From late December onward, heavy snow began falling across most regions of the Xia Nation.
Taking advantage of this timing, Su Yan quickly organized the filming of all snow scenes for 'Howl's Moving Castle', 'Weathering With You', and 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'.
By this point, Hudu TV's promotion of 'Fate/stay night' had reached an almost insane level.
Sakura TV and Zhongxia TV had already given up competing for the seasonal championship this quarter.
Everyone understood the popularity of 'Fate/Zero'. Even in the worst-case scenario—if 'Fate/stay night' somehow had a weak story—a camel, even starving, was still bigger than a horse. It wasn't something their in-house productions could rival.
And yet, Hudu TV was still throwing money into promotion like it meant nothing.
For nearly twenty years, the highest ratings record in Xia Nation had been held by 'Fate/Zero'.
Hudu TV's goal was simple:
Replace that record holder with 'Fate/stay night'.
For Su Yan, it didn't matter which of his works became his peak.
But for the TV networks, the difference was huge.
Time moved into January.
The first three days of January were New Year's holidays, and no major network would choose to air a new drama during that period.
January 4th—Sunday—
The official premiere date of 'Fate/stay night' Episode 1.
From daytime onward, trending topics about Fate flooded every major website in Xia Nation.
Fans of Su Yan gathered across forums and video platforms.
At this point, Su Yan barely had any haters left in Xia Nation. The biggest debates online weren't criticism—but arguments among fans over which of his works was the best.
Some believed the Fate series, with its highest ratings, represented Su Yan's peak.
Others argued that as his fame grew, it was unfair to compare newer works with older ones purely by ratings.
These debates raged from morning until night.
But Ye Yunze, as a more rational fan, simply watched these arguments with amusement—without posting a single comment.
To him, Su Yan's best work was always the next one.
At 7 PM, he turned on his TV to Hudu TV.
Unlike Sakura TV and Zhongxia TV, Hudu TV didn't cram in a bunch of annoying TV shopping ads before the premiere.
Instead, they aired a behind-the-scenes documentary about the Fate series.
On set, Su Yan—playing Gilgamesh—jumped down from a high place in full heavy golden armor without any safety equipment, shocking the entire crew. But when everyone rushed over, they found he was completely fine thanks to his physical condition.
Then came a scene of Shinozaki Ikumi scolding him on set for ignoring safety, while Su Yan stood there silently, not daring to talk back.
"You've got your day too, huh? So even you, Su Yan, are afraid of Producer Shinozaki Ikumi." Ye Yunze laughed.
The following behind-the-scenes clips showed other actors, but all were deliberately obscured. Either blurred out or only showing hands and feet, not even a full-body shot.
Clearly, these were characters appearing later in the story.
Finally, there was a scene of Su Yan playing a game in his office.
On the screen, he controlled Artoria fighting against Gilgamesh.
But his gameplay was terrible—full of clumsy mistakes—and he was utterly defeated by Gilgamesh. The screen filled with Gilgamesh's arrogant laughter.
And yes—Gilgamesh's in-game voice was also Su Yan's own.
Ye Yunze clenched his fists.
["Hudu TV, Su Yan—what are you trying to do?"]
["You show actual gameplay footage, and you pick THIS? With your trash gameplay? And it's Artoria getting beaten?"]
["Do you even know how to play? Mail me your computer—I'll teach you!"]
["You're so good at fight scenes in real life, but in-game you're useless? Or did you intentionally include this just to annoy fans?"]
As his thoughts spiraled, the behind-the-scenes segment ended.
Next came the trailer.
Even though Ye Yunze had already watched it more than twenty times, he still paid full attention—especially Artoria's final appearance.
The trailer ended.
The screen paused.
And then—
A little girl appeared.
Ye Yunze froze for a moment.
That was Tohsaka Rin from 'Fate/Zero'.
This scene showed her memories with her father—her happy childhood, her gentle and elegant father…
And his departing figure before joining the Holy Grail War.
An alarm clock rang.
A pale hand slammed down on it, silencing it instantly.
A beautiful face appeared—slightly tired, yet full of youthful energy.
'Fate/stay night' had multiple anime adaptations in Su Yan's previous life.
Because the original story had three routes—Saber, UBW, and HF—each representing different relationships and choices between the protagonist and the three heroines.
But one thing was consistent across all routes:
At the very beginning—before Emiya Shirou meets Artoria for the first time—the story does not diverge.
This is the prologue.
And the prologue is told from two perspectives:
Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shirou.
The same day. The same events. Two different experiences.
So in the Xia Nation version, Episode 1 begins from Rin's perspective.
She is the "flower on the high peak" at school—admired by countless boys—and the heir of the Tohsaka mage family.
Unlike 'Fate/Zero', which quickly dives into the Holy Grail War and the summoning of seven Servants—
'Fate/stay night' starts with Rin's school life, gradually introducing the world of mages.
Despite sharing the same universe, the tone of the two works is very different.
'Fate/stay night' spends significant time portraying school relationships.
Rin heads to school, encountering along the way:
Her friend Mitsuzuri,
the obnoxious Shinji Matou,
The student council president, Issei,
the protagonist Emiya Shirou,
and Sakura Matou—whose adoption into the Matou family had triggered tragedy in 'Fate/Zero'.
After ten minutes, Ye Yunze blinked.
["?"]
["This feels… different from what I expected."]
["Where's the Holy Grail War?"]
["Where's Artoria?"]
["Where's Gilgamesh?"]
["Where's Kiritsugu?"]
["At least show Kotomine Kirei for a second!"]
Soon, however, the scene he had been waiting for appeared.
Because the Holy Grail had not been fully realized ten years ago in Fuyuki City, the cycle—normally once every sixty years—restarted after just ten.
And Tohsaka Rin was chosen as a Master.
Following her from daytime into night—
She drew a magic circle in her home and summoned a Servant.
With a loud surge of energy, a handsome man in red attire appeared.
Ye Yunze's excitement surged.
["Here it comes—Heroic Spirit!"]
["What's his legend this time?"]
The story continued.
The irritable tsundere Master, Tohsaka Rin.
And her sharp-tongued, amnesiac Servant—Archer.
Ye Yunze immediately recalled the Archer from the previous war—Gilgamesh.
["Archers are never obedient…"]
The next day, Rin sensed something was wrong at school.
At night, she encountered an unknown Master and a Lancer-class Servant—and a battle broke out.
Ye Yunze's eyes widened.
While the slice-of-life school scenes weren't as gripping as Episode 1 of 'Fate/Zero'—
The close-range combat between Archer and Lancer was incredible.
"Full marks on action choreography…" he muttered, taking a deep breath.
At the peak of their clash—
Another student accidentally witnessed the fight.
Lancer immediately noticed and chased after him.
By the time Rin and Archer arrived—
They found Emiya Shirou collapsed in a pool of blood.
His heart had been pierced.
His life was fading.
Because it was Shirou, Rin used a precious gem to save him.
With the gem's power depleted, she left it with the unconscious Shirou.
A massive piece of foreshadowing—
But on a first watch, Ye Yunze didn't realize it at all.
Realizing Lancer might return to finish the job, Rin and Archer rushed to Shirou's house.
They had just arrived—
When suddenly—
A blonde beauty in blue armor, wielding an invisible blade, swung her sword at Rin.
At the critical moment, Archer blocked the attack.
Artoria had appeared.
Ye Yunze's heart pounded wildly.
Saber.
She had returned.
Carrying the regrets of the previous Holy Grail War.
Carrying the sorrow of Britain's fall.
Carrying the guilt of her kingdom's destruction—
She had come once more to fight in her second Holy Grail War.
The ending theme began.
Ye Yunze's excitement froze.
["?"]
["Su Yan, you old sadist—you're doing this already?"]
["It's only Episode 1 and you're cutting it here?"]
["What kind of cliffhanger is this? Do you have any new tricks?!"]
["Is this the only move you know?!"]