After the Villain Slacks Off
Chapter 49

Page 49

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8d ago

The designers, overwhelmed by Cheng Yu's commands and his blatant disdain yet too afraid to say anything, could only complain inwardly about his nitpicking. They were instantly blown away. The Tonys who had nearly gone on strike after being criticized by Cheng Yu clutched the styling sketches and screamed. There was no other reason: stylists accustomed to Matou funeral-love aesthetics and smoky makeup simply could not resist a fashion revelation from ten years in the future.

—No matter what the current trends were, human aesthetics were universal. A look like this, fresh yet exuding sensual luxury, laid bare the slightly immature sexual tension of a boy poised between boyhood and manhood, then struck the eye with the simplest black-and-white pairing. Whenever it was brought out, it would stir a roaring frenzy deep within humanity's genes.

Cheng Yu still remembered the first commercial C&C Jewelry had released featuring Ling Yi. He had personally overseen the advertising department's execution of every detail. They tirelessly scrapped and redid every design draft and storyboard. In the end, when Ling Yi appeared before the camera in a white shirt and black ripped jeans, half-reclining on a scarlet European velvet sofa, wearing a complete ruby set of earrings, necklace, bracelet, and rings, the utterly pure, high-end sensuality he displayed was enough to drive people mad. The most immediate result was that C&C Jewelry's sales that month surged by 3,000%. Cheng Yu's plan to promote C&C Jewelry's brand upgrade and transformation was declared a direct success.

Because his personal image aligned perfectly with the brand image—the crucial reason being that Cheng Yu himself was extremely satisfied—C&C Jewelry renewed Ling Yi's endorsement contract for another five years at the end of that year. Before Cheng Yu was locked in the sanatorium, he had intended to discuss another renewal with Ling Yi. He wanted to launch a co-branded collection for Ling Yi and C&C Jewelry, but before the plan could be put into action, he fell ill.

At that thought, Cheng Yu's gaze drifted for a moment. He suddenly remembered that he had not taken his medicine today.

"Brother Yu, what do you think of this look?" The Tony who had carefully created a wet-hair style according to Cheng Yu's styling sketch looked at him as though presenting a treasure, completely failing to notice how startling it was for a refined thirty-year-old man to call a sixteen-year-old boy "brother."

"The details are still off." Cheng Yu rubbed a strand of Ling Yi's hair between his fingers and instructed, "Don't make the curls so large. It'll look too messy. Have you seen Japanese manga? Make it shorter. Then dye his hair gemstone red."

The stylist nodded in sudden understanding. Seeing that this one had already grasped the feeling he wanted, Cheng Yu said no more. With a broad wave of his hand, he signaled for the styling team to continue transforming Ling Yi. Then he dragged the trembling Qing Chen over from the side and pressed him into a chair.

"Um, Brother Yu, our group doesn't have a name yet..." Qing Chen raised his hand with an especially tiny movement and spoke timidly.

Cheng Yu paused. "You haven't picked one?"

Everyone present shook their heads in unison. Cheng Tianguang seized the opening, finally managing to get a word in. "Why don't we discuss what the newly formed group should be called—"

"TOP!"

Before Cheng Tianguang could finish, Cheng Yu blurted it out.

No one reacted in time. "What?"

"T-O-P. TOP!" Cheng Yu repeated. Clearly unwilling to waste time and energy on something like this, Cheng Yu, accustomed to making unilateral decisions, once again displayed his domineering one-word rule.

Everyone in the makeup room, including the styling team listening in with perked ears, drew in a sharp breath together. Once again, they deeply experienced someone's arrogant conceit.

"Um..." The other two people involved were filled with unease, unable to sit still as they could not help asking, "Isn't this name a little..."

After thinking for a long time, the two of them finally found a barely suitable word to describe it. "Doesn't it sound too immodest?"

"You can be humble as a person, but there's no need to be humble in what you do." Cheng Yu opened his backpack to look for his medicine. Without even lifting his eyelids, he said casually, "If you're afraid you can't even live up to a group name, what else can you do?"

Cheng Yu's presence was already intimidating enough normally. Once he put on a serious face, the natural authority he exuded without anger left no room for others to question him. His single sentence left Ling Yi and Qing Chen silent as cicadas, and they no longer dared to object.

The two President Chengs and Zhu Jianxin watched Cheng Yu once again unleash his full aura, casually directing the company's chief styling team into a frenzy with just a few words, then crushing the group members so thoroughly that they did not dare speak—all without realizing anything was wrong—and could not help exchanging looks.

"How do you usually schedule your training?" Cheng Yu asked after taking his medicine with mineral water.

Ling Yi and Qing Chen exchanged a glance and hurriedly answered, "We generally arrive at the company at eight-thirty in the morning, practice dancing, do vocal training and various physical training, etiquette training, and so on. We rest for an hour at noon, then return to the dorms at two in the morning."

Cheng Yu frowned. If they trained according to that schedule, wouldn't he be unable to go home to sleep?

"Your company has dorms. Arrange a room for me." Cheng Yu looked at Zhu Jianxin.

Zhu Jianxin trembled. "The dorms our company provides for trainees are relatively basic. I'm afraid Second Young Master won't be used to them—"

"That's your problem." Cheng Yu instructed as though it were only natural, "I'll stay at the company this afternoon and practice dancing with Ling Yi and Qing Chen. Arrange a choreographer for us. Since we're debuting as a group, we need to have at least one or two group dances ready for the talent show. Does our group have its own songs?"

Cheng Yu's way of thinking had always been simple, direct, and straight to the point. When he spoke, he instinctively omitted all unnecessary pleasantries and filler, making his words sound somewhat disconnected at first. If someone unfamiliar with him let their mind relax even slightly, they would be unable to keep up with his train of thought. Fortunately, Zhu Jianxin had interacted with Cheng Yu a few times and had gradually grown used to his way of thinking. He immediately replied, "There's no problem with the choreographer. As for songs, Qing Chen writes songs himself—"

"Qing Chen's songs can be saved for the talent showcase. I'm talking about songs for the group right now." Cheng Yu looked directly at Zhu Jianxin. "I want the best."

Zhu Jianxin choked up and instinctively looked toward Cheng Tianguang and Cheng Tianrui.

From the moment the two President Chengs saw Cheng Yu dance, they knew they had struck gold this time. Setting aside Cheng Yu's foul temper, whether in looks, individual ability, or aesthetic sense, Cheng Yu was absolutely top-tier. He was simply born to be an idol. Since such a treasure wanted to debut through Tianguang Entertainment, the company would naturally give him its full support.

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