IDEI Ch9

The black fans and casual viewers unknowingly replayed the short video several times. When they finally, reluctantly, exited the video, they instantly opened the comments section.

The comments section was already a completely different scene.

[Who was the last trainee in the video!]

[Xiao Yingyi? Is he really this handsome?]

[His bangs used to cover his whole face, who knew there was such a great face underneath those bangs!]

[No matter what, I’ll shallowly fall into this pit first. Finally, there’s a normal super handsome guy, 1551…]

[The entertainment industry has suffered through monkey-like, fox-like, and snake-like people for too long! It’s time for human-type handsome guys to rise!]

[Oh my god @%…# my husband!]

[He’s so hot, I’m so shameless.]

[Hehehe, husband… hehehe, husband… hehehe.]

[Their new uniforms are really so good-looking, both youthful and mature, so seductive, hehehe.]

[I don’t understand, did YourStar replace everyone? Why are they all so good-looking?]

[What happened to YourStar? Why did it suddenly hit the next level?]

Because most of YourStar’s trainees were relatively unknown, and the few that had fans lost them due to a cringeworthy MV, there were no fans controlling the comments under this post. Instead, there was a group of casual perverts madly licking the visuals.

This MV teaser quickly changed the direction of the topic #YourStarNewUniforms, and countless comments urging for the full version of the MV built towering threads under YourStar’s official account.

Countless casual viewers and black fans once again turned their attention to YourStar, a show they had originally declared dead.

Whether it was goodwill or malice, the fact was that many people were now anticipating it.

The director quietly observed the public reaction after the post went up. This time, he firmly ignored the negative comments and only estimated the level of the audience’s anticipation.

“Our first battle to turn things around—we’ve won!” he excitedly told the program staff.

The meeting room erupted in loud cheers, and many staff members had tears in their eyes.

Heaven knows how they got through this period. As a talent show with a huge investment, YourStar had been slammed with negative reviews across the internet, putting enormous pressure on them.

Fortunately, now everything was moving in a better direction.

“Post-production team, finish editing the MV as soon as possible, and upload it tomorrow!”

“Buy trending spots for me, and make sure it’s in the top five!”

“I want the whole world to know that the aesthetics of the YourStar production team are not bizarre!”

The director was moved to tears.

＊

And none of this had anything to do with Qi Yanning. He was busy preparing for the first public performance stage.

At this moment, he was standing face to face with several trainees.

Originally, Qi Yanning was supposed to oversee the makeup and styling for all the stages of the first public performance, while the other makeup artists would assist him.

But the two makeup artists, Li Qing and Lin He, who were very hostile towards Qi Yanning, were not satisfied.

They convinced the other makeup artists to join them and approached the director, demanding to each be responsible for two stages’ makeup and styling.

The director, tired of their pestering and thinking that Qi Yanning might not have enough energy, reluctantly agreed.

Li Qing and Lin He, full of arrogance, found Qi Yanning to inform him of this news.

“Qi Yanning, this time we’ll each rely on our own abilities.” A-Qing, that is, Li Qing, said with a fake smile.

“Alright.” Qi Yanning put away his ever-present fashion magazine, raised his eyes slightly, and a faint smile appeared in them.

“What’s the point of these petty tricks if you can’t get rid of me?” Qi Yanning’s voice was gentle. “If we’re going to play, let’s go big. Let’s see whose stage gets more votes. Whoever loses leaves. Dare to bet?”

Li Qing met Qi Yanning’s gaze, and for some reason, a shiver ran down his spine, causing him to take a step back.

Realizing his unconscious action, Li Qing was both embarrassed and furious. But then he remembered that the groups he was assigned to were the more popular ones on the show, and his confidence surged. He sneered, “Fine, the loser disappears from this show!”

Qi Yanning’s eyes flickered as he glanced at the other makeup artist. This person had only harbored shallow malice towards him before, but since the filming of the theme song, his jealous gaze had nearly pierced through Qi Yanning.

The man remained silent.

“Xiao He, are you afraid?” Qi Yanning’s voice was as soft as a lover’s whisper. But Lin He, locked under his gaze, felt a chill.

Li Qing angrily tugged at Lin He’s sleeve.

“I-I’ll bet too,” Lin He took a deep breath and said firmly.

“Alright.” Qi Yanning leaned back in his chair, pulled out his phone, and lightly tapped it. “I’ve recorded our entire conversation just now. The two of you aren’t the kind of people to go back on your word, are you?”

“You!” Lin He’s face turned pale, and Li Qing was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

“Hmph, we’ll see!” Seeing Qi Yanning lightly tapping the screen of his phone, Li Qing’s momentum faltered. Throwing down a threat, he dragged Lin He out of the makeup room in a huff.

Qi Yanning glanced at his phone, saw a notification, and leisurely headed towards the practice room where the two groups of trainees assigned to him were practicing.

He didn’t interfere with the trainees’ training, only watching quietly from a corner. Therefore, although the trainees found his idleness strange, they didn’t pay much attention to him.

The trainees were more focused on the stage.

The first public performance stage had a two-versus-two competition format.

Each pair of trainee groups would choose the same song and perform it separately, then compete within the group. The group with the most votes would be the winner and receive an additional 5,000 votes in the subsequent online poll.

YourStar’s voting system doesn’t include methods like purchasing products for extra votes; it’s a straightforward one account, one set of votes, so its weight can’t be compared to other talent shows.

These 5,000 votes might not seem like much, and for the higher-ranking contestants, it’s almost insignificant. But for the lower-ranking trainees, it could be the crucial factor determining whether they get eliminated or stay.

Moreover, since this is their first time performing on stage in this show, the trainees all took this public performance very seriously.

The lights in every practice room were on from morning till night. If you casually walked into any room, you’d see the trainees sweating it out.

The group stage performance Qi Yanning drew was a fast-paced hip-hop song, “Darkage.” This song was the solo debut hit of a senior idol, with cool electronic sounds combined with fast-paced rap, giving listeners a thrilling experience.

For this stage, the production team had hired a choreographer to re-arrange the dance, turning it into a fully technical dance performance.

At this moment, in the practice room, Group B’s trainees were following the music and training.

They leaped and landed in sync with the rhythm of the music. Even though there were five people, their footsteps sounded like one.

“Stop!” The trainee with his long hair tied up at the back frowned and paused the music. “An Zai, your movements are too small!”

“Got it, Wei-ge,” said the trainee called An Zai, frustrated as he scratched his head and redid the move on the spot.

“No, that’s still not right,” Wei Mingzhe watched his movements and saw they were still wrong, so he walked over to demonstrate it personally.

“Like this.” His arms stretched out in the air, smoothly completing a large arm movement. The lower body rhythm was also perfect, making him appear both light and agile.

“Wow!” An Zai exaggeratedly covered his mouth.

He knew Wei Mingzhe had been rated as Class A from the initial evaluation and was incredibly strong, but seeing it each time still amazed him.

He couldn’t help but say, “Wei-ge, every time I see you do these moves, there’s this strange sense of contrast. Hmm… like Lin Daiyu wielding a big sword?”

Wei Mingzhe immediately shot him a glare, and the other trainees couldn’t hold back their laughter.

After all, Wei Mingzhe looked like a cold, ethereal immortal, with melancholic, medium-length hair, a high nose, and deep-set eyes, as if he didn’t belong to the human world.

But this didn’t quite match his personality, giving off a constant sense of disharmony.

“You still have the mood to joke around, get back to practice!” Wei Mingzhe resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow and lightly reprimanded them. The others straightened up and continued practicing.

Qi Yanning watched all of this, narrowing his eyes slightly.

He had a rough idea now.

Without disturbing the trainees, he left the practice room and headed to observe the other group. After watching both groups, he returned to the makeup room.

At this point, there were only two days left until the public performance.

＊

The dress rehearsal was scheduled for Friday afternoon. Qi Yanning’s group was drawn for a middle position, so he didn’t need to arrive too early.

It wasn’t until 3 p.m. that he leisurely arrived at the makeup room.

By then, all of Li Qing and Lin He’s group members had already finished their makeup and styling.

Seeing him enter, Li Qing cast a smug glance in his direction.

Qi Yanning ignored it, scanning the group of trainees with his eyes. Their makeup and styling were nothing remarkable, but it was barely in line with the song’s concept.

But…

Li Qing had decked out these trainees with all high-end items—necklaces, earrings, rings—almost all the expensive and well-designed accessories had been used, resulting in an over-the-top, maximalist aesthetic.

So that’s the game he’s playing. Qi Yanning didn’t even bother to smile.

Lin He’s approach was much more restrained, but the styling…

It was almost an exact replica of the makeup Qi Yanning had done for Pei Huan during “Idol in Progress,” just with slightly more muted colors.

Therefore, the effect on the faces of these handsome trainees wasn’t too jarring.

Qi Yanning silently withdrew his gaze and found a spot in the makeup room to sit down.

“Ah Ning, how’s your preparation coming along?” Li Qing asked with a fake smile.

“Not bad,” Qi Yanning replied casually, then shifted the topic back to Li Qing, “If I were you, I wouldn’t let the trainees go on stage wearing so many accessories.”

“That’s none of your business.” Li Qing’s expression stiffened for a second, but then his eyes lit up as if he had thought of something, becoming even more smug.

Qi Yanning shrugged slightly and didn’t say anything more.

“Good luck,” Li Qing said with mock concern. “Have you lined up your next job yet?”

Then, as if afraid to continue speaking with Qi Yanning, he quickly turned and walked toward the backstage area.

Qi Yanning didn’t care in the slightest. He prepared with Li Jinshi and Wu Jianming in the makeup room.

Soon, the trainees from both groups performing “Darkage” came to the makeup room. They first followed Wu Jianming’s instructions to change into their costumes, and then they approached the makeup station.

“Wei-ge…” An Zai hesitated, “your outfit…”

“Maybe you should ask the stylist to change it?”

Wei Mingzhe understood what he meant.

Their group’s overall color scheme was silver, black, and red. The other members’ clothes had all three colors, whether it was a baseball jacket, a flight jacket, or a motorcycle jacket, they were all tri-colored.

But his was different. His motorcycle jacket had black with silver accents, and his pants were black cargo pants with just a few tiny red highlights on the pockets.

It looked much darker than the other members’ outfits and didn’t seem fitting for the center of the song.

Plus, combined with his incompatible aura, his outfit looked even more out of place.

“Did they mix up the clothes…” another member murmured. “Wei-ge, how about wearing mine?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Why not ask the stylist?”

Wei Mingzhe smiled and shook his head, “It’s fine, let’s follow the stylist’s arrangements.”

The other members were about to say more when they heard Li Jinshi calling for Wei Mingzhe.

“Wei Mingzhe, you’re up first for styling in your group!” Li Jinshi called out loudly.

He gently patted his teammates on the shoulder and walked towards his spot under their worried gazes.

“Close your eyes,” a cold yet magnetic voice sounded.

He obediently closed his eyes, and the sound of a spray bottle echoed above his head for quite some time. He could feel his hair being gently tugged.

“Wow!”

“Holy… Sorry, stylist, please don’t cut out my swearing in the edit!”

“This is incredible!”

Voices from the trainees kept ringing out.

He couldn’t help but open his eyes, and then he froze.

The top part of his hair was tied into a bun at the back of his head, most of his previously heavy curtain bangs were pulled up by a black headband, revealing his sharp brows and the handsome, smooth contours of his face. The lower part of his hair fell loosely over his shoulders.

But the most important thing! His hair had been dyed a bold red with temporary hair spray!