I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema!

The editorial office of "Weekly Shonen Jump" is the place in all of Neon that can best touch the dreams and passion of young people. The air is always filled with a unique aroma that is a mixture of the anxiety before the deadline, the ecstasy of discovering a genius, and endless cans of coffee.

"Did you watch that last night?" a young editor started the conversation.

"My wife watched it last night. It's called 'Contradiction'. She said she's terrified every time she receives a call from a friend."

"That's nothing. I heard from colleagues in other departments that taxi drivers throughout Tokyo are now reluctant to accept orders to remote areas at night, for fear of encountering 'baikao'!"

"That 'Anzhiju' is simply poisonous! I heard that its planning and original design was done by Mr. Nohara, the man who drew 'Yu Yu Hakusho' in our magazine!"

Everyone's eyes were simultaneously directed to the man sitting in the corner, carefully flipping through a stack of new drawings.

Mr. Tian Suo.

At this moment, Tansuo felt that he was not sitting on a chair, but sitting on the clouds.

He enjoyed the mixed envy and jealous looks from his colleagues and felt that he had never been so brilliant in his entire career.

He put down the sketch in his hand, his face filled with the deep emotion that only someone who has experienced this can have. "It's more than just poisonous, it's simply a miracle. However, compared to 'Anzhiju', what I admire more is Mr. Nohara's manuscript."

He spread out the stack of drawings on the table as if displaying a sacred object.

"Look, this is the opening of the Dark Martial Arts Tournament. This storyboard, this control of pacing, and these new characters, the Toguro brothers... that overwhelming, despairing power, is brought to life on the page with just a few strokes. Can you believe it? This... this was all 'drawn' by Mr. Nohara, working under the hellish rush of a TV station!"

The editors gathered around and gasped.

They are all top experts in the industry, and they can understand the terrifying talent and skill contained in this drawing.

It doesn't look like a rushed work at all. Every line and every dot seems to have been refined through thousands of times. It is precise, sophisticated, and full of well-thought-out genius ingenuity.

"Is this guy... really a human?" someone murmured to himself.

At this moment, the door of the editorial office was pushed open, and a middle-aged man wearing a well-tailored suit, with meticulously combed hair but an unusually pale face, walked in.

He is the editor-in-chief of their group.

The noisy office suddenly became quiet.

The editor-in-chief's eyes swept over everyone and finally landed on the spread-out draft. He didn't say anything, but just walked over and picked up the draft.

"Editor-in-chief, you..." Masato Tadokoro was a little nervous.

"I read it last night, too," the editor said slowly, his voice barely audible, as if someone had just emerged from a nightmare. "That story called 'Contradiction' is quite interesting."

He raised his head and looked at everyone. His eyes, always sharp as an eagle, now held a hint of fear. "You guys are saying, is this 'Anzhiju' the work of Mr. Nohara?"

"Yes... yes!" Tansuo answered quickly.

A flash of shock crossed the editor-in-chief's face, more intense than that of all the editors combined.

He lowered his head and looked at the drawing of "Yu Yu Hakusho" in his hand again. His eyes were as if he was looking at a national treasure that could change history.

He was silent for a long time before he gave the order in a resolute tone that left no room for argument and belonged to a decision maker.

"Tashiro."

"exist!"

"Starting from the next issue, add a line of words for me on the serialization header of Yu Yu Hakusho."

The editor paused and said word by word:

"——The latest masterpiece from the super popular late-night animation "Anshijiu" written and planned by the talented manga artist Hiroshi Nohara!"

"Mr. Miyamoto's departure has caused many people to doubt the future of our magazine."

The editor-in-chief's gaze swept across the faces of each editor, his voice resonant and powerful: "Now, we must use this method to tell all our readers and all our opponents—we have lost an evergreen tree, but we have gained a vaster forest!"

Chapter 36 Suzuki Seito's Determination

Sunday night faded quietly, and the morning light of a new week poured into the headquarters building of Tokyo TV Production Bureau like diluted lemonade.

An invisible atmosphere permeates the air.

When employees meet in the corridor, their eyes no longer exchange formal nods, but instead become more searching and speculative, as if a shared, unspoken secret hangs in the air.

The final ratings of "An Zhi Ju"!

Now, the ratings for a show that has been setting records even during what could be described as garbage time are soaring.

Even on Saturday, the 4.22% viewership rating was almost catching up with the ratings of some less popular time periods during the day!

Who wouldn't be surprised and curious?

So, when the report card for the seventh episode "Contradiction" was brought back to Suzuki's classroom by Hashimoto Ichirō in an almost sleepwalking manner, printed on that thin piece of paper was a number that was enough to make all late-night program producers question their lives - 4.89%.

We are only one step away from the mythical threshold of 5%!

The office was no longer as bustling as it had been in the past few days. Everyone seemed to have been repeatedly washed away by a huge sense of happiness and entered a strange sage time.

I just looked at the report, looking at it as if it were a work of art, and looking forward to a bright future.

My mind is completely blank.

I do not know what to say.

Because this 4.89%, which was only 0.11% away from breaking the 5% viewership rating, can be said to have completely swept away all doubts.

You have to know that this rating almost broke 5%.

Even some small programs during prime time.

That’s about the same result!

What Anzhiju broadcasts is the worst and most rubbish early morning program since the advent of television programs!

And this is such an achievement.

And it still has such ratings.

It can even be said that this is a viewership ratings result that they could not have imagined, nor dared to imagine, at the beginning of the planning of "An Zhi Ju"!

"call--"

Suzuki Seito did not join the young people's celebration. Under the gaze of everyone, he just straightened his suit which had not been ironed for a long time, then let out a sigh and walked alone to the end of the corridor which he once thought was extremely long but now seemed just around the corner.

Took the elevator to the top floor.

The office of Deputy Director Ming Rihai.

The door is open.

The secretary at the door respectfully invited Suzuki Seito to come in.

Then Suzuki Seito saw the sunlight slanting in from the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, making the tiny dust particles in the air look as beautiful as the golden sand of heaven.

He also saw Deputy Director Ming Rihai sitting on the sofa.

"Deputy Director!" Suzuki Seito walked over and bowed.

"Ah."

Asumi had a broad chin and a square face, appearing quite solemn. But at this moment, he was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of tea. Seeing Suzuki Seito come in, he smiled brightly, pointed to the seat opposite, and said, "Sit down, Seito."

His voice was gentle, yet it carried the calmness of someone who had been in a high position for a long time and could not tolerate any interference.

Suzuki Seito sat down in front of him, his posture respectful, his back straight. He knew that from today on, he had the qualifications and the confidence to sit up straighter in front of his former benefactor and current direct supervisor.

"You did a great job with 'Anzhiju'," Asumi put down his teacup and said straight to the point, "The entire production department—no, I'm afraid the entire Tokyo television industry—hasn't seen such a grand occasion in years. You've earned back a huge amount of respect for us, those of us who came from Kanto TV."

"I don't deserve it." Suzuki Seito's voice was filled with a hint of uncontrollable excitement: "This is all... Nohara-kun's credit."

Without the slightest hesitation, he told him how Nohara Hiroshi came to him with the drawings, how he came up with that amazing "slideshow" idea, how he stabilized the morale of the team when the ratings were at their lowest, and how he came up with all the subsequent high-quality drawings as if inspired by God within just one week. He told him everything, no matter how big or small.

He spoke calmly, as if stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.

But the admiration and gratitude that came from the heart for a young man could not be concealed.

Ming Hai listened quietly, and a hint of strong interest gradually emerged in his eyes as deep as an ancient well.

He had gotten to know Hiroshi Nohara before when they had dinner together.

I thought this was just the result of Suzuki Seito being suppressed for many years, coupled with the young man's creative ideas, and then a burst of energy.

But I never thought that there was such a young man who was almost a demon hidden behind this.

"You mean?" Asumi's knuckles tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa, making a rhythmic sound. "The real general in this battle is that intern named Nohara Hiroshi?"

"Yes." Suzuki Seito nodded without hesitation: "I'm just a lucky veteran who was chosen by him."

This sentence has clearly stated the primary and secondary positions of both parties.

Upon hearing this, Ming Hai couldn't help but laugh. That smile was filled with amusement and confusion. "Qingdou, you don't seem like someone who would give away the credit that's within his grasp. Are you saying this to pave the way for him?"

Suzuki Seito met Asumi's gaze, and a calm, even self-deprecating smile appeared on his old face, which was carved with countless wrinkles by the years.

"Deputy Director, you are forty-five this year, in the prime of your life. And I am already fifty-three."

He spoke slowly, his voice filled with the calmness of someone who had seen through the world: "A second-level director position may be the top of my mountain. I don't have the ambition or energy to strive for anything higher. I think in a few years, maybe it's time to consider retirement, go home to plant flowers, and spend time with my grandchildren."

He paused, a sincere light flashing in his eyes:

"But that young man is different. I can sense that his mountain is not just any mountain, but Mount Fuji, Mount Everest. My small contribution is worth it to serve as a stepping stone for him to climb."

The office became quiet, with only the sunlight moving quietly.

After a long time, Ming Hai laughed again. He shook his head, and the appreciation in his smile became even stronger.

"Qingdou, Qingdou, you're still the same. You seem stubborn, but you're actually more insightful than anyone else." He picked up his teacup and gestured, "Don't rush to talk about retirement. The war has just begun."

He gently pushed a document in front of Suzuki Seito.

"That old fox Takada won't just give up. His show 'Kimi no Sasuke' is going to air tonight, and I heard he's mobilizing all his resources to crush us in the ratings."

Suzuki Seito's expression grew serious.

"But that's just a minor incident." A meaningful smile appeared on Asumi's lips. "The station's management is currently evaluating an S-ranked project, also based on horror, but it's a live-action drama. The budget, publicity, and broadcast time are all top-tier resources at the station."

His eyes, like a sharp knife, stared straight at Suzuki Seito.

"Originally, this project had almost been handed over to Iwata by Takata. But now, with the emergence of 'An Shiba-ju', things have changed. More than one director in the upper echelons has shown great interest in your 'urban tale' model."

Suzuki Seito's breathing suddenly became rapid.

"Deputy Director, what do you mean..."

"What I mean is..." Asumi's eyes grew sharp. "I want you and your talented intern to work harder. Use the results of the second week of 'Anzhiju' to tell everyone that your success is not accidental, but inevitable. Then, use this achievement to snatch that S-level project from Takata!"