Jing Yu sat in his office, reading the latest media coverage on 'Fate/Zero'.
The so-called plot analyses were mostly nonsense, but the reports focused heavily on Jing Yu's current influence in the television industry.
Before 'Fate/Zero' aired, Yunteng TV's previous flagship show had only pulled an average rating of 4.3%. But with Jing Yu's first new series in a year airing on their platform, episode one of 'Fate/Zero' had already broken 6.82%.
"Didn't think you'd care about this kind of stuff. Feeling a little smug, huh?"
Yu Youqing handed Jing Yu a cup of coffee before settling beside him, glancing at the articles on his screen.
"' Genius screenwriter Jing Yu challenges the Six Major TV Networks solo'? Come on, these headlines are getting out of hand."
"Still gotta keep an eye on what's being said." Jing Yu glanced at her.
"They're inflating me to ridiculous heights. But the second I drop a flop, they'll be the first to tear me apart."
He was very self-aware on that front.
"That's true," Yu Youqing admitted after a pause.
"No one can stay on top forever. Even though I believe in you, that's just how history works."
"Agreed," Jing Yu replied calmly.
Yu Youqing gave him a curious look.
"You? Agreeing with my depressing take? That's not like you."
"No one can stay at the top forever—unless they have an immortal lifespan. Obviously, I won't always be able to maintain peak form or keep writing show after show at this level."
"But I can say this much—between now and retirement, for the next few decades?
It's unlikely anyone will see me deliver a truly flop-level drama."
Sure, not every future project would reach 'Clannad' levels of excellence. But "flop" material? Not even close.
He pulled Yu Youqing into his arms and added:
"So, when are you retiring?"
"Hmm... once I've adapted all the shows I love into this world. That's when I'll call it quits," Jing Yu answered seriously after some thought.
"Don't worry. It's not too many—just a handful."
But their moment was quickly interrupted—by none other than the third wheel: Cheng Lie.
After a hurried knock, Jing Yu and Yu Youqing quickly separated, and Cheng Lie entered the room with a small group of men.
They introduced themselves calmly.
They were all executives from mid-sized game companies based in Modo.
Of course, Jing Yu's purpose for inviting them was simple:
He wanted to buy their companies.
In the gaming industry, only a handful of top companies truly made money. Most small and mid-tier ones operated at a constant loss.
Jing Yu didn't know much about game development.
But he had money—and if you had money, finding talent wasn't a problem.
With 'Fate/Zero' just airing, Jing Yu was already thinking about the next move.
Cheng Lie had screened these companies carefully—they were all on the brink of collapse after several poorly performing releases over the past two years.
But their value wasn't in their sales figures.
These teams were complete, with skilled, experienced developers who had worked together for years. If acquired, they could jump into a new project immediately.
Starting a game studio from scratch? That'd take years.
Jing Yu was also eyeing the potential of a 'Fate/Zero' game adaptation.
Just like his past life's Fate franchise, the game's profitability model would revolve around fan-driven economics.
He was particularly inspired by mobile game monetization, similar to Fate/Grand Order.
Galgame? Nope.
That genre didn't exist in the Great Zhou, and it wasn't exactly a moneymaker either.
But turning Fate/Stay Night's story routes into an RPG?
Now that Jing Yu was interested in.
Everything was moving according to his master plan.
He didn't expect to build some gacha empire like his previous life's Tencent, but with a treasure trove of IPs at his fingertips? He didn't need to.
A racing game based on 'Initial D'? Perfect.
A sword-fighting game from 'Kenshin'? Tons of story content already in place.
After chatting with the developers for about an hour, Jing Yu saw them out.
"So? What do you think?" Cheng Lie leaned in curiously.
"Hard to say. I don't know much about the game industry. But honestly, there's nothing to worry about." Jing Yu smiled.
The cost of developing a niche game was relatively low—nowhere near that of a AAA title.
With the funds sitting in Bluestar Media & Film Company's account, even a failed development wouldn't bankrupt them. Unlike indie devs, one flop wouldn't mean instant closure.
"We don't need to know how to make games—just pay the right people. Keep looking for others who want to offload their studios."
Lately, with little filming left for 'Fate/Zero', Jing Yu had plenty of free time to explore this side project.
And what no one in Great Zhou's TV industry realized was—
Jing Yu's enormous investment in 'Fate/Zero', his obsessive worldbuilding and lore content—
None of it was just about making money from the show.
He was targeting the entire surrounding ecosystem.
As the week passed, Jing Yu kept meeting with developers and building his foundation in the gaming world.
Soon, the weekend arrived again.
The Big Three's flagship dramas—'Diary', 'Rise of the Great Zhou'—all aired their second episodes.
Though intimidated by Jing Yu's popularity, the Big Three didn't retreat.
They just doubled down on marketing and PR efforts.
But even then, the episode two ratings were... meh.
They hovered around a steady 6.5%, growing slowly and showing no major spikes.
Then came Sunday.
8 PM sharp—
'Fate/Zero' episode two began airing.