IDEI CH59

Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing progressed smoothly along its filming schedule, and Qi Yanning’s styling consistently brought fresh surprises to the production crew.

During any free moments outside handling supporting cast styling, the other makeup artists crowded around Qi Yanning, seizing every chance to study his techniques.

Setting aside everything else, merely the flawless base makeup Qi Yanning created—waterproof, blemish-free, yet appearing entirely natural—was enough to leave them in awe. By all accounts, they were already established stylists with their own signature methods, yet Qi Yanning’s approach to makeup and aesthetics remained profoundly worth learning from.

The most diligent stylists had already filled entire thick notebooks, resulting in increasingly refined styling even for minor background characters.

The overall hair and makeup standard of the entire production was visibly rising by the day.

Noticing this transformation, Director Wang was thrilled beyond measure. After wrapping a night shoot and enjoying a few drinks, he dialed his old friend—fellow television director Zeng Dehai—to brag.

“Hey, Old Zeng, still awake?” Director Wang held a barbecue skewer, speaking without a hint of slurring. “I struck pure gold, do you know that?!”

Zeng Dehai had already been fast asleep, jolted awake by Wang Ning’an’s call and still groggy. “…What kind of gold?”

Was it a new actor? Zeng Dehai racked his muddled brain, failing to recall anyone in Wang Ning’an’s cast worthy of a midnight phone call.

Ah, Miao Xi. Yet she was a universally acclaimed treasure, hardly a hidden gem Wang had discovered himself.

“Remember that head stylist I hired?” Director Wang crowed. “You even warned me not to trust a rookie’s capabilities so easily.”

“Well, guess what! This Qi Yanning is a genuine grandmaster. I hit the absolute jackpot!” Director Wang’s voice pitched upward abruptly, startling Zeng Dehai—who had been on the verge of drifting back to sleep—wide awake.

“Keep your voice down, you scared me half to death,” Zeng Dehai sighed, sitting up in bed. “Is he really that miraculous? Isn’t he just a young kid? How formidable could he possibly be?”

Director Zeng remained skeptical.

“Hey! Listen here, Zeng Dehai!” Wang’s booming voice echoed through the receiver. “You haven’t even looked at our character test portraits? What kind of friend are you…”

Zeng Dehai had been swamped with the premiere of his previous drama and hadn’t had time to follow industry buzz. Nursing a mild headache amid Wang’s nagging, he opened Xingbo and pulled up the character portraits Wang mentioned.

His eyes narrowed instantly.

While casual viewers might focus on the sumptuous gowns and ornate headdresses, Zeng Dehai looked elsewhere.

He scrutinized the seemingly understated, plain looks one by one.

And immediately recognized that this stylist possessed extraordinarily deep foundational mastery.

Before he could finish, his phone chimed repeatedly. Moments later, Director Wang sent over dozens of behind-the-scenes set photos captured over the past few days.

Though a renowned director, Wang Ning’an’s photography skills were decidedly average, leaving the candid snapshots raw and unpolished. Naturally, this showcased the authentic caliber of the styling even more starkly.

Zeng Dehai swiped through them carefully. Among them were the Eldest Princess’s “barefaced” look, Jin Ge’s styling inside the Princess’s residence, the young scholar’s daily attire, and more.

Every look appeared remarkably understated, bordering on bare skin. Yet it was precisely this restrained aesthetic that allowed the principal characters to stand out effortlessly amid crowds of extras and minor roles—exerting an inexplicable gravitational pull that locked the viewer’s eyes straight onto them.

Take, for example, a group candid of Miao Xi surrounded by minor actresses. Both Miao Xi and the supporting players wore identical fabrics and minimal makeup. Even though one of the supporting actresses possessed striking, lush features, the human eye inevitably landed on Miao Xi first.

Such was the true magic of master-level styling.

Zeng Dehai could tell at a glance that the supporting cast hadn’t been intentionally toned down to flatter the lead; rather, the lead stylist’s technical execution operated on a vastly higher plane.

What delighted Director Zeng even further was how lived-in and grounded the styling felt—never looking like “costumed performance,” instead convincing the viewer that in ancient times, these individuals truly looked and lived just like this.

“…Old Zeng? Did you fall back asleep?” Receiving no reply for a long moment, Director Wang asked in puzzlement.

“I’m awake,” Zeng Dehai paused before speaking. “Old Wang… tell me, this Qi—er, Mr. Qi—does he do modern styling as well?”

“What are you plotting?” Wang Ning’an slapped his thigh. “Wait a second, are you trying to poach my talent?!”

“Don’t make it sound so ugly,” Director Zeng countered smoothly. “What do you mean poaching? Between old friends like us, how could it be poaching? It’s called resource sharing…”

Zeng paused, abandoning all pretense with righteous conviction. “You paraded your treasure right in front of my face, practically prying my eyelids open to make sure I looked. Wouldn’t I be an idiot if I didn’t try to snatch him up?”

Ha! Director Wang nearly tipped backward in sheer exasperation.

“Don’t get so worked up, Old Wang, watch your blood pressure!” Director Zeng chuckled at the heavy huffing on the line. “Don’t forget, by the time my next drama starts rolling, Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing will have wrapped long ago. You can’t seriously hoard a stylist after your shoot is over!”

Director Wang blinked, having been too riled up to consider the timeline.

After deliberating for a beat, his appreciation for genuine talent triumphed over possessiveness. He forwarded Qi Yanning’s Feixin contact card to Director Zeng. “Xiao Qi did phenomenal editorial work previously, so modern drama styling shouldn’t be an issue at all. I’m sending you his contact—you two can talk directly.”

“Treat Xiao Qi well. A stylist of his caliber is worth an entire department on his own and elevates a production’s visual texture. Talent like this comes once in a blue moon.”

Having spoken, Director Wang fell into a bizarre silence, suddenly remembering that he had just hand-delivered this once-in-a-blue-moon gem straight to Zeng Dehai’s doorstep.

Irritation flared anew; gritting his teeth with a mix of spite and schadenfreude, he snapped, “Once our show airs, forget Xiao Qi’s rates skyrocketing—whether he’ll even have an open slot in his schedule is another question entirely! Not my problem anymore, hanging up!”

Zeng Dehai shook his head with a wry smile. Wang Ning’an truly held this stylist in extraordinary regard!

Tapping his screen, he sent a friend request to Qi Yanning on Feixin.

[Zeng Dehai]: Hello Teacher Qi, I am director Zeng Dehai, referred by Wang Ning’an. Pardon my forwardness, may I ask if you take on styling for modern television dramas?

Qi Yanning didn’t see the friend request until the following morning. After accepting, he sent a brief reply.

[yanN]: I do. What kind of modern styling is Director Zeng looking for?

Seeing no immediate response after sending the message, Qi Yanning rose and headed toward the soundstage. Today’s filming schedule was light, because tonight, the premiere episode of Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing was officially airing!

Truth be told, the cast of Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing boasted solid acting chops—especially triple-crown Best Actress Miao Xi. Paired with historically authentic, immersive styling that pulled performers seamlessly into character, filming progressed at breakneck speed. Within a single month, they had already captured twenty episodes’ worth of footage, running a full ten episodes ahead of their ideal schedule.

Consequently, recent call sheets had been remarkably relaxed.

Director Wang was even planning to grant the crew a full week’s vacation to ease the pace. After all, the entire point of a shoot-while-airing model was adjusting subsequent storylines in real time based on audience feedback; if they kept charging ahead at this velocity, there would be nothing left to adjust before the entire series wrapped!

Moreover, post-production editing required breathing room. Pausing principal photography temporarily was far more cost-effective than dragging out half-hearted daily shoots.

After wrapping today’s light slate, Director Wang waved a grand hand. “That’s a wrap for today! I had a projector set up in the hotel conference hall—anyone who’s free, come watch tonight’s premiere together.”

The crew cheered in enthusiastic agreement. Thus, at 7:50 PM, virtually the entire cast and crew gathered inside the hotel conference room.

Staff members who had arrived early had the projection rig ready. Everyone watched the screen with a mix of nervous tension and anticipation, silently counting down the minutes.

Whether their drama could kick off with a roaring start hinged entirely on tonight!

May tonight’s broadcast go off without a hitch!

Meanwhile, throngs of viewers had already congregated across Xingbo.

The hashtag square for #JinGeChangFengXingPremiere# refreshed at dizzying speed.

@KnowledgeStewedRibs: Excited excited excited! The trailers over the past few days looked genuinely top-tier! Director Wang knows how to hook an audience!

@SleepyToTheBone: Ahhhhh it’s finally premiering! Do you know how agonizing the wait has been? Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing, you’ve committed every crime imaginable!

@MustEatBunnies: Hurry up, hurry up!

…

The rapidly scrolling feeds left onlookers dazzled, yet the instant the premiere went live, the Xingbo square fell dead silent.

Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing opened with an ink-wash painting sequence, introducing only character names alongside their character portraits without leaking a single plot detail—whetting everyone’s appetite to the utmost.

Then, the very first shot of Episode 1 immediately caught every eye.

Inside an imperial garden, the camera rose smoothly from a sea of blooming flowers, coming to rest upon a gathering of diverse beauties. Over twenty court ladies strolled among the blossoms, clad in sumptuous palace attire of varied hues, cloud-like coiffures adorned with pearls and jade. Though laughing and bantering lightly, every gesture radiated innate nobility and courtly poise.

As the lens glided past each face—luminous eyes glancing sideways, smiles blooming gracefully—a gentle breeze lifted their silk hems, seemingly wafting a faint, lingering fragrance straight through the screen.

[Opening visual critical hit!!]

[So many gorgeous ladies hehehe]

[Big sister cuddle me, little sister cuddle me, everyone cuddle with me hehehe]

[With three thousand beauties in the inner palace, no wonder the sovereign skips morning court!]

[To the one above, is that really how the poem goes?!]

[So surreal—even without an extravagant set, you can tell at a single glance these are genuine imperial consorts, both stunning and regal!]

Next, the camera cut to Emperor Mingguang, seated upon a daybed in black-and-gold casual robes, resting his temple against one hand with unmistakable impatience etched across his brow.

Before him knelt an earnest minister pleading fervently: “Your Majesty’s halls remain without an heir to this day. Why not select maidens from across the realm to ensure the continuation of our imperial lineage!”

[This emperor is so handsome! Even looking sickly, he’s so domineering—who is this actor?!]

[Check out our An Kaize! 183cm heartthrob!!]

[The Emperor!! Male lead!!]

[What male lead! This drama has only one protagonist, and that is Jin Ge—stop inflating that scumbag man’s billing!]

…

The camera swept outward from the imperial palace, gliding over fertile farmlands before passing famine-stricken corpses by the roadside, finally descending upon a remote mountain hamlet.

The frame locked onto a young girl dressed in tattered rags.

Her gaze was calm and steady as she looked toward the rolling mountain peaks in the distance. Beyond those two ridges lay the county seat—a place she had never visited, yet knew existed. And what lay beyond the county seat?

Would it be the imperial capital? What kind of world awaited out there?

She strained to picture the capital, yet her limited world left her mind blank. Drawing back her gaze, she hoisted a bundle of firewood onto her back and started down the mountain path.

And thus, the story began.

[Jin Ge!! Our poor little Jin Ge!]

[At this stage she’s still called Jin-ge… the unwanted ‘older brother’ Jin Ge.]

[Miao Xi’s acting is phenomenal! You can read volumes from her eyes in that single glance!]

[Book fans are ecstatic—this styling is a literal one-to-one recreation of the novel’s description!]

…

Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing moved at a brisk, tight pace. Episode 1 opened with Jin Ge carrying firewood down the mountain, only to be sold to human traffickers by her heartless aunt and uncle.

Falling into the traffickers’ clutches, Jin Ge quickly read the lecherous malice in their eyes and resolved to escape. Feigning meek obedience to lull them into lowering their guard, she seized an opening after several subtle probes, breaking free just shy of the county seat.

Yet the traffickers pursued relentlessly, forcing her to plunge into a rushing river—where she was rescued by the passing Eldest Princess.

The premiere episode closed precisely on the Eldest Princess’s entrance, effortlessly disposing of the traffickers before turning to converse with Jin Ge.

Clad in a white gown embroidered with a hundred blooming flowers, the Eldest Princess outshone every pearl and piece of jade adorning her frame. Standing backlit with effortless, innate pride, she looked down at the drenched, bedraggled Jin Ge.

“You are called Jin-ge? Which two characters?”

Jin Ge felt a wave of embarrassment, yet forced her voice to remain steady. “The ‘Jin’ of entering a door, and the ‘Ge’ of older brother…”

“Can you read?” the Eldest Princess asked. Seeing Jin Ge shake her head, she showed no disappointment, merely knitting her brows slightly. “I dislike those two characters. Let me grant you a new name.”

“From this day forward, you shall be called Jin Ge. The ‘Jin’ of boundless brocade splendor, and the ‘Ge’ of songs echoing across Chang’an.”

“How does that sound?”

The instant her words fell, the screen snapped to black as the ending theme swelled.

[That’s it?! Is one episode really this short?]

[It’s not short at all—fifty-five minutes per episode is actually super long!]

[Why did it feel like I only watched five minutes?! Time vanished in a blink!]

[The crew truly poured their heart into this. As someone who practically memorized the original novel, every character’s entrance matched their book description to perfection—so faithful!]

[So good, so good, so good, so good!]

[@WangNing’an do you dare drop ten episodes all at once?!]

…

The premiere of Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing went off seamlessly, with the live chat remaining overwhelmingly positive and virtually free of nitpicking.

Over on Xingbo, the trending topic was flooded with genuine, passionate recommendations from viewers.

@LetMeTakeALook: Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing! Everyone go watch it! With Episode 1 at this caliber, as long as the director doesn’t suddenly lose his mind later on, I’m betting everything on this being the breakout hit of the year! Seriously, the costumes and props are exquisite and historically accurate, the acting is top-tier, and the cinematography is gorgeous! Director Wang’s standards are as rock-solid as ever—praise Wang Ning’an!

@DrinkMoreMilk: Jin Ge Chang Feng Xing is BEYOND—good! The opening sequence alone blew me away; those imperial consorts, honestly, every shape and beauty imaginable, an absolute feast for the eyes. I will forever adore ensemble casts of stunning women, slurp. Where did Director Wang recruit so many gorgeous supporting actresses? Other directors should place bulk orders immediately, guaranteed beauty.

@FluffyFurry: Also, this show doesn’t feel modernized in the slightest, do you get what I mean? Every single person’s posture and demeanor carries authentic ancient grace, completely true to the era!

@DuskAndSunrise: The only flaw is that there’s only one episode—how did I fall into such a shallow pit?!

…

Inside the hotel conference room, Director Wang read these reviews aloud, each one sparking another round of cheers. The atmosphere in the hall climbed steadily until the entire room erupted in celebration.

They had won the opening battle of their campaign cleanly and decisively!

Amidst the jubilant noise, Director Wang clapped Qi Yanning firmly on the shoulder, his eyes glistening with emotional tears. “Xiao Qi, we owe so much of this to you!”

Pre-production on this series had been fraught with hurdles—first the script crisis, then the wardrobe fiasco, and even casting had been a rollercoaster.

Thankfully, none of their blood and sweat had been spent in vain!

Director Wang felt a surge of profound emotion: of all the acclaim pouring in tonight, three parts belonged to the cast, two parts to the directing team, two parts to post-production, and a full three parts belonged squarely to Qi Yanning.

Exquisite, historically faithful styling had been the crucial first step in winning over the book fans. Had Qi Yanning not possessed such formidable mastery, their drama would be drowning in furious backlash from readers right now!

Furthermore, Qi Yanning had doubled as an etiquette and aesthetic consultant. Director Wang recalled the effortless, graceful poise Qi Yanning displayed when demonstrating traditional court bows to the cast—so natural and fluid, as if he had performed them thousands of times before.

How wonderful it was—meeting Qi Yanning truly was his greatest stroke of luck!

Director Wang patted Qi Yanning’s shoulder once more, only for Qi Yanning to subtly shift his shoulder away without expression.

“Ah, right. Xiao Qi, you’re leaving tonight, aren’t you?” Director Wang asked with lingering reluctance. Still, with the crew going on break, he had no excuse to force Qi Yanning to stay.

“Yes,” Qi Yanning replied. “My flight leaves shortly.”

Alaric’s runway show was kicking off this week. Although he had already discussed the styling concepts with Alaric remotely, finalizing details face-to-face as early as possible was essential.

The corners of Qi Yanning’s lips curved slightly upward.

He truly could barely wait.

Whether for the creative spark of collaborating with a top luxury designer…

Or for a certain someone who had been abroad on business for far too long.

Pulling out his phone, he tapped the screen twice.

[yanN]: Heading to Country F. Flying out tonight.

After a brief pause, he deleted the unsent message from the text box.

Forget it. Better to reach out once he landed.

Consider it a small surprise for that overly enthusiastic, clingy human-sized puppy.