Jian Zhou: "..."
Damn it, I've been teased again!
Jiang Ling said the male and female leads would end up together in the finale, which was quite similar to the ultra-sweet drama "Goodbye My Princess" promoted by a certain streaming platform in her previous life.
Unaware of the truth, fans and netizens thought they would finally see Jiang Ling portray a happy and fulfilling martial arts heroine.
Alas, deep affection is often fleeting, while predictable plots capture hearts.
With a series of cunning moves, Jiang Ling managed to draw them all in.
Based on the unresolved feelings left by Jiang Ling's previous roles, the audience's anticipation for "Tian Jian Qun Xia" (The Sword Heroes) had reached an unprecedented high.
The drama became popular before it even aired; its popularity exploded even before any promotional activities began.
Guan Suyin, who kept a close watch on developments, decided to strike while the iron was hot and release a promotional trailer early.
However, after seeing Jiang Ling's replies to fan discussions, and before releasing the trailer, she slyly deleted all scenes where Xiao Ting obtained the Heavenly Sword, revealed himself as the King of Abhiraja, and his love-hate relationship with Tang Ruoxuan.
What was presented to the audience were only the thrilling adventures of martial artists and the emotional tug-of-war between the male lead and female lead, as well as the second male lead and second female lead.
As soon as the promotional trailer was released, the audience was both shocked and delighted.
"OMG, am I seeing things? Is that incredibly handsome guy in the trailer really Jiang Yulei?"
"Holy cow, he's so handsome, he's taken my breath away!"
"The Jiang Yulei I remember was an actor who was unremarkable in every aspect except his acting. How did he suddenly become so handsome?"
"He's outrageously handsome, did he go overseas for plastic surgery?"
"No, I've compared them. It's still the same face, but the right styling has made his attractiveness skyrocket."
"My god, this shocks my entire family! How did I not realize before that this guy was so handsome?"
"Guan Suyin has sharp eyes to discover a hidden gem like Jiang Yulei, who has been in the industry for so long. She truly is a great director!"
In this era obsessed with looks, facial attractiveness is the primary driving force in the entertainment industry.
The audience initially tuned in for Jiang Ling's looks, acting, and Guan Suyin's fame.
However, upon clicking on the trailer, their attention was unexpectedly captured by Jiang Yulei's dashing appearance.
This wasn't to say Jiang Ling was unattractive, but rather that the audience already had expectations for her beauty and found no surprise in it.
Jiang Yulei's drastically altered styling from his usual look was surprisingly handsome, naturally delighting the audience.
This kind of handsomeness, characteristic of traditional male beauties – attractive without being effeminate, sharp without being alluring, with well-defined features and a statuesque physique – was like a breath of fresh air, clearing away the usual miasma of effeminate young male stars that the audience had grown accustomed to.
Like Columbus discovering a new continent, the audience began screenshotting and sharing.
Thus, Jiang Yulei also welcomed his first trending topic of his acting career.
But this trending topic left him feeling utterly speechless.
Jiang Yulei thought to himself, "I'm just a rough guy, when did I ever have anything to do with being handsome? These unscrupulous media outlets just write whatever they want."
When it comes to vying for attention in the entertainment industry, female stars have fierce rivalries, but male stars are even more terrifying.
The stench of toxic fan culture is largely driven by male celebrity fandoms.
Young idols, believing themselves to be exceptionally handsome, cannot tolerate other male stars being equally attractive. They incite their fans to engage in online smear campaigns and rivalries, ensuring their idols' news constantly trends.
It doesn't matter if the news is positive or negative.
As long as the buzz is maintained, it signifies popularity, and popularity translates to a continuous stream of money.