June 20.
The official formation day of the entire 'Fate/Zero' production crew.
Strictly speaking, the three most important characters in the series were King of Conquerors Alexander, King Arthur Artoria, and King of Heroes Gilgamesh.
Among them, only the role of Alexander was played by a veteran actor: Han Wenyu.
With his large build and dominant features, he was currently the most popular "tough guy" actor in the Great Zhou—always exuding a commanding presence on screen.
As for Gilgamesh and Artoria—those two were being played by Jing Yu and Tang Rui, respectively.
At least compared to the initial expectations, the production pressure—particularly regarding cast salaries—had been significantly reduced. Several other well-known actors from the Great Zhou had joined the cast as supporting characters. Still, since their screen time was relatively minor, they didn't haggle over pay and were happy to accept discounted rates for the chance to work with Jing Yu.
So while the overall cast lineup looked rather star-studded, the financial burden was actually pretty manageable.
But the real buzz among the crew?
"Why did Jing Yu skip over all those popular actresses he auditioned—and go pick a student from an arts academy in the Capital?"
"Work hard. Stay focused. Push forward."
Tang Rui arrived early in the morning at the 'Fate/Zero' set.
Honestly, after being selected as the female lead, her school had been incredibly cooperative. The department head and various instructors all reached out to her with encouragement.
Even though she was from the martial arts performance department, once Jing Yu handpicked her, the school immediately granted her a slew of special privileges. She could now attend classes online—and as long as she passed her finals, everything would be fine. If this drama helped boost the department's reputation, it would be a win-win. The school might even look the other way if her exam scores were mediocre—as long as she didn't leave the papers blank, most grading was subjective anyway.
What made her feel a bit bitter, though, was how things had become strangely tense in her dorm—especially with her roommate Xi Ke, the one who had originally insisted she apply.
Xi Ke had been the first to appear in the audition video, but Jing Yu had skipped over her and picked Tang Rui, who only showed up for less than a minute.
It was awkward, to say the least.
Tang Rui shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside.
With help from the makeup artists and staff, she changed into her custom Artoria costume.
She was extremely careful—after all, her entire 2.4 million yuan paycheck might only cover a few of these suits. If she broke one… ouch.
An hour later, Tang Rui stepped out of her private dressing room—
And was stunned by the lavish set before her.
Standing there in dazzling golden armor was Jing Yu himself. Having worn a 20-pound suit of armor herself, she could tell that his must have been twice as heavy.
Then there was Qiao Yuanhai, the actor playing Kiritsugu Emiya.
Handsome, with a melancholy air—he had once been the Great Zhou's favorite "housewife killer" in TV dramas. Though his popularity had dipped slightly in recent years, he was still a major player in the industry.
Li Longhai, in a crisp red suit with elegantly styled hair, looked every bit the aristocrat as Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Dai Suixiang, the actor playing Kirei Kotomine.
These were the same famous actors Tang Rui had grown up watching—and now they were all gathered on the same set.
Understandably, she was extremely nervous.
"Relax. You're the female lead. Keep your composure."
Jing Yu noticed her discomfort and approached her.
"Yes, boss."
"Boss?" Jing Yu blinked.
"I'm an employee of your company now. Isn't that the proper way to address you?" Tang Rui looked up at him, a bit uncertain.
"Well… no. Just call me Jing Yu. I'm not used to titles like 'boss' or 'chairman.'"
"Yes, boss."
"…"
Tang Rui glanced at Jing Yu's gleaming golden armor.
On anyone else, the costume might've looked cheesy. But on him—especially with his golden wig, ear accessories, and red contact lenses—he looked like an entirely different person from his usual screen presence: handsome, noble, and striking.
Too bad photos from the set can't be leaked. If fans saw Jing Yu like this, they'd probably dream about him for weeks.
Beyond the actors, the set was filled with VFX coordinators from top effects companies, working closely with the filming crew. After all, a project like this required extensive post-production, which meant coordination from the very start.
Cutting-edge HD cameras. A crew prepped for half a year.
And so, on June 20, 'Fate/Zero' officially began filming.
The launch immediately drew attention from media outlets and Jing Yu's fans across the Great Zhou.
Though reporters were not allowed onto the set, many still staked out the perimeter, hoping to snap rumor-worthy shots.
Online, fans couldn't understand why Jing Yu had passed over so many famous actresses in favor of a student.
Speculation and gossip spread like wildfire. Some media outlets even began maliciously insinuating a "special relationship" between Jing Yu and Tang Rui.
Naturally, word of all this made its way to the 'Clannad' set—specifically to Xia Yining and Yu Youqing.
"Sis Yu, you're really not worried? Jing Yu's over at the 'Fate/Zero' set again."
It was lunchtime. Xia Yining slouched on a chair beside Yu Youqing, looking exhausted.
"He's shooting. Why would I be worried?"
"This is different! He signed that girl, Tang Rui! For years, only you and I were long-term signees under him. Now there's a third. You don't feel threatened at all?"
Yu Youqing turned her head.
"You think he's fallen for that girl?"
"He might have!"
"He won't."
"How do you know? Just because he's never shown interest in us over the years doesn't mean he can't be moved by someone new. That's way too naïve."
Xia Yining leaned in.
"Seriously. If he ever falls for someone, I'd rather it be you than Tang Rui."
"Whoa, how generous," Yu Youqing said, a bit surprised.
She and Jing Yu had actually been dating for two months, but she'd kept it a secret from Xia Yining. Despite their rivalry, they'd been close friends for years. She wasn't ready to jeopardize that.
"Of course I'm generous. If Jing Yu were easily seduced by some student, what would that make us? Total losers."
"He won't fall for her."
"But… I've seen her. She's really pretty," Xia Yining sighed.
"Not prettier than you."
"But she's younger than both of us."
The two continued gossiping in the office for nearly half an hour—until Jing Yu finished handling 'Fate/Zero' business and arrived on set.
He stood at the door, silently listening in on their chat.
Then he coughed.
Both women stopped, their faces flushing with embarrassment.
"Alright, break's over. Starting next week, we're shooting 'Clannad' Season 2."
He glanced at Yu Youqing. She turned away, cheeks faintly red.
"Finally, we're getting into the best part of the story."
"Yu Youqing, your scenes will be packed for the next two months. Be prepared."
"As for you, Xia Yining—you barely appear in Season 2. So take a nice, long vacation."
"A vacation?" Xia Yining blinked.
"You've been working hard these past few years. Take advantage of the break. Travel, shop, go home. I can give you one or two months off."
"But that means I won't be on set…"
"Haven't you had enough? Facing the camera every day—I'm sick of it and I'm the writer."
"But if I'm not on set, I won't get to see you…"
Both Jing Yu and Yu Youqing looked awkward.
Ugh… but maybe some time apart isn't a bad idea.
Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?
Maybe it was time to go play for a few weeks.
Xia Yining's eyes sparkled with mischief, but she didn't argue.
Time passed.
July arrived.
The initial fan frenzy around 'Fate/Zero' began to die down.
No more crowds waiting outside the set every day.
Everyone understood: the earliest this show would air was the end of the year, maybe even next year.
With July came new TV seasons, and the attention of the Great Zhou's drama fans shifted again.
After being overshadowed by 'Kaiji' and 'Clannad' during the summer season, the top three TV networks went all-in for their autumn releases.
They'd already thrown their strongest content into past lineups—and lost to Jing Yu.
But they weren't giving up. They were pouring resources into premium dramas, hoping to reclaim attention and buzz in the fall.
Even though Jing Yu's shows didn't air on TV and didn't participate in the ratings war, everyone could tell that 'Kaiji' and 'Clannad' had equal if not more impact than the summer's top-billed TV series.
In fact, 'Kaiji' was undeniably the most talked-about show of the summer.
That said, its momentum had finally begun to plateau.
After a surge in the late episodes of Season 1, Season 2 opened with a slow buildup, causing viewership to stabilize at around 13 million per episode.
This was a huge relief to the TV network executives.
But what they didn't realize was—
The one they should have been worried about…
Wasn't 'Kaiji'.
It was Season 2 of 'Clannad'—
The project Jing Yu valued most for the entire year.