Just like Fu Jing, after reading the script, she did admit that the plot of the first three episodes was intriguing.
But so what? From her perspective, "Go" (Weiqi) was synonymous with a commercial flop.
No matter how well the competitive aspect of Go was portrayed in the script, it was still confined within the framework of Go. She didn't believe ordinary viewers who didn't understand the game would stick around and continue watching the series.
"I think even if the average viewer doesn't understand Go, they'll still find the drama engaging. Some might even feel a strong urge to learn Go after watching 'Hikaru no Go'(Chess Soul)," Jing Yu looked at Fu Jing and said seriously.
"I'm not denying that's possible. But in my view, the chances of that happening are far lower than the chances of this show failing with the general audience," Fu Jing replied in a heavy tone.
In other words, the drama flopping was highly probable.
A commercial TV station had to assess risk. A single drama could require tens of millions in investment—it naturally had to take the safest route.
"Jing Yu, this is your first drama since joining our Chenghai TV team. There's no need to take such a big risk! Why not just stick to your strong suit—romance dramas?"
Jing Yu's expression turned a bit awkward.
You couldn't have said this earlier?
When they came to him to discuss joining, no one specified what kind of script he should bring. He had already spent all his fan points on 'Hikaru no Go', and now they were saying they only wanted his romance scripts?
Fu Jing also looked awkward. She could guess what Jing Yu must be thinking, but honestly, she hadn't expected him to take such a gamble right after leaving Jinhui TV—to go with a niche subject like Go?
"So… you don't have any other scripts with you, Jing Yu?" she asked.
"No, this is the only project I have for now," Jing Yu replied.
"It's already mid-November. In another week, the station has to finalize its investment plans for next year's Spring lineup," Fu Jing said, disappointment in her eyes.
If Jing Yu didn't lock in a script this week, then even if he had joined Chenghai TV, the Spring schedule wouldn't include him.
"For this 'Hikaru no Go' script, could I ask you to help submit it to your production department to see if it can pass the review?" Jing Yu asked, taking a deep breath.
Two days later, at Fu Jing's invitation, Jing Yu arrived at the Chenghai TV headquarters. There, he met the head of the production department, Xu Mei.
"Hello, Mr. Jing," the fifty-something Xu Mei greeted him, officially beginning their meeting.
Half an hour later, Jing Yu walked out of Xu Mei's office with a calm face.
But the message had been crystal clear: Chenghai TV had no interest in 'Hikaru no Go'. The script had been rejected—plain and simple.
Jing Yu sat in the office lobby, waiting for Fu Jing to finish her follow-up conversation with Xu Mei. Though he'd left the room, it wasn't right to just leave without a word. At the very least, he needed to say goodbye to Fu Jing.
However, voices from inside the office leaked out.
Jing Yu froze. Turns out he hadn't closed the door fully—there was a slight gap.
"Since he didn't bring any other promising scripts, let's wait and see what he comes up with for the summer lineup. But if this Jing Yu turns around and quickly writes some romance script just to squeeze into the spring schedule, I won't approve the investment. Something thrown together in a week? It'll definitely fall apart."
"Besides, let's use this script failure to lower the terms when we bring him on board. I do admire his talent, but he's very particular about contract duration. He's not even signed yet and is already nervous about it. And after getting famous at Jinhui TV, he immediately reached out to us. Doesn't exactly scream loyalty, does it? So we have to lock down the contract terms—especially the non-compete clauses. Prevent another situation like Zhong Ming jumping from Yunteng TV without restrictions."
"Anyway, the Spring schedule's out of reach for this young man. Tell him clearly—if he has something solid for the Summer lineup, we're still open to working with him."
"Also, I noticed he's quite attached to this 'Hikaru no Go' script. Most likely, he won't give up on it. You know the other five major networks besides us are all trying to recruit him, right? Make sure to coordinate with them—if he takes this script to one of them, I guarantee he'll hit a wall. No way anyone's investing in a Go drama. It's laughable. When that happens, he'll realize we were the most reasonable option. And when he comes back? We'll use the fact that he submitted his script elsewhere as an excuse to push down the contract terms."
Ten minutes passed. Xu Mei gave Fu Jing detailed instructions.
Fu Jing took a deep breath and prepared to leave the office.
As she reached the door, she lightly pulled on it—it opened with no resistance.
No way… the soundproof door wasn't fully closed?
Did Jing Yu… hear what was said?
Her heart skipped a beat.
Fortunately, once she walked out, she saw Jing Yu standing by the corridor window, looking out and enjoying the breeze.
The wind lightly tousled his hair. Dressed in a white shirt, standing against the sunlight, Jing Yu's silhouette had an almost fairytale-like quality. Fu Jing's heart gave a small flutter.
She had met plenty of handsome stars, but Jing Yu's looks stood out even among them.
At the same time, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. From that distance, if Jing Yu had heard the conversation inside… then he wasn't human.
"So, that's the situation. You still have three to four months to develop a new script. As long as it passes the production department's review, the conditions won't change—Summer lineup, secondary prime-time slot, and full promotional support from the station," Fu Jing explained apologetically.
"Got it," Jing Yu smiled politely at her.
"I've really enjoyed our meetings. You're clearly a serious and capable producer. It's a shame we won't be working together this time."
"It's just the Spring season. Summer's just around the corner. We'll get another chance," Fu Jing smiled back.
"Well, since 'Hikaru no Go' didn't cut, I won't take up any more of your time. I've already booked my flight for tonight, so…" Jing Yu gave an apologetic smile.
"Alright then," Fu Jing nodded.
"If you have a new script later, feel free to send it to me online. Honestly, bringing you to Chenghai TV this time was mainly to arrange a face-to-face with the department head. Otherwise, you could've just submitted the 'Hikaru no Go' script online—it wouldn't have been such a hassle."
Jing Yu glanced at her, smiled, said nothing more, and walked into the elevator, waving goodbye.
As the doors closed, his smile slowly faded.
"Didn't expect it to end like this," he muttered with a sigh.
Chenghai TV might still be hoping for his next script, but Jing Yu had already spent all his fan points on 'Hikaru no Go'. Without that project turning a profit first, he had no resources to "exchange" for another script.
So pushing 'Hikaru no Go' into production and getting it on air was now a top priority.
He had no intention of submitting a second script for review to Chenghai TV.
And more importantly, thanks to that slightly open door, Jing Yu now knew exactly how Xu Mei saw him. If he truly signed with Chenghai TV, the contract and non-compete clauses would bind his career for the next five to ten years.
Even if he submitted another script, 'Hikaru no Go' would never get greenlit as long as he remained with Chenghai TV.
In other words, the seven million fan points he had invested in 'Hikaru no Go' would go completely to waste.
Tch.
He could accept a bit of arrogance or the belief that he was easy to manipulate. But for Xu Mei to dismiss 'Hikaru no Go' so thoroughly—even if he used careful wording, even if he was being polite—it still stung.
Thirty minutes of discussion, and all Xu Mei was saying was: This script is garbage. It'll bomb.
That was hard to swallow.
That night, Jing Yu did have a flight to catch—but not back to Lan Province.
He flew straight to Modo City(Magic City).
At 3:00 a.m., he stepped off the plane.
In the distance, he spotted a familiar figure—Cheng Lie, the man who had personally come to Lan Province to meet him before.
A towering man, nearly two meters tall and close to 200 pounds of pure muscle. Despite it being early winter, he was still in short sleeves—completely unfazed by the cold.
"Welcome to Modo City, Jing Yu. Welcome to Yunteng TV," Cheng Lie greeted him warmly.
"You waited here for me this late?" Jing Yu was slightly moved.
"Of course. After we talked yesterday, you mentioned your flight details. The schedules are public online—it wasn't hard to find out when you'd land," Cheng Lie said casually.
"You must be exhausted. Come on, I've already booked a hotel nearby. Let's get some rest. We'll talk business tomorrow."
Jing Yu followed Cheng Lie, carrying his briefcase containing the 'Hikaru no Go' script.
Truth be told, he hadn't even tried the other four of the "Big Six" networks. If Chenghai TV rejected 'Hikaru no Go', the other four would be even less interested. The script would just get shelved.
From the start, he had only two target companies in mind: Chenghai TV and Yunteng TV.
Now that Chenghai TV was off the table, he flew directly to Yunteng TV—no time wasted.
And if Yunteng TV also rejected him?
He still wouldn't panic. Over the past month, 20 to 30 other networks had reached out to recruit him. He didn't believe every single one of them lacked the vision to see 'Hikaru no Go''s value.
Of course, none of those stations could match the Big Six—or even Yunteng TV.
But there were still six or seven stations that were clearly better than Jinhui TV.
And if it really came to that… he'd pick one with decent potential and spend seven to ten years there. He was confident he could elevate that network into one of the top players in the industry.
It would be a longer path—and one he didn't really want to take. If that was his plan, he might as well have stayed at Jinhui TV.
With 'White Album 2' scoring consistent 2%+ viewership ratings and a few more hit series, his dramas could average over 3% on that platform. With time, Jinhui TV's influence would grow—and maybe, in a decade or so, it'd become one of the top networks.
But Jing Yu had no interest in building Jinhui TV's future. He had no stake in the company. No matter how much he achieved, he'd just be helping the station director.
That's why he chose to leave—for his own long-term gain.
"What's on your mind, Jing Yu?" Cheng Lie looked back and noticed his guest deep in thought.
"I'll be honest with you, Producer Cheng. My new script is centered around Go. I won't be replacing it. I'm fully committed to bringing this drama to life. Can your station accept a niche subject like this? If yes, I'll give you the script tonight, and tomorrow we can sit down with your team to discuss the details."
Jing Yu took a deep breath and looked at him.
"Go?" Cheng Lie paused, then met Jing Yu's eyes.
He already had a rough idea of what had happened at Chenghai TV.
"So what? If the script is good, if the plot is engaging—who cares about the subject matter?" Cheng Lie said.
Jing Yu was caught off guard.
"You don't think Go is too niche? That it won't attract viewers?"
"How small is the Go audience, really?" Cheng Lie shot back.
"Five years ago, our producer Zhong Ming made a series based on extreme sports, which almost broke a 10% rating. And you think Go is more niche than that? 99.9% of the audience had no clue about extreme sports, yet they were glued to the screen."
"Yunteng TV isn't like the other major networks. The Big Six are conservative. They don't aim to succeed—they just want to avoid failure. They already dominate the ratings, so risks aren't worth it for them."
"But Yunteng TV? We're different. Our station head is obsessed with reviving Yunteng TV's former glory. To beat the Big Six, we have to take bold, unconventional steps."
"So if your script is good, don't worry—we won't reject it just because of the risk or subject matter."
"Understood." Jing Yu fell silent for a moment.
But inwardly, he finally relaxed a little.
The next day, after a good night's rest, Jing Yu followed Cheng Lie to Yunteng TV's headquarters.