Day Three of the summer film season.
"Hey, have you heard about that new movie, 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' or something? I heard it's amazing!"
"Heard? I've already seen it twice. Strongly recommend. It had me crying—it's been so long since I saw such a healing love story."
"Healing? I thought reviews online said the ending was tragic?"
"Fake news. Trolls. Paid haters. They're just smearing the movie. It's clearly a healing romance—they're deliberately calling it a tragedy to confuse the audience. And you know who's behind it? The director of 'Mirror Fish', that hack who also did 'White Bird' last year."
"Seriously?"
"Why would I lie? If this movie were truly heartbreaking, would it have this many glowing reviews?"
"I'll back this guy up—every word he said is true. Go watch it. Beautiful and heartwarming. You deserve it."
"???"
"..."
Online, a horde of viewers—still emotionally wrecked from watching 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal—were actively conning unsuspecting newbies into the theater.
Meanwhile, in the real world, cinemas across the country had finally caught on. Almost every major chain had increased 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal's screen share.
Even though it was a weekday, theaters were still packed at night.
After all, it wasn't every day that a film with this kind of score came out—it was the first time this year.
With more screenings, 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal's box office skyrocketed.
On Day Three alone, it pulled in 110 million, finally overtaking 'Original Sin'.
After three days:
'Original Sin' was still leading in total at 310 million, but its day-three sales had dropped to 80 million.
'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' followed at 273 million total.
'Torchlight', once in second, was now bumped to third—still hadn't broken 200 million.
As for 'Mirror Fish', once considered one of the Summer Trio, it had fallen into irrelevance.
Its daily box office was now down to 10–20 million.
At this rate, even after its full 30-day run, it might barely clear 200 million total.
Not even enough to break even from box office alone—they'd have to rely on licensing and streaming sales to recover their investment.
No one expected this.
A dark horse like 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' had come out of nowhere—not only eating into the 30% screening share that 'Original Sin' and 'Torchlight' had been enjoying, but also directly knocking 'Mirrorfish' off the board.
Ironically, it was the small-to-mid budget films that were surviving best now.
Those films had low production costs and were never expected to have big box office returns.
A few tens of millions was already enough to turn a profit.
Before release, 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' had been mocked by a group of TV drama critics—encouraged behind the scenes by the Big Six TV networks.
And honestly, few had taken Jing Yu, a first-time filmmaker with a history in historical drama, seriously.
But now?
[Trending Article]
Summer Dark Horse: 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' Tops Daily Box Office on Day 3. How Far Will It Go?
[Industry Buzz]
Director of 'Mirror Fish' loses it at press conference—lashes out at reporters, blames box office failure on "audience lacking taste."
[Scriptwriter Speaks]
The writer of 'Original Sin' praises 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal', calling it "outstanding," but adds, "The box office battle isn't over yet."
[Children's Market Surprise]
Red Dragonfly & Green Turtle may be summer's most profitable film. Budget: 3 million. Box office: nearing 29 million. The kids' film market is alive and well.
[What's Next?]
After 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal', the same cast and crew are back next month with 'Love Letter'. Can it match the same quality?
[Creator Spotlight]
Who is Jing Yu? A newcomer to film? Think again—he's a "tyrant" of the TV industry!
[Career Review]
A genius with a golden track record—every project Jing Yu has touched has been a hit.
With 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' in full swing, names like Jing Yu, Kenshin, Yukishiro, and Xia Yining were now hot topics in film circles.
But funnily enough, the ones feeling the most awkward weren't the producers of the summer's "Big Three" movies.
It was the Big Six TV stations and especially Yunteng TV.
They had been the loudest critics of Jing Yu's decision to abandon the "bright path" of television to pursue film.
Especially Meng Yu, head of Yunteng's production department.
He stared at the newspaper covered in glowing praise for 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal', eyebrows furrowed.
What now?
According to his original plan, Jing Yu would fail miserably in film, burning through his own funds and reputation.
Then Yunteng TV would step in heroically, offering him a generous contract to "help him bounce back." Of course, that contract would span at least five years, preferably ten.
Because let's be real—attracting top talent that even the Big Six couldn't secure was impossible for Yunteng without concessions.
It was exactly that loose contract model that made Yunteng TV a training ground for rising stars who'd immediately leave once they blew up.
But now? That plan was ruined.
Jing Yu's film wasn't just a hit—it was a monster success.
Three days in, 200+ million at the box office.
It had not only recouped its full production and marketing costs—it was on track for 200–300% profit margins.
During his time at Yunteng TV, even with generous conditions and several hit shows, Jing Yu's total revenue hadn't reached this level.
Now, just half a year after going solo and making two movies, 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' alone had likely earned him more than an entire year's worth of income at Yunteng TV.
"If it were me… I wouldn't stay at Yunteng TV either," Meng Yu sighed.
Now that Jing Yu had tasted solo success, there was almost zero chance of him coming back.
But Jing Yu may not need Yunteng TV—Yunteng TV definitely needs Jing Yu.
Their fall season's flagship drama, even though it followed up on the 'Dragon Zakura' time slot, had tanked.
'Dragon Zakura' had pulled over 7% in later episodes. This new show? Just 3.9% for its premiere—and the reviews weren't great.
It was unlikely to rebound.
Still, Meng Yu had to admit—Jing Yu's time at Yunteng TV hadn't been fruitless.
He'd brought massive viewership and brand power to the station.
Even during off-air hours, their ratings were up 0.5–1% compared to past years.
If Jing Yu had kept producing high-quality dramas like last year, and helped Yunteng TV build a solid lineup over 3–5 years, maybe they could've finally challenged one of the Top Three networks.
"Maybe… I really should consider Jing Yu's proposal to collaborate on drama production," Meng Yu murmured.
If this had been the Big Six, they would've rejected Jing Yu's terms without blinking.
His proposal was simple: he makes the shows, Yunteng TV only buys the broadcasting rights—no ownership of the IP.
Normally, the networks would never agree.
But Meng Yu had to seriously consider it now.
If Jing Yu could consistently deliver shows with 6–7%+ viewership, even just holding the broadcast rights was worth it.
Hit dramas didn't just bring ratings—they brought ad revenue, brand deals, and social media engagement.
That traffic elevated the whole station, feeding into a loop of more investment and better content.
Even without IP ownership, the return on such a partnership was higher than dumping tens of millions into dramas that barely break 3–4% ratings.
The only difference now?
It would no longer be Yunteng TV winning big and Jing Yu winning small—it would be Jing Yu winning big and Yunteng TV winning small.
But still a win-win.
Yet, for a TV station industry that had always held more power than its writers…
This shift in leverage was hard to swallow.
Even Meng Yu struggled to accept it.
"We've got to make a decision soon," he muttered, calling in his assistant to draft a proposal.
The fall season was already clearly mediocre.
Yunteng TV had always been that way—
But they had gotten used to Jing Yu delivering 6–7% hit shows that attracted attention and ratings.
Now with only 3.9%, Meng Yu was genuinely frustrated.
Even Jing Yu's worst show at Yunteng had done better than this.