Even though the outside world was incredibly noisy, and many said Jiangnan had exhausted his creative talent.
However, no one dared to criticize the theme song of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."
"Dao Jian Ru Meng" ranked within the top three among Ting Yu's wuxia songs, and many industry veterans highly praised it.
Although fame brought a halo effect and market evaluations might inflate, it was contingent on quality. After all, many people were vying for that top spot, and one wrong move could cause years of accumulated reputation to crumble overnight.
The entertainment industry had seen too many scandals. One moment you might be praising a star, recommending your idol to others, and the next, news of drug use would break.
A highly anticipated national idol, a pure and warm-hearted idol, might be exposed for soliciting prostitutes the next moment.
Or perhaps someone who thrived in the domestic entertainment scene with a pure persona would suddenly post "I have a daughter" on Weibo.
Fans had been let down too many times, causing many netizens to worry about Ting Yu.
"Ting Yu, please don't touch any of that poison. And your wife is as beautiful as a celestial being, absolutely incomparable to those common, vulgar beauties out there. Spoil your wife more, don't go soliciting, get married soon, so you won't be caught with any handles to attack you with if you have children."
Ting Yu's fans spoke earnestly. In an era where domestic entertainment idols collapsed every few days, fans' demands had shifted from new songs to these most basic moral bottom lines.
After all, Ting Yu was a representative of domestic entertainment, a genuine positive energy idol who collaborated with official channels and brought so much honor to the industry.
If even he were to fall, it would likely trigger a devastating earthquake in domestic entertainment.
Whenever Su Yu saw those messages, he would smile wryly and shake his head.
"Damn it, have fans' expectations really dropped this low?"
There was nothing he could do.
This was domestic entertainment.
The bizarre and eccentric world of domestic entertainment.
...
"It's starting, the protagonist should appear today, right?"
"Heh, you're too naive. The protagonist has just been born. I think the old rascal Jiangnan will have Xie Xun teach him martial arts, and only after he becomes an unparalleled master will he start his journey in the martial world!"
"That's very likely. And I guess Zhang Cuishan and his wife will also improve their martial arts, becoming the protagonist's backing!"
"I'm looking forward to the protagonist's powerful debut. After all the scolding online all day, seeing those hateful comments makes me, as an old Jiangnan fan, feel incredibly stifled!"
Amidst the audience's discussions.
The theme song had finished.
However, to their surprise, after a brief appearance of Zhang Cuishan and his wife, the perspective shifted to another character.
It was a back view, a white robe, hands behind his back, standing before the Tianying Sect, exuding an effortlessly dashing aura.
"Damn it, Zhang Qingyun!!"
Some sharp-eyed viewers recognized the actor.
Zhang Qingyun, known as the "professional supporting actor" of Jiangnan!
He had appeared even before the protagonist!
And judging by his attire, his presence was incredibly imposing.
"The Bright Left Emissary of the Ming Cult, Yang Xiao!"
"Damn, Brother Ma is playing a martial arts master this time!"
"Holy crap, he's not disguising himself as ugly, this outfit is so damn handsome!"
"This, this! Is this the fight scene Zhang Qingyun can pull off?"
"This Yang Xiao is too handsome!"
Zhang Qingyun's portrayal of Yang Xiao completely exceeded all audience expectations.
And this was the younger Yang Xiao, not the middle-aged man on the poster.
Both the aura he exuded upon his entrance and his handsome attire.
They were truly a breathtaking sight.
Absolutely stunning!
...
Beijing.
A high-end hotel.
Zhang Qingyun sat by the television.
When he saw his portrayal of Yang Xiao appear, and witnessed the audience's shock and praise, a slight smile finally curved his lips.
He lay back comfortably on the sofa, his entire being as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.
If Takahashi Ryosuke in "Initial D" was the peak of his visual representation in his acting career.
Then Yang Xiao in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" was the peak of his visual representation in ancient costume dramas.
Having read the script, he knew who Yang Xiao was: one of the "Two Immortals of Freedom" of the Ming Cult, the Bright Left Emissary second only to the leader, Yang Xiao himself!
While he had played handsome characters in previous idol dramas, that was merely superficial handsomeness. Zhang Qingyun understood Yang Xiao as someone who was inherently handsome, radiating a natural charisma that roamed freely through the world!
"Damn, Brother Ma is awesome!"
"Brother Qingyun, we saw you! Your styling in this drama is drop-dead gorgeous!"
"@Zhang Qingyun, congratulations to Brother Ma for returning to his peak screen appearance!"
"Brother Ma's acting has improved so fast, we fans can't keep up with the praise!"
"It truly amazed me. Yang Xiao made a grand entrance, swaggering, which made us Ma fans feel incredibly satisfied!"
Since his fan group had been cleared by the administrator named "Yan Zhi You Li," Zhang Qingyun hadn't revisited the fan group for a long time.
Today, he suddenly remembered and entered the fan group, only to find it already full.
He saw a few familiar faces – those core fans who had always supported him when he was a top-tier idol.
Although these fan leaders had abandoned Zhang Qingyun before, he felt that his past self was merely an idol driven by traffic, and fans abandoning him was just the rule of the idol industry.
However, now, he was gaining fans through his talent, through characters that were firmly etched in the hearts of fans and audiences. These fans were far more stable than those fickle traffic fans, because when they talked about Zhang Qingyun to others, they no longer just praised his handsome looks or good styling.
More often, they praised his acting, his fight scenes, his characters in the dramas, and the differences compared to his previous work.
Zhang Qingyun loved this feeling. In fact, it was precisely for this day that he had given up his top-tier idol status and chosen to study at a drama troupe!
He was transforming from a former top idol into a实力派 actor. Although he was still only playing supporting roles, within Jiangnan's team, he had no worries about his development potential. This was a very fair team, with minimal internal struggles. As long as you had talent and were suitable, you could get roles in the dramas.
This was undeniable, because these supporting roles were all earned through Zhang Qingyun's own hard work!
One and a half years!
It had been a full year and a half since he gave up his top-tier idol status and decided to hone his acting skills at a drama troupe!
He had returned!
They had all returned!!
In the past, Zhang Qingyun had felt immense despair looking at the empty fan group.
He never expected that the group would be even better now. Many people called him Brother Ma and referred to themselves as Ma fans. This was actually Zhang Qingyun's dark history, but he found this moniker incredibly endearing because it marked the starting point of his rebirth!
...