"Wait, are you serious?"
Cheng Lie froze when he saw Jing Yu's expression.
"Don't tell me... You actually know swordsmanship, too?"
Yu Youqing and Xia Yining both turned their heads at the same time, eyes starting to sparkle.
"Swordsmanship?"
If it were anyone else, they might've just laughed. But Jing Yu's face, when he brought up the topic...
Given how many random, seemingly niche skills he had previously displayed in his dramas, they weren't laughing now.
"All I'll say is—I won't be the one holding us back," Jing Yu replied coolly.
He had spent a million fan points on a swordsmanship skill from the system's exchange panel. Sure, it wasn't directly labeled as Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, and he'd never tested it in real combat—but for filming purposes, he'd be more than capable.
It was a bit embarrassing, though.
Despite the fame they'd all accumulated from 'Initial D', 'Hikaru no Go', and the rest—despite being recognizable stars now—their company didn't even have a physical office yet.
Still, after talking for the rest of the night, the four had finally reached a mutual understanding of their next steps.
A new year had begun.
With the spring season, a flood of new dramas hit Great Zhou's TV industry. But without any new work from Jing Yu, Yunteng TV's opening ratings took a sharp dive compared to 'Initial D'.
Episode 1 of their flagship drama opened at 4.99%, but by episode 2, it had already dropped to 4.52%.
Even so, Yunteng TV's overall ratings had improved compared to before Jing Yu joined them. They still couldn't match the top three networks, but they were holding their own against lower-tier players like Aurora TV and Chenghai TV.
After all, the viewing habits established during Jing Yu's time hadn't fully faded yet. But if the quality of Yunteng TV's dramas continued to decline, this advantage wouldn't last.
And for now, the Big Three networks weren't worried—Yunteng TV posed no threat.
And as for Jing Yu? Since he wasn't joining them, he was probably just renewing his contract with Yunteng TV, right?
As the Big Three—Xingtong TV, Imperial Capital TV, and Huanshi TV—began preparing for the summer season and considering strategies to maintain their dominance...
News dropped.
Jing Yu had terminated his contract with Yunteng TV.
"Terminated?!"
The entire Great Zhou TV industry was stunned.
If he wasn't joining any of the Big Six networks, and now even cut ties with Yunteng TV—what was he planning?
But within a few days, as major networks dug deeper, the truth surfaced.
"He left Yunteng TV to start his own company?"
"Trying to follow in Zhong Ming's footsteps?"
"Tch, this is Yunteng TV's contract system biting them again. Their low-restriction, friendly contracts attract talent—but once that talent becomes successful, they just leave. Why not go straight to the Big Six if the contracts are the same?"
"Exactly. It happened with Zhong Ming, now it's happening again with Jing Yu. Yunteng TV was never destined to rise."
"Zhong Ming also planned to continue working with Yunteng TV even after going independent. Start his own company, sure—but he still needed a network to air his shows. But he passed away far too young…"
"So you're saying Jing Yu hasn't completely cut ties with Yunteng TV? He might still collaborate with them in the future?"
"That's what I've heard—from inside sources at Yunteng TV."
"Hah… only geniuses get to make choices like this. People like us? We try to go independent, we're blacklisted forever."
"Still, nothing's guaranteed. What if he leaves Yunteng TV and can't create anything worthwhile? That would be career suicide."
"True. I've always felt this guy's success last year was a fluke—a creative surge. Sometimes it just happens. Everything flows for a few months, and suddenly you're a genius. But once that wave ends, it's gone for good."
"If that's the case, he might never produce another 'Hikaru no Go' or 'Initial D' again."
Opinions across the industry were divided, but the Big Three networks were ecstatic.
As long as Jing Yu wasn't signed to Yunteng TV, he wasn't contractually bound to anyone.
Meaning—
If he ever did create something amazing again…
They could swoop in and snatch it up.
But then, a few more days later, another bombshell dropped.
Someone had been digging.
Since the TV and film industries in Great Zhou were tightly interconnected, if Jing Yu was working on anything, the first step would be submitting his scripts to the Ministry of Culture for review and approval.
And with the Big Six's connections, they quickly found out what Jing Yu was up to.
January 22nd.
Blue Star Media submitted two scripts for review:
'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'
'Love Letter'
That wasn't the surprising part.
The real shock?
The scripts were submitted as films.
Films?!
The executives at the Big Three networks were stunned.
Jing Yu, who had so much momentum in the TV industry, ditched television altogether to make movies?!
"We rolled out the red carpet and he ignored us."
"Yunteng TV tried to keep him. He still walked."
"And now he's making movies?"
No one could figure it out.
The Big Three networks couldn't stop laughing.
Movies? That was none of their business.
If Jing Yu wanted to dive into the film industry and never return?
All the better.
At Yunteng TV, the leadership was just as baffled.
Especially Meng Yu—he had no idea what Jing Yu was thinking.
Still, in the grand scheme of things…
"Honestly… It's not bad," Meng Yu muttered, scanning the internal report.
"As long as he's not with the Big Six, we're fine. Unlike television, the film industry isn't so tightly monopolized. A drama not aired on a major network will never gain traction. But a movie? That's different."
Then again—
"There's no industry where success is easy," Meng Yu continued to himself. "The film industry is even messier than television. Great Zhou only has about a hundred TV stations, but there are hundreds, maybe thousands of film companies."
"Jing Yu is throwing himself into an unfamiliar world. Once he burns through his funds and fails… he'll come crawling back. That's when we offer him a long-term contract."
Meng Yu was already planning for the long game.
Unlike the Big Three, who were just glad Jing Yu was out of their way, Yunteng TV wanted him to fail—so they could win him back for good.