The last day of November.
As evening fell, traffic on the Qingyun Video platform began to surge after 7 p.m.
Putting aside 'Clannad' Season 1 and 2, which were still being rebroadcast on Chenghai TV, fans hadn't seen much of Jing Yu in the media for a while.
Well, it had only been two months—but to Jing Yu's long-time fans, who had grown accustomed to his work, other dramas just didn't hit the same. It's not that they were bad; they just didn't have that "feeling." Jing Yu's style had become a genre of its own. No other writer's work had that same atmosphere.
If Jing Yu could understand how they felt, he'd realize what they were really after—that otaku essence. In his previous life, the "otaku culture" shaped by Japanese works was very different from the one shaped by games and dramas in this world.
As the clock neared the 8 p.m. livestream time, fan chat groups across the internet were buzzing.
"I heard 'Fate/Zero' is Jing Yu's biggest-budget production yet! You think it can outperform 'Clannad'?"
"Teacher Jing Yu? Show some respect—apologize. Call him 'Great God!'"
"Oh, come on, we're all fans here. It's not like he's lurking in the chat. What's there to be afraid of?"
"I doubt it'll surpass 'Clannad'. That drama's influence is just too massive. Forget the fall season—even across all of October, it dominated everything. Can you imagine? Chenghai TV hadn't had a drama break with 6% ratings in four years. And now? Even on a Wednesday-Thursday slot, they're pulling over 6% just by airing 'Clannad'."
"Exactly. Officially, 'Clannad' averages just over 20 million paid views per episode on Qingyun Video, but you know people are sharing accounts like crazy. Real viewership must be way higher. And with a 9.8 rating? That's just insane."
"Honestly, it's not just Tomoya Okazaki and Ushio Okazaki's characters that stood out. The real breakout stars are Fuko and the actress who played Ushio. She's already getting offers near 10 million to star in a family drama next spring!"
"Jing Yu is a star-maker. Check the popularity rankings of drama actors in Great Zhou—male or female—almost a third of the top 30 rose to fame through his shows. Don't even get me started on Yu Youqing and Xia Yining. They've been in the top 10 most popular TV actresses for a full year now."
"But I heard Jing Yu isn't even playing the lead in 'Fate/Zero'. Isn't that kind of a waste?"
"Supposedly, the lead character was designed to be kind of ugly, and Jing Yu thought it didn't suit his image, so he gave up the role."
"But… he created the character, didn't he? Why write such a role if it didn't suit him?"
"Ignore that nonsense. The real reason is that there's a character who's absurdly handsome, and Jing Yu believed only he could pull it off. So to ensure the show's quality, he gave up the lead role and took that one instead."
"Absurdly handsome? That sounds… hilarious."
"Totally on-brand for Jing Yu and his self-obsessed character types. Look at all his past roles—every lead is a beautiful man."
"But maybe the reason we see them as beautiful is because Jing Yu plays them. If it were someone else, they'd probably just look average."
"…"
While fans were busy debating in their groups, backstage preparations for the 'Fate/Zero' trailer livestream were nearly complete.
Jing Yu and the cast were finishing up in makeup.
Tang Rui, playing Artoria, stood resplendent in a sapphire-blue suit of armor.
Jing Yu, gleaming from head to toe in golden armor, was every inch the noble Gilgamesh.
And then there was Han Wenyu—Great Zhou's most iconic action actor, a burly middle-aged man whose arms looked as thick as Jing Yu's waist—playing the towering Alexander the Conqueror.
Just the three main costumes? Nearly 2 million in cost.
Not to mention the supporting cast—roles like Waver and Kariya—all appearing in full gear.
Jing Yu looked around at the assembled group and had a strange feeling: it was like stepping into a convention hall from his past life.
Of course, no cosplay gathering from his previous life could match this—not in costume, not in acting.
Compared to veterans like Jing Yu and Han Wenyu, Tang Rui clearly looked nervous.
She'd overcome her fear of acting—but tonight's trailer event was being broadcast live on Qingyun Video with zero delay.
She took deep breaths, trying to relax.
Seeing Jing Yu walk around casually didn't help—if anything, it made her more anxious.
And it reminded her how physically strong Jing Yu must be.
His armor easily weighed dozens of kilograms, yet she had never seen him break a sweat wearing it—not once.
Before the broadcast began, the photographers and artistic directors had the cast practice stage positions and poses.
The stage had been decorated to resemble a round ceremonial hall. Characters who appeared later in the show were masked to add a layer of mystery.
"Wow, the atmosphere here is incredible…"
The set designers were already thrilled.
Tang Rui glanced around. Outside the production and camera staff, every person was costumed to the tiniest detail. Everything was recreated exactly as described in the BlueStar production manual Jing Yu wrote for 'Fate/Zero'—from Artoria's sword-in-the-stone setup to Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon props.
Even for just this trailer livestream, the budget must've been astronomical.
"Our boss is so rich…"
Tang Rui glanced enviously at Jing Yu, quietly dreaming of reaching that level herself one day.
At exactly 8 p.m., the 'Fate/Zero' trailer livestream officially began.
And even before that—at 7:50 p.m.—viewership was already nearing two million.
In a rare move, Yunteng TV even aired commercials promoting Qingyun Video during that time.
After all, 'Fate/Zero' would be simultaneously broadcast on Yunteng and the three major streaming platforms. From Yunteng's perspective, boosting hype only helped their own ratings.
Executives from all six major TV stations and many top film critics were also watching the stream.