Chu You wasn't a fool. Back when 'Your Lie in April' was only pulling an average rating of just over 1, he had already sat down with Jing Yu to talk about the future.
At that time, 'Your Lie in April's results were decent, but far from enough to justify Jing Yu leaping from Jinhui to a bigger stage.
So Jing Yu didn't agree to re-sign a long-term contract, and Chu You didn't press the issue.
After all, not to mention the big national TV stations, even many of the more developed provincial stations had writers who could break 2% on average. Nobody would be particularly impressed by 'Your Lie in April's numbers back then.
But now it was different. The final episode of 'Your Lie in April' had peaked at over 3%—and this was achieved on Jinhui's platform.
While the entire station was still basking in 'Your Lie in April's success, Chu You was the first to feel a sense of crisis.
With results like that, Jing Yu clearly had the strength to step onto a bigger stage. Worse, thanks to Jinhui's own misstep, his contract had been reduced to a one-year short-term contract. They didn't even have the leverage to hold him down anymore.
So the real question was—would Jing Yu even want to stay at Jinhui?
Chu You's probing words earlier were meant as a test, and Jing Yu's calm indifference had set alarm bells ringing in his heart.
This was bad. Totally screwed.
Was Jing Yu really about to turn on them?
Chu You's loaded question didn't escape Jing Yu's notice either. He could taste the meaning behind it.
And whatever Jing Yu was thinking, Chu You had probably already guessed.
Which was only natural—if Jing Yu still refused to sign a long-term deal even now, and Jinhui didn't suspect anything, then Jing Yu would have to wonder how Chu You had managed to climb into his current position in the first place.
"It just means… there's no rush for now," Jing Yu said, taking a deep breath and meeting Chu You's gaze.
No need to spell things out too clearly. As long as both sides understood.
Had another provincial TV station reached out?
Had he already found a new home?
Or had a headhunter called to poach him?
A flood of possibilities raced through Chu You's mind as he sat across from Jing Yu in silence.
Jing Yu understood perfectly well that Chu You was unhappy—but that had nothing to do with him.
Their relationship was built on Interest, nothing more. Were they supposed to play at uncle-nephew affection? Please.
"Uncle Chu, I am interested in the fall drama slot. What's wrong? If I don't re-sign my contract right now, does that mean the station will allow someone else?" Jing Yu asked, reading Chu You's expression as he poured him another cup of tea.
Chu You studied him.
Of course—if it were any other writer, and they still refused to sign a long-term contract at this point, how could the station possibly invest resources in their script? Why should we spend money to make you famous, only for you to pat your backside and leave for greener pastures? No station would do that.
But Jing Yu was different. Even if he didn't renew after his contract expired, his next drama after 'Your Lie in April' would be highly anticipated. Maybe it wouldn't explode like 'Your Lie in April', but as long as it held up to a reasonable standard, the marketing hook of "from the writer of 'Your Lie in April'" would almost guarantee breaking 1% on average.
And that success, more or less, would reflect on Chu You, too. After all, he was Jing Yu's handler at the station.
If Jing Yu didn't renew in the end, Chu You wouldn't be the one blamed. The short-term contract fiasco hadn't been his doing anyway—it was Jiang Shiqing and Xu You who had meddled behind the scenes. If Jing Yu really left Jinhui, those two would be the ones the higher-ups went after.
Still… why did it feel so suffocating?
Just a few months ago, Jing Yu had shown him respect. Now, this was the attitude he got.
It stung. But what good would it do to turn hostile?
Nothing. He'd understood Jing Yu's meaning clearly enough: Jing Yu wasn't signing a long-term deal. But as long as Jinhui wanted to capitalize on his momentum, they'd keep investing. Which meant that before the contract expired, Jing Yu would still contribute a drama for the fall slot. The exposure would benefit him, too.
If the station didn't want that, so be it. Jing Yu could just run out the remaining half-year on his contract. With 'Your Lie in April's numbers, almost any provincial station outside the Big Six would welcome him.
Chu You opened his mouth, about to appeal to Jing Yu with emotion and reason—but one look at the calm eyes staring back at him, and he gave up.
Emotion? What emotion?
Back when Jing Yu's long contract had been cut into a short one by Jiang Shiqing's underhanded tricks, Chu You could have stepped in. But at the time, Jing Yu's value came from his father, Jing Liang. If Jing Liang were still alive, helping would have meant a favor owed. But once he died—why bother?
From that point on, there had been no sentiment left between them.
As for reason, wasn't it perfectly reasonable to seek higher ground?
Critics across the industry had already lamented that 'Your Lie in April' had been wasted on Jinhui. If it had aired on one of the Big Six, its quality could have gone toe-to-toe with any spring drama.
So if Jing Yu didn't renew, that would be the logical choice. If Chu You were in his shoes, he'd do the same.
The only real favor Jinhui had given Jing Yu was two shots: producing 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' and 'Your Lie in April', giving him a chance to shine.
But the station had profited far more from it than he had.
Corporate chicken-soup talk about gratitude and loyalty might work on fresh graduates—but with Jing Yu, it was pointless.
"The contract… We'll discuss it later. But no matter what happens then, if you can join the fall drama lineup, the station will absolutely throw its full support behind you."
Chu You had sorted it out in under ten seconds.
For the sake of interests, the station would think the same way. That was why he could say it with such certainty.
"Mm. Then I'll be counting on you, Uncle Chu."
Jing Yu rose to see him out.
Once Chu You was gone, Jing Yu finally powered his phone back on.
It was because nobody could reach him that Chu You had come in person.
Sure enough, it didn't take long before his phone rang—
"Teacher Jing Yu, this is Li You from Lingdong TV in Luo Province. We heard your contract with Jinhui will be expiring this November."
"Teacher Jing Yu, I'm from Xinmen TV in Guan Province—"
"Teacher Jing Yu, I'm Zhang Wen, an actor with Suimeng Entertainment. I heard—"
Ever since the final episode of 'Your Lie in April' aired, these kinds of calls had been coming in by the dozens every day.
Half an hour after turning his phone on, it was still the same. With a sigh, Jing Yu shut it off again.
Leaving Jinhui was practically decided. But where to go?
That was the real question. 'Your Lie in April's ratings had been hampered by platform limitations. To avoid that happening again, he'd need at least a Big Six station—or failing that, one of the top ten by influence.
But with 'Your Lie in April's results, did he have the leverage to negotiate with them on equal footing? He wasn't sure.
After all, every year there were dramas breaking 3% or even 5% averages. 'Your Lie in April' might have shone among spring releases, but the hard numbers were still what they were. Negotiations might not be easy—that was his weak spot.
Going to a regular station, Jing Yu had no worries. But to leave Jinhui only to end up at another similar station, with no qualitative leap—that wasn't worth the trouble.
Because no matter how good 'Your Lie in April's numbers were, his résumé still read "new writer, debuted a few months ago."
If he were a veteran with a track record of consistent hits, it'd be different. But as a rookie, plenty had flared once and then vanished. The top stations would consider that risk carefully.
Investing in a drama costs tens of millions, sometimes more. If your track record wasn't solid, they'd likely exclude you for the sake of safety.
'Your Lie in April' had proven him once—but he'd need a second success to truly establish himself.
Besides, his contract wouldn't expire until November. Sitting idle until then wasn't an option. The 'Your Lie in April' royalties could support him for years, but why turn down a fresh chance at exposure?
That was why he'd accepted Chu You's proposal to join the fall drama lineup.
A new script.
Now the question was—after the way he'd just acted like a rebellious thorn in their side, would the station still invest in his work?
Jing Yu's thoughts drifted back to the fall schedule Chu You had mentioned.