"Teacher Jing Yu, don't worry about what the media is saying. Just focus on writing your scripts."
Cheng Lie had come over specifically to comfort Jing Yu, concerned that all the recent noise online might be affecting him.
"That's just how the Great Zhou TV industry works. Once you get famous, rumors and drama come flooding in. It's normal for producers, writers, and directors from rival companies to attack each other when ratings get competitive."
"Mm. I know."
"So you should try to stay calm about all this."
"I am calm."
"You're not even a little mad? Your peers are hinting on social media that you bought all your scripts for 500,000 yuan and that 'Steins;Gate' represents your 'true level.'"
Jing Yu poured Cheng Lie a cup of tea and replied with a smile:
"What's there to be mad about? That's the highest praise I've ever received! If people say 'Steins;Gate' is my real ability, then I must be doing something right!"
Cheng Lie couldn't help but admire Jing Yu a little.
Despite the lower-than-expected ratings and middling reviews and the open mockery from rivals, Jing Yu's attitude was practically untouched. That kind of mental strength was rare—and more important than anything in this business.
"Anyway, we'll see how things look in a couple of weeks," Jing Yu said, still smiling. "Honestly, I'm not super confident that Steins;Gate will have amazing ratings—it really does have a slow start…"
He turned to Cheng Lie, still looking relaxed.
"But there's one thing I can promise you—'You, Beneath the Cliff' won't finish the summer season as the ratings champion."
"Why not?" Cheng Lie asked, confused.
"Because it's airing in the same season as 'Steins;Gate'," Jing Yu said simply. "'Another' only had six episodes. Even though it picked up popularity later, it could only affect 'Manual' during the early part of the season. But 'Steins;Gate' is different—its ratings battle with 'You, Beneath the Cliff' will last the entire quarter. Let them enjoy their lead for now."
"…" Cheng Lie was speechless.
Low ratings weren't scary—bad word of mouth was. And right now Steins;Gate had both. But Jing Yu still seemed completely confident. It could only be chalked up to his personality.
Cheng Lie had come to comfort Jing Yu, but somehow, he left feeling comforted.
After all, Jing Yu's bizarre confidence had never let them down. Not once. And who knows? Maybe episode four really would turn things around.
After finishing the morning shoot for 'Hikaru no Go', Jing Yu headed to the Steins;Gate set in the afternoon.
Though the first episode's performance wasn't great by Yunteng TV's standards, long-time collaborators Yu Youqing and Xia Yining felt their confidence return the moment they saw Jing Yu's expression.
They'd worked with him long enough to recognize it: whenever Jing Yu looked like this, it meant everything was going exactly as he had planned.
Starting today, they were shooting episode four.
Because of how hectic the schedule had been—managing three shows at once—Jing Yu's writing had slowed down. But now, with the script for episode four in hand, the actors, including Yu Youqing, Xia Yining, and those playing Kiryu Moe, Hashida Itaru, and Urushibara Ruka, suddenly felt revived.
The first three episodes, from their perspective, had mostly been about the chuuni teen Okabe goofing off aimlessly.
They'd literally invented a microwave-phone that could send emails to the past… and what did they do with it?
Nothing. Just more useless, ridiculous "research."
But episode four? That changed everything.
Mayuri—one of the female leads, the "Tuturu" girl—dies!
Shot and killed by Research Member 005, Kiryu!
Finally! No more random slice-of-life nonsense. Now, the danger of building a time machine as a group of amateurs—and getting targeted by mysterious organizations—was starting to show!
"Jing Yu finally figured out what the audience wants!" some of the cast thought excitedly. "Maybe the bad ratings for episode one actually got to him, and he's adjusting the script accordingly?"
The cast was thrilled.
Steins;Gate had been Jing Yu's weakest show this season, with fan scores bottoming out at 6.9—borderline trash-tier for a drama. Many were feeling anxious.
But if this was a turning point? Could Jing Yu turn the story around? Then maybe… just maybe, they could redeem this show.
After all, many of them had given up better offers to be in this project, solely because it was Jing Yu. If it flopped, it would be hard to accept emotionally—and even harder on their careers.
"Wait… so I'm done filming this week?" Xia Yining suddenly asked, confused. "Aren't I the female lead?"
She couldn't hold back her curiosity anymore and ran over to ask Jing Yu.
She had full confidence in Jing Yu—but less in herself. He had promised that her character would appear throughout the entire series. If she died here, did that mean he changed the script?
Was it because she wasn't performing well? Did he want her out?
"You are the female lead," Jing Yu said, glancing at her.
"Then why am I dying this week?"
"Who said you're done filming?" Jing Yu raised an eyebrow. "Your role is very important. Over the next couple of months, you'll be acting out dozens—maybe even over a hundred—different versions of Mayuri's tragic death."
"I'll be suffering too," he added. "As Okabe, I'll have to break down, cry, and scream like a madman repeatedly. Some episodes might have me going hysterical ten times. It's going to be rough."
From episode four onward, the heavy acting in 'Steins;Gate' would fall mainly on Jing Yu and Xia Yining.
Especially Jing Yu, who had to portray Okabe hopping through dozens—hundreds—of timelines, witnessing Mayuri die over and over again, unable to save her no matter what.
That mounting despair and helplessness… was going to be one hell of an acting challenge.
The hardest role in the entire show was undoubtedly the protagonist.
From chuuni beginnings, to mid-story collapse, to a dramatic recovery in the final act—Okabe's emotional arc was intense.
Jing Yu tried to explain some of it, but Xia Yining couldn't quite understand it all.
8:00 PM – Episode 2 of 'Another' airs.
This time, the story got darker.
The male lead had basically become the Grim Reaper. Anyone he asked about the secret of Class 3-3 ended up dead.
He bumped into a female classmate on the street and almost got crushed by falling glass. Called a nurse at the hospital—she plunged down an elevator shaft and died.
Finally, one kind-hearted classmate tried to tell him the truth…
Bam. Heart attack. Dead.
At this point, no one dared say a word about the truth anymore.
But the audience was starting to piece it together: something weird happened to Class 3-3 every few years. During "those" years, they had to follow certain unspoken rules.
Don't talk about the past.
Don't acknowledge people who "aren't supposed to exist."
Break the rules—and someone dies.
And in the finale of episode two, the full horror of the setting is revealed:
Twenty-six years ago, a classmate died. But everyone pretended he was still alive.
From then on, Class 3-3 was cursed.
Every one or two years, when the curse resurfaced, someone would die each month—sickness, accidents, mysterious causes—and the deaths would spread to friends and family as well.
All because… There was one extra person in the class.
Someone who shouldn't be there.
Someone no one could identify.
No matter how you searched, every official record would magically fill itself in—birth certificate, ID, school photos—everything looked legitimate.
Worse still, everyone's memories were altered. They'd remember this person as a friend, a classmate, a bestie.
Someone who didn't exist yesterday… would suddenly have years of shared memories with you.
And you'd never question it.
You'd just accept them.
Live with them.
Hang out with them—until graduation.
If you were lucky.
Because once the deaths began, they wouldn't stop until the year ended—or everyone was dead.
When this twist dropped, viewers were chilled to the bone. Goosebumps. Shivers.
Monsters are scary—but a curse, hiding in the form of your closest friend?
That's true horror.
Episode two ended on another cliffhanger. Fans rushed to Yunteng TV's website that night to beg for more episodes.
And the ratings?
'Another' jumped to 3.21%.
Meanwhile, its rival show, 'Manual', held steady at 6.02%—down slightly from last week's 6.04%.
The creators of the 'Manual' were stunned.
Their show had great word of mouth. Ratings should be going up. But staying flat meant…
New viewers had arrived—but older ones had left.
"Damn it! This is revenge from Yunteng TV!" the 'Manual' production team cursed, still working late on set.
They were convinced this was payback for how Imperial Capital TV had moved one of their shows to compete with 'Hikaru no Go' last season.
But ironically, Imperial Capital TV was doing the same thing again this season—airing shows in the same slot as 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2.
"Why is Yunteng TV sending 'Another' to compete with our flagship? Why not send it to snipe 'Black Cat' from XingTong TV? Or use that trash 'Steins;Gate' against 'You, Under the Cliff'? This is so unfair!"
They were furious—but helpless.
Because right now, 'Another' was their real problem.
If its momentum continued, with ratings climbing toward 3.5%, maybe even 4%, it could drag 'Manual' down with it.
Two strong shows airing at the same time?
They'd split the audience.
They'd both self-destruct.
Meanwhile, at Huanshi TV, the producers of 'You, Beneath the Cliff' were loving every second of it.
XingTong TV's Black Cat started weak, a full percentage point behind 'You, Beneath the Cliff', with little chance to catch up.
'Manual'? Being eaten alive by 'Another'.
And 'Steins;Gate'? Garbage.
"Are we actually going to win summer?" the 'You, Beneath the Cliff' team whispered excitedly.
They still had to watch out for 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2, of course. It had managed to hit 6.02%, despite four or five shows competing with it.
If the Big Six hadn't all tried to sabotage it, 'Hikaru no Go' probably would've broken 6.8% easily.
But for now, it wasn't a threat.
As for 'You, Beneath the Cliff's writer, Lin Bin?
He was in heaven.
Out of all the competing shows, 'Steins;Gate' was a flop. 'You, Beneath the Cliff' Season 2 was being gang-targeted. 'Manual' got hit by 'Another'. And 'Black Cat' just sucked.
"I'm the chosen one this quarter!" Lin Bin declared, fists clenched, practically glowing with joy.
He could already picture the headlines: 'You, Beneath the Cliff' wins the summer ratings war. His name skyrockets. Script fees double. Career reborn at 40.
"You know what? Maybe Jing Yu isn't so bad after all," he muttered. "That whole dogfight between him, XingTong TV, and Imperial Capital TV? Best drama this season."
The next day…
Episode 2 of 'Black Cat' and 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2 both aired.
'Black Cat': 5.83%
'Hikaru no Go' S2: 6.02%
Even with so much competition, 'Hikaru no Go' was still growing steadily.
The Big Six had tried to snipe it—but they hadn't used their best shows. None of them wanted to self-destruct.
And so, the summer battlefield began to settle into shape.
Huanshi TV 'You, Beneath the Cliff' – 6.8%, dominating.
'Hikaru no Go' Season 2 and 'Manual' – fighting uphill from just over 6%.
XingTong TV's 'Black Cat' – dragging behind.
Yunteng TV's 'Another' – the surprise dark horse.
'Steins;Gate' – bottom of the pack… for now.