Ever since the filming wrapped up in 'Your Lie in April', Jing Yu finally welcomed a rare period of true downtime—something he hadn't really experienced since arriving in this world.
Originally, he had planned to explore the vastness of this new world. But after going out a few times, only to be recognized by fans of 'Your Lie in April' who first excitedly pointed him out and then quickly became awkward and cold, Jing Yu got the message loud and clear: maybe it was better to just stay home for now.
Well, if he couldn't be a sunshine boy, being a homebody heartthrob didn't sound too bad either.
And staying home? Oh, it felt good—really good. In this brand-new world with its brand-new games, Jing Yu had holed up inside for half a month, thoroughly immersed in his new hobbies.
Ah, the simple joys of a man.
So when he opened the door and saw Chu You standing there, it took him a few seconds to remember—
Oh, right, I still work for Jinhui TV.
Chu You stepped into Jing Yu's tiny rental apartment. It was less than 40 square meters. The place was old, but Jing Yu kept it neat and clean.
In the middle of the room sat a computer, surrounded by an array of gaming consoles, controllers, and game discs that Jing Yu had bought. While the room was spotless, the trash bin was overflowing with takeout containers—painting a very vivid picture of what Jing Yu's life had looked like lately.
Sure, 'Your Lie in April' had finished filming—but this…
This was borderline degenerate behavior.
Chu You had been planning to lecture Jing Yu a little. But he quickly held back.
Times change.
After so many years at the TV station, Chu You understood how things worked.
'Your Lie in April' had become an explosive hit, and Jing Yu, thanks to that drama, had now become the top-performing screenwriter in the entire Lan Province region.
Sure, Chu You could still refer to him as his "nephew" with an air of seniority. But if he thought he still had the authority to scold Jing Yu like an elder, then he was just fooling himself.
"What brings you over today, Uncle Chu?" Jing Yu asked directly.
Chu You was a pragmatic man—he only looked at results. But then again, who didn't? At least Chu You wouldn't drag you down if he saw potential benefits. And he always pulled his weight, which was a hell of a lot better than those leaders who did nothing but talk big and never got anything done.
"It's been a while since I checked in on you, and I was starting to miss my dear nephew," Chu You said with a smile.
As he chatted, he casually scanned the room.
Finally, something caught his attention.
A stack of paper that looked like drafts, filled with handwritten notes.
Wait… could it be that despite all the gaming, he's already working on a new script?
Chu You's curiosity was piqued. He took a few steps toward the papers, keeping the conversation going while subtly trying to read them.
A game strategy guide?
Top 100 Must-Play Games in Da Zhou?
Chu You froze in place.
"Sorry about that, Uncle Chu."
Jing Yu noticed his gaze and quickly scooped up the stack of papers.
Chu You let out a slow breath. He decided not to ask any more questions about how Jing Yu had been spending his time. He got straight to the point.
Twenty minutes later—
"So basically, the station wants to release 'Your Lie in April' on DVD along with some other merchandise, and they want me to create new bonus content to help boost sales, right?" Jing Yu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Exactly," Chu You replied. "You know how popular 'Your Lie in April' has become. While its raw ratings may not beat the top 10 spring dramas, in terms of fan reviews, 'Your Lie in April' is in a league of its own. Even after the finale, its influence has only continued to spread—it's no less impactful than those higher-rated shows."
"This is the perfect time to capitalize on the buzz and release the merchandise."
"Got it." Jing Yu nodded.
"Adding some extra side stories to the DVD? No problem. But the production budget…"
"Don't worry about that. The station will allocate a high-level budget for this."
"And the timeline?" Jing Yu asked.
"Preferably within ten days," Chu You replied.
"It's the end of March now. In just a few weeks, the summer dramas will start airing. If we delay this too long, 'Your Lie in April's fans might cool off, and that'll hurt sales."
Chu You stayed at Jing Yu's place for about an hour.
Everything went smoothly in terms of planning, but Jing Yu made one additional request.
Since they were already releasing 'Your Lie in April' on DVD, why not bundle it with 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'?
Based on its ratings, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' also deserved that kind of treatment. But during the internal meetings, Xu You had sabotaged the plan. After all, the more successful 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' became, the more it would reflect badly on him. So the matter had been shelved—until now.
"I'll need to take that back to the department head and see what I can do," Chu You said, not giving a direct answer but promising to try.
"Oh, and Jing Yu—about your contract…" Chu You paused.
"Have you thought about renewing it?"
"Also…" he added, "would you be interested in joining the autumn drama season?"
Generally speaking, for screenwriters in the Da Zhou entertainment industry, getting even one seasonal drama aired per year was already considered highly productive. Two? That would be overachieving.
Most writers couldn't produce back-to-back dramas in consecutive seasons. Partly due to the station's resource allocation, but mostly because of the natural limits of creative inspiration.
Since Jing Yu had just made history with 'Your Lie in April' and had singlehandedly done the work of an entire scriptwriting team, the station had assumed he wouldn't be able to maintain that level of output. So they didn't even ask him to participate in the summer season lineup.
But autumn was different. It was still three months away.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Jing Yu had just risen to national fame in 'Your Lie in April'. Now was not the time to fade into obscurity. If he went dark for too long, the audience would move on.
Jing Yu lowered his head and thought for a moment.
Originally, his contract with Jinhui TV had been a long-term deal, but due to meddling from Jiang Shiqing, it had been downgraded to a short-term one.
A one-year rolling contract—basically a temp agreement. The last one he signed was in November of last year, just half a month after his reincarnation.
The autumn drama season would kick off in July. If he chose not to renew his short-term contract after it expired, then yes—he could still take part in the autumn production.
"As for the contract… there's no rush," Jing Yu said.
"But I am interested in working on a drama for the autumn season."
Chu You's eyes grew serious upon hearing that. He looked directly at Jing Yu and spoke plainly:
"Jing Yu, my boy—why do you keep dragging your feet on the contract?"