The first episode of 'Tokyo Love Story' had ended, but this drama was completely different from all of Su Yan's previous works.
Its information density far exceeded the audience's expectations.
Many dramas needed several episodes just to straighten out their relationships and plotlines—but this one laid everything out in a single episode.
Akana Rika and Nagao Kanji meet for the first time.
Nagao Kanji's unrequited love for Satomi, all the way to personally witnessing Satomi kissing his close friend Kenichi.
The conflict between Kenichi and Satomi, followed almost immediately by Kenichi taking the initiative to kiss her.
And within the span of just one episode, the male and female leads went from meeting, to their relationship rapidly advancing, to the female lead Rika kissing Kanji at the very end.
Who shoots a romance drama like this?
If the male and female leads already progressed this far in episode one, then what about episode two?
Straight to marriage?
["That relationship development is way too fast."]
["Rika is seriously adorable!"]
["Shen Liqian's character portrayal is incredible."]
["Why does Gu Qingyuan's character feel so… background-tier in this one?"]
["She's a supporting role—how could she possibly be as likable as the female lead Rika?"]
["Even though I'm a Gu Qingyuan fan, I still feel Sekiguchi Satomi comes off kind of green-tea in this drama."]
["Exactly. From her looks to her lines—'I like Kenichi, but Kanji has always been so gentle with me'? What is that? Isn't she just treating the male lead as a backup?"]
["Still… even so, I kind of feel sorry for Satomi."]
["Probably because of Gu Qingyuan's past role filter. Even with this kind of personality, I still like her."]
["Su the sadist, try harder! Write Gu Qingyuan's role to be more likable!"]
["Why focus on Sekiguchi Satomi at all? After episode one, shouldn't everyone be talking about Akana Rika?"]
["Rika is number one in the world!"]
["She has this contradiction—pure but also kind of seductive. A genki girl like this should be clueless about love, but Rika understands everything. She sees it all clearly and still sticks to her own choices."]
["Exactly. She knows Kanji likes Satomi, yet still develops feelings for him. She doesn't push forward recklessly—but the moment she sees Kanji heartbroken after Satomi kisses Kenichi, she strikes decisively, no hesitation at all. What an amazing female lead."]
["That's what it means to have a clear goal. She knows Kanji loves someone else, so she encourages him. When the situation changes, her actions change too."]
["What kind of goddess-level female lead is Rika? I was in a terrible mood today, and she healed me instantly."]
["Same here. Watching this was such a joy—definitely following this drama."]
["Su Yan really knows what he's doing. His male leads are always wooden when chasing girls, but his female leads are terrifyingly good at chasing guys."]
["Haha, I can't even imagine what I'd do if a girl like Rika chased me in real life. I'd probably get played like a fiddle."]
["Keep dreaming. You'll never get a girlfriend like Shen Liqian."]
["I was worried this drama might be slow-burning early on and hurt its ratings—but now I'm totally relieved."]
After the broadcast of the first episode, everything unfolded almost exactly as Su Yan had expected.
The premiere of 'Tokyo Love Story' was met with overwhelming praise.
This drama could afford to have an unlikable male lead, an unlikable supporting male, and female characters—
As long as Akana Rika was likable, that was enough.
In Su Yan's previous life, many viewers of 'Tokyo Love Story' criticized Rika's unconventional views on love and values.
But those very traits were what made her so captivating.
At least judging from the first episode alone, a massive number of viewers were successfully hooked by Akana Rika.
The haters who had been lying in wait, ready to stir up trouble after the premiere, completely disappeared.
They didn't dare show their faces at all.
Because this drama was different from Su Yan's previous works.
It truly started firing on all cylinders from episode one—no slow burn whatsoever. If anything, it heated up so fast it felt almost outrageous.
With this level of information density and pacing, you could say that even if Rika's grandchild was born by episode ten, people wouldn't find it strange.
The next day at noon—
It was time to announce the ratings for the first episode of 'Tokyo Love Story'.
Although Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi had experienced this moment dozens of times before,
They were still nervous.
Including Su Yan himself.
Before a drama aired, he always believed it would perform well, that its ratings would rise, take first place, and crush the competition.
But belief didn't mean complete calm.
It was like a student who always ranked first in class—he might be confident he'd still rank first this time, but when the results were announced, his heart would still clench.
"5.02%."
When Su Yan saw the message sent over from the Hudu region, he let out a long breath.
As soon as the number left his mouth, nearly everyone in the crew froze.
"5.02%?" Shinozaki Ikumi looked stunned.
"How could it be this high?"
'Tokyo Love Story' was, after all, only an A-tier drama. Even though it was produced at the highest possible standard within that tier, this premiere rating was already on par with the debut performance of 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'.
But after thinking it through, Shinozaki Ikumi could piece together the reason.
Times had changed.
When 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' premiered, Su Yan's fame and status in the Xia Nation weren't anywhere near this level.
It was like Makoto Shinkai before 'Your Name'.
No matter how good 'The Garden of Words' or '5 Centimeters per Second' were, without capital backing and creator hype, their results were relatively modest.
But after 'Your Name', regardless of how much people complained about 'Weathering With You' or 'Suzume', their results were phenomenal.
As a traditional romance drama, 'Tokyo Love Story' shouldn't have had such a large audience just from episode one. Even if its ratings were going to rise, it should have taken several weeks, relying on word of mouth.
But Su Yan's current popularity in the Xia Nation was simply too high.
Fans and haters alike—human or otherwise—would tune in to the premiere. Even his sworn enemy, Akasaka Yoshitoki, had watched the entire first episode at home last night, then lay awake in frustration all night.
"We're not who we were two years ago anymore," Su Yan said with a smile, looking at Shinozaki Ikumi's slightly darkened eyes.
"Right now, in the Xia Nation television industry, we're the kings of traffic. As long as I haven't truly produced a flop that burns through my reputation, any new work I release will attract far more attention than that of other screenwriters."
Of course, this only applied to the premiere.
The audience's curiosity about Su Yan usually lasted just one episode. If the first episode failed to hook them, they wouldn't stick around for week two.
But Su Yan was extremely confident in 'Tokyo Love Story'.
From the first episode to the last, this drama had explosive moments almost every week.
If viewers thought episode one was already outrageous, then from here until the finale, they'd experience emotional impacts even stronger than this—every single week.
"Alright," Su Yan clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Today's filming for episode six of 'Tokyo Love Story' is finished. This afternoon, we'll catch up on the progress for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'. Tonight, I'm treating everyone—premiere celebration dinner, hot springs, and also…"
He looked around at the crowd.
"Our company's been established for over a year now, and we've never handed out year-end bonuses. Tonight—everyone gets one."
With around 180 million in profits from 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' steadily flowing into the company accounts,
and over 200 million in box office revenue from 'The Garden of Words' after profit sharing—
Su Yan was flush with cash.
Naturally, he became far more generous.
As the company's second-largest shareholder, he handed Shinozaki Ikumi a single dividend payout exceeding ten million.
Of course, they couldn't distribute all profits—taxes aside, the company still needed reserves for the filming of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' and 'Tokyo Love Story', as well as the expenses of the massive crew of over a hundred people.
With such high profit margins, Su Yan had no intention of mistreating his team.
The moment bonuses were mentioned, everyone's eyes lit up.
"Long live the boss!"
"Teacher Su Yan is so handsome!"
"Dimensional Pictures—number one in the Xia Nation!"
The entire crew erupted in excitement.
Standing beside Su Yan, Shen Liqian and Gu Qingyuan felt their own moods relax as well.
"Qingyuan, you don't seem disappointed at all," Shen Liqian said as she walked over.
"Sekiguchi Satomi is getting a lot of backlash online."
"Making a character likable is an actor's skill," Gu Qingyuan replied softly.
"But making a character disliked is also a kind of success."
"For me, either way is fine. At least the audience noticed the character I played. If no one liked or disliked her after the show aired, that would mean my performance failed."
Shen Liqian stared at Gu Qingyuan for a long moment, then sighed.
Although the two of them were direct competitors—
with the combined fanbases of Su Yan, Shen Liqian, and Gu Qingyuan forming the largest CP fandom in the Xia Nation—
Gu Qingyuan's personality made it impossible to hate her.
Open and straightforward. Not without scheming, but she never bothered using it.
Even though she was clearly riding Su Yan's momentum, she never fawned over him, and whatever role he assigned her, she took it immediately.
Despite already being a top-tier actress in the Xia Nation, she never used her status to bargain for better scripts or roles.
Perhaps that was exactly why Su Yan had continued working with her since his very first drama.
"Congratulations, Liqian," Gu Qingyuan looked up at her.
"Teacher Su Yan told me—Akana Rika will definitely take your popularity to the next level."
"It goes both ways," Shen Liqian said, looking at Su Yan.
"It won't be long before he pushes you to the same height."
"Why do you think so?" Gu Qingyuan paused and asked.
"I just do," Shen Liqian replied.
"He has that ability—and he's willing to do it."
"You've worked with him since his very first drama. As one of the few friends he truly acknowledges, your place in his heart is definitely higher than mine—probably second only to his partner, Miss Shinozaki Ikumi."
"Thankfully, Miss Shinozaki Ikumi isn't an actress—she's just a producer," Shen Liqian added with a light laugh.
Gu Qingyuan thought for a moment, then didn't refute it.
It was obvious throughout the crew—whenever Su Yan made decisions, he always respected Shinozaki Ikumi's opinion.
He tolerated mistakes from almost anyone else, but if Shinozaki Ikumi suggested firing someone, he never objected.
But there were no what-ifs in the world.
She and Shen Liqian were the two people Su Yan was currently pushing hardest.
And for the foreseeable future, that balance wasn't going to change.