Looking at the current situation, the early groundwork laid by Jing Yu had finally started to bear fruit.
The influence of his past works had deepened over the years, and his fanbase continued to grow.
Now, some projects didn't even need Jing Yu to personally oversee them—his company staff had begun proactively exploring the untapped potential within his older titles.
While the cultural and entertainment landscape in Great Zhou was similar to that of his previous life, Jing Yu couldn't just copy things 1:1. So he'd loosened control over the finer details.
For example, with the 'Fate' series, 'Gundam', and 'Ultraman', he allowed spinoffs and merchandise development to proceed even without his direct supervision. As long as the writing quality was solid, projects based on these worlds could be greenlit without waiting on Jing Yu himself.
Just like how in his past life, the original 'Fate/stay night' game was written by the renowned Japanese writer Kinoko Nasu, but 'Fate/Zero' was a spinoff created by Gen Urobuchi at Nasu's request.
A long-running franchise can't be built by one creator alone—human energy is limited.
Sure, Jing Yu could theoretically transplant all spin-offs from his previous life into this world. But truth be told, the creators in Great Zhou were no slouches either.
Some of the in-house writers had penned scripts based on existing universes, and Jing Yu thoroughly enjoyed reading them. If a script seemed promising, he would sign off on the project without hesitation.
So at this point, Bluestar Media wasn't just developing new shows where Jing Yu was the credited screenwriter—many derivative works from his previous IPs were also entering pre-production.
With the 'Gundam SEED' game becoming a global bestseller, morale across Bluestar Media soared. People no longer only cared about Jing Yu's newest project. Now they realized—he had left behind a goldmine of IPs.
Meanwhile, people in the TV, film, and game industries could feel the pressure.
To outsiders, Bluestar's property assets and account balances alone were worth close to ten billion—without even factoring in the enormous value of its intellectual property library.
Yet even with that, Bluestar Media was still considered to be in the early stages of development within the full-scale entertainment ecosystem. There was still vast room for growth.
Jing Yu's expansion plans were aggressive. He was personally involved in over a dozen major projects across film, television, and gaming. Combined with the new initiatives proposed by his team, the once-rich company coffers were beginning to tighten by the second half of the year.
That said, Bluestar was also hiring rapidly. Since the start of the year, headcount has increased by 20%. Especially in the gaming division, despite having the fewest releases, it generated the highest profit margins and had grown the fastest.
Many of the new hires were industry veterans poached from well-known foreign game studios.
These moves didn't stay secret—Jing Yu wasn't even trying to hide them. Some peers thought he was expanding too quickly, taking on too much at once, and risking a liquidity crisis.
But others admired his approach.
Normally, when a company reaches Bluestar's size and wants to grow further, it needs to go public, attract capital, or take on investments. Relying purely on revenue to fund future production is far too slow.
But Jing Yu was different.
He rejected all capital market investors from the Great Zhou. If he wanted the company to keep pace with the internet era, he had to move fast. This was why he never launched just one or two projects—it was always a full wave.
So while many companies took notice of Bluestar after 'Gundam SEED's explosive success, interest died down within weeks.
Why?
Even if they knew Jing Yu was ambitious, what could they do? Stop him?
How? He wasn't using hype and speculation—he was producing real, successful work.
By late August, time marched on.
Although the original 'Attack on Titan' final arc was quite long, Jing Yu condensed and streamlined many parts, while also extending the total runtime of this season. As a result, the plot moved swiftly.
Gabi the Marleyan sniper killed fan-favorite Sasha ("Potato Girl") with a single shot.
Eren staged a coup from within the walls.
Hostility from foreign nations toward Paradis intensified.
World War I loomed.
Eren broke ties with his old friends and activated the Founding Titan. He released thousands of Colossal Titans hidden within the walls—initiating the Rumbling to flatten the world.
The story had completely transformed into a political and ethnic war narrative. It lacked the suspense of the earlier arcs, but thanks to top-tier visual effects, the show's reception stayed strong.
Of course, Eren's actions sparked controversy.
Some supported his "eye for an eye" philosophy—after all, without Marley's invasion, his mother wouldn't have died. Foreign nations openly supported Paradis' destruction. In that light, the Rumbling was just retaliation.
Others felt Eren's methods were too extreme. He was using vengeance as an excuse to commit genocide. To them, he had become a villain.
Online debates raged.
But one thing made Jing Yu grateful: Great Zhou audiences weren't the type to bring moral panic into entertainment.
No one was out there saying 'Attack on Titan' was "too violent," "a bad influence on children," or demanding it be banned. No self-righteous watchdog groups were making noise.
Great Zhou viewers were relatively rational. Disagreements remained focused on the story, not social or political issues.
Meanwhile, 'My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected' was following a trajectory similar to Jing Yu's past life.
Not a masterpiece, perhaps—but definitely a very good show. It couldn't compete with 'Attack on Titan' or 'Gundam SEED', but among the rest of the TV lineup, it stood tall.
After two months, it had built a solid fanbase. The actress playing Yukino—the cool, sharp-tongued female lead—had even become the most popular female star in Great Zhou this season.
As September arrived, Jing Yu's schedule filled up.
With 'Attack on Titan' nearing its end, he traveled with the cast to various cities for fan meetings.
TV media outlets flooded headlines with coverage:
"Epic drama 'Attack on Titan' to end this month. Will Eren become a world-destroying demon or find redemption in the final hour?"
"If you had the power to destroy the world… and knew your exact death date… and the world hated you and hurt your loved ones—what would you do?"
"Polls show fans understand both sides of Eren's decision—but everyone agrees: please, just kill off Gabi!" (T/N: Gabi pissed me out too...😂)
"An incredible beginning, a god-tier middle, and a slightly bloated ending—yet 'Attack on Titan' still represents the pinnacle of Great Zhou television. If the finale holds strong, it will go down as one of the greatest series ever."
"Genius screenwriter Jing Yu says: 'Attack on Titan' will end on a tragic note. We've worked hard to deliver a moving finale."
"Jing Yu's magnum opus: 'Attack on Titan' ends this month. Will this mark the extension of TV's golden era—or its last hurrah?"
Drama forums and websites were exploding with posts and discussions about the ending.
Whenever Jing Yu had spare time, he'd browse those threads.
He was relieved to see that, despite the final arc not being as thrilling as earlier ones, audiences weren't rejecting it.
In his past life, the ending had been heavily criticized. But in this world—without Code Geass—nobody guessed that Eren's arc was inspired by Lelouch's sacrificial finale.
And with the most controversial plot points removed, the final arc now felt… less intense, but also harder to criticize.
"Looks like things are going well."
After wrapping up a long day, Jing Yu let out a deep breath.
"Going well?" asked Cheng Lie nearby.
"I mean the response to Titan's ending. Looks like people accept it."
"Of course they do! With that kind of finale quality, how could they not? What do you think Zhou audiences are too picky now?" Cheng Lie joked.
"You used to never care about audience feedback. Why the sudden nerves?"
"Different works deserve different treatment," Jing Yu replied calmly.
If 'Attack on Titan' hadn't been so badly received in his previous life, he wouldn't have been this worried.
"But 'Attack on Titan' really is ending soon," Cheng Lie sighed. "Hard to believe the most-watched drama in Great Zhou history came from us. Feels like a dream when I think back to our first collaboration seven or eight years ago."
"You're getting sentimental."
"Naturally. So what's next, Jing Yu? Any plans after 'Attack on Titan' ends?" Cheng Lie asked.
"Next?" Jing Yu thought for a moment.
"There is no 'next'—at least not immediately. I'm starting to think about stepping back. I've been active on the front lines of film and TV for ten years. I'm tired. Maybe it's time to settle down, think about marriage," he said, pausing.
"As for the company, I'll shift focus to next year's 'Pokémon' and 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' game launches."
"And you should push the drama department to become more independent. They need to stop relying on me for everything."
"Marriage, huh?" Cheng Lie mused, then chuckled. "Well, you are at that age."
"Still, it's a shame. You're at your creative peak, and you're thinking about pulling back."
"I never said I was retiring," Jing Yu clarified. "If I act in anything again, it'll be purely for fun."
His company was now structurally complete. The development roadmap was clear.
Looking at the current market, Jing Yu was confident in Bluestar's future. Which is why he finally had thoughts about slowing down.
He was already standing at the peak of the TV industry. Looking back, no predecessors matched him. Looking forward, no one could threaten him.
There was little motivation left.
He wasn't interested in becoming one of those actors still running around film sets at seventy.
Their conversation didn't last long. But after confirming that Jing Yu had no immediate new works planned after 'Attack on Titan' and that future projects would likely be fewer, Cheng Lie began adjusting Bluestar's development strategy.
As September slipped by…
In mid-September, Bluestar Media released the second promotional trailer for 'Spirited Away'.
Longer, richer, and filled with new visuals.
Though the clips still didn't reveal much about the plot, excitement was sky-high. Many fans had already decided they would buy tickets the moment it opened during the Spring Festival.
And then, September moved into its final stretch.
Now, the drama world was truly heating up.
With only two episodes left, 'Attack on Titan' was nearing its conclusion.
Last season, 'Gundam SEED' could still compete with 'Attack on Titan' in influence. But this season, 'My Youth Romantic Comedy' didn't come close.
Forum threads about 'Attack on Titan's ending exploded in number.
All of Great Zhou's TV fans were waiting for the finale.