The moment Jing Yu opened his mouth, the whole room was stunned—even Producer Cheng Lie turned to stare at him.
"Barely passable?"
"Acceptable at best?"
Was this some kind of new-age humblebrag?
This wasn't a press event or a meeting with rival stations. They were all colleagues in the same production team—was there really a need to play this kind of game?
But then, Jing Yu's next sentence made everyone even more dizzy:
"That said, I do understand why our early numbers weren't as ideal.
Our station, compared to the Big Six, has significantly less traffic, lower platform recognition, and weaker promotional power.
So it's understandable that 'Hikaru no Go' fell slightly behind in the beginning.
But—this can't be our excuse. We shouldn't use that as a shield for our shortcomings."
Then he looked around the room.
"Now, we've reached Week 3. Among the flagship dramas of the Big Six, we've already surpassed two.
There's only one more—Squirrel TV's domestic drama 'Let's Get Divorced for Real'.
If we surpass that, too, it means that for this spring season, we've overtaken the bottom three of the Big Six in ratings."
Everyone in the room was starting to get pumped up.
Then Jing Yu asked:
"But is that enough?"
He answered his own question:
"I don't think so."
"'Hikaru no Go' has more potential than that.
You all have more potential than that."
Producer Cheng looked at him with admiration.
This version of Jing Yu wasn't his usual calm and gentle self—he now carried a commanding presence.
"At the very least," Jing Yu said, "we should prove to the entire Dazhou entertainment industry that our team has what it takes to produce first-tier dramas.
That every one of us has the potential to stand among the best in this profession."
Compared to Cheng Lie's usual motivational pep talks, Jing Yu's version was far more direct, even aggressive—but no one could deny it was inspiring.
And even if they knew it was just a pep talk, they still felt their blood boil.
Then Jing Yu tapped his pen on the table—three times.
"My goal for 'Hikaru no Go'," he continued,
"is for us to drag at least one of the Big Three—Xingtong TV, Imperial Capital TV, or Huanshi TV—off their pedestal this spring."
"In other words, by the end of the spring season,
I want 'Hikaru no Go's average ratings to rank in the Top 3."
His speech concluded.
It was critical to set a clear goal for the team—something ambitious enough to keep the pressure on, but not too absurd to sound delusional.
If he'd said this at the start, people would've just called him naive.
But now, at this moment—when everyone was starting to feel proud and complacent—this goal created the exact sense of urgency he wanted.
Jing Yu had done his homework.
He had analyzed the spring season's broadcast data thoroughly:
Xingtong TV's 'Fireworks'
Imperial Capital TV's 'Deadly Gambler'
Both were solid hits.
By Week 3, their ratings had already surpassed 6.3%.
Even if 'Hikaru no Go' gained popularity for another month or two, catching up in weekly ratings was barely possible—but averaging out the entire season?
Almost impossible.
Why?
Because while their first episodes started with nearly 6%, 'Hikaru no Go' had only launched with 2.78%.
That gap was too big. Even if they outperformed in later weeks, raising the average to match the Big Three would be a massive challenge.
However, Huanshi TV's wuxia drama, Endblade, was showing signs of weakness.
Week 3 average: 5.34%, and slowing growth.
Jing Yu saw an opening.
And if he was wrong? Who cares.
It wasn't illegal to dream big—and if he fell short, he'd just say, "Next time."
But this goal wasn't just for motivation.
It was also a signal to Producer Cheng Lie:
"Don't get comfortable. Don't settle for 3% ratings.
Time to push for a budget increase."
Because the upcoming episodes would feature big tournament scenes and professional-level Go matches, set designs, atmosphere, and promotional costs would all need a serious boost.
And, of course, let's not forget—
Jing Yu's script and acting fees were tied to a percentage of the total investment.
The bigger the production budget, the better the visuals, the higher the ratings—
The more Jing Yu earns.
He had zero guilt about spending the network's money.
Days passed quickly.
The entire production crew was fired up by Jing Yu's rallying cry.
Their internal goals started spreading around Yunteng TV—and soon reached other production companies in Modo City.
The crew of 'Fireworks' at Xingtong TV heard about it too—
and their friendly attitude toward 'Hikaru no Go' disappeared instantly.
"We respected your skills. We're in the same city, and even shared the lot.
But now you think you're gonna topple one of the Big Three?
Who do you think you are?"
"Go dream somewhere else."
At the end of Week 3, the full ratings were finally released.
'Hikaru no Go' landed at #7, with an average rating of 3.81%.
'Race Against Time' dropped to #8.
Ahead of 'Hikaru no Go' were six other dramas:
Xingtong TV's 'Fireworks' – #1 for all three weeks
Imperial Capital TV's 'Deadly Gambler' – solid #2
Huanshi TV's 'Endblade' – consistently #3
These three had already broken 5%, and didn't feel threatened by 'Hikaru no Go'.
But spots #4 to #6? They were nervous.
Their ratings hovered around the 4% range—and 'Hikaru no Go' had been rising by 0.3–0.4% every week.
At this rate, Week 4 could bring another leap forward.
None of them wanted to get outperformed by a show from a non-Big Six station.
Because if that happened?
Shareholders would start asking questions. Executives wouldn't care about excuses.
They'd just assume the team was incompetent.
This wasn't just a ratings battle anymore—it was about careers.
Like a school of fish jolted by a catfish, those production teams tightened their standards and doubled their efforts.
Meanwhile, media coverage exploded.
Praise for 'Hikaru no Go' spread across industry blogs, film critic forums, and social media.
Headlines:
"'Hikaru no Go' Revitalizes the Industry: There Are No Bad Genres, Only Bad Writers!"
"Dazhou's Stagnant Drama Landscape Desperately Needed a Disruptor Like Jing Yu!"
"Audiences Are Tired of the Same Marriage-Love-Workplace Tropes.
Life Is More Than That—There's Go, There's Stinky Tofu, There Are Cats!"
"Online Sales of Go Sets Spike by 20%—Likely Linked to 'Hikaru no Go's Popularity!"
From the Go community:
Professional 9-dan player Zhou Zhengguang praised 'Hikaru no Go' for its authenticity and educational value.
He noted that the game records weren't just lifted from classic games or pro matches—they were original boards, and well-aligned with the characters' skill levels.
Zhou even claimed that "Jing Yu may have 5-dan-level professional strength."
Rumors:- The show's Go consultant, pro 5-dan Li Le, allegedly lost 14 straight games to Jing Yu during production.
When asked by reporters, Li Le didn't confirm or deny the rumor.
Given that Li Le is Zhou Zhengguang's disciple, and Zhou made such a bold claim, insiders suspected he might know the truth.
That week, you couldn't browse a drama forum without seeing 'Hikaru no Go' discussion threads.
Even die-hard "I-don't-care-about-Go" types were getting curious.
On Yindou Web, the show's rating hit 9.4, ranking #1 among all spring dramas—0.3 points higher than 'Fireworks'.
"Is it really that good?"
"Should I check it out this week?"
Meanwhile, Yunteng TV went all-in on marketing.
Posters for 'Hikaru no Go' now fill buses, subways, airports, and train stations in Modo City—as many as 'Fireworks'.
Ads were rolled out to other top-tier cities and even major second-tier cities.
The crew expanded, with new hires strengthening production departments.
And behind the scenes, fierce competition emerged for even minor side roles in the show.
Small-time celebs and recognizable local actors were willing to cameo for next to nothing—just to get their name attached to the hit.
At last, the Sunday of Week 4 arrived.
Episode 4 of 'Hikaru no Go' officially aired.