Writing the scripts for the two films didn't take much time for Su Yan anymore.
However, the filming for 'Rurouni Kenshin' and 'Fate/Stay Night' still had some finishing touches left. Su Yan didn't rush to assemble the new film crews, nor did he reveal any news about the projects.
Otherwise, once employees found out that new projects were about to begin, they'd inevitably become distracted, affecting the quality of their current work.
But by October, Su Yan still had a work airing on the market—
'Kimi ni Todoke'.
The original manga for this series was quite long, after all—it had been serialized monthly for ten years.
However, as a manga, the most interesting parts of 'Kimi ni Todoke' all occurred before the two leads confessed their feelings.
What followed afterward mostly revolved around relationship conflicts between the couple. While there were still misunderstandings and emotional moments, in terms of overall quality, it was slightly weaker than the pre-confession arc.
So in Su Yan's TV adaptation, the story would continue airing for another six or seven episodes in the fall season of October before finally concluding.
But for viewers who had followed the show throughout the entire quarter—
By October, they were already numb.
Not just in Xia Nation—even across the entire world, this kind of show was one of a kind.
From Episode 1, it had already been made clear that the male and female leads liked each other.
Yet after thirteen episodes in the first season—
They still hadn't confessed.
They hadn't even held hands voluntarily.
The only time they held hands was back in Episode 7, when Kazehaya acted impulsively due to a misunderstanding involving Ryu Sanada.
Starting from Episode 11, after every weekly broadcast, Su Yan would get bombarded by fans.
Of course, fans weren't criticizing the story quality—it was slow, yes, but undeniably well-written.
But if Su Yan could make the side characters' stories this compelling, then what about the main characters?
In the eyes of many fans, this felt intentional—
Like he was deliberately dragging things out just to drive them crazy.
But in Episode 14, which aired in early October—
Finally, a classic trope of Sakura Island-style storytelling appeared:
Whenever the main plot needs to progress, a new character enters.
And this new character—
Was the male second lead, Miura Kento?
A handsome transfer student with a somewhat flirtatious personality.
As soon as he arrived, he became Sawako Kuronuma's desk neighbor. He was also popular with girls, had a good relationship with Kurumizawa, and—
From the moment he entered the class, he noticed Sawako's strengths and began intentionally getting closer to her.
At the same time, this episode featured a Valentine's Day custom from the Sakura Island region—
Both boys and girls would make chocolates and give them to their friends.
(Su Yan himself didn't quite understand why homemade chocolates were meant for friends on Valentine's Day.)
In the story, due to Kurumizawa and Miura Kento's influence, Sawako ended up not giving away the chocolates she had already prepared.
Because those chocolates were meant for friends.
And Sawako—
Didn't see Kazehaya as a friend, but as someone she loved.
Meanwhile, Kazehaya spent the entire day looking forward to her gift.
A misunderstanding was born.
At last, the story shifted away from side-character arcs and returned to the main plot.
After watching Episode 14 in the first week of October, viewers immediately realized the role Miura Kento would play—
And the massive fanbase exploded with excitement.
["It's here—the kind of plot we've been waiting for!"]
["Same familiar formula, same flavor. Feels like the Kurumizawa arc again, but it's still so good! Is Miura basically a male version of Kurumizawa?"]
["So far, he just seems a bit flirty, not a bad guy. But now that he's getting closer to Sawako, the male lead is starting to feel jealous and misunderstand things."]
["You can already see the difference between the leads here. The female lead is way more open-hearted—she doesn't get jealous, but she constantly misreads situations."]
["You evil author, just let them confess next week already! This is torture. I even stopped watching for three weeks, then binge-watched everything, and now I'm suffering again."]
["Why does such a simple story move me every week? Other romance dramas are way more complex, but they don't give me this heart-fluttering feeling."]
["Because their leads aren't Sawako Kuronuma and Shota Kazehaya! The story exists to serve the characters—if the leads lack charm, no amount of plot twists can save it!"]
["Honestly, at the end of this episode, if the male lead had pushed just a little harder, Sawako might've confessed. But it's always just that one step short… another misunderstanding again. Please resolve it next week."]
["Stop overthinking it. The show ends this October anyway—no matter what, they'll confess in the final episode."]
["Heh… have you forgotten what kind of person Su Yan is? Until the final ending airs, you can't even be sure it's a pure romance. Just look at 'Tokyo Love Story'—sweet at first, painful later. What if this show ends like '5 Centimeters per Second', with them not ending up together?"]
["?"]
["No—don't scare me like that!"]
["Admin, kick that guy out of the group. I can't handle comments like that."]
["But if you think about it… It makes sense. If Su Yan wanted, he could totally pull a twist in the final episode—like Sawako ending up with Miura, and the male lead dating Kurumizawa."]
["Get out of here! Take your NTR fantasies somewhere else—don't bring that into a pure romance discussion!"]
In the previous weeks, due to the lack of progress in the main romance plot, 'Kimi ni Todoke' had seen its ratings dip to around 5.9%.
But with Episode 14 pushing the main storyline forward, ratings immediately climbed to 6.16%, while online popularity and forum discussions doubled compared to before.
Even though it wasn't a new seasonal release, media coverage still focused heavily on the show.
When Kazehaya and Sawako would finally confess became a central topic among critics and commentators.
At the same time, as October progressed, Dimensional Pictures began making other major moves.
The second 'Rurouni Kenshin' film, scheduled for the Spring Festival next year, was still too early to promote.
But for the TV drama 'Fate/stay night', set to air in January with an investment exceeding 200 million—
Promotional campaigns had already begun.
Zhuang Yuxin, Su Yan, and the cast members of 'Fate/stay night', under the company's operations team, started appearing in variety shows to promote the series.
After nearly a year—
Artoria's popularity, which had begun to fade, started rising once again.