Jiang Xiaoling's eyes reddened.
The moment the emotional background music swelled, she felt as if her soul had been pulled away.
Across the entire 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' series, there were only four deaths that received extended, deeply emotional focus—
Euphemia, Shirley, Rolo—
And Lelouch.
Among them, Lelouch's death was undoubtedly the most shocking, the most painful—
And the most moving.
Jiang Xiaoling admitted—
It was romantic.
Almost unreal.
In reality, how could a ruler of the world sacrifice himself like this? Carefully orchestrating his own downfall for peace?
But that was exactly why people watched dramas—
To see things that could never happen in reality.
This ending made her heart ache—
Yet she also understood it.
Accepted it.
So this was Lelouch's plan?
Could he have faked his death?
There had been multiple fake-outs in the series before—
This time… please…
Let it be fake.
But—
She was disappointed.
Time passed quickly in the story.
Lelouch was dead.
Cornelia rose to power.
The Black Knights were released.
Nunnally became the leader of the United Federation of Nations.
Everything—
Unfolded exactly as Lelouch had planned.
Peace—
Arrived.
Even if it was temporary.
Even if conflict were to one day return.
For Lelouch—
Creating peace for even one era—
It was already the limit.
The story ended with C.C., played by Zhuang Yuxin, lying in a cart, resting on hay.
And because of Lelouch's choice—
The entire series was elevated.
At first, his goal had been simple—
Destroy Britannia.
Or rather—
Destroy his father, Charles.
But after achieving that—
He chose to trade his own life for peace.
At that moment—
Lelouch's image became eternal in the hearts of fans.
Just like in Su Yan's previous life—
When fans went wild on the day the original series ended—
Tonight, fans across the Xia Nation exploded with emotion.
They flooded Su Yan's company website and major streaming platforms.
[That's it?! Who do you think you're fooling? Give us Season 3!]
[C.C. is still alive, the contract isn't over—why is Lelouch dead?! This isn't acceptable. Su Yan, bring him back!]
[I'm crying my eyes out. In Su Yan's past works, male leads were often overshadowed—but not Lelouch. I love this character so much.]
[Lelouch, rest in peace. I'll never forget today.]
[Even if there's no Season 3, at least give us side stories! You think we can't afford it?]
[Su Yan, wake up! Can you sleep at your age? I can't sleep! I'm 40 and so upset that Lelouch and C.C. didn't end up together that I threw away my midnight snack!]
[Why couldn't Lelouch live? Suzaku can pretend to be Zero forever—why couldn't Lelouch fake his death, get surgery, and live quietly?]
[You're overthinking it. Lelouch giving up the throne means something. Do you think the Black Knights, Cornelia, or all his enemies would let him live? Only a truly irreversible death would satisfy them.]
[Exactly. People who step down from power rarely have peaceful endings. History proves that.]
[This might be the most dignified ending Lelouch could have.]
[Still… it hurts. Couldn't Su Yan have chosen another path?]
[Another path? Sure—kill all the Black Knights and rule the world as a dictator. Under Lelouch, the world would still prosper. The only sacrifice would be his former allies and family. But he chose not to do that. Instead, he sacrificed himself.]
[My chest feels tight.]
[I need weeks to recover.]
[I can't take it…]
[I don't care about your analysis. I want Lelouch alive. Su Yan—make Season 3!]
That entire night—
Fans did not calm down.
The next day, outside Su Yan's Tokyo office building—
Fans gathered in silent protest.
Just like in his previous life.
But Su Yan wouldn't be swayed.
After all—
The brilliance of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' lay precisely in this ending.
Change it—
And its impact would collapse.
Even in his previous life, despite its immense popularity, the original creators never made a true Season 3—only side content.
Su Yan had no intention of lowering his standards.
If fans protested—
He could simply work from home.
Eventually, emotions would settle.
And people would come to appreciate the ending.
Still—
The scale of the reaction exceeded even his expectations.
The final episode's 7.46% rating was just surface-level.
Online criticism grew louder by the day—
Yet at the same time—
Sales of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' merchandise surged globally.
Broadcast rights had earned hundreds of millions.
Advertising revenue was equally massive.
Streaming revenue reached several hundred million.
But even all that—
It was surpassed by merchandise profits.
If the IP had been more suitable for games, Su Yan would have developed one long ago.
Thinking this, his gaze shifted—
Toward next summer's 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'.
When that aired—
Games and other derivatives would launch alongside it.
After 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' ended, Dimensional Pictures' market activity dipped slightly—
But only for half a month.
Soon, promotions began again—
For the Spring Festival releases:
'Howl's Moving Castle'
and the third 'Rurouni Kenshin' film.
This year, however, Su Yan didn't personally handle every aspect of promotion.
No roadshows.
No fan meetings.
No press events.
Because in today's Xia Nation film industry—
Just four words were enough:
"Screenwriter: Su Yan."
That alone guaranteed success.
What were the so-called "idol fandoms" compared to his fanbase?
"Traffic star" usually implied someone who only had looks.
But Su Yan—
Had both unmatched popularity—
And undeniable talent.
Nine years of fan loyalty left no room for doubt.
Fans might criticize his plots—
But when new works are released—
Their support never wavered.
At most—
They complained while watching.
As January arrived, 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' gradually faded from trending topics—
Replaced by discussions of the two upcoming films.
Freed from the chaos, Su Yan turned to new projects.
Even before 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' ended—
He had plans.
Now, with enough emotional points accumulated—
He entered the system space.
And made his move.
He redeemed:
The East Blue arc of 'One Piece.'
And 'Naruto' from the beginning through the Chunin Exams.
Two IPs—
Worth hundreds of billions combined in his previous life.
Even though he only redeemed a fraction of their content—
All his accumulated emotional points from 'Fate/stay night', 'Rurouni Kenshin', 'Weathering With You', and 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'—
We were completely spent.
If adapted into TV dramas—
Even after trimming filler—
'Naruto' could easily span 20 seasons.
At two seasons per year—
That was ten years of content.
And that assumed perfect production efficiency.
As for 'One Piece'—
Even longer.
Fifteen—
Perhaps twenty years.
But Su Yan wasn't worried.
Over that time, the emotional returns would multiply.
And the profits—
Would reach tens of billions.
As for failure?
He didn't even consider it.
If such globally successful works couldn't succeed—
It wouldn't be because they were bad.
It would be because they lacked the right backing.
And Su Yan—
He was stronger than any publisher from his previous life.
With the scripts ready—
He turned his attention elsewhere.
For a long time, his company had outsourced visual effects.
But now—
With so many large-scale projects—
That had to change.
Outsourcing would continue—
But he also wanted an in-house team.
Simpler effects could go to partners.
But the most demanding scenes—
Would be handled internally.
So as new scripts began development—
He and Shinozaki Ikumi started acquiring VFX companies—
In both the Xia Nation and overseas.
Talented.
But underperforming.
Willing to sell.
Because the demand—
From TV, film, and games—
Was enormous.
Competitors quickly noticed.
They were puzzled.
Why was Su Yan hiring so aggressively?
Was this really for just one or two projects?
And why were the salaries so high?
While the industry speculated—
The Spring Festival box office battle began.
At first, everyone expected—
A showdown between 'Rurouni Kenshin' and 'Howl's Moving Castle'.
After all, Su Yan had dominated the holiday season for years.
But—
A dark horse emerged.
'Dream of the Night'.
A fantasy romance film.
Initially suppressed by Su Yan's films—
But by Day 3—
Its reputation exploded.
Screenings increased.
Box office surged.
At its peak—
It trailed Su Yan's films by less than 10 million per day.
After the first week:
'Howl's Moving Castle' — 1.98 billion
'Rurouni Kenshin' — 1.896 billion
'Dream of the Night' — 1.881 billion
The industry was shocked.
Against Su Yan's overwhelming popularity—
This result was almost unbelievable.
Even Su Yan went to watch it.
Then watched it again.
And again.
Three times.
Because it was genuinely good.
The director and writer—
Had clearly studied his works—
And innovated beyond them.
However—
That was as far as it went.
After the holiday period—
Su Yan's massive fanbase sustained his films' performance.
Meanwhile, 'Dream of the Night' began to decline.
Its projected total dropped from 3 billion—
To around 2.6 billion.
The anticipated upset—
Never happened.
By the eighth day—
The outcome was decided.
Still—
The industry saw hope.
Su Yan's dominance—
Might not last forever.
This year—
There was one challenger.
Next year?
The year after?
Someone would eventually surpass him.
Su Yan understood this.
But looking at the countless masterpieces still in his system—
He wasn't worried.
Instead—
He sent people to contact the team behind 'Dream of the Night'.
If they needed funding—
Dimensional Pictures would invest.
After securing another Spring Festival victory—
Shinozaki Ikumi finally relaxed.
A few days earlier—
She had genuinely feared losing.
"If we didn't have such a strong fanbase… do you think we would've lost?" she asked.
"Maybe," Su Yan smiled.
"But that wouldn't be a bad thing. Competition grows the market. And if I lose—"
"I'll just win it back."
She shook her head.
Still—
She believed him.
Because Su Yan had always backed his confidence with results.
"Anyway, the first week of the holiday is over. We can finally take a break," she said, eyes lighting up.
"I'm going on vacation for a month."
"A break?" Su Yan smiled.
"Not happening."
"What do you mean? 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED' and 'Suzume' don't release until July. The rest can be handled by staff—"
Before she finished—
He placed two thick folders on the table.
"Sorry… but your vacation is postponed."
She looked down.
'One Piece'
'Naruto'
Her expression changed.
These were—
The thickest scripts Su Yan had ever produced.
How long were they?!
And—
How did he already have new projects ready?!
Didn't he need rest?!
"These are the long-running series I mentioned before," Su Yan said.
"They'll take time to prepare. Casting alone will be a huge task."
He smiled.
"We're going to be busy for a while."
Shinozaki Ikumi froze.
Then sighed.
And finally—
Her eyes lit up with determination.