For Dimensional Pictures, once Su Yan delivered the scripts, the rest no longer required him to personally oversee every detail like before.
Professionals in the Xia Nation industry weren't incompetent. After working with Su Yan on so many projects, they had already developed a clear sense of how his scripts would translate onto the screen—how to cast roles, how to assemble production teams, and how to execute the overall vision.
Unlike in the early days, when Su Yan had to personally supervise everything—from casting to storyboards, visuals, and art direction—otherwise, there was no way he could have maintained such a high output over the years.
After the scripts for 'Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam' and 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED' were distributed—
While 'Weathering With You' was still performing strongly at the box office, nearing the 2 billion mark—
The script for 'Suzume' was also released from Su Yan's office.
As Su Yan's works spread from the Xia Nation to overseas markets, his emotional value income grew exponentially.
After 'Fate/stay night' gained international fame, the rights to his earlier works were sold abroad and widely distributed across major countries.
With this surge in emotional value, Su Yan no longer needed to be as cautious as before.
If this trend continued, even top-tier IPs would soon be within reach.
Meanwhile, the series of actions taken by Dimensional Pictures quickly drew widespread attention—not just in the Xia Nation, but internationally.
Especially the Gundam series.
Since it required a large number of foreign actors, once casting calls were announced, nearly half of the audition applications came from overseas.
Su Yan didn't have time to deal with these matters personally.
For him, after finishing the script, he still had to recreate the iconic music from the original works.
After all, some works weren't complete without their signature soundtracks—
Just like how 'Slam Dunk' wouldn't feel the same without its unforgettable opening, or how 'Initial D' would lose part of its charm without its iconic music.
Behind every hit work, the composers played a crucial role.
At the same time, coordinating with VFX companies and discussing the visual style and production pipeline for Gundam was also a time-consuming task.
Soon—
The entire Dimensional Pictures company plunged into another wave of intense activity.
Amidst all this, Episode 6 of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' aired as scheduled.
In just six weeks, the series had introduced audiences in the Xia Nation—and even worldwide—to Su Yan's vision of sci-fi television, along with the concept of mecha warfare.
From Episode 1, Lelouch was a restrained boy who gained the power known as Geass—the ability to issue a once-in-a-lifetime command to anyone he made eye contact with.
Though he possessed intelligence, he lacked strength—
Until he met C.C.
From Episode 2 onward, Lelouch constantly stirred chaos.
By day, he was a student at a noble academy.
By night, he became Zero, leading the oppressed people of Area 11 in rebellion against Britannian rule.
Then came Episode 6—
By now, Lelouch's forces had grown in scale.
To rescue another rebel faction surrounded by Princess Cornelia, Lelouch devised a battlefield strategy—luring enemy forces into a narrow pass and triggering a landslide that annihilated Cornelia's troops.
But at the same time—
The landslide cascaded into a nearby urban area.
And in that disaster—
Shirley's father was killed.
Thus, the story delivered its first truly heartbreaking moment.
In the original version, Shirley had some calculating tendencies, though she wasn't malicious.
But in the Xia Nation adaptation, Su Yan made slight adjustments.
After all, she was a tragic character. Removing a few controversial lines didn't affect the main plot—and instead made her more likable.
Which, in turn, would make future emotional moments even more impactful—
And generate greater emotional value.
So from Episode 6 onward, Shirley's popularity skyrocketed, with fans rallying behind her.
["Tonight's episode better address this—Lelouch's actions killed Shirley's father. Is he just going to ignore that?"]
["What can he even say? His actions killed far more than just Shirley's father. Both the rebels and Britannian soldiers have families—why should Shirley be treated differently?"]
["Honestly, the fact that this show makes people think about these things already proves its success. Before, we just watched war scenes for excitement—now we're questioning right and wrong."]
["I just feel bad for Shirley… she's so sweet. Now Lelouch is basically her father's killer—there's no way they can be together."]
["They were never going to be together anyway. Haven't you figured it out? The only true female lead is C.C.—everyone else, like Kallen and Shirley, are just losing heroines."]
["'Losing heroines'? That's a new term."]
["New? It came from Dimensional Pictures' production team—apparently, Su Yan coined it. Any female character who loses in romance gets labeled that way!"]
Cheng Hanfei's fingers flew across his keyboard as he typed.
For Su Yan's fans, the greatest joy wasn't just watching the episodes—
It was the discussions that followed each week.
After more than a month of airing, factions had formed among fans—
The C.C. camp, the Shirley camp, the Kallen camp—
Even camps for Cornelia and Euphemia.
Everyone argued endlessly over which female character was the best.
Of course, aside from these debates, memes about various characters continued to spread.
But among all characters—
Suzaku firmly held the top spot as the most disliked character of the season in the Xia Nation.
A native of Area 11 who joined the Britannian military—already seen as a traitor—
And then actively helped suppress his own people's rebellion.
No matter how you looked at it, it was indefensible.
Lelouch, as Zero, invited him to join a greater cause—but he refused, claiming he wanted to change Britannia from within through peaceful means.
[Who do you think you are?]
[You think a massive empire will listen to a defeated soldier like you?]
What made it worse—
He was actually talented.
Piloting the Lancelot, he constantly interfered with Lelouch's plans—
Ruining more than he accomplished.
["Honestly, I hope Su Yan just kills Suzaku off in tonight's episode."] Cheng Hanfei sighed, glancing at the TV in his living room.
A shopping channel was currently advertising a model of Suzaku's white Lancelot mech.
But Cheng Hanfei had zero interest in buying it.