"I followed 'Legal High' for three whole months, and that's what the truth turned out to be?"
"Teacher Jing Yu really played us!"
"But honestly… when I saw the ending, I froze for a few seconds — then felt dumb for taking it so seriously. It's hilarious! I actually invested myself in guessing Saori's true identity!"
"Miki and Komikado broke up over a hamster?!"
"Teacher Jing Yu, you're such a troll! You really hid that for three whole months?"
"I can't believe I was looking forward to the final episode of 'Legal High' so much. Jing Yu, you broke my heart!"
"I was all set for a tragic twist... and then this ridiculous ending completely cracked me up."
"Definitely a comedy. All my stress this week got wiped out by that ending."
"I can't take it anymore — I'm hitting every major forum to spam: [Saori, your death was so tragic!]."
"Me too! Let's make it a thing — everyone spam the meme together!"
"This is too much."
"Who cares! It's fun. Teacher Jing Yu fooled us with a hamster, so let's make that hamster famous across all of Great Zhou!"
After 'Legal High' Season 1 ended, that outrageous hamster twist sent the show's popularity skyrocketing over the next few days.
On forums, blogs, fan groups — even in watercooler conversations at work — the name "Saori the hamster" became a regular topic.
At first glance, the ending seemed absurd. But the more people thought about it, the more they realized — it fit the tone of 'Legal High' perfectly. Komikado and Miki falling out over something like that? Completely on-brand.
That's exactly the kind of absurd humor that made the series so beloved.
Over on BlueStar Media 's official website, thousands of fans posted begging Jing Yu to release Saori merchandise.
Their enthusiasm even caught Jing Yu off guard.
He'd never been asked for something like this before — but hey, he had nothing against Great Zhou currency.
He immediately instructed the team to contact manufacturers and launch a Saori full-merch line.
Hamsters live for a few years, and the one used during filming was still alive, being cared for by staff at the company. The BlueStar operations team jumped at the opportunity and launched a "Saori the Original Hamster" livestream event.
Not only would there be merch — they were going all out: "Saori" in swimsuit, office lady, gothic, lolita, innocent schoolgirl outfits — full photosets were in production.
The guys in BlueStar's merch division were cackling like maniacs in the hamster pen, and when Jing Yu passed by, he seriously wondered if he'd hired too many perverts.
But hey — these were just little side-stories during the drama release cycle.
With the first seasons of 'Legal High' and 'Natsume's Book of Friends' now concluded, the summer season had ended, ushering in the autumn lineup.
Jing Yu didn't have major new projects this season — his focus was on 'Neon Genesis Evangelion's ongoing filming and the production of the 'Fate/Stay Night' game.
Production for Season 2 of both 'Natsume's Book of Friends' and 'Legal High' had long been confirmed, and progress was well underway. As a result, the entire company got a rare break before the autumn season kicked off.
As the boss, Jing Yu wasn't stingy. With earnings rolling in, he handed out generous quarterly bonuses. For team-building, they didn't go far — just a 3-day trip around the outskirts of Modo, to avoid disrupting the four ongoing projects too much.
Hundreds of staff dropped their work for three days to bond and unwind.
More importantly, it was a chance for Jing Yu himself to connect with his employees. Many had been with the company for over a year and had never even exchanged a hello with him — everyone was always too busy.
The group returned to Modo just before July began and immediately resumed their respective tasks.
Then came July.
Season 2 of both 'Natsume's Book of Friends' and 'Legal High' premiered simultaneously.
For shows that had already built strong popularity in the previous season, there was no need to worry about hype.
In fact, the quality of 'Legal High' Season 2 was a bit lower than that of the first.
As Jing Yu himself said, the introduction of that pretty-boy side character threw off the tone. The original triangle of Miki, Komikado, and Mayuzumi Machiko had a strong dynamic — the new addition muddled it.
Still, because Season 1 was so good, audiences were very forgiving. Episode 1 of Season 2 pulled over 9% viewership right out of the gate.
No surprises there — none of the six major TV stations had anything competitive this quarter.
In the past, even with strong shows like 'Initial D' or 'Hikaru no Go', Jing Yu and Yunteng TV's combined influence wasn't quite enough. Those shows only neared 10% ratings later in their runs.
But now, even if the quality wasn't as sharp, Jing Yu's current star power was on another level. Over the years, his partnership with Yunteng TV had elevated them in the minds of Great Zhou viewers to a status even greater than the Big Three networks. That's why his shows have now opened with high viewership from day one.
Meanwhile, 'Natsume's Book of Friends' had always been about consistency.
It didn't rely on big dramatic peaks. The production quality was steady throughout. For those who loved it, it was the kind of show they could follow forever. For those who didn't, it just felt like the protagonist, Natsume, was too sentimental, and the plot too bland.
Even so, the show's average paid views per episode exceeded 12 million, and Season 2 carried over the momentum seamlessly from the last season.
To drama professionals and audiences in Great Zhou, this autumn lineup felt… different, and yet somehow, the same.
People were still watching the same two shows. Those with more free time might sample offerings from the Big Three, then go online to complain about how the networks had learned nothing and that this season's new dramas were even worse than the last.
Jing Yu's dominance had become so expected, even his competitors had grown numb to it — including the six major networks.
There just wasn't anything they could do.
Dirty tricks? Those wouldn't work anymore. Jing Yu was no longer that rookie screenwriter they could push around — and he wasn't afraid of them either.
In light of all this, some industry voices began to emerge.
Titles like "King of Ratings" and "Great Zhou's No.1 Drama Creator" started getting attached to Jing Yu's name.
Some veteran writers didn't like it — but tough luck. If they had the skills, they could challenge him. Let's see them break his ratings dominance.
Even if they couldn't crush Jing Yu, how about matching him?
But... there was no one in the industry bold enough to make that claim.
Maybe now and then, a writer would have a flash of brilliance and produce a solid show that competed for one season.
But those writers never lasted.
None could match Jing Yu's ability to churn out multiple hit shows per year, year after year. Not a single flop among them.
By mid-July…
Some media outlets began to notice that Great Zhou's entire drama industry was essentially ruled by Jing Yu. Trying to hype up his rivalry with the Big Three? Viewers weren't even interested anymore. He won every time — why would this season be different?
Within the drama industry, professionals began discussing what Jing Yu's continued dominance really meant.