The outcome of the Jin Hui TV Production Department's meeting spread like wildfire across the entire station.
While screenwriters had gradually become some of the most influential people in a production team, producers still held the reins — they coordinated filming, managed logistics, and most importantly, secured funding.
And in this industry, money was the core of everything.
So when, in yesterday's meeting, the department head Shi Teng publicly stated that as long as the second episode of 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' broke a 1.0 rating, the station would immediately allocate funding to build a production team around Jing Yu, that statement was not to be taken lightly.
It wasn't just an empty promise like when some producers said, "Send me a proposal, I'll see if I can get you some investors." No — this came directly from the department head, and it carried real weight.
Jin Hui TV had long been known in Lan Province for being bold in investing in newcomers. If not, Jiang Shiqing would never have risen so quickly to power at such a young age.
And now, after just one night since the premiere of 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', Jing Yu had suddenly become the station's hot commodity.
Jin Hui TV produced a lot of programs — after all, their primary audience was the 60-million-strong population of Lan Province. Even if their ratings outside the province weren't great, the collective audience across other regions still matched that of Lan Province in sheer numbers.
Jing Yu recalled how in his past life, TVB in Hong Kong had to produce dozens of dramas and countless other programs every year for a few million people, so Jin Hui's volume of production was nothing surprising.
Even so, in this era of fierce competition in the entertainment industry, the number of people trying to become actors or enter the TV and film business far outstripped the number of available roles. Every job was in high demand.
Which is why, by the afternoon, Jing Yu's phone was ringing off the hook.
Everyone understood the importance of striking early — come Sunday, once episode two aired, whatever the results were, they knew they'd be too late to get in his good graces.
But Jing Yu genuinely did have to consider candidates for his upcoming project, so he couldn't just ignore all of them.
"Hello, is this Teacher Jing Yu? This is Li Su — we talked before. I'm so sorry about last time. I really didn't have time to take the female lead role in 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'. But starting next week, I'm free! Hello? Hello? Bad signal? …Hung up?"
"Teacher Jing Yu, I worked with your father for many years. I've always been excellent at on-set logistics. And I also— Oh, I see. You'll consider me for the new project, right?"
"Teacher Jing Yu, our agency's top actress Jia Qing is very interested in your upcoming drama. Haha — oh? You don't have the script ready yet? That's no problem at all! If you could break 1.0 with a low-budget short drama, your next work is bound to do even better! I just hope you'll give Jia Qing a chance — she won't let you down!"
"Teacher Jing Yu! You contacted me before — really sorry about not being available back then. But I'm completely free now. I'd love to play the female lead. Or even the second lead is fine. What's your address? I can come meet you in person. Too late at 10 PM? Not at all! That's the perfect time, right? I'm happy to work overtime!"
"Teacher Jing Yu—"
Jing Yu picked up again, and a soft, overly flirtatious female voice came through.
He hung up instantly and turned his phone off.
These people were insane.
In the afternoon, the calls had still been somewhat professional — but after 9 PM, it had devolved into sheer chaos.
Screw your so-called overtime.
Do I look like that kind of guy?
Jing Yu glanced at the clock on the wall — 11 PM.
These people were really something else.
He looked down at the notepad in front of him, where he had jotted down some contact details and brief notes.
While many of the callers clearly had ulterior motives, there were quite a few capable individuals among them — and many of them had worked with his father in the past.
As for the actresses who had rejected him before, they were definitely off the list.
You looked down on me back then — now why should I bother with you?
It's not like I have no other options.
Meanwhile, at a high-end bar, a crystal glass slammed hard onto the floor.
"Those two old bastards, Shi Teng and Chu You, totally played me!"
Xu You, usually the very image of elegance, was now cursing loudly, his mask of civility thrown to the wind.
Inside the private room with him were Tang Yidong, Song Xin, and Jiang Shiqing — four core members of the White Lover production team.
Song Xin and Tang Yidong might have been professional rivals within the show, but their personal relationships kept things civil — their respective romantic partners were the show's producer and screenwriter, after all.
Xu You had calmed down a bit after the meeting and realized what had happened:
Shi Teng had used this as an opportunity to clip his wings a little — giving Jing Yu a shot was a strategic test to see whether Chu You and his "protégé" could actually pose a threat to his faction.
After all, Jing Yu's father had become one of the station's key screenwriters at the same age. Maybe Shi Teng saw something of the father in the son.
"Didn't you say that kid Jing Yu was all fluff? No real talent? That's why I didn't fight harder when Chu You snatched the emergency slot and let him take over the filler drama."
Xu You looked at Jiang Shiqing, voice low but accusatory.
Not quite blaming him — Jiang was famous now, and Xu You couldn't bark orders at him like he used to.
"It wasn't just me," Jiang said after a pause. "Song Xin worked with him, too. She said the same."
"It's true," Song Xin nodded. "Jing Yu only got any attention because of his father's protection. He had a script revised thirteen times and still couldn't get his father's approval. If Jing Liang had any faith in him, he would've pushed him out front years ago."
"I still have one of his scripts from three months ago. He even asked me for help with the plot — a screenwriter asking an actress to help fix his story. Pathetic."
She pulled up a file on her phone and handed it to Xu You.
Jiang Shiqing glanced at it and frowned. Xu You skimmed a few pages, then narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell is this garbage? Is this Jing Liang's son? I can't even tell who the main character is!"
Aside from basic formatting and structure, the plot itself was utter nonsense.
So... how did 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' happen?
"Just dumb luck," Song Xin said flatly.
"Short dramas can sometimes blow up off a single idea — like the whole reverse-time parallel universe thing in 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'. That kind of high-concept twist grabs attention. But everyone knows: starting strong is easy. Ending well is hard. Tons of shows start with a bang and end in flames."
She looked to Xu You.
"Besides, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' got bumped to a variety show time slot. That's going to hurt its ratings. It's not so easy to break 1 again."
Jiang Shiqing nodded. "And if it doesn't?"
"That's your chance, Director Xu," he added. "From that script alone, it's obvious — Jing Yu doesn't have what it takes for long-form dramas. One idea won't carry a full series."
"If the station funds a new drama, and it flops — Chu You's the one who backed him. That'll be your chance to take him down."
They were all saying these things casually, but there was a subtle heaviness in the air.
Deep down, none of them truly believed Jing Yu had talent — so they leaned into the most comforting explanation: luck.
They couldn't explain 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday's success, so they chalked it up to fate.
And in their minds, even if episode two didn't bomb, and even if Jing Yu did get his chance… surely his next drama would flop.
Because what else could they do?
Scheming wouldn't work — not when Jing Yu had Chu You backing him and Shi Teng favoring him.
In this industry, when power was evenly matched, only the work mattered.
Me, lose?
Xu You glanced at Jiang Shiqing.
That thought — he tossed it straight in the trash.
No matter how hard that brat jumps around, he's not beating Jiang Shiqing.
Hmph.
And just like that, a few days flew by.
The air was tense.
The broadcast date for episode two of 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' was approaching.