Official Site Teaser

"What is going on? How could he remember my name at the very end of the script?" Chi Jixia sat bolt upright in the golden finger's screening hall, shoved up his mirror shades, and roared at the System.

The System was not doing well either. "By rights, your co-star should already have had his memory completely sealed by the golden finger—he should only remember being the story's male tertiary lead, 'Little BAI.' Unless—"

"Unless what?" Chi Jixia sat up straighter.

The System: "Unless the host's acting is so bad it pulled him out of the story."

"My acting is bad? Mine?" Chi Jixia clearly could not accept this conclusion. He let out a scoff. "You think that's likely?"

The System: "Then there's another possibility—your co-star's IQ is too high, and he's noticed the unreality of this world."

...Yi Wan, high IQ?

Chi Jixia looked at the spirit body, like a soft, fluffy ball of black-hearted cotton that belonged to Yi Wan, and shivered involuntarily.

"Of course, when the body's fatigue exceeds what a person can bear, there is also a very small chance the co-star notices the world's unreality," the System comforted Chi Jixia. "Look how he treks all day and studies all night in this world. Not even the production team's donkey would work this hard."

Chi Jixia felt a strange sort of comfort from that. He looked at the warm, soft, seemingly harmless spirit body and raked his fingers through his hair in irritation. "I still have to perform tomorrow... forget it, wipe his memory first and let him out."

He let the soft ball of cotton return to Yi Wan's body. The System comforted him in his ear: "It's fine. At least you managed to torment him a little. He didn't gain any benefit either."

Hearing that, Chi Jixia finally managed a grudging smile.

...

The next morning, when Yi Wan woke up, his whole body ached faintly. His head felt a bit foggy, and when he saw the ceiling, he even felt an odd sense of having been away for a lifetime.

He sat up, staring absently down at his own palms. Just then, he saw Chi Jixia, in the next bed, also getting up.

"Morning?" Yi Wan greeted him.

"M-morning." Chi Jixia gave a dry laugh.

Yi Wan looked at Chi Jixia's expression and felt faintly puzzled.

But that faint puzzlement was quickly swept away by the busy pace of life. Iris5 was now fully assembled, and as the last member to join, Yi Wan was dragged off that very day by the team's manager, stylists, and image consultants to be measured, positioned, and styled according to his individual traits. Brother Liu planned to release the five members' silhouettes online before Yi Wan and Ding Biehan appeared on the survival show, to generate a first wave of hype.

The other four had already finished their styling and photo shoots. Now they were only waiting on him, the last to be finalized.

A.T. Entertainment was a leader in the industry, with its own complete production line for idol-making.

With all that packaging behind him, Yi Wan couldn't turn out too badly, whatever happened.

Brother Liu's attention to Yi Wan was limited. "Let me go answer a message."

He walked to the end of the hallway to send and receive messages. From the other end of the hallway came Yi Wan's former personal manager, Ji Ren, along with another artist under his management.

That artist was very young, with features fine enough to be called delicate, except for a trace of arrogance and hostility about his brow that suggested he thought rather highly of himself. Ji Ren, who had always been sarcastic and snide toward Yi Wan, was now practically bowing and scraping in front of this one, terrified of displeasing the boy.

But there was a reason he was fawning over the boy. The boy's name was Qin Xing, and his looks were nearly the best among all of Ji Ren's artists—and he was also a distant relative of the popular young actress Qin Xuexin. Riding on that connection, Ji Ren had gotten his own cousin a job at Qin Xuexin's studio. To return the favor and deepen the relationship, he had previously gone to great lengths to try to get the boy a spot on a survival-reality show.

Regarding that show, the well-informed Ji Ren had gotten an inside tip: a mystery guest would be appearing, and getting onto the show would bring major benefits.

To that end, he had schemed in every possible way, even going so far as to send the artist under his management, Yi Wan, into Director Cheng's bed. Director Cheng might only shoot web variety shows, but he had a relative who was a producer on the survival show. Tradingan Yi Wan for a shot at the show for his precious darling, Qin Xing, was a thoroughly profitable exchange. Afterward, he'd toss Yi Wan some scraps—a web variety gig, say—to count as having given him something in return.

But when he tricked Yi Wan into making that trade, he had of course never once mentioned swapping resources for Qin Xing.

In any case, Yi Wan had languished unnoticed under him for all these years, with not the slightest sign or potential of becoming popular. Compared to Qin Xing, it was heaven against earth.

Who would have guessed Yi Wan didn't know how to appreciate a favor when he saw one. Just as Ji Ren was getting irritated about it, Yi Wan, of all things, got incredibly lucky and climbed aboard the great ship that was Iris5.

That had made Ji Ren see red.

Still, the road was long, and there was time to watch and see. Given Yi Wan's caliber, even inside Iris5 he'd only drag the team down—he'd probably get swept out the door sooner or later anyway.

Ji Ren had brought Qin Xing in for an impromptu fitting, but there was already someone inside the fitting room, and the group had to wait a long while outside the door. Before long, Qin Xing grew impatient. "Who's even in there? What's taking so long?"

Ever since his debut, Qin Xing had gained a bit of popularity, and his temper had started getting worse along with it. Ji Ren could only coax him and send someone to go find out what was happening.

"It's a trainee," the one sent to check reported back quickly.

"A trainee is making a senior wait this long?" Qin Xing crossed his legs and put on a sneering, superior air, then turned his anger on his manager. "Ji Ren, is my time something that can just be wasted around here however anyone likes?"

Ji Ren could only hold his temper and coax him, while privately thinking that it would be nice if someone under him could replace Qin Xing.

Why could he never find a good prospect?

Brother Liu finished his call and also felt the wait had gone on rather long.

Could Yi Wan's material be so poor that even the makeup artist and stylist were having a hard time with it?

As he walked toward the fitting room, he overheard some of the conversation between Ji Ren and his artist. Brother Liu couldn't help frowning, thinking that Ji Ren really couldn't be brought out in public.

Just then, the fitting room door opened.

The lively commotion from inside finally spilled out.

"Bravo!"

"I've never seen skin this good on anyone—he barely even needs any base makeup."

"Does this boy have some kind of switch? Flip it and he turns into a literal deity descending to earth?"

"This is absolutely the best look I've done this year—no, in years!"

Brother Liu, phone in hand, walked into the fitting room in a daze amid the cheering and applause. When he saw the person standing at the center, he could hardly believe his eyes.

One word: stunning.

Two words: so stunning.

Three words: too damn stunning!

The person standing in the fitting room looking as radiant as if he were standing in the spotlight at center stage—that was Yi Wan??

Yi Wan stood in the middle of the fitting room. He'd changed into the group uniform tailored to his measurements, which made him look long-limbed and tall; a black belt cinched a slender waist, and the proportion of his legs was downright shocking.

The makeup artist had, in the end, only applied the thinnest layer of foundation to his face, because his natural skin tone was already beautiful enough. His brows were fine, his hair smooth, and silver tassel earrings hung from his earlobes, swaying with a shimmering light. His cat-like eyes had been lined to lengthen them, the color deep, as though he were looking at everyone with a faint touch of melancholy, and yet at nothing at all.

Purple was the hardest color to wear well. But on Yi Wan, it seemed to undergo a chemical reaction with his usual understated air, fusing completely into something alluring, mysterious, melancholic, and faintly impatient all at once.

This kind of effortless quality, poised between plainness and mystery, was rare in the entire industry.

—Even Brother Liu couldn't understand how someone like Yi Wan could suit purple this well.

—Or maybe some people were born as plain as blank paper, and were for that very reason perfectly suited to being painted on—unexpectedly fitting for exactly this direction of styling, exactly this direction of stage presence?

The noise in the fitting room made it impossible for Yi Wan to drift off, and the blazing-bright lights made him feel like he was about to "dehydrate."

Yi Wan felt like he was about to suffocate.

Noticing Brother Liu's gaze, Yi Wan looked toward him amid all the voices and said, "Brother Liu?"

At that moment, he was squinting slightly, unused to the glare, and when he turned his face, there was, for once, a rare trace of emotion—impatience—on it.

Very vivid.

Very intriguing.

Brother Liu's heart skipped a beat right then. And after that beat came wild elation!

This was better—countless times better—than even the best outcome he could have imagined.

"While that look is still on your face, let's hurry and get the silhouette shots done." Without even realizing it himself, Brother Liu's manner toward Yi Wan had grown several times warmer than before.

Yi Wan really did clean up nicely.

Yi Wan: ?

Still, getting out of the fitting room was always a good thing. Yi Wan let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He nodded and went out with him, and Brother Liu said as they walked, "Remember the expression you just had."

Yi Wan: ?

Yi Wan silently tried to recreate his near-"dehydrated" expression from earlier, and Brother Liu said, "That's it! Remember that!"

Yi Wan: ??

He felt a bit at a loss.

As they walked out of the fitting room, Ji Ren could no longer hold back his curiosity and turned to look at the person who had just been showered with such lavish praise. Seeing Yi Wan behind Brother Liu, he froze for a moment.

First reaction: this person was genuinely eye-catching! If only he were one of Ji Ren's own artists.

Second reaction: this person looked somehow familiar...

For a moment, he simply failed to connect the plain Yi Wan from his memory with this radiant artist standing before him now.

Qin Xing, however, could no longer hold back his temper. Riding on his cousin's connections, he had always barreled through the industry however he pleased. He sneered, "This is the first time I've seen a junior make a senior wait outside the door this long."

Brother Liu was right in the middle of wanting to rush Yi Wan off to capture his beauty on camera. He was about to frown and say something.

But he heard Yi Wan speak first: "Brother Liu, didn't we have an appointment time?"

Brother Liu: "Of course we did."

"Oh... so this is a senior who believes in proper order of elders and juniors trying to cut the line." Yi Wan said it with no mockery on his face at all, as though he were simply stating a fact he'd just worked out.

Qin Xing couldn't take this kind of "mockery." He was about to flare up right then, but Brother Liu cut him off.

Brother Liu had no intention of letting these two waste the precious time he had set aside with Yi Wan.

There was plenty to prepare for Iris5's debut—unlike these two, who apparently had nothing of value to do and all the time in the world to waste.

And besides, Yi Wan's look today had struck him with a sudden impulse to have the photographer take extra shots and some behind-the-scenes footage. It wasn't often Yi Wan was in this good a state.

"Keep your own artist in line," Brother Liu said with a cold smile at Ji Ren. Though they were both managers, he and Ji Ren were nowhere near the same level. Having been personally entrusted by the company president to handle Iris5, Brother Liu had, in years past, personally built up several top-tier boy groups with his own hands, and was now a partner at the agency.

"Brother Liu..." Ji Ren began to sweat.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot—Yi Wan used to be one of your artists too," Brother Liu said, as though just remembering. "Since you clearly have no time to manage him, I'll be reporting this to the president—along with your past work attitude."

Well, whose fault was it that Ji Ren had walked right into his line of fire? Brother Liu, as a senior manager, had always handled things decisively.

With that, without even glancing at Ji Ren's expression, he left with Yi Wan.

As Yi Wan left, he smiled at the two of them. He'd meant it as a friendly gesture, but to the two of them, it read as the height of mockery.

Behind them, Ji Ren's expression suddenly cracked. Qin Xing had originally wanted to rush forward to argue, but he caught sight of his own manager staring fixedly at Yi Wan's retreating back.

It was the first time he had ever been so thoroughly ignored by his own manager.

That "Brother Liu" had stood up for Yi Wan—and his own manager? He might as well have been mute!

Qin Xing's resentment toward Ji Ren reached its peak.

Yi Wan, who had caused all of this with just a few sentences, looked perfectly calm. He walked into the photo studio without a trace of stage fright, easy and unhurried.

His skin was so fair that he didn't even need highlighter under the lights—he already shone. Several of the photographers, seeing his look now, also showed looks of astonishment.

"This is our Rainbow's fifth member," Brother Liu said, patting Yi Wan on the shoulder. "Give him the full treatment."

Then, to Yi Wan, he added, "Don't be nervous. Just be yourself. More expression—don't disappoint me."

In that instant, every light in the room turned into sunlight shining on him alone.

...

No one had expected that Yi Wan would show absolutely no stage fright during the shoot.

For an ordinary person, learning to face a camera was already a difficult thing. It wasn't like everyday photos—even someone naturally gifted like Chi Jixia, or someone as self-assured as Ding Biehan, had both felt somewhat uneasy the first time they faced a lens.

It came from the fear of dozens of eyes watching them, and an extreme self-consciousness about their own body language.

Every detail, every angle, every motion... in the eyes of different viewers, could all be picked apart into countless potentially problematic little flaws.

The psychological hurdle was always the hardest to get past. The more someone thought highly of themselves, the more likely they were to tense up in front of a camera.

Yet Yi Wan's results from the shoot turned out to be, unexpectedly, better than anyone could have imagined.

"He's basically born to stand in the spotlight. Look at that composed expression of his—none of the usual discomfort everyone else has. It's like he only lives inside his own world," the lead photographer said when he called Brother Liu over to pick shots. "Is this really his first time being photographed? Some people haven't gotten this natural at it even after eight or ten years."

"It really is..." Brother Liu said, looking at the photos on the screen. Yi Wan carried himself as if there were no one else around him at all.

Yi Wan executed every request from the photographer flawlessly—a single simple sentence was enough for him to grasp the intent and do it even better. Even a few poses that demanded extreme flexibility, poses that would be a high-difficulty challenge for an ordinary person, he managed without issue.

Perhaps because the photographer had guided his expressions step by step, every single one of Yi Wan's photos turned out exquisite. His features were flawless, his figure flawless, and thanks to the strange aura he carried, each shot had a sweeping sense of atmosphere to it—it didn't look like something produced in-house at the agency at all, but rather something lifted straight out of a fashion magazine.

"Let's go with this one." Brother Liu finally picked out a single shot.

In the photo, Yi Wan sat in a chair, head tilted to one side, his long-fingered hand propping up his chin. His long legs, crossed and extended, were straight and slender, his toes lightly curled, as if forming the shape of a smile that wanted to say something and yet held back.

His tasseled earrings caught the light and shimmered. His nose bridge was straight and fine, his chin tipped slightly up. His eyes seemed to look at everyone, and yet at the same time, to look at nothing at all.

A secret, Brother Liu thought.

It was the feeling of "hiding a secret."

"This one, then," he said.

Once the photo was chosen, he led Yi Wan out. After taking off the makeup and changing back into his own clothes, Yi Wan returned to his usual, everyday appearance.

Perhaps some people simply shone under the spotlight and faded into plainness in ordinary life... no wonder Yi Wan had gone so unnoticed before, he thought to himself.

On the way, Brother Liu patted Yi Wan on the shoulder. "You did really well today—way beyond what I expected. Keep it up from here on. Now I can finally relax a bit."

Relax, knowing Yi Wan would debut as Rainbow's fifth member.

But there wasn't a trace of joy on Yi Wan's face over his own excellent performance.

On the contrary, he looked rather unhappy.

Strange.

"So how does it feel to stand out?" Brother Liu asked offhandedly. "Make the most of this chance—after this, no one will dare climb all over you."

"It feels... disgusting."

"What?" Brother Liu didn't quite catch it.

"Brother Liu." Yi Wan spoke up just then. "There's something I want to talk to you about?"

"What is it?" Brother Liu's first instinct was that Yi Wan wanted to ask for resources.

"The survival reality show starting this weekend..."

"Oh, don't worry, I've already worked it out with Jiang Bei's manager." Brother Liu reassured him. "Jiang Bei's agreed too—just follow the script and you'll be fine."

"No." Yi Wan said flatly. "I don't want to make peace with Jiang Bei."

The hallway suddenly went completely silent. Brother Liu looked at Yi Wan, whose face showed no expression at all.

"...You don't want to make peace?" On the strength of having just been stunned by him today, Brother Liu swallowed down his impatience for the moment. "Then how do you plan to handle this? Debut barely begun, and already carrying a reputation as a bully?"

Yi Wan said nothing. Brother Liu went on, somewhat irritably, "Of course, the agency can also help you suppress the news, hire astroturfers, push down the trending topics... but why insist on taking a more troublesome, roundabout path?"

"It's not roundabout," Yi Wan said. "I have a feeling that this Sunday, I'll be able to resolve it myself."

"Resolve it yourself? How exactly are you going to resolve it yourself?"

Yi Wan fell silent for a moment, then said, "I just have a feeling..."

Brother Liu was nearly laughing out of exasperation. "All right, let's not talk about this for now. Go back and get ready for the show."

With that, Brother Liu kept walking, not taking Yi Wan's words to heart at all. Behind him, Yi Wan stood in the shadow outside the window, where the evening light didn't reach, phone in hand.

On his phone screen was displayed, unmistakably, the homepage of that account, "polestar_leon."

It was the burner account that had sent him abusive messages the night before.

...

Friday, the last workday of the week. Sharp-eyed girls discovered a newly added poster tucked in a corner of A.T. Entertainment's official website.

The poster was divided into five segments, each one a pitch-black silhouette of a person. But combined with the news that A.T. would be debuting a new boy group this year, plus everything already circulating, it was more than enough to set every major social media platform ablaze.

"Is this A.T.'s new group this year??"

"Finally, an official teaser!!"

"All five silhouettes look so hot!! Which five angels are coming down to earth? I'm picking all of them!!"

"Isn't the one dead center kind of like Bo Jiang?"

"Anyone picking second from the left? Whose outline matches second from the left?"

"No way, no way, please tell me our little Ding is in there?"

Author's Note:

Also, the gong's appearance on the survival show has already been decided—who it is, that is! Keeping it a secret before the reveal, for a bit of suspense~

And is this cliffhanger just a little too exquisitely cruel (lol), cutting off right before anyone gets to react to Little Yi's mysterious catfish photo (lol)

Photo caption: mysterious, melancholic