IDEI CH35

The newcomer was dressed in a brown Tang suit with embroidered patterns. He was thin and frail-looking, wore reading glasses, and gave off the appearance of an ancient culture researcher.

But his posture and words ruined a lot of that transcendent, sagelike aura.

“Where did this kid come from, talking so big!” The old man, seeing Qi Yanning look over, sized up his appearance and spoke with even more disdain. “Actors should just stick to acting. How many books have you read to dare show off like this?”

However, no anger could be seen on Qi Yanning’s face. He looked at Director Wang. Director Wang currently had a face full of embarrassment.

“Elder Li, please don’t be angry,” Director Wang appeased him. “This is the costume and makeup teacher I invited, Qi Yanning.”

“Xiao Qi, this is Mr. Li Anguo, Elder Li. Elder Li is a senior member of the Heng Dynasty Research Association and a veteran scholar. He is very knowledgeable about the history of the Heng Dynasty. You and Elder Li can communicate more, it’s all for the crew after all!”

Wang Ning’an said this to remind Qi Yanning. After all, between a senior scholar and a makeup artist, a senior scholar would definitely be more convincing.

“Makeup artist?” Elder Li became even more aggressive upon hearing Qi Yanning’s identity. “I wouldn’t dare to ‘communicate more’. This person probably doesn’t even know how many emperors there were in the Heng Dynasty!”

Wang Ning’an frowned. He didn’t expect this Elder Li to be so unrelenting, not giving him any face at all.

“Oh?” Qi Yanning finally showed some interest.

A scholar researching the Heng Dynasty?

“Were these clothes chosen with Elder Li’s help?” His tone was somewhat subtle.

“Yes!” Elder Li raised his head proudly. “I’ve researched Heng Dynasty history for so many years, there’s nothing I don’t know!”

“I also carefully selected these costumes, there won’t be any problems with them!” he stated confidently.

The smile on Qi Yanning’s face deepened.

When it came to understanding the history and politics of the Heng Dynasty, he might not compare to this Elder Li, but when it came to clothing…

He knew a great deal.

When he first transmigrated here and learned about this world, he discovered that the history of this world was very similar to his previous world.

It was as if history diverged after the end of the Heng Dynasty. In Qi Yanning’s previous life, after the Heng Dynasty ended, the founding emperor of the Yong Dynasty rose from the south and eventually unified the Central Plains. In this current world, however, the Qi Dynasty rose from the north and spent thirty years before finally crossing the river and unifying the world.

Qi Yanning had deliberately studied it carefully. Before the historical divergence, the history of the two worlds was exactly the same. Even the hobbies of the last emperor of the Yong Dynasty recorded in unofficial history were completely identical.

As for why he knew so much about Heng Dynasty clothing…

It was all because of the little emperor who had just ascended the throne at the time.

Before taking the throne, the little emperor had suffered greatly under the extravagant and dissipated old emperor. After ascending, he had to reluctantly hold his nose and worship him, which made the little emperor feel extremely aggrieved.

So, he slapped his thigh and declared he would redesign the official uniforms and ceremonial dress, euphemistically calling it “following the previous dynasty and respecting the old system,” while secretly planning to slowly abolish the things established by his imperial father.

Thus, under such orders, Qi Yanning, the Head Eunuch of the Imperial Wardrobe, had to work with the Ministry of Rites to dig through ancient texts and search every nook and cranny for any records regarding the ceremonial dress of the previous dynasty for reference.

Qi Yanning even visited many noble families to observe the clothing and portraits of their ancestors they enshrined, just to learn more about Heng Dynasty attire.

Even in the Yong Dynasty, when it came to understanding Heng Dynasty clothing, no one could compare to Qi Yanning except that old pedant, the Minister of Rites. Not to mention in modern times, a thousand years later.

“Elder Li, have you really carefully studied the cut and style of the clothing?” Qi Yanning said meaningfully.

“Of course! I told you, I know everything about the Heng Dynasty!”

“Then how could you not know that this kind of ‘fortune and longevity pearl’ frog closure did not exist during this period?”

Elder Li’s expression froze, and he looked at the clothing.

There, indeed, was a small “fortune and longevity pearl” style frog closure!

Before he could offer a defense, Qi Yanning continued.

“Of course, this is just a minor detail. There is another problem.

Did you know that this kind of cross-collar palace dress was only popular among commoners during Emperor Mingguang’s reign and was never used for the attire of concubines?”

Elder Li’s expression grew even uglier. He stiffened his neck. “Nonsense! What evidence do you have to support this?”

“Oh?” Qi Yanning began. “In the ‘Collected Rites of Great Heng’…”

Before he could finish, Elder Li interrupted him, his expression relaxing with deep contempt. “More than half of the ‘Collected Rites of Great Heng’ was destroyed centuries ago! The existing parts have no such records!”

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to say that such records are in the destroyed parts, and you know the contents of those destroyed parts!”

Qi Yanning’s brow twitched. He hadn’t expected the “Collected Rites of Great Heng” to actually be lost to time. However, there was no shortage of other supporting evidence.

“‘Li Xing’s Travelogue,’ ‘Qin Yang’s Examination of Heng Rites,’ ‘The Classic of Great Heng Attire’…”

“Have you not read a single one of these ancient texts?” Qi Yanning curled his lips into a smile, staring straight at Elder Li.

Elder Li’s expression was clearly somewhat panicked now, but he still said, “If they are not orthodox historical records, how can they be used as a basis!”

Director Wang’s look at Elder Li now held a strange and scrutinizing quality. He could tell that this Elder Li had completely lost to Qi Yanning and was now just being unreasonable.

“Oh? Orthodox historical records?” Qi Yanning narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Does the ‘Book of Heng’ count as an orthodox historical record?”

“The ‘Book of Heng’ naturally is! But there are no such records in the Book of Heng!” Elder Li said hurriedly.

“Well then…” Qi Yanning spoke unhurriedly. “In the Mingguang Chapter of the ‘Book of Heng,’ there is a record: ‘The Emperor Zhao despised the hibiscus. He ordered them all to be cut down. For forty years, the face of a hibiscus flower was not seen in the capital.’ Has Elder Li ever heard this sentence?”

Cold sweat was already seeping out on Li Anguo’s face at this point.

“What does this sentence have to do with clothing?” he said, fierce in appearance but faint in heart.

“Oh, is it unrelated?” Qi Yanning casually picked up a palace dress. “Since Emperor Mingguang despised the hibiscus to the extent of having all of them in the capital cut down, yet the attire of his lower-ranking concubines actually dared to use the hibiscus as an embroidery pattern…”

“Did this concubine have a death wish?”

Elder Li’s pupils trembled. He had not noticed these details.

He opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound. The arrogant demeanor from just now had completely vanished. At this moment, his face was purple and swollen, looking as if he might faint at any moment.

Seeing this, Wang Ning’an seemed to suddenly react and laughed loudly. “Elder Li, Xiao Qi is young and speaks directly. Please forgive him, don’t hold it against a child!”

Hearing this, Elder Li became even angrier. What did he mean by “young and speaks directly”?

This meant that you, Wang Ning’an, already believed this young whippersnapper’s words!

Li Anguo, caught between shock and anger, glared fiercely at Qi Yanning. Without waiting for Wang Ning’an to continue appeasing him, he flicked his sleeves and left.

Seeing Li Anguo leave in a huff, Wang Ning’an also felt a faint anger in his heart. He didn’t chase after him, but instead adjusted his expression and said to Qi Yanning, “Xiao Qi, I didn’t expect you to know so much about Heng Dynasty history.”

Qi Yanning chuckled lightly but said, “You should say, you didn’t expect that so-called Elder Li to know so little about history.”

Wang Ning’an choked. He didn’t expect Qi Yanning to directly tear away the peace he was trying to gloss over.

He sighed. “Elder Li was introduced to me by someone else. They said he was a senior member of the Heng Dynasty Historical Research Association, with a very high level of cultural and academic literacy. The person who introduced him is an old friend of many years. Because of my trust in my old friend, I only briefly checked Elder Li’s level. Seeing him answer questions fluently with no discrepancies from the historical data I found, I gave him full authority over the early-stage preparation of costumes and props…”

“I didn’t expect… My old friend was probably deceived as well.”

He didn’t expect Li Anguo’s level to be so poor!

This could happen because, firstly, Director Wang’s early preparations leaned more towards researching historical data, and he didn’t know much about the clothing aspect. Secondly, during the early stages of the crew’s preparation, he was burdened with countless tasks. Although he valued costumes and props, he couldn’t constantly keep an eye on the costume preparation work.

Thirdly… he trusted his old friend of many years too much.

“Fortunately, these problems were discovered in the early stages of preparation. Otherwise, once it aired and people noticed, it would have been a devastating blow to the crew,” Wang Ning’an said somewhat tiredly.

“Director Wang, none of these costumes can be used. We’ll probably need to purchase new ones,” Qi Yanning said.

“I know.” Wang Ning’an sighed deeply. “But before that, I need to see exactly what kind of monster this Elder Li is to have deceived me!”

Wang Ning’an narrowed his eyes.

“In that case, Director Wang, I’ll head back first.” Qi Yanning didn’t say anything more. As a major director, this incident was a momentary oversight on his part. Since he had already reacted, Qi Yanning didn’t need to worry about the follow-up handling at all.

“Also…” Qi Yanning thought for a moment and still offered a reminder. “Although the fabric of these clothes looks okay, the craftsmanship is not considered good. Director Wang can check and see if there are any issues there.”

Wang Ning’an paused, his aura becoming even deeper.

Qi Yanning didn’t know what Director Wang was thinking, nor did he want to know. As he walked out the door of the makeup room, he saw Ling Cangzhou’s figure.

“A’Ning, have you finished discussing things with Director Wang?” Ling Cangzhou strode up to him. He had just been taken by the assistant director to see the filming locations. Listening to the assistant director paint a rosy picture of the future in an attempt to extract more investment from him had been rather boring.

Now, seeing Qi Yanning, he was finally happy.

“You could say that.” There were many people around, so Qi Yanning didn’t explain what had happened.

Ling Cangzhou also saw that there might have been a change of plans, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he smiled and said, “Then let’s go.”

It wasn’t until they got in the car that Qi Yanning recounted the course of events in detail.

He didn’t quite understand how a figure like Director Wang could trust an old friend to this extent.

“Director Wang’s old friend?” Ling Cangzhou thought for a moment and smiled. “It should be the screenwriter Zhang Xiong. The two have been partners since college. After so many years, they are probably as close as blood brothers.”

“It’s just that Director Wang isn’t working with Zhang Xiong this time, I don’t know why.” Ling Cangzhou also found it a bit strange.

Qi Yanning understood. Friends for so many years, the accumulated trust must be very deep.

No wonder Director Wang, even knowing he had been deceived, still made excuses for his old friend.

“I can understand Director Wang very well!”

“If it were A’Ning deceiving me…” Ling Cangzhou stared at Qi Yanning with a strange smile on his face, “Then I might be deceived by A’Ning until I didn’t even have my underwear left and still wouldn’t realize it.”

Qi Yanning gave Ling Cangzhou a half-smile glance.

“Oh?” he said. “CEO Ling is this easygoing?”

“Since CEO Ling is so easy to deceive, then…” Qi Yanning’s eyes shifted, his gaze carrying a thick smile, “I have things to do when I get back. How about we cancel those two movies?”

“That won’t do!” Ling Cangzhou’s smile instantly vanished, and his eyes widened a bit.

“Tch.” Seeing this reaction, Qi Yanning patted his head and turned to look at the scenery outside the window.

Leaving Ling Cangzhou alone with an unreadable expression.

After a long time, he finally spoke, “Is A’Ning really that busy?”

“How about we just push it back a bit?”

“Or, even going once is fine…”

Qi Yanning looked at Ling Cangzhou, at a loss for words. It turned out he wasn’t joking when he said he was easy to deceive!

A deep smile appeared on Qi Yanning’s face. “CEO Ling, you really are…”

“Too cute.”

Ling Cangzhou, who had just been praised as cute by Qi Yanning, didn’t even know how he got home.

As soon as he got home, he opened the safe.

Inside, an ear headband lay incongruously among a pile of certificates and documents.

“He called me cute!” Ling Cangzhou held the ear headband, smiling radiantly.

“He never called you cute, right? I win!”

CEO Ling spoke childishly to the headband.

Qi Yanning didn’t know what childish things Ling Cangzhou had done. He had already returned to the TND villa.

By this time, Director Lin had emerged from seclusion and charged into the villa with the newly edited MV.

“Come, come, come! Everyone come and take a look together!” Director Lin called out to everyone in the villa.

The members had just finished training and were currently sprawled haphazardly across the living room, not wanting to move an inch.

Hearing Director Lin’s voice, they slowly lifted their heads and gathered on the sofa.

Manager Qin Haoyu and assistant Tang Xin also appeared in the living room.

“Everyone come and look!” Director Lin looked exhausted, his hair messy and greasy, clothes wrinkled, and face covered in stubble. He looked extremely unkempt.

But his whole person was somewhat hyperactive.

“This MV, I can only say it’s perfect!” He spoke with a booming voice, gesturing wildly.

Qi Yanning raised an eyebrow, also becoming curious.

He pulled over a small chair and found a corner to sit down—

He didn’t want to get close to the damp, sweaty smell of the trainees who had just finished training, nor the greasy smell of Director Lin who hadn’t groomed himself for a long time.

Fortunately, the living room was big enough for everyone to fit.

Qin Haoyu and Tang Xin also silently moved to Qi Yanning’s side, not squeezing with the ten people on the sofa.

Director Lin connected his phone to the large screen in the living room, and the MV officially began to play.

It started with a shot of Xiao Yingyi slowly opening his eyes in the desert.

Xiao Yingyi lay in the sand, mostly buried by it. Only those eyes under the brown and blue eyeshadow were so captivating.

Those eyes seemed to contain countless stories.

The camera spun rapidly, and the members stood up from various corners. They looked vigilant yet curious as they gradually approached the aircraft.

Only then did the song officially begin.

The MV for this song generally told the story of the TND members accidentally trespassing into a higher-dimensional world. Although the entire MV only had three scenes, it felt very rich because the visual impact was strong enough.

The close-up shots of each member were also incredibly exquisite.

Whether it was the simple yet heroic suit styling, the coexistence of wildness and technological feel in the desert, or the cold-style makeup under the minimalist aesthetic, they all perfectly showcased the members’ outstanding appearances and unique auras.

The synchronized dancing during the chorus part was even more eye-catching.

The perfect match of the scenes and makeup, combined with the excellent skills of the nine TND members. The complex clothing further highlighted the neatness and rhythm of their dancing, making it look exceptionally beautiful and harmonious.

Finally, the entire MV ended with the members falling in the desert. The camera gradually zoomed out, turning into a pair of inorganic eyes.

As if there would be a new story unfolding afterwards.

Assistant Tang Xin jumped up in excitement, “During filming, I felt the effect would be very good, but I didn’t expect it to be this good! Director Lin, you are so awesome!”

Director Lin smiled proudly.

“Is this…” Qin Haoyu looked at Director Lin in surprise, “leaving a hook at the end of the MV?”

“Yeah.” Director Lin said happily, “I don’t know if TND’s next album will continue this concept, but leaving a hook now makes it easy to connect if they decide to continue it later.”

Director Lin had truly put his heart into it. TND’s next album was still far in the future. He didn’t know if the concept would continue, or even if he would be the one filming it, but he still did his utmost to leave a thread for TND, making it easy to pick up when needed.

“So good!” An Zai howled, “I look so handsome in it! Really so handsome!”

“Yeah! This MV is incredible!” Yan Zihao uncharacteristically smiled, showing a row of big white teeth.

“Brother Qi! Awesome! Director Lin! Awesome!” Gong Jiayu cheered, “TND, awesome!!!”

“So great!” Lou Yuxing thought of himself just now. His character seemed like a mysterious wizard among warriors, yet when standing with everyone else, he didn’t look out of place at all, unlike what he had worried about.

The other members also couldn’t hide their excitement.

Brother Qi was truly amazing! Speaking of which, the auras of the TND members were completely different; putting them together to fit one concept was very difficult.

But Brother Qi was able to dig out the parts of them that fit the concept and amplify them, allowing the team to integrate without forcefully changing their personal auras.

For example, Lou Yuxing’s mysterious wizard, or Gong Jiayu and Pang Nong’s fiercely cute beastmen, or Wei Mingzhe and Mo Jinghai’s cannoneers.

Truly too amazing!

“Just wait!” Director Lin waved his big hand, “We’ll release the promotional photos today, start releasing teasers next week, and early next month, the pre-orders for your album will officially begin!”

“In the middle of next month, the MV will be officially released.” Qin Haoyu picked up from Director Lin’s words and said calmly, “Seize the time to practice dancing. The debut showcase is already prepared, and the first stage after that will be at the Cherry TV gala celebration.”

“This is the first stop of TND’s debut, you must take it down beautifully!” Qin Haoyu’s voice rose a pitch.

The TND members looked at each other, their faces filled with fighting spirit. Since the reversal of Your Star‘s public opinion, it felt like they were dreaming. Debuting, filming the group variety show, filming the MV… they didn’t feel very real.

But at this moment, they felt it so strongly for the first time.

They had truly debuted! They were no longer the lowest-tier invisible trainees in the company, no longer the eternally forgotten members of the company’s debut group, but the real members of the TND boy group!

“Awooo!!!” An Zai jumped up, “TND! Charge!!”

However, before the MV was officially released, TND had to shoot the major group variety show first.

For this major group variety show, Chenxing Entertainment generously hired a famous variety show team in the industry to produce it. Knowing his experience couldn’t match theirs, Director Lin also humbly learned from the team.

After over a month of preparation, Let’s Go, TND! was finally about to start filming!

Let’s Go, TND! was an adventure and competition-based variety show. This type of variety show not only had a wide audience but was also the best at showcasing the daring and fighting spirit of the young TND members.

Compared to other types of variety shows, this type was the most attractive to young people who admired strength, which was exactly TND’s target fan demographic.

Thus, after various preparations, Let’s Go, TND! was officially approved. This variety show featured the TND members as permanent MCs and invited other stars in the industry to participate as guests.

To differentiate it from other variety shows, Director Lin, after much research, decided to extend the live-streaming format of Your Star to the variety show, creating the domestic entertainment industry’s first live-streamed adventure and competition variety show!

Live streaming was the recording method that tested a star’s personality the most. There was no editing; everything would be displayed in front of the camera.

However, Director Lin believed in the TND members. They were all good kids, and live streaming could better magnify the shining points of their personalities.

The first episode didn’t invite any guests; it was just to let the trainees adapt to the recording of the variety show.

The recording location was the zoo, and the live stream started early in the morning when the trainees woke up.

After half a month of promotion, fans of Let’s Go, TND! and viewers interested in this type of variety show all knew of its existence. Therefore, as soon as the broadcast started, many people entered the live stream room.

[Broadcasting this early?]

[I’m here! Let Mommy kiss our Little Pang Nong!]

[Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao, long time no see!]

[Chenxing Entertainment didn’t let TND appear for so long! I thought TND was put on ice right after debut! Garbage company!]

[Cough, just based on Chenxing Entertainment investing in such a huge variety show for TND, they can’t be considered a garbage company.]

[Let me see what joke An Zai is going to make today hhhhh]

[This early… does that mean we can see the members’ sleeping faces?]

As soon as this bullet comment appeared, the screen went quiet for half a second, and then instantly exploded.

[Ssshh I want to see Brother Hai hehehe]

[Wei Mingzhe! Let me see what pajamas you’re wearing, I’m begging you.]

[Hiss, Lou Yuxing Beauty Spring Sleep Portrait.]

[Why is the camera pointed at the living room! Go upstairs and look at the members!]

…

But to their disappointment, the members were all already awake. In fact, they had just come back from outside.

[??]

[What did they go do this early in the morning?]

[They’re all wearing sportswear, hiss—]

[So disciplined, babies, Mommy kisses.]

[So blinding, what is it! Oh, it’s the light of TND’s self-discipline blinding me :)]

Entering the house, the members greeted the camera one after another. Then, some of them quickly went upstairs to shower and change clothes.

An Zai didn’t go upstairs but stopped in front of the camera, chatting with the viewers.

[Bare-faced An Zai, looking so tender and healthy.]

[With this condition, there’s no need for makeup, right?]

[To be honest, I just looked, all the members are bare-faced, and their condition is extremely good.]

“Our condition is definitely good,” An Zai said. “Recently, we have to practice new songs every day, from morning till night. Once we finish practicing, we fall right asleep.”

“With this amount of exercise, plus sleeping early and waking up early, I’m not lying to you—”

“When I looked at Brother Xiao the other morning, I felt like he was glowing!”

An Zai chattered away, chatting with the bullet comments.

“New song? The album drops on the 8th of next month! Everyone, pre-order it in advance!”

“Brother Wei and the others went up to shower. If you want to see them, don’t rush, they’ll be done soon.”

“Ah, why run in the morning?” An Zai saw this bullet comment and put on a mask of pain. “Because we have to get our makeup and styling done!”

[Why do you need to run to get makeup and styling done?]

[??]

“If we’re swollen when getting our makeup and styling done, Brother Qi can execute us by a thousand cuts with his eyes!”

“So we can only run early in the morning to reduce the swelling! It’s so tiring!”

[Brother Qi? Is it that gentle and kind makeup artist Brother Qi you guys thanked?]

“Gentle… kind?!” An Zai’s expression was shocked and indescribable.

“He’s not gentle at all!” An Zai complained. “He’s a complete Great Demon King!”

But, as he accidentally turned his head, he saw—

Qi Yanning was standing to the side, a faint smile playing on the corners of his lips.

“Ahhhhh Brother Qi, I was wrong!!!” An Zai screamed tragically.

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