According to his contract with the TV station, Jing Yu was required to participate in certain commercial promotions for the drama.
If it were an event specifically for promoting 'Hikaru no Go', Jing Yu would've had no grounds to refuse.
But what Cheng Lie was asking now—this Go exchange event—was something quite different. It leaned heavily toward commercial PR rather than being tied directly to filming.
Technically, Jing Yu had every right to say no.
He looked at Cheng Lie.
The man had personally come to ask him, clearly on behalf of both the station and the sponsor. If Jing Yu turned him down cold, that would be a bit too harsh—even for him.
Of course, if he wanted to, he absolutely could.
Given 'Hikaru no Go's current success, Jing Yu—despite being relatively new at Yunteng TV—didn't really have to worry about offending anyone except maybe a few top-level execs.
But he genuinely liked Cheng Lie.
In the time they'd worked together, he'd come to respect the man's dedication and decency.
If this wasn't some task forced down from above, Cheng Lie would never have come to him with such a request.
Jing Yu sighed.
"So... what's the date?"
"One week from now. February 11 and 12, over the weekend. It'll be held here in Modo City," Cheng Lie replied quickly.
"Got it. Then you'd better start adjusting the filming schedule.
I'll be away from the set for two days—make sure it doesn't delay anything."
"You're saying yes?" Cheng Lie blinked, caught off guard.
He'd expected to have to spend at least two or three days pestering Jing Yu into agreeing.
"You came in person, Producer Cheng. Of course, I'll show you some respect."
Jing Yu smiled lightly.
He hadn't forgotten how Cheng Lie had gone to bat for 'Hikaru no Go' during internal meetings—how he'd helped secure the time slot and fought for the drama's production.
He remembered things like that.
Otherwise, this kind of PR gig?
As a screenwriter, it wasn't his job at all—it was just extra unpaid work.
If someone like Meng Yu had been the one asking, Jing Yu's response would've been something like:
"Sure—but let's talk appearance fee."
With Jing Yu agreeing to attend, Qimu Sports, the organizers of the Go exchange event, sprang into action.
Among the roster of notable attendees—pro players, amateur experts, and several high-ranking corporate Go hobbyists—
Jing Yu, the writer of 'Hikaru no Go' and actor playing Sai, was instantly added to the main promotional lineup.
To the film and TV industry, screenwriters might not seem like a big deal.
And Jing Yu hadn't yet reached the level of top-tier celebrity in the field.
But the attention and traffic he could draw for this event were on par with, or even greater than, most elite Go pros.
Because there was no way around it—
Sai's popularity was through the roof.
Especially among female fans.
Once word got out, it spread like wildfire across 'Hikaru no Go' fan groups.
"Sai's gonna attend the Qimu Go Exchange? No way! I'm 100% going—gotta see him in person!"
"Damn it, why's the event in Modo and not in Imperial Capital?! So unfair."
"Wait, they're actually gonna play matches at this event? What if Sai loses?!"
"I can't watch Sai lose!"
"Come on, it's just a drama. Sai's a beast on screen, but in real life, he's just a screenwriter—it's normal if he loses."
"I don't care! I still don't want to see him lose! Sai is #1 forever."
"You think Jing Yu's bad at Go? The show's Go consultant, pro 5-dan Li Le, reportedly lost more than ten games in a row to him!
He's probably stronger than 5-dan."
"Bro, they invited multiple top-tier pros to this event. We're talking 8-dan, 9-dan pros.
If he gets matched with one of them, Jing Yu's doomed.
Of course, if he draws one of the hobbyist business guys—like Ma Dapao or Li Yun—then yeah, he'll destroy them."
"You sure about that? Li Yun owns a top film company and holds shares in Xingtong TV.
If Jing Yu faces him, he might have to strategically lose, y'know?
It's a real test of emotional intelligence."
"And don't underestimate those grandmasters from Modo park corners.
Some of those amateurs are just as strong as pros—they just never tested for official rankings, or they're too old to qualify."
"It's over… why did he agree to this event?
If he loses, it'll shatter the image of Sai for me forever…"
"Y'all need to relax. Stop dragging real life into fiction.
What's next—if the hero of a martial arts drama gets knocked out in real life by a boxer, are you gonna cry too?
I don't care—I'm showing up to the event no matter what. I'm getting my autograph and selfie. You losers can stay here and be emo."
News that Jing Yu, the actor for Sai and writer of 'Hikaru no Go', would be attending a Go exchange event—
and that it would be broadcast next Sunday on an official sub-channel—
quickly swept through the 'Hikaru no Go' fandom.
Some were worried it would break the "Sai is unbeatable" illusion.
Others were just excited—finally, a chance to see how skilled the man behind the character really was.
Was it true he could beat professional players?
Or was it all hype?
At that moment, Lin Fei closed the tab showing the news.
"That's next weekend's problem.
For now, 'Hikaru no Go's episode six is about to air."
The match that had been brewing for two to three episodes—
between Hikaru's school Go club and Kaio High School was finally about to begin.
Which meant:
The third match between Hikaru and Akira
It was finally going to be shown.
Her heart was inexplicably nervous.
She didn't want Akira to lose...
But she didn't want Hikaru to lose either.
As for Sai?
He's not losing.
That Lin Fei wasn't worried about at all.
First week of February.
All six major TV stations were ramping up their efforts.
Three of them had already been overtaken by 'Hikaru no Go'—
But they weren't giving up.
They were still hoping to claw back the lead in February.
Among the Top Three networks:
Xingtong TV had three dramas in the top 10
Imperial Capital TV had two
Huanshi also had two.
With 'Hikaru no Go' sitting at #5, that meant:
It had already surpassed two of Xingtong's shows.
It had overtaken one of Huanshi's
Only Imperial Capital TV's two top-10 dramas had yet to fall.
Clearly, even the Top Three were starting to view 'Hikaru no Go's sudden rise with suspicion and wariness.
'Fireworks', Xingtong TV's top show, averaged 6.89% this week with its sixth episode.
As for Chenghai TV's 'Race Against Time', it was no longer even considered a relevant rival by 'Hikaru no Go's team.
10:00 PM.
Episode six of 'Hikaru no Go' began airing.
Opening viewership: 4.23%.
A stable viewer base had now formed.
This level of traffic was unreachable by Yunteng TV regularly.
Only during 'Hikaru no Go' broadcasts did these audiences converge.
These were viewers 'Hikaru no Go' had stolen from other stations over the past five weeks.
The opening theme played.
Lin Fei listened intently.
Maybe she just had an overactive imagination, but the song felt... almost hypnotic.
It washed away her thoughts, silenced her inner noise.
By the time the episode began in earnest, her mind was focused on one thing:
Go.
She wanted to see Hikaru play.
She wanted to see Sai play.
She wanted to see Akira play.
She wanted to keep watching this show forever.
The episode opened with the Middle School Go Tournament—
the very scene audiences had been waiting for over the past few episodes.