In the autumn broadcast season, Yunteng TV launched Six new dramas.
Two of them had investment budgets of 40 million and 50 million, another two were smaller productions at 30 million, and the remaining two were morning-slot dramas with just over 10 million in funding.
The two highest-investment dramas were scheduled to take over the time slots previously held by 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Steins;Gate', and their lead actors were the same: Yu Youqing, Xia Yining, Wu He, and Li He — not a single change in the main cast.
The intention was clear.
After the huge ratings success of the previous season, audiences still had residual viewing loyalty. If the cast remained the same, then even without Jing Yu writing, the ratings might not drop too much — or so they hoped.
And initially, things looked promising.
In the first week, the two shows recorded ratings of 4.29% and 3.65%, and the audience feedback was fairly positive.
Fans of 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Steins;Gate' said:
"Not bad. At least the cast is familiar."
In week two, the ratings climbed slightly to 4.35% and 3.77%, which got the mid-to-upper-level staff at Yunteng TV very excited.
But by week three...
The ratings dropped to 4.03% and 3.22% — a clear downward trend that cast a shadow over both production teams.
Nostalgia only carries you so far.
One or two weeks is fine, but by the third week?
Even loyal fans of 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Steins;Gate' had lost interest.
At the end of the day, the story is king.
And while the scripts for both dramas weren't bad, it was clear from the numbers:
They just didn't measure up.
Soon after, headlines began appearing online:
"Yunteng TV's Two Autumn Dramas Show Weakness by Week Three."
"Nostalgia Isn't Enough: Ratings Continue to Drop."
"Yunteng TV's Summer Glory Fades — Only One Drama in the Top Ten, and It's Ranked #10."
"Fans of 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Steins;Gate' Say New Dramas Lack Soul, Confusing and Boring Plots."
The sweltering July quietly came to an end.
At Yunteng TV, inside Jing Yu's office—
Cheng Lie burst through the door again, only to find Jing Yu tinkering with merchandise designs for his game adaptation.
He looked completely helpless.
"Teacher Jing Yu, where's the script you promised me back in early July? It's now August and you still haven't written a word!"
"Don't panic."
"How can I not panic? Do you know how many times Director Meng has brought this up recently? Just yesterday, he asked me about it four times! I had to lie and say you were in a deep scriptwriting retreat."
"If you hadn't hinted at the Silver Dragon Awards that you'd release a new winter season drama, it wouldn't be this bad! Now everyone at Yunteng believes you're going to make a comeback."
"The six major networks got burned hard last season — they're gearing up for revenge in winter. If you suddenly back out, people will say you chickened out. The fans will be disappointed too!"
Thus began another round of Cheng Lie's "every-three-days" speech.
Half an hour later, Jing Yu finally gave in.
"Alright, alright! I'll give you the script next week, okay?!"
"You said that on the 13th of last month, too," Cheng Lie muttered.
"I mean it this time! Cross my heart — if I delay again, may my future son get a cup of instant noodles with no flavor packet inside!"
"…What?"
"What kind of father would curse his future child like that?" Cheng Lie said, dumbfounded.
"Alright, alright! I swear, I won't flake this time. Trust me."
"A man's promise," Cheng Lie stared at him.
"Understood. Now get out — I've got stuff to do. Keep talking and you'll eat up even more of my time."
Cheng Lie left with a sour expression.
Inside the office, Jing Yu looked out at the bustling streets of Modo below.
"Welp… Couch Potato Time is officially over."
The reason Jing Yu had been stalling on the script was simple:
He knew that once he handed it in, his break would be over.
Per his contract, he earned 11% of the script fee and 10% in royalties from 'Hikaru no Go'.
For 'Steins;Gate', he received 9% of the script fee and 7% in royalties.
Acting fees and music-related income added another 4 to 5 million.
Just from scriptwriting, Jing Yu had already pocketed 14 million yuan.
But the real money was in royalties.
Conservative estimates said that, in the next 1–2 years, royalties alone could bring him tens of millions.
In Great Zhou, being a screenwriter could already be lucrative.
Being a famous screenwriter? Even more so.
But being a famous screenwriter who signed a profit-sharing deal with Yunteng TV?
That was hitting the jackpot.
Take Lin Bin from Huanshi TV, for example — even with all the bonuses from 'You, Under the Cliff', he probably maxed out at 15 million total.
But Jing Yu?
If merchandise sales for 'Hikaru no Go' went well, just his royalty income alone could reach 30 to 40 million in the next 1–2 years.
And these were long-tail earnings —
Both 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Steins;Gate' were the kind of shows that would continue to sell for decades.
Not just a one-time cash grab.
Yet despite making so much money, he hadn't even spent much of it.
Barely a month of taking it easy — and now he had to return to the brutal grind of filming.
"I get why Togashi keeps taking breaks now... So jealous," Jing Yu muttered.
But as for the next show, he had already made up his mind.
He opened his system panel.
Thanks to the success of his two dramas, Jing Yu had accumulated a total of 13 million fan points.
A show like 'Hikaru no Go' had earned enough points for him to exchange for two more series.
But not all shows were suitable for live-action adaptations.
Stuff like Naruto or One Piece?
Sure, they made great anime — but live-action? Total disaster. No one wanted to watch that cringe.
Even with tons of points, Jing Yu didn't waste them. He played it safe.
His next choice?
'Initial D'
A classic racing series that was perfect for live-action adaptation.
A show that was also a big part of his childhood — and a series filled with iconic memes.
He remembered back when he was getting his driver's license in his past life, he'd watch 'Initial D' episodes and post comments like:
"Taking my driving test today — pray for me, God of Racing!"
He thought he was the only one doing that, but when he looked closer, there were thousands of similar comments under the very first episode.
If he'd felt nervous adapting 'Steins;Gate' — unsure whether it would flop —
Then with 'Initial D', he had zero worries. This one was rock solid.
Like 'Hikaru no Go', even if you don't know anything about Go or cars, the show was still engaging.
And racing had much broader appeal than Go ever did.
Jing Yu cleared his mind, confirmed the exchange.
In an instant, millions of fan points disappeared from his total.
Then—
[You have spent 500,000 fan points to redeem: Master-Level Street Racing Skill Manual!]
The exchange window popped up.
"Yep... knew this was coming," Jing Yu chuckled.
When he redeemed 'Steins;Gate', the system obviously didn't give him a time machine.
Same with 'Another' — no death curses included.
But with 'Initial D'?
Come on.
It's all realistic driving stunts — like drifting downhill with both hands off the wheel, casually smoking a cigarette, and still keeping the water in your cup from spilling.
Totally within human capability — so the system is giving him a driving skills upgrade?
Totally reasonable.