However,
After seeing the numbers, Jing Yu finally let out a breath of relief.
At the very least, if even the first episode of 'Star Guardian' could attract so many paid viewers, then the paid user count for the first chapter of '5 Centimeters per Second'
—Jing Yu felt it wouldn't fall short of his expectations.
As March began, both 'Clannad' and 'Kaiji' had entered a steady rhythm in production.
Since he only had to oversee one of the two, Jing Yu even managed to steal some leisure time for gaming after reviewing each day's shooting progress for 'Kaiji'.
In 'Clannad', he was reunited for the first time in a while with Xia Yining and Yu Youqing, as all three starred in the same show again.
Naturally, Jing Yu played the male lead as always. But the two most popular characters—Tomoyo Sakagami and Nagisa Furukawa—were played by Xia Yining and Yu Youqing, respectively.
Other characters like Fuko and Kotomi were selected by Cheng Lie through a public casting process.
Within the production crew, Xia Yining and Yu Youqing often hung out in Jing Yu's office for no particular reason.
Recently, though, Xia Yining had grown especially curious.
"Hey, Sister, You… what's with your obsession over that '5 Centimeters per Second' easter egg? You've been obsessing over it for like… two weeks straight, haven't you?"
Jing Yu, who was playing a game nearby, glanced sideways at Yu Youqing with slightly evasive eyes—just in time to catch her looking back.
The two of them silently looked away at the same time.
Which made Xia Yining feel even more frustrated.
There was definitely something fishy going on—but the two of them refused to say a word, which only made Xia Yining more curious.
'5 Centimeters per Second' easter egg?
Xia Yining pulled out her phone and searched it online.
The results were all over the place.
The guesses about the easter egg were wildly varied.
Still, some people had indeed noticed the 13-year time span hinted at in the trailers.
After all, Jing Yu had already said the easter egg had something to do with time, so naturally, people were digging into it.
But even after over two weeks,
No one had yet made the connection between that time span, the film's title, and the distance between the North and South Poles in the Dazhou universe.
"Hey, Jing Yu, we're friends, right?" Xia Yining stood up and casually leaned beside him.
"What's the easter egg in '5 Centimeters per Second'? Tell me, won't you?"
"Heh." Jing Yu glanced at her and gave a slight smirk, saying nothing.
"Stingy jerk."
But of course, that wasn't her real goal.
Sure enough—
Xia Yining caught the subtle change in Yu Youqing's expression when she heard the conversation.
And more obviously, Yu Youqing even tilted her head slightly to eavesdrop.
That triggered a strange but instinctive sense of crisis in Xia Yining's heart.
Maybe I should…
...find that easter egg too?
If I beat Yu Youqing to it...
March 9th.
Episode three of ''Star Guardian' aired smoothly.
But—
The show's reputation nosedived.
The weaknesses of Qiezi Video's non–Big Six production crew were beginning to show.
While they could manage high quality for one episode, keeping that level consistent was another story.
From script to production, quality visibly declined. Every aspect—from writing to visuals—began to feel sloppy.
After episode three aired, online forums were flooded with angry comments. Many viewers announced they were dropping the show altogether.
But when Lu Yiqi, the show's director, was interviewed, he looked visibly frustrated.
He explained—
It wasn't that the 'Star Guardian' team had money but couldn't find the right talent—
They simply had no real control over the show's production quality.
Put bluntly, Qiezi Video's parachuted-in executives—people with no understanding of the industry—were constantly interfering. There were even hints of internal politics or shady deals.
After reading the news, both Jing Yu and Cheng Lie expressed their sympathy for the Qiezi team.
In the television industry, any network that didn't respect its creators had long since gone under. The stations that survived were the ones that, after investing, gave full trust to their creative teams and didn't meddle blindly.
But Qiezi Video? Clearly, a case of clueless investors messing things up.
"That's exactly why I've never signed long-term contracts with websites or TV stations," Jing Yu sighed.
"In Great Zhou's film and TV industry—whether you're a screenwriter, director, or producer—your dignity comes from the people funding you. But one day, the times could shift, and the power balance might reverse. It's still better to be your own boss. No one can control you that way."
Cheng Lie thought Jing Yu was being a bit too sentimental—but he still nodded slightly in agreement.
But Jing Yu knew—he wasn't being sentimental at all.
In his past life, China's entertainment industry also once had a golden era where directors had final say.
But that didn't last.
Eventually, talentless traffic stars, who didn't respect directors, took over the headlines.
Times always change.
'Star Guardian', a mid-budget production with a 50 million yuan investment, was now being torn apart online by episode three.
Its rating dropped from 8.8 to 6.2, and it was clear the show wouldn't recover.
Qiezi's new challenge was figuring out how to cut their losses, since episode three's paid views had already dropped to around a million.
As mid-March arrived...
Jing Yu paused all filming involving himself and Yu Youqing. The two are fully committed to Qingyun Video's final promotional campaign for '5 Centimeters per Second', set to premiere on March 16th.
[March 12th – Mr. Jing Yu's press conference in the Capital draws massive crowds!]
['Star Guardian'! Crashes in quality – Is this a sign that online TV dramas aren't ready for prime time?]
[As the pioneer of online film releases, Mr. Jing Yu's 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' and 'Love Letter' found major success. Can '5 Centimeters per Second' recapture that magic?]
[Online film premiere? And split into three chapters? Has genius screenwriter Jing Yu made a misstep? If '5 Centimeters per Second' were in theaters and made 500 million, then it would need at least 20 million paid views on Qingyun Video just to break even. But Qingyun only has 31 million registered users. Getting two-thirds of them to pay? That's wishful thinking.]
[In this lackluster spring season, will '5 Centimeters per Second' become the market's hidden gem?]
Qingyun Video pulled out all the stops.
From March 13th onward, anyone who followed film and TV news was bombarded daily with '5 Centimeters per Second'-related headlines—thanks to a well-coordinated push from influencers, critics, and paid promotions.
In Jing Yu's previous life, '5 Centimeters per Second' didn't make much money at first either. Its influence only grew later, thanks to the rise of internet culture and anime fandoms.
But here in Great Zhou, Jing Yu himself was already a brand.
Drama fans were one thing—but moviegoers also adored him.
After all, 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' and 'Love Letter' scored 9.4 and 9.6, respectively, on Yindou Net, two of the top three film ratings in the past five years.
With that reputation, '5 Centimeters per Second' had built-in hype before it even premiered.
Starting March 14th, Qingyun Video's user registration numbers exploded.
"Alright, everyone got it? Go to the site, register with your phone number, and link your bank card—that's how you'll pay later."
"Support Mr. Jing Yu! If his film does well, he'll be motivated to keep making more."
"Just look at 'Star Guardian'. It's not that Yan Yuanqing can't write or that Lu Yiqi can't direct—it's the damn Qiezi execs meddling with everything. Jing Yu is the boss of his own stuff now. Don't let him end up working for those people again!"
"Of course I'll support it… But my family's probably only going to pay once. Be rational, right? One payment, stream it on the TV for the whole family. Perfect!"
"We've got a projector at home. I'm gonna watch it with my girlfriend. We're both busy with work—never have time to go to the theater. We watched 'Love Letter' and 'Trust & Betrayal' that way, too."
"Uh… watching 'Trust & Betrayal' and 'Love Letter' with your girlfriend? That's appropriate?"
"Why not? 'Trust & Betrayal' is so moving—Kenshin and Yukishiro's love defied death! 'Love Letter' too, with Itsuki's longing across time… I bet '5 Centimeters per Second' will be just as touching. Didn't Mr. Jing Yu say in the press conference that this movie explores how time and distance affect a relationship? I believe they'll overcome it and end up together!"
"Exactly! I can't stand those who say Jing Yu only writes tragedies. Just because the leads don't end up together doesn't mean it's a tragedy!"
The fan groups were buzzing again.
Qingyun's backend stats confirmed it:
On the 14th, user registrations rose by 2 million.
On the 15th, another 3 million.
In just two days, the site saw user growth that normally took over a month.
This made Chairman Che Kaijun of Qingyun feel entirely at ease.
He kept boasting to everyone around him about how brilliant he had decided to bring Jing Yu in as a shareholder.
And so, the evening of March 15th arrived.
Jing Yu and Cheng Lie went to the Qingyun Video headquarters to join the team and witness the premiere night of '5 Centimeters per Second'.
8:30 PM.
The weather was already warming up, so Gu Qian took off her coat as soon as she got home.
After a shower and changing into pajamas, she turned on the living room TV and adjusted the screen casting from her laptop. Then she stared at the clock.
To avoid overlapping with Xingtong TV's lead drama, Jing Yu had arranged for '5 Centimeters per Second: Cherry Blossom' to start at 9:00 PM.
But by now, Gu Qian was already restless with anticipation.
She replayed the '5 Centimeters per Second' trailer again, then browsed some forums to kill time. Finally, when the clock hit 8:59, she narrowed her eyes and hit refresh.
A moment later, the purchase link popped up.
Because she had pre-ordered, she got instant access to 'Cherry Blossom'.
Latecomers weren't so lucky—their payment process lagged horribly, and it took a full minute just to get in.
Gu Qian clicked the link, eyes locked.
The screen turned black—then, suddenly:
Petals fluttered down. Sunlight poured in.
Through the soft glow, a beautiful girl like a porcelain doll appeared on screen, smiling gently at a kind-faced boy.
The scene where they stood on opposite sides of the railway tracks, promising to meet again next spring under the cherry blossoms—just like in the trailer—played out on her screen.
But…
The iconic shot of the train passing, separating Takaki and Akari, didn't appear.
Huh?
What's going on?
The smile they shared across the passing train—was that trailer-only footage?
Before Gu Qian could think further, the narrative flow of 5 Centimeters per Second quickly swept her into the story.