With all four major summer dramas having aired their first episodes, the ratings were finally in:
'Hikaru no Go' Season 2: 5.81%
'Manual': 6.04%
'Black Cat' (Xingtong TV): 5.77%
The next morning, media outlets erupted with coverage:
['Hikaru no Go' Season 2 Unexpectedly Rises—Challenging the Big Three's Crown Once Again This Summer!]
[Are the Big Six Shifting? Could Great Zhou's Top Networks Become the Big Seven?]
[After Five Years, the Big Three Face a True Threat. Meanwhile, the "Lazy Three" (Aurora TV, Squirrel TV, Chenghai TV) Remain Stagnant With 3–4% Ratings—When Will They Wake Up?]
['Hikaru no Go'! Sparks National Go Craze — Go Learners Increase by Over a Million Compared to Last Year. Its Impact Goes Far Beyond Ratings.]
[Breaking: Island Nation and Korean Peninsula Interested in Purchasing 'Hikaru no Go' — 40 Million Licensing Offer Made to YunTeng TV.]
[New Opening Strategy from 'Hikaru no Go'! Used to Defeat World Rank #21 Zhou Zhengguang and #16 Su Lin — Go Professionals Across Asia Imitate "Point 3-3" Openings.
'Hikaru no Go' Writer Jing Yu Makes World Go Player Top 40 Despite Not Being a Pro.]
[9-Dan Pro Su Lin on Jing Yu: "If he turned pro, he could become World #1."]
[Jing Yu's Low-Budget 'Another' Debuts at 2.64% — A Springtime for Small Productions?]
[Coming Friday at 8 PM: Jing Yu's Steins;Gate Premieres. Could It Be This Quarter's True Dark Horse, Surpassing All Expectations?]
In just one night, Jing Yu and 'Hikaru no Go' Became media darlings. Just as he expected, 'Hikaru no Go''s influence extended far beyond TV—it was no longer just a drama.
Though it didn't surpass the Big Three's shows in raw viewership, in terms of audience reception, it was miles ahead.
Late at night, the Steins;Gate production team was still filming overtime.
Initially, no one in the crew thought the drama seemed all that interesting. But now that the plot had progressed to the point where the male lead Okabe invents a ridiculous yet real-time machine that can change the past, even the actors were hooked.
"Teacher Jing, what's the real face of the SERN organization?"
"Why did Makise die in the beginning? Who killed her?"
"Also, about Ruka—why cast such a cute girl to play a 'boy'? Will the audience even believe that?!"
Xia Yining and Yu Youqing constantly hovered around Jing Yu, pestering him with these kinds of questions.
Other cast members had a more complicated attitude toward him. Jing Yu was always polite and approachable, but people were still wary of offending him—afraid he might quietly blacklist them. So they treated him with utmost respect.
Only these two had a zero filter. They were close enough with Jing Yu to joke freely.
Even producer Cheng Lie often found himself observing their relationship with suspicion.
"Ugh, Steins;Gate premieres tomorrow night… Please, let the ratings not bomb," said Xia Yining as she packed up her things and walked out of the set with Jing Yu.
Only she dared to say that kind of thing in front of the show's writer.
"Don't jinx it!" Yu Youqing said quickly. "Jing Yu's shows always perform well. Tomorrow's going to break records, just watch."
Jing Yu stopped walking and glanced at the two following behind him.
Even outside the set, both women still wore traces of their Steins;Gate makeup—Makise and Shiina—and they did look pretty cute.
At least, Jing Yu thought so.
"Hey… don't you two need to go home? Your cars aren't even parked in this direction."
"Ah," Xia Yining looked at him and bluntly said,
"We just wanted to talk a bit more about Steins;Gate with you!"
"We've been filming until 10 PM—you're lucky we're still this devoted. Another hour and the creeps will be out on the street."
"Not scared. With you around, any criminal would probably ignore us and target you instead—prettier than both of us combined. We'll use you as bait and escape."
"..."
Jing Yu: speechless.
"Actually… I just thought you might be hungry this late. There's a place nearby with really good late-night food," Yu Youqing said, trying to sound casual.
"Yeah, I'm starving. You're so thoughtful, Yu-jie! I won't say no to that," Xia Yining chimed in.
Xia Yining had become surprisingly clingy once she got close to someone. Usually the cold, elegant beauty type, she turned into a total chatterbox around Jing Yu. Under her influence, even Yu Youqing had loosened up a lot.
Jing Yu shook his head with a small smile.
"Not tonight. Next week is going to be even busier than the last. We're airing four episodes of Steins; Gate in just two weeks, and I still have to oversee filming for 'Hikaru no Go' too."
"I'm heading home to rest. Otherwise, I won't survive tomorrow."
"Once the ratings come in strong, if you want to treat me to a celebratory meal, I'll gladly accept."
"But tonight—go home and sleep. If you can leave by 10 PM next week, consider it a luxury."
With that, Jing Yu got on his bike and rode off, leaving the two girls standing awkwardly at the studio entrance.
"…Jing Yu really is a master of playing dumb," Xia Yining muttered after a long pause.
"When I first got cast, I was thrilled. Thought maybe Jing Yu had more than just a professional interest in me…"
Yu Youqing glanced over.
"But after working with him for weeks… it turns out he really just cast me for the role!" Xia Yining said, completely deflated.
"Come on, let's go back," Yu Youqing muttered, clearly not in the mood to gossip outside the studio any longer.
"Hey! Didn't you say there's a place nearby with good food? Let's go!"
"Huh?"
"Huh, what? You think I said I was hungry just for fun? Jing Yu ditched us. Don't tell me you're going to do the same? You'd seriously let me, your so-called friend, wander the streets of Modo City alone at night just to eat?"
She tugged Yu Youqing toward her car.
"Since when were we friends?" Yu Youqing grumbled.
"We've been in three dramas together! You can't tell me you feel nothing for me, Yu-jie!"
The next morning, bright and early, Jing Yu rushed to the 'Hikaru no Go' Set. He filmed until noon, then headed directly to the Steins;Gate crew.
Despite it being the show's premiere day, he didn't even have time to watch the broadcast.
But by the evening…
The audience on YunTeng TV just kept growing.
After all, the shock and suspense from 'Another's first episode still hadn't worn off, even after nearly a week. Now, Jing Yu's third summer drama was about to air—even without much promotion, fans were already buzzing with anticipation.