"So that's everything for today's meeting. Dismissed."
As Jing Yu gave the closing remark, the tense atmosphere in the conference room finally relaxed.
Lately, he'd been calling for meetings frequently—understandable, given the sheer volume of work happening all at once.
The gaming division's aggressive expansion, several film productions in progress, and the development and release of the highly popular 'Ultraman' game...
Jing Yu himself was overwhelmed. Despite Bluestar Media's strong growth over the past few years, he hadn't felt this swamped since his earlier days acting for TV stations.
He could now relate to why emperors in ancient times often had short lifespans. Beyond poisonous alchemy, sheer exhaustion was probably a major factor.
Running a company was hard enough—running a country? Unimaginable.
"You're so worn out—why not take a break? You don't need to push yourself to the point of having no time to breathe," said Yu Youqing after the others had left the meeting room.
She couldn't understand why Jing Yu was still pushing himself this hard. He and Bluestar had already made it.
"Paddling against the current—you either advance, or get swept back," Jing Yu replied with a shake of his head.
Timing was critical in business. This was the age of the internet's rise. If he slowed down now, catching up later could take twice as long.
Yes, he was a transmigrator with access to a redemption panel full of blockbuster IPs, but his true advantage was still just raw capability.
There were others in Great Zhou with more money or connections. Everyone had their own background or game-changing tools. Jing Yu had advantages, sure—but so did the native elite of this world.
Just like how a certain search engine "Baidu" in his past life had started as the leader of BTAs, but lost ground due to a single wrong step, falling behind forever.
"You still need to take care of your body," Yu Youqing reminded him.
"I mean, you barely act now, but you're still diving into production work on set. You're trying too hard."
She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
She and Xia Yining—both founding members of Bluestar Media & Films—had more or less stopped acting.
Because they'd already peaked.
Thanks to the sheer number of dramas and films they had starred in under Jing Yu, they'd remained in the Top 4 most popular actresses in Great Zhou for five consecutive years.
Sometimes they'd dip temporarily when Jing Yu cast someone else as the female lead, but they'd always bounce back.
As for wealth? Jing Yu was worth billions—just in cash. That didn't even include the massive value of his IP library.
Bluestar Media's cash reserves were public, but if Jing Yu took the company public, the copyright value alone would skyrocket his "paper" net worth several times over.
But that didn't matter much.
Everyone on the board had already achieved financial freedom. Even Yu Youqing and Xia Yining were worth over a billion each.
Staying in the grind of frontline acting didn't really make sense anymore. They had both fame and fortune.
"Look at Xia Yining. Ever since we went public with our relationship, she's been traveling all over the country just to get away from it. You should do the same," Yu Youqing said after a pause.
Back when she and Jing Yu confirmed their relationship, Xia Yining had spiraled. She knew she'd lost in their unspoken love triangle. Though she'd gradually recovered, the resentment hadn't entirely faded—especially when she was around the two of them.
But there wasn't much Jing Yu or Yu Youqing could do—Xia Yining had to work through it herself.
"It's almost time. Just a few more years. Once the company's framework is fully stable—able to run without me while still producing top-tier content—that's when I'll start stepping back. Maybe just pop out a new project now and then to maintain some fan engagement," Jing Yu said, looking at her beautiful, fair-skinned face with a smile.
"And at that point… We'll get married."
"Oh." Yu Youqing's expression was first indifferent, thinking Jing Yu was just deflecting again. Then her eyes widened.
"M-M-Married?!"
They'd been dating for two or three years now, deeply familiar with each other. Joking around as a couple wasn't unusual. But this topic shift still left her stunned.
"What? You don't want to?" Jing Yu blinked, now slightly nervous himself.
"No—it's not that! Just… is this your way of proposing?" Yu Youqing asked, blushing.
"Proposing? What's that? Do we really need to go through the motions?" Jing Yu scratched his head.
"Well, it should be more formal! Like a proposal ceremony or something…" Yu Youqing stammered.
"All those fireworks, candles, rings—that's just drama bait for fans. With your net worth, there's no such thing as a 'valuable' gift, right? So I didn't plan anything flashy."
He tapped his chin.
"But if you really want, I can hold a press conference tomorrow. Full tux. Public proposal."
"Don't you dare! I'd die of secondhand embarrassment!" Yu Youqing shot him a glare.
"Then… you really mean it? Once the company's stable… We'll get married?" she asked in a low voice, her ears red, eyes avoiding his.
"Yes. I mean it," Jing Yu replied with a serious nod.
He was a naturally reserved person. In all his years in Great Zhou, only a few people had truly entered his world.
Yu Youqing. Xia Yining. Cheng Lie.
Of course, Cheng Lie was a business partner and friend—their relationship was half emotional, half strategic.
But with Yu Youqing and Xia Yining, feelings had been real. Since he'd chosen Yu Youqing first, he owed her that loyalty.
He reached out, pulling her into a hug.
"Don't worry, I'm not just making empty promises. Screw waiting until the company is fully 'ready'—business is unpredictable. I could even screw it up. No matter what, we'll get married within three years. Your mom practically said it outright when I visited last time," he said with a grin.
Yu Youqing understood exactly what he meant.
Regardless of how things turned out, Jing Yu would marry her within three years.
He was already 32. He could afford to wait. But Yu Youqing couldn't—not really. They were the same age.
Her family had been pressuring her heavily. They were terrified their daughter would waste her youth on a man in the industry who might just dump her later for some 18-year-old rising star.
And with Jing Yu's current status, that'd be all too easy. Promise someone a supporting role, and they'd throw themselves at him.
He'd never felt the urgency before, but after that chat with her mother, he realized he'd been wrong. You couldn't just date forever and never commit. That was halfway to being a jerk.
"Don't listen to my mom—she doesn't know anything. Always overthinking because of those entertainment gossip pieces…" Yu Youqing said quickly.
Jing Yu let the topic drop.
But from that day on, something shifted between them—something subtle, but deep.
They were even closer than before.
—
December, Week 1.
Episode 11 of 'Attack on Titan' aired.
It was, without a doubt, the most anticipated episode yet.
Its opening viewership exceeded 13.5%, and half the ten-minute pre-show ad block was dedicated to previewing it.
Comments flooded every major site, forum, and fan group.
If your eyes weren't fast enough, you couldn't even read what others were saying.
A full-on fan movement had formed—analyzing the lore, speculating plot twists, and theorizing identities of future Titan shifters.
"Been waiting all week—finally Saturday!"
"I usually sleep by 10, but I'm up past 11 just for this!"
"One week for this one Eren transformation…"
"Who's stronger? Eren or the Female Titan?"
"I still haven't gotten over Petra's death…"
"Levi's gonna snap. His squad got wiped out. What will he do?"
"Mikasa's barely had screen time. Come on, your boy's getting hunted!"
"Honestly, they should've paired up Mikasa and Levi. Eren's just relying on his Titan form. His base stats are meh."
"Still don't know who the Colossal Titan is. Or the Armored Titan. Now there's a Female Titan too?! How many of them are there?!"
"This show is so good, I'm scared it'll mess up the ending. I heard the script's still being written. The director's also working on 'Spirited Away' and the 'Evangelion' movie…"
"That's not all! Rumors say Bluestar Media is developing a 'Rurouni Kenshin' action RPG, a 'Steins;Gate' sequel puzzle game, a 'Initial D' racing game, a new 'Fate' RPG, and post-production for 'Ultraman' and 'Gundam' games. All scheduled for next quarter. And the director's handling two films at the same time!"
"Does he still write game scripts himself?"
"Of course! That's how 'Fate' was made. He writes the story, the music—everything. Directs if he feels like it. That's the Old Thief."
Right as fans were mid-rant, episode 11 began.
The story picked up where it left off: Eren and the Female Titan were about to clash.
As the Attack Titan let out a furious roar, the fight began.
It was brutal.
Blood. Violence. Grit.
But...
Eren lost.
A "plot loss," as fans would call it.
The Female Titan used a fighting technique familiar to Eren—clearly belonging to someone he knew.
He hesitated.
And in that split second, she smashed his head in and swallowed his real body whole.
"She... ate him?!"
"He'll be fine, right? It's the second time he's been swallowed."
"Maybe he'll transform inside her stomach like last time?"
"No way. That fight was so intense—Eren shouldn't have lost. Total plot device."
"He's strong, but impulsive. The Female Titan is calm. No screaming, no blind rage."
"Right? Eren always screams like a dying boar when he transforms. Honestly, it's annoying."
"And he lost focus just because she used martial arts? C'mon. He's a soldier! What kind of protagonist has such fragile mental resilience?"
Despite the rants, the ratings kept climbing.
After Eren's defeat came Mikasa's furious counterattack, showcasing just how terrifying she was when protective.
In 'Attack on Titan', humans using omni-directional mobility gear come in two tiers:
Tier 1: Mikasa and Levi—literal gods
Tier 2: Everyone else—fodder
Aside from unkillable monsters like the Colossal Titan, these two were the true kings of the battlefield.
The episode's final scene focused on Levi discovering the corpses of his fallen squad.
His expression didn't change.
But the subtle sorrow—the grief hidden in that blank stare—was clear to anyone watching.
The camera lingered.
And then—Levi and Mikasa teamed up to strike back.
That moment alone was worth the entire episode.
Special effects for Levi and Mikasa's fight scenes were the most expensive in the series—especially Levi's future scene fighting the Beast Titan, which would set a new FX standard.
But even now, the visuals stunned viewers.
Episode 11 averaged a 14.21% rating, with a peak of 15.06% during the final fight.
Even at these heights, 'Attack on Titan' continued its relentless weekly climb.