The second week of July.
The competition in the film and TV industry remained fierce.
Some hit dramas airing on TV were pulling ratings of 5%, even 6%, which meant that just inserting a commercial during their time slot could cost tens of millions of yuan.
And after a TV drama's popularity cooled off, it would typically be pushed to video streaming platforms to scoop up a second wave of viewers.
Hot TV dramas were the battlegrounds where capital clashed.
Meanwhile, over on the streaming platforms, the second episode of 'Pure Breeze' went live and broke 1.3 million paid views in its first week.
As for the first episode, with two weeks of accumulation, its paid view count had surpassed 2 million.
Looking purely at web drama metrics, it was the second-best launch of the year so far in Xia.
Back in the winter season of January, Zhongxia TV had released a web drama that only cost 9 million yuan to make, but it averaged 4.4 million paid views per episode, raking in massive profits.
But those kinds of breakout hits only came once in a blue moon.
Without any dark horses this July, 'Pure Breeze' was the undisputed #1 among web dramas across the four major streaming platforms.
Strong funding, a decent script, recognizable actors, and the full backing of Sakura TV—it was only natural that the show would do well.
This success caused Sanji Kiyota to become a rising star at Sakura TV.
Most screenwriters start their careers grinding it out in the web drama world.
But scoring numbers like this on your first main project?
That was rare.
Sure, some people in the screenwriting department knew who had really written 'Pure Breeze'. But to most mid- and upper-level staff at Sakura TV—
Sanji Kiyota was the promising new talent of the hour.
He was riding high, walking around the office as if floating.
As for the short drama 'Rurouni Kenshin', which hadn't aired yet…
Nobody at the station expected much from it.
With a budget of just over 1 million yuan, how much could it even lose?
How much could it make? At best, maybe tens of thousands in either direction.
To Sakura TV, that was pocket change—not worth attention or resources.
At that very moment, Shinozaki Ikumi returned to the TV station, running around various departments.
Technically, it was for promotion. But in practice, all she could do was submit a one-minute teaser video edited by the 'Rurouni Kenshin' crew.
"Five days left until premiere…"
Wearing a black dress, her long hair down, Shinozaki's usually bright face was unusually solemn. As she handed over the promo materials for approval, her palms were sweating.
She had dark circles under her eyes—two sleepless nights in a row.
She always acted like a cheerful optimist on set, but in truth, the pressure had been mounting every day.
Her entire career as a producer now rested on the performance of this teaser trailer… and the viewership numbers for 'Rurouni Kenshin's first episode.
"Please… people can't possibly misjudge three times in a row. I can't fail three projects in a row…"
Shinozaki took a deep breath outside Sakura TV's front doors as she rushed back to the crew, trying to psych herself up.
July 18th.
On the front page of SakuraNet, a video site with tens of millions of daily active users, a new promo quietly appeared in a semi-prominent section.
"Rurouni Kenshin?"
"Wait, Sakura Online has a new show?"
"What a weird title."
After all, it was already late July.
Most web dramas traditionally launch in early July in a big wave.
Dropping a series this late in the month? That was rare.
Curious users clicked in.
And with just one glance at the series info, they understood—
It was only four episodes long. A short drama.
Okay, fine. For something this short, the air date didn't matter much anyway.
But still—
Why even care about a story too short to tell anything meaningful?
That's what many thought…
Until their eyes landed on the promo poster.
In a snowy landscape, a black-haired, sharp-eyed young man held a wounded, smiling woman in white in his arms.
At first glance, there was nothing revolutionary about the poster. But—
The styling and looks of the leads were simply stunning.
Even in an industry packed with pretty faces, these two stood out.
More than just attractive—they had presence.
Especially the boy holding the sword.
His gaze alone was chilling.
There was grief in his eyes… and killing intent.
The entire poster gave off a haunting, tragic beauty.
Well, it's just a trailer. Might as well watch it before leaving the page.
With that in mind, Yue Zhi clicked on the trailer for 'Rurouni Kenshin'.
The music began.
Snowy wilderness.
A dialogue between a naive-looking boy and a composed young man.
"I want to use this power to protect people in pain. Even if it's one life at a time, I want to protect them with my own hands."
The boy said with youthful conviction.
"I don't care about idiots like you. If you're gonna leave, then go."
The handsome man turned his back. But his inner monologue echoed—
"My foolish disciple chose his own path. And it's precisely because of his innocence… that he must walk this bloody road."
The camera zoomed out.
Two figures, parting ways in the snow.
Scene change.
Several men in samurai armor flanked a richly dressed official, walking with lanterns down a narrow alley.
Then—
The boy appeared before them.
Cold gaze. Straight posture.
And in his hand, a blade that gleamed beneath the moonlight.
A few lines of dialogue.
Then came the fight that Yue Zhi expected—
But the moment it began, her eyes widened.
She leaned forward instinctively.
The boy's sword slashed down, taking one life—
The motion was breathtaking.
The speed, the expression, the focus—
Every detail hit right on her aesthetic taste.
The extras—obviously meant to be cannon fodder—didn't take turns attacking like in brain-dead wuxia shows.
They moved as a unit, covering each other, attacking in sync.
But that boy—
He was absurdly fast.
No dodging. No hesitation.
He charged head-on.
Draw. Dash. Strike. Deflect. Flip. Decapitate.
In under three seconds, the combat ended.
Fluid. Dazzling. Five enemies down.
No cuts. One continuous shot.
Yue Zhi had seen her share of martial arts dramas, but nothing matched this.
Everything else suddenly felt like amateur hour.
Then the last enemy fell—a delicate-looking swordsman.
Bleeding, crying, as he remembered the image of a stunning, ethereal woman.
The trailer's BGM swelled.
The shots began to quicken.
A fight in the rain.
Blood dripping down the boy's cheek.
A girl holding an umbrella, stepping into view.
An epic, wuxia atmosphere quietly took shape.
A boy, jolting awake from a nap, sword at the ready—pressed to the girl's throat—just because she laid a blanket on him.
Kyoto in flames. The boy, sword in hand, slays enemies while dragging the girl to safety.
Later—
She draped a blanket over him again.
This time, he lay asleep, arms wrapped around his sword.
He didn't wake up.
The trailer softened, became almost poetic.
More rapid scenes flashed by—
Fights. Shouts. Death.
Until finally—
The woman in white embraced the sleeping boy from behind.
The title: 『Rurouni Kenshin』 slowly faded into view.
By the end, Yue Zhi was completely baffled by the plot.
She had no clue what was going on.
But emotionally, she'd been hooked.
The trailer had taken her for a ride—just by music and visuals alone.
What a stunning trailer.
For a short drama, the fight choreography is amazing.
And the BGM—so good!
Did the boy and girl end up together?
Yue Zhi didn't know.
But her anticipation for this series had just skyrocketed.
"Please don't let this be one of those trailers that lies," she muttered, before instantly clicking subscribe and setting a premiere reminder.
When it drops, I'll watch the first episode right away.
With this kind of visual quality and actor chemistry—
There's no way it'll disappoint.