After the trailer for 'The Garden of Words' was released, Su Yan's fans flooded his verified accounts on the major streaming platforms.
They clicked on the trailer video.
The first thing that appeared on screen—
A park in the rainy season.
Lush vegetation, emerald-green trees, a drizzle, and a small garden park with an artificial lake.
Holding an umbrella, a handsome and masculine-looking boy walks toward a lakeside pavilion.
Then the BGM suddenly starts.
The moment the classic original theme 'Rain' from 'The Garden of Words' plays, Su Yan's fans instantly fall into the mood.
At the very least, the music in Su Yan's works is never something people question.
The visuals cut.
A woman dressed casually, drinking beer inside the pavilion, appears.
When Gu Qingyuan's modern, workplace-style look comes on screen, Su Yan's fans feel momentarily dazed again.
Beautiful people look beautiful in any outfit.
The boy and the woman's first meeting—
The woman's meaningful smile and words as she leaves.
"Perhaps… we'll meet again."
"Maybe… on a rainy day."
Strange lines.
Youthful, atmospheric shots.
Su Yan's fans immediately recognize that familiar feeling.
Yes—this is the unique romance flavor that only Su Yan's works have.
Something other Xia Nation screenwriters can't replicate.
"An encounter that exists only on rainy days."
Text appears on screen, revealing fragments of the story.
The boy is crafting handmade shoes with wooden molds and a hammer.
The repeated encounters between the boy and the woman.
The shoes the boy makes for her.
The images flash rapidly—
Conflict.
Arguments.
Fights.
Mockery.
The audience is left confused until the final shot freezes on an old apartment building.
The stairwell spirals upward like a corridor reaching the sky.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs, the boy shouts at the woman with all his strength.
"You're always like this—never saying a word about the things that matter most."
"You'll spend your whole life alone!"
The camera spins.
The woman looks like she's about to cry.
Then the image freezes on birds flying past the building.
The climax of 'Rain' plays.
A chill runs through the audience's scalps.
An overwhelming sense of an approaching storm seeps into their hearts.
The way the song and visuals merge—
The emotional alignment with what the film wants to convey is almost too perfect.
The one-minute trailer ends.
Only then do many Su Yan fans finally exhale.
This trailer is so artsy!
"Is Su Yan making a literary romance film this time?"
"No idea, but the song is amazing!"
"A woman encountered in the rain… that's interesting."
"It doesn't seem like 'Your Lie in April'—no wild twists. Just a workplace woman and a high school boy?"
"This is intriguing. Su Yan really sells that youthful, awkward high school vibe. Gu Qingyuan's office looks stunning. Is this a noona romance?"
"Isn't this a bit weird? Aren't Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan about the same age?"
"Stop nitpicking. Su Yan is actually one year younger than Gu Qingyuan. She's professionally trained, and he started working at eighteen as a Sakura TV intern."
"With good makeup, none of that matters. Ignore their real-life filters—on screen, she is a mature office lady, and he is a high school boy."
"Must-watch. How could I not support a romance film starring Gu Qingyuan and Su Yan?"
"Why are my eyes always full of tears? I've waited so long for this—finally, they can have a happy ending. From 'Rurouni Kenshin' to 'An Ancient Love Song' to 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners', every couple they play ends in separation! This time, I need a happy ending in the theater!"
"Does it really matter if it's happy? I thought 'Edgerunners' was incredibly moving."
"Then you're not normal. Anyone who's seen 'Rurouni Kenshin' knows how painful this pairing is."
"Noona romance or not, it's a modern drama. It can't be more tragic than 'Edgerunners', right? Just don't kill anyone!"
"Charge!"
"I'm definitely going to the theater on July 31!"
"This trailer is totally my taste."
"Su Yan's first movie—of course I'll support it!"
"I really like the art style in the trailer."
"A Su Yan–Gu Qingyuan noona romance… speaking of which, Kenshin and Tomoe were also a noona romance. I bet the 'Rurouni Kenshin' déjà vu will hit hard."
"I complain every day, but I respect Su Yan's creativity. I'll bring my girlfriend to see it on the 31st."
"With your girlfriend? Aren't you scared this ends tragically?"
Large numbers of Su Yan's fans expressed support after watching the trailer.
At the same time, many film-industry media outlets began reporting on 'The Garden of Words'.
After all, this was the first film by Su Yan, who had just shattered TV ratings records.
Regardless of box office results, the attention level was undeniable.
Meanwhile, Su Yan and the distributor Skybound Pictures fully launched the promotional campaign.
In cinemas across first- and second-tier cities in Xia Nation, paid trailer ads began playing in theaters.
Many cinemas quietly put up large posters for 'The Garden of Words'.
They also brought in quite a few film critics to help promote it.
But with only twenty million allocated for marketing, the scale couldn't compare to July's big releases like 'Gun Grave', 'Firefly', and 'High-Energy Girlfriend'.
Those films had production budgets exceeding one hundred million, plus massive promotional spending.
Naturally, the media's main focus wasn't on 'The Garden of Words'.
There were still over twenty days until release.
Most professionals in Xia Nation's film industry believed the total box office would likely not exceed one hundred million, and many institutions even predicted under seventy million.
At that level, combined with streaming and overseas rights sales, Su Yan wouldn't lose money, but wouldn't earn much either.
"Box office of one hundred million?" Su Yan murmured, putting down the newspaper.
"Don't trust those prediction agencies," Shinozaki Ikumi said. She had been closely following online reactions to the trailer.
"If they were accurate, would Xia Nation still have so many box-office disasters and surprise hits?"
"Of course, I'm not letting it affect me," Su Yan smiled.
"But honestly—what's your expectation for 'The Garden of Words'?" Shinozaki Ikumi asked.
"I haven't really thought about it," Su Yan said after a pause.
"But since the media looks down on us and thinks it won't break one hundred million—let's slap them in the face. Minimum target: double it. Two hundred million."
He was being conservative.
The same work can have completely different outcomes in different environments.
In Su Yan's previous life, 'The Garden of Words' was critically acclaimed but not commercially explosive, largely because its director wasn't famous yet.
But here, Su Yan was already a well-known name, and the investment far exceeded the original.
How it would perform—there was no data to rely on.
"Two hundred million…" Shinozaki Ikumi thought for a moment, then smiled.
"I thought you'd aim for first place again and talk about winning the summer box office."
"I have confidence, not blind arrogance," Su Yan replied.
"Our funding can't compete with others. With such a big gap in marketing, looking down on everyone else would be foolish."
"But it's also possible that once it releases, strong word of mouth could drive a box-office surge."
In truth, Shinozaki Ikumi had no certainty either.
She had no idea how many of Su Yan's TV fans would actually buy movie tickets.
Everything had to be left to the market.
They ended the box-office discussion in silent agreement.
"By the way, auditions for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' and 'Tokyo Love Story' will be held in the next few days," Shinozaki Ikumi said.
"Once the main cast is finalized, we'll head to Tokyo."
"Understood."
Regarding casting, Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi already shared an unspoken understanding.
In the eyes of fans, Su Yan, Gu Qingyuan, and Shen Liqian were deeply bound together.
When the three appeared in a project, the buzz skyrocketed—one plus one plus one was greater than three.
Since fans loved seeing them together, neither Su Yan nor Shinozaki Ikumi would go against the market.
In 'Tokyo Love Story', Su Yan was actually most suited to play the second male lead, Kenichi Mikami—handsome and charismatic.
But that role wouldn't generate enough buzz.
Fans wanted emotional storylines centered on Su Yan, Shen Liqian, and Gu Qingyuan.
Mikami was simply too peripheral.