The next day, the performance stats for Episode 3 of 'Rurouni Kenshin' were released.
Inside the scriptwriting department of Sakura TV, many staff members wore strange expressions.
Actually, after just the first two episodes, 'Rurouni Kenshin' had already surpassed the average paid view numbers of 'Pure Breeze' — even across all six of its episodes.
And now with Episode 3 still climbing, the numbers were only getting better.
Previously, when someone joked that 'Rurouni Kenshin' might catch up to 'Pure Breeze', people laughed it off. It wasn't taken seriously.
But now?
'Rurouni Kenshin' looked like it might actually overtake 'Pure Breeze'.
Kiyota Sanji entered the writers' room with a thunderous expression.
People whispered behind his back, with mocking smirks and suppressed giggles — fueling his anger even more.
He'd just gotten chewed out again that morning by his uncle, Akasaka Yoshitoki, a senior figure in the production department.
And Kiyota had nothing to say in return.
What was he supposed to argue — that 'Pure Breeze' lost because the co-writer, Kanzaki Yusuke, was too weak?
That would just be slapping himself in the face. After all, he was a co-writer too.
What stung more was this:
Akasaka had made it clear — if 'Pure Breeze' failed to beat 'Rurouni Kenshin' in performance or ratings this season, there would be no chance of securing investment for another drama with Kiyota as the lead writer next season.
Because how could they justify funding the #2 guy when the #1 guy (Su Yan) existed?
And Akasaka wasn't the only decision-maker in the department.
The name Su Yan made Kiyota grind his teeth.
How could this guy be so annoying?
Always in his way.
Looking back, Kiyota deeply regretted not blocking the 'Rurouni Kenshin' script when it was first submitted. He assumed it would flop — just another low-budget short drama from a newbie writer with a no-name producer like Shinozaki Ikumi.
He thought it would make 'Pure Breeze' look even better by comparison.
But now?
It was he who'd been humiliated.
Shanji took a deep breath and calmed himself.
"But I haven't lost yet."
After all, 'Rurouni Kenshin' was only a short series. Once it ended, its buzz would fade fast.
The third episode, doing well didn't matter much.
It was still August. If by September, the end of the summer broadcast season, the final average view count and rating of 'Rurouni Kenshin' surpassed 'Pure Breeze', then it could be called a win.
Longer dramas had the advantage — the more episodes, the longer people stayed interested, the more new viewers they attracted.
'Rurouni Kenshin' had the opposite problem. Once it aired its final episode, people would quickly move on.
Unless… the final episode had some truly explosive, viral twist that pushed it past the competition.
As Kiyota stewed in thought…
The office suddenly fell silent for a moment.
Because into the room walked none other than Su Yan — fresh off finishing the final shoot for Episode 4.
"Su Yan, you're back?"
"Yeah. We just wrapped up the last scenes for 'Rurouni Kenshin'. My first time doing both writing and acting — I was a bit inexperienced, so filming ran longer than expected." He replied with a calm smile.
"Congrats! The show's a huge hit!"
"It's not over yet," Su Yan replied, still smiling. "We still have the final episode. If the ending holds strong and reviews don't drop, then it'll be a real hit. Everything's still uncertain."
"Your swordsmanship — where did you learn it? Teach me!" another asked.
"Haha, sorry, that's a secret technique from my school. Not something I can share." He joked.
Then, he turned — meeting Kiyota's cold, bitter stare.
Su Yan just smiled and looked away.
Are you not even pretending to be polite?
Perfect. I hate fake courtesy anyway.
This was a workplace competition.
Whether you had connections or talent, if you wanted to rise, you'd always have enemies.
That afternoon, Su Yan sat at his desk.
On the surface, he looked focused on post-production notes for 'Rurouni Kenshin'.
But in reality — now that filming was done — post-production didn't really need him.
Instead, he was focused on something else entirely.
His system dashboard.
Emotion Points: 3,135,181
(And climbing by the second.)
In just three weeks since 'Rurouni Kenshin' aired, it had already earned more emotional points than the 2 million he spent to "draw" the script in the first place.
"If the 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' could air on TV with a bigger audience, this number could multiply several times…" Su Yan murmured.
But everything had to be done step by step.
Episode 4 was the most emotionally devastating part of the whole story. After its broadcast, emotional value would likely spike.
However, if 'Rurouni Kenshin' really outperformed 'Pure Breeze'...
He'd make a powerful enemy: Akasaka Yoshitoki — head of production and Kiyota's uncle.
Which meant… to get the studio's backing for his next series, he needed even more emotion points to "draw" something even better — something impossible to ignore.
Still, the lottery draw system was… unreliable.
It tended to pull the works Su Yan had encountered in his past life.
And Su Yan knew himself — most of the media he consumed over the years leaned tragic, bittersweet, or bad-ending.
Whether anime, games, or novels — it was those kinds of endings that moved him the most.
Tragedy creates beauty.
But would the audience accept that kind of storytelling?
Hmm…
Wait.
What if next time, he drew something like 'School Days'?😨
Su Yan imagined it for a second — then shrugged it off.
Whatever. If I draw garbage, I'll serve this world garbage.
Besides, most of these "bad" stories start strong. They'd still pass studio approval.
And I'd still earn emotion points once the chaos begins.
"Let's hope the audience can appreciate the beauty of the 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'," Su Yan muttered, leaning back in his chair and brushing away his darker thoughts.
Now that filming was over, all he could do was wait — and look forward to the audience reactions once the fourth and final episode aired.
That night.
In a small rented apartment, Gu Qingyuan cooked dinner for her old college roommates.
"Qingyuan, you're amazing! Who would've guessed a month ago that 'Rurouni Kenshin' would blow up like this?" said Zhai Xue, grinning over hotpot.
"Back when you took the female lead role in 'Rurouni Kenshin', and Feng Nannan got a minor role in 'Pure Breeze', we all thought she would be the first in our dorm to make it big. But now…"
"Sometimes, luck matters more than anything," Gu Qingyuan said quietly.
"Honestly, I never expected 'Rurouni Kenshin' to get this far."
"Luck is part of talent, too. It's a shame Feng Nannan isn't here. If she came, the whole dorm would be reunited for your big breakout."
"Yeah, it's not like she's so busy at 'Pure Breeze' she'd be filming at 8 p.m. She's being petty."
Gu Qingyuan glanced at the empty seat at the table.
She'd called Feng Nannan, but she hadn't come.
And Gu Qingyuan could guess why.
Feng had been proud to land a small role in 'Pure Breeze' — practically bragged about it daily in June, telling them all to work harder.
Now that 'Rurouni Kenshin' had not only caught up but surpassed 'Pure Breeze', and Gu Qingyuan was the female lead, of course, Feng Nannan would feel awkward seeing her again.
It had only been a little over a month since they'd left school.
But Gu Qingyuan could already tell — the world of showbiz changes people.
"So, Qingyuan, tell us — what happens in the final episode?" Tang Ju asked eagerly.
"I signed a confidentiality clause. I can't say."
"Come on, we're not snitches! It's not like the TV execs are here," Zhai Xue said with a grin.
"Nope. Professional ethics." Gu Qingyuan smiled and handed them more food.
"Well, what about Su Yan? You've worked with him for over a month — is he really as handsome as he looks on screen? And are his action scenes real?"
"He's even more handsome in person. And yes — he did all the action himself. No stunt doubles."
"Seriously? What about that kiss scene in Episode 3?" Zhai Xue perked up.
"That was real, right?"
"Yeah," Gu Qingyuan nodded.
"What did it feel like?!"
"It was just acting," she replied coolly. "Now eat, stop gossiping."
Meanwhile, back at the studio…
After several days of editing and post-production, the final episode of 'Rurouni Kenshin' was ready.
Director Shi Peihua and Producer Shinozaki Ikumi looked over the finished cut.
"I get the feeling that once this airs tomorrow," Shi Peihua said with a wry smile, "you, me, Su Yan, and little Qingyuan are all gonna get roasted."
But her tone was half gleeful.
"Qingyuan won't get roasted," Shinozaki replied, also grinning. "She plays the biggest victim in the story — the audience will feel sorry for her."
"You and I won't get roasted either. We did the best we could with the budget. The audience will see that."
"There's only one person who'll get flamed."
"Yep," Shinozaki smirked.
"The writer."
"Tomoe's tragedy is all his fault."
"Su Yan's going to face the full wrath of the fandom."