Chapter 206: The Twin Jades CP
By the time the two returned home, Weibo was already exploding.
No other reason—because the set of black martial arts attire photos of Rong Yu released by the Shenming official Weibo had successfully dazzled the audience.
Especially the picture placed in the middle: Rong Yu lying on his side under a tree, holding a jar of wine in his left hand, the back of his right hand resting just below his lips, as if wiping away wine that had spilled from the corner of his mouth from taking a large, hearty drink.
The corner of his crimson lips curled into a wild, wicked smile, his laughing eyes fixed on a certain direction, resembling a hawk that has locked onto its prey.
At first, everyone's focus was on the visual impact of this set of photos of Rong Yu. But as the related hashtag climbed higher and higher on the hot search list, with more and more people viewing and downloading the images to use as wallpapers, gradually, eagle-eyed viewers with "microscope vision" picked out a very subtle detail.
This detail was in Rong Yu's eyes.
Because the official release was a high-definition original image, when the picture was zoomed in to its maximum, someone discovered that reflected in Rong Yu's eyes was a human figure.
Although that figure wasn't very clear either, it was enough to set imaginations running wild.
For example, the suddenly risen "Twin Jades" CP from the recently aired finale episode of Don't Look Back in the Dark.
[The character 珏 (Jué) in Yin Chengjue's name is composed of two "jade" (玉) pieces together. It literally means "two pieces of jade joined together," symbolizing something precious and perfect. It's often interpreted as the "king/peak of jade"; the character 瑜 (Yú) in Rong Yu's name means "fine jade"]
Ever since the interactions between Yin Chengjue and Rong Yu in the finale episode aired, the Twin Jades CP successfully emerged from the obscure corners of "heretical cult ships" to become the CP with the highest buzz.
No other reason—the post-production editing of Don't Look Back in the Dark was simply too skilled.
First, they aired Yin Chengjue's seemingly offhand comment, "The director wants us to pair up as much as possible in the final episode," then they aired the young masters chiming in, joking about buying water army support to boost the Twin Jades CP, leaving the audience in stitches.
If any other artist had said these things, it would have likely caused audience backlash. But because the speakers were these young masters with substantial net worth and vast capital at their disposal, the perception changed.
Their candid, unvarnished honesty and total lack of idol baggage made the audience feel they were seeing something genuine, and this kind of forthright realness was not something they disliked.
After all, certain practices are an open secret in the industry. Buying hype, employing online posters to manipulate trends—any celebrity public relations team does these things to boost exposure. There's really no need to constantly deny it with claims like, "We didn't do that, the popularity is organic! We haven't done anything!"
Such attempts to cover up only provoke disdain from those who see through the routine, aside from a portion of devoted fans who might believe it.
Returning to the promotional images released by the Shenming official Weibo.
Clearly, this set of images significantly broke through the consistent impression Rong Yu had previously given everyone.
Whether it was the split-personality male lead in Blood Mist or the male ghost in red in Ghost Traces, Rong Yu's on-screen persona seemed to be speeding down a path of dark transformation with no return.
Video editors on various platforms were quick to incorporate Rong Yu's characters from these roles into compilations featuring dark, morally ambiguous characters from novels. His portrayal in Ghost Traces, in particular, never failed to send chills down viewers' spines.
This also served as indirect proof that Rong Yu's acting talent was was like a gift from heaven—so convincing it was frightening.
However, an actor's biggest taboo is having their image fixed. The more stunning and memorable an image is, the harder it is to separate it from the audience's minds.
Consequently, when the actor takes on other, different roles, the audience can easily still see them as that previous memorable character, leading to a feeling of being "pulled out of the story."
Therefore, after successfully portraying a role, an actor's next step is to quickly break free from that character.
As a top-tier assistant, Sally naturally understood this principle well, hence her choice of The Wandering Swordsman for Rong Yu.
The comments under Shenming's Weibo post were already flooded with various remarks, the hottest being a string of "Ahhhh awsl (I'm dying)."
Of course, more comments were asking which drama Rong Yu was preparing to act in? For the sake of this image and these looks, they decided that regardless of the drama's plot, they were willing to give it a shot, as long as Rong Yu's character didn't receive a lunchbox (get killed off).
Watching the hashtag climb higher and higher on the hot search, Shenming finally posted another Weibo, explaining the reason for Rong Yu's photoshoot.
Shenming Official Weibo V: The boss mentioned yesterday, planning to invest in developing a mobile game. This is one of the character outfits from the game. Many thanks to @RongYuiycj for the support. What does everyone think, is the character design and outfit for this game good-looking, or is the person wearing these clothes good-looking? [Dog head emoji]
The Shenming official Weibo usually posted previews for the animated adaptations of its novels and comics, often alongside goofy promotional content. This had drawn a crowd of fun-loving anime and gaming fans to its page. So when Shenming posed this either-or question, fans immediately and playfully rallied against the official account, just to give it a hard time.
Comment 1: Although this outfit is indeed very good-looking, because you asked this question, this round I choose the handsome guy.
Comment 2: Afraid you'll get proud, so I stand with the handsome guy!
Comment 3: The handsome guy can come into my arms wearing this outfit, but this outfit can't walk into my arms by itself, so which side to stand on is very obvious.
Comment 4: The summary from the floor above is too on point!
Comment 5: Speaking of which, Shenming's boss is Yin Chengjue, right? I'm shipping it, thank you thank you!
Comment 6: Ha! Just realized now? Every variety show, web drama, movie Yin Chengjue invested in, Xiao Yu has participated in. Now he's even participating in the photoshoot for the game character outfit showcase!
Without digging deep, one might not notice, but thinking about it carefully now, it really seemed that way.
Over this past year or more, every project Rong Yu participated in had traces of Yin Chengjue's investment behind it. Behind Rong Yu's rising popularity was the figure of Yin Chengjue, who, since taking over management of Huansheng Entertainment, had been making profits hand over fist.
One dared to invest, the other could act. Coupled with the fact that both their looks were above the current average standard for male stars in the entertainment circle, pairing them up inevitably made people's hearts surge with excitement.
Soon, someone also edited together a compilation of various seemingly intimate behind-the-scenes moments between Yin Chengjue and Rong Yu from Don't Look Back in the Dark, set to light, fresh love songs. Surprisingly, it looked completely harmonious, making many new CP fans exclaim they were shipping it!
That night was destined to be a celebration for die-hard fans of great looks and devoted shippers of the Twin Jades CP.
Of course, to avoid affecting Rong Yu's reputation, Yuxiang Rousi diligently left comments under these newborn CP fans' posts, pleading for them to go easy.
After all, their respective statuses were plain to see. If they were forcibly paired together, it would undoubtedly be twisted by critics into a "sugar daddy" relationship. In that case, Rong Yu's reputation within the industry would certainly take a hit.
Solo fans and CP (coupling) fans are inherently two groups that are difficult to reconcile. This holds true for any celebrity; it’s an inevitable phenomenon in the evolution of entertainment culture, a natural trend.
Only when a fanbase grows larger and gains more members does it begin to splinter into smaller subgroups. And among these subgroups, ideological differences, contradictions, or even opposition are bound to arise for various reasons.
Of course, regardless of the type of fan group, the greatest taboo is going to extremes—because that means losing oneself in the process of idol worship. It’s no longer about appreciating the idol’s positive qualities but about chasing the thrill of the chase itself. While they may seem similar on the surface, the former is about enjoying the idol’s virtues, while the latter becomes an obsession with the act of pursuit. Once that feeling fades, it’s easy to fall into confusion and disorientation.
Because Rong Yu had an early morning audition for The Wandering Swordsman the next day, and Yin Chengjue also needed to return to the company to work on the new mobile game proposal, the two soon called it a night.
Early the next morning, they wished each other luck at their doorstep. Rong Yu then boarded the agency van driven by Assistant Yang, heading to the audition location, while Yin Chengjue drove to the company. The two vehicles left the residential compound one after the other, then headed in opposite directions down the road.
This had become their daily routine, the usual morning scene.
But today, there was a slight difference.
As the two cars drove off separately, two people emerged one after another from behind the greenery and landscaping plants outside the residential compound.
Looking down at the photos they had captured on their cameras, they broke into triumphant smiles.
"Brother Li, I never expected Rong Yu and Yin Chengjue to live in the same compound! Our quota is as good as filled now! This news is definitely going to make waves! Hehehe!" A tall, thin man rubbed his hands together and laughed.
The man called Brother Li shot him a scornful look. "Can’t you think a little bigger? What do you mean ‘live in the same compound’? Since we caught them coming out of the same place, we should just say they’re living together! That’s much more explosive, a better selling point!”
The tall, thin man had a sudden realization. "Oh, oh, oh! Brother Li, you’re so clever! Then let’s go back and write it up—headline: they’re cohabiting… Ouch! Brother Li? Why’d you hit me again?"
"Idiot! The headline is crucial! Writing ‘cohabiting’ is nothing special. Write ‘sugar daddy arrangement’ directly! That’s what people love to see. Think about it—Rong Yu’s career has been smooth sailing since his debut, right? That’s bound to attract jealousy. Dropping news about him being kept now will make people automatically speculate about how he landed all those good resources and reviews before.” Brother Li smirked smugly.
"Hehehe, Brother Li, you really think of everything!"
The two eagerly sorted through the photos they took that morning, quickly drafted a highly sensational post, added the hashtag #RongYuKept, and excitedly hit send. At the same time, they skillfully bought their way onto the trending list with the hashtag #RongYuKept.
Of course, to quickly stir up buzz around this news, they also dipped into their own pockets to hire a large number of online comment bots, who frantically posted comments and flooded the thread under the Weibo post they published, working hard to push its popularity higher.
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