To the average drama viewers across the Zhou Nation, 'Hikaru no Go's first episode was simply a surprising delight—an unexpectedly engaging watch.
But to those in Lan Province, the emotions were… a bit more complicated.
Especially among those who had once worked with Jing Yu at Jinhui TV. Quite a few people, like Jiang Shiqing and Xu You, had actually hoped to see him fall flat after leaving. After all, Jing Yu's shadow still loomed large over Jinhui TV, and the more success he found post-departure, the more embarrassing it was for those who had messed with his contract and effectively pushed him out the door.
That very morning, Xu You was summoned to a higher-up's office, where he was scolded for over half an hour straight.
He was already in his 40s. If it weren't for the fact that he had elderly parents to care for, children to raise, and his entire youth spent at Jinhui TV, Xu You would've happily planted his size 42 shoe right into that idiotic deputy director's smug face.
"Son of a b*tch... The one who gave final approval on Jing Yu's contract revision was you. You signed and stamped it. And now you're trying to take it out on me after the director gave you a dressing-down?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Xu You stormed off and dragged Jiang Shiqing into his office to give him a piece of his mind.
And then Jiang Shiqing, still fuming, jumped in his car and drove straight to the production set.
—
Meanwhile, Liu Neng and Gao Wencang, who were still working at JinHui TV, felt genuinely happy for Jing Yu.
A debut rating of 2.78% for 'Hikaru no Go'? That kind of number was flat-out impossible at Jinhui TV.
Sure, maybe eventually, with exceptional word of mouth and a strong late-season surge, a drama could hit that number. But pulling that off with just the first episode? Not a chance at Jinhui TV.
Thanks to the success of their previous collaborations with Jing Yu on 'White Album 2' and others, Liu and Gao had been entrusted with Jinhui TV's spring season drama, this time paired with a veteran in-house screenwriter. Their new show debuted at 0.87%, which wasn't bad at all—though it still paled next to 'Your Lie in April' or 'White Album 2'.
That evening, the two even hit up a BBQ joint to celebrate Jing Yu's successful leap to a better platform.
—
Back in Lan City, Xia Yining, who'd been stuck in an idle rut ever since Jing Yu left, saw a piece of paparazzi news that made her perk up—a report showing Yu Youqing at a Modo City airport.
"She's fast… already flew to Modo City?" Yining muttered, alert.
Just last week, Yu Youqing had told her over chat that she couldn't handle a one-sided long-distance crush anymore and was planning to give up on Jing Yu. She even said she'd be taking a break from acting for the next six months and urged Xia Yining to move on, too.
"So much for all that. Turns out every word out of her mouth was fake. Classic green tea b*tch."
Closing the news page, Xia Yining opened her email inbox. Dozens of drama production companies from other provinces had sent audition invites.
Thanks to her stellar performance in 'White Album 2' and the show's popularity, she now had more than enough credentials to leave Lan Province and move toward bigger opportunities.
—
Meanwhile, at the 'Hikaru no Go' set…
The child actor scenes for young Hikaru Shindo and Akira Toya had wrapped, and the production had moved on to shooting the middle school arc—Hikaru Shindo gradually beginning his Go journey under the guidance of Fujiwara no Sai.
From a shortlist of a dozen young stars—selected from variety shows, schools, and idol groups—the final actors chosen, Wu He (Hikaru Shindo) and Li He (Akira Toya), had proven themselves worthy of the roles and were now working tirelessly.
In the Zhou Nation's current drama industry, TV stations and investors were king. While actors might get decent pay, they have virtually no say on set. So for Wu He and Li He, who had once been comedy-variety nobodies, landing leading roles in a hotly anticipated Yunteng TV drama meant they were giving it their all.
Especially after seeing the first episode's stellar ratings. The entire crew was feeling optimistic about the show's future, and Wu He and Li He were no exception.
—
Sunday, January 8th.
A week had passed, and now every new spring-season drama across the nation had aired at least its first episode.
'Hikaru no Go's 2.78% debut placed it 12th among all new dramas for this season.
Within the Top 10, Xingtong TV had two flagship dramas airing on Saturday and Sunday. One of their Thursday-night crime thrillers—penned by a veteran screenwriter—also made the list with a 3.51% debut.
Imperial Capital TV and Huanshi TV each had two shows in the Top 10. As for the "weaker three" among the Big Six—Chenghai TV, Aurora TV, and Squirrel TV—they each had one show that broke into the Top 10.
As usual, the highest debut went to Xingtong TV's Fireworks, with a massive 5.78%. The 10th spot was occupied by Aurora TV's lighthearted food comedy, How the Salted Fish Was Tempered, with 3.03%.
Of course, these were only first episode numbers. Some shows are slow burns, starting at 3% and gradually rising to a 5%+ average. Others peak early and fall off hard—debuting over 5%, then slumping to a 4-point-something average by the end.
All of that had happened before in Big Six history.
But one thing was clear from the current chart: the Top 10 were entirely dominated by Big Six networks' flagship dramas. Even spots 11 through 25 were mostly non-flagship shows from those same six.
The outlier?
'Hikaru no Go'.
It had the highest-ranked debut among non-Big Six dramas. And after a full week, it had accumulated over a million viewer ratings, with a score that still matched Fireworks at 8.9, making it co-#1 in quality across the spring season.
Some audiences only watch dramas from the big networks—after all, that's what their classmates and coworkers talk about. Not keeping up with the most popular shows means being left out of watercooler conversations.
This gives Big Six dramas a kind of social gravity—a built-in buzz powered by shared discussion.
But other viewers? They watch purely for quality. They don't care about hype, platforms, or popularity. To them, ratings are biased by platform strength. What truly matters is the score.
And those viewers were naturally drawn to 'Hikaru no Go'—to its high score, and the daily Go-themed chatter on drama forums.
A Go drama?
Wait, it has this much buzz and a score that high?
No surprise then that the second episode's ratings rose again, now hitting 3.01%—a boost driven by strong first-week word-of-mouth.
Cheng Lie had expected some growth, but for the second episode to crack 3%? That far exceeded his predictions.
—
Unlike episode one, which skipped the opening theme, episode two debuted the show's title song: "Get Over."
As the song played, the credit overlay rolled in:
Screenwriter: Jing Yu
Fujiwara no Sai (character) played by: Jing Yu
Theme song: lyrics and composition by Jing Yu
Go Consultant: Jing Yu
The on-screen credits were blinding.
And that's the advantage of broadcast TV—viewers can't just skip intros. Naturally, many people noticed all these credits.
Yang Qicheng was one of them.
He had been recommended 'Hikaru no Go' by fans in his drama forums and group chats. They swore up and down that it was excellent. After watching episode two of Fireworks, he'd been left frustrated by the cliffhanger and figured, Why not give this other highly-rated show a try?
It shared the same 8.9 rating on Yindou Net anyway.
But once the credits rolled, he suddenly found himself very curious about this "Jing Yu" guy.
"Huh… seems kind of amazing?"
And that theme song?
"Yo, that's actually good. Since when do screenwriters have this much musical talent? Is the drama industry this competitive now?"