Early morning at Yunteng TV's production department, and everyone's expressions were... complicated.
Yunteng TV had always been a highly competitive environment. Aside from TV dramas, the station also produced variety shows, adventure programs, singing competitions, and even obstacle course reality shows. Still, among all categories, dramas consistently pulled in the highest ratings—and therefore, the biggest advertising revenue.
So even people who weren't directly involved in drama production couldn't help but hear the buzz about 'Hikaru no Go'.
When Cheng Lie first brought Jing Yu into Yunteng TV, a lot of people in the department were against it. After all, the metaphorical cake was only so big. There weren't even enough opportunities to go around for internal staff, and here came an outsider—a "parachute hire"—not only brought in from outside but also demanding a prime-time slot right off the bat.
Even worse? This "Jing Yu" guy insisted on doing almost everything himself—acting, writing, even composing music.
That rubbed people the wrong way.
In a normal production, a single drama could feed a lot of departments. Just the writing team alone might have ten members or more. But Jing Yu didn't want any support. He wanted to do it all solo.
To many, this looked like showing off.
To others, it was outright offensive—especially to the idle in-house writers, who now saw this guy hogging what could've been multiple jobs. They were openly hostile, convinced this so-called "Go drama" would be rough, amateurish, and ultimately flop hard.
Many were waiting for 'Hikaru no Go' to crash and burn so they could laugh at Cheng Lie and Jing Yu.
But now? After two weeks?
The show had become a metaphorical slap in the face.
Sure, 'Hikaru no Go's 2.78% premiere rating could still be explained away. People assumed it was just the novelty of a Go-themed drama that drew curious viewers.
But episode two?
3.50% average viewership.
People were stunned when they walked into the office that morning.
Yunteng TV had a history—if a drama didn't dip in quality and avoided any major "plot poison," the ratings would slowly increase over time. But the increase was typically gradual—within 0.1% per week, maybe 0.2% max for exceptional shows.
But 'Hikaru no Go'?
An increase of 0.72% from episode one to two?
"What the hell is going on here?"
And now it seemed 'Hikaru no Go' might actually break into the Top 10 for Week 2 of the spring drama season.
At that morning's production meeting, all eyes kept drifting toward Cheng Lie.
"Let me highlight a key point," began Meng Yu, head of the production department. "All five dramas we've aired this spring have shown promising results—especially 'Hikaru no Go', which premiered its second episode last night with an average of 3.50%."
"I've already submitted a request to upper management to increase the budget for 'Hikaru no Go'. Cheng Lie, keep pushing forward. And as for writer Jing Yu, if he has any requests, accommodate him as best as you can."
Meng Yu's gaze swept across the entire room.
"Yes, he's a new addition to our team, not from Modo City, and still getting used to things here. But he's already delivered real results. Everyone else? You should take that as motivation."
The response:
"Understood."
"Got it, Director."
"We'll step up."
The meeting ended.
Cheng Lie practically ran to the production set, energized by the numbers.
"You hear that? 3.5%!" he announced with a huge grin.
Since Jing Yu didn't have any close contacts at the station, it was always Cheng Lie who kept him informed about ratings.
"Why do you look so calm? You not happy or something?" Cheng Lie asked, throwing an arm over his shoulder and laughing boisterously.
Jing Yu accepted a drink from a crew member and gave a faint smile.
"No, I'm definitely happy. Getting 3.5% by episode two? That's great news."
"But… It's still too early to celebrate."
Cheng Lie raised a brow.
"Too early? What do you mean by that?"
You sound like a movie villain—what are you planning?
"I mean, the current numbers just aren't worth celebrating yet."
To Jing Yu, a target average rating of 6% was the real goal. So sitting at 3.5%? Still only halfway there.
Cheng Lie couldn't fully grasp what Jing Yu was thinking. Still, he quietly revised his own expectations—nudging them up from 3.6% to 3.8%.
After all, the second episode had jumped 0.72% over the premiere. But that pace wouldn't continue indefinitely. In fact, the upcoming third episode would transition to the middle school actors, and some viewers might feel a drop-off or struggle to adjust. A dip in ratings wouldn't be surprising.
A few days later, the second week of spring-season dramas wrapped up across the country.
'Hikaru no Go' landed at #9 in the weekly viewership rankings.
And that meant something huge.
It pushed Aurora TV's flagship drama, 'How the Salted Fish Was Tempered!' down from 10th to 11th.
That alone sent shockwaves through the industry.
In the first week of the spring season, the Top 10 viewership rankings were cleanly dominated by the Big Six networks:
Xingtong TV (3 dramas)
Imperial Capital TV (2 dramas)
Huanshi TV (2 dramas)
Chenghai TV, Squirrel, and Aurora (1 drama each)
All ten slots belonged to the Big Six.
But now, in week two?
'Hikaru no Go', airing on Yunteng TV, had broken into the Top 10, kicking Aurora TV's drama Salted Fish out of the lineup.
This was more than just a numbers game.
Within the Big Six, there's always been a division:
Top Three: Xingtong TV, Imperial Capital TV, Huanshi TV
These three dominate. For 15 straight years, the top-rated drama of the year has always come from one of them.
Bottom Three: Squirrel TV, Aurora TV, Chenghai TV
Their flagship dramas usually hover somewhere between #4 and #10 each season. Occasionally, they'll get lucky and grab the #1 spot for a season—but that's rare.
In short, only Big Six shows beat other Big Six shows.
That's just how the hierarchy worked.
So, if Salted Fish got pushed out of the Top 10 by another Big Six network? No big deal. Business as usual.
But being overtaken by a drama from Yunteng TV?
A non-Big Six station?
That's just embarrassing.
The cast and crew of Salted Fish were stunned by the news.
This wasn't just a minor setback—it felt like public humiliation.
"It's like all the honor students are competing, winning, and losing amongst themselves. But then, suddenly, some random dropout shows up and beats one of them. That's an insult!"
In a panic, the director, screenwriter, and producer of Salted Fish sent an emergency letter to Aurora TV's upper management—guaranteeing that episode three would reclaim their Top 10 position, and preserve Aurora's honor.
Meanwhile, the team behind Chenghai TV's Race Against Time, which held the #7 spot, felt its own pressure mounting.
When Big Six dramas fight each other for rankings, upper management tends to be pretty chill. Win or lose, it's still "family."
But when a non-Big Six drama beats them?
That's a PR nightmare.
Investors start to doubt. Confidence falters.
"If your ratings are being overtaken by some no-name station, are you even still a Big Six?"
"Are you… declining?"
On Sunday, Aurora TV's stock price dipped slightly.
That single signal set off a wave of panic at Chenghai TV.
Back in his office, Xu Mei, the Head of Production at Chenghai TV and someone who had once met with Jing Yu personally, was glued to his computer.
He was searching through every forum he could find for viewer feedback on 'Hikaru no Go'.
"This doesn't make sense… how the hell did a Go drama get this popular?"
He was utterly baffled.
"How can so many viewers keep watching… when they don't even understand Go?"