After a full day of work, Hao Shuyu was driving his beloved car through the streets of Modo City, feeling a bit anxious.
He had stayed a bit late at the office tonight—it was already 8:30 PM. If he didn't hurry, he might miss the broadcast of Episode 8 of 'Initial D'.
As he imagined Takumi racing through the curves of Mount Akina, his foot pressed a little harder on the gas pedal, and that familiar pushback sensation followed…
But just as his phone's GPS warned him, he was speeding, so he eased off the gas immediately.
After all, drama is drama—reality is reality.
Drive irresponsibly, and the only thing waiting for you is two lines of tears from your loved ones.
He arrived at his apartment just in time—his scheduled late-night snack was being delivered.
Turning on the TV, Hao Shuyu quickly flipped to Yunteng TV.
At that moment, an ad was airing—a commercial for a car brand featuring none other than Jing Yu, promoting the vehicle.
"A car recommended by the God of Akina himself," Hao Shuyu chuckled knowingly.
As he munched on his late-night food, the clock soon struck 9:00 PM.
The familiar opening theme of 'Initial D' echoed through the room.
As the video credits rolled by—lead actor, producer, composer, lyricist, racing consultant… all the roles carried Jing Yu's name.
"Is there anything this guy can't do?" Hao Shuyu muttered.
"Only someone this talented could make a show like 'Initial D' that gets your blood pumping."
As for the recent controversy among Jing Yu's old fans regarding the casting of Sato Mako, Hao Shuyu didn't feel any of that.
After all, 'Initial D' was his first Jing Yu drama—he had never watched any of his earlier works. So from an objective standpoint, he saw nothing wrong with the casting choices.
In fact, he found Yu Youqing's performance as Sato Mako quite charming.
Sayuki, played by Xia Yining, was also beautiful.
And as for the growing relationship between Iketani and Sato Mako, he thought it was really entertaining.
And honestly? That was good enough for him.
A racer like Sato Mako, hiding her identity as the fastest female driver on Usui, while Iketani constantly bragged about his racing skills in front of her…
Then, out of admiration for her past idol—Ryosuke Takahashi—Mako challenged Takumi of the Akina 86.
Her plan was simple: after the race, she would retire from racing and date Iketani.
Meanwhile, Iketani, who was proud and insecure, wrestled with his feelings and overthought every little thing.
To Hao Shuyu, this storyline was fantastic.
He didn't understand what the other viewers were complaining about.
"I just hope they end up together."
Hao Shuyu actually liked seeing romance that led to a happy ending.
With that thought, Episode 8 of 'Initial D' began.
The opening scene featured Kenji, the second-in-command of the Speed Stars, angrily confronting Iketani while they, along with Itsuki and Takumi, headed to Usui for the upcoming race against Sato Mako.
Kenji accused Iketani of putting romance before friendship—even going so far as to betray Takumi by making him accept unfair race conditions.
He even went so far as to say he would cut ties with Iketani.
"Poor Iketani…" Hao Shuyu thought.
He had a point.
Takumi hadn't even wanted to accept the challenge from Sato Mako.
But because Iketani had bowed his head and begged to fulfill Mako's wish, he agreed to race her on a mountain pass he'd never even practiced on.
But this act of kindness had clearly placed Takumi in a difficult spot. And the way Iketani made the request had the feel of emotional blackmail.
After all, everyone assumed that Takumi, having never driven Usui before, would be easily beaten.
And Iketani knew that, but still begged him anyway.
It was kind of messed up.
Fortunately, Kenji's harsh words snapped Iketani out of it.
But by then, Takumi had already arrived at Usui—he wasn't going to just turn back.
"Classic Takumi… At first, he didn't want to race. But the moment someone suggested he might lose to Sato Mako, he couldn't resist anymore."
"Such a tsundere, hahaha."
"Honestly, I get it. Kenji was maybe being a bit harsh. Yeah, what Iketani did wasn't cool—but it's not like he was asking Takumi to die. He just asked a buddy to race his crush. If it were me, I'd lose to a girl ten times just to help my bro get a girlfriend."
"Maybe it's just that for racers, winning and losing really matter. Takumi is the king of Akina. If he loses, then Akina's whole rep gets trashed at Usui. Iketani basically bet the pride of all Akina's racers—just to chase a girl. I think that's out of line."
"Whatever. If Takumi doesn't race tonight, what else are we gonna watch?"
The fan chat was buzzing with discussion.
Meanwhile, 'Initial D''s live viewership had already surged to 7.6%—another flawless number.
Because Usui's mountain road is narrower than Akina's and not suited for overtaking, the race rules here were different:
Whoever got left behind by the lead car lost.
If you didn't get left behind, then the two would swap positions and race again.
This would continue until one driver finally fell behind.
In the first round, Takumi chose to go second.
Technically, if he went first, he could at least force a second round, and if he lost that, his pride might still be intact.
But Takumi never even considered losing as an option.
Fan group chat:
"That's the confidence of the Akina legend!"
"But why not just lead and smoke Sato Mako from the start?"
"Because Iketani, Kenji, and Itsuki all said the same thing—'Lead first, and worst-case, lose in round two.' Of course, that pissed Takumi off!"
"Exactly. This scene shows that Takumi doesn't care whether he goes first or second—he never thought he'd lose. But everyone around him kept acting like he would, so he took on the harder route just to prove them wrong."
The story didn't waste time—straight into the new course, the Usui downhill battle.
But this time, the episode focused more on Sato Mako and Sayuki.
Hao Shuyu found himself completely engrossed.
Soon, he realized something:
"Wait… the racing scenes this episode are on a whole new level."
He could tell with his eyes—the choreography, the driving precision, the pacing—it was all cleaner than before.
Since joining the production team, the stunt drivers had undergone extensive training.
They had even spent extra time practicing specifically for Usui's course.
Naturally, the final result was far smoother and more thrilling than anything that had come before.
New music, new setting, new opponents.
Even the old fans who had been grumbling about the "NTR drama" weren't complaining anymore.
"Damn, Yu Youqing and Xia Yining look so cool as racers!"
"Seriously. I'm in love with both of them again."
"You think Director Jing Yu might have Sato Mako fall for Takumi later?"
"Don't. That'd be even worse. I already can't accept her liking Iketani—but falling for Takumi after would feel like betrayal squared."
"Still… the vibes are starting to hit."
"Go, Director Jing Yu! Don't let your 'wife' win!"