By mid-November, temperatures were dropping across the Xia Nation.
But the heat surrounding 'Tokyo Love Story' just kept rising.
Though many drama fans in Xia were starting to feel that the plot was too tangled—
Just endless drama between the same five characters.
Other dramas, like 'An Ancient Love Song', had military-political subplots.
'Rurouni Kenshin' involved saving the country and its people.
'Your Lie in April' had a musical competition subplot.
But 'Tokyo Love Story'?
It was romance—pure romance.
The main characters just kept messing around with each other's lives and hearts.
Some younger viewers didn't have the patience for it.
But for middle-aged and older viewers, who weren't as picky, it was irresistible.
They loved bold, over-the-top, emotionally unpredictable love stories like this.
Ironically, Su Yan's past dramas had often been criticized for failing to attract an older demographic.
Now, 'Tokyo Love Story' had flipped the script completely.
At this point, everyone in Xia's drama industry knew the show was a lock for this quarter's #1.
'Blood Route' didn't stand a chance.
The only question now was: Could it break the viewership record set by 'Edgerunner' this year?
And if so, by how much?
In Tokyo, while monitoring the success of 'Tokyo Love Story', Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi began holding casting calls for 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' and '5 Centimeters per Second'.
Tons of Xia Nation celebrities were flying into Tokyo just to attend the auditions.
Of the two projects, competition was fiercest for the male lead role of Yamane Mugi in 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet'.
As for '5 Centimeters per Second', since the story spans the protagonist's middle school, high school, and adult years, there wasn't a single central lead.
Multiple actors would portray different life stages.
This made the role less appealing to some stars—but still, tons of child and teen actors from Xia were submitting resumes.
Thanks to the breakout success of 'The Garden of Words', Su Yan's new films had even A-list movie stars interested.
After all, even Best Actor award-winners have flop risks.
But Su Yan's debut film grossed over 500 million.
To many stars who had fame but were considered box office poison, Su Yan was a hot ticket.
And although Shen Liqian had never acted in a film before, her popularity from 'Tokyo Love Story' had changed everything.
TV fame doesn't always translate to film.
But with how beloved Rika was this season? All bets were off.
After a few days of auditions, Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi had made some headway.
"For the middle school version of Akari in '5 Centimeters per Second', we'll go with two of the most popular Xia child stars: Xu Lingyun and Iwasaki Hiroyuki," said Shinozaki.
"As for the high school version, we can cast Xia Ze and Ni Ting from popular idol groups."
"Idol groups?" Su Yan frowned. "Are they even good at acting?"
"Don't worry," said Shinozaki. "Though Xia Ze and Ni Ting debuted as idols, Xia's idol system usually transitions them into acting eventually. Their agencies had them in acting classes early on, and they've already appeared in multiple dramas."
She added, "When 'Edgerunner' and 'Your Lie in April' aired, both of them had roles in competing dramas during the same season. Their performances were well-received. The only downside is... they come with hefty price tags."
"That's fine," Su Yan replied. "We don't need to hold back. The company can afford it."
Su Yan had never been a fan of capital-heavy operations. But roles shift, and strategies evolve.
If he only had 100 million yuan, he'd pour it all into improving production—not wasting it on marketing.
But with several hundred million on hand?
He could do both—high production quality and aggressive promotion.
The key was simple:
If the film succeeds, more emotional energy comes in. More energy means more money later.
Unlike cautious investors with no "system," Su Yan didn't fear taking risks.
Even if he took a loss, so what?
These two projects—' We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' and '5 Centimeters per Second'—were personal favorites from his past life.
Now that he was remaking them, he had to ensure they shone.
"Understood," said Shinozaki with a deep breath.
"As for the male lead in 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet', we've got seven or eight contenders. A mix of top-tier and rising film stars."
"Among the A-listers, we've got Bai Zhehan, Tao Feng, and Qin Boyu—these three are the strongest candidates."
Su Yan had built up a reputation in film, but he still couldn't easily access the top-tier Best Actor/Actress types.
Not because he wasn't famous—
But because those top stars were backed by deep capital networks.
Su Yan, refusing outside investments and behind-the-scenes deals, couldn't break into those circles.
So naturally, many ignored his offers.
"Among the three," said Shinozaki, "Bai Zhehan and Qin Boyu have relatively normal demands. Tao Feng, however, wants his backers to co-invest, to appoint a specific distributor, and to insert their own actors into the production."
"Forget it. Cross Tao Feng off the list. What about the other two?" Su Yan asked.
Bai Zhehan had risen to fame during last year's Spring Festival with a hit film.
"Bai Zhehan's rate is reasonable—5 million base salary, and 2% of the box office revenue."
Su Yan paused to reflect. All of the candidates had great looks and strong acting chops.
But 2% box office share?
"What about Qin Boyu?"
Among the three, Tao Feng had the most commercial value—but Su Yan flatly rejected his outrageous terms.
Qin Boyu was the next biggest name.
"Qin Boyu is straightforward. He wants a flat 20 million salary," said Shinozaki.
So the choice came down to:
5 million + 2% of ticket sales (Bai Zhehan), or
20 million flat (Qin Boyu)
If 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' hit over 700 million yuan at the box office, Qin Boyu would be the better deal.
Of course, Su Yan hoped this movie would outperform 'The Garden of Words'.
"Let's talk to Qin Boyu. Try to negotiate him down a bit," said Su Yan after some thought.
"I'll try, but he's unlikely to budge much. That's his market rate," Shinozaki replied.
Their discussion was only the start.
There would still be deep negotiations with each star's team. Things could change anytime.
But even now, one thing was clear:
Dimensional Pictures had truly arrived.
Spending this much on casting didn't even faze Su Yan anymore.
That's what confidence looked like.
"Alright, we're done for today," Su Yan said, standing up.
"Dinner's on me?"
"No thanks. I still have a pile of work," Shinozaki smiled.
"With 'Tokyo Love Story' and 'Madoka' wrapping soon, we've got pre-production for '5 Centimeters' and 'Bouquet', post-production on Madoka, and meetings with international companies interested in licensing 'Tokyo Love Story'. I've got a full schedule."
"That makes me feel a little guilty," Su Yan chuckled awkwardly.
"Once I finish the script, I just head home early."
He didn't act in the dramas himself, so his workload naturally lightened.
"You're the boss. No shame in that," Shinozaki said.
"You wrote four or five scripts this year—that's more than many writers produce in years. You're just fast. I have to catch up on overtime. That's on me."
"Still, once you're home, give some thought to casting. These two films are shaping up to be our most expensive projects yet—over 100 million yuan each just for production. With marketing, the costs will be astronomical."
"If both films surpass 'The Garden of Words' in success, then Dimensional Pictures will be unstoppable in Xia."
"Got it," Su Yan nodded.
Sunday. Episode 7 of 'Tokyo Love Story' aired.
Once again, the plot focused on the tangled romance of the main four.
This time, Satomi and Kenichi officially broke up.
But then, Rika and Nagao's relationship was shaken—because Satomi, fresh off the breakup, started clinging to Nagao again.
Throughout the episode, Rika kept saying she wanted to visit Nagao's hometown and middle school.
But he kept making excuses.
He even ignored her feelings to comfort Satomi over her breakup.
Fans were seething.
Even after all that backlash, the plot was still spiraling downward.
And getting darker.
["I feel like this is heading for a tragic ending…"]
["Why is Rika so desperate to go to Nagao's hometown in Ehime this episode?"]
["I think she sensed something. Kenichi and Satomi break up, and Nagao starts wavering. She probably realized it and wants to salvage things."]
["Maybe she always knew she couldn't squeeze into Nagao's inner circle. He's just the traditional type—prioritizes people based on how long he's known them. Even if he doesn't love Satomi anymore, she's still ranked higher in his heart."]
["So current girlfriends can never beat childhood ones?"]
["Not quite. Satomi isn't just a childhood friend. She's Nagao's idealized memory—his white moonlight. I get it, but Nagao, show some backbone! A true lead overcomes his flaws!"]
["I wanted to cry in this episode. Rika didn't lash out, even when things got bad. She still encouraged Nagao, didn't scold him or Satomi. She's too good. Nagao, you should be grateful. Su Yan, please don't turn him into a jerk!"]
["To be fair, if a girl you liked for ten years came crying to you, no one could stay stone-faced. But Nagao has to set boundaries!"]
["Whatever. Romance drama logic. I still think Nagao and Rika will end up together."]
["That sounds like you're worried."]
["Su Yan, please, just let Satomi and Kenichi get back together. Don't turn this into a psychological drama!"]
["Now I get why Rika got anxious every time Satomi and Kenichi had a fight."]
["Ugh, this show is so stressful."]
["At this point, Rika is the only reason this show is successful. Su Yan better not lose his mind."]
All night, Su Yan's comment sections were torched.
On major TV drama sites, at least three of the top ten trending topics were related to 'Tokyo Love Story'.
On the surface, things looked bad.
Su Yan was being dragged through the mud.
But this was exactly the kind of thing creators dream of.
Whether fans were praising or cursing, they were talking.
The only thing worse than hate is silence.
The next morning, Su Yan woke up to a flood of angry DMs and felt a chill down his spine.
"Good thing I listened to Shinozaki Ikumi and wrote that 'what-if' alternate ending. If we go full tragedy, who knows what these Rika fans would do…"
But still, everything was under control.
At noon, the viewership for Episode 7 came in: 5.49%.
Just like before, it was another huge jump.
At this rate, 'Tokyo Love Story' had a 70–80% chance of beating 'Edgerunner's record.
Once that consensus spread, Xia Nation's media outlets fell into stunned silence.
Was Xia's all-time TV viewership record really about to be broken?
Not just broken—shattered.
By two dramas, in the same year, by the same writer, from the same company.
Was this even real?
With fan outrage mixed with glowing media coverage, Su Yan, Dimensional Pictures, and 'Tokyo Love Story' reached a new popularity peak.
And with perfect timing—
Dimensional Pictures dropped its biggest bomb yet.
Rumors had been circulating about new projects and open casting calls.
But nothing was confirmed.
Until Monday.
On the official Dimensional Pictures website:
'5 Centimeters per Second'
'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet'
Two film pages went live—complete with cast lists.
Shen Liqian, Qin Boyu, Ni Ting, Xia Ze, Xu Lingyun, Iwasaki Hiroyuki—
One high-profile name after another.
The news hit like an earthquake.
[What?! Two movies?!]
[And that cast lineup is stacked!]
[All top-tier Xia actors—how did they pull this off?!]
[Also… where's Su Yan? He's not acting in either of them?!]
[What, are you scared of backlash now, Su Yan? Too afraid to show your face?]