"Who is it?" Jing Yu glanced toward the door with a puzzled look.
Moments later, he opened it.
Standing outside
was a man in his thirties.
Tall and powerfully built, he wore a sharp, well-fitted suit — though his bulging muscles practically stretched the fabric at the sleeves.
The feeling Jing Yu got was reminiscent of that LoL skin he used to play in his past life — the one called "Mafia Braum."
Jing Yu stood at 1.8 meters, already above average in height, but this guy was even taller. Judging by his frame, the guy was easily pushing 200 jin — pure muscle.
"Hello. Is there something I can help you with?" Jing Yu's indifferent expression immediately softened into a friendly one.
"Oh, you must be Teacher Jing Yu."
The suited brute's stern face also transformed into a surprisingly genial smile.
"Mind if I come in so we can talk?"
Jing Yu glanced at the guy, then at the rather flimsy wooden door of his.
He figured... even if he didn't invite this guy in, that door probably wouldn't survive a single kick.
"Well, what exactly is this about?" Jing Yu asked before stepping aside to let the man in.
"Oh, right, my manners—definitely need work," the man laughed loudly.
"Hello, Teacher Jing Yu. I'm Cheng Lie, from the Production Department at Yunteng TV. Here's my business card."
The man held out the card with both hands.
"Yunteng TV... Cheng Lie?"
Jing Yu accepted the card, glancing at it and then back at the man in front of him.
Someone from a TV station?
Jing Yu silently exhaled in relief.
There could only be one reason why someone from a station would come looking for him lately.
Still, Yunteng TV... Jing Yu sifted through the relevant information in his memory.
In Da Zhou, the backbone of the drama industry was still largely held by these major TV stations.
Back in the internet era, online streaming platforms controlled distribution. But in the current era, it was all about TV stations again.
If you ranked the hundred-plus TV stations in Da Zhou, they'd typically be split into three tiers:
Tier One — the so-called "Big Six":
The top three — Xingtong TV, Huanshi TV, and Imperial Capital TV — had flagship shows that averaged between 4.5% to 8% viewership each quarter, with the highest ratings sometimes brushing up against 10%.
Whenever a breakout hit aired, it might even surpass that mark.
The other three — Squirrel TV, Aurora TV, and Chenghai TV — had flagship shows averaging 3.5% to 6%. Once in a blue moon, one of their "self-proclaimed classics" might break the 10% barrier... but it was rare — maybe once every few years.
That's why only six stations earned the title of the "Big Six."
They were the only ones that had ever produced shows with consistent 10%+ ratings.
Even now, while some were stronger than others, they all far outpaced the rest.
Tier Two stations, like Yunteng TV, had average flagship drama ratings in the 1.5% to 3% range.
Peak ratings rarely broke 4%, and even with a breakout series, cracking the top ten for the quarter was unlikely.
Da Zhou had about ten stations in this bracket.
Then there was Tier Three, where ratings hovered below 1.5%.
Jinhui TV, where Jing Yu's current projects aired, fell into this group.
Still, Jinhui TV was considered upper-middle-tier among its peers. Aside from Jing Yu's own work, it occasionally produced a hit — like Jiang Shiqing's Dangerous Girlfriend, which broke 1.5% after gaining traction.
In short, Da Zhou's drama industry had a sharp "winner takes all" dynamic.
Even so, despite being a Tier Two station, Yunteng TV's overall influence would still place it among the top 30 to 40 in the country.
In fact, among Tier Two stations, Yunteng TV ranked near the top.
It wasn't part of the Big Six, but if you talked about the Top Ten TV stations in Da Zhou, Yunteng TV was definitely on that list.
It had a long history.
Back before the Big Six ever rose to prominence — when there were only a dozen or so major stations in the country — Yunteng TV ranked in the top three in nationwide audience numbers.
It eventually fell behind, but never fully dropped out of the top tier.
Even today, while its influence couldn't match the Big Six, its brand recognition was just as strong.
It was a legacy station — and once it aired a truly good drama, the old viewers would come flooding back in droves.
The logic was simple —
Just like in Jing Yu's past life:
If you had a VIP subscription to a streaming platform but saw nothing good airing that month, you might cancel. But if a few months later, something exciting dropped, you'd renew without hesitation.
But if you'd never subscribed before? Getting you to do so in the first place was a harder sell.
Many regions in Da Zhou still require pay-per-view for certain channels, depending on local policies.
So Yunteng TV had decades' worth of loyal viewer base —
Even just a few years ago, it produced a massive hit during the winter season:
A drama that nearly broke the 9.9% average viewership.
Just 0.1% short of breaking that elusive 10% barrier —
Had it succeeded, it would've become the seventh station in Da Zhou to achieve it.
Unfortunately, after that drama aired, the screenwriter had a falling out with the execs and left — taking several core staff with him. Yunteng TV was badly weakened and has never reached such heights again.
These thoughts drifted through Jing Yu's mind.
Cheng Lie's gaze turned serious.
"I'm sure someone as smart as you already knows why I'm here, Teacher Jing Yu. So…"
"Join us."
His words left Jing Yu momentarily speechless.
Silence settled over the room.
Jing Yu lowered his gaze in thought.
"Mr. Cheng, if your station's intel is up to date, you should know that five of the Big Six have already extended offers to me."
"I know," Cheng Lie nodded. "I even have a good idea of what they're offering."
"Then... why come to me?" Jing Yu took a deep breath.
Yunteng TV's not bad, but I have better options. Why would I choose you over them?
During the fall season, when 'White Album 2' aired on Jinhui TV, Yunteng TV's own flagship show averaged only 2.46%, ranking seventeenth.
'White Album 2', despite weak early numbers, gained momentum later and averaged over 3% — eventually landing fifteenth for the season.
So even with all Jinhui TV's limitations, Jing Yu's show outperformed Yunteng TV's flagship drama.
Why should I switch?
Cheng Lie caught the implication.
"Because our station's potential rivals those of the Big Six," he replied seriously.
"You saw it a few years ago when we nearly broke 10%. Yes, our recent dramas haven't ranked in the seasonal top ten — but that's due to quality, not capacity.
We have the infrastructure to support a show that ranks among Da Zhou's top hits — quarterly, even annually.
But we need a good script."
He paused.
"Jinhui TV can't give you that.
'White Album 2' ranking fifteenth for fall is already their ceiling.
Even if you write something better, Jinhui TV won't be able to push it further."
Jing Yu finally understood his point.
Yunteng TV was like a malnourished world champion boxer.
If he threw a weak punch, it wasn't because he lacked power — he just needed proper food.
Give him the right nourishment, and he'd be back on top in no time.
Jinhui TV, on the other hand, was just a regular guy.
No matter how much you fed him, the best he could manage was still an average swing.
Between the two stations — audience familiarity, viewer retention, promotional channels, industry clout — there was no comparison.
The upper limit of their viewership potential...
was worlds apart.