The video streaming platforms on the market were all backed by major corporations. Normally, that meant they weren't short on money. So, if Jing Yu directly approached them, asking if they'd be open to his investment, they'd probably tell him to get lost.
But things might be different if there were other benefits on the table.
For example, to grow, these platforms needed to compete for users.
Whoever gained an advantage early would hold the upper hand later on.
And Jing Yu understood very well that, in the battle for users, one of the most crucial weapons was exclusive content—especially films and TV dramas.
Why had top celebrities in his past life started commanding such astronomical fees? Because the big streaming platforms were engaged in a no-holds-barred bidding war over high-profile TV shows. Mutual price hikes over just a few years pushed distribution rights from tens of millions to several hundred million yuan.
It wasn't just dramas, of course—variety shows, reality shows, and documentaries also mattered—but dramas were the most essential battleground.
Jing Yu had a few hundred million in hand now, thanks to 'Love Letter's box office success. It wasn't a fortune, but it wasn't pocket change either. And if he offered to invest in exchange for exclusive cooperation on dramas, it would be a form of benefit exchange.
It was also a test.
Suppose a company's leadership had any market intuition at all. In that case, they should be able to see from the current state of the Great Zhou's film and drama scene that Jing Yu had enormous potential. His investment and content could bring enormous benefits to their platform.
If they couldn't see that, then maybe he wouldn't want to invest in them either.
In the end, it didn't matter who would win. As long as there was an opportunity, Jing Yu would seize it. This kind of chance only existed in the early stages of an industry. Once the big players solidified their positions, it would be too late.
Cheng Lie immediately understood Jing Yu's intentions.
"Isn't this a bit risky?" Cheng Lie hesitated.
"It's just the profits from half a year of projects," Jing Yu replied with a grin.
"Even if we lose the bet, it's not like the company's going to collapse. We're not gamblers who lose everything in one hand—what's there to be afraid of?"
The two didn't dwell on the subject.
While 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' and 'Love Letter' were burning up the sales charts on Qingyun, the winter drama season was still ongoing.
That night, a new episode of 'Kimi ni Todoke' aired.
In Jing Yu's fan group:
"Ahhh, this feels so good! Qingyun is amazing!"
"Rewatched 'Trust & Betrayal' and 'Love Letter' today. No cinema, but watching on a big screen at home is so comfortable. More importantly, it's convenient! Watch anytime, anywhere. It's cheaper than going to the movies, and you can rewatch it. This kind of platform should've existed earlier!"
"I used to think watching shows on my phone or laptop was dumb. Then last night, I couldn't sleep, so I watched 'Trust & Betrayal' in bed... Damn, it cured my insomnia. As long as I don't sleep, I can't have insomnia!"
"Only issue is, Qingyun still has mostly old shows or cheesy series from unknown stations. They should bring in more stuff like 'Love Letter', 'Trust & Betrayal', and 'Initial D'."
"Not just Qingyun—Hongbing's Qiezi and Yulin's Jixun are also making moves. I heard they're partnering with some well-known writers from the Great Zhou."
"Feels like times are changing fast. Are these streaming sites really going to start producing dramas and competing with TV stations?"
"Maybe it's because mobile internet speeds have gotten so much faster. Remember when streaming anything on your phone used to lag? Now it's all smooth."
"I still think the main force will be the TV stations. The Big Six have years of experience and talent. These streaming site originals? Fun to watch, but not on the same level."
"But isn't Jing Yu an independent screenwriter? What if he starts producing shows and sells them to these platforms?"
"Then obviously we'd watch!"
The fan group was lively.
Li Ruo closed the video of 'Trust & Betrayal' on her computer.
Her heart was still racing from the new scenes added after the original ending.
In the theatrical version, there was no scene showing the war's end or Kenshin discarding his sword and walking away alone.
This version added a new insert song and several new scenes.
That alone explained why 'Trust & Betrayal''s digital sales were significantly higher than 'Love Letter''s.
Those last few minutes introduced new characters too, hinting at future stories.
But Jing Yu hadn't announced any sequel plans. Sigh.
Li Ruo expertly switched her TV to Yunteng TV.
Time to focus.
The new episode of 'Kimi ni Todoke' picked up with Kurumizawa trying to use her friendship with Sawako to get her support in pursuing Shouta.
"I really do think you and Shouta are a great match. But… I just can't genuinely support you two being together. To me, Shouta is... special."
After a week of waiting, viewers who had expected Sawako to step aside for the sake of friendship were surprised.
"I envy people like that so much!" Li Ruo's eyes lit up.
Innocent, sweet—but with clear boundaries.
Kind and considerate, but not a pushover in love or friendship.
She had her principles. She might give in on many things—but not on love.
Though Sawako hadn't fully realized her feelings yet, she still couldn't sincerely support Kurumizawa's pursuit of Shouta—and she refused her emotional manipulation outright.
"Why won't you give up? You noticed the difference between us just now. You should've backed off."
Kurumizawa snapped.
She had lost control.
"You're so sneaky. Just because everyone dislikes you for being gloomy, you don't have to do anything. Shouta just automatically helps you."
Classic Kurumizawa line:
"But someone like me—cute and popular—I have to rely on my own efforts."
Li Ruo was floored.
She couldn't believe how absurd things got in just the first two minutes of the episode.
In the fan group:
"What is this? Why is this so funny?"
"Jing Yu, were you serious with these lines?"
"Say what you want, Kurumizawa's confidence is unmatched."
"She does have a reason to be confident, though."
"Depends on who you compare her to. Even with the production team trying to ugly-up Xia Yining, I still think her Sawako looks prettier."
"True, but the setup is that Kurumizawa is universally loved, while everyone's scared of Sawako."
"These two minutes of chaos gave me enough memes for the whole week. Kurumizawa throwing all her tricks at a pure-hearted girl—absolutely useless!"
"Sawako's response—'Being popular really is exhausting'—just KO'd Kurumizawa on the spot."
Kurumizawa couldn't take it and stormed off. Everyone was laughing.
Meanwhile, Sawako calmly reflected on how her dark personality might actually be useful.
Next, after their friendship had grown slightly tense, Sawako tried to mend things with Kurumizawa.
At school, during a baseball game, Ryu (Shouta's best friend) caught a ball that was about to hit Sawako.
In that moment, Kurumizawa got an idea.
"Sawako, you have to thank Ryu properly. Yes, you really should."
Her tone sweetened.
She urged Sawako to speak with Ryu after the game.
Li Ruo got an ominous feeling.
There was definitely a trap coming—she just didn't know what it was yet.
But as the episode continued, Sawako happily watched Shouta's game.
"Yes, Sawako, you don't understand Shouta at all..."
"I've watched him since junior high. In rain, in wind, even snowstorms... I've done everything I could to keep him single all these years."
Because she had already revealed her true nature to Sawako—and knew she wouldn't spread rumors—Kurumizawa no longer held back.
But Sawako didn't find her strange.
She was just too kind.
"You've worked really hard."
"I've always... watched him."
In the scene, Kurumizawa (played by Yin Xiao) and Sawako (played by Xia Yining) both looked toward Shouta (played by Jing Yu).
"Yes... You can't help but follow him with your eyes."
"I know that feeling—you don't have to explain it."
Somehow, the scene became emotional.
Two girls with opposite personalities, bonding over their feelings for the same boy.
"If it weren't for Shouta, maybe they could've been great friends."
"I kind of feel sorry for Kurumizawa. Other than being manipulative in love, she's actually pretty normal."
"Her methods are dirty, but if I'd been in love for years, maybe I'd act like that too."
"But Shouta likes Sawako, not her."
"That conversation—they were truly opening their hearts. Kurumizawa probably only ever said those things to Sawako."
Through that talk, Sawako finally realized—her feelings for Shouta might be love.
Later, she went to thank Ryu—and also to ask him about Shouta and love in general.
Meanwhile, Kurumizawa's plan unfolded.
She had faked a note to Ryu (in Sawako's handwriting), asking him to meet at a certain place.
Then she lured Shouta there through "casual" conversation.
"Sawako was staring at Ryu the whole time during the baseball game, right?"
Then she delivered the bait:
"Maybe she's falling for him because he saved her. If that's the case, as her friends, we should support them, right?"
Li Ruo instinctively frowned.
Any sympathy for Kurumizawa vanished.
She quickly typed in the fan group:
"This girl... is too much. I can't take it anymore."
"WTF—people like this actually exist?"
"So just because Ryu saved Sawako with a catch, she came up with this whole scheme?"
"Honestly, smart people really are terrifying. I never would've thought of that. Ryu is Shouta's friend. Friendship manipulation doesn't work on Sawako—but it might on Shouta. If he misunderstood and backed off without checking..."
The episode ended with Sawako thanking Ryu and talking about her feelings.
"I've been devoted to Chizuru.
By the time I realized, she was already special."
As the audience swooned over Ryu's confession...
Kurumizawa walked by with Shouta—"coincidentally."
They saw Sawako and Dragon talking and laughing.
"See? I told you. We should support them."
Kurumizawa's voice was sweet as ever.
The final shot was of Shouta's stunned, heartbroken face.
Ending theme—rolls.
Li Ruo nearly had an aneurysm.
"That's it?"
"It ended like this??"
"WHAT IS THIS?!"
"I can't accept this."
"It hurts. The girl's being played like that and doesn't even know it."
"Ugh. Kurumizawa just made me sick."
"Who wrote this script? How can you end it like that?"
"I won't sleep tonight."
"I thought we'd get a confession scene, and now this?"
"I'm officially anti-Kurumizawa now."
"She's terrifying!"
"Been watching dramas for years—never hated a character this much. We waited over a month for Sawako and Shouta to finally get close—and Kurumizawa pulls this?"
"Disgusting. I'm going to yell at Jing Yu. Is this what carbon-based lifeforms come up with?"
By 10 PM, after 'Kimi ni Todoke' aired, Jing Yu's official Qingyun account was flooded with complaints.
People were furious.
The cliffhanger was brutal. Soul-shattering.
Over 100,000 comments poured in overnight. Even Yunteng TV's official website was being bombarded by angry fans.
Many swore they'd drop the show if Kurumizawa wasn't properly punished in the next episode.
All the major forums exploded, too. Discussions about shows from the top three TV stations were drowned out.
Now it was all 'Kimi ni Todoke'.
Kurumizawa. Sawako. Shouta.
If you watched the episodes back-to-back, it was still tolerable.
But the weekly release model? It was agony.
Just like the monthly manga updates or weekly anime episodes in Jing Yu's past life.
Now you understand why the show should've been called:
'Kimi ni Choke You to Death'