IDEI Ch21

Lou Yuxing started learning Peking Opera from his grandfather when he was three years old. In elementary school, he was very pretty, with delicate features, and combined with his talent in Peking Opera, he was adored by teachers and some classmates. However, this also made him a target for exclusion by certain kids.

Children’s malice can be terrifying. In fifth grade, he was surrounded daily by a group of naughty boys who taunted him, calling him “sissy.” Unable to fight back, he could only endure it in silence. But the boys became even more relentless. Once, they even dragged him into the bathroom to see if he was really a boy.

The memories of that day have become blurry for Lou Yuxing. In the end, it was his mother who brought him home, his body covered in bruises from resisting. After that, he stopped going to his grandfather’s to learn Peking Opera for quite some time. When he finally adjusted his mindset and was ready to return, he was struck by another terrible blow.

… His grandfather had fallen gravely ill and passed away.

After that, he rarely performed opera. Just as he was beginning to heal from the pain of losing his grandfather, middle school brought a new wave of bullying.

Lou Yuxing had always been good-looking, and in middle school, he ended up attending the same school as the boys who had bullied him in elementary school. His androgynous appearance made him a target for bullying once again, plunging him into endless suffering.

This time, things only improved when he moved to another city with his parents.

But by then, his personality had been shaped. He hid himself behind thick bangs, like a snail retreating into its heavy shell.

He knew he was very good-looking, but that very beauty was one of the sources of his pain.

Choosing to become a trainee might have been driven by a sense of unwillingness. He loved singing.

But whether or not he still loved opera… he couldn’t say for sure.

“Alright, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.” Seeing the complicated expression on his face, An Zai interrupted his thoughts with a big smile, saying, “Anyway, we know you’re amazing!”

Hearing this, Lou Yuxing smiled faintly.

The song for the mentor collaboration stage was soon selected. All the songs were pop songs infused with traditional Chinese elements, and they sounded great.

The mentors soon arrived at the filming base once again.

This time, the selection process for the mentor collaboration stage was a bit different. The trainees were to recommend themselves to their preferred mentors. Each trainee could choose two mentors to recommend themselves to. If a mentor didn’t pick them, they would have to wait until all trainees had chosen before entering the second round of selections.

Since the mentor collaboration stage didn’t involve voting or competitive points, the order was decided by drawing lots.

Lou Yuxing drew number ten, which wasn’t a bad spot.

He originally planned to join Teacher Qin’s group. Teacher Qin specialized in drum performance, and their group’s song was bold and grand.

But…

As he approached the door to Teacher Qin’s room, his steps gradually slowed until he stopped, standing still for a long time.

It wasn’t until the producer reminded him to make a choice that he finally moved, as if breaking free from his stillness. He took a deep breath and headed in another direction. His steps quickened, as though afraid he might regret it.

Lou Yuxing reached out and pushed open a door—

Inside, Lin Zhiping was smiling warmly at him.

“Good child, you’re here.”

“This song has an opera part that’s perfect for you. Do you want to give it a try?”

Lin Zhiping’s gentle voice sounded like a refreshing spring pouring into Lou Yuxing’s parched heart.

Lou Yuxing nodded slightly. He still couldn’t let go of opera, even though it had once brought him so much pain.

Lin Zhiping’s eyes sparkled as she gently took Lou Yuxing’s cold hands, which were icy from nerves.

“Good child, you’re very talented. Believe in yourself.” Her gentle tone gradually dispelled the unease in Lou Yuxing’s heart.

Looking around, Lou Yuxing noticed that the three trainees who had entered before him were filled with joy, without a trace of disdain for him. His heart relaxed slightly, and he tucked one side of his hair behind his ear, showing a faint smile.

Maybe, this would be a brand new beginning, wouldn’t it?

＊

While the trainees were practicing hard, Qi Yanning was… out shopping.

This was the largest clothing wholesale market in City A, with tens of thousands of stores gathered here. Qi Yanning was here to find costumes for the mentor collaboration stage.

Due to a last-minute change in theme, the show’s wardrobe stock didn’t have suitable outfits, so the styling team had to make emergency purchases. Since Qi Yanning was in charge of overseeing all the trainees’ styling, the task of buying clothes fell to him.

Qi Yanning walked past one store after another without glancing around, followed by three assistants who exchanged uneasy glances.

“Do you want to say something?” Qi Yanning suddenly spoke, startling the three people who had been nudging each other.

With a silent signal from the other two, Wu Jianming finally spoke up, “Qi-ge, maybe we should check out some of the stores?”

“We’ve passed by dozens of stores already. There might be something suitable inside.”

“Hmm?” Qi Yanning turned his head with a half-smile.

His gaze swept over the three of them, and suddenly his smile brightened. “Alright, let’s take a look?”

Wu Jianming, seeing Qi Yanning’s smile, felt something was off. But seeing Qi Yanning leading the way into a nearby shop, he had no choice but to follow.

Qi Yanning entered the store, stood in a corner with his hands in his pockets, and said calmly, “You guys go look around. Show me when you’re done.”

The three exchanged glances before hesitantly starting to browse the clothes in the store. This street specialized in clothing with classical elements, and every shop had clothes with a strong traditional Chinese style.

But…

The three of them rummaged through the clothes for quite some time, but they couldn’t find anything suitable. The clothes here weren’t ugly, just ordinary—bland and completely unremarkable, with designs you could find anywhere.

Such designs were entirely unsuitable for the stage.

They reluctantly picked out a few pieces—

“The color, the fabric, and this… Li Jinshi, what were you thinking?” Qi Yanning frowned as he looked at the three outfits laid out before him.

Chu Sixiu had chosen a dark gray outfit that looked fine to the naked eye but would appear old and cheap on stage. Wu Jianming had picked a linen outfit, which would wrinkle very easily.

And Li Jinshi… she had selected a modified Ming-style Hanfu, beautiful in color and luxurious in fabric, but the multiple layers made it entirely unsuitable for the stage.

The three of them awkwardly withdrew their hands. They knew the clothes they had picked weren’t ideal, but in their haste, they had no better options.

“Let’s go,” Qi Yanning said. He nodded apologetically to the shop owner and casually grabbed two small trinkets to buy before leaving gracefully.

“The stores here aren’t suitable, Qi-ge. Where are we supposed to find what we need?” Chu Sixiu asked as she moved closer.

“Go to the back,” Qi Yanning said succinctly.

They passed by one shop after another, all very similar, and eventually reached the end of the street. Most of the stores here were even shabbier than those at the front, and the clothes inside were of even lower quality.

They stopped in front of one shop. The door was half-closed, hidden behind thick greenery.

Qi Yanning checked the shop sign carefully, then walked in without hesitation.

The three assistants exchanged glances and followed him in.

Why was this shop different? What made Qi-ge walk across an entire street just to find it?

Li Jinshi, who was in the lead, stepped into the shop first—the lighting wasn’t very bright, and after just being in the early summer sun, her eyes went dark for a few seconds.

Then she saw everything clearly. The style of the clothing here was entirely traditional, ranging from strict historical attire to various modern adaptations. It had everything.

Moreover, the clothes were clearly handmade!

All three of them gasped in amazement—who would have thought such a store was hidden here?

This was Qi Yanning’s first time visiting this shop too. It was run by a former college classmate, and all the designs came from their group of friends. These friends loved traditional Chinese designs, but the companies they worked for didn’t believe in classical styles.

So, the friends could only pour their passion into this small shop.

This little shop was a utopia for the designs Qi Yanning’s classmates had no other outlet for. With no rent or labor costs, and with fabric costs fully covered by the classmates themselves, they didn’t need to worry about expenses. As for sales… as one of Qi Yanning’s classmates jokingly put it, these clothes were only sold to those with fate.

Qi Yanning carefully examined the clothes with classical elements hanging on the walls, confirming that the quality and craftsmanship were as good as their classmates had said in their group chats.

He nodded toward Chu Sixiu, indicating for her to talk to the shopkeeper. The shop owner was the grandmother of one of Qi Yanning’s classmates, a highly skilled seamstress, and the clothes in the shop were all made by her and her friends.

After the elderly woman sitting at the sewing machine finished her task, Chu Sixiu politely greeted her, “Hello, ma’am.”

The old woman didn’t hurry to look up when she heard the voice. She neatly folded the fabric in her hands, then looked at Chu Sixiu. “What’s the matter?”

“Hello, how many men’s modified outfits do you have?” Chu Sixiu asked softly.

The elderly woman glanced at her in surprise, then slowly stood up. “Including the ones out here and the ones in storage, probably around forty or fifty.”

Forty or fifty? That was more than enough.

“Ma’am, could we take a look at the clothes?” Chu Sixiu asked.

“Sure,” the old woman said. She grabbed a key from the table and handed it to Chu Sixiu. “Most of them are in the back storage room. You can go get them yourselves.”

“Be careful with them. I’m just an old lady, and it’s hard for me to clean up,” she added in her slow, warm tone. After that, she went back to her work, ignoring the four of them.

The four of them made their way to the storage room. The clothes there were hung neatly along the walls. Qi Yanning casually picked up one outfit:

It was a red robe, with a cinched waist and a black and gold belt. The dark gold embroidery extended from the hem to the collar, and it was incredibly intricate.

The outfit next to it was equally impressive. A short cyan tunic that looked sharp and clean, but the fine patterns hinted at a unique energy.

Qi Yanning carefully selected one outfit after another, while the three assistants occasionally let out exclamations of surprise.

These clothes were simply too exquisite. The fine patterns seemed to retain the warmth of human hands, creating a vibrancy that machine-made clothes couldn’t replicate.

The designs were also very clever. While maintaining a traditional Chinese aesthetic, they were also more in line with modern tastes—making them perfect for the stage.

Qi Yanning and the assistants meticulously picked out over forty outfits, completing the ensembles for each group. Only then did they pay the elderly shopkeeper and leave the store.

They returned fully loaded, unaware that a camera in the shadows had been trained on Qi Yanning, and that a new wave of public opinion was quietly brewing.