"Pfft."
"They scolded you?"
"Seriously?"
All four of them were smiling.
"Yeah, most of them were just telling me to focus on writing good scripts, not to get too cocky, and not to add tragic plotlines to 'Kimi ni Todoke'. Some hardcore fans of Yukino were going off, and yeah… There were also fans of Miyazono Kaori."
Jing Yu casually glanced at his phone and then switched it off.
But after a moment's thought, he reopened the app and posted a pinned comment:
"A new season, a new show—let's follow Kuronuma Sawako's perspective and embark on a sweet love story together! See you at 9 PM on October 6!"
As October rolled in,
The major TV stations across Great Zhou began airing their flagship dramas.
However, for networks like the Big Six and Yunteng TV, their headliner dramas were naturally scheduled for Friday to Sunday prime time.
So, from October 1st to 4th,
The drama scene in Great Zhou was relatively quiet, with nothing going viral.
But on Friday, October 4th,
The first to premiere was 'Summer Echo' from Imperial Capital TV—
a typical youth drama.
Campus life, youth, struggle, teacher-student romance…
Honestly, even though these elements are old-fashioned, a drama newbie might grow into a seasoned viewer over time. Still, the truth remains—while no one stays a newbie forever, the majority of the audience is always made up of newbies!
The premiere of 'Summer Echo' actually pulled solid ratings:
An average of 6.32% for the first episode.
Then came Saturday's 'Stardust' from Xingtong TV.
Xingtong TV always leans into fantasy tones—even their romance dramas have fantastical twists.
A female lead who can occasionally hear people's thoughts,
and a male lead who appears cheerful but is actually a hardcore chuunibyou gaming otaku—
a romantic office comedy.
To be honest, Jing Yu thought this show was pretty interesting.
Great Zhou's local screenwriters weren't lacking in talent.
Some dramas were nearly on par with the ones he had written himself.
In fact, a few past masterpieces could arguably rival 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Initial D'.
But alas, those were rare gems that appeared only once every few years.
No writer in Great Zhou could produce hit after hit the way Jing Yu did.
It was this consistency in both quality and quantity that made him so renowned.
Even though Jing Yu thought 'Stardust' was well-made,
Its first episode only scored 6.22%, slightly lower than 'Summer Echo'.
Still, that was within the normal range for the top three TV networks.
As entertainment options diversified over time, average drama ratings in Great Zhou had dropped slightly compared to a few years ago.
Nowadays, a debut rating of over 6% is considered mid-tier for a top-three network.
But then came Sunday.
By around 8 PM,
Huanshi TV's ratings clearly began outperforming those of Xingtong TV and Imperial Capital TV.
During the airing of 'That Year!',
The numbers looked impressive:
Premiere rating: 6.75%
15 minutes in: 7%
30 minutes in: 7.21%
Final episode average: 7.13%
No surprise there—Huanshi TV had invested nearly 150 million into this large-scale production.
Though the Big Six networks competed fiercely, when it came to Jing Yu, they were united in hoping the Big Three could win.
Whether it was 'Stardust' or 'Summer Echo',
Both had great premieres—
But compared to Jing Yu, the creator of 'Initial D', which had an overall average rating above 8% and a peak of over 11%,
They simply didn't stand a chance.
In a group chat for industry insiders:
"Not bad, as expected of Liang Hui, the queen of youth romance dramas in Great Zhou! Though this premiere rating is slightly below her 7.51% for 'Sea Fish' a few years ago, it's still close. With good word of mouth, it might even surpass that."
"Huanshi TV really went all in this season! Hiring Liang Hui back—she's been a freelancer for three years now, and her custom-written script doesn't come cheap."
"Of course! Think about how many times Jing Yu's works crushed Huanshi TV. Liang Bin's three dramas last year—his spring show got pushed to fourth place by 'Hikaru no Go' Season 1, his summer one got sandwiched between 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2 and 'Steins;Gate', knocking it from first to second. Then in winter, 'Initial D' took the top spot again, and Huanshi TV ended up second. This grudge is deep. They're clearly back for revenge this season."
"A 7.13% premiere? Now the pressure's on Yunteng TV!"
"Don't underestimate Jing Yu. Every project he's done at Yunteng TV has shown upward momentum. Don't assume 'Initial D' was his peak."
While industry pros discussed 'That Year!' in real time,
Audiences weren't as analytical.
Right after watching the first episode of 'That Year!' on Huanshi TV,
many Great Zhou drama viewers were still emotionally immersed in its plot—
But their hands didn't slow down.
They quickly switched channels to Yunteng TV.
Just three minutes left until the premiere of Episode 1 of 'Kimi ni Todoke'!
Gu Yi watched the trailer airing on Yunteng TV with anticipation.
Though the first episode of 'That Year!' had been great,
Her most awaited moment tonight was 'Kimi ni Todoke'.
She'd been a fan of Jing Yu for three years now.
"It's starting!"
"After a whole year, I'm finally watching a drama starring Teacher Jing Yu again! His shows always feel best when he stars in them."
"Exactly. Sure, the actor in 'Dragon Zakura' did well, but it just didn't hit the same way."
"You're not watching for the drama—you're just thirsting after Jing Yu's looks, admit it. Disgraceful."
"'Kimi ni Todoke' is the most romantic drama title of the winter season. Feels like Teacher Jing Yu is about to confess to me!"
"Shut up, it's starting!"
"It's starting!"
Gu Yi chatted in the group for a few more minutes.
Then, Episode 1 of 'Kimi ni Todoke' officially began.
But the very first frame made her heart skip a beat.
That's Xia Yining, right?
Why does her gaze look so terrifying?
No… It's not just the gaze—it's her whole aura.
There's a sinister, eerie vibe to her.
"For some reason, everyone's always apologizing to me…"
That was Kuronuma Sawako's opening inner monologue.
It slightly dispersed the initial creepiness.
But the scenes that followed made the audience tense up again.
Even though Xia Yining was undeniably cute and pretty,
something about her screen presence in the show just felt unsettling… almost anxiety-inducing.