How did this star become more popular after his scandal?

Chapter 332 Movie Release Date Announced
As Jiang Yu sang, the audience at the scene and those watching online were all immersed in his singing.

Listening to Jiang Yu's ancient-style music, everyone seemed immersed in the misty rain of Jiangnan depicted in the song. They could almost see the man and woman meeting amidst the hazy rain, as if they were experiencing a beautiful yet bittersweet love story alongside Jiang Yu's voice.

Lin Qianqian listened to Jiang Yu's song, his latest piece of ancient-style music. Watching the video of Jiang Yu sitting at the guzheng, gently playing, a beautiful scene of misty rain in Jiangnan appeared in her mind. It was as if she were there, completely immersed in the scene.

Especially when Jiang Yu started rapping during the first half of the concert, it immediately gave Lin Qianqian and many other audience members goosebumps.

That year, I used fireworks as a prelude.
The light shines against the rain, marking the end of the story.
I keep my promise of waiting for you, a promise made on the day of Autumn's Arrival.
The train of time that has gone by

Full of my expectations for this life

As the sun sets, my old friend is outside the Great Wall.

The torrential rain that fell in an instant could not extinguish the lingering thoughts.
The curtain falls, autumn rain falls, and a person sobs under an umbrella.

Finally, let's listen to that melody from our farewell song one last time...

When everyone listened to Jiang Yu's rap incorporated into the ancient-style music, they were immediately amazed. It was a feeling that other singers couldn't provide in this type of song; it gave them goosebumps.

Lin Qianqian, in particular, had her eyes light up when she heard the rap.

"It's rap again!"

"Jiang Yu has added rap to his ancient-style music again!"

Lin Qianqian and many other audience members were taken aback when they heard Jiang Yu's long-awaited rap. Everyone knew that Jiang Yu's rap was the best and cleanest in the industry, completely different from the so-called popular rap on the market. In fact, since Jiang Yu's rap debuted, everyone felt that Jiang Yu's was mainstream rap, incomparable to those shouting, vulgar, and offensive rap music.

In particular, Jiang Yu's inclusion of rap elements in his traditional Chinese style songs doesn't feel jarring or out of place. On the contrary, it creates a unique charm. This is evident in his previous works in the genre, such as "Fireworks Fade Easily," a prime example. His addition of rap elements to this song gave it a refreshing and unique feel.

Jiang Yu's new song, which also incorporates rap elements, brought a sense of welcome relief to audiences who hadn't heard this type of music in a long time.

Lin Qianqian, in particular, stared intently at Jiang Yu's performance on TV, her eyes shining with a glint of light, completely captivated by his new ancient-style song.

It had been a long time since Lin Qianqian had heard Jiang Yu's new songs, especially this kind of ancient-style music. None of the other songs on the market could compare to Jiang Yu's. Hearing Jiang Yu's new song on the New Year's Eve gala stage, this brand-new ancient-style music, gave Lin Qianqian a feeling of fulfillment.

When Jiang Yu's performance ended, a deafening roar of cheers and shouts erupted from the audience.

"Jiang Yu!"

"Jiang Yu!"

Amidst thunderous cheers, Jiang Yu's performance came to an end. He slowly raised the microphone and offered his congratulations to the audience, both in the main venue and online.

"The new year is almost here! I wish everyone happiness, good health, and great fortune in the new year!"

As Jiang Yu's voice faded, his figure slowly disappeared from the stage. His performance ended, and this year's New Year's Eve gala came to a close.

……

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the new year has arrived. Last night, before the echoes of the New Year's Eve party had even faded, everyone was already immersed in the joyful activities of New Year's Day.

As for Jiang Yu, after participating in the New Year's Eve gala, he didn't get much rest during the New Year's Day holiday. With the new year approaching, there are still many activities planned, including endorsements, commercial events, and television programs. Recently, their film, *Secret*, has also passed censorship, and he's preparing to start working on promotion and release date arrangements.

Jiang Yu has already made up his mind: the movie "Secret" will be released during the Spring Festival this year, even though the competition during the Spring Festival is the fiercest. But Jiang Yu believes that if it's going to be real, it has to be the best.

Even though the competition is fiercest during the Spring Festival period, those who can break through during this time can achieve box office results that are unmatched by other periods.

So Jiang Yu is already preparing for the promotion and release date announcement. Once the release date is set, various promotional activities will follow. As the director, screenwriter, and lead actor, he'll be traveling around with his team for promotions. He'll probably be very busy during this period, possibly until around the Chinese New Year.

On January 4th, the day after the New Year's Day holiday, Jiang Yu announced the release date of the movie "Secret That Cannot Be Told," scheduled for the first day of the Lunar New Year this year.

It wasn't just Jiang Yu's side; his own Weibo account, his company's personal Weibo account, Yang Zihan's account, various artists in his company, Tencent, and even many of your friends all helped to forward this message.

The news that Jiang Yu's first film, "Secret," had a release date quickly went viral and became a trending topic.

Jiang Yu's new movie has a release date!

"Jiang Yu's film is scheduled for release on the first day of the Lunar New Year!"

"Jiang Yu's unspeakable secret is about to be released!"

Jiang Yu's directorial debut film is coming soon!

"Jiang Yu and Yang Zihan!"

...Similar terms are trending on various platforms. The announcement that the movie "Secret" will be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year immediately sparked heated discussions and attention from netizens and people inside and outside the industry.

Even before filming began, leaked photos and videos of Jiang Yu's film surfaced, generating immense anticipation and attention. Everyone was eagerly awaiting its release, and now that news has finally arrived, sparking widespread discussion and interest both within and outside the industry.

"Wow, finally we've heard the official announcement of the release date for Jiang Yu's movie."

"I've been looking forward to this movie ever since the initial leaks. Now that the Lunar New Year has arrived, I can finally go see it with my boyfriend."

"Yes, when the leaks first came out, many people said that Jiang Yu's movie was the wrong subject matter and that there was no market for fantasy movies, but I just wouldn't listen. I was going to support Jiang Yu."

"Oh, it's that fantasy romance movie. Jiang Yu's debut is worth checking out. But the competition during the Spring Festival is so fierce. And Jiang Yu's movie has a bad subject matter. I wonder if it will flop?"

"Probably not. Look at how popular this movie is right now. It immediately trended on social media after its release date was announced. I feel like Jiang Yu's popularity can support it. It's just a matter of whether it performs well or poorly."

"I'm not very optimistic about Jiang Yu's movie. Although it seems to be generating a lot of buzz and attention now that it's scheduled for release, movies aren't like his music or other works. Movies require tickets, and that's real money. If the quality isn't good, nobody will go to see it."

"Yeah, I think so too. And I feel like there's really no market for fantasy movies like this. Even if Jiang Yu's fans support it at the beginning, if the movie quality isn't good and the word-of-mouth isn't good, it still won't be able to support the box office. It'll just be a flash in the pan."

"You can't say that. Jiang Yu is someone who's very good at creating miracles. Although fantasy movies don't have much of a market, what if Jiang Yu creates a miracle this time? He's created quite a few miracles before."

……

Many people have been discussing Jiang Yu's film since it was officially announced that it would be released during this year's Spring Festival.

Everyone knows that Jiang Yu's film is a fantasy film. This genre is practically nonexistent in today's film market, you could even say it has no market at all. But Jiang Yu stubbornly defied this trend and made a film with no market potential. Although Jiang Yu is currently popular and influential, people believe that films require real financial support. They think that probably not many people will watch it, and even if some do, the initial support from his fans will be wasted if the film doesn't perform well and fails to gain traction at the market. It won't be enough to generate significant box office revenue.

After Jiang Yu announced the release date of his movie, Chu Shaoyang also saw the news.

Upon seeing Jiang Yu's message, Chu Shaoyang's lips curled into a cold smile.

"I've finally waited for you. This time, I will definitely not let you have your way."

He immediately picked up his phone and started contacting several movie theater managers. Ever since he lost to Jiang Yu in the television drama field, Chu Shaoyang had vowed that he would make sure Jiang Yu fared well when his next film was released.

If Jiang Yu's career in film were to continue so smoothly, he would take a huge bite out of the film industry's pie, something he and many other industry figures would not want to see.

Furthermore, they have connections with many influential figures in the offline cinema sector. They're prepared to reduce Jiang Yu's screen time.

After all, movies aren't like Jiang Yu's collaboration with Tencent Video, which has online distribution channels. Movies, however, require offline theatrical distribution. Jiang Yu is a newcomer, and Tencent Video doesn't have that channel. This means they can potentially squeeze Jiang Yu out of screen time.

Chu Shaoyang couldn't say he could get all the cinema owners in the country to unite against Jiang Yu, but the owners he knew controlled more than half of the cinemas nationwide. That was enough to target Jiang Yu. Even if Chu Shaoyang felt that Jiang Yu's fantasy film was bound to be released, he still needed to be absolutely prepared and first reduce Jiang Yu's screenings.

If a movie's screenings decrease, then even if Jiang Yu can create a miracle, no matter how good the quality of his movie is, it will be useless.

Anyway, he's already contacted the owners of major cinemas and various companies. They're also contacting cinema owners they know. This time, they absolutely can't let Jiang Yu get away with it.

Chu Shaoyang looked at the news online, especially the trending comments about Jiang Yu's movie. So many of his fans were eagerly anticipating the release of Jiang Yu's film. The more he read, the deeper the cold smile on Chu Shaoyang's lips grew.

"Hehe, Jiang Yu, Jiang Yu, this time I definitely won't let you get away with it so easily."

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu was also busy promoting the film. Since the release date was set, he and his team had been appearing on various programs and using all available channels for promotion.

This is his first theatrical film, which he directed and starred in himself. It is a very important part of the project, and he attaches great importance to it.

Now that the release date has been officially announced, the promotional campaign should begin. The box office performance will depend on how the film performs after its release.

He knew what people thought of his film, especially some in the industry who felt it was a fantasy film, a rather niche genre, and therefore not very promising.

Jiang Yu felt he should give it a try; what if he could open up the market for this niche film genre?

Moreover, his film didn't have a large budget; it was more of a practice project for him. Even if it lost money, he wouldn't lose much; he could treat it as a trial run.

But if the movie becomes a hit, he can make a lot of money. A low-budget, low-investment movie can bring in considerable profits and income if it becomes a hit.

Even a blockbuster movie can earn just as much as, or even more than, a hit TV series. After all, movies are made with real money from box office receipts. Plus, he's an investor, and the biggest investor at that. He's also the director and lead actor, so he'll get a much bigger share of the profits.

Therefore, Jiang Yu is now paying extra attention to the promotion of the movie "Secret". He doesn't dare to stop for a moment, taking the main creative team everywhere to promote it, appearing on TV shows and the like.

It's fair to say that Jiang Yu's film is a case of high risk, low reward. He's even in a position of control; even if it flops, he won't lose much, at most he'll face some ridicule. But if it's a hit, he'll make a fortune.

(End of this chapter)