Cheng Lie let out a deep sigh of relief.
He had always worried that once Jing Yu made enough money, he'd stop striving forward. So from time to time, he'd drop subtle hints to nudge him—just to keep that sense of urgency alive.
After all, opportunities don't last forever. Jing Yu was still in his creative golden age. If he ever felt financially "set for life" and started slacking, it wouldn't just be laziness. The real risk was: once that creative momentum faded, it might never come back. Returning to high-output, high-quality work like now could be impossible.
The Great Zhou had no shortage of so-called "genius writers" who, after earning their first big paychecks, went off to play for a year or two. When they returned, they could no longer write stories with the same soul and spark. That might be a low-probability risk for someone like Jing Yu—but as his partner, Cheng Lie couldn't afford to let even a tiny chance grow.
Jing Yu understood Cheng Lie's concern, but there wasn't much he could say to explain it away.
After Cheng Lie left, Jing Yu returned to his office and began reviewing the company's detailed development plan for the winter season.
He deeply understood one truth: if you're not good at something, don't force it.
Some rich second-gens don't invest, don't gamble—they just party with girls, drive cars, collect watches, yachts, and planes. Even if they partied away ten lifetimes of money, how much could they really lose?
But the ones who went bankrupt in one or two years were usually those who dreamed of becoming the next Warren Buffett.
As a first-generation rich guy, Jing Yu had even less reason to throw money blindly.
His company had a massive cash reserve. Even if he spent tens of millions nurturing rookie creators and didn't make a profit, the loss would be minimal.
But still—he'd rather let the money sit in the bank than waste it on speculative investments or stock trading.
He scoffed at the claim that "money depreciates if it isn't invested." A few bucks? Not worth fussing over. Dozens of billions? Even if it depreciated over 30 years, he'd still be wealthier than 99% of people in Great Zhou.
Better to stay honest—keep making movies and studying the industry. That was the real path.
At BlueStar Media & Film, the entire staff finally exhaled in collective relief once it was confirmed that Jing Yu had no major plans for the next few months.
His works always performed well, but working on them came with enormous pressure.
Soon, early September came and went.
'Fate/Stay Night' had reached Episode 10, and its plot had moved into the final arc.
The romance between Artoria and Shirou Emiya was taking shape, and popular characters like Illyasviel had made their appearances, winning tons of fan love.
Still, some of Jing Yu's fans weren't watching the show. They were watching for news.
Specifically—news of Jing Yu's next project.
If he were planning to join the upcoming winter season TV drama war, announcements would likely be made around this time.
And yet…
"Still no word on the official site. Is Old Bastard not participating in the winter season?"
"No way! Why is he slacking again?!"
"Even if he doesn't have time for special effects shows like Fate, he could at least make a simple romance or slice-of-life drama! Those take like one or two weeks per episode. He used to churn those out all the time. Why not anymore?"
"Honestly, I miss his fast-paced romance dramas more than the flashy stuff. Sure, big-budget effects look great, but one drama every six months? Not enough!"
"Please don't tell me he's skipping the winter season…"
"Sigh… It's already the 11th and still nothing. Looks like it's just going to be the Big Six and their endless stream of rural love stories again. Ugh."
Just when a portion of Jing Yu's fanbase began to despair, BlueStar Media & Film's official site finally posted its winter schedule.
Two new dramas, confirmed.
The news immediately injected fans with a burst of hype—but when they checked the details…
Crap. They were dramas written by another in-house screenwriter, Xing Ren. Each has a modest budget of around 40–50 million.
Worse, the producer list included Jing Yu's name—alongside Cheng Lie's.
Fans instantly lost interest.
It was clearly just marketing—slapping Jing Yu's name on a project for clout.
Everyone knew: if he didn't write it himself, there was no way he actually cared about the show.
But then, just a few hours later, Blue Star Media & Film released another announcement:
Written by and starring Jing Yu:
Short film 'Voices of a Distant Star' to premiere October 6 on Yunteng TV and Qingyun Video at 8 PM.
Short film 'The Garden of Words' to premiere November 17, same platforms, same time.
And finally—
'Your Name' confirmed to release January 1, New Year's Day.
'Castle in the Sky' is set for release on January 23, during the Spring Festival.
Four titles, previously only known by name—with no genre, tone, or style revealed—now all had firm release dates.
The TV and film industries in Great Zhou, which had been calm, suddenly tensed.
Jing Yu's fellow TV screenwriters weren't too worried. Once they saw that the two TV projects were just short films of a few dozen minutes, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if they were excellent, short films wouldn't steal much viewership. They'd end before the audience even got into it.
But as for the two movie announcements?
All the competing directors and producers lined up for the New Year, and Spring Festival release windows instantly panicked.
Jing Yu's track record spoke for itself:
'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' — 50 million budget, now over 700 million at the box office after one month.
And now, his two new films?
'Castle in the Sky' — 270 million RMB budget
'Your Name' — a romance movie with a nearly 100 million dollar budget
Sure, production cost doesn't guarantee a movie's success. But one thing it does reflect is this:
Jing Yu cares way more about these two than he did about 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time'.
And everyone knew:
Jing Yu's judgment of the market has never failed.
Soon, every major film forum in the country was buzzing about BlueStar Media & Film's new lineup.
"Old Bastard really is a major figure in the industry now. Just a couple of movie and short film announcements, and 8 out of 10 forum threads are about him."
"That's the fame he's earned. Of course, he gets the spotlight."
"Too sneaky! Four projects—two movies, two short films—but the total runtime isn't even five hours! I'd rather he made a drama. At least I'd get 10+ hours out of that."
"Don't complain. Be grateful there's something to watch. Compared to those directors who spend 3–5 years on a single movie, he's a freaking workhorse."
"I bet the directors aiming for the New Year and Spring Festival slots are freaking out. This dude just steamrolled in out of nowhere."
"Let's not get cocky. The New Year and Spring Festival are prime times. Every film in those windows has top-tier writers and actors. Old Bastard's presence is intimidating, sure—but those veterans aren't afraid of him."
"Sure, but look at the results. Old Bastard has put all three of his previous films into the national Top 100. Those industry veterans? Most of them have flops on their record. Who knows if they'll flop again?"
"Honestly, I'm not too focused on the movies. January's too far off. I'm more curious about 'Voices of a Distant Star'. Anyone got insider info? What genre is it?"
"Who knows? It's a short film. Might not even get a trailer. No clue why Old Bastard's bothering with something so short. He could've made a proper drama with that time."
"Right? I heard it's only 20 or 30 minutes long, and they spent 50 million on it? Even The Girl Who Leapt Through Time only cost around 50 million. What is he thinking? He could've made a feature film or a drama instead. Hopefully it's something special."
"Eh, as long as there's something to watch, I'm not gonna complain. Watch—everyone talking smack about a 20-minute short now will probably end up obsessed with it later. Just wait."
"Come on. What kind of story can you tell in 20 minutes? People won't even remember the leads, let alone the plot. I know he's good—but this is a stretch. Whatever. I'll just go for the visuals.
Heard from BlueStar's announcement that 'Voices of a Distant Star' is a full-blown visual effects showcase."