[It's still got to be sadist Su Yan! On the surface, he looks refined and elegant, but underneath, he's throwing shade like a master!]
[Biggest winner of this year's Xia Flame Awards: Su Yan. Biggest loser: Akasaka Yoshitoki!]
[Akasaka Yoshitoki probably never imagined that as the Production Minister of Sakura TV, he'd get publicly mocked to his face at the Xia Flame Awards!]
[This move by the sadist Su Yan was even more satisfying than his dramas. As someone who's suppressed by my boss at work, I'm fully projecting right now.]
[Same here. Thinking about my supervisor and then watching what Su Yan did—I'm flying high.]
[But wait, are Su Yan's dramas even "satisfying"? Not at all, okay?!]
[His dramas are tragedies. But his life? That's the real power fantasy.]
[Anyway, I enjoyed tonight thoroughly. I'm a Shen Liqian fan—I've disliked Akasaka Yoshitoki for ages!]
[Wrap it up! Dimensional Pictures took every award they were supposed to tonight! Perfect! Next stop—'Your Lie in April' and 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'!]
[I'm not asking for it to surpass 'Tokyo Love Story', but at least give me 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'–level results. It's also heavy on effects and combat—don't disappoint me!]
[In April, Su Yan's 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' and Sakura TV's 'Peerless' both premiere. Hudu TV didn't produce an S-tier drama, but they still poured a ton of money into a fantasy-suspense series called 'Cicada's Cry'. The media's already reporting that since Akasaka Yoshitoki took office as Production Minister, he's burned through massive funds without delivering results. And this year's Xia Flame Awards? Almost zero gains. His good days are over.]
[Hurry up and get out! Two years ago, when Su Yan left Sakura TV, he was so arrogant. Now look how miserable he is!]
The day after the Xia Flame Awards, after a night of ridicule from Su Yan's fans, media outlets joined in, publishing article after article mocking Akasaka Yoshitoki.
After the subtle but unmistakable jabs delivered by Shinozaki Ikumi, Su Yan, and Shen Liqian on stage, the entire Xia Nation television industry understood one thing clearly:
Akasaka Yoshitoki truly had no leverage left against Su Yan.
He couldn't blacklist him. Couldn't suppress him.
Instead, he was being stepped on and taunted—without even the ability to respond.
Results were everything.
In just over three years since his first drama, Su Yan had reached this height. To many, it still felt surreal.
The three major stations' monopoly over the industry had been forcibly torn open by this young man.
Sakura TV as a whole fell into collective silence.
As for Su Yan and his team, they didn't dwell on it.
The anger had been vented. The focus now returned to their productions.
After coming to Hudu for the awards, they only stayed two days before heading back to Tokyo to resume filming.
The crews of '5 Centimeters per Second' and 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' had paused production in Tokyo, since the main cast had all gone to Hudu.
Taking advantage of the brief window, Su Yan relaxed a little, spending a day sightseeing around Hudu—a short vacation of sorts.
In early February, the group returned to Tokyo.
Gradually, the news surrounding Su Yan and Akasaka Yoshitoki died down.
Within the Xia Nation television industry, the buzz around 'Tokyo Love Story' began to fade, replaced by discussions of the current season's airing dramas.
But at this time, promotional campaigns for April's S-tier dramas—'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' and 'Peerless'—also began ramping up.
Among them, 'Peerless' launched a nearly insane marketing offensive.
Offline, in major commercial districts and crowded areas across the Xia Nation, it partnered with snack brands, milk tea chains, and various platforms for crossover promotions.
On television, trailers aired around the clock.
Though Akasaka Yoshitoki's mentality was shaken, he hadn't surrendered.
Deep down, he knew that with Su Yan's current popularity, even an S-tier drama like 'Peerless' had uncertain odds in direct competition.
But he couldn't just wait to die.
There was always the possibility that 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' might fail to resonate with audiences due to its genre.
Everything would only be revealed after April's premiere.
Time flowed on.
February passed.
March arrived.
With March came not only warmer weather, but a shift in the atmosphere of the Xia Nation television market.
Dimensional Pictures' official website saw massive daily traffic, as fans constantly refreshed for updates.
At offline fan gatherings, many fans had already begun creating their own cosplay outfits based on the character visuals released on the website.
The comment sections of Shen Liqian and Gu Qingyuan's verified accounts were flooded daily with pleas for promotional material from the new drama.
In Tokyo—
Su Yan, Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan, and others finished watching the edited first few episodes of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' along with the finalized trailer.
"Well?" Su Yan looked at them.
"Even though we knew the plot during filming… that scene where Mami Tomoe gets killed by that snack witch…" Gu Qingyuan hesitated before continuing.
"It's a bit too bloody."
"Yeah. Suddenly having her head bitten off—that's really terrifying. The atmosphere before that was completely different," Shen Liqian agreed.
"It might scare children. Right now, the entire Xia Nation thinks this show is aimed at the children's market. But in reality, it's horror, grotesque, bloody, dark, depressing, suspenseful, mysterious—all of it. Isn't the contrast too extreme?"
"I've never said this drama targets children," Su Yan smiled lightly.
"That's just speculation from fans and the media."
"But the trailer is an issue!" Shen Liqian added.
"The actual story is so disturbing, but the trailer is cute and charming, with warm visuals. Won't people say it's false advertising?"
She genuinely worried that fans lured in by the trailer would riot once they saw the actual content.
"I already discussed this with Su Yan," Shinozaki Ikumi spoke up.
"He said he's deliberately misleading them—lure the fans in and then stab them."
"?" Shen Liqian.
"?" Gu Qingyuan.
"That's the correct way to experience this series," Su Yan said calmly. "You need a gentle beginning and a warm expectation. That way, when the worldbuilding gradually unravels, it becomes interesting. One of the core highlights of this drama is subverting people's perceptions."
He paused.
"As for the special effects—did you notice anything that feels off?"
He felt a bit nervous asking that.
Live-action television had to differ from animation.
The special effects needed realism and texture. If they resembled anime or game CG too much, they'd feel jarring.
"I think it's great. It feels like watching a movie. If it were shown on a big cinema screen, the experience would probably be even better," Shen Liqian said.
"Better stylistically than 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'," Gu Qingyuan added.
"It's just… the magical girl transformation scenes are kind of… embarrassing. Su Yan, how did you even come up with that idea?" Gu Qingyuan looked at him suspiciously.
"Do you fantasize about magical girl transformations every day or something?"
For a split second, Su Yan broke into a cold sweat.
In his previous world, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' had also been written by a male screenwriter—but magical girl series were common there.
In the Xia Nation—
No matter how composed he was, he still cared about his image in front of friends.
"Ahem… I got the inspiration from a female classmate back in school who once said she wished she could become a magical princess or something," Su Yan coughed lightly.
He didn't want to be seen as some weirdo obsessing over girls at home.
"Oh? A female classmate?"
"You must've been pretty close."
"You remember something that far back as inspiration. Must've left quite an impression."
Three pairs of gossiping eyes locked onto him.
Su Yan quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, that's enough. Get back to work. Contact ZhongxiaNet—release the trailer tomorrow. Inform the operations department: full promotional launch for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'."
He wasn't going to leave all marketing responsibilities to Zhongxia TV.
After all, all rights and profits for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' belonged to him.
And not just in the Xia Nation—overseas copyright negotiations were already underway.
The next day, when Xia Nation drama fans logged onto ZhongxiaNet, a massive pop-up banner filled their screens.
Five girls in pink, yellow, red, black, and blue outfits stood together—holding a sword, spear, musket, and wearing strange circular devices on their arms.
Large bold text appeared:
['Puella Magi Madoka Magica' – Official Trailer!]
A link is provided below.
Su Yan's fans froze for a second—then erupted in joy.
Is it finally here?
They clicked.
The screen transitioned—
"What if—just suppose—you were told that you could use magic to grant any wish. What would you do?"
A gentle girl's voice echoed.
The scene shifted to a bedroom.
A girl with soft pink hair lay on her bed in pajamas, hugging a teddy bear, blinking her confused eyes open.
Shen Liqian in this look—
Instantly made her die-hard fans' hearts race.
Rika had been adorable. Kaori had been lively.
But this innocent, clueless girl persona?
Not inferior in the slightest.