A few days later, YunTeng TV officially announced that they would be holding open auditions for supporting roles in 'Another' and 'Steins;Gate'.
The news quickly spread throughout the Modo City entertainment scene.
"Did you hear? YunTeng TV's scriptwriter Jing Yu is recruiting actors for two new summer dramas!"
"Of course I heard! There are only a few well-known screenwriters in Modo City who are willing to give newcomers a chance. Jing Yu is one of the rare few."
"Just look at 'Hikaru no Go'—Wu He and Li He were nobodies last year, just background laughers on variety shows. And now? With the show airing for barely over two months, they're huge in Modo City."
"I auditioned for 'Hikaru no Go' too back then, but didn't have an uncle in YunTeng TV's publicity department, so I missed the role I wanted."
"Eh, they're all the same. Jing Yu's crew is full of people with connections, too."
"Don't be bitter just because you didn't make it. At least Jing Yu's casting isn't only about connections. For example, the role of Yu Liang went to Li He, even though someone from YunTeng TV's operations department had their child competing for the same part. Jing Yu chose Li He because his acting was clearly better."
"Connections are a form of strength. Acting is also a strength. Luck, too. In the end, the winner is whoever has the strongest overall package. Compared to the other TV stations like Xingtong TV and Aurora TV, Jing Yu's team is way more fair. While y'all are hesitating, I'm 100% going to the audition tomorrow."
"Right. 'Steins;Gate' didn't release casting calls for the main roles, so they're probably already cast. But Another is still looking for its female lead, Jian Qi (Misaki Mei). That's the lead role! Don't miss this chance!"
"It's just a mid-budget drama with a few million yuan of investment. Don't get too hyped."
"Heh. Clearly, you didn't do your homework. Jing Yu rose to fame with Tomorrow, which had two episodes and a budget of only a million. You're really gonna look down on a 9-million-yuan show just 'cause it's mid-length? Big talk for someone so clueless."
That day, every actor group chat across Modo City lit up. By the next morning, YunTeng TV was packed with hopefuls swarming in for the auditions.
Among them were even a few semi-famous actors. Sure, the budget for 'Another' and 'Steins;Gate' was modest, but the reason most came wasn't the paycheck—it was Jing Yu's name. If that meant taking a pay cut, so be it. As long as the show got good ratings and went viral, that exposure could change a career.
This time, Jing Yu's biggest focus was on casting the female lead of Another—Misaki Mei.
First, she had to be beautiful. Second, she needed the right aura—a hint of mystery was essential for establishing the horror vibe in the early episodes.
If you really had to define the character in terms of a familiar archetype, Misaki leaned toward a "Rei Ayanami" type—quiet, emotionless, and unreadable.
Another critical role was Tong Yu (Kiryu Moeka) in 'Steins;Gate'—a tall, aloof, unstable older-sister type. Definitely a role that demanded serious acting chops.
As for the rest—like 'Steins;Gate's chubby best friend Qiao Tian (Hashida Itaru), Faris, and the classroom full of doomed classmates in 'Another'—their selection criteria were more relaxed.
Still, 'Another' may have been a short series, but it had dozens of speaking roles. Each classmate not only had lines, but most of them also had death scenes with screen time. So even if they were "good enough," casting and scheduling them still exhausted Jing Yu and Cheng Lie.
Evening.
"Cheers!"
Jing Yu, Cheng Lie, and the key production team members from 'Another' and 'Steins;Gate' gathered for a team dinner.
"To Teacher Jing Yu!"
"Teacher Jing Yu, I'm Chen Qi from the music department."
"I'm Xue Tao from the editing team."
"Qian Jin from post-production."
Jing Yu shook hands and introduced himself to each of them.
Due to budget constraints, Cheng Lie had streamlined the team as much as possible. Many of the crew members here were working on both dramas, and even some idle members from the 'Hikaru no Go' production team had been reassigned to help out as part-timers.
Technically, it was three separate productions, but with the same writer and producer (Jing Yu and Cheng Lie), and with shared sets and filming locations, the whole operation functioned more like one big multi-project studio.
Filming studios for all three shows were close together, making it easier for key actors like Wu He, Li He, and others from 'Hikaru no Go' to shoot scenes for multiple projects.
Of course, Yu Youqing and Xia Yining were also present, as they were the dual female leads of 'Steins;Gate'. Naturally, they had to be involved from the beginning.
This setup sparked a lot of internal speculation among the crews.
After all, Jing Yu had worked with these two women back in Lan Province. Now they'd all moved to the Modo City—and he was still casting them?
That had to mean something.
So, during the gathering, the attention that Yu Youqing and Xia Yining received made them both feel a little awkward.
Time passed quickly.
Early March.
'Hikaru no Go' episode 11 aired.
This episode arc focused heavily on Hikaru's development, with far less interaction between him, Sai, and Akira. Some longtime fans of the show felt like something was missing.
But for Go enthusiasts and professional players across Great Zhou, this was their favorite arc so far.
Why? Because the drama began incorporating far more in-depth breakdowns of Go matches.
Jing Yu had fused techniques from his past life's Chinese Go strategies with Great Zhou's native styles in the show's game diagrams. While this felt natural to him, to the Go community in Great Zhou, it was nothing short of revolutionary—an entirely new direction in Go theory.
That week's storyline featured Hikaru becoming a dojo student and competing with fellow trainees. After placing among the top students, he earned a chance to face real professional players.
One of the most exciting moments was when Hikaru played what seemed like a poor move—only for it to become a brilliant trap dozens of turns later, catching even the show's OP character Sai off guard. Even Seiji Ogata, a 9-dan pro and top disciple of Akira's father, was stunned.
But the biggest crowd-pleaser?
After Akira finished his own match, he turned around and silently stood behind Hikaru, watching him play.
For fans who had been dying to see more interactions between Hikaru, Akira, and Sai, that subtle moment reignited their passion.
That week's highest viewership rating: 6.31%
"Akira's just a tsundere! Couldn't resist coming to see his darling Hikaru play!"
"He pretended not to know Hikaru at the tournament, then rushed to finish his own match just so he could run back to watch him? Classic."
"I was watching this scene on the sofa, giggling like an auntie. My grandma thought I lost my mind."
"Damn, Akira is such a cute tsundere!"
"Come on, you Fujoshis are going too far. 'Hikaru no Go' is clearly about friendly rivalry and personal growth—stop projecting your fantasies onto it. Some of us are normal male viewers!"
"Exactly. I always thought they were destined to be lifelong rivals. Now you've made it sound like they're destined life partners."
"Well… he lost again."
"Hikaru still isn't there yet. He's close, but not quite at the level of a true professional. A shame."