"Congratulations!"
"Congrats, Teacher Jing Yu!"
"Yo, good morning, Teacher Jing Yu."
"Good morning."
That morning, Jing Yu once again arrived at the set right on time. Though it was still half an hour before filming was scheduled to begin, most of the team was already present.
Everyone wore cheerful smiles and radiated confidence.
Roughly 20% of the mid- to high-level staff on set were full-time employees signed under Jing Yu's company, Bluestar Media & Film. The remaining 80% were working under temporary contracts, covering only the winter filming period for 'Kimi ni Todoke'.
After all, even if Jing Yu had the financial strength to maintain a permanent crew, it simply wouldn't be cost-effective.
Still, regardless of employment status, everyone on set was in high spirits today.
That's because early this morning, news had spread among the crew:
The latest episode of 'Kimi ni Todoke' broke past 8% in viewership ratings—
Clocking in at 8.23%.
Even the temporary workers were thrilled beyond words. After all, it was their work behind the scenes that helped achieve this result.
It was like mixing the paint for a timeless masterpiece—an incredible sense of accomplishment.
Jing Yu could clearly sense the excitement in the air.
When he entered the office—
"Congrats on breaking 8% viewership!"
Xia Yining handed Jing Yu a celebration gift she had picked up early that morning from the mall.
A newly released gun-themed game disc.
"Thanks," Jing Yu said, accepting it without hesitation.
"Eh? That's it? You don't seem the least bit excited!" Xia Yining teased.
"It's not that impressive. Just 8%. 'Initial D' peaked at 11%, and even hit 12%. Compared to that, 8% doesn't really move me."
"Come on, you're being too harsh. A show like 'Initial D' doesn't come around often. You should be happy when things go well," she said, flopping down on the sofa beside him.
"You know, you shouldn't always act so inhuman. Once in a while, behave like a regular person."
"Do I not seem normal to you?" Jing Yu asked curiously.
"Do you think you're normal?" she fired back.
"There are over a hundred people on this set, all working in film and TV. And everyone knows that among screenwriters, you're already at the top. If you keep this up and build more work over the years, your influence will snowball. In ten or twenty years, you might become a legend—a true master of the industry."
"And the scary part? Screenwriting is just one of the many fields you've dabbled in. Go, music composition, performance, racing, even the swordplay you showed during 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'—don't try to deny it. The stunt coordinators said it was real swordsmanship!"
She kept going, getting more excited with each sentence.
"That's why nothing surprises people anymore. You're a genius. Naturally, your results are different from ours. But... still, it'd be nice if you could act a little more human sometimes."
"Like what? Get excited when you play games? Or celebrate when your work does well? That's what humans do, right? Look around—so many people are nervous to greet you. They're afraid of not meeting your genius-level standards. If you acted just a bit more normal, it'd be easier to get along with everyone."
Jing Yu was caught off guard. Was his image really that exaggerated now? Had he become so overpowered that it scared people?
"Hahaha! That's right, I'm a genius! Effortlessly created a show with over 8% viewership!" he forced a laugh and struck a mock-heroic pose.
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yep, yep! Just like that!" Xia Yining nodded furiously.
"So middle-school edgy... Feels like I'm watching Rintaro Okabe."
"Is that enough?" he asked.
"Of course not," she said seriously.
"A normal person doesn't just focus on career success. By age twenty-seven, they'd also be thinking about... romance."
Jing Yu froze. Once again, he prepared to dodge the subject.
"What's the point of dating? Career comes first."
"..."
Xia Yining didn't push further. A little pressure was fine, but being too direct would backfire.
She knew how she felt. And Jing Yu knew it too. He could play dumb—but for how long?
Two minutes later, Cheng Lie arrived. Sensing the third wheel, Xia Yining tactfully left for the makeup room.
Cheng Lie came in carrying a thick folder.
As the company's boss, Jing Yu now had to personally sign off on everything—sponsorships, brand deals, product placements.
With 'Kimi ni Todoke' pulling in such massive ratings, new sponsors were approaching the production team every week.
"By the way, Jing Yu," Cheng Lie said after finishing the paperwork,
"About what you asked me to check—the video platforms' responses to potential investment."
"Qiezi and Jixun both declined."
"I see," Jing Yu nodded without surprise.
After all, these platforms had experienced rapid growth in the latter half of the year. It was only natural that many wanted a piece of the pie. Just like a film with huge buzz—did you really think it needed more investors?
Unless you had clout, bringing cash alone wouldn't get you in.
Jing Yu was only testing the waters. If it worked, great. If not, fine—he'd just focus on making shows.
"But Qingyun Video... Their response was a bit vague."
"What do you mean?"
"I looked into it. Qingyun Video is backed by Qingyun Group. In theory, they're not short on money. The parent company owns over 70% of the platform, even though there are 7–8 other investors."
"But apparently, Qingyun Group is planning to make major investments in its core business next year. And the video platform's promotional budget has been burning through cash, so they might be open to trading equity for funding after the new year—especially if they want to compete directly with Qiezi and Jixun."
"That said, Qingyun is very protective of their platform. They're actually more willing to accept investment from smaller companies or individuals, like us, rather than huge conglomerates that might threaten their control."
"So?" Jing Yu asked.
"I spoke with their execs. Told them Bluestar Media is interested in investing in Qingyun Video," Cheng Lie replied.
"They didn't reject it outright—in fact, they want to meet in person and discuss it directly with you and me."
"A meeting?" Jing Yu frowned slightly.
That meant they hadn't ruled him out, but wanted to see him first.
This wasn't just about money—it was about what else he brought to the table.
"I'm fine with that," Jing Yu said after a moment.
"If you're okay with it, I asked—they're available next Friday."
"Let's do it."
Sunday.
Rain poured in the Imperial Capital.
The subway was damp and chilly—it was nearly December, though snow hadn't yet fallen.
Zhao Shushi shivered and checked the time.
8:31 PM.
The train would arrive at 8:42. He would sprint the rest of the way, text the store owner to prepare and pack dinner ahead of time.
He should make it home by 8:56.
Actually, he arrived even earlier—8:54—thanks to some adrenaline from a dog chasing him halfway home.
"God, I'm going way too hard just to catch a drama," Zhao gasped, changing shoes and grumbling.
Within minutes, he had caught his breath, opened his pork cutlet rice bowl, grabbed a Coke, and tuned in to Yunteng TV.
8:59 PM. Perfect.
He felt like all the rushing had been worth it.
The soft opening theme of 'Kimi ni Todoke' began to play.
Shouta, Sawako, Kurumizawa, Ryu, Chizuru—the characters flashed across the screen. The show never wasted time on a recap; the visuals in the opening were enough to jog memories.
Right—last week ended with:
Kurumizawa is pulling her manipulative stunt—bringing Shouta to witness Sawako and Ryu chatting happily, while implying that Sawako liked Ryu... so that Shouta would back off.
The memory made Zhao's blood boil all over again.
The fan group chat was already blowing up.
"I held it in all week. A WHOLE WEEK!"
"You know how I survived? I rewatched all of Jing Yu's older dramas. Even 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', 'White Album 2', and 'Your Lie in April'. They're all on Jinhui TV and now available on Qiezi Video. I feel bad for his earlier fans—how did you survive week-by-week?!"
"Are you mocking us? We're still suffering. I have no idea how I'm enduring this. It's painful!"
On the TV—
"See? We should cheer her on!"
Kurumizawa's scene flashed.
What would Shouta do? Would he withdraw, or confront Ryu?
The show gave a decisive answer:
Shouta ignored Kurumizawa's smug gloating, ignored even his best friend Ryu's possible reaction, and—
—grabbed Sawako's hand and led her away.
Leaving behind a tearful Kurumizawa and a stunned, then knowing, Ryu.
"Why?"
"Why...? Why?!"
Kurumizawa's face collapsed.
Zhao felt euphoric.
"YESSSSSSS!"
"Serves you right, Kurumizawa! You thought only Sawako was unpredictable? Well, so is Shouta!"
"You thought he'd hold back out of friendship? NOPE. He didn't even say a word—just took Sawako and walked away!"
"Isn't that too cold?"
"Not really. Ryu already told Shouta he doesn't like Sawako. Shouta is just worried Sawako might like Ryu. Now that it's clear—boom, done. He'll explain it to Ryu later."
"Watching a manipulative girl dig her own grave—so satisfying!"
"Jing Yu! You're so evil! Just a few minutes of content, and you made us wait an entire week!"
"Finally... justice!"
["Love. So this is what love feels like…"]
["Turns out, I really am in love with Shouta!"]
Sawako, alone with Shouta, blushes as she realizes her true feelings.
The show's visuals shift to warm tones.
She confesses she doesn't like Ryu, relieving Shouta.
"So cute! Both of them!"
Zhao felt like he was falling in love himself—just from watching.
"There are things I want to help you with... but from now on, I might not support you the way I used to. I'm not who you think I am. I'm selfish, and reckless…"
Shouta, finally honest.
There was one thing he couldn't accept—Sawako dating someone else.
"Selfish or not, reckless or not—you don't have to do anything for me. It's okay."
Neither of them realized the other had feelings.
But everything—from their shyness to their words—screamed: couple in love.
Zhao was on the verge of tears.
So pure. So heartwarming.
He never imagined a romance drama could be this healing.
He was genuinely touched.
"Jing Yu! How do you make even a pure love story so emotional?" Zhao sniffled into a tissue.