This trailer finally came out after countless people had been waiting for it. Ever since fans heard that Jiang Yu joined the film cast, they had been eagerly anticipating it. Even people who weren’t fans were curious and watching closely, because the entertainment industry always draws attention.
In recent years, whenever a singer tried acting, most of them didn’t do well. Their acting wasn’t necessarily terrible, but it often had nothing to do with the movie’s tone. Jiang Yu, being a huge star, wasn’t trained as an actor and had never taken acting classes. So, with him as the lead, many thought the movie would be hard to watch.
So, when the official trailer for Doomsday Rescue was released, even though it shifted the focus a bit, most people still watched just to see if Jiang Yu would embarrass himself.
“A sci-fi blockbuster”? When a movie uses that as a selling point, you can often tell the quality just from the trailer. But what no one expected was that this trailer didn’t focus on Jiang Yu at all. It focused on Ji Ming, the character played by Yu Shiqing.
At the start of the trailer, there were grand, impressive buildings. Then the camera changed, and with an epic and lonely soundtrack, we saw a world turned to wasteland. From the sky, the view flew past crumbling walls and strange giant bugs, heading to the center of the world.
A young soldier’s back appeared. He stood tall in his sharp uniform. The sound of his boots echoed down the empty hallway, filled with a quiet tension. He walked to the end of the hall, pushed open a door, and saluted.
Now the camera showed his face slowly from bottom to top. His expression was firm and cold. Then came a full-body shot his military stance perfect and flawless.
“Ji Ming, I heard you volunteered for the rescue mission?”
“Yes, sir!”
“You understand how difficult and dangerous this mission is—”
Before the officer could finish, the scene changed. Ji Ming gave an order, and the music swelled. Explosions followed. The rescue team, wearing powered armor, fought giant bugs in intense action scenes flashes of fire, loud blasts, new weapons, and deadly hand-to-hand combat. The whole screen was full of energy and excitement that shook the viewer’s senses.
In the middle of the battle, there were many scenes of Ji Ming. Laughing with his teammates. Looking shocked and in pain. Staring at a family photo alone at night. Smiling with restraint when reunited with his younger brother. Then later, turning cold, fighting with his brother, being called heartless and showing no reaction.
These moments flashed by quickly between the fights, mixed with metal clashing against bug shells.
Suddenly, the screen turned black.
Back to the office.
“But this mission concerns the safety of all humankind. You must put it first and do whatever it takes. Ji Ming, can you do that?”
The camera showed Yu Shiqing’s face. The cold, emotionless soldier from before now showed only firm determination.
He replied without hesitation, “Please trust me, sir. I will complete the mission.”
Black screen again.
Heavy music played as the words Doomsday Rescue crashed onto the screen. Even the movie title had special effects. Whether you liked the trailer or not, you could tell it cost a lot to make.
Two small lines below showed the release date.
Though only a few minutes long, the trailer was a feast for the eyes and ears.
New Era Studio and Jiang Yu’s team quickly pushed the trailer into trending topics. The view count rose fast.
Even though Jiang Yu only appeared in a few short scenes, people still couldn’t stop talking about the trailer.
Since the trailer followed Ji Ming’s point of view, it didn’t give away too much plot, but you could still tell what the story might be about.
“Yu Shiqing is truly a Best Actor! His expressions in the close-up shots were all perfect! He looks so cool without even trying to be cool!”
“I didn’t know who Yu Shiqing was before, but now I’m a fan! His emotions were clear, his changes felt natural, and he looks amazing in a uniform absolutely stunning! I love him!”
Even if they didn’t care about the story, people watched the expensive-looking fight scenes over and over. The trailer quickly spread across video sites, causing a stir and saving the studio a lot of money on promotion.
But of course, not everyone liked how well things were going.
Among the discussion, some negative comments appeared, clearly from paid trolls, always using the same tricks to stir trouble.
“Wasn’t Jiang Yu supposed to be the main character? Did they hype him up only to make Yu Shiqing the lead? LOL”
“I bet all the good parts are already in the trailer. Jiang Yu’s acting is so bad the director didn’t even dare to show more of him.”
But this time, few people were fooled. Most were too focused on the visuals or Yu Shiqing’s face.
Someone even clipped the trailer’s opening scene Yu Shiqing walking down the hallway to the close-up shot. The mysterious feeling was done so well. And when his face was revealed, it was even more amazing than expected.
“Ahhhh he’s just perfect!!!”
New Era Studio kept a close eye on the trailer’s performance. Even though Yu Shiqing hadn’t released any new projects lately, he was already well-known from past rumors with Jiang Yu and the scandal with Qi Taihua.
New Era had always struggled to promote him because he didn’t care much about publicity. But now, with this great chance, they weren’t going to miss out.
#YuShiqingActing #YuShiqingIsPerfect
For two days, Yu Shiqing’s name trended with different tags. Compared to the disgraced Qi Taihua, people liked talking about him. Even if some still called him “King of Flops” or “Box Office Poison,” most ignored it. The overall mood stayed positive.
Until New Year’s Eve.
Ren Bai video-called Yu Shiqing to wish him a Happy New Year. He joked about how much better things were after changing companies.
Yu Shiqing didn’t follow online trends much. On his TV screen, he saw Ren Bai with a few kids laughing and running behind him. Ren Bai sent him a few red envelopes.
Then he turned to the kids, waved them over, and told them to greet Yu Shiqing one by one.
Yu Shiqing replied with a smile to each of them.
Ren Bai had a big family that gathered every New Year. After the kids finished, a few more people came to greet Yu Shiqing. Everyone knew him by now, since Ren Bai called him every year. It had become a tradition.
The video call was full of laughter. Even while talking to Yu Shiqing, Ren Bai was interrupted constantly. Soon after, someone called him to help with chores, so he had to end the call quickly.
Beep.
Silence.
The cold white lights fell on the empty room, making the living room feel even more quiet.
But Yu Shiqing was already used to this.
He set his phone down and opened the script again. But before he could start reading, there was a knock at the door.
Jiang Yu was standing outside.
Snow covered his shoulders. When he saw Yu Shiqing, he brushed it off, hung up his coat, and walked in like it was his own home.
“It’s snowing heavily outside,” Jiang Yu said. “You’d better not go out.”
Yu Shiqing hadn’t planned to. It was Jiang Yu who had been busy these past few days.
Jiang Yu walked to the living room and saw the script on the coffee table. He turned to look at Yu Shiqing.
“You’re working even on New Year’s?”
Before Yu Shiqing could speak, he added, “There are 365 days in a year. Can’t you take just one day off?”
Yu Shiqing said, “Reading a script doesn’t count as work.”
Jiang Yu leaned down and closed the script.
“Even if it doesn’t, you’re still recovering. You shouldn’t stress yourself today.”
Yu Shiqing didn’t stop him. “Okay.”
Surprised at how easily he agreed, Jiang Yu raised his eyebrows but didn’t ask more. “I’ll go pour some coffee.”
Not long after, Yu Shiqing sat on the sofa. He heard the soft sound of glass clinking in the kitchen. It was quiet, but it broke the silence of the room. The air felt warmer now just because of one other person.
He looked toward the kitchen, sometimes catching a glimpse of Jiang Yu’s shadow. A smile tugged at his lips, but when his eyes fell on his phone next to the script, the smile faded a little.
Jiang Yu came out and noticed the phone.
“Waiting for a call?”
“Not really,” Yu Shiqing replied.
Jiang Yu didn’t ask further. He handed him a cup.
Yu Shiqing took it and glanced at him.
“The coffee is mine,” Jiang Yu said as he sipped it. “A patient who doesn’t follow the doctor’s advice only gets plain water.”
Yu Shiqing hadn’t expected him to still remember yesterday’s outing. He changed the topic.
“How’s the concert preparation?”
“The first show is right after the New Year. Oh—” He suddenly remembered something and walked to his coat. He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Yu Shiqing.
“This is for you.”
Inside were two concert tickets.
“Consider it a New Year’s gift.”
“Thanks,” Yu Shiqing looked at him. “But I haven’t gotten you anything yet.”
Jiang Yu sipped his coffee and said, “It’s fine. I already thought of something you can give me in return.”
“What is it?”
“I sold my house,” Jiang Yu replied.
Yu Shiqing frowned. “What?”
“Yan Hongyun kept chasing me for money. So, I sold the house.”
Now Yu Shiqing knew what Jiang Yu had been busy with these days.
“So, where are you staying?”
“I don’t have a place yet.”
Hearing this, Yu Shiqing looked at him and understood.
“Let me stay here for a while as your return gift,” Jiang Yu said calmly, raising the coffee cup to his lips. “What do you think?”
