In the fan group chat—
"I'm completely stunned."
"Is that kind of driving even possible in real life?"
"How strong is Jing Yu, really?"
"Don't tell me 'Initial D' is actually based on Jing Yu-sensei's own high school life?"
"Damn... when you put it that way, it kinda makes sense. A bunch of high school street racers, and Jing Yu-sensei's skill with cars…"
"Wait, are you saying Takumi and Takahashi are based on real people?!"
"I give up. Drifting while lighting someone's cigarette—I thought that was as absurd as fiction gets. Turns out, real-life Jing Yu is even crazier!"
"Is he even human?!"
Episode 4 of 'Initial D' ended with a viewership rating of 6.91%.
Just like the previous week, even though the episode had finished airing, the buzz and discussion it generated continued to spread both online and offline over the next few days.
Especially the moment where Jing Yu drifted while lighting a cigarette for Cheng Lie.
Many netizens asked:
"Why didn't Jing Yu just light one for himself while drifting? Wouldn't that look even cooler?"
The behind-the-scenes info released by the 'Initial D' crew answered that question:
Jing Yu doesn't smoke.
The short video of that scene went viral across every major film and TV forum.
A lot of people hadn't even watched 'Initial D',
but thanks to Cheng Lie's two weeks of hilarious screaming and Jing Yu's outrageous driving tutorials—
The show was unexpectedly going viral.
In the third week of the winter season, 'Initial D' still held the #1 spot in viewership.
'You in Winter' Episode 3 scored 6.53%, staying roughly the same as the previous week.
'Passing the Torch' Episode 3 rose to 6.65%, a noticeable increase.
'Arrow' reached 6.81% in its third episode.
But none of them could surpass 'Initial D'.
Even though the Big Three TV networks increased their promotional budgets this week,
mobilized all their A-list actors with close ties to the stations, and blasted their shows across social media—
It still couldn't match the organic viral buzz of 'Initial D' fans.
The Big Three had exhausted their usual tricks.
But—they just couldn't catch up.
Just when they thought they might finally close the gap,
'Initial D''s ratings jumped even more than expected.
And the show's impact on Great Zhou didn't stop there.
To the average viewer, Jing Yu's "drifting while lighting a cigarette" bit seemed exaggerated.
But to real mountain racers,
It was unbelievable.
On set:
"Car god of the film world?" Jing Yu laughed when he heard the new nickname.
"Who came up with that? So lame."
"Doesn't matter who," Cheng Lie said, sitting beside him. "Either way, it's recognition!"
"'Hikaru no Go' stirred up the Go world, and now 'Initial D' is doing the same in racing. A bunch of famous racers from across the country want to challenge you."
"No thanks." Jing Yu quickly waved him off. "At least Go is legal. Even if I write illegal street racing into a script, the culture bureau still passes it as fiction. But if I actually go out and race? I'll be blacklisted before morning."
"The headlines would be all over the news: 'Yunteng TV screenwriter Jing Yu caught illegal racing at night. Negative social impact, under investigation…"
"Exactly. And besides—" Cheng Lie's tone changed.
"A ton of car companies have reached out. They want you, Jing Yu-sensei, as their brand ambassador."
"Brand ambassador?" Jing Yu blinked.
"For me?"
"Yup. Everyone can see how massive 'Initial D' has become—and your driving skills in real life only make the fantasy more compelling. Of course, they want you."
"What does the network say?"
"You signed an acting and screenwriting contract. Endorsements don't fall under the network's jurisdiction. If you're interested, you can take them. In fact, the advertisers said if you could include their specific car models in future episodes, they'd also pay Yunteng TV an additional placement fee. The network would absolutely support you on this."
Jing Yu paused for a moment, then said:
"I don't mind making some extra money. But honestly, I don't really understand that stuff, and I'm too busy filming right now. Let's talk about it later."
"You could let Zhong Xiang handle the negotiations," Cheng Lie suggested.
It wasn't surprising that car companies came knocking after 'Initial D' blew up—Jing Yu had expected it.
That night, 'Initial D' Episode 5 aired without issue.
This episode introduced the most unlikable character in the series—Shingo Shoji.
In the story, he deliberately challenges and races against Iketani, Takumi's senior and friend—
and intentionally crashes into his car, causing Iketani to lose control and end up in a serious accident.
After that, Shingo challenges Takumi to a "Death Tape Battle," where both drivers tape their hands to the steering wheel.
When Takumi refuses, Shingo then provokes Itsuki, Takumi's best friend—
leading to yet another race where Itsuki ends up in the hospital.
With two of his friends hurt because of Shingo, Takumi can no longer hold back.
He agrees to race him in the deadly taped-hands showdown.
This episode had 'Initial D' fans across Greater Zhou boiling with rage.
"Go, Takumi! Destroy that guy!"
"This kind of driver, deliberately ramming into others, needs to be taught a lesson!"
"I'm so mad! My road rage, sealed away for years, just flared up again!"
"People like this are everywhere on the roads—terrible drivers who hog lanes and ram you for no reason. Shen Wu is one of them. No—he's worse!"
"Nakazato is such a decent guy. How is this scumbag Shingo his second-in-command?"
"Everyone introduced so far has been decent—except Shingo. He's unbearable!"
"Someone stop this greasy freak already! I can't stand him!"
"Last week, Jing Yu-sensei finally gave us a proper episode without a cliffhanger. This week... he's back to his old habits. Sigh."
But even amidst the fans' angry rants about Shingo,
'Initial D' Episode 5 made history—
Its ratings broke the 7% mark for the first time, ending at 7.02%.
It became the first drama in the entire winter season, across four weeks, to hit a single-episode viewership above 7%.
After this data came out—
even the Big Three's execs went silent.
You couldn't say their own flagship dramas were doing badly.
Compared to previous years with similar investment, 'Arrow', 'You in Winter', and 'Passing the Torch' were all average to above-average in performance.
But still—
They couldn't compete with 'Initial D'.
No matter how hard they tried, they were always one step behind.
In terms of ratings, maybe they were only slightly behind—
But in terms of reputation and cultural impact,
They were miles away.
This had never happened before.
Especially for Lin Bin from Huanshi TV.
Networks like Xingtong TV and Imperial Capital TV were facing Jing Yu's work for the first time this season.
But Lin Bin?
He'd been getting steamrolled by Jing Yu since spring.
In the spring season, 'Hikaru no Go' Season 1 landed in third, knocking Lin Bin's drama to fourth.
In the summer, 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2 placed first, pushing his 'You, Under the Cliff' down to second.
And now, 'Initial D' was sitting at #1 again,
while Lin Bin's new drama 'Arrow' got pushed to #2—again.
[Lin Bin: The biggest victim of the genius screenwriter Jing Yu's rise.]
When Lin Bin saw this headline, his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
It took him a while to suppress the bitterness in his chest.
Though his fighting spirit wasn't completely broken yet,
He knew this feeling all too well.
When his spring and summer season dramas had to go head-to-head with Jing Yu's work,
This heavy, suffocating pressure had never let up.
Now, with only a third of the winter season passed—
Lin Bin already had a terrible premonition:
"Is this going to happen again?
'Initial D' first, 'Arrow' second?"
He'd talked such a big game at the Silver Dragon Awards and in media interviews—
boldly declaring he'd get revenge this winter.
But if things kept going like this…
He'd become the laughingstock of the Great Zhou television industry.