That night, in Xiangcheng.
A few hours after the recording ended, a post on an entertainment forum was pushed to the trending section.
【Title: Just got back from recording a certain variety show. Can't post photos, but I'm seriously about to burst!】
Main Post:
【I signed an NDA, so I can't talk about specific segments or post photos. But one male guest at the venue today was seriously insane. At first, I thought it was just a regular variety show game, but later I almost thought I bought the wrong ticket and sat in on a physical fitness competition grand finale.
In the final challenge, that bounce, that airtime, and that 'what's the big deal?' look on his face after landing—the girl next to me was screaming with her hands over her mouth the whole time. The key point is that he's even colder in person than on screen. When he's just standing there and not speaking, he looks super steady, but the moment he takes the field, he literally flies. The contrast is just too massive.】
The replies flooded in rapidly.
【1L: Stop speaking in riddles. Which male guest?】
【2L: Isn't today the recording day for 《Star Weekend》? This shouldn't be hard to guess. I heard Lin Hao went too, right? He's a main dancer, so it's normal for him to have great physical fitness.】
【3L: Probably not Lin Hao. OP mentioned a sense of contrast. Lin Hao having good physical fitness isn't a contrast, just normal performance.】
【4L: The cast of 《The Grand Game》 went today as well, right? Zhao Songcheng? Zhang Yu? Jiang Yue?】
【5L: Jiang Yue? The Academic God from Donghai University?】
【6L: Did you guys forget about the unreleased 《Sharp Blade》 that was rumored online before? I heard he didn't even use a stunt double for his action scenes.】
【7L: Wait a second. Academic God, villain, action scenes, flying man... isn't this loadout a bit too stacked?】
【8L: Talk is cheap without photos. When does the show air? I'll watch it myself.】
【...】
The post didn't have a single photo from the scene, only a few sentences of desperately suppressed leaks, yet this only made it all the more enticing.
Saturday night, 8:00 PM.
《Star Weekend》 aired right on time, simultaneously on Xiangcheng TV and Kiwi Video.
At this moment, countless fans of 《The Grand Game》's drama adaptation, original novel fans, fans of the various actors, and casual variety show viewers all squeezed into the streaming platforms.
For the first ten minutes, the bullet comments were fairly orderly, mostly spamming their favorite idols' names.
That was until the lift platform lit up, and the four made their appearance in historical costumes.
Jiang Yue stood on the far left. His dark purple, subtly patterned robe highlighted his lean shoulder lines. His back was ramrod straight, and his eyes carried the unyielding pride that belonged to Chu Yan.
On the screen, the bullet comments about him began to multiply.
【Holy crap, who is that in the purple robe on the left? He's so handsome!】
【Is this Jiang Yue? The villain from 《Manhunt》? This transition is insanely huge.】
A colored bullet comment floated across the center of the screen, drawing many people's attention.
【Ten-year fan here! In the book, Chu Yan is the number one handsome man in the entire novel, even more stunning than the male lead, Lin Zheng. I can't believe the crew actually found someone who fits!】
As soon as this bullet comment appeared, other original novel fans immediately chimed in.
【The side stories mentioned that when Chu Yan was a hostage prince in the capital, he was isolated and mocked by the noble children because his looks were too outstanding. That's why he later intentionally tarnished his own reputation by visiting brothels.】
【Exactly. He took after his mother in looks, but he hated his father for sending him away as a hostage prince, especially since he didn't even get to see his mother one last time before she died.】
【This character is incredibly conflicted inside. He has hatred, but also kindness. He can't be played as just a generic, revenge-driven madman.】
【Looking at Jiang Yue's face, I suddenly understand why Chu Yan felt so conflicted about his own appearance.】
【Just for this casting alone, I take back what I said before. I'm definitely watching The Grand Game. At least they didn't half-ass the physical appearances.】
Casual viewers were left stunned by all this lore. Looking back at the figure on the screen, they felt that, based on character design alone, Jiang Yue had indeed nailed it.
The show went on.
When it came to the “Who's the Undercover” segment, Jiang Yue drew the Blank Card.
As the camera zoomed in, his slender fingers pressed against the edge of the card. His expression showed not a hint of panic. He immediately started talking about a silver Santana, a reservoir, insurance fraud, and a skeleton in the trunk, with each detail linking perfectly to the next.
The hosts were completely led by the nose, and the audience in front of their screens nodded along in agreement.
But the moment he revealed his Blank Card, the bullet comments instantly went wild.
【??? Was that really made up on the spot? This guy's mental fortitude is terrifying.】
【It's a shame if he doesn't act in suspense dramas. That sense of oppression, and that ability to BS with a straight face and steady pulse...】
【First I got a crash course on his character, and now he's showing off his high IQ. I'm officially a fan!】
The show reached its final segment: the Extreme High Jump Challenge.
Jiang Yue took off his team uniform jacket, leaving only his pink short-sleeved shirt, and walked to the starting line. He ran up, stepped onto the springboard, and his body sailed over the 2.4-meter bar.
As he landed, the hem of his shirt was lifted by momentum, and the contours of his waist and abdomen flashed past the camera.
It lasted less than a second, but netizens managed to stretch that single second into ten.
Once the GIFs were clipped, they began to circulate across various platforms.
【Ahhhhh! Did you guys see that? Abs! He has abs!】
【This kind of muscle tone isn't bulky—it's lean and tight. Simply perfect!】
【Give me all the info on this man in one minute!】
【Handsome, high IQ, and with such a top-tier body... where on earth did the domestic entertainment industry dig up this treasure?】
In Donghai City, Yuchuan Media Studio.
Jiang Kaiwen stared at the backend data that was surging rapidly. His hand on the mouse didn't move for a long time.
“Bro...”
With a dazed expression, he pointed at the screen.
““Is there a bug in the backend for your follower count growth?””
In less than three hours since the show aired, Jiang Yue's Weibo followers had skyrocketed from over a million to two million.
The trending search topics had also gone up.
#JiangYueAncientPoise#
#JiangYueTwoPointFourMeters#
#JiangYueAbs#
Jiang Yue sat on the sofa, still holding a book on acting. He didn't even look up at the words.
““It's normal. Variety shows have a wide audience, and with the production crew knowing how to promote, the traffic naturally spills over.””
““No, but...””
Jiang Kaiwen scratched his head, still unable to suppress the shock in his heart.
““This is too exaggerated! You didn't even do anything, just did a high jump, and how did you suddenly blow up like this?””
It wasn't just ordinary netizens; industry insiders were also joining in on the fun.
Several accounts verified as film and television crew members began posting in the Super Topic.
【Location: 《The Hidden Sentry》 crew. Teacher Jiang's physical fitness is seriously no joke. He barely used any stunt doubles during filming, his action scenes flowed like water, and he's a great guy too—he even knows how to fix computers.】
【Yes, yes! Last time our crew's server crashed, Teacher Jiang fixed it in just a few clicks. He's practically all-powerful.】
Once these leaks came out, the popularity was pushed up another notch.
Looking at the messages sent by Zhou Qiqi in the group chat, Jiang Kaiwen finally grasped a bit of the answer.
Zhou Qiqi: 【You guys don't understand. This is what we call 'the domestic entertainment industry has suffered for too long.' Right now, the circle is either filled with skeletal beanpoles or greasy, heavily made-up guys. Suddenly, someone like Brother Yue comes along—striking looks, clean aura, high IQ, and a top-tier body. Who wouldn't swoon over that?】
Zhou Qiqi: 【Plus, my roommate watched the show, and her exact words were just two characters: 'So refreshing.'】
Zhou Qiqi: 【What is this? This is the legendary likability among the general public. It's metaphysics, you know? Some people buy trending searches every day only to get bashed, but Brother Yue was simply born to do this.】
Jiang Kaiwen read Zhou Qiqi's words to Jiang Yue, the excitement in his eyes no longer concealable.
Jiang Yue closed his book and gave a soft chuckle.
““Metaphysics?””
““Maybe a little.””
““But more than that, I know exactly what I want to show the audience.””
““The audience isn't stupid. Whether something is real or faked, the camera will inspect it for them.””
Rate on N.U.
