IDEI CH54

The video was not long, lasting a mere two minutes, yet no one could bear to click away after just a single watch.

The clip opened on a hazy, dreamlike garden scene. Sunlight filtered down, radiating a gentle warmth that could be felt straight through the screen, involuntarily lifting the viewer’s spirits.

Yet the garden lingered for only two seconds. Two seconds later, the camera cut abruptly to a pristine white interior. Plunging from a lush garden into a cavernous, pure white room, an inexplicable sense of loss welled up in the audience’s hearts.

The camera shifted as if someone were walking, slowly focusing in on a snow-white hemline. The skirt was completely adorned with fringe and feathers—weightless and airy, yet utterly motionless.

It gave the impression that even the very air inside this room had frozen in place.

As the camera panned upward, a black shawl came into view. Draped across her shoulders, the wrap was covered in rigid black feathers, resembling a pair of folded wings—dark, suffocating, and imposing.

Further up was cloud-like black hair gathered into an elegant updo.

Pulling back to a wider shot, the figure began to move, pacing across the room as the feathers on her skirt trembled with frantic intensity, as if materializing her turbulent inner turmoil. Her steps quickened, the skirt swaying clumsily in her agitation, trapped as though behind prison bars.

Before long, however, the silhouette came to a halt. As if drained to the absolute limit, she collapsed onto the solitary chair in the room.

The lens finally drifted from her back and profile around to capture her face: it was Miao Xi. She wore an intricate, lushly pigmented face of makeup, yet her features were devoid of warmth or blood. Her gaze was hollow, completely out of focus.

Like an exquisite porcelain doll.

Until—

Sunlight poured through a narrow slit window, spilling across the woman’s body. Her lifeless eyes slowly found their focus. As the beam crept upward from her hem, she turned her head slowly toward the window, her eyes burning brighter by the second.

Golden light grazed her pale, muted lips, gilding them with luminescence, yet the fire in her gaze blazed hotter than the sun itself.

Everyone held their breath for the moment the sunlight touched her eyes, yearning to see those two brilliant lights meet, fuse, and ignite into an incomparable radiance.

Yet the woman did not wait for the light to rise; she rose to her feet instead—

The camera pulled back rapidly into slow motion. Gathering her skirt in hand, the delicate, fragile gown did nothing to impede her stride. The black wrap billowed behind her like outstretched wings as she broke into a run toward the window, leaping forward without hesitation!

The screen cut abruptly to pitch black.

Then, it shifted once more back to the hazy, enchanting garden.

The camera tilted up slowly along a warm white wall bathed in sunshine, locking onto the woman leaning halfway out of the window.

Her right arm, draped in the black feathered wrap, reached toward the sky, sunlight curling around her fingertips into a radiant halo of lens flare.

Basked in the golden daylight, her eyes were closed. The gold shimmer woven into her smoky eye look seemed spun from pure sunlight, while her lips—now plump, rich, and vibrant crimson—curled into a faint smile.

Her expression was completely relaxed, radiating pure joy. The background score swelled in tandem, turning lighthearted and carefree.

Then, accompanied by a soaring vocal chant, her eyes snapped open. In them burned a vibrant, life-affirming light brighter than spring itself!

The frame froze on her pupil, dissolved into a sea of deep blue, and pulled swiftly out of another pupil.

Against the dark navy backdrop stood a figure draped in an understated, milky-white gown. She appeared to be casually playing with water, yet her body language and expressions spoke of far greater depths.

Makeup so subtle it seemed virtually colorless left her emotions nowhere to hide, laying every nuance bare before the viewer. She never looked at the camera, yet volumes could be read from her face: delight, joy, disappointment, fury, bewilderment… a torrent of emotions flickered across her features.

What is she trying to tell us? the viewers wondered.

Emotions layered atop one another, veiled in ambiguity as if behind frosted glass, yet clutching tight to the audience’s heartstrings all the same.

Every viewer held their breath, yearning for eye contact, yearning to decipher her gaze.

Yet right until the music faded to near-silence as she walked into the distance, she never once met the lens.

The audience grew restless with anticipation.

Look at me! Look over here!

Yet the figure on screen remained leisurely and unhurried. Stepping with light, airy strides, she waited until the very final second of the video to look gently over her shoulder.

Everyone tumbled headfirst into eyes that seemed to hold ten thousand stories. The emotions poured forth with such overwhelming intensity, spilling through the glass directly into the viewers’ souls.

Before they could parse the feeling, the screen cut to black. In the darkness, a single line of text materialized quietly:

Mingri · Miao Xi

The video concluded entirely.

Only then did the audience snap out of their daze.

[Ahhhhh what is this masterpiece! I’ve watched it five times already, send help!]

[Like watching a whole movie! So dreamy, so gorgeous, so satisfying!]

[So beautiful! I actually grasped the core message; turns out this is what it feels like to truly understand high-fashion storytelling hhhhh, exhilarating and fulfilling, like having an intimate conversation with a kindred stranger? So satisfied.]

[Is this the first time Mingri has shot a narrative behind-the-scenes fashion film? It looks like a high-concept art film, stunning!]

[Miao-jie is so gorgeous I’m suffocating ahhhh! This is really Miao Xi? High-fashion and stunning, I’m obsessed!]

[I thought the red carpet goddess look was Miao Xi’s peak, but two weeks later, Miao-jie delivers another shock! Too pretty! Both looks have me crawling on all fours.]

[The emotional resonance of this film! A triple-crown Best Actress is terrifyingly formidable! This acting is god-tier. That level of emotional projection works even without eye contact. Meanwhile, certain wooden young starlets can’t even convey anything staring straight into the camera, tsk tsk.]

[To the one above, comparing them to her is an insult to our Best Actress. None of them have Miao-jie’s beauty or acting chops; they might as well retire from the industry.]

[This short film is pure flexing, right? Right, right? It feels like Mingri is saying: We have the peerless Miao-jie to anchor our narrative short film, we have a god-tier stylist to tailor her presence, and we have a world-class cinematography and set crew… Insane, this is an absolute masterclass!]

[Is no one talking about these two looks? They’re ridiculously gorgeous, okay? One is opulent yet full of raw life, where soft, airy white skirt volume collides with the rigid black wrap to create delicious friction and tension. The other is pure, stripped-back self-expression; the milky-white gown and barefaced look are fresh and dynamic, highlighting Miao-jie’s cinematic presence… both fit her like a glove.]

[Hiss—this styling… the seamless harmony between makeup and wardrobe, flawless hair, and an overarching concept that elevates the model’s core essence… it reminds me of someone. Let me go check.]

[No need to guess, it’s exactly who you’re thinking of. Qi Yanning! I thought you went back to styling TND—they’ve been playing with wild abandon on their variety show lately because their makeup never budges. Who knew you quietly cooked up another masterpiece! @QiYanning where on earth is your ceiling!]

[@QiYanning Qi-ge and Miao-jie, please lock together forever, ahhhh?! @MiaoXiStudio hurry up and sign Qi-ge! With our Qi-ge’s caliber, if you manage to sign him, I’d gladly serve as his footstool while he works!]

Enchanted by the short film, viewers passionately analyzed every frame. Naturally, the bulk of the traffic surged toward Miao Xi’s breathtaking performance, yet plenty of eyes locked onto Qi Yanning’s involvement.

By now, no one harbored the slightest doubt about Qi Yanning’s capabilities. The audience’s awe stemmed from the fact that just when they assumed his previous creation was his absolute peak, he effortlessly surpassed it yet again.

In these two concepts, Qi Yanning carried immense aesthetic weight with effortless ease, sharpening, stylizing, and fashion-forwarding Miao Xi’s intrinsic essence to conjure such heart-stopping allure.

Following this marketing blitz, Mingri sold out at a breakneck pace! Digital and physical pre-orders climbed exponentially as a tidal wave of acclaim flooded Mingri, Miao Xi, and Qi Yanning alike.

The explosive order volume left Wei Heng over the moon, prompting him to corner Qi Yanning to lock in collaborations for future covers.

Yet Qi Yanning could not guarantee his availability.

Over the past two weeks, he had been swamped.

First came a full-group variety show for TND, where he stepped in for an episode’s styling. Due to time constraints, he barely had a chance to chat with the boys, departing immediately after wrapping their looks.

Once finished, he headed straight to the Apparel Culture Research Association, spending practically every day there.

Hundreds of costumes required his personal approval, along with sourcing and coordinating corresponding accessories and makeup palettes. Even after bringing Wu Jianming and Li Jinshi over to assist, alongside coordinating remotely with the drama’s wardrobe crew, the workload remained daunting.

What was more, while he had initially intended only to verify whether garment drafts matched the script’s historical silhouettes and palettes, the moment he casually sketched an embroidery pattern that better suited the period, Deng Qingyun and the resident designers began watching him with eager, shining eyes, desperate to coax more designs out of him.

They did not dare press Qi Yanning outright; although he appeared calm and composed, the half-smiling sweep of his phoenix eyes carried an innate authority. Consequently, they could only quietly pray he would sketch a few more motifs, never daring to pester him to his face.

Qi Yanning did not mind sketching patterns—it was second nature to him—yet it undeniably consumed extra time, making his days even more hectic.

Still, despite the tangle of responsibilities, Qi Yanning never found it tedious. Spending half a month, he finally locked down every single costume draft. Once the first batch of ten sample garments was finished, they could proceed with the official character test shoots.

Since that initial batch had been finalized first, requiring five more days of tailoring, Qi Yanning finally secured a brief pocket of free time.

After considering his options, he decided to visit the TND villa. As luck would have it, TND was scheduled to perform at a music festival the day after tomorrow, so dropping by today would allow him to check in on them early.

Packing a few essentials into his kit, Qi Yanning set off for the TND villa.

“When is Qi-ge finally coming back!” An Zai sprawled across the sofa, looking utterly dejected.

Sitting up, Yan Zihao shot him a look. “That is the twentieth time you’ve asked recently.”

“My Xingbo notifications are practically being spammed to death by trolls,” An Zai tilted his head back in distress. “Is Qi-ge really going to abandon us completely?”

“Being discarded is my destiny, I accept it!” An Zai wailed with dramatic theatrics.

Sitting upright, he shifted into an impassioned, sentimental cadence: “It’s fine, really, it doesn’t matter. Qi-ge is busy with work and has no time to come home, I understand. Still, I will keep waiting at home for him! I want him to know that whenever he is weary from drifting out in the world, there will always be a home, a warm lamp, and a cluster of lonely, abandoned elders waiting for his return…”

An Zai spoke with theatrical flair, filling the entire villa with his poetic recitation.

Until he sensed a gaze boring into his back.

Turning around, An Zai saw his dearly missed Qi-ge standing right behind him. His eyes were obscured behind dark sunglasses, but the smirk playing on his lips looked anything but gentle.

“Qi-ge!!” An Zai sprang to his feet, lunging forward to wrap Qi Yanning in a bear hug.

Only to be shoved back by a palm pressed flat against his face. “Lonely, abandoned elders?”

An Zai’s bluster evaporated instantly. He cast a pleading look at Xiao Yingyi, who simply shrugged, signaling he was on his own.

An Zai’s vision went black. Did he possess some cursed superpower where every single stray comment was caught red-handed by Qi-ge? How was the timing always this uncanny?

“No, no, no! I meant… left-behind children, we are left-behind children!” An Zai turned obedient, batting his eyelashes innocently at Qi Yanning.

Taking off his sunglasses, Qi Yanning slipped them into his pocket. “Enough. Don’t joke around with phrases like ‘abandoned elders’ and ‘left-behind children’ next time.”

“Understood,” An Zai chirped obediently.

Having confirmed Qi Yanning was mollified, An Zai grew lively again. He hovered around Qi Yanning, chattering relentlessly and forcibly cramming his longing into Qi Yanning’s ears.

Next, he hollered at the top of his lungs, summoning every TND member currently in the villa downstairs. The boys crowded around Qi Yanning in noisy chaos, buzzing until Qi Yanning, thoroughly overwhelmed by the racket, shot them a look sharp enough to commit homicide. Only then did they scatter in an instant, fleeing back to their rooms.

Qi Yanning rubbed his temples. He harbored a fond soft spot for these kids—after all, he had nurtured them into prominence with his own hands. But good grief, they were exhausting.

The next day, Qi Yanning tested their styling for the upcoming music festival. Finally receiving custom, show-stopping looks from Qi-ge once more, An Zai teared up with gratitude, teaming up with Gong Jiayu and Pang Nong to stage an elaborate “a warrior dies for the one who understands him” drama.

The commotion made Qi Yanning half-regret returning to the villa. Wouldn’t it have been far more peaceful to stay alone in his quiet apartment?

On the third day, TND set off for the Soda Music Festival.

The Soda Music Festival was an outdoor event that had risen to prominence in recent years, spanning three consecutive days. Hosted across an expansive outdoor lawn, live music played practically from dawn until dusk.

TND was slated to perform the opening set in the afternoon of the first day and return as the closing headliner that night.

By nearly 3:00 PM, with the afternoon block about to kick off, TND fans had already packed the front of the stage so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through. Even the sweltering summer heat could not dampen their fervor; everyone was holding their breath for TND’s entrance. After all, TND was currently the hottest rising boy group in the nation.

At 3:00 PM sharp, TND’s logo flared to life across the massive main screens, triggering a deafening roar from the crowd. Countless pairs of eyes locked onto the stage!

As the LED screens parted from the center, the nine members of TND sprinted out into the light.

Every member wore denim, yet each ensemble was distinguished by unique detailing.

An Zai wore blue denim Bermuda shorts paired with a white short-sleeved tee and an accent pink belt, looking delightfully adorable.

Wei Mingzhe sported distressed, ripped denim trousers with an oversized white sleeveless vest, casual, roguish, and handsome.

Yan Zihao had a denim jacket tied effortlessly around his waist, brimming with street-style flair…

The nine performed in distinct variations of denim wear, practically serving as a masterclass encyclopedia of denim styling. Washed-blue denim was made for the summer, crisp and breezy to the eyes.

Each member wore colorful, avant-garde goggles as high-concept accessories.

And in each member’s hand was a bubble machine—ranging from retro instant-camera models to oversized Gatling guns.

Striding forward into the bright summer sunshine, the moment they reached the thrust stage, they fired their bubble machines in unison—

The opening beats of “Flower Bomb” dropped as countless iridescent bubbles drifted into the air, catching the golden afternoon sun, shimmering with kaleidoscopic radiance, dreamlike and breathtaking.

The nine boys of TND laughed with infectious abandon, their sparkling eyes and beaming smiles spreading pure joy to everyone in the crowd.

Fans reached out eagerly to catch the drifting bubbles, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Today’s TND was insanely handsome! Incredibly fun! Truly living up to TND’s name—putting immense heart into every single appearance!

“TND!”

“TND!!”

“TND!!!”

The cheers unified into a synchronized rhythm, swelling until they shook the earth.