IDEI Ch8
Upon hearing the voice, the trainee, feeling as if he had been granted amnesty, walked in and sat in front of Li Jinshi. Xiao Yingyi didn’t say anything and closed his eyes, going over the dance moves he had already memorized in his mind.
It wasn’t until he heard a gasp of amazement that he opened his eyes—
The man who had been reading a magazine earlier was now beside the trainee, casually grabbing his hair.
After the other person wispered a few words to “Xiao Shi,”1Nickname for Li Jinshi Xiao Shi’s eyes suddenly lit up. He picked up a curling iron nearby and curled the trainee’s hair into a perfectly natural curve.
What was once dry, straw-like blonde hair, with just a simple touch, became voluminous and stylish, as if naturally curly, looking effortlessly good.
Paired with the gray-blue-green uniform and the translucent, healthy-looking makeup, the trainee now resembled a mixed-race student from a prestigious high school.
“Qi-ge, this little trick worked wonders!” Li Jinshi marveled, eyes glued to the trainee in the mirror, full of admiration.
Qi Yanning smiled slightly, leisurely returning to his seat, picking up the magazine once again.
Xiao Yingyi’s expression shifted as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror. The makeup was ordinary, idol-like curled hair, soft contouring, and full lips…
This kind of makeup on him was neither good nor bad, but it felt somewhat out of place.
He opened his mouth and glanced at Qi Yanning.
Qi Yanning, sensing his gaze, looked up and frowned slightly.
“Lin He,” Qi Yanning called out, “Is this really your best work?”
He inwardly sneered. This makeup was not much different from the one used during the last MV shoot—same heavy makeup style, which didn’t suit Xiao Yingyi at all.
Xiao Yingyi, as the center position of the show’s theme song, wearing such a makeup look… the dream of the production team turning things around would be completely shattered.
“Deepen the contours, remove the glossy lip gloss. Brush all the hair back and expose the forehead,” Qi Yanning directly stated his requirements.
Lin He rolled his eyes, pretending to clean up, completely ignoring Qi Yanning’s words.
Qi Yanning chuckled lightly. “Wu Jianming, go ahead and do what I said.”
“Got it!” Wu Jianming, who had been waiting nearby, immediately pulled Xiao Yingyi over, ignoring Lin He’s glare, and quickly revised the makeup and hairstyle.
Lin He wanted to reclaim the program’s center position for Xiao Yingyi, but other trainees had already entered the room, so he had no choice but to give up. However, he still occasionally shot resentful glances in this direction.
Until Xiao Yingyi’s makeup transformation was complete.
The heavy eye makeup and glossy lip gloss were removed, and the bangs that had covered half his eyebrows were brushed back, revealing a fresh and handsome look.
Xiao Yingyi had naturally thick eyebrows and large eyes, a rare, upright, and handsome appearance in today’s entertainment industry. Yet, the previous idol-style makeup had concealed most of his strengths.
Now, with his gentle, smiling eyes exposed, paired with the show’s new uniform, he looked like the boy-next-door, the outstanding senior from the same school, or the first love that every girl dreams about.
Even Xiao Yingyi himself was stunned.
He had heard countless times, accompanied by regret, that “You look better off stage than on stage.” He had even doubted whether his appearance was truly unsuitable for the stage.
But, looking at himself in the mirror at this moment, he couldn’t believe that makeup could make him look both as fresh as usual and as refined as for a performance.
It perfectly highlighted his strengths.
Qi Yanning glanced up. “That’s good. Call the next person.”
Xiao Yingyi, still a bit dazed, walked out, only realizing what had happened when he reached the filming site.
Why hadn’t he talked more to Qi Yanning?
He never expected that the former idol who had withdrawn from the competition and was blacklisted by the whole internet would have such aesthetic taste and makeup skills.
＊
That day’s profile picture shoot went very smoothly. With the right makeup, the trainees’ confidence soared, and their expressiveness improved significantly.
Additionally, the photo editing process became much simpler.
This set of profile pictures, based on the progress, should be edited and completed by tomorrow afternoon.
The theme song shoot on the following day was just as smooth. The empty, futuristic stage, the outdoor blue skies and grass, and the rooftop resembling a campus scene were all excellent locations for filming. In this environment, the trainees naturally pushed themselves to perform even better.
They knew that with makeup and song quality both meeting standards, and even the filming locations being well-chosen, as long as they performed well and the post-production team didn’t mess things up, this MV would have a completely different feel from the previous one!
And judging by the show’s level of attention to detail, there was no way the post-production would be sloppy this time!
Their chance for redemption had arrived! Everyone put forth their best effort.
Even after the MV shoot was over, the trainees were still in a bit of a daze.
But, the words from the PD soon brought them back to reality.
“The last two days of filming cut into your first public performance practice time, and the first public performance is this Saturday. Stay focused and prepare well for the first public performance!”
The show’s PD, the popular actor Zhu Zhao, left behind this bombshell in the midst of the trainees, smirking as he left.
Completely ignoring the chorus of groans that erupted behind him.
It was already Tuesday, and they had only three short days left!
All the trainees, feeling the pressure, snapped out of the dreamlike MV shoot and dived headfirst back into the practice room.
At this moment, the director was directing the post-production team in a frenzy.
“Speed it up as much as possible while maintaining quality! The MV teaser should be out by Thursday, and the full MV released on Friday. Change the profile pictures too!”
“Be meticulous! This filming is the production team’s last stand! If the reputation doesn’t recover, the YourStar production team will forever be nailed to the pillar of shame in the entertainment industry! If you don’t want this show to be a stain on your résumé, give it your all!”
The post-production team was also taking it very seriously. After all, the footage this time was excellent, with hardly any need for retouching. The only challenge they faced was choosing which material to use.
There were too many usable shots, with every frame looking stunning. Which one should they pick?
While the production team was speeding up the process to release the MV as soon as possible, a post quietly appeared on the Red Bean Forum:
[That ugly show’s production team is still struggling, they changed the uniforms!]
The post was quickly discovered, and the comments section instantly deciphered it.
[YourStar? Do they still have room to struggle? Ugly guys plus deathly makeup, I can feel my eyes burning just thinking about it.]
[Wait, seriously? They changed the uniforms? What is it now, from insurance sales to car and real estate sales?]
[At the time, YourStar was full of gimmicks, I really thought it was going to be a refreshing change in the talent show scene.]
[Haha, let me tell you a joke, YourStar’s theme song center.]
[How dare you! No posting monkey butts in public!]
…
The post continued to gain traction and was soon picked up by a more popular platform, Xingbo, where it quickly trended.
#YourStarNewUniforms
The trending topic was flooded with mockery.
[Give it up already, YourStar production team. Let the trainees go, and let the viewers go too!]
[How is this doomed talent show not dead yet?]
[Xiao Yingyi, that hideous loser as the center? This show is already doomed.]
[How is Luo Heng from the same company so handsome while Xiao Yingyi is ugly and dumb?]
[Don’t drag our peerless Luo Heng into this. How can any random person be compared to Luo Heng?]
[Exactly, the two shows aren’t even comparable. One is pleasing to the eyes, the other is an eyesore.]
…
The trending topic was filled with chaos, a mixture of mocking YourStar and sneaky compliments for other ongoing idol shows.
The director first flew into a rage, firing the staff member who leaked the news online. Then, after thinking for a moment, he actually became pleased.
He realized that the competing idol show production team had bought a black hot search on them!
Now, all they could do was release the MV as quickly as possible before the audience completely gave up on them and stopped discussing them entirely.
This was also an opportunity. As long as they could ride this wave of attention and release the MV, their reputation could see a major reversal, and they might even gain more exposure!
“Hurry, release the MV tonight!”
“No time? Then what about the teaser? Release the teaser! Now! Get it out within the next hour!”
It didn’t take long to edit a teaser that was just a few dozen seconds long. Almost the moment the editing was done, the production team’s social media manager posted the teaser on Xingbo.
They even tagged it with #YourStarNewUniforms#.
@YOURSTAR Official Xingbo: Little Stars, the trainees really did get new uniforms. Come and see if you like them~ Anyway, Little Star thinks the boys all look super handsome~ #YourStarNewUniforms#
[Video Link]
The official account landed in the trending topic, and the number of comments quickly shot up.
Whether they were passersby or haters, they all commented before even watching the video.
[Ew! Repeating words, gross!]
[Did the YourStar production team learn magic? They’re giving off the vibe of Lu Zhishen acting cute without caring about anyone else’s life.
[Did they really change uniforms? Wow, is it that hard to sell insurance?]
[Which brave soul is going to watch the video? I’ve got my driving test tomorrow, I can’t watch.]
[I’ve got class tomorrow, I can’t watch.]
[I’ve got to scratch my foot tomorrow, I can’t watch.]
[I’ve got to pay my phone bill tomorrow, I can’t watch.]
…
Most people didn’t watch the video right away, waiting in the comments for a brave volunteer.
The last MV had done too much mental damage to them.
But soon, comments filled with surprise started to appear.
[Whoa!]
[Is this really YourStar? I exited several times to double-check.]
[Weren’t we told YourStar was full of ugly guys?]
[This one’s handsome, that one’s handsome, they’re all handsome…]
[Oh my gosh! Who are these hotties?!]
[It’s so short! YourStar! You’re so short! Are you even a man?!]
Seeing these comments, the people who had been making sarcastic remarks in the comments grew curious. They cautiously covered half of their screens and clicked on the video—
The video was only a little over ten seconds long.
It started with a pitch-black screen, then suddenly, the chorus of the theme song began to play.
The unified chorus of a hundred voices gave viewers an inexplicable sense of awe, and on the screen, a hundred trainees dressed in gray-blue-green suits were dancing in sync with the music.
First, it showed the lawn, then the rooftop, and finally the stage. The editing skillfully flashed between these scenes within a second, but the boys dancing in the center of the frame remained the same, moving in perfect sync, exuding youthful energy that perfectly matched the song.
The new uniforms perfectly outlined their upright figures, exuding a complex aura that combined youthfulness with maturity. Even though their faces weren’t clearly visible, just by the vibe alone, one couldn’t help but compliment: “Handsome.”
After the synchronized dance of over ten seconds, the chorus reached its final line, and the camera flashed across the faces of several members of Class A, finally freezing on Xiao Yingyi’s face.
Xiao Yingyi’s gentle yet determined eyes gazed directly into the camera. His black hair was completely slicked back, revealing a smooth forehead, sharp brows, and starry eyes. His high nose bridge sat above lips with a healthy flush of color.
In the last second, the corner of his mouth subtly lifted, the screen abruptly cut to black, and what remained imprinted on the audience’s retinas was the dimple that blossomed at the corner of Xiao Yingyi’s smile.
The audience, after watching, unanimously had two thoughts:
[So short, so short, so short…]
[Whoa! Where did this incredibly handsome guy come from?!]
Footnotes:
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