anyone dared present such an abomination before Chief Grand Eunuch Qi Yanning of the Bureau of Imperial Attire, he would have had the items and the person bundled together and buried in the imperial gardens as fertilizer.

“Let me listen to the song first,” Qi Yanning paused, adding, “Do not play the video.”

After listening to the track, Qi Yanning’s brows furrowed deeply.

To his aesthetic eye, this was undeniably a stellar piece of music: crisp, brimming with youthful vitality, underscored by a touch of noble elegance. Listening to it naturally brought to mind high-spirited youths of privileged, refined upbringing.

How had a track like this been butchered into that monstrosity?

Qi Yanning looked at the director, his eyes narrowing with pure scrutiny.

This man… with taste like this, how on earth has he survived in the directing circle?

Under his piercing stare, the director’s face flushed bright red.

He stammered, wanting to offer an excuse, but Qi Yanning gave him no opportunity.

Opening his phone, Qi Yanning pulled up an e-commerce platform. “I understand. There’s no time for bespoke tailoring now, so we buy off the rack. This one, in-stock locally.”

His slender fingers swept rapidly through the overflowing cart, coming to a halt on an academic-style tailored suit set.

“Custom logos are available. A rush order of one hundred sets will only take half a day, arriving tonight,” Qi Yanning said in a relaxed drawl, his tone laced with absolute certainty.

Leaning in to look, the director’s eyes ignited instantly!

“This is the one!” the director gasped in awe. “It looks gorgeous!”