Of the three upcoming dramas, Jing Yu wasn't playing the lead role in any of them.
Mainly because he felt — well — now that he was past thirty, still acting as a high school student every time just didn't feel right.
Not that he was unwilling to act, really.
Even if he did take the role, nobody in Great Zhou would criticize him.
He still looked great on screen.
But unless there was no better actor available, he wanted to cut down on playing teenagers.
He just wasn't interested in any of the roles in these three shows.
Of course, in 'Ultraman Tiga', Daigu was technically an adult. Jing Yu could've taken that role no problem.
But let's be honest — acting in Ultraman, doing those over-the-top poses while yelling "TIGA!" and transforming with a SparkLence...
It sounded cool in your head.
But ten, twenty years from now, rewatching that kind of scene would be painfully cringe.
As for 'Attack on Titan' and 'Gundam SEED', Jing Yu just didn't like either of the original protagonists.
Eren's character in the second half of the manga completely fell apart.
Even though Jing Yu was already planning to rewrite the ending in the Zhou adaptation, he still couldn't bring himself to like Eren.
And the main character of SEED?
Don't even mention him.
When Jing Yu first watched it, he was praying the male lead would get taken out by the second male lead.
The early plot dragged on forever. He was half a martyr, half a saint.
But credit where it's due — SEED had amazing side characters.
That's part of why it became such a huge hit.
Still, with Jing Yu's current popularity, if he showed up in a drama only to play a supporting role, it would completely overshadow the actual leads.
So he dropped that idea entirely. Not even a cameo.
That said, as company boss, it was still important to regularly visit the sets and monitor production.
During the theatrical run of 'Your Name', casting for all three new series had been finalized.
By now, in Great Zhou's film and television industry, there were basically no actors that Bluestar Film couldn't hire.
Even though their actor fees were relatively low, the cast lineup was still top-tier.
For any named role in the three series, at minimum, the actor had to be third-tier or higher — and they still took the role at a fraction of their usual rate.
And when they saw Jing Yu on set, none of them complained.
Quite the opposite — they greeted him warmly, eager to build rapport.
Nobody was stupid.
Tang Rui only made tens of thousands filming the Fate series, but now?
Just cosplaying Artoria at a business event could net her two million per appearance — and she had offers lined up for weeks.
She even made it into last year's Zhou Celebrity Income Rankings.
In her first year alone, she earned over 50 million yuan — more than many A-list film kings.
Anyone dumb enough to argue about pay in a Jing Yu project…
Probably wouldn't even qualify as third-tier.
A few of the experienced directors hired by Bluestar rushed over to chat with Jing Yu when he arrived.
Jing Yu didn't have much interest in 'Attack on Titan' or 'Gundam SEED'.
Special effects dramas were old news to him — all green screens and post-production CG.
He'd done several already. Nothing fresh.
But Ultraman?
That was different.
Jing Yu stood and looked over the miniature city set on the soundstage.
The buildings, cars, and roads were all custom-made by manufacturers, placed in perfect scale.
Then the stunt actors — dressed in Ultraman suits and kaiju costumes — entered the set.
Low-dosage explosives had been pre-installed to create bursts and smoke during fight scenes.
Cameras were angled upwards to highlight the giant scale of the monsters and heroes.
For shots of buildings collapsing under kaiju attacks, they used plaster models — pre-cut for clean breakage — filled with newspaper.
So when the "buildings" broke apart, it really looked like a city crumbling.
They'd even apply baby powder to the stunt actors' suits so that every hit sent a puff of "impact smoke" into the air.
Watching the setup, Jing Yu's eyes lit up.
He may not want to act in Ultraman…
But watching it come to life?
That was seriously fun.
"How's it going? Any difficulties with production?"
Jing Yu asked, seated next to Director Wang Yifei.
"No, it's all going smoothly.
The filming's not too hard, it's just…"
Wang Yifei hesitated a bit before continuing.
"I'm just not sure if Zhou audiences will go for this kind of show."
After all, this was all Jing Yu's idea.
The general plan came from him, though Wang was in charge of the specifics.
Still, tokusatsu shows as this had never really been tried in Great Zhou.
"Don't worry," Jing Yu said. "I'm the one who decided to make this.
If it flops, I'm not blaming you."
To be honest, Jing Yu wasn't 100% confident either.
Yes, his track record was strong in Zhou.
But that didn't mean every idea would work forever.
You could only estimate so much in advance.
He didn't linger long on that set. After a while, he moved on to Gundam SEED's.
Compared to Ultraman, Gundam was simpler to shoot.
Most scenes were dialogue-heavy and filmed on interior sets.
The protagonist, Kira, appeared to be in fierce battles — but in reality, he was just sitting in a mock cockpit, reciting lines.
All fight scenes would be CG.
There was no way — no money, no tech, no need — to build actual Gundams for real-life action scenes. That'd be insane.
Then there was Attack on Titan.
That one was a logistical nightmare.
The set was huge — styled like a medieval town — and there were dozens of stunt performers suspended on wires, flying through the air.
Jing Yu had pumped nearly a billion yuan into these three series combined.
And with sets this massive, it was no surprise that reporters were camped outside daily, hoping for a scoop.
After checking in at all three, Jing Yu quietly slipped away — better not to distract everyone. His presence was like a head teacher walking into a classroom mid-exam.
By mid-to-late January, filming for all three shows had entered full swing.
Jing Yu kept up his old habit — dropping bits of info about the shows now and then to keep fans' appetite whetted.
Meanwhile, the box office for 'Your Name' had finally started to dip.
After over 20 days in theaters, it officially passed 2.6 billion yuan —
But daily revenue had now fallen to 30–50 million.
And on Day 24, it finally lost its daily box office crown to a newer film.
Jing Yu let out a long sigh.
"So… it wasn't that easy after all."
In his previous life, 'Your Name' had stayed #1 in Japan's box office history.
But in Great Zhou, the current all-time box office champ had earned 5.9 billion.
At this pace, 'Your Name' would probably top out just over 3 billion —
Good enough for top 8 all-time, but not quite the pinnacle.
"Different world, different country…
Subtle taste differences can change everything."
Still, Jing Yu found this outcome entirely reasonable.
Great Zhou was Great Zhou — not a larger version of Japan.
'Your Name' ending around 3 billion gave him a clearer expectation for 'Castle in the Sky'.
In terms of story quality, Jing Yu personally thought 'Castle in the Sky' was better than 'Your Name'.
But in the end, it would depend on how Miyazaki was received in Zhou.
As the days passed, 'Your Name's daily box office dropped from 40 million, to 30, to 25, then 20...
After nearly a month-long frenzy, even the hardcore fans started to settle down.
"Too bad it won't break 3.5 billion."
"What's there to be sad about? Old Thief spent 100 million to make this —
He's already swimming in money."
"I just mean, the films above it on the box office chart?
Not even as good."
"Box office and artistry rarely go hand-in-hand.
Most universally acclaimed films bombed in theaters.
'Your Name' is a top-tier fantasy romance —
But next to films that tackle societal issues, class dynamics, or philosophy…
It just doesn't reach that level."
"But overall, it's damn good.
Emotionally resonant, commercially viable, and mass appeal.
Old Thief finally wised up —
He realized that angsty stuff like 'Rurouni Kenshin' and 'Love Letter' only alienate half the audience."
"Now I'm just counting the days till 'Castle in the Sky'."
"Sigh… ever since he moved to film, I feel like my life's gotten duller.
Only 2–3 movies a year.
I'd rather have him make 2–3 dramas — at least those last longer."
"Man, don't be picky.
He's got billions now.
The fact that he's still working and not retired on a beach somewhere is already a miracle."
"Fair."
As 'Your Name' cooled down, so did the audience.
The New Year and Spring Festival seasons were basically back-to-back.
About a month after New Year's came the Lunar New Year, according to the old Zhou calendar.
'Your Name' still had momentum, but the entire industry had already shifted to Spring Festival promotions.
Seven out of Zhou's top ten films of all time came from Spring Festival releases —
Proving just how critical this window was.
Big-budget blockbusters — films confident in smashing records — all picked this time to launch.
Bluestar Media &Film was no exception.
They poured tens of millions into ads and ticket subsidies for 'Castle in the Sky'.
Technically, Jing Yu wasn't the lead this time — he played the villain.
But the marketing team didn't care.
They shoved his limited role front and center on posters and trailers —
Same billing as the protagonist, occupying the visual "center" spot.
This was the exact issue Jing Yu had always worried about — overshadowing.
The actor playing Pazu was a popular rising star, a respected young talent.
But on discussion forums for 'Castle in the Sky', his name showed up less than one-tenth as often as Jing Yu's.
The popularity gap was obvious.
So marketing had no choice — they had to make Jing Yu the face of the campaign.
By late January, Jing Yu also began a new promotional tour for the film.
The entire Bluestar team, especially those on Castle's side, was working nonstop.
Jing Yu sat in the back of the car, flipping through profiles of rival Spring Festival releases.
Fantasy, romance, comedy, action, military thrillers — everything under the sun.
In most seasons, a film with a 200+ million investment was considered massive.
But this year?
There were six films — including 'Castle in the Sky' — over that threshold.
"Feeling the pressure?
Your first Spring Festival release," Cheng Lie asked.
"Pressure?
Nah.
It's a 300-million film — even if it makes nothing, it won't dent us," Jing Yu replied.
Filthy rich. Cheng Lie froze.
"I don't mean the money.
I mean the streak.
You've topped every release window since you started:
'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' won the summer.
'Love Letter' won Qixi.
'A Girl Who Leapt Through Time' won Qixi again.
'Your Name'? Already crushed New Year's.
Now everyone — fans and rivals alike — is watching to see if 'Castle in the Sky' will take Spring Festival too."
"Who can say?" Jing Yu smiled.
"But if you do win it...
You'll have created the perfect record — undefeated across every seasonal window.
That would seriously boost your industry clout."
"Hopefully.
But no one stays on top forever.
Zhou has plenty of talented people.
If my films lose someday, that's normal," Jing Yu said, a gleam in his eye.
"But I just watched the trailers and intros for this year's Spring Festival films…"
"And honestly?
Nothing's really impressed me."
"So…?"
"Let's give it a shot.
No need to force it, but let's go for it."
Their conversation ended there — just enough to hint at what came next.
And Cheng Lie understood:
Jing Yu was probably about to approve more funding for 'Castle in the Sky''s promotions.
He always acted casual about results.
"Maybe it'll flop."
"Anything's possible."
But deep down?
If there was even a chance to win, he would pull every string to make it happen.
They fell silent as the car returned to headquarters.
Only five days remained until Spring Festival.
The next day, the company approved the additional promotional budget.
With the holidays nearing, most employees were prepping for break.
Before that, Jing Yu held a company-wide annual meeting.
Every single employee — hundreds in total — received a bonus worth more than a year's salary.
Last year's company profits were insane.
Even just 2% of net profit set aside for bonuses meant tens of millions.
After the party, only the 'Castle in the Sky' crew remained on duty.
And so, time finally arrived on the last day of the Zhou lunar calendar —
The eve of Spring Festival.