In early November, the 'Initial D' crew moved to a new filming location.
In the original Initial D, before Takumi joins Takahashi Ryosuke's racing team, his record on Mt. Akina was undefeated. Outside of Akina, his few races included a memorable battle on the Usui Pass—against the female duo Sato Mako and Sayuki.
With the new location set in a well-known mountain resort area, the crew was buzzing with excitement.
Though it was technically work, this shoot felt more like a company vacation.
The nearby hotel had everything: food, accommodations, and leisure.
And since most of the 'Initial D' filming happened in the evenings, the cast and crew had a lot of free time to explore during the day.
The next day, Yu Youqing and Xia Yining arrived in a Yunteng TV shuttle van.
As the car door opened, two stunning women with fair skin and refined features stepped out.
"So cold!" Xia Yining immediately hugged her arms against the chilly air.
It was now November, and the temperature had dropped noticeably. Even though they were only 200 kilometers from Modo City, it felt nearly 10 degrees colder.
"Told you to wear more," Yu Youqing teased with a smirk.
"Oh really?" Xia Yining looked at her outfit, then pointed out, "You're wearing a skirt too. It just covers your knees a bit more than mine—who are you to talk?"
Let her gloat now—men are visual creatures. Once Jing Yu sees me, he'll notice how cute I look right away. Your bundled-up look? Total disadvantage.
Since Jing Yu joined the Initial D crew, neither woman had seen him.
They'd both taken roles in another Yunteng TV drama—while not as explosive as Initial D, it still pulled over 3% in ratings.
Now, after two months apart, both women were genuinely excited to reunite with him.
Led by staff who had been waiting on-site, the two made their way toward the nearby mountain villa.
Since this was a short two-week shoot, and the budget was generous, Cheng Lie went big and rented out the entire resort to make things easier.
"Say, Youjie, you've known Jing Yu longer than me. Are there any hidden skills of his that he hasn't shown yet? During 'Hikaru no Go', I thought his insane Go ability was already his peak. Now he's driving in Initial D? It's crazy!"
As they walked, Xia Yining asked curiously.
Both women knew that before Initial D, Jing Yu's usual ride was a motorcycle.
A motorbike racer? Sure. But a god-tier car driver too?
"I don't know. I've known him for two years, and honestly, I still barely understand him. He's always full of mysteries."
Yu Youqing glanced up at the overcast sky, her side profile calm but reflective.
She remembered the first time she met Jing Yu—at a group blind date arranged by a friend. Back then, he was so poor he showed up just to freeload food and drinks.
Who would've thought that in just two years, he'd become one of the top screenwriters in all of Great Zhou—
and brought her and Xia Yining along for the ride.
She'd been openly crushing on him for over a year now, but the guy?
No reaction. At all.
He definitely didn't hate her—no one goes out of their way to support a girl they dislike.
But like her...?
Not once had she ever felt that.
Maybe he really just saw her as a friend?
Yu Youqing didn't believe in pure platonic friendship between men and women.
Sure, billions of people on Earth—maybe some rare exception existed.
But she'd never seen it.
And Jing Yu? There's no way he's that rare of a creature.
Still, at least he hadn't shown romantic interest in any woman—not even in Xia Yining.
The only threat in her eyes...
Yu Youqing glanced at Xia Yining.
At the same time, Xia Yining looked at her.
Both women exchanged confident, knowing smiles.
Inside the villa, the crew moved busily.
At least half the staff had worked with Yu Youqing and Xia Yining during 'Steins;Gate'.
"Yo, you're here!"
"Haven't seen you in months, Xia Yining—looking prettier than ever!"
"Jing Yu-sensei's inside, working on the script. Go say hi!"
They found Jing Yu sitting in the courtyard, lost in thought, holding his shot breakdown notes.
Neither woman called out—they knew this look.
He was probably visualizing camera angles, blocking, car movements…
After a long while, Jing Yu finally snapped back to reality—only to find two gorgeous women standing nearby.
He jumped slightly.
"When did you get here?"
"Not long ago," Yu Youqing smiled.
"It's been months! You've really been off the grid," Xia Yining said as she sat beside him, handing him a gift.
"What's this?"
"We're in the middle of nowhere—probably hard to buy new releases from Modo, right?" she said, eyes sparkling.
"It's Spirit Cat 3. Just launched two days ago."
Jing Yu's eyes lit up.
Yu Youqing, on the side, was completely dumbfounded.
A game?
Seriously?
Instead of pulling Jing Yu away from gaming, you're feeding his addiction?!
When he's gaming, do you think he's going to notice either of us?!
"But Spirit Cat 3 is a co-op game…" Jing Yu frowned.
"Don't worry." Xia Yining pulled out a second controller from her bag.
"I can be your co-op partner! I never told you this, but I'm actually a huge gaming nerd."
She smirked at Yu Youqing, who felt her heart sink.
Later, when Cheng Lie and the director returned from location scouting—
"Yining, hurry up! One jump combo and you can hook the latch! What are you spacing out for?!"
"Sorry! I'm struggling a bit…"
"You can play piano, but you can't handle this simple mechanic?"
"We should treat the characters with care, okay? Even in games, we shouldn't let them die needlessly!"
"Come on! Why'd you flip the breaker early again?! You electrocuted me!"
"Sorry, Jing Yu… I'm so clumsy…"
"You don't need to tell me—I've already realized that very clearly."
"Let's try again…"
"Are you kidding me?! Even this basic combo you can't do? Rotating in mid-air isn't even hard!"
"It's my first time playing this!"
"Mine too! Be serious! You treat games like a lover—be committed!"
"But I don't have a lover! I'm still single!"
"Is that why you've sabotaged me dozens of times?!"
Cheng Lie walked in to see Jing Yu looking like he'd lost all will to live, while Xia Yining looked heartbreakingly aggrieved.
"What's going on?"
Yu Youqing, trying to hold in her laughter, finally couldn't help it.
"Yining offered to game with him… and Jing Yu's been scolding her for over an hour!"
This was the textbook definition of sucking up and getting kicked in the face.
Nobody got more irritable than Jing Yu when paired with a noob.
Even Cheng Lie was shocked.
How could the calm, composed Jing Yu—who lit cigarettes while drifting at 100 km/h—
turn into a raging demon over a video game?
The look on his face said:
"If I've committed a crime, strike me down with lightning. Don't torture me with this clueless teammate."
Thankfully, Cheng Lie quickly intervened and pulled him away.
Moments later, Xia Yining walked out, on the verge of tears, blowing her nose dramatically.
"I'm never playing with that jerk again! Just because I got him killed a few dozen times, he didn't have to humiliate me like that!"
But just as she was thinking this—
Jing Yu walked out, now calm and handsome as ever.
"Sorry. That was my bad—I overreacted."
He had cooled down and realized he'd gone too far. But in-game? He really couldn't help himself.
An apology?
Xia Yining blinked.
Alright then. You're forgiven.
"I was bad too. Let's play again tomorrow! I swear I'll be a changed woman—I won't drag you down anymore!"
"Let's not. I… I've got plans tomorrow," Jing Yu muttered, taking a step back.
"Pfft—!"
Yu Youqing, standing nearby, couldn't hold it in. Her shoulders shook from trying not to laugh.
Xia Yining's blood pressure shot through the roof.
After dinner, the Initial D crew got into full swing.
Yu Youqing and Xia Yining, newly arrived, had to familiarize themselves with everything.
Yu Youqing was playing Sato Mako, the driver in the Usui Pass's top female team.
Xia Yining was playing Sayuki, the team's navigator.
This arc also included a romantic subplot between Sato Mako and Iketani, played by Chen Xin—
a love story that had left many Initial D fans heartbroken in Jing Yu's previous life.
Sato Mako was inspired to race by Ryosuke's cool driving, admiring him like an idol.
But after meeting Iketani, she fell for him, and learning he was Takumi's senior on Akina, she planned to retire from racing after defeating the AE86—
as a symbolic farewell to her youthful idol crush.
In the original, Sato Mako asked Iketani to help her arrange a race with the AE86—
Then agreed to date him if he succeeded.
But Iketani misunderstood, thinking she was only using him for the race,
and didn't show up for their date—leaving the two to miss each other forever.
In the Great Zhou adaptation, this plot needed tweaks.
Audiences here wouldn't accept a woman outright saying, "Help me race Takumi, and I'll be yours."
It would need to be reframed—perhaps as a heartfelt, awkward confession that was misunderstood due to poor timing and communication.
Also, although stunt drivers would handle the exterior shots,
Yu Youqing needed training.
Because the interior car scenes—especially showing Sato Mako's driving—still had to be shot with her at the wheel, even if done slowly and safely.
The 'Initial D' shoot at Usui Pass moved forward—though with a few hiccups.
Then, the weekend arrived again.
The Big Three TV networks ramped up their promotional efforts.
While 'Initial D' had been #1 in viewership for three straight weeks, the margin wasn't huge.
So they hoped this week would finally turn the tide.
But it didn't.
'Arrow' remained the top-performing drama among the Big Three,
Yet its latest episode still failed to break the 7% threshold.
Meanwhile, 'Initial D' continued its dominance—
Its user score on Yindou Net soared to 9.6,
far above 'Arrow's 8.9.
And 'Initial D's Episode 5?
It broke 7% before the episode even ended.
Everyone tuned in, furious, ready to watch villainous racer Shingo get destroyed.
The Death Tape Battle.
One hand taped to the steering wheel, limiting it to just over 200° of rotation.
You couldn't even complete a full turn.
On a winding, narrow mountain like Akina?
Impossible to manage by wheel alone.
You had to rely on micro-adjustments with the gas, clutch, and brakes.
It was a pure skill test—and if you crashed, you couldn't bail.
Your hand was stuck.
This kind of race would never be allowed in real life.
Completely reckless. Illegal.
In the episode, Takumi showed his insane learning curve.
From struggling early on to complete mastery later.
Then—
Shingo deliberately slammed into the AE86.
Takumi's car lost control at over 100km/h on a narrow road, did a 360 spin, and barely missed the guardrail.
And—he didn't even lose much speed.
The screen showed Jing Yu as Takumi, panting hard—
But that calm, quiet expression from the first five episodes?
Gone.
His eyes went cold. His face darkened.
And his rage bled through the screen.
"I will never lose to trash like you."
When Jing Yu delivered this line—
Every viewer watching exploded with emotion.
"WRECK THAT SCUMBAG!"
"This bastard really dares to pull that move during a race?!"
"If it were anyone but Takumi, they'd be dead!"
"I've watched 'Initial D' this whole time, and this is the first time I'm this ANGRY!"
"If I were Takumi, I wouldn't race—I'd ram him straight off the cliff!"
As if responding to viewers' fury,
Takumi's driving has transformed.
Gone was the precision and control from before.
Now, his AE86 drove wildly, recklessly, with speed as the only goal.
He even began slamming guardrails on purpose to accelerate.
The last traces of safety? Gone.
The AE86 now reflected the audience's mood—burning with rage, pushing faster and faster.
Naturally, Initial D's ratings soared with it.
Few switched channels.
Even casual viewers were drawn in by the intense music and the raw, violent driving.
This may not have been the most technically refined race in the show so far—
But it was definitely the craziest.
And the most emotionally charged.
If Takumi crushed Shingo completely?
This episode would become Initial D's most satisfying one yet.