Every day, millions of Su Yan's fans flooded the official website of Dimensional Pictures, eagerly checking for any new updates on his upcoming dramas.
On the site, character posters for both 'Tokyo Love Story' and 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' had already been released.
Su Yan played Nagao Kanji, Shen Liqian played Akana Rika, and Gu Qingyuan portrayed Sekiguchi Satomi.
The setting was about thirty years ago, when Xia Nation's technology hadn't yet boomed, and its economy was still in a rapid development phase.
Though the characters' clothing was made to reflect that time, it was also tailored to modern aesthetic sensibilities.
Once the posters dropped, fans left comments and discussions on the site every single day.
And it wasn't just 'Tokyo Love Story' getting attention—'Puella Magi Madoka Magica''s JK (high school girl) costume designs drew massive interest, especially from anime fans.
Shen Liqian had already played a JK character—Kaori Miyazono—back in April, so her role didn't surprise fans much. But Gu Qingyuan hadn't done anything similar before. And with the other three members of the "five-colored squad" played by rising second-tier actresses in Xia Nation, the overall visuals were jaw-dropping.
[Visuals? Literal peak Xia Nation drama-level visuals!]
[Five JK heroines in a magical girl story? Even if there's no male lead, we'll just enjoy the eye candy!]
As the buzz from 'The Garden of Words' faded, hype for 'Tokyo Love Story' and 'Madoka' rose—especially 'Tokyo Love Story', which topped Xia Nation's "Most Anticipated Upcoming Drama" list in August by a wide margin.
But everything changed on August 20th.
That day, Sakura TV launched full-scale promotional efforts for its October drama 'Blood Route'.
Even a 30-second preview trailer was released.
Immediately, 'Blood Route' dominated trending charts on all four major streaming platforms.
Based on the trailer, the show resembled the brutal "school death game" genre popular in Su Yan's past life across Japan and the Korean peninsula—bloody, grotesque, and twisted. Turning schools—symbols of innocence—into hellscapes of survival.
This style of drama was brand new to the Xia Nation.
To local viewers, it was thrillingly novel.
That same day, Shinozaki Ikumi, Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan, and director Shi Peihua watched the overwhelming coverage of 'Blood Route' with visible concern on their faces.
Even they, just from the trailer, were deeply intrigued.
[ "So… Akiyama Shunsuke really went all-in?" ]
Had Akasaka Yoshitoki called in all his favors?
In the following days, 'Blood Route's cast, director, and Akiyama Shunsuke made frequent appearances on Sakura TV's variety shows and interviews.
The message they sent was clear:
"'Blood Route' will be the undisputed king of the fall season. No matter who it competes against, or what records they've previously set—we'll crush them."
They even mentioned a historical figure: Yao Yanbin, an infamous traitor during the Xia Nation's war-torn past, comparable to Lü Bu in Su Yan's previous world.
Yao had betrayed many lords, only to die at the hands of the very leader he first turned on.
The metaphor was obvious—and everyone knew who they were implying.
Akiyama Shunsuke wasn't just claiming dominance—he was branding Su Yan a traitor and promising to destroy him on Sakura TV's behalf.
[ "That's… bold." ]
With the runaway success of 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners', Su Yan's status in the TV world was indisputable. His 60-million-yuan production 'Tokyo Love Story' hadn't even begun promotions yet, but everyone knew what its target was.
Seasonal champion—nothing less.
Even Hudou TV had trimmed its A-tier drama budgets for October, understanding it had no chance to compete and choosing not to waste money.
But Sakura TV?
They went all-in with 'Blood Route'.
And now the creative team was going so far as to trash-talk publicly.
This was no longer subtle—it was a direct, public challenge.
Su Yan, though still in Sakura Island, didn't take the insult lightly.
"Akasaka Yoshitoki must be truly out of options," he said with a smile.
He knew exactly what Akasaka was doing.
The man had only one path left: beat Su Yan.
If he lost, he'd be removed.
So why hold back? Why not say outrageous things? Stir controversy?
If he won, he'd be a hero.
If he lost… he'd be gone anyway.
Su Yan thought for a moment, then opened his laptop.
If they wanted to stir the pot—he'd gladly oblige.
He logged into his official account and posted:
"From the first episode to the last, 'Tokyo Love Story' will not lose in ratings even once—no matter who it faces."
Two drama creators, just days apart, are making bold statements online?
Boom. The Xia Nation drama scene just exploded.
Su Yan's fans were fired up:
[ "It's starting… my favorite part!" ]
[ "Usually it's fans arguing online. This time? The creators are throwing punches!" ]
[ "Su Yan isn't one to back down! Akiyama Shunsuke's a 40-something veteran, and Su Yan still claps back the moment he's disrespected!" ]
[ "This is the entertainment industry—everything is about interests. Su Yan shouldn't back down." ]
[ "Akiyama used to be low-key. This sudden aggressive stance must be Sakura TV pulling strings." ]
[ "Regardless of the reason, once you declare war in public, don't blame Su Yan for responding." ]
[ "Su Yan must have a lot of confidence in this show. He even said it'll never lose a single week! Back in 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners', there were three or four weeks where it didn't rank first." ]
[ "With Su Yan's influence now, he can be this confident. 'Cyberpunk' only ended three months ago. Even if 'Tokyo Love Story' can't match that finale buzz, no ordinary A-tier drama can compete. Even if 'Blood Route' has a top team, it's still just an A-tier drama." ]
[ "Sure, Su Yan's resume is stronger than Akiyama's. But not everything he does hits number one. Remember 'Life Is Strange'? That one was only fourth." ]
[ "But creators are their own first readers. If Su Yan dares say this, it means he knows something we don't—maybe 'Tokyo Love Story' is a true masterpiece." ]
[ "He's never blindly confident. If he says not a single week will lose—he's got a plan." ]
[ "Come on, it can't be better than 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners', right? That one barely edged out 'The Black Gate'." ]
[ "He won't lose. No logic behind it—I just believe in Su Yan!" ]
[ "Instead of talking smack online, can someone drop a trailer already?" ]
[ "At least 'Blood Route' gave us 30 seconds. Su Yan's been in Tokyo for a month, and we've seen nothing!" ]
[ "All we know is Su Yan, Gu Qingyuan, and Shen Liqian are in it. No character bios, no plot. Nothing." ]
[ "Well, it's probably a love triangle." ]
[ "Obviously. What romance drama doesn't have a love triangle?" ]
[ "Just don't make it a tragedy!" ]
[ "Come on. Love triangles are about choices, not tragedy. As long as Su Yan's character picks one, it's a happy ending. Not every show has to end like 'Your Lie in April' or 'Life Is Strange' where someone dies." ]
[ "True. As a hardcore fan, I'm fine with either Gu Qingyuan or Shen Liqian ending up with Su Yan!" ]
[ "Based on the cast order, Gu Qingyuan is listed below Su Yan and Shen Liqian. That means Akana Rika, played by Shen Liqian, is probably the final choice." ]
[ "Please let August and September pass faster! This quarter's dramas are so boring. I need 'Tokyo Love Story' in my life!" ]
Within just a few days, the feud between Sakura TV and Su Yan, amplified by Akiyama Shunsuke's aggressive remarks, pushed both 'Tokyo Love Story' and 'Blood Route' to nationwide fame by late August.
At the same time, 'The Garden of Words' entered its final stretch.
By the end of August, its daily box office had fallen below 2 million, with only ten days of screening left. Analysts predicted another 10–15 million might be added at most.
The final estimate?
→ 530 million yuan.
Compared to the two other summer blockbusters currently screening, which couldn't match July's 'Gun Grave' or 'Firefly', 'The Garden of Words' was performing better than expected.
The box office of dark horse hits is always hard to predict.
But for average films, professionals can usually guess the total just from the first three days.
Though the two newer films still had 20 days left, the summer box office picture was basically set.
'The Garden of Words', a film nobody expected much from before its release, would almost certainly end as the #3 film of the summer season.
And—more importantly—it had become the 10th highest-grossing film of the year.
Sure, it might get bumped out of the top 10 by blockbusters later this year…
But as of now, it was locked in at number ten.
For a debut film by a TV scriptwriter?
That was unbelievable.
The news spread across Xia Nation's film industry.
But that wasn't all.
In early September...
The trailer for 'Tokyo Love Story' dropped.
It was simultaneously released on Zhongxia TV and all four major streaming platforms.
This time, Su Yan's fans completely reawakened.