"An easter egg?"
"You mean that one-minute trailer just now had an easter egg?"
"Mr. Jing Yu, you've definitely piqued my interest."
"I've decided—I'm going to find that easter egg."
"Bullshit, I'll be the one to find it first."
"But is it the kind of easter egg that actually means something?"
"Who cares what it is? I'm just into this kind of thing."
"Looks like Mr. Jing Yu is playing riddles with everyone now."
"Ohoho~ Well, it's certainly raised my expectations for this film even more."
----
"And also… recently, a lot of people have been DM'ing me on my Qingyun's QingmaoNet account asking why I decided to split one movie into three chapters for release. Let me explain here."
"Everything—every bit of it—is for the viewing experience. The protagonist's story spans different phases of life, and watching it at separate times gives a much deeper sense of immersion. Finally… I hope everyone watches it seriously when the time comes. I believe, as long as you truly pay attention, you'll be moved by the story and fall in love with this work. Thank you."
Jing Yu gave a slight bow, marking the end of the half-hour-long fan meet.
Next came a more light-hearted segment. After interacting with the fans a bit more, the livestream came to a close.
"You handled that pretty smoothly," Yu Youqing said, smiling as she sat in the passenger seat of Jing Yu's car.
"I wonder what kind of expression your fans will have when they see the final scene of '5 Centimeters per Second'."
"What kind? They'll want to blow up a train, then turn around and roast me as the writer," Jing Yu replied.
"But seriously… what's that easter egg? Even I, the female lead, don't know. That's kind of shocking."
"Things like this… You have to find out for yourself! You don't even have to wait until '5 Centimeters per Second' re-releases on March 15th to start looking. Right now, you have access to all the raw footage. That gives you a huge advantage."
"Hearing you say that… now I'm interested." Yu Youqing looked genuinely curious.
"But give me a hint. I want to be the first one to find it."
Jing Yu glanced at her profile, then focused on the road again.
"Time."
That was all Jing Yu said—just one word—and he didn't elaborate further.
Truth be told, even if he gave her a hint, he didn't think Yu Youqing would be able to figure it out.
After all, there were only two shots in the entire film that showed a full date. You had to subtract one date from the other, tie the number to the speed of five centimeters per second, then connect that to geographical knowledge like the distance between the North and South Poles...
Jing Yu didn't consider this a logic puzzle easter egg. It was pure "galaxy brain" nonsense.
"You gave that hint way too easily. Are you that sure I won't be able to solve it?"
"There's no such thing as certainty or absolutes in this world—just varying degrees of probability." Jing Yu parked the car as they arrived at the complex.
"We're here. Go get some rest. In a few days, the family drama crew will start filming, and there won't be time for breaks."
"Hey, Jing Yu, you still haven't answered me about what I proposed last time."
Yu Youqing grabbed her bag and got out of the car. Seeing that Jing Yu was already walking off without a trace of gentlemanly manners, she scowled and called after him.
"Proposed?"
"You know—my proposal to try dating!"
At her words, Jing Yu's head throbbed again. But thankfully, it reminded him of their earlier topic.
"If you can be the first one to crack that easter egg… then we'll talk."
Yu Youqing froze for a second.
"What does dating you have to do with the movie's easter egg?" She'd already laid her cards on the table, so there was no point in being shy anymore. Her tone was calm and casual.
She'd never been in a relationship before, sure—but she wasn't clueless. Just because she hadn't eaten pork didn't mean she'd never seen a pig run. She wasn't some schoolgirl who blushed and got flustered just hearing the word "love." Not to mention, she'd starred in so many productions with Jing Yu that they'd had no less than ten kiss scenes. Calling them just coworkers might be a stretch. Whatever else you could say, the feelings they had for each other definitely went beyond friendship. Jing Yu wasn't made of stone—there had to be some feelings involved.
"There's no connection. But let's go back to our earlier conversation about probabilities. I think the chances of me actually dating you are much higher than the odds of you figuring out that easter egg on your own. If something like that happens… then all I can say is…"
Jing Yu paused thoughtfully at this point. He was being rational.
Of course, the main reason he said all that was to make her back off on her own.
But Yu Youqing took a deep breath.
"You and I are really alike. When I can't make a tough decision, I flip a coin and leave it to fate. But you know," she looked at Jing Yu, eyes sparkling, "the real answer is often clear the moment the coin leaves your hand. So tell me—deep down, do you want me to solve that easter egg, or not?"
Jing Yu looked at her, standing beside the car under the night sky. He felt his heartbeat pick up.
"Alright then. It's a deal. When I figure it out, don't you dare go back on your word!"
End of January.
The 'Kaiji' and 'Clannad' production crews started filming simultaneously.
No wall is completely soundproof. Even though Jing Yu didn't announce or promote either project at the start, the media in Modo still dug up the news of his new ventures.
['5 Centimeters per Second' Set to Premiere – Screenwriter Jing Yu Launches Two New Projects]
[Rumors say genius screenwriter Jing Yu is juggling two dramas at once. The rush might be due to certain conditions tied to his stake agreement with Qingyun.]
[Yunteng TV's spring ratings take another hit. Without Jing Yu, Yunteng TV has slipped to third-tier status.]
[Jing Yu starts filming two new dramas, yet Yunteng TV remains silent. What's going on? Rumors swirl that Yunteng TV execs tried to coerce Jing Yu, prompting his departure. Truth or fiction?]
News about his new projects quickly spread like wildfire.
Of course, over at Yunteng TV, they already knew during the casting stage that Jing Yu had two new dramas coming up. They immediately sent people to inquire about the situation.
But when the representative heard directly from Jing Yu that both shows' broadcast rights had been sold to Qingyun, they were clearly upset.
All they could do was express interest in working with him again if he had new projects in the future.
But for now, Jing Yu didn't have the time or energy to care about Yunteng TV.
After all, he had no equity in Yunteng and hadn't invested any money. His focus was fully on Qingyun Video.
Of course, their earlier conversation had completely fired up Yu Youqing. She threw herself into dissecting every detail of '5 Centimeters per Second'.
She even went frame-by-frame through the footage.
Sure enough, she noticed the two dates in the trailer—but those weren't the only time-related clues. There were plenty of red herrings, lines of dialogue, and bits of foreshadowing. And she really couldn't figure out the significance behind those two dates.
She was starting to get a little obsessed—borderline possessed.
Xia Yining, who was working on the same production, was genuinely curious.
Why was Yu Youqing spending all her time analyzing '5 Centimeters per Second' clips?
Both Jing Yu and Yu Youqing had been acting a little weird lately, too. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what felt off.
Time passed.
Before they knew it, the first half of February had already gone by amidst the ongoing filming.