Su Yan was never someone who procrastinated. Once he decided what to make, he started writing the scripts that very afternoon.
Even if it was an adaptation, many details still had to change.
For 'Tokyo Love Story', some subtle cultural differences between Tokyo in his previous life and the Tokyo of the Sakura Archipelago in Xia Nation had to be adjusted.
Then there was 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
The core designs of the five-color magical girl team definitely had to be preserved, but once it came to real-life transformations, many post-transformation details would need reworking.
Some looks that fit perfectly in animation simply wouldn't translate well into live action.
In his past life, Su Yan had seen plenty of cosplayers at conventions—people with great looks and impressive craftsmanship—yet the result still felt awkward.
The reason was simple: the adaptation was too faithful.
Animation and television drama were fundamentally different media.
Of course, the overall style wouldn't change. Only certain details would be refined so that the final live-action result better matched Xia Nation's mainstream aesthetic.
These considerations alone took quite a bit of thought.
Although 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' had finished airing, its popularity showed no signs of fading.
On ZhongxiaNet, paid views for 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' continued to climb, with a steady stream of new viewers joining.
In the Xia Nation, many people were too busy with work or studies to follow TV broadcasts in real time. When they turned to streaming platforms, they simply followed the biggest, most talked-about show.
A seasonal champion that broke a five-year record—and stirred massive controversy—'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' was the obvious first choice.
Thanks to its explosive success, Su Yan's earlier works—'An ancient love song', 'Rurouni Kenshin', 'Your Lie in April', and 'To the Moon'—also saw a surge in online sales.
Even though Su Yan had left Sakura TV, the royalties owed to him as a screenwriter still had to be paid.
By now, a full week had passed since 'Edgerunners' ended. Fans had finished celebrating, finished raging—and finally started thinking clearly again.
Wait… wasn't there a movie teaser after the ending credits back then?
Also by Su Yan, and with a release date coming up soon.
That was exactly how TV advertising worked: leave a faint impression first.
Once full-scale promotion for 'The Garden of Words' began, that memory would be reinforced immediately.
So after emerging from the emotional wreckage left by 'Edgerunners', many Su Yan fans naturally turned their attention to 'The Garden of Words'.
["Movie? This is Su Yan's first film, right?"]
["He filmed 'Edgerunners' and still had time to shoot a movie?"]
["'The Garden of Words'—that's a strange title. Does anyone know what it's about?"]
["Probably a romance film."]
["July is packed with releases. There are already three movies with budgets over 100 million, and more than seventeen films total releasing in July. Can Su Yan's movie really perform well?"
["Then let's support it at the box office."]
["Exactly."]
["After 'Edgerunners', I'm kind of scared to watch anything by him again."]
["Yeah, Su Yan isn't exactly kind—but he's still better than other writers feeding us garbage. I'll watch it if I have time."]
["Rumor says the investment was over 40 million."]
["That's nonsense. Filming cost was about 20 million, plus another 20 million for promotion."]
["Isn't that the same? Spring Festival films claim 400–500 million budgets too—only 100 million on production, the rest on marketing."]
["Fair point."]
["Still, there's no real trailer yet."]
["But the cast list is out: Su Yan as male lead, Gu Qingyuan as female lead, Shen Liqian in a guest role."]
["These three again!"]
["No choice. They're basically a golden combo now. Any romance with them pulls in fans from 'Edgerunners', 'Rurouni Kenshin', and 'An ancient love song'."]
["Maybe that's intentional. Kill characters in dramas, then let all that regret transfer onto the actors themselves."]
["That actually makes sense."]
["Makes sense, my ass! Su Yan is just messed up and enjoys our suffering! And what's worse—I'm messed up too. I swear I won't watch his stuff again, but every time he releases something new, I still go!"]
["Basically, Su Yan fans are masochists."]
["Now you're making me feel like a pervert."]
["Let's at least wait for 'The Garden of Words' trailer. If it looks good, we'll support it in theaters."]
["After all, it's his first film."]
By now, the emotional backlash had mostly faded, and fans' attitudes toward Su Yan softened—along with growing curiosity about 'The Garden of Words'.
Over the next few days, online discussion steadily increased.
By late June, Xia Nation's spring TV season officially ended.
'South Dreams' and 'The Black Gate' concluded with ratings of 5.13% and 5.35%, never posing even the slightest threat to 'Edgerunners'.
At this point, industry insiders understood:
Not just the seasonal champion—the annual champion was 99% certain to be 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'.
If records were so easy to break, 'Blazing Dawn' wouldn't have held 5.52% for five years.
Now, 'Edgerunners' has raised the five-year ceiling to 5.65%.
Hoping for a miracle from the big three TV networks in the second half of the year was unrealistic.
Last year, 'Your Lie in April' could still be overtaken with a late push.
But this year—
Whether Sakura TV or Hudu TV liked it or not, they had to swallow it.
At next year's Xia Flame Awards, the committee wouldn't dare pull any tricks—nominating 'Edgerunners' without awarding it.
Otherwise, the ceremony would lose all credibility.
As everything settled, Dimensional Pictures leapt straight into the ranks of Xia Nation's top drama production companies.
Only one year old. Only two works have been released.
Yet no one dared question its status—or Su Yan's.
Absolutely top-tier.
On Monday, after more than a week of work, Su Yan finally finished the full script for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', along with the first three episodes of 'Tokyo Love Story'.
He could have written all of 'Tokyo Love Story' in one go—but that would look absurd internally.
No screenwriter finished two full dramas in one or two weeks, even if they knew the whole story.
Genius was fine. Freak wasn't.
'Madoka' needed a complete script upfront for VFX planning—non-negotiable.
But 'Tokyo Love Story' could start filming with just the opening episodes; later scripts could follow.
The first thing Su Yan did upon arriving at the office was find Shinozaki Ikumi.
Summer was approaching. She wore a long black dress, hair pinned up. As Vice Chairwoman, there was authority in her expression—but when she saw Su Yan and the two folders in his hands, her eyes lit up.
"Two new scripts?" she asked eagerly.
"Yes."
Su Yan handed her the folders.
"One is complete. The other just has the opening."
"'Tokyo Love Story'?"
She opened the folder, glanced at the title, then looked at Su Yan again.
In the Xia Nation, Tokyo was still the capital of the Sakura Island. Su Yan could have renamed it 'Hudu Love Story' or 'Imperial Capital Love Story', but there was no need.
He knew his limits: unless necessary, don't alter the original framework.
The characters' values—Rika's directness, Kanji's indecision, Satomi and Kenichi's personalities—were fundamentally different from mainland Xia Nation norms.
Forcing the setting into Hudu or the Imperial Capital would feel awkward.
Better to leave it in Tokyo.
That way, no extra effort was needed to justify their mindsets.
Shinozaki Ikumi sat down and quietly read.
By the end of Episode 1—
Rika and Kanji's nighttime farewell.
Both hesitated, each wanting the other to leave first, until they finally agreed to turn around together.
They turned.
Kanji sensed something wrong, turned back—
And saw Rika's bright, cheerful smile behind him.
At that moment, not only Kanji in the script, but Shinozaki Ikumi's heart skipped a beat.
An entire episode of buildup paid off in that single glance.
She could already picture the scene on screen.
"Su Yan, you're single, right?" she asked, incredulous.
"Yes. Do you think I have time to date?" he replied, sipping coffee, eyes still on his computer.
"Then how do you understand this so well?" She pointed at the script.
"This is the first time—out of all your works—that a first-episode character has made my heart race. Rika is incredibly captivating."
"Talent. And a bit of effort," Su Yan said casually.
Talent?
Effort?
Her gaze grew strange.
Unconvincing—but somehow undeniable.
In her mind, two words surfaced:
Incredible.
Maybe this was just how geniuses worked.
She continued reading.
The tangled four-way relationship—Kenichi, Satomi, Rika, Kanji.
Rika's iconic lines. Her bold, unconventional yet irresistible view of love.
Episode 2:
"So you think liking someone means you can be with anyone?"
"Then tell me—how do you not fall in love?"
Then Episode 3 ended—
With the male lead's confession.
And the final line of Episode 3, Rika smiling brightly at Kanji:
"Let's sleep together."
"Pfft—"
Shinozaki Ikumi's expression turned spectacular.
That was fast.