Steins;Gate production crew.
"Uh, sorry… I haven't really considered anything for the fall season yet. Thanks for the invite, but I'll have to decline."
"Apologies. I'm still shooting the Steins;Gate side stories. My schedule's packed right now, so maybe we can work together in the future."
"Sister Liu, you're in Guisheng now? Chenghai TV wants me for the female lead? That's… really flattering, but sorry, I can't."
Noon was supposed to be a time for rest—but lately, it had been anything but.
Ever since Steins;Gate exploded in popularity across Great Zhou, both Yu Youqing and Xia Yining had been getting calls every single day—some from old classmates and friends, others through connections made by their university professors—all asking if they were free to join new productions.
After all, their characters Mayuri and Makise had become household names, and the final episode of Steins;Gate had even beaten 'You, Under the Cliff' in viewership.
If Jing Yu was the breakout screenwriting genius of the year, then Yu Youqing and Xia Yining—along with Wu He and Li He, who played Hikaru and Akira in 'Hikaru no Go'—were easily the industry's most dazzling new stars.
And now that June had arrived, TV stations had begun prepping for their fall season dramas. Naturally, both actresses were being flooded with offers—including from veteran producers at Xingtong TV and Aurora TV, two of the Big Six networks headquartered in Modo City.
"Judging by your expression, someone's been calling you, too, huh?"
Xia Yining sat beside Yu Youqing, grinning.
"Why ask if you already know the answer?" Yu Youqing shot back with a smirk.
Although the two of them had been a bit wary of each other due to their mutual connection with Jing Yu, ever since it became clear that he was completely focused on work and not interested in romance, they'd started getting along surprisingly well on set.
They were both from Lan Province, had already worked on three dramas together, and even had similar tastes. There was an undeniable "kindred spirits" vibe between them. So during breaks, it wasn't uncommon to see the two chatting together.
"Still can't believe Steins;Gate really pulled it off. With barely any backing, it overtook 'You, Under the Cliff' in ratings… Even a few days later, it still feels unreal," Xia Yining said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
To be honest, the entire industry had initially assumed Steins;Gate was just a disposable ratings trap set up to sabotage 'You, Under the Cliff'. Even they—the lead actresses—had thought the same.
Back when they were filming 'White Album 2' for JinHui TV, that drama had a budget of forty to fifty million. 'Steins;Gate', by comparison, had only 20 million—and most of that went to promotion after production started. The actual shooting budget? Pretty minimal.
Yet this low-budget drama, deliberately scheduled in the same time slot as Huanshi TV's flagship, had gone from a 2% debut rating to a whopping 6%, eventually surpassing 'You, Under the Cliff'.
Even with their unwavering faith in Jing Yu's writing, the two had never imagined things would turn out this way.
The explosive success of 'Steins;Gate' had catapulted both of them up the national popularity charts.
Especially Yu Youqing, whose portrayal of Makise was a major fan magnet. Thanks to just one drama, she'd already cracked the top 30 on a well-known national actress popularity list. Xia Yining wasn't far behind, sitting comfortably in the top 40.
And while their ranks might drop if they didn't follow up with another hit soon, for now, heading into the fall drama market, both actresses were hot property.
"Well, well—what are our two superstar leads chatting about over here?"
Producer Cheng Lie walked over with a smile.
"Nothing important," Xia Yining replied quickly, flashing a smile.
"Though I have to say, you've been a lot more cheerful lately, Producer Cheng. You must be in a great mood!"
"Of course!" Cheng Lie chuckled.
"This season, both 'Hikaru no Go' and 'Steins;Gate' are firmly in the top five for ratings. The last time our station got a drama into the top five was five years ago. And before that? Fifteen years ago."
He glanced at the two women.
"So yeah, over the past fifteen years, only four dramas from our network have cracked the seasonal top five. Two of them are mine. How could I not be happy?"
If the phrase "When one person makes it, everyone rises with them" ever applied, this was it.
Jing Yu's success had brought Cheng Lie, Yu Youqing, Xia Yining, Wu He, and the rest of the team up with him. Within Yunteng TV, they were the envy of everyone.
Some people at the station who had once looked down on Jing Yu—and rejected Cheng Lie's proposal to join his project—were now kicking themselves hard.
"Anyway, the real reason I came by during lunch break… I've got a favor to ask."
"A favor?" the two actresses echoed, exchanging glances.
"You know our network's fall season dramas are about to start production, right? A few of the teams are still casting, and they asked me to check with you two—if you'd be interested."
The moment Cheng Lie said that, the two immediately understood.
"What about Jing Yu… is he doing anything next season?" Yu Youqing asked bluntly.
"He's taking a break," Cheng Lie replied with a helpless expression.
"He said the past six months have been exhausting. So he wants to rest during the next season. That's why I'm asking if you two would consider some of the other internal productions."
Yu Youqing and Xia Yining fell silent.
They both knew—if they wanted long-term careers as serious actresses, they couldn't rely solely on Jing Yu's scripts forever. Not every role he wrote would necessarily suit them.
And even if Jing Yu wasn't writing anything next season, he was still a Yunteng TV employee. As long as they continued working within the network, they'd inevitably cross paths with him again.
That was the key difference between working for Yunteng TV versus the Big Three—there were always potential opportunities close to Jing Yu.
The temptation was real.
"Of course, if you two are close enough with Jing Yu, maybe you could talk to him for me, too. You know what they say—strike while the iron's hot! Right now, his name is buzzing across the whole industry. If he keeps putting out hit after hit, he'll really cement his status. But if he rests for three months? That's a huge waste!"
Cheng Lie had clearly wound himself up—talking faster and louder without noticing how odd the two actresses' expressions were becoming.
"Hey."
A voice suddenly came from behind.
"Producer Cheng, are you really going behind my back to talk smack about me like this?"
Cheng Lie turned around to see Jing Yu, dressed in his white lab coat costume from the show.
"Haha! What a coincidence, Jing Yu!" Cheng Lie chuckled awkwardly, trying to play it off.
"Coincidence? The set's not that big. And with how loud you were talking, I'd have to try not to hear you," Jing Yu shot him a look, then turned to Xia Yining and Yu Youqing.
"Anyway, Producer Cheng, I pretty much heard everything you said."
"These two—yeah, I brought them into the Yunteng TV crew. But they're not signed talents raised by the station. So if they're interested in working with other in-house teams next season, I won't object."
"That said, if things do move in that direction, Producer Cheng, I'm counting on you to keep an eye out for them."
Jing Yu's meaning was clear.
Letting them take roles in other Yunteng TV dramas was fine—but someone needed to protect them from the usual industry trash and backroom drama. And that person was going to be Cheng Lie.
Cheng Lie immediately understood.
Even though Jing Yu had always maintained some emotional distance from Yu Youqing and Xia Yining outside of work, it was clear now—they were important to him.
Maybe not romantically, but at the very least, he saw them as close friends.
Otherwise, someone as allergic to "trouble" as Jing Yu would never have said something like this.
"Of course," Cheng Lie nodded earnestly.
From that moment on, both actresses' value shot up even higher in Cheng Lie's eyes.
Yu Youqing and Xia Yining exchanged grateful glances with Jing Yu.
After a bit more chatting, it was time to get back to filming. The 'Steins;Gate' side story shoot resumed.
But to be clear—this wasn't some throwaway bonus episode.
Jing Yu was directly adapting the original 'Steins;Gate' movie: "Load Region of Déjà Vu."
This wasn't just a slice-of-life epilogue. Even though the story took place within the Steins;Gate world line, it was still packed with danger.
The plot?
After traversing thousands of world lines, Okabe begins to doubt the very reality of the world he's in. And because the 'Steins;Gate' world line is one created by deceiving the world—a world line where both Makise and Mayuri survive—it's inherently unstable.
Okabe, possessing special abilities, is rejected by the world.
In simple terms: The world only has one true version. But Okabe, no longer trusting it, is cast out—into a new possibility, the R Line, where he exists alone.
In the real world, all his friends forget him completely. The world has erased his existence.
Only Makise, through a faint feeling of déjà vu, starts to suspect that she once knew someone important—someone whose name she can't even remember.
But she refuses to give up.
She sets out on a journey to rescue him.
So when Friday came and the new 'Steins;Gate' side story aired, viewers who thought they were getting a chill, daily-life episode were once again hooked.
That episode's viewership?
6.32%—even higher than the finale of the main story.
Meanwhile, 'You, Under the Cliff's ratings continued to drop, falling to 6.05%.
Those in the industry who had predicted a ratings crash once the main plot ended were once again proven dead wrong.
Now, with 'Steins;Gate' outperforming 'You, Under the Cliff' for two weeks in a row, people in the drama world were beginning to ask a very different question:
What if 'Steins;Gate' hadn't been scheduled to directly compete with 'You, Under the Cliff'? What if it had aired in a normal, unchallenged time slot…?
Would it have been even more successful?