The fact that " The Youth Here " didn't have a press conference to mark the start of filming initially circulated online for two days.
First, a marketing account posted a Weibo:
"Filming has begun for ' The Youth Here,' starring Cheng Che and Wen Zhiyi. There's been no press conference, no official announcement; it's as quiet as if they're filming an underground movie. Is this confidence in the work, or a lack thereof?"
The comment section was quickly taken over by fans of other celebrities.
[They don't even dare to hold a press conference; it's probably destined to be a terrible movie.]
[ Cheng Che's fans were praising him to the skies before, why have they stopped now?]
[A tennis player came to act in a movie, and the production team was too embarrassed to even hold a press conference. Those who know, know.]
I really don't understand why Wen Zhiyi took on this role. Why not capitalize on the success of " Chang'an Moon " and instead team up with a newcomer?
I heard the production crew is really poor; they can't even afford publicity.
[ Cheng Che's fans, don't worry, you'll see what awkwardness really means when it airs.]
Cheng Che's fans were quietly waiting for leaked photos in the super topic, but when they woke up, they found the square full of mockery.
They didn't hold back at all and opened fire immediately!
[Your brother's drama held a press conference, but don't you know how it turned out?]
What roles Wen Zhiyi takes after " Chang'an Moon " is none of your business; if she's willing to take them, it means the script is good.
[ Cheng Che can't act? Were you blind or didn't see his cameo in " North Star "?]
[Some people whose own brothers can't even play tennis come here to mock Cheng Che's acting skills. They should mind their own business first.]
[The press conference wasn't held because the production team wanted to spend the money on production, unlike some shows that spend all their money on marketing and then air a complete mess.]
The two sides argued for two days, from Weibo to Douyin, and from Douyin to Xiaohongshu.
It wasn't until the third day that the first leaked photo of " The Youth Here " surfaced.
With the support of four talents: [ Stars Surrounding the Moon ], [ Sapiosexual Boy ], [ Camera Language ], and [ Humanity's Darling ].
In the photo, Cheng Che is wearing a school uniform and standing by the window in the classroom corridor, his face turned to the side of the camera, sunlight shining on his shoulder, and the script in his hand is half-flipped.
He wasn't looking at the camera and didn't even know someone was filming him.
But that face, that angle, that lighting—any frame of it could be a wallpaper.
The comment section fell silent for a moment.
Then it exploded.
[This is Reuters??? This is Reuters??? You're telling me this is Reuters???]
[No lighting? No retouching? No staged shot? You're telling me this was taken secretly?]
Holy crap, he looks so good in his school uniform!
Wait, is that a script he's holding? He's actually reading a script on set???
Is this face real...?
[I take back what I said before, even if this show is terrible, I can still watch it just because of his face.]
Following that, Reuters released the second, third, and fourth photos in succession.
One photo shows him sitting in the last row of the classroom, head down, reading a book, with a stack of textbooks next to him. Sunlight streams in from the window, casting a golden line on his profile.
There's a Wen Zhiyi. He's tilting his head to look at her, a faint smile on his lips, and something in his eyes.
Another photo shows him standing by the playground, the wind blowing the hem of his school uniform, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight, squinting as he looks into the distance.
Every single one looks like it's been professionally retouched; there's not a single flaw in any of them.
The fans went crazy.
[I saved all these pictures. I changed my computer desktop background, my phone wallpaper, and even my WeChat chat background.]
[I printed out the first one and stuck it on my desk. Looking at it every day doubles my study efficiency.]
[Sisters, I made some photocards, DM me if you need them]
[I've been checking in on the supertopic for thirty days, just waiting for these pictures]
When will Cheng Che Studio release the official poster? I want to buy ten!
The Reuters photos quickly spread beyond Cheng Che's fan base.
Zhao Yiming's fans, Li Siyuan's fans, and even the fans of several supporting actors originally came to observe the filming progress of " The Youth Here," but after clicking on the leaked photos, their attention was completely drawn to Cheng Che in the corner.
"He can actually withstand this angle?"
"Wait, isn't he the main character? How come he's so conspicuous even standing in the corner?"
"I came to see my brother, but why do my eyes keep drifting towards him?"
"This face is too unfair."
Within a few days, a batch of new faces appeared in Cheng Che's fan page.
They didn't speak or sign in; they just browsed and saved pictures in the supertopic, then quietly left.
However, the number of followers on the super topic is increasing, the number of people checking in is increasing, and the number of interactions with posts is also increasing.
Cheng Che possesses the Bearing of a Top Star; once someone likes him, they will gradually become his fans.
These new faces were quickly spotted by their existing fan base.
[Wait, why are you following Cheng Che's fan page?]
Did you switch your allegiance?
[Didn't you say Cheng Che played tennis? Why do I see him every day now?]
[I saw it. You checked in on Cheng Che's super topic yesterday. Explain yourself.]
The fans who were discovered didn't hide it.
[I just wanted to look at the pictures, is that not allowed?]
[He's good-looking, what's wrong with me looking at him? I didn't insult your brother.]
If your brother looked like that, I wouldn't be so indecisive.
I admit I'm a womanizer, but I just can't resist his face.
These words reached the ears of the biggest fans of various celebrities, who were furious.
[Those who lack resolve should get out of here; we don't need these kinds of fans.]
[You switched your allegiance because someone else is handsome? Were you lying when you said you'd love him forever?]
What's so great about Cheng Che? He's just got a pretty face.
The fans who were criticized also became famous.
[Yes, it's just a face. Does your brother have one?]
[I follow celebrities to have fun, not to suffer. If he's good-looking, I'll watch him, so what?]
[You guys keep praising my brother for his talent and ability, but you can't even produce a single decent candid photo.]
In the end, some big fans got so angry that they directly exposed these "fence-sitters," but the more they exposed them, the more people paid attention to Cheng Che.
Cheng Che's fans are the happiest.
A month ago, they were criticizing the director of " The Youth Here " for not holding press conferences, not promoting the show, and being unprofessional.
Now, the first thing they do every morning is check the supertopic to see if there are any new behind-the-scenes photos or videos.
[Today's Reuters update is here! He's reading a script!]
[Ladies, I made this my computer desktop wallpaper, it looks so good!]
I printed out his photo and put it above my bed. My mom asked me who it was, and I said it was my boyfriend. My mom believed me.
[I've made a complete set of photocards, posters, and banners. DM me if you're interested, I'll send them to you for free.]
My classmate used to mock me for being a fan of celebrities, but yesterday she secretly asked me how to join Cheng Che's fan page.
[LOL, my roommate never follows celebrities, but yesterday I saw she changed her phone wallpaper to Cheng Che.]
This spectacle caught the attention of many celebrities.
Some people were complaining in the studio group chat.
"What's wrong with him? How can a leaked photo of him make it to the trending topics?"
"And it wasn't bought; it was organic buzz. The fans themselves boosted it."
"He has no girlfriend, hasn't slept with any fans, and hasn't even had a scandal. Is this guy impotent?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Didn't he have rumors with Yan Ruanning and Pei Jingshu before?"
"Rumors have circulated, but there's been no concrete evidence. Besides, looking at him, does he seem to have time for dating?"
"Filming, recording variety shows, and competing all at once, and he's even studying math on set. Does this person have 48 hours in a day?"
No one dares to post these words online.
Because Cheng Che's fans are incredibly powerful, and he has an absurdly good public image.
If you insult him, you're just making yourself miserable.
Qin Lie couldn't help but sigh, "With a face like yours, it's impossible for you to stay low-key."
Cheng Che Himself was completely unaware of any of this.
His daily life is very simple.
I get up at six in the morning, go for a run, eat breakfast, and go to the film set.
When he wasn't filming, he would sit in a corner and read a book.
When he has a role, he acts seriously. Occasionally, he takes a couple of days off from the production team to fly to record " Walking the Flower Road Together," and then comes back right after.
After finishing work in the evening, I went back to the hotel to continue reading.
Time flies, and a month has passed.
Mid-December.
Winter has arrived in Xiamen, but it's much warmer than Capital City. During the day, it's still around 17 or 18 degrees Celsius, so a light jacket is enough.
The crew has finished filming the campus scenes and moved on to the beach and city for shooting.
Cheng Che has completed most of his scenes and is expected to wrap up filming in early January.
That night, Cheng Che finished work and returned to the hotel. He took a shower, sat on the bed, and opened the system panel.
He glanced at his own attributes.
Intelligence: 80.
Physical strength: 80.
Endurance: 80
Charisma:80.
Everything has arrived.
He stared at the three numbers for a few seconds, then turned off the panel, took out the dark blue textbook from his bag, and turned to the page with the bookmark.
[ Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures ]
He has already finished studying all the textbooks for the three related branches.
I read each of the books on p-advanced number theory, complex analytic potential theory, and algebraic number height theory more than three times, and I made a thick stack of notes.
Now, he's ready to begin.
He took out his laptop and opened a blank document.
Then close your eyes and mentally activate all your talents one by one.
[ Comprehension by Analogy ].
[ Total Concentration ].
[ Rigorous Thinking ].
He felt his thoughts begin to race.
The feeling was light and clear, like a layer of mist dispersing from the mind, revealing the clear underlying structure.
He picked up his pen and wrote the first line in his notebook.
He paused for a moment.
Then continue writing.
The night view of Xiamen outside the window is very quiet, with the sound of the sea breeze in the distance.
But his pen never stopped.
He didn't take out Scratch Paper, but waited for the " The Art of the Brain " and the " Flash of Inspiration " to trigger him; that moment was when he would begin.