Of course, an idea is just an idea. Actually putting it into action would take some planning.
Jing Yu clearly understood one thing: the value of the stories he held was immense.
But he also understood something else—he wasn't the one who could fully unlock that value.
If it were a drama, he'd need a TV network's help.
If it were a film, he'd need a distributor and a theater chain.
"I need to find a good moment to be honest with Yunteng TV about what I'm thinking," Jing Yu murmured, narrowing his eyes.
In truth, what Jing Yu was contemplating wasn't unprecedented.
It was similar to how big-name celebrities in his past life started their own studios.
Even in Great Zhou, top-tier stars and screenwriters had taken this path.
But still, as the saying goes, when you work for others, they'll give you their best resources. Helping you helps them. But when you shift from being an employee to a collaborator… things become a lot murkier.
By late November, as Jing Yu still hadn't agreed to renew his contract, Yunteng TV's senior management had begun speculating on his intentions.
Maybe, they thought, he was stalling—building up negotiation leverage before talks began.
If that were the case, it would have been understandable.
Yunteng TV was a commercial TV station. They respected talented people and offered excellent conditions.
But if someone started to show signs of fading—or worse, betrayal—they were ruthlessly cut loose.
So if Jing Yu was just trying to up his value, they might call him shrewd, but they could live with it.
Everyone's an adult here—especially smart ones. Who still talks about loyalty in this business? Jing Yu had only been with Yunteng TV for a year, spending most of it in production teams. There wasn't that much emotional attachment to speak of.
As long as he didn't sign with one of the Big Six, everything was negotiable.
But there was a second possibility…
What if Jing Yu wanted to start his own company—just like Zhong Ming did six years ago?
Six years ago, Yunteng TV had discovered a genius screenwriter named Zhong Ming. He created an extreme sports drama that aired over four seasons. By the final season, the series had built up so much momentum that its ratings nearly broke 10%.
But after that, Zhong Ming left and started his own company.
And that was completely understandable.
He had the fame. Any station would kill to work with him. And if he made his own shows and sold them to TV stations, he'd build popularity and retain full rights and future earnings.
It was only because of illness that his story ended early.
So now, the same question lingered at Yunteng TV:
Was Jing Yu about to walk the same path?
Because in the eyes of the industry, Jing Yu was even more terrifying than Zhong Ming.
Zhong Ming only had one breakout show that gradually gained popularity over four seasons.
But Jing Yu?
Every single project had been a hit.
He had much greater long-term potential.
Naturally, Yunteng TV's leadership grew anxious. They'd seen this happen before.
For Yunteng TV, the best-case scenario was Jing Yu signing a new contract—even if it meant giving him a more generous deal.
After all, talent is never cheap.
The worst-case scenario?
He gets poached by one of the Big Six.
And the compromise scenario?
He goes independent—but still licenses his shows to Yunteng TV.
Yunteng TV wasn't stupid. They'd already considered all the possibilities.
But one thing was clear—since Jing Yu hadn't renewed yet, he definitely wasn't planning to participate in their spring season.
Still, with one full quarter left after winter, Yunteng TV could afford to wait.
One week later...
Following the emotional fallout between Iketani Koichiro and Sato Mako in episode 8 of 'Initial D', episode 9 landed a direct hit on the hearts of fans.
The two… were officially over.
Although the episode only used a short scene to confirm this, it still left viewers devastated.
"We waited a whole week... for this?!"
"Why didn't Iketani try to win her back?"
But not everyone agreed.
"It wasn't just traffic that made him late. He chose not to go at first. By the time he changed his mind, it was already too late—and she still waited five hours."
"You don't get to explain that away. You blew it."
Missed it? Then it's over.
Fortunately, the second half of episode 9 brought a shift.
The most anticipated street race in 'Initial D' finally began—
The captain of Red Suns, Ryosuke Takahashi, formally challenged the legendary AE86 of Mount Akina.
This snapped viewers out of their heartbreak over Iketani and Sato Mako.
The deeper a drama goes into its run, the more viewers it gains.
The more topics it stirs up, the more new viewers it attracts.
Even in Jing Yu's past life, no matter how much of a ratings legend 'Journey to the West' was, it didn't start that way.
Blockbuster viewership only comes once word-of-mouth takes off.
And now, with 'Initial D' heading into its final stretch, its buzz was growing by the week.
Its viewership kept climbing, too.
Episode 9 ended with an 8.49% rating—leaving all competing dramas in the dust.
The runner-up, 'Arrow', only managed 7.33%.
Then another week passed.
The long-awaited showdown between Fujiwara Takumi and Ryosuke Takahashi, kings of Mount Akina, was finally here.
At 8:30 p.m., Yunteng TV's ratings began spiking unnaturally.
Many viewers no longer cared about other shows.
They were locked in—watching Yunteng TV exclusively.
Yue Xuan was one of them.
From the very first episode, he'd been a die-hard fan.
Every week, he not only watched it live, but he also set up a camcorder to record the screen so he could rewatch it the next day.
When Yunteng TV released its AE86 model—the limited-edition run of 100,000—he bought five.
A few weeks ago, he even drove to his old driving school and asked his former instructor to teach him how to drift.
He got kicked out in less than five minutes.
"If I knew how to drift, I wouldn't be teaching here—I'd be racing on Mount Akina!" the instructor snapped.
From what Yue Xuan had gathered, 'Initial D' was supposed to have 14 episodes in total.
But now, with the big boss Ryosuke Takahashi showing up in episode 10, he wasn't sure what would fill the remaining four.
Not that it mattered.
As long as it was hype, he was all in.
"The later episodes? I'll worry about that later."
As 9:00 p.m. approached, Yunteng TV's ratings kept climbing.
And soon, they blew past the 8% mark.