The ending of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' may have wrapped up, but for most viewers, their minds were still reeling.
The core of the show had always been Shinji Ikari's psychological journey. The EVAs, the Angels—those were just narrative devices to move the plot forward.
A boy, deprived of love since childhood, closed off from others, practically autistic, is suddenly given the chance to live in a world with no barriers, where everyone understands each other perfectly. All his inner pain could disappear… and yet, he chooses to walk away.
To many, that still seems like a form of escapism—but for Shinji, that was growth.
Maybe he'd never fully understand others for the rest of his life. But in that moment, when he rejected the Instrumentality Project, he showed the courage to face it all.
What kind of world would be born after that rebirth? It didn't matter anymore. For Shinji Ikari, his story had already ended.
In his past life, this work was created by Hideaki Anno in a state of deep psychological turmoil. If you connected with it, you'd think the ending was divine.
If not, you'd think it was just more pretentious "artsy nonsense."
Jing Yu brought this show to this world with a lot of thought. He knew it would stir controversy after airing—but a piece like this, if left to gather dust to avoid backlash, would've been a terrible waste.
After 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' ended, Yunteng TV aired a post-broadcast interview featuring Jing Yu as the central guest.
Jing Yu's purpose in attending was simple: to drop lore and setting details that were never explicitly revealed in the show, many of which were based on Hideaki Anno's original creator notes.
No one can fully interpret a show like this with 100% accuracy.
Unless Anno himself points at a scene and explains it, all interpretations are just that—interpretations.
Jing Yu didn't want to push his own understanding on the viewers in Great Zhou, but he at least wanted to release all the relevant data.
And so, this interview, which lasted less than an hour, somehow pulled an average viewership rating of over 10%—leaving the top brass at Yunteng TV stunned.
The final episode of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' alone hit 14.02%, breaking the all-time viewership record for both Jing Yu and Yunteng TV.
Once the final numbers were in, the show's average viewership across all episodes broke 12%.
Even though this wasn't a Yunteng TV original production, it premiered on their network—and in this era where most viewers are pulled toward online content, reaching a double-digit average rating for a full series is near-impossible.
Even the so-called "Big Six" TV stations of old could barely produce something like this anymore.
After the interview ended—
Yunteng TV hosted a grand wrap party for the entire staff.
They had everything planned—just waiting for Jing Yu to show up once the broadcast was over.
"Good evening, Teacher Jing Yu!"
"Welcome, Jing Yu!"
"You're amazing, Jing Yu!"
"Seriously, I never imagined the guy who joined our TV station a few years ago would rise to this level!"
Though it was called a Yunteng TV celebration, Jing Yu knew over half the attendees were people he personally knew—friends from back when he used to film dramas for Yunteng TV.
Only a few high-level execs and investors were unfamiliar faces, but that didn't matter much.
They rushed over to toast him when he arrived.
Times had changed. Back then, Jing Yu was just a screenwriter under their roof. No matter how popular he got, he was still just an employee. That's why, at past Yunteng TV year-end events, the execs never gave him much attention.
But now… he stood on equal footing.
Their collaboration wasn't about hierarchy anymore. In fact, Yunteng TV needed him more than he needed them. Naturally, the way they treated him had changed.
And to be honest, in terms of future growth, BlueStar Media & Film Company wasn't necessarily behind Yunteng TV. Their scale might be smaller, but Jing Yu's annual profits had kept up over the last year or two.
Jing Yu handled the formalities and pleasantries with ease, then slipped away to reconnect with old Yunteng TV colleagues.
After a few drinks, he slipped away to the balcony to catch some fresh air.
No one bothered him—they could tell from his body language that he wanted a moment alone.
Wearing a sleek black suit, standing tall and calm in a corner of the party, Jing Yu looked like a protagonist out of a film, drawing eyes effortlessly.
But as they say, only you know your own burdens. Jing Yu never thought of his success as anything extraordinary. But from the outside?
That young man by the window had become the eye of the storm in the drama industry over the last five or six years—the genius who single-handedly broke the monopoly of the Big Six, the man who doubled Yunteng TV's scale in just five years, the hottest male celebrity in Great Zhou, the most gifted composer at music festivals… a monster so talented, it was hard to even be jealous of him.
"Bored, aren't you?"
Wearing a red evening dress, her long legs wrapped in sheer black stockings, her hair elegantly pinned up, Yu Youqing approached Jing Yu with a fruit wine in hand.
"Plum wine? They still serve this stuff?" Jing Yu was surprised.
"I had to beg the hotel staff for it. They said it wasn't classy enough for tonight's event, but I like it anyway." She smiled playfully.
Jing Yu took the glass and drank a chilled sip, completely ignoring the eyes of everyone else at the event.
After all, their relationship had been public knowledge in the industry for some time.
"It's over again," Jing Yu exhaled.
"Just like how viewers get emotionally attached when watching a show—you feel the same, don't you? When a show ends under your care, it feels like something's missing," Yu Youqing said softly.
"You're worried you might've messed up somewhere in the production—that your writing or ideas weren't done justice."
"Don't worry. The show's incredible. At least to me—I really loved it."
Jing Yu glanced at her, then turned to look at the cheerful gathering of Yunteng's higher-ups.
"Alright, time to wrap this up. Go tell the directors we're leaving. Let's end this boring party."
He downed the plum wine in one gulp and wrapped an arm around Yu Youqing's waist.
That night, the drama world was anything but peaceful.
While Jing Yu headed home and fell into a soft bed, his fans were up all night—re-watching 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' from the beginning.
Just as Jing Yu predicted, those who liked it were obsessed—watching reruns on Qingyun Video, taking notes, hunting down his interviews, and trying to decode the message behind the ending.
Of course, some people didn't get it and immediately wrote think pieces claiming Jing Yu was washed up and only churned out this abstract, pretentious stuff because he had no ideas left.
Just like in his past life, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' was once again becoming a highly polarizing work.
But over on Yindou Net, its rating stood at 9.7—proving that the majority of viewers did love it.
Even if they didn't fully understand the ending—not after one watch, or even three—each rewatch left a deeper emotional impact.
Shinji Ikari's cowardice and breakdowns were being seen in a whole new light.
Analysis articles began to flood the web like mushrooms after rain. A thousand viewers, a thousand interpretations.
'Neon Genesis Evangelion' might not be on the same level as world classics like 'Hamlet', but like those works, everyone had their own take.
And that kind of phenomenon?
That's the sign of a work with real cultural impact.
Jing Yu stopped commenting on 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' after that. He wasn't Hideaki Anno. His personal opinions might mislead fans.
Besides, once a piece of media grows beyond a certain point, the creator's opinion no longer matters. Many literary classics throughout history ended up interpreted very differently from what the authors intended.
But in reality, what the audience wants the story to mean often becomes more important than what the creator meant.
March ended.
April began.
Jing Yu threw himself fully into the production of his other shows.
With no new release from him in the summer season, the drama landscape reverted to a battle among many contenders. But after the shockwaves of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', viewers found these new titles… underwhelming.
Everyone was already looking forward to Jing Yu's next big hit.
Then, in mid-April—
The game and merchandise for 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' finally launched, after endless fan anticipation!