The next day, Cheng Lie sat with his assistant on set, reviewing the detailed viewership report with a heavy expression.
The ratings for Episode 8 of 'Hikaru no Go' from the previous night left him both relieved and frustrated.
He was relieved because, despite 'Hikaru no Go' being ambushed by three dramas with ratings between 2% and 3% airing in the same time slot, the damage to its viewership was only around 0.6%, far better than the 1%+ drop they'd anticipated. Most importantly, 'Hikaru no Go' didn't fall below the 5% threshold.
This was thanks to the drama's own quality and the boost from Jing Yu's impressive performance during last week's Go exchange event, which brought in a wave of new interest. Conservatively, the event alone contributed at least a 1% increase in ratings, though such boosts tend to have a delayed effect.
But Cheng Lie was furious at the shamelessness of the three networks. It was clear that they'd suffered even worse, yet they still went through with their "sabotage." It was a classic case of hurting the enemy 800, injuring themselves 2,000—an utterly disgusting move in Cheng Lie's eyes.
As for Jing Yu, he was surprisingly calm about Episode 8's results.
"What's done is done—we just have to accept it," Jing Yu said, even comforting Cheng Lie.
"They're pulling these petty tricks just to temporarily slow 'Hikaru no Go''s momentum. Our real focus should be on Season 2."
"Oh, right. About that summer drama you mentioned," Cheng Lie remembered. "I spoke to the department head. He asked me to let you know that as long as your script passes the review, the greenlight for production won't be an issue. But the network's budget next season will be focused entirely on 'Hikaru no Go', so other projects won't get much funding."
"Understood," Jing Yu nodded.
"Just so I know, Producer Cheng—how much funding can I expect for each new project next season?" Jing Yu asked casually.
"Since you said clearly that you want to go head-to-head with the Big Three's flagship shows, the station likely won't offer more than 20 million yuan per drama. Most likely, 15 million or less." Cheng Lie paused.
"Wait—'each' project?"
"…Did you just say 'each'?"
"Yeah," Jing Yu sipped his tea. "There are three networks in the Big Three. If I'm going to hit back, I can't let any of them off easy."
"I can come up with at least three scripts. I'll need help from a writing team and production crew, of course. I can't do all that alone."
"Cough—cough—cough! Are you serious?!" Cheng Lie nearly choked.
"Uh, yeah. Oh—" Jing Yu realized Cheng Lie's shock.
It was indeed a bit over-the-top: creating four dramas at the same time, including 'Hikaru no Go'.
"Well, to be fair, I'm not starting from scratch. These are stories I've already thought about and outlined before." Jing Yu quickly clarified, knowing Cheng Lie would otherwise doubt whether he could pull this off.
"Still, no way! The station won't approve of you writing four different shows simultaneously. I don't even have to ask Director Meng. He'll definitely say no. If you have that kind of time and energy, he'd rather you use it to perfect the 'Hikaru no Go' script. Even just worrying that your attention will drop and lower 'Hikaru no Go''s quality is reason enough for him to reject it."
Jing Yu paused for a moment, then asked:
"Okay... what about two? Excluding 'Hikaru no Go', two other dramas."
"Two... If it won't affect 'Hikaru no Go''s script quality..." Cheng Lie hesitated. "I can fight for that."
"But Teacher Jing—why are you so passionate about this? You won't be getting much investment, and these dramas won't have nearly the same support as 'Hikaru no Go'. Is it really worth splitting your focus like this?"
"Producer Cheng, this is a matter of principle," Jing Yu replied firmly.
"They tried to drag down 'Hikaru no Go's ratings using dirty tricks. If we don't respond in kind, I'll never be satisfied. We can let Xingtong TV go for now—they sent the weakest of the three sabotage shows. They're not the worst. But Imperial Capital TV and Huanshi TV? Their department heads have been all over the media slandering 'Hikaru no Go' these past few days."
"That's because Xingtong TV's 'Fireworks' is already killing it. Its average rating has surpassed 7%. 'Hikaru no Go' is still a ways behind, so Xingtong TV doesn't feel the pressure. That's why they didn't go all out. It's not kindness—it's calculation," Cheng Lie explained.
"I don't care about that. I only care about facts," Jing Yu said. "If the shooting plans for two new dramas are approved, then starting in April, we'll target Imperial Capital TV and Huanshi TV's flagship shows directly."
He saw the look on Cheng Lie's face and added:
"I know what you're thinking, Producer Cheng. You're wondering if, even with everything going smoothly, our low-budget shows will be crushed like toy cars by the Big Three's flagships. That they won't even scratch them, let alone 'target' anything."
"…That thought did cross my mind," Cheng Lie admitted honestly.
"Well, to avoid that outcome, if the scripts pass the review, I hope you can help me assemble strong production teams. Just because it's low budget doesn't mean it'll fail. These might not match 'Hikaru no Go', but I won't serve up any cannon fodder," Jing Yu said with a confident smile.
A few days later, Episode 9 of 'Hikaru no Go' aired.
The pacing of the drama had always revolved around two major arcs—Sai's departure and the early rivalry between Hikaru and Akira, culminating in Hikaru preparing for the pro exams.
These arcs were gripping, but the middle section—focused on Hikaru's growth and learning—was relatively less exciting.
In this segment, the dynamic between him, Sai, and Akira lessened. Even Sai's Go-playing scenes became rare, disappointing many viewers, since Sai was the main reason a lot of them watched.
While Hikaru's development was compelling, too much focus could lead to fatigue.
That's why Jing Yu tightened the pacing of this portion during adaptation. Thanks to this, viewer feedback remained positive—no drop in ratings due to dissatisfaction.
Still, Episode 9's average rating was 5.68%.
The Big Three's programming directors, seeing this, could only sigh.
Dragging in three non-flagship dramas just to suppress 'Hikaru no Go' had barely worked. At best, it had only slowed the show's momentum for two weeks.
But that was about it.
'EndBlade', currently in its climactic arc, had jumped to 5.91%, securing third place.
With only three weeks left in the spring season, most series were nearing their finales.
'Hikaru no Go's growth rate had clearly begun to plateau.
If nothing dramatic happened, its final average would likely land in fourth place for the quarter.
It no longer posed a threat to the top three.
Had it not been sabotaged for two weeks, 'Hikaru no Go' might've leveraged Jing Yu's post-event buzz to break past 6%, possibly overtaking 'Deadly Gambler's Gamble in second place.
In that scenario, 'EndBlade' might've even been pushed down in the final rankings.
As for 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2?
At this point, the Big Three could no longer afford to underestimate YunTeng TV or Jing Yu. Meetings at all three networks had started frequently mentioning 'Hikaru no Go', YunTeng TV, and Jing Yu's names.
Meanwhile, Jing Yu was planning his counterattack during 'Hikaru no Go's production downtime.
'Hikaru no Go' had already earned him millions of fan points, but since YunTeng TV clearly stated it wouldn't heavily invest in any dramas besides 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2, Jing Yu had no intention of spending those points on high-cost redemptions.
He couldn't afford to waste good works on underfunded productions.
Fortunately, Imperial Capital TV and Huanshi TV had already announced their flagship genres for the next quarter.
Imperial Capital TV was going for a suspense drama, while Huanshi TV aimed for a romantic suspense.
Well, suspense is wildly popular in Great Zhou.
Naturally, Jing Yu's thoughts turned in that direction.
He considered his options...
He had plenty of theoretical choices, but factoring in redemption cost, his personal taste, and the genre match, a few titles stood out:
'Steins;Gate'
'Another'
He also thought of 'Shiki' and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, but those leaned more toward horror than suspense—less likely to appeal to Great Zhou's general audience. And Higurashi, in particular, was confusing on first watch, and might be too complex for adaptation.
'Steins;Gate' had a slow start. 'Another' wasn't long enough for a full-season drama.
So he consulted Cheng Lie again.
"Slow-paced? That's fine," Cheng Lie waved it off. "It's a low-budget show anyway. As long as you're confident the slow burn won't kill the ratings before the good stuff kicks in, we're fine."
"As for short-length series—we just rerun them. Or pair them with other short dramas to fill the season. That's standard practice. A successful short drama is more valuable than a mediocre long one."
"…You're seriously this relaxed about it?" Jing Yu looked at him, a bit speechless.
"It's not a flagship show, and the investment is minimal. Plus, you've proven yourself already. The station's willing to take that risk. Every year, we flop 15–20 shows anyway. If you say it'll perform, they'll bet on it."