"Mr. Jing Yu," Cheng Lie greeted him with a smile as he stepped into the apartment.
"Sorry to bother you so late, but I've finally finished handling everything at the station. I just couldn't wait—I had to come and discuss the shooting details for 'Hikaru no Go' with you."
Jing Yu nodded in understanding.
He was a screenwriter with just one or two years of experience under his belt, freshly transferred from Lan Province to Modo City, where he had no personal network or local resources. Cheng Lie was clearly aware that Jing Yu couldn't be expected to provide a full production crew.
So now, he needed to ask Jing Yu about casting choices, visual style, music direction, director preferences, and actor requirements—everything that would shape the drama.
Unlike Lan Province, Modo City had an abundance of talented, good-looking, and popular actors.
Although 'Hikaru no Go' had an initial investment of 35 million yuan, that figure was flexible. If the response from viewers and ratings was strong, funding could increase. If not… well, it could shrink too.
That's exactly why many stations used the "shoot one episode, air one episode" model—it allowed them to reduce risk. If they realized midway that the show was going sideways, they'd cut it off early, no hesitation. It was a reputation-killer, of course—too many cancelled shows and a station's credibility would tank.
"I've only written the first few episodes so far," Jing Yu began, "but in terms of casting, the early episodes require a few adorable child actors."
"Child stars?" Cheng Lie asked.
"Child actors are fine, but they need to be visually appealing—the kind that makes people like them at first glance. The main character Hikaru is mischievous in the beginning—basically a spoiled brat. If he doesn't look charming, audiences will just find him annoying."
"As for Akira, he needs to be handsome, but not the rugged or masculine type. Think elegant and refined—polite, graceful. Honestly, his role is harder to cast."
"Oh, and Fujiwara no Sai—he's already cast. I'll play him."
"Why?" Cheng Lie blinked.
"Because I love the character. Plus, I get paid two salaries," Jing Yu said with a grin. "And I enjoy cosplay. Dressing up as characters I created is my kind of fun."
From there, the discussion stretched well beyond one evening.
For the next three days—at the station, at Jing Yu's home, even during meals—he and Cheng Lie were practically glued together, hashing out every production detail.
Director, assistant director, production manager, cinematographer, art director—one by one, the team took shape.
Some were existing employees at Yunteng TV, pulled in from other departments. Others were hired from outside production companies.
This was Modo City: as long as you had the money, assembling a full crew could be done quickly. And thankfully, 'Hikaru no Go' wasn't a high-difficulty production.
As long as the team had above-average technical competence, there wouldn't be much of an issue.
Production costs were low:
No dangerous action scenes
No extravagant high-society settings
The entire show was basically "playing Go" or "on the way to playing Go."
The key challenge lay in casting.
In terms of costumes and makeup, only Fujiwara no Sai's appearance needed special attention, as he had scenes related to Da Zhou's ancient history.
But this wasn't a problem. Da Zhou's history included chaotic eras reminiscent of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms or Northern and Southern Dynasties from Jing Yu's past life. Plenty of room for interpretation.
As for Sai's backstory, it was easy to customize. After all, even historical emperors were sometimes lost to time, with unknown birth and death dates, and unclear causes of death. If even royalty could vanish from history, who would remember a Go player?
So, the custom costume was quickly tailored based on Jing Yu's designs.
In the original manga, Sai wore a traditional court noble robe from Japan, complete with a formal hat and a folding fan.
But in this world, Jing Yu made major modifications:
No hat, but the hair had to be tied up.
Clothing style leaned toward a white scholar's robe.
Makeup avoided anything too extreme (like purple lips), but the vibe remained elegant and mysterious.
The initial makeup test was complete, and Jing Yu was satisfied with the results.
Then came the casting.
Across the entire series, 'Hikaru no Go' had over a hundred characters, but almost no female roles.
The most notable female character, Hikaru's childhood friend "Akari Fujisaki"(Xiao Ming)," might seem like the female lead—but honestly, her scenes could be cut without affecting the plot.
Yet even she was the female character with the most screen time.
During auditions, the complexity of Modo City's entertainment industry became obvious.
"Demons and monsters, all in one place."
Phone calls came pouring in from Yunteng TV's higher-ups. Actors parachuted in via connections.
The teenage versions of Hikaru and Akira became the most competitive roles—over a dozen popular "idol boys" from reality shows came to audition.
Jing Yu, completely unacquainted with these people, suddenly found himself being flattered and fawned over by strangers.
"The way they're worrying about me—I don't think even my dad was this attentive," he thought.
Some even hinted at bribes or directly asked if roles could be reserved for them.
If the series had more female characters, Jing Yu suspected he'd be harassed by ambitious actresses, too.
"Mr. Jing Yu, sorry about this…" Cheng Lie apologized again. "For the role of Tsutsui Kimihiro (Gong Hong), the PR department asked us to give serious consideration to a boy named Li Mu. He's the PR director's nephew—already acted in six shows. Looks decent, solid acting."
Sometimes, a drama didn't just serve to entertain—it was a platform to boost certain individuals.
Why were so many book-to-drama adaptations butchered beyond recognition?
Because if they followed the original storyline, all characters except the lead would feel pointless. So they had to invent subplots for side characters to give new actors a chance to shine.
Jing Yu refused to compromise on the main cast. He demanded that core roles be filled by talented actors.
But as for minor side characters… as long as they weren't awful, he'd go along with the politics.
Because otherwise, no one would cooperate later on.
If you didn't give someone face now, they'd make sure to return the favor later—and sabotage you.
"Some people can't help you succeed… but they'll excel at making you fail."
Thankfully, while many of the actors with connections had been forced into the selection pool, most actually had some ability.
Then came sponsorship.
While Go wasn't as massive as basketball or soccer, it still had tens of millions of enthusiasts in Da Zhou.
Once news spread that Yunteng TV was producing a Go-themed drama, Go academies and equipment manufacturers swarmed in:
Logo placement in episodes
Branded Go boards and stones for key match scenes
Frankly, with this level of sponsorship, the drama could earn back most of its budget just from ads.
Major TV stations attracted a level of advertiser interest far beyond what Jinhui TV could hope for.
By early December, marketing for 'Hikaru no Go' rolled out nationwide.
Posters of young Akira and Hikaru, along with a stunning photo of Jing Yu in ancient white robes as Sai, were everywhere.
Only now did fans from Jing Yu's previous shows finally realize:
"Wait a second… he switched networks?"
Online chatter exploded:
"Guys, guess what I saw today? On Bus 117 in Modo City, I saw Yunteng TV's spring drama promo—'Hikaru no Go'. It's Jing Yu! He's in Modo City now!"
"Meh, I knew it already. But I'm disappointed. He's not working with Yu Youqing this time… I'm not interested."
"Why does that matter? He can make a good show without her, right?"
"Come on! I started following him because of his romance dramas with her. Now he's going solo, doing a Go drama? I don't even understand Go! I watched my grandpa play for two hours once and still didn't get it."
"Who says it won't have romance? 'Your Lie in April' used music to tie two leads together—why not go here?"
"But I didn't see any female characters in the posters. Just that ancient costume shot of Jing Yu. Looks cool, but also weird."
"I'm watching it no matter what. Go is fascinating—you guys just don't get it."
"I don't want to learn when watching a show—I just want to relax. You think I'm gonna study Go?"
"If it's a Go romance drama, I'll give it a shot. Like 'Your Lie in April'—I didn't understand classical music either, but it was still great."
"Yeah, but enjoying music is natural. Go is just… complicated. I'll check out episode one to support Jing Yu, but if it's all serious Go stuff, I probably won't stick with it."
In Jing Yu's fanbase, news about 'Hikaru no Go' spread fast.
But in the broader market of Da Zhou's entertainment industry, the buzz was mild.
The Big Six and many smaller stations were also promoting their upcoming shows, and 'Hikaru no Go', being a niche sports drama, didn't make much of a splash in comparison.
The early forecasts from critics and media predicted 'Hikaru no Go' might land somewhere in the Top 30 of spring releases.
If the story was solid, maybe it would break into the Top 20
If it was too technical or dry? It might not even make the Top 30
The Big Six had little faith in it, and most professional media insiders felt the same.
But Jing Yu and Cheng Lie weren't fazed by the noise.
Though casting wasn't complete yet, the time to begin had arrived.
December 11th – The 'Hikaru no Go' production team was finally assembled.
At the Modo City Film Base, shooting officially began.