"Why do I feel like something's off? What Director Jing Yu said in that statement feels totally different from what we just saw. In Episode 7 of 'Initial D', it's clearly heading toward Iketani and Sato Mako getting together!"
"Is that really such a big deal, though? You old-school fans have been wailing about this for a full week. I honestly don't see what's wrong with the story. Sure, their relationship developed fast, but it's not that serious."
"Exactly. These two haven't even held hands on screen, and you're all this upset? Just focus on the racing. Why are you so obsessed with whether Sato Mako and Iketani end up together?"
"We can't help it! The moment we see Yu Youqing's face, we think of Miyazono Kaori, Setsuna Ogiso, Makise Kurisu... And once we think of those roles, we can't accept her being romantically linked to a supporting male character in a drama where Jing Yu plays the lead. It's too jarring. It breaks immersion."
"Exactly! Seeing Takumi get all flustered watching his senpai, Iketani, fall head over heels for Sato Mako—ugh, it just hurts. Director Jing Yu, have you forgotten about Miyazono, Makise, and Setsuna? In those four dramas, you kissed 27 times and even got married once! How can you now just let her end up with Iketani without reacting at all?!"
"Men are all pigs. Poor Yu Youqing—she must be dying inside. But because it was Jing Yu's request, she still accepted the role of Sato Mako. I bet she really wanted to play Natsuki."
"Natsuki, huh... She should've been played by Yu Youqing from the start. Casting Xu Jun was a mistake."
"She's such a great actress—sweet, pure, and emotionally intelligent. Yu Youqing was perfect. She's played roles like Setsuna Ogiso and Emi Fukuju. Why did Jing Yu suddenly lose his mind and cast Xu Jun instead? Has he stopped caring about Yu Youqing and Xia Yining? Is he falling for Xu Jun now? Love really does fade, huh…"
"Why is no one talking about Xia Yining? She was adorable as Sayuki in Episode 7!"
"But Sayuki didn't get NTR'd by a side character."
"Is that why you've already forgotten her?"
After Episode 7 aired, even Jing Yu's long-time fans started to feel emotionally conflicted.
Because honestly... the story did make it seem like Iketani and Sato Mako were becoming a couple.
The plot itself wasn't actually bad—yet the casting choice made it hard to swallow.
Jing Yu… you slipped up this time.
Meanwhile, the Great Zhou entertainment media finally found their opportunity to pounce.
What they fear isn't a show that flops—it's a show with zero controversy.
Until now, 'Initial D' had been too perfect for them to latch onto.
But now… the fans themselves had given them something to exploit.
And of course, the media thrives on chaos.
[Is 'Initial D' headed for an NTR storyline?]
[The Natsuki Casting Controversy: Did Yu Youqing lose the lead role due to a falling-out with writer-director Jing Yu?]
[Fans furious over Yu Youqing being paired with a side character—will Jing Yu buckle under pressure and revise the script?]
[Jing Yu claimed there'd be no sweet romance, but... If Sato Mako and Iketani can develop this way, then what about Takumi and Natsuki? Was it a slip-up, or is there no plan for them at all?]
Articles like these flooded online platforms.
And of course, 'Initial D' fans couldn't help but click and discuss.
Over on the entertainment forums, users were stunned to find that 'Initial D' discussions were dominating the boards.
While its ratings weren't far ahead of the other flagship dramas on the Big Three networks, the buzz around the show was on another level entirely.
Ratings might fluctuate depending on the network and time slot, but for a drama to generate this level of heated, widespread discussion, that only happens when the show is legitimately good.
Inside the 'Initial D' production team, both Yu Youqing and Xia Yining had been closely following the public reaction.
Yu Youqing, especially, was at a loss.
She had never faced a situation like this.
Every time she'd starred in a drama directed by Jing Yu, the results had been glowing praise—this was the first time things had gone sideways.
The backlash even made her feel a little guilty.
Sato Mako was a role that any actress could've taken on without controversy, but because she was cast, it stirred everything up.
It was clearly a gesture of loyalty from Jing Yu—casting an old collaborator.
But ironically, it was this very gesture that led to the first wave of drama-related backlash.
For days, Yu Youqing was visibly out of sorts.
Jing Yu, of course, picked up on what she was thinking.
"You don't need to worry."
"The reason the audience is rejecting you in this role is that they haven't yet seen what makes Sato Mako shine. Her presence is still overshadowed by characters like Miyazono, Emi, Setsuna, and Makise. But once the next episode airs—I'm confident they'll start to see her differently."
"See her differently?" Yu Youqing looked puzzled.
"Sato Mako might not be stronger than those female leads in your previous dramas—sure.
But in the context of the Usui Mountain arc, she is the main character.
In fact, her presence in that arc outshines even Takumi's," Jing Yu said with a smile.
He still remembered clearly, in his past life, reading the original 'Initial D', the moment when Sato Mako waited all night for Iketani, only to be stood up.
Her final line—"I'm never wearing sandals again…"—had left him with a deep, indescribable sorrow.
He could feel that heartbreak. It wasn't just acting. It felt like he himself had missed out on a truly good woman.
Iketani's character was just too real—his thoughts, his behavior, all mirrored the average viewer. Jing Yu had so deeply empathized with him that the pain felt personal.
'Initial D' had long been memed by fans as "Drivers don't need women!"
But that meme existed because of characters like Natsuki and Sato Mako.
Natsuki made Takumi lose faith in love.
And Iketani's missed connection with Sato Mako plunged viewers into emotional turmoil.
It wasn't that racers didn't want love—
It's that every racer in 'Initial D' who dared to love… got burned.
"Don't worry," Jing Yu said.
"Once the next episode airs, I'm sure the reaction will shift.
The entire internet will probably start flaming me for being a heartless writer instead."
He grinned.
The weekend rolled around again.
The next episodes of 'Passing the Torch', 'Arrow', and 'You in Winter' aired.
Imperial Capital TV's 'Passing the Torch' landed at an awkward 6.99% rating—just shy of the 7% mark. Their production team was livid.
Meanwhile, 'Arrow', airing Saturday, earned glowing reviews and rose to 7.22%.
But compared to last week's 'Initial D' rating of 7.84%, it still wasn't enough.
Logically, Lin Bin (creator of 'Arrow') should've been pleased. But when he saw the numbers, his anxiety only grew.
He knew that at this rate, 'Arrow' would once again come in second for the winter season.
At this point, the only way for Arrow to pull ahead was if two things happened:
'Arrow' itself kept delivering stronger and stronger episodes.
'Initial D' made a major misstep.
And based on the growing dissatisfaction from Jing Yu's old fans over the Sato Mako casting, maybe—just maybe—Episode 8 would be that misstep.
Maybe the young screenwriter would go off the rails and pull some bold move that ticked off the audience and crashed the ratings.
Best-case scenario?
Sato Mako and Iketani become a real couple, and the next episode includes intimate scenes—hand-holding, a kiss, something like that.
That would definitely trigger the old fanbase.
Enough of them might rage-quit the show.
Lin Bin was secretly hoping for exactly that.
Of course… that was just wishful thinking.
Because Jing Yu was a veteran of the NTR wars, he understood exactly how much emotional damage fans could tolerate.
The truth was, Sato Mako and Iketani weren't going to end up together.
That's precisely why he felt safe casting Yu Youqing in the role.
There would be no actual NTR.
But that doesn't mean the fans won't suffer a little first.
Sunday night.
At 8 PM, Episode 7 of 'You in Winter' aired, bringing its rating to 7.03%—
The third winter season drama to break the 7% mark.
And at 9 PM…
The long-awaited Episode 8 of 'Initial D' was about to begin.