IDEI Ch10

Red hair?!

He had never imagined there would be a day he would dye his hair red!

“Wei-ge!” An Zai excitedly leaned in, exclaiming, “This hair color suits you so well! It’s so cool!”

Wei Mingzhe couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile.

“Everyone.” Qi Yanning stood behind the trainees, holding a small brush. Seeing that they had turned around, he spoke calmly, “Finished watching?”

The trainees met Qi Yanning’s calm, unruffled gaze, and for some reason, they felt a bit intimidated. They shrank back, making space beside Wei Mingzhe.

“Go on, teacher…” An Zai scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.

Qi Yanning glanced at him, then called out to Wu Jianming, “A-Ming, come do the makeup.”

“Got it!” Wu Jianming ran over. With his skilled hands, the makeup was quickly done.

Wei Mingzhe looked up into the mirror.

The person in the mirror seemed like someone else.

That person had a high nose bridge and sharp eyes. The red-tinted eyeshadow didn’t make him seem fragile in the least, but instead radiated wild, untamed energy. Without his usual hair covering his face, his aggressive features were fully on display.

He smiled, but the smile he was used to—one that didn’t show his teeth—now felt out of place.

Wei Mingzhe paused, then switched to the type of smile that his company had strictly forbidden.

It was a bold, toothy grin, showing eight teeth.

“Hiss—”

“So handsome!”

Exclamations erupted from the trainees behind him.

He chuckled and turned to look at them.

“Wei-ge, Wei-ge, turn back!” An Zai dramatically clutched his chest, “You’re so handsome, I can’t breathe!”

Wei Mingzhe raised an eyebrow, unable to resist smiling again before turning back, to the sound of gasps.

“Looks like you know how you should perform now.” Qi Yanning’s hand rested on the back of his chair. He lifted his eyelids slightly, his voice seemingly muttering to himself, yet it pierced clearly into Wei Mingzhe’s ears, delivering a heavy blow. “Clearly a fierce tiger, but insisting on wearing a crane’s skin…”

Seeing Wei Mingzhe’s slightly complex expression in the mirror, Qi Yanning couldn’t be bothered to dig any deeper. He turned his head to the others, “Next!”

***

The rehearsal ended quickly, and the mentors needed to film some reaction shots.

“Which song left the deepest impression on the mentors during today’s rehearsal?”

All the mentors, without exception, said the Darkage group.

In fact, the contestants’ abilities weren’t that different; the key was stage presence.

And today, whether it was Group A or Group B of Darkage, both had left a lasting impression on them.

“Their group really stood out!”

“I’m already looking forward to tomorrow’s performance!”

“Very intense, very explosive!”

…

While the rest of the production team was busy preparing for the first public performance, Qi Yanning was called to an office by the director.

Inside the office, the large screen was paused on a certain video website, with YouStar’s theme song MV prominently displayed.

“Hey!” Ling Cangzhou was sitting on the sofa, his eyes bright as he greeted him enthusiastically, “We meet again, Qi Yanning.”

“Xiao Qi.” The director rubbed his hands together. “We called you here to take a look at the feedback for the theme song MV. It won’t take much of your time.”

Qi Yanning’s eyes flickered. He didn’t ask why the director, investor, and he—a stylist who seemed completely unrelated—were watching this together instead of calling the assistant directors or others involved.

He slowly walked over and leisurely sat in the spot the director and Ling Cangzhou had saved for him.

“Let’s begin,” he said as he leaned back, taking the lead.

The MV started to play.

The first segment featured only a few members from Class A. They were dressed in finely tailored uniforms, singing and dancing confidently, full of vigor in time with the music.

The comments quickly flashed across the screen:

[Here they come, here they come]

[The opening screen is full of handsome guys, I’m in love!]

[Turns out You Star doesn’t only have ugly guys, lol]

[Once the styling isn’t an eyesore, you can tell the talent on You Star is actually really good. These Class A members all have their own charisma but can still work together. Just wish there were fewer ugly guys, though.]

[Looks amazing]

…

As the music continued, more and more trainees appeared. By the final chorus, all 100 trainees were dancing in unison on the rooftop, on the lawn, on the stage, their movements so synchronized it seemed like even the angle of their raised hands was identical.

The synchronization unexpectedly stirred a sense of emotion in the viewers.

[Copy-paste mastery!]

[Is You Star a military camp? lol]

[This level of precision, are you trying to kill us?!]

[Suddenly feeling emotional, this MV is so youthful]

[Reminds me of high school, back when I wasn’t a toxic person…]

[Zooming out makes everyone’s appearance irrelevant, it’s actually so passionate, a scene of 100 young people chasing their dreams… How great it would be if I were there, too]

[Almost threw out my back from that sudden plot twist]

[Then I’ll take ten of them]

…

The comments were overwhelmingly positive and filled with humor.

The director let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes filled with tears as he wanted to share his thoughts with Qi Yanning and Ling Cangzhou.

However, Qi Yanning and Ling Cangzhou remained very calm. They simultaneously pulled out their phones to check the trending discussions on Xingbo.

Director: …

Feeling a bit dejected, the director pulled out his phone and opened Xingbo.

Actually, the MV had already been released for a day, and public opinion had mostly stabilized.

The director hadn’t checked the comments all day to avoid affecting his mood for the performance, relying only on the assistant director’s assurances that everything was fine.

Who knew Ling Cangzhou would suddenly arrive and drag them into watching it together, under the guise of “evaluating the results.”

The director’s resolve not to check the comments quickly crumbled. After some hesitation, he opened Xingbo and squinted at the screen.

#YourStarThemeSongMV#

The hashtag was sitting firmly in the third spot on the trending list, with a prominent “Hot” indicator next to it.

The comment section under the official You Star account was filled with nothing but praise.

[Looks great, love it, give us more]

[Your Star’s fans are back! Starting today, You Star is no longer the old You Star…]

[Just keep this up, got it?]

[Wait, is your production team evolving at a freakish rate? How did the aesthetic level suddenly improve so much?]

In the trending topic plaza, things were even livelier.

Various marketing accounts were reposting the MV, spreading it across every corner of the internet.

Fashion bloggers were giving exceptionally high praise to the uniforms featured in the theme song MV.

@LilyAnn: Got recommended to watch YourStar (though I must say the show’s name is incredibly tacky), and the stylist who chose the uniforms for the theme song MV is definitely a master.

They had to consider versatility, not hinder the dancing, and still look stylish and sophisticated. That’s a tough task, but this stylist pulled it off perfectly.

The colors of the outfits are high-end, and the cuts are crisp, without being too avant-garde or inaccessible. The entire ensemble strikes the perfect balance between youthfulness and maturity.

Of course, the craftsmanship is subpar, and the choice of fabric is a bit of a shortcut, but as a talent show uniform, the good far outweighs the flaws.

(P.S. The person in the center is so handsome and has such an elegant face. If he were a model, I think I’d invite him to participate in my next fashion show.)

This high praise left Lily’s followers stunned. As a fashion designer, Lily was known for her sharp eye and being more critical than complimentary, but her pointed and precise comments had earned her a large fanbase.

[Lily, are you short on money?]

[Such high praise? I’m going to check it out]

[Ahhh, I’m both a fan of Lily and You Star! Double the joy!]

Lily ignored the comments and posted a photo of Xiao Yingyi, praising him as her muse.

While Lily’s fans were still trying to make sense of this, netizens on the trending list had already started creating their own content.

For example, recognition videos played at 0.25x speed, with each trainee’s name displayed next to their face as the camera passed by.

Others edited the old and new MVs side by side, playing simultaneously—one looking like a cringe-worthy insurance commercial, and the other a vibrant youth anthem. The stark contrast left viewers feeling torn between two extremes.

There were also many discussions about the styling, where people would post side-by-side comparisons of the same trainees from the old and new MVs.

The comment section was full of jokes.

[Xiao Yingyi: From a monkey’s butt to a handsome human heartthrob]

[Pang Nong: From an average haircut to a mixed-race princeling]

…

On this day, the trainees gained more fans, some more than others. Super topics and fan clubs quietly sprung up for those who left a strong impression in the MV.

On this day, You Star dominated the entertainment ranking on Xingbo.

“We’ve made a comeback!” the director exclaimed excitedly, “People are finally praising my taste, hahaha…”

Qi Yanning glanced at him, a subtle, meaningful smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Ling Cangzhou exchanged a mischievous look with Qi Yanning, then teased, “Loving Lin-ge’s green top, green pants, and flip-flops?”

The director snorted, unwilling to argue with these two younger men.

He continued muttering, “This is great, the show has come back to life. I really thought Chenxing Entertainment’s investment was going to go down the drain before.”

“But now everything’s turning around!” Director Lin said loudly, “Let me treat you guys to a late-night snack!”

“Sorry, Director Lin, I don’t have the habit of eating late at night.” Qi Yanning shook his head and massaged his temples.

Noticing his tired expression, Ling Cangzhou asked quietly, “Are you going back to rest? I can take Director Lin out for the snack.”

“Thank you,” Qi Yanning looked up, “You’re not eating?”

“Me?” Ling Cangzhou’s alluring, crescent-shaped eyes curved into a smile, “What a coincidence, I don’t have the habit of eating late either.”

He stood up, pulling the director along. “Let’s go then. We can chat on Feixin.”

With that, he took long strides towards the door, giving Qi Yanning a casual wave before leaving in style.

Against the director’s short and stocky figure, Ling Cangzhou appeared especially tall and upright.

He was wearing a suit, with peak lapels and an oversized cut, similar to the one Qi Yanning had chosen for him last time. His hair was slicked back, revealing his handsome face.

Apart from the color of the suit, this Ling Cangzhou was almost identical to the last time Qi Yanning had seen him.

Qi Yanning tapped his phone case with his knuckles, staring at the now-empty doorway, and smiled softly.

***

The next day, the public performance began right on time.

To maintain the show’s slogan of “everything relies on true talent,” the performances were live, with all vocals broadcast without playback.

At this time, one hour before the evening’s performance, lucky audience members who had won tickets were already lining up at the entrance, while staff inside checked the equipment and network connections to ensure everything was working properly.

The live stream had already started, currently showing a rotating display of the theme song MV and the official photos of the trainees on the large screen on stage.

The trainees were backstage, their hair and makeup ready, waiting to go on.

For this performance, they would first perform their individual group songs, then the theme song together at the end. Therefore, the last group to perform would have the tightest time to change outfits.

And in last night’s draw, the group assigned to perform last happened to be the one led by Li Qing.

The two groups under Qi Yanning’s supervision were scheduled to perform fourth, which was the second-to-last slot, a very good ranking.

At this moment, Qi Yanning was backstage, making a final check of the hair and makeup for the ten trainees from the two groups.

This time, Group A’s styling was in black, white, and blue tones, while Group B’s was black, silver, and red. Both groups had their own unique qualities, and Qi Yanning had put equal effort into both, so there was no clear winner in terms of styling quality.

However…

Everyone’s eyes turned to Wei Mingzhe. Group A’s expressions were complex, while Group B seemed to carry a subtle air of pride.

Group A’s performance soon ended, and Qi Yanning could hear the enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience.

Next up was Group B. The trainees stood in position in the darkness.

The lights came on, the music started, and Wei Mingzhe began the opening rap.

He leaped out from the shadows, his red hair seeming to ignite the entire stage!

As the strong drumbeats pounded, he sang while swaying freely. As his part neared its end, he raised an eyebrow playfully, then grinned.

Like a young tiger baring its fangs, full of dangerous wild energy!

The audience fell silent.

Then, overwhelming screams erupted!