By mid-March, the winter season dramas in Xia Nation wrapped up one after another.
This season, Sakura TV's 'Rain in Hudu: The Sequel' dominated the charts for ten straight weeks, clinching the undisputed seasonal crown.
Akasaka Yoshitoki looked over the season's ratings data, his eyes lingering on 'Life is Strange' with a smug smile.
"Hah. So that's all your so-called genius can manage, Su Yan? You really thought just airing one of your dramas meant an automatic ratings crown? Heh..."
"Landing in fourth place this time is just the beginning. Next quarter, let's see how your little cyberpunk drama flops."
In Xia, cyberpunk dramas were rare. There were more films in that genre, but most had a lackluster performance.
In Akasaka's eyes, choosing such a niche topic—and producing it as an S-tier drama—was career suicide.
He summoned his assistant and instructed them to coordinate with familiar media outlets and critics to write pieces disparaging 'Life is Strange' and casting doubt on Su Yan.
"Now... It's time for the real main event."
Akasaka shifted his attention to another folder on his desk.
It was the internal information on Sakura TV's upcoming S-tier spring season drama, 'The Black Gate'
The project was helmed by:
Sun Yanjie, an award-winning gold-tier screenwriter with two previous S-tier dramas under his belt
His long-time producer partner, Shen Wentao, is one of Akasaka's most successful lieutenants.
Ren Xiang, the director who had won Best Director a decade ago for 'Summer Soul.'
It would star Xia Nation A-lister Bai Jing and two-time Best Actor winner Chao Kaijin.
A total investment of ¥72 million had gone into this mystery-fantasy epic: 'The Black Gate'
Akasaka's confidence was sky-high.
For the past few years, the Big Three networks hadn't put their full effort into producing high-investment dramas—not because they couldn't, but because they chose not to.
Why bother with risky S-tier productions when A-tier dramas could easily bring in guaranteed profits?
But now?
Now they were serious. And once the Big Three took things seriously, no one like Su Yan would be allowed to "sneak away" with another seasonal crown as he had with 'Your Lie in April'.
"Aozora TV?"
"What kind of joke network is that?"
"And Su Yan—what are you even pretending to be? Just because you have a little talent, you think you're above everyone?"
Akasaka's eyes flashed cold.
"I'll show you what a giant in this industry looks like when it gets serious, Su Yan."
He would never forget the humiliation and mockery Su Yan had brought him.
Even though 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' would air on Zhongxia TV, not Sakura TV—
He wasn't worried.
The broadcast platform was just one factor. More important were:
Budget
Promotion
Production team strength
Star power
Sure, Su Yan had made money off 'Your Lie in April', but could his team's production standards really match the top-tier in-house teams at the Big Three?
Zhongxia had acquired 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners', but that made it an imported series, not an in-house one.
Yes, it would get promo resources—but definitely not on par with a self-produced show.
And as for the cast...
Su Yan, Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan—while still popular—
'Life is Strange's fourth-place finish had already exposed some cracks.
If the story wasn't strong or the genre wasn't mainstream, the audience wouldn't just blindly show up.
And clearly, cyberpunk, like 'Life is Strange's crime-fantasy genre, was not mainstream.
"S-tier dramas are a different beast from A-tier."
"An A-tier drama might break even at 4%—but for an S-tier? That'd be a bloodbath."
Akasaka sneered.
"You finally made a little money after leaving Sakura TV, Su Yan—don't blow it all now."
Two days later, all the major Xia networks launched their spring season promotions in full force.
The most anticipated, of course, were the three S-tier dramas from the Big Three networks.
From Hudu TV came the fantasy epic 'South Dreams', starring three top celebrities.
Its trailer alone surpassed 10 million views on the day it dropped, topping trending charts across all four major streaming platforms.
With a budget of ¥74 million and Best Actress winner Lin Xuan in the lead role, plus stunning visual effects—
Audiences, after two years of back-to-back modern, campus, crime, and mystery dramas, were ecstatic.
[ "Finally, some real VFX eye candy again!" ]
Xia audiences weren't much different from those in Su Yan's previous life—who didn't love high-production dramas with cool effects?
But the Big Three had stopped making those types of shows for years.
The audience could only watch whatever was offered.
And then—
The next day, Sakura TV dropped the trailer for 'The Black Gate.'
It went live across TV and all four major streaming platforms.
Audiences knew these trailers rarely gave away actual plot details. Their main purpose was to showcase the genre, quality, and hype factor of the show—maybe tease one or two narrative hooks.
And it worked.
'The Black Gate' delivered plenty of hooks.
From its director and production team to its high-profile cast, to the provocative lines dropped in just thirty seconds—
The trailer sent Xia's drama fans into a frenzy.
That night, 'The Black Gate' trended nonstop.
Forums exploded.
Critics churned out think pieces by the hour.
This was the massive promotional wave everyone expected.
Both Sakura TV and Hudu TV went all-in with nonstop, full-coverage marketing for their S-tier dramas.
To Xia drama fans, the message was clear:
[ "This is a banquet for the senses!" ]
[ "We're gonna be eating good next season." ]
And it didn't stop there.
March 22 – 'The Black Gate' trailer goes viral.
March 23 – Zhongxia TV announced that 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' would drop its first official trailer at 7 PM, airing on:
TV broadcast
Official Zhongxia TV website
All four major streaming platforms
The moment the news hit—
Su Yan's fanbase came roaring back.
And with them... came the haters.
[ "He's back!" ]
[ "Thank you, Su Yan—you've finally made the Big Three panic. For once, I'm not worried about drama drought next season—I'm worried about how I'm gonna find time to watch them all." ]
[ "I dropped 'Life is Strange'—too heavy for me. Hopefully this new one's more fun. I'm expecting constant shootouts, cyber tech, and action scenes! Su Yan hasn't done action since 'Rurouni Kenshin'. I'm hyped to see him throw down again." ]
[ "If this turns into 'Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu' slicing through a cybercity? I'll be worshipping this show!" ]
[ "The Big Three have money! Stop feeding us mid-tier A-dramas and give us these high-effort, high-VFX spectacles already!" ]
[ "Looks like those old 'gold-tier' writers and producers couldn't stand watching Su Yan stir up the market anymore. They're finally coming out of retirement to 'teach the rookie a lesson'?" ]
[ "Teach him a lesson? You think too highly of them. Who in Xia Nation's industry dares claim they could win a season crown while airing on Aozora TV?" ]
[ "That was a fluke. You Su Yan fans are seriously overhyping him. One lucky hit and you think he's some legendary genius? If he's so amazing, why did 'Life is Strange' only finish fourth this season?" ]
[ "Are your eyes broken? It scored a 9.5 by the end. The genre wasn't even made for mass appeal—still got fourth. What more do you want?" ]
[ "I'm talking about ratings, not scores. Bottom line is: if he's so great, let's see him win next season. Better yet—take the yearly crown." ]
[ "Oh, don't worry—he will. Su Yan-sensei has an S-tier drama next quarter, too. The trailer's dropping tonight. You're acting like he's already lost?" ]
[ "He did just place fourth. So what's there to brag about? Even if he has an S-tier show on Zhongxia TV, out of the three, his 'Cyberpunk' thing is definitely the weakest." ]
[ "Cyberpunk genre? Please. I'll say it now—it's gonna FLOP." ]
[ "Wow, someone's bitter. Is slandering Su Yan all you've got?" ]
[ "Slander? Look, Su Yan's success over the past year only happened because the veteran teams weren't active. Now that the big guns are back, let's see how this so-called genius holds up." ]
Three S-tier dramas airing in the same season?
Rare. Monumental.
The spring season had gathered a cast of superstars and elite creatives from all over the Xia film and television world.
The fandoms of actors, screenwriters, and directors were already clashing online.
On the night 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' dropped its trailer—
Su Yan's fans and detractors clashed hard.
The forums were in chaos.
But as the clock neared 7 PM, the arguments suddenly quieted.
Everyone went silent.
Because—
The trailer for 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' was going live.