July.
Not only in the Xia Nation, but across many countries overseas, posters for the live-action drama ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'' had already been plastered everywhere.
If not for ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' setting the bar so high beforehand, global TV audiences might still have doubts about whether a giant robot drama could actually be good.
But after ''Code Geass'', everyone only had four words in mind when it came to ''Mobile Suit Gundam''—
[Guaranteed masterpiece]
Similar sentiments had already begun spreading across major Su Yan fan forums worldwide.
["Do you think Lelouch will appear in this show?"]
["Didn't Su Yan say this series has nothing to do with 'Code Geass'?"]
["Since when has that old schemer been trustworthy? If I believed him, my pig could climb a tree."]
["Even if it's set in a future era with interstellar wars, humanity had to develop on Earth first. This is probably set a few hundred years after Lelouch's time."]
["Maybe we'll see references to Lelouch in the story! I still can't accept that he just died at the end—it really feels like he faked his death."]
["Come on, it's been so long. Time to wake up. The guy isn't short on money, and he's not going to ruin his own work for a cash grab. Season 2 of ''Code Geass'' was the ending—there's nothing after that."]
["Besides, the Gundam designs and style are completely different. Even the performance shown in the trailer is on another level. In ''Code Geass, one mech struggling to break through a building was already intense. In ''Gundam'', a single unit can destroy a city. Same concept, totally different scale."]
["My wallet is starving. I hope the model kits for the Gundam units come out soon. My dad gave me an allowance this month, and I haven't even spent it—my hands are itching!"]
["Hey, rich guy above, send me 50 and prove it!"]
["I don't need 50, just send me 10!"]
["Send me 5!"]
Before ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'' even aired, Su Yan's fans had already shifted their attention away from the ''Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works'' arc.
Although ''Fate/stay night'' was also a global hit, it was clear that there were even more fans of mecha-themed dramas.
A few days later, on Sunday, July 4th at 8 PM, ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'' officially premiered.
The plot turned out to be quite different from what most viewers had imagined.
People had expected something like ''Code Geass'', focused on grand strategic warfare. But in the very first episode, the protagonist Kira was inexplicably dragged into a war, inexplicably piloted a Gundam, and inexplicably displayed god-tier skills—helping the Archangel escape danger, then joining the ship alongside his group of college friends as they headed toward an Earth base.
From episode one alone, it was clear that Kira and Lelouch were completely different protagonists. Lelouch was a strategic genius but terrible at piloting, so ''Code Geass'' focused on tactical command.
But after the first episode of ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'', nearly all viewers were left stunned.
When watching the animated version in the previous world, people mostly just felt that the protagonist was awesome and the animation was impressive. But animation couldn't fully replicate the shock of live-action sci-fi.
For audiences in the Xia Nation, however—
With massive funding poured into special effects, the space battle scenes in ''Gundam SEED'' completely blew viewers away.
In ''Code Geass'', the most exciting fights were usually between Suzaku and Kallen, and even then, they often held back. Across two seasons and more than a dozen clashes, there was never a clear winner.
But what about ''Gundam''?
Colonies being pierced and destroyed by Gundams, hundreds of thousands of civilians vanishing into the vacuum of space, warships exchanging fire in the cosmos—
Everything, from visuals to storytelling, exceeded the audience's imagination.
Especially the design of the Gundams themselves.
When the shot showed Kira standing on the cockpit lift platform, contrasted against the towering mech, countless children, teenagers, adults, and even the elderly around the world lit up with excitement.
Before works like this existed, people didn't really understand it.
But now, many finally grasped the meaning of a certain phrase—
The vast sea of stars… is romance.
In terms of TV ratings, the show didn't rise much further—after all, in the Xia Nation, a 7% rating was already close to the ceiling.
But in the IP market, it was a completely different story.
Just two days after the first episode aired, pre-orders for eye-catching posters, figurines, and collaboration merchandise skyrocketed beyond expectations.
Since the series had just launched, merchandise hadn't even fully rolled out yet. In Shinozaki Ikumi's original estimate, it would take at least a month for popularity to spread before sales surged significantly.
But this time, it had only been three days.
Among all globally airing shows tracked by major analytics agencies, ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'' was already far ahead of second place.
Su Yan's works had been expanding overseas for four to five years, building a massive international fanbase.
What made him truly formidable wasn't just how high a single work could reach—
It was that he had never produced a flop.
Habitual thinking was powerful.
Even with only one episode out, global fans were already treating ''Gundam SEED'' as a ''Code Geass "- level production, confidently buying merchandise without worrying about the story falling apart later.
After all, many had learned their lesson before—hesitating at release, only to regret it later when limited editions sold out and had to be bought at several times the price on second-hand markets.
Su Yan's fans had grown wiser.
As the company's second-in-command, Shinozaki Ikumi took charge while Su Yan was busy promoting ''Gundam SEED'' worldwide.
Sitting in his office and handling company affairs, she couldn't help but smile brightly.
Some wealthy people liked to say that once you had enough money, it was just numbers on a screen.
But Shinozaki Ikumi was a practical person.
Even though her annual dividends were already in the hundreds of millions, and her monthly expenses in Tokyo barely exceeded a million, making more money still made her genuinely happy.
Even if she couldn't spend it all, she could donate it or share it with family and friends.
How could money ever just be "numbers"?
Seeing the explosive success of ''Gundam SEED'' and its merchandise sales, she was in a great mood. Even when reports came in about employees making mistakes that caused losses, she chose not to pursue them harshly. A few who would normally have been fired were merely given warnings.
After finishing her work, she got into a car and headed to the filming set built specifically for ''Naruto'' and ''One Piece'' by Dimensional Pictures.
Most of the main cast in these two productions were young, relatively unknown actors. Of course, before joining, they had all signed contracts with the company.
Su Yan had no interest in exploitative contracts, and the terms weren't harsh. But if any actor became popular through these roles and tried to leave midway, he wouldn't allow it.
After all, these series could run for over a decade. If someone quit after just a few years, the cost of recasting would be enormous.
So the risks were handled at the contract level. He paid well—but firmly rejected the idea of his company being used as a stepping stone.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Yuxin, Shen Liqian, and Gu Qingyuan also made cameo appearances in both series.
As Su Yan's works gained global popularity, their fame and status in the entertainment industry rose alongside his.
If there were major productions suitable for them, they would naturally be his first choice for leading roles.
But in ''Naruto'' and ''One Piece'', they were instead cast in roles like Tsunade, Kurenai Yuhi, Nico Robin, and Alvida after eating the Devil Fruit.
When Shinozaki Ikumi arrived on set, the three quickly came over to greet her.
The only shareholders in Dimensional Pictures were Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi.
But as longtime friends and collaborators, Zhuang Yuxin, Shen Liqian, and Gu Qingyuan all received profit-sharing from the projects they participated in.
After years of accumulation—combined with acting fees and commercial appearances—they had all become extremely wealthy figures in the entertainment industry.
They also made their own investments, so even directors treated them with great respect. The younger lead actors didn't dare show any arrogance in front of them.
"It's a pity Su Yan didn't act in 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'. The ratings would probably be even higher," Shen Liqian remarked after hearing about the show's performance.
"He's already buried under work. Where would he find the time to act?" Gu Qingyuan replied. "Aside from roles like Kenshin in 'Rurouni Kenshin' and Gilgamesh in the 'Fate' series that he has to continue, he's mostly just making cameo appearances now."
"At this rate, give it another ten or twenty years, and the boss will become a legendary figure among actors. If he suddenly returns as a lead back then, it'll probably create another ratings miracle."
"Why think so far ahead?" Shinozaki Ikumi laughed. "Even now, he's basically already a legend."
The conversation gradually became dull.
After all, Su Yan's dominance in the industry wasn't anything new.
They had already read the scripts for ''Naruto'' and ''One Piece'', and were well aware of the production standards.
While it was hard to predict the ceiling of their success, the floor was clear—
At the very least, they wouldn't perform worse than the ''Fate'' series.
The reason they kept circling back to Su Yan's achievements… wasn't really about the shows.
"So, Ikumi… Su Yan really said he's going to take a few months off after finishing ''Naruto'', ''One Piece'', and those two new movie scripts?" Shen Liqian suddenly asked.
"Yes, he did," Shinozaki Ikumi replied, glancing at her.
Since debuting at twenty, Su Yan had never taken more than two weeks off.
He was either writing scripts, composing music, supervising productions, or traveling everywhere.
There was simply no time for relationships.
Now that he finally had time… certain thoughts began to stir.
"But his idea of a vacation is probably just relaxing in Sakura Island—traveling around Tokyo, enjoying the scenery," Shinozaki Ikumi added softly. "He told me he wants to clear his mind of work and just experience the world for a while."
"I see." Shen Liqian smiled.
Zhuang Yuxin and Gu Qingyuan exchanged thoughtful looks.
Two days later, Su Yan returned to Tokyo.
With the promotion for ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'' finished, he wouldn't have any major projects until ''One Piece'' and ''Naruto'' aired next year.
All employee schedules were planned out well into the year after next. Even if he wanted to start something new, there wouldn't be anyone available.
Once free from work, his mind began to wander.
He drove to a specialty game store and bought a pile of games—whether he planned to play them or not—including titles from the ''Fate'' series, ''Rurouni Kenshin'', and many big-budget games from Xia Nation studios.
While Xia Nation's film and TV industry lagged, its games were outstanding—on par with those from his previous world.
He had been eyeing them for a long time.
But just a few days after returning, something felt off.
Shinozaki Ikumi was still normal—she was his deputy, and they communicated daily for work.
But Zhuang Yuxin, Shen Liqian, and Gu Qingyuan had been messaging him frequently, chatting about all sorts of things.
Horseback riding, archery, diving, mountaineering, skiing—activities he had always been interested in but never had time for.
They kept asking if he wanted to join them.
At first, Su Yan didn't think much of it.
After all, everyone had worked hard for years—wanting to relax was normal.
But after three straight days, he suddenly realized—
"This isn't right."
"Didn't I tell you earlier?" Shinozaki Ikumi laughed when she noticed his confusion. She had come over that day with documents for him to sign.
"They're all in their late twenties now. No need to be shy. Their intentions are obvious—even if they haven't said it outright. So, which one do you like? I can help set things up. It won't be awkward at all."
"What if I say I only see them as friends?" Su Yan asked.
"I don't believe you." She rolled her eyes. "If you don't like any of them, I'd have to suspect you don't like women."
Su Yan froze.
For some reason, it felt just like being pressured to marry in his previous life.
He closed his eyes and thought carefully.
Yes, when filming with Gu Qingyuan, Shen Liqian, and Zhuang Yuxin, he would immerse himself in the roles. Intimate scenes would make his heart race slightly, and fleeting thoughts would arise.
But that wasn't love.
At most, they were still friends.
However…
If there was someone in this world, he felt something slightly more than friendship toward—
His gaze unconsciously shifted to Shinozaki Ikumi, who was watching him with curiosity and a faint smile.
He had spent plenty of time with the others, but mostly during filming.
The person he spent the most time with, outside of acting—
Was her.
They met almost every day. He had grown so used to her presence that he never thought about it.
But now that he stepped away from work and started considering relationships…
She was the first person who came to mind.
Not love. Not a crush.
Just… something more than friendship.
"Hey, why are you staring at me?" Shinozaki Ikumi asked.
"Nothing," Su Yan quickly replied with a smile.
"You…" A flicker of suspicion crossed her eyes, her heart skipping a beat.
Some thoughts, once they appeared, couldn't be suppressed.
Why had Su Yan never had any scandals with the others?
Could it be—
No, no… he had never shown that kind of interest in her before.
But what if it was true?
Another thought emerged.
If she really had to choose someone to date…
Was there anyone better than Su Yan?
Richer people weren't as talented or attractive.
More attractive people didn't have his wealth or talent.
More talented people… didn't seem to exist.
From that perspective—
"Uh—"
"Uh—"
Both of them noticed each other's awkward expressions.
The atmosphere instantly turned stiff.
"I just remembered I have something to do. I—I should go," Shinozaki Ikumi said, grabbing her bag.
"Want me to drive you?" Su Yan asked.
"No need, I drove here."
After she left, Su Yan sat on the sofa, thinking for a while.
Soon, he concluded.
"Maybe… Should I give it a try?"