As the finale of " The Youth Here " ended, countless viewers who had been following the series felt a sense of loss.
It felt like waking up suddenly from a very long dream, right in the most dazzling place.
With nowhere else to vent their frustrations, they flocked to Weibo.
The hashtag # Youth Here # surged to the top of the trending searches within ten minutes.
Clicking in, the comments section was like a river bursting its banks.
Someone wrote a long article, which was then pushed to the top.
"In the final shot of the series, two railway tracks stretch from the foreground to the background, disappearing at the edge of the frame. Two people stand on either side of the frame, one on the left and one on the right. The afterimage of the high-speed train still lingers at the edge of the frame, its white silhouette contrasting with the still figures. Sunlight streams through a gap in the platform's roof, Cheng Che Che's profile. The angle of his head, the curve of his smile, the hint of red in his eyes—all are perfectly captured. Wen Zhiyi stands opposite him, the wind ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead."
"I watched this scene ten times. Every time, I thought, how can someone look so beautiful even with tears in their eyes?"
There were tens of thousands of replies below.
I took a screenshot of that overlapping shadow scene and used it as my wallpaper.
[After Cheng Che's last laugh, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight.]
[ Zhou Ye and Shen Nian didn't end up together, but I actually think this ending is great. They're both on their own paths, and when they meet again years later, a smile is enough.]
This is youth; not all love has to have a happy ending.
[ Wen Zhiyi's eyes were so expressive; she perfectly captured Shen Nian's restrained excitement.]
[I don't ship couples, but when those two laughed across the train tracks, I cried.]
Cheng Che, it's such a waste that you don't act. Please, please take on another role!
[I hereby declare that from today onwards, I am not only a fan of his tennis, but also a fan of his acting.]
Goodbye, Zhou Ye. Cheng Che!
Many female passersby fell into the trap after seeing this trending topic.
They might have only come across Cheng Che's name before, knowing that he played tennis and that he was the top scorer in the college entrance Zhuangyuan, but they had never seriously watched his works.
Until tonight, they watched the finale of " The Youth Here " and saw the boy standing on the high-speed rail platform.
Someone posted a Weibo:
"I went to see it with my mom, but she didn't cry, but I did. Cheng Che, you owe me a movie ticket."
This Weibo was forwarded more than 30,000 times.
Meanwhile, in Hang City, Lin Ming sat on the sofa at home with his laptop on his lap, displaying a newly written Weibo.
His girlfriend leaned on his shoulder, her eyes still red; she had just been crying.
Lin Ming glanced at the screen, then at his girlfriend, and then moved the cursor to the "Publish" button.
He wrote a paragraph.
"My girlfriend dragged me to watch a tennis match. It was my first time seeing Cheng Che play, and I thought he was pretty good."
Later, I watched his Australian Open final, where he came back from 0-2 down to win 3-2. From that day on, I became his fan. I bought his racket, watched his variety shows, and now I'm following his dramas. Today was the finale, and my girlfriend cried her eyes out. I said, "Is it really that big of a deal?" But when that last scene came on, my eyes welled up too.
Cheng Che's entry into the entertainment industry is a blessing for the industry. He can get people who don't watch tennis to watch tennis, and people who don't watch dramas to watch dramas. A person like that is a treasure in any field.
He pressed publish.
Someone quickly replied to him in the comments section.
[Brother, you're right. I also started watching him because of his tennis games.]
He's the kind of person who, no matter which direction you approach him from, you'll eventually be drawn in.
[You bought a racket? Is it any good? I'm considering it too.]
I envy your girlfriend; she can get her boyfriend to follow celebrities with her.
Cheng Che's entry into the entertainment industry is a blessing for everyone.
Meanwhile, in a courtyard in a county town in Shandong, Su Miaoyin sat on a small stool, holding her phone in front of her.
She went back to her parents' hometown for the Chinese New Year. The extended family gathered together, and the courtyard was noisy as relatives played cards and chatted.
She hid in a corner and watched the finale of " The Youth Here " all by herself.
At first, she was so jealous of Wen Zhiyi she wanted to grind her teeth in frustration.
On screen, Wen Zhiyi's character and Cheng Che's character Zhou Ye stood together, so close, so natural.
She had never hugged Cheng Che.
The only time was when she pretended to have a fever, Cheng Che picked her up from the sofa and put her on the bed.
That was the closest she had ever been to him.
But as the story unfolds, she gradually forgets her jealousy.
The story is wonderful, Cheng Che's acting is superb, and Wen Zhiyi's acting is also superb.
She became immersed in that world, forgetting everything outside the screen.
When the final scene of the series aired, her eyes welled up with tears.
Two people stood on opposite sides of the railway tracks, so far apart, separated by the roaring high-speed trains, and in the end, only a smile remained.
She stared at the screen, motionless for a long time.
Then she opened Weibo and posted a message.
" Zhou Ye and Shen Nian didn't end up together, but I hope Cheng Che can be happy, no matter who that person is."
She didn't tag anyone.
She put her phone away, glanced up at the lively relatives in the yard, and happily looked towards the horizon.
The atmosphere was completely different in the conference rooms of those entertainment companies.
"He single-handedly carried the entire series finale. Fifty million viewers online—that's a phenomenal number on any platform."
"His fan base is far beyond what ordinary top celebrities can compare to. He has people from the sports, academic, and entertainment circles standing behind him."
"Should we contact his team? See if he's planning to take on any acting roles?"
"He's currently a student at Peking University and also plays tennis, so his schedule might be too tight."
"Then let's wait. This kind of person doesn't lack scripts, he lacks good scripts. Whoever gets his next project first has already won half the battle."
Meanwhile, on the twelfth floor of that new residential complex in Spring City, Cheng Che had already escaped back to his room.
He lay on the bed, tossed his phone aside, and stared at the ceiling.
"It's so embarrassing," he muttered. "I'm never watching my own movies again."
In the living room, Jiang Xue and Xu Qian were still discussing the plot, Zhou Lan was wiping away tears, and Cheng Jianguo was pretending to look at his phone.
The family was having a lively time, Cheng Che in his room, feeling utterly miserable.
The family was having lunch the next day.
Cheng Che's phone suddenly rang.
It's Qin Lie.
" Nike saw your current popularity and wanted to make an official announcement earlier," Qin Lie said happily. "They originally planned to announce it after the Spring Festival, but they felt that now was the perfect time. The buzz surrounding the finale of ' The Youth Here ' is still there, and your name is still trending on social media. Announcing it now will have the best effect."
"Okay." Although Cheng Che was surprised, he still said, "Then send it."
"I've prepared the copy, and it's ready to be released at any time."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xue looked at him curiously. "What endorsement?"
" Nike." Cheng Che picked up a piece of braised pork. "Greater China Brand Ambassador."
Jiang Xue's eyes lit up.
She put down her chopsticks, picked up her phone, opened Weibo, and refreshed it.
At exactly 12 o'clock, Nike's official Weibo account posted an update.
"Welcome Cheng Che to become Nike Greater China Brand Ambassador. From the court to the screen, from youth to Champion. Let's run together in the future."
The accompanying picture is of Cheng Che wearing Nike sneakers.
He stood on the track, the sunlight shining from behind, gilding his entire body.
He took long strides, leaning forward as if he were running at full speed.
This post reached the top of the trending topics list within 10 minutes of being published!
Cheng Che's influence is sweeping the internet once again!