The room was silent.
Song Na sat motionlessly, eyes fixed on the television screen as the gentle ending BGM from 'To the Moon' played.
It felt as if the bottle inside her heart had been shattered.
All her emotions spilled out, leaving behind a tangled mess of grief and awe.
She understood everything now—the real meaning of 'To the Moon'.
But at the same time, she realized the cruel truth.
This wasn't a scene happening now in the story.
It was a dying man's fragmented memory—Johnny's memories before death.
His wife, River, had already passed away.
And until her final breath, she never heard Johnny explain what the paper rabbits meant.
He even unintentionally threw the sandbag—his gift to River—into the sea.
The platypus plushie that River had carried with her since childhood…
It never triggered a single memory in Johnny, not even once before she died.
That was the saddest part.
["Screenwriter, do you even have a heart?!"]
Song Na had thought she was mentally prepared, but she still broke down tonight.
Now adapted into a drama, and with skilled actors bringing it to life,
'To the Moon' hit like ten times the emotional impact of the text-based version Su Yan once played all night.
A lesser-known story doesn't mean it's a bad one—it just needs a broader platform.
Just like how the 'Legend of the Sword and Fairy' series in Su Yan's past life was niche until the drama adaptation made it a household name and a recognized classic.
Back then, it was just something known in a small circle.
'To the Moon' had also been a niche game in Su Yan's previous life.
But now, through the Sakura TV platform, the story finally had a chance to reach the entire Xia Nation.
It wasn't just Song Na—tonight, many viewers watching from their homes either cried immediately or processed it later in silence.
Plenty didn't remember the earlier episodes as clearly as Song Na did,
But after episode seven ended, they headed to sakuraNet to pay and rewatch the earlier episodes in light of the new context.
And that made the emotional impact hit even harder.
The cryptic "puzzle-box" storytelling from the first six episodes now made complete sense.
That night, the comments section of 'To the Moon' was overrun.
It was a full-scale breakdown event.
["This episode destroyed me. I finally understand why River got so upset when Johnny said he approached her because she was 'cool in middle school'."]
["Right?! River must have thought he was drawn to her because of that night they met. But Johnny told her it was just because she was 'cool in middle school'."]
["That's why she started folding those paper rabbits all the time… why she kept showing him her platypus toy. It was all to hint at him."]
["But Johnny never remembered. Not even once."]
["Why didn't River just ask him directly?!"]
["It was explained earlier—she's autistic. She couldn't express it. That childhood encounter with Johnny, where she managed to communicate normally, was already a miracle."]
["And maybe it was exactly because she could talk with him like that for once that she fell in love."]
["Ugh… I feel awful. If we forget or get lost, let's meet on the moon? Freaking Su Yan, you heartless genius!"]
["I don't think I can keep watching. Where does the story even go from here? It feels like it's destined to be a tragic, soul-crushing ride."]
["Is that even in doubt anymore? If Johnny really did go to the moon…"]
["What good is that? River isn't on the moon. There's nothing there."]
["When I realized that, I just started bawling. Her dying wish was for Johnny to remember that night… but he didn't. He never knew. Even if Neil and Eva used that machine to send him to the moon, he'd never really see River in that fake dream. Two overlapping tragedies. Ugh."]
["Su Yan! Can't you write anything warm and fuzzy for once?! I thought you'd changed with this drama, but nope, another tearjerker."]
["I had all my defenses up, and you stabbed me here? Seriously?"]
["How does someone create something this touching and painful? I'm not okay."]
["River spent her whole life hoping Johnny would remember that one night. While she was by his side, he showed no reaction. She died, and even though he didn't recall anything, he suddenly wanted to go to the moon…"]
["They both loved each other so deeply. Why did the ending have to be this bitter? I can't stop thinking about how River must've felt when Johnny told her the paper rabbits were just ordinary."]
["It's all the writer's fault. Su Yan, stand up and take the blame!"]
["No way I'm suffering alone."]
["This tragic masterpiece cannot be buried—it must be shared."]
["Before episode 7, I thought Su Yan had burned out after writing three dramas in a row. Turns out, it was just a slow burn and setup."]
["I'm going straight to the forums of ZhongxiaNet, HongsongNet, and RaccoonNet to promote this drama. Forget 'The Crimson Magician' or 'The Gate.' They don't hold a candle to 'To the Moon'."]
["I'm making all my girlfriends watch this tomorrow. If I'm crying, we're all crying."]
["Su Yan! My daughter watched this and was still crying past 10 PM, asking if Johnny would really meet River on the moon. I didn't know how to answer. If you don't at least let him see her in his dream by the end, I swear you've gained a lifelong anti-fan!"]
From the moment episode 7 aired at 10 PM until 2–3 AM, the drama section on sakuraNet was entirely taken over by 'To the Moon' fans.
Even fans of 'The Gate' and other dramas airing on Sakura TV that season were staring in stunned silence as 'To the Moon' viewers lost their minds.
[Is it really that sad?]
[Why are all of you being so dramatic?]
[I've watched dramas for years and never cried—what's with you people acting like it's the end of the world?]
[Let me see what the fuss is about.]
And it wasn't just the fans.
Because the 'To the Moon' team had prepaid for marketing, sakuraNet immediately launched a high-profile promo campaign for the drama across the entire site after episode 7 ended.
Many drama fans had already been feeling the drought this season.
Now, with site-wide promotion and fans spreading the word, the buzz exploded.
Overnight, the drama's rating on sakuraNet jumped from 8.9 to 9.4.
By the next day, discussions about 'To the Moon' were spreading rapidly among office workers and students alike.
At noon, the episode 7 viewership numbers were released.
Compared to the previous week, ratings had jumped again, up to 3.71%.
That number shocked everyone in the TV industry and among critics.
[Is this for real?]
Many media outlets had been quick to predict the show's failure when episode 5 had only hit a 3.1% viewership.
Now, those negative articles were being quietly deleted, replaced with brand-new takes:
📰Episode 7 of 'To the Moon' Unleashes a Flood of Emotion and Fan Frenzy!
📰Six Episodes of Setup, One Episode of Pure Heartbreak—'To the Moon' Delivers Top-Tier Tragedy!
📰'To the Moon' Jumps to 9.4—Highest-Rated Drama in Xia Nation So Far This Year!
📰'Rurouni Kenshin's' 9.6, 'An Ancient Love Song's' 9.4, and now 'To the Moon's' 9.4—Three Seasons, Three Top-Rated Dramas by Genius Writer Su Yan!
📰'To the Moon' Explodes in Ratings for a Second Week—3.71% Places It in the Season's Top Five!
📰Another Industry Shake-Up—Su Yan Delivers a New Masterpiece with 'To the Moon'!
📰First Hit Drama of the Year! My Review of 'To the Moon': My Undisputed #1 Show of the Season.
📰A Love Spanning Decades, A Line Buried Deep in the Heart. 'Then let's meet on the moon, you idiot!'—The Most Moving Line I've Heard in Three Years.
📰A boy shunned by his mother. A girl born with autism. Together, they gave us the most heart-wrenching love story.
📰Most Tearjerking Drama in Recent Years—' To the Moon' is a Must-Watch!
📰Episode 7 Left Viewers in Tears—In Just Two Days, Paid Views on sakuraNet Surpass 6 Million, Ranking #5 for All New Seasonal Dramas.
📰How Will 'To the Moon' End? Is Su Yan Headed for Another Tragic Finale?
Over the next two days, after the show caught fire on sakuraNet, it was picked up and discussed across the entire film and TV industry.
Exactly the result Su Yan had hoped for.
The budget for 'To the Moon' was limited.
For ratings to rise further, they had to rely on the fans' word-of-mouth promotion.
Luckily, this season hadn't seen any truly breakout dramas.
Most had solid budgets—around 40 million yuan—aired in prime time, and pulled in standard 4.1–4.2% ratings.
That was just business as usual for the Big Three networks.
Drama watchers often just wanted to kill time,
So they'd watch anything, but that didn't mean they thought these formulaic shows were actually good.
In the Xia Nation, legendary breakout dramas that hit 5% or more viewership did happen—
But just like in Su Yan's past life with shows like 'The Grand Mansion Gate' or 'Empresses in the Palace', they were rare and required all the right factors.
So once the media spotlight hit 'To the Moon', more and more viewers naturally became curious.
After all, Su Yan had delivered three hit dramas in three consecutive seasons.
Every one of his debut season dramas had topped their respective ratings charts.
He had even won Best New Screenwriter
and was far from some no-name amateur.
With all that backing him, the rise of 'To the Moon' faced much less resistance and doubt.
Thursday – 'To the Moon' Production Team
"The average paid view count on sakuraNet just hit 6.7 million.
Also, the number of posts flaming you in the comment section jumped by another ten thousand today," said Shinozaki Ikumi, eyes still glued to the latest numbers.
She had no doubt—
Once episode 8 aired, viewership would shoot up again.
"You didn't have to mention that last part," Su Yan replied.
"Those aren't hate posts. Those are emotionally devastated fans posting discussion threads!"
"What's the difference? Everyone starts by cursing you, then moves on to the plot."
Shinozaki Ikumi chuckled.
"You chose this storyline—gotta be ready for the consequences."
"What, the fans only curse me now? You're the producer too, you know," Su Yan asked, raising a brow.
"…"
Ikumi's smile froze.
"But if we're talking about people getting flamed…" Su Yan added,
"Once episode 8 airs, Gu Qingyuan might be joining us in the hot seat."
"The holy trinity of hatemail, huh?"
"Don't kid yourself," Ikumi said, laughing. "Qingyuan is golden in the fanbase. Fans of 'Rurouni Kenshin' and 'An Ancient Love Song' adore her.
Even if you make her character do awful things in episode 8, the audience will still come after you."
Their back-and-forth was standard fare for the two of them at the production site.
Soon, Su Yan finished reviewing the final episode's script, printed it out, and handed it to Shinozaki Ikumi.
"This is it—the script for the final episode of 'To the Moon'," he said with a smile.
"Hopefully, it'll ride the current wave of popularity all the way to the end,
and the finale will break through with a rating none of our competitors can match this season."
"Hopefully? That doesn't sound like you," Ikumi said teasingly.
"Young people like you should believe in their work!"
"When I set a goal, of course, I believe in it," Su Yan replied.
"But outcomes are shaped by many factors."
"Setting my sights on being #1 doesn't mean I blindly think my work is invincible or untouchable in Xia.
'To the Moon' stirred up a buzz in episode 7, sure—but other shows could pull that off too.
So…" Su Yan turned to her.
"I can accept the uncertainty of the future.
That doesn't conflict with having a clear goal."
"In any case, we've done everything we could.
Now it's up to the market."
Ikumi considered this—and nodded. She agreed.
She opened the script for episode 10 of 'To the Moon' and began checking it.
At this point, she had no desire to make Su Yan change anything.
Ordinary people shouldn't interfere with a genius's creation.
But a few minutes later…
Her expression—
broke down all over again.