March 21st.
The full-scale promotion for 'Kimi ni Todoke' officially began.
By day, Jing Yu was on set filming. By night, he had to cooperate with Yunteng TV on the drama's marketing campaigns.
As one of Great Zhou's hottest screenwriters, Jing Yu no longer needed to rely on Yunteng TV's traffic to stay relevant—he carried significant attention on his own now.
Yunteng TV arranged several dedicated promotion programs specifically for 'Kimi ni Todoke', with Jing Yu as the focus.
At the same time, the official trailer for 'Kimi ni Todoke' was released.
Only now did Jing Yu's fans get a clearer picture of what kind of drama this would be.
"A pure romance drama? For real?"
"Unbelievable! I thought after 'White Album 2', Jing Yu-sensei wouldn't touch school romance again."
"From the trailer, I'm getting major angst vibes."
"???"
"Where the heck do you see angst in that trailer?"
"Heh… this is a Jing Yu production. You think it won't be angsty?"
"Don't be fooled by that innocent trailer. I guarantee it—either the female lead dies or the male lead does. And that guy? Total scumbag vibes."
"Come on, that's harsh. Why so cynical about Jing Yu-sensei?"
"Cynical? Remember the trailer for 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'? Did that look tragic at first? Did you think the male lead in 'Initial D' would get cheated on? Stop believing what the trailer tells you. In fact, for Jing Yu's work, just assume the opposite."
"No way it's that dramatic…"
Most fans responded to the early teaser with amused skepticism.
"Jing Yu-sensei, go ahead and pretend!
As long as I assume it's a tragedy from the start, you can't hurt me!"
Jokes aside, 'Kimi ni Todoke' was already gaining traction at lightning speed before its premiere.
Major media outlets and film critics were reporting on it constantly.
In Great Zhou's TV drama industry, the Jing Yu + Yunteng TV combo wasn't just strong—it was at the absolute top of the food chain.
No other screenwriter in the past five years had exerted this kind of pressure on the industry. The drama hadn't even aired yet, and already, more than half the media believed it would dominate the winter season.
But of course, the big three TV stations weren't sitting idle either.
Each was pushing its own flagship romance drama, with all sorts of promotional stunts:
Xingtong TV's "Stardust"
Imperial Capital TV's "Summer Echo"
Huanshi TV's "That Year!"
All were romance dramas.
And honestly, Great Zhou only had a few writers qualified to lead a flagship romance drama on the big three networks—and now, they had all been deployed for this quarter.
Names like Liang Hui, He Zhanyuan, and Chen Bolin—each one a gold-medal screenwriter with multiple hit romance dramas over the past decade.
Especially Liang Hui, who was practically a master of workplace romance. Her drama 'Sea Fish', six years ago, had an average rating of 8.09%, and still held a 9.2+ score on Yindou Net.
This season's "That Year!" marked her first return to television after over two years.
He Zhanyuan and Chen Bolin were no slouches either. But here's the thing—
In romance dramas, female-centric stories attract more viewers than male-led ones. Female screenwriters often outshine their male counterparts when it comes to emotional depth and nuance.
So now, with the big three networks all releasing romance dramas at once—clearly aiming to overwhelm Jing Yu through sheer volume—it was a declaration:
"We're here to fight for winter supremacy, and we're not holding back."
Surprisingly, "That Year!" on Huanshi TV had not been overshadowed by 'Kimi ni Todoke' during the pre-air buzz. In fact, it was subtly outpacing it in early momentum.
Liang Hui's popularity—especially among female viewers—was no joke.
At the same time, the production teams for all three flagship dramas were taking potshots at 'Kimi ni Todoke' in their press releases.
And Great Zhou's entertainment media? Oh, they loved stirring the pot. They were constantly fueling the rivalry.
[He Zhanyuan speaks out: "The new generation of screenwriters hasn't earned the right to lead the industry yet. The older generation isn't done."]
[Chen Bolin: "Just because there are no tigers in the mountain, doesn't mean the monkey gets to be king. The legacy of the big three networks won't be easily challenged."]
[Liang Hui: "A male screenwriter writing a female-led, school romance drama? I just can't imagine how he captures emotional authenticity. Is he empathizing? Or just imagining?"]
[All three major networks are producing romance dramas this season: 11 total, with 10 being romance. Is this a coordinated attempt to drown out 'Kimi ni Todoke' through sheer saturation?]
[Survey: With romance dramas flooding the market, niche genres may outperform expectations this winter season.]
[BREAKING: Jing Yu speaks on the winter season TV drama battle]
"Predictions for ratings? The exact number isn't my concern. I just want to know—
Which drama will finish second? Because that's my biggest competitor."
When execs at the big three TV stations saw Jing Yu's interview on Yunteng TV…
Second place? Biggest competitor?
So he was already declaring himself #1?
"Arrogant little punk. Just because you've had a good year or two, don't think you've reached the top of the screenwriting world," muttered He Zhanyuan, frowning at the interview.
"Ha! Youthful arrogance. Saying something like that publicly? If he fails, it'll haunt him forever." Chen Bolin sneered.
"Interesting…" Liang Hui turned off the TV.
In the romance genre, she had never feared anyone.
And frankly, watching Jing Yu rise in Great Zhou's drama industry these past two years made her uncomfortable.
Everyone was saying only Jing Yu could go toe-to-toe with the big three networks. That only he had what it took.
The so-called "king of screenwriting".
To Liang Hui, this was nonsense.
"He only thrives at a place like Yunteng TV because he lacks the skill to survive elsewhere.
You may have some tricks, Jing Yu…
But you've never faced me."
Liang Hui took a deep breath. Though already in her thirties, she had maintained her youthful appearance well. Her expression was one of absolute confidence.
"Don't even think about first place. Third is more at your level.
After all, second place's greatest threat… is whoever's stuck in third."
Unlike Lin Bin, who had been trounced by Jing Yu multiple times and was already battle-worn and cautious, these three hadn't crossed swords with Jing Yu before.
They hadn't gone through what Lin Bin had—agonizing over rewrites, pulling every string, only to watch their ratings get caught, surpassed, and eventually left behind week after week.
Some things… You only understand when you're in the thick of it.
Right now, these three veterans are still full of confidence.
On the surface, everything remained polite and professional.
But behind the scenes?
The war had already begun.
And just like that, the calendar crept ever closer to October…