At the end of April, the Imperial Capital Film Festival officially began.
Su Yan, Shen Liqian, Shinozaki Ikumi, along with the directors and nominated staff of '5 Centimeters per Second' and 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet', all attended together.
The ceremony was broadcast live on both television and the internet.
Although the film industry largely believed that Su Yan's two movies from last year wouldn't win any major awards—
At the venue, he was still the person who received the most camera time.
Dressed in a white suit, seated beside several stunning and popular actresses—
He looked exceptionally striking on screen.
In the end—
He didn't win Best Screenplay.
Shen Liqian also missed out on Best Actress, only taking home Best New Actress.
But the next day—
Across the Xia Nation, media coverage exploded.
Whether from the film or television industry—
The focus wasn't on the winners.
It was on Su Yan.
And Shen Liqian.
Meanwhile, the actual Best Actor and Best Actress winners awkwardly realized—
The industry didn't care that much about them.
Because in the Xia Nation—
The true "traffic code" was Su Yan.
Especially after 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' and Fate/Zero had just dominated March—
Right now, his popularity across both film and television was unmatched.
April passed.
May arrived.
A full month after Fate/Zero ended—
Su Yan's fans had once again entered "content drought mode."
Although the current season's dramas from the three major TV stations were decent—
Much better than previous years—
They all carried heavy traces of imitation.
They copied Su Yan's style—
But none surpassed it.
Fans began counting the days until July.
Of course, it wasn't like his company had been completely silent.
Announcements for 'Fate/stay night' and the second 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' had already been released.
But—
A production cycle of half a year to a full year?
That just made fans feel worse.
["We're already starving now—you're telling us to wait a year??"]
["I can't even decide what to eat tonight, and you're talking about next year's release?"]
["What's the difference between announcing it and not announcing it?"]
Under Su Yan's account and on Dimensional Pictures' official site—
Fans flooded the comments daily.
All are asking for one thing—
Release the trailers for 'Kimi ni Todoke' and 'Your Name'.
It was already May.
July releases were just around the corner.
And yet—
Were they still hiding the trailers?
So far, aside from a brief glimpse at the end of Fate/Zero—
No one knew the story, tone, or themes.
By late May, temperatures across most of the Xia Nation had begun to rise.
Su Yan had switched to summer clothing.
From afar, he looked like a youthful, handsome student—
Nothing like the chairman of a company holding tens of billions in assets.
Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan, Shinozaki Ikumi, and other key staff—
Also wore light summer outfits.
"Alright, that's enough," Su Yan said. "Tomorrow, release the trailer for 'Kimi ni Todoke'. Next week, we'll release 'Your Name'."
As the company chairman—
Decisions like this were simple.
"And for Fate/Stay Night's special effects—we can increase the budget, but the quality must surpass Fate/Zero. Standing still means falling behind."
"As for the second 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' —set the opening ceremony in three days."
After giving a series of instructions—
His assistant quickly went to relay tasks.
Left alone in his office—
Su Yan replayed the trailer for 'Kimi ni Todoke' several times.
Then smiled.
"Let's see who still dares say I only make tragic stories."
"And besides… pure romance doesn't necessarily feel better than tragic ones."
—
3 AM the next day.
On Dimensional Pictures' official site and SakuraNet—
A video quietly went live.
At this hour—
Most people were asleep.
But Su Yan had too many fans.
The night owls who habitually checked updates—
Suddenly froze.
["Wait… what is this?"]
["A trailer??"]
["'Kimi ni Todoke'?!"]
["Uploading at 3 AM… are you trying to hide this from us?"]
Heart pounding—
They clicked.
The first frame—
A pale face in dim lighting.
Fans immediately recognized her—
Gu Qingyuan.
Her porcelain skin, combined with the dark filter and her unblinking gaze—
Made her beauty feel eerie.
Even in late May—
A chill ran up viewers' spines.
What is this…?
Then the narration began—
["Kuronuma Sawako."]
The trailer briefly explained the concept of "Sadako."
Since the Xia Nation didn't have 'The Ring', this fictional setup was introduced naturally.
Sawako—
A girl was misunderstood as eerie and cursed due to her gloomy aura.
Feared by classmates.
Isolated.
Alone.
Until—
She met him.
And her life began to change.
How do you make a beautiful girl seem terrifying?
By making her beauty feel unnatural.
Like ghostly figures in classical stories—
Beautiful, yet unsettling.
Thankfully—
With modern techniques and talent—
The effect was convincing.
Even Gu Qingyuan's own fans were startled.
Then—
The dark filter vanished.
And—
Su Yan appeared.
As Kazehaya Shota.
Bright smile.
Handsome face.
A clean white school uniform filled with youthful energy—
A complete contrast to the earlier scenes.
Cherry blossoms drifted.
At a crossroads—
The boy asked the gloomy girl for directions.
Scene after scene flashed by.
Whenever Sawako appeared alone—
The atmosphere was eerie.
But whenever Kazehaya appeared—
That eeriness turned almost comedic.
The one-minute trailer didn't reveal much—
But fans formed an impression.
A misunderstood girl.
A cheerful boy who changes her life.
A youth romance story?
But—
Something felt off.
This is Su Yan.
Could it really be that simple?
["No way… this is definitely a trap."]
["She probably really has supernatural powers."]
["This looks like a romance, but it's actually going to be dark and twisted."]
["Did we learn nothing from 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'?"]
["Classic bait-and-switch."]
["Trailer: sweet romance. Actual story: psychological horror."]
At that moment—
A sense of "intellectual superiority" filled these night owl fans.
They had figured it out.
["Nice try, Su Yan."]
["You're not fooling us this time."]