Jiang Yu

Biodata

Background / History

Training and rivalry with Qi Wang

Before becoming an idol, Jiang Yu studied guitar and dreamed of joining an underground band. He later trained in South Korea before continuing his training in China. The account of his overseas training varies: Chapter 3 describes one year in South Korea, while Chapter 13 gives two years there followed by another two after returning home 3 13 20.

At Leap Entertainment, Jiang Yu and Qi Wang both pursued the main dancer position and openly disliked each other. Gu Zhijing considered Jiang Yu slightly more skilled, although Qi Wang repeatedly drew evaluation songs suited to his strengths 1 4.

Accepting Sheng Chi

Jiang Yu initially questioned whether Sheng Chi had been promised a debut position and preferential resources. Nevertheless, his own experience in South Korea made him resent Qi Wang’s mockery of Sheng Chi’s departure from SPC 3.

After learning about Sheng Chi’s bet with Qi Wang, Jiang Yu immediately backed Sheng Chi. His remaining doubts disappeared after watching Sheng Chi perform “Burning”: he applauded enthusiastically, urged others to praise him in the livestream chat, and rushed to bring him water 5 6.

When Qi Wang subsequently denied making the bet, Jiang Yu demanded that he honor it and moved to confront him. Sheng Chi intervened before the dispute escalated 8.

Remaining with Leap and debuting

Qi Wang’s dismissal and his family’s withdrawal of funding left Leap without its planned debut evaluation and prompted trainees and staff to leave. Although Jiang Yu was anxious about the company’s future, he refused to abandon Fei Yue, citing how well Fei Yue had treated them 14.

Jiang Yu debuted alongside Sheng Chi, Gu Zhijing, and Xu Linyuan as Color4 on October 10. Their debut attracted hostile comments and little immediate opportunity, but Jiang Yu continued to voice ambitious hopes for the group’s future 16 17.

Music festival breakthrough

Jiang Yu eagerly supported Color4’s appearance at the City D Autumn Music Festival, attracted both by the performance opportunity and the chance to meet bands and rappers. Color4’s successful live set spread through a fan-recorded video, bringing the group wider attention 19 20.

Backstage, Jiang Yu approached High Town’s guitarist, whom he admired, only to be dismissed because he belonged to a boy group. He froze in embarrassment before Gu Zhijing defended him. The encounter left him tearful and determined that Color4 would become successful enough to make their detractors regret dismissing them 20 21.

The next morning, Jiang Yu repeatedly checked his rising follower count and began practicing an artistic signature for future fan signings 21.

Starlight Show and recognition

Jiang Yu panicked when Color4 drew the popular group Shooter as its first opponent on Starlight Show, even asking to see the revival-round rules. Color4 nevertheless won the matchup and placed first among the winning groups 26 31.

As Color4’s schedule intensified, Jiang Yu joined his teammates in offering to stay at the hospital after Sheng Chi collapsed. He later supported prioritizing Starlight Show rather than diverting effort into a last-minute music-show campaign for CMJ eligibility 34 39.

Color4 won the Annual Best New Star Group Award at the 15th CMJ Music Awards. Afterward, Jiang Yu helped install the trophy in Fei Yue’s office display cabinet 42.

Personality

Jiang Yu is outspoken, quick-tempered, and impulsive. He regularly challenges Qi Wang when other trainees remain silent, becomes irritable when woken, and reacts angrily to attacks on Color4. His tendency to jump to conclusions is played for comedy: when Gu Zhijing unexpectedly failed to sing during an evaluation, Jiang Yu proposed that Qi Wang had poisoned him 7 8 9 43.

His bluntness accompanies strong loyalty. He refuses to leave Leap during its financial crisis and speaks up for Sheng Chi even when Fei Yue is reprimanding the group. At the same time, he is willing to revise his judgment when someone proves their ability, as his enthusiastic acceptance of Sheng Chi demonstrates 6 14 50.

Jiang Yu is deeply invested in performing and openly dreams of Color4 dominating the idol industry. Although he complains about exhausting schedules and poor working conditions, he eagerly pursues stage opportunities, including the low-paid music festival appearance 17 19 49.

Abilities & Skills

Dance and stage performance

• Strong trainee record: Repeatedly ranked first or second before Sheng Chi joined Leap and competed for the main dancer position 1 3.
• Street-dance improvisation: Added a freestyle street-dance segment to Color4’s romantic-themed performance against Comet 47.
• Performance without in-ear guidance: Could perform his section from memory despite the in-ear monitor problem during Color4’s first Starlight Show battle 28.
• Stage expression: Usually projects a flamboyant, confident presence, but also adopted restrained, flirtatious gestures for “Tonight” 28.

Guitar

• Studied guitar before pursuing an idol career and once hoped to play in an underground band 20.

Industry contacts and interview skills

• Trainee network: Used several intermediaries to obtain Chen Bei’s WeChat contact information for Gu Zhijing 33.
• Quick interview responses: Deflected an ideal-partner question by declaring that his girlfriend was “the stage” 48.
• Fandom awareness: Recognizes fan-community language, follows pairing content through an alternate account, and understands the etiquette of group fan signings 16 46 50.

Relationships

• Gu Zhijing — Teammate, dormmate, and frequent partner in teasing. Gu Zhijing defended him after High Town’s guitarist dismissed him. Fans ship them as Jiangnan Baijing, also translated as Hundred Sights of Jiangnan, emphasizing their cheerful, childlike rapport; Jiang Yu openly jokes about promoting the pairing 3 20 27 44.
• Sheng Chi — Teammate and captain. Jiang Yu’s initial suspicion becomes open admiration after seeing his skills. He later defends Sheng Chi’s conduct when a fan-signing incident is discussed by the company 3 6 50.
• Xu Linyuan — Teammate and dormmate who frequently restrains or consoles him. They are paired for an amusement-park vlog intended to help Color4 develop a romantic performance style 3 9 21 45 47.
• Fei Yue — Company head and manager whom Jiang Yu trusts personally. Jiang Yu considers leaving during Leap’s crisis a betrayal of Fei Yue’s kindness 14 23.
• Qi Wang — Rival for the main dancer position and frequent antagonist. Jiang Yu jokingly defines himself as Qi Wang’s rival and promises to support anyone opposing him 1 5.

Notable Quotes

“As everyone knows, I have exactly one identity across the entire internet: Qi Wang’s rival. Whoever Qi Wang goes up against, I’ll help the other person!” 5

“My dream is simple. I hope Color4 can dominate the entire idol scene in the future.” 17

“As the fans all know, my girlfriend is the stage.” 48

Trivia

• Jiang Yu proposed calling Color4’s fans “C4 bombs.” He also suggested “colorful black” as the group’s official color during the members’ joking discussion 15.
• He has a low alcohol tolerance; the other three members had to carry him home after their pre-debut drinks 15.
• In a rapid-fire interview, he chose Pepsi over Coke and savory over sweet tofu pudding 32.
• He reported having no dating experience. After the amusement-park outing, his main takeaway was that queuing for popular rides in winter was exhausting 44 47.