By mid-March, the box office performance of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' was basically settled.
Its total box office had reached 3.3 billion, but daily earnings had dropped below ten million, and it had just over a week left before leaving theaters.
At this point, it was confirmed as the Spring Festival box office champion.
However, whether it would become the annual box office champion of Xia Nation's film industry was still uncertain.
After all—
Just a few months ago, 'Your Name' had pulled off a stunning comeback in the summer season, overtaking 'Rurouni Kenshin' Part 1.
Meanwhile—
The annual Imperial Awards ceremony was less than a month away.
Su Yan's works from last year—'Rurouni Kenshin' and 'Your Name'—
Had both been nominated for Best Screenplay.
He himself was nominated for Best Actor for his role as Himura Kenshin.
And since many of the theme songs and insert tracks in both films were credited to him—
Both works were also nominated for Best Music, again under Su Yan's name.
At the same time—
The male lead actor from 'Your Name' was also nominated for Best Actor, forming direct competition with Su Yan.
Shen Liqian, for her role as Kamiya Kaoru in 'Rurouni Kenshin', was nominated for Best Actress.
Gu Qingyuan, for her role as Miyamizu Mitsuha in 'Your Name', was also nominated—
Putting the two against each other.
From Best Supporting Actor and Actress to technical awards like lighting and makeup—
Members from both productions received nominations.
Out of more than a hundred nominees across 20–30 awards—
Seventeen came from just these two films.
And among them—
Su Yan alone held four nominations.
The industry wasn't blind.
Everyone could tell—
This year, Dimensional Pictures would return from the Imperial Awards fully loaded.
Not like last year, when they only took home minor awards.
When Gu Qingyuan and the others received their invitations—
They were still momentarily stunned.
Though expected—
It still felt surreal.
A few years ago—
Shen Liqian had been blacklisted, with no roles to take.
Even before that, she hadn't been chosen by film investors.
Gu Qingyuan had just been a fresh graduate.
And now—
They were on the verge of sweeping nearly every major award available to actresses in Xia Nation.
"April 1st…"
Su Yan glanced at the date on the invitation before placing it in his desk drawer.
Something more than half a month away—
It wasn't worth too much thought right now.
For him, 'Fate/stay night' was nearing its finale—
And he needed to stay active to push its ratings even higher.
"Maybe I should do what I did at the Xia Flame Awards… use my speech to promote 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' and 'Weathering With You'."
He paused, then added:
"Can't play favorites. Otherwise, the Xia Flame Awards committee might feel slighted."
As the company discussed these matters—
Sunday arrived.
Since its premiere, 'Fate/stay night' has maintained steady growth in both ratings and reputation.
But—
Despite having the highest ratings among Su Yan's works—
It also had a considerable number of critics.
Some viewers could accept Artoria's romance with Shirou.
Others—
Absolutely could not.
In Su Yan's previous life, 'Fate/stay night' came before 'Fate/Zero'—
So, fans had no basis for objection.
But in the Xia Nation—
Many Fate fans believed Su Yan had "crossed a line."
It wasn't that the romance was poorly written—
They simply believed it shouldn't exist at all.
These two factions—
Those who supported the romance and those who opposed it—
Clashed more intensely as the show approached its finale.
From Sunday afternoon onward—
The arguments reignited.
["I hope Shirou just dies in this Holy Grail War. If this keeps going, Artoria is definitely going to fall for him."]
["I just don't buy it. Someone who sacrificed everything for her country—even after death—how could she fall for a modern Master?"]
["Who can explain love? Just because she didn't meet someone in her era doesn't mean she can't now."]
["Su Yan's done this before! Look at 'An Ancient Love Song'—same idea. The heroine put her country first, but still fell in love."]
["I just can't accept it. I don't want Artoria to have a love interest."]
["You don't hate the romance—you just hate that it's not you. If Artoria were real and liked you, you'd be cheering for it."]
["…"]
["That was brutal."]
["Ouch."]
["LOL."]
["There are only three episodes left anyway. Most fights are done. Only Kotomine Kirei, Shirou, Saber, and Gilgamesh are left. Even if they fall in love, it won't last long. Once the war ends, Saber will leave."]
["We already know from 'Fate/Zero' that the Grail twists wishes. There's no way Saber's wish gets fulfilled here."]
["So… will Saber get summoned a third time?"]
["That would be ridiculous. You can't just keep looping the same character forever."]
["Honestly, I feel like there are unresolved plot points. Like that red gem from Episodes 1 and 2—still unexplained. There are a lot of hints, but no sign of payoff, and the show is almost over."]
["Whatever. If Su Yan leaves plot holes, we'll roast him later. For now, let's just watch tonight's episode."]
Putting his laptop aside, Gao Han leaned back on the sofa and stretched.
After two hours of arguing online with Fate fans—and a few haters—
He was exhausted.
He glanced at the fan group chat.
Activity had slowed.
After all—
It was almost time for the episode to air.
He turned on the TV and switched to Hudu TV.
As usual—
Promotional clips for 'Fate/stay night' played, along with a reminder of the finale date.
After watching absentmindedly for a few minutes—
The screen froze.
That familiar blue figure appeared.
The opening theme of 'Fate/stay night' began.