Back when Jing Yu was filming dramas at Yunteng TV, the weekly ratings cycle made it easy to track time.
But now that he was running his own film production teams, he often lost all sense of time.
In 'Love Letter', the soft-spoken bond between the male and female versions of Fujii Itsuki during their youth unfolded gently.
It began with the classmates teasing them because of their shared name.
Gradually, the male Itsuki was drawn to her.
After her father died of a chronic illness, the two worked together as library assistants.
Though the boy struggled to express his feelings, his subtle actions said it all.
Finally, there was that quiet meeting between them before his transfer.
There was no fiery romance in 'Love Letter'—only emotions that trickled like a stream, slowly building over time.
This was a film meant to be watched twice, maybe even three times, for viewers to truly grasp the layers and meaning behind its many delicate details.
'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal', of course, was a completely different experience.
Though known for its fight scenes, the OVA's core story was the emotional progression between Kenshin and Yukishiro, told over four carefully structured chapters with a perfect narrative rhythm.
Every day, Jing Yu had to switch between Kenshin's stoicism and Itsuki's vulnerability.
So did Xia Yining. From morning till night, she was with Jing Yu non-stop—after all, both films revolved around those two characters.
Meanwhile, 'Dragon Zakura' continued airing its Episodes 6, 7, and 8, climbing steadily to become the second-highest rated drama of the summer season.
That said, it still lagged behind Huanshi TV's main drama.
As 'Dragon Zakura''s ratings rose, so did the rival's—though it had widened its lead over Xingtong and Imperial Capital TV, it remained locked in a 0.3% gap behind Huanshi.
However, in terms of fan scores and social media buzz, 'Dragon Zakura' was the undisputed king among this season's top shows.
And with just over a week until Gaokao, a highly rated drama centered on college entrance exams became the hottest show among students, far outshining the top 3 network dramas.
Fan group chat:
"I've been watching weekly, but I already started studying hard two months ago after Episode 1.
Cramming like hell—I don't know if it worked, but let's go!"
"Ugh… Why didn't Jing Yu-sensei make 'Dragon Zakura' sooner?!
I seriously studied for two whole months after watching this show, and it turns out learning isn't that boring.
It even feels rewarding…
But it's too late!"
"My goal wasn't Imperial Capital University, just a regular one.
I had already given up, but I signed up for an intensive course after watching the show.
There's still hope!"
"I'm different. I've always tried hard, but my grades have stayed terrible.
'Dragon Zakura' didn't push me to work harder—I was already at max effort.
But I loved hearing everything Sakuragi Kenji said.
Call it chicken soup or drama nonsense—I don't care.
My mindset improved, and I finally started sleeping well again.
I'll just do my best on the exam."
"Let's give it our all!"
"The characters in the show fought for a year to get into Imperial Capital University.
I'm giving it two months.
Getting into Imperial Capital College seems doable."
Finally, in early June, Da Zhou's Gaokao ended!
Two intense days of testing—no matter how it went, it was over.
Of course, 'Dragon Zakura' was just a drama.
You couldn't expect lifelong slackers, who had ignored years of beatings and lectures, to suddenly keep studying long-term just from watching a show.
But that didn't mean they didn't want to study.
Even if they didn't act on it, seeing others strive was still deeply moving.
With the exam over, the students were set free.
No more holding back—eat what they want, play all day long.
And of course, binge-watch dramas.
'Dragon Zakura' Episode 10 premiered with a new high:
Its viewership jumped from last week's 6.8% to 7.01%.
"I'm done with exams! Now it's the turn of those six in the special class! Let's go!"
"I know I'm not making it into Imperial Capital University, but I'm rooting for all six of them!"
"I feel like a lost cause. Watching 'Dragon Zakura' makes me tear up,
but the moment I'm back in school, I'm sleeping through class again.
Am I mentally broken?"
"Same, bro. That's why this show hits hard.
Even if we suck, at least these characters are out there proving we're not hopeless."
By June, Jing Yu was no longer holding anything back.
The first half of Episode 10 depicted the students' high-stakes Gaokao journey.
For viewers who'd just finished the real thing, those scenes were tense and anxiety-inducing all over again.
But in the second half...
Jing Yu cashed in on his contract deal with Yunteng TV—
and dropped a hardcore product placement segment.
It was short—just about a minute.
In the show, the six students, stressed out while waiting for their results, decide to go see a movie together on July 7th to unwind.
And the movie?
You guessed it—'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'.
The drama even showed a few iconic scenes from the movie itself.
As expected, the 'Dragon Zakura' fandom took the bait.
Fan reactions:
"Hey, Okuno—your brother's playing Kenshin in this movie. Did you not notice?!"
"Jing Yu-sensei is a genius at this!"
"No joke, I was stunned when that scene played out.
It's so on-point! The characters took the 2025 Gaokao, just like us,
and now they're going to see 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'!"
"Say no more—I'm watching it too.
July 7th. Gotta ride that protagonist luck!"
"Remember, their goal was to get five out of six students into Imperial Capital University.
TV rules say the main characters can't lose.
So what does this episode really mean?"
"What?"
"It means if you go see 'Rurouni Kenshin' on July 7th,
You have a 5 in 6 chance of getting into your dream school."
"Okay, now that's insane…"
"I don't care! I was already planning to see it.
Might as well follow the protagonist squad's lead."
'Dragon Zakura' Episode 10 closed with an average rating of 7.12%.
Still ranked second, but the gap was shrinking fast.
Meanwhile, the brief 'Rurouni Kenshin' scenes and the unexpected in-universe crossover blew up online the next day, picked up by multiple news outlets as a trending story.
Though Jing Yu kept a close eye on 'Dragon Zakura's performance,
His real focus was still on his two film projects: 'Love Letter' and 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'.
As of early June, 'Rurouni Kenshin' had wrapped filming and was officially entering post-production.
And of course, its marketing campaign was now ready to fully launch.
The brief promotional insert in 'Dragon Zakura' gave drama fans a first taste,
But clearly, that alone wouldn't be enough.
The real promotional blitz was just getting started.