The story continued to unfold.
The next day, Kousei Arima met up with Tsubaki Sawabe at the park, as planned.
And there, he met her.
Previously, it had been established that Kousei's world was colored in shades of gray—a visual metaphor for his lack of hope and emotional detachment.
But in the drama, this inner state was shown through visual storytelling: when he saw the girl playing the melodica with a group of children under a sky filled with falling cherry blossoms—so vibrant, so full of life and joy—the previously dull and gray screen suddenly burst into vivid colors.
["Is this..."] Yu Shiqi's eyes widened.
She wasn't completely sure, but this kind of visual language seemed to be telling her, the viewer—
Kousei Arima may not have fallen in love at first sight,
—but at the very least, he felt something stir in his heart.
Then, Kousei, entranced, tried to take a photo and got mistaken for a creep.
It turned out the girl was Tsubaki's classmate. The reason Tsubaki had invited Kousei and their friend Ryouta Watari was so they could all cheer for her at a violin competition.
This cheerful girl, as it turns out, had a crush on Ryouta Watari, and she was hoping to get closer to him.
This segment served as an introduction to a new character.
It's expected in a first episode—Yu Shiqi was used to it.
"This guy here is Friend A!"
Tsubaki playfully introduced Kousei to the girl, Kaori Miyazono, with this nickname.
Yu Shiqi, watching for the first time, didn't catch the deeper meaning behind it.
"Kaori likes Ryouta. You're just the background character for today, Friend A!" Tsubaki whispered to Kousei, with a meaningful smile.
After their introductions, the group hurried to the competition venue, nearly running late.
This kind of "drama sprint" was a common trope in J-dramas in Su Yan's past life, but in Xia Nation, it still felt fresh. Yu Shiqi didn't mind it at all.
The plot moved forward.
Kousei's hesitation as he approached a concert hall again after years of avoidance.
And once inside, he was immediately recognized by others.
After all, he had once crushed many of these same kids in childhood competitions.
Kaori's competition was a duet—a violin and piano performance.
["I think I know where this is going..."] Yu Shiqi's eyes lit up.
Sure enough, Kaori Miyazono—played by Shen Liqian—appeared on stage in a white dress, holding her violin with confident elegance.
In a music-themed drama, the performances are a big part of the appeal.
And the moment Shen Liqian raised her bow, Yu Shiqi's expression changed.
Gorgeous and cool.
Kaori looked like a violin goddess—commanding the stage, her smile radiant, her posture flawless.
This kind of presence couldn't be faked by someone without actual performance skill.
One misstep in miming a violin and it would break the immersion immediately.
But in the story, Kaori began playing in a classical style—until midway, she threw caution to the wind and started improvising.
She transformed a dull classical piece into something thrilling, dynamic, and full of emotion.
The music stirred something inside Yu Shiqi even through the screen.
The crowd in the venue roared with applause, while Kousei, trained rigidly by his mother to follow the classical rules, could only stare at the girl in awe.
His worldview was starting to crack.
Of course, the judges were not impressed.
They gave Kaori zero points for deviating from the sheet music.
Her piano accompanist was furious—she didn't care about rankings, but others did.
Still, thanks to an audience vote system, Kaori advanced to the second round despite the judge's zero.
Yu Shiqi let out a long breath.
["She made it through!"]
Now the plot was easier to predict.
The episode closed with a scene after school the next day.
Kaori had come to find Ryouta Watari, but couldn't find him.
Kousei assumed she was planning to confess her feelings. Worried she might see Watari with another girl and get hurt, he tried to stop her from searching.
Kaori paused under the orange sunset, looking straight at Kousei.
"If I can't find him, then you'll do instead."
"Friend A!" she pointed at Kousei, smiling.
The episode ended on this meaningful, romantic shot.
The ending theme played.
Yu Shiqi's heart skipped.
["Instead"?]
Instead of what?
A confession?
No, that felt too random...
Was Kaori looking for Ryouta for something else entirely?
And wait—this is a story with Kousei as the male lead, and Kaori as the female lead.
Why would she like his friend?
A love triangle?
Yu Shiqi's mind raced with theories.
But in the end, her impression of the first episode could be summed up in one word:
Brilliant.
Whether it was the budding relationships or the music scenes—
She had no complaints.
Especially when Shen Liqian smiled and played the violin with such emotion, bending the rhythm to her will.
In a real competition, judges score based on timing and accuracy.
Most performers play 1, 2, 3, 4.
Kaori played 1~~2~3~~~4, all based on feeling, leaving her accompanist on the verge of tears.
They embarrassed themselves in front of the judges.
Yu Shiqi remembered how, as a kid, she used to fantasize about doing this kind of thing—freestyling in a piano competition.
Pop music gets all kinds of remixes—why not classical?
But of course, only in a TV drama would someone dare to actually do it.
["That was so satisfying."]
It wasn't just the music.
The cinematography, the art style—it all overflowed with that youthful vibe.
["From the tone of the first episode, this show's gonna be super sweet!"] Yu Shiqi was already excited for next week's episode.
A story of a boy with childhood trauma meeting a bright, lively girl.
Clearly, she was going to heal him, right?
Surely Kaori wouldn't be pulled into his darkness?
How could a story like this ever become tragic?
Yu Shiqi felt completely at ease.
That night, the internet exploded. Forums, fan groups of Su Yan and Shen Liqian—everyone was talking about 'Your Lie in April'.
Even setting aside the heart-wrenching, emotional twists later on, the early episodes were already sweet and captivating.
Not to mention, the music scenes had completely stunned audiences.
Most Shen Liqian fans had no idea their idol had that level of musical talent.
But now they knew.
In a white dress, with a smile, standing center stage, Kaori Miyazono had become legendary.
The character was just too likable.
Online, fans of both Su Yan and Shen Liqian went into overdrive.
["Was that performance actually played live by the actors?"]
["Yes! Shen Liqian played all her violin scenes live. Other contestants' music was dubbed in post."]
["I thought this was gonna be a bunch of amateur high schoolers fumbling through music scenes. But nope. This was insane."]
["The episode was less than an hour, but we got like 10+ minutes of musical performances. Not boring at all—I want more."]
["I have a little artistic soul in me. If the music quality stays this high, they could turn the whole show into a concert for all I care."]
["Yes! Give us more music scenes!"]
["Kaori Miyazono is so beautiful. Though Kousei is a bit gloomy as a lead..."]
["That's the point, though! Watching him overcome his trauma after meeting Kaori—that's the emotional hook!"]
["Aw crap, you just spoiled the ending."]
["Spoiler? Come on, in every romance drama, the leads end up together. If you're a true fan, you already know this."]
["Haha facts."]
["I don't care—I'm officially obsessed. Best summer season drama so far."]
["If this pacing keeps up, 'Your Lie in April' might even outperform 'To the Moon'!"]
In the Xia Nation, music-themed dramas were rare. Combined with Su Yan's high production quality, the show felt fresh and immersive.
Viewer retention was through the roof.
The fan response on premiere night was overwhelmingly positive.
The next morning, the first episode's rating was revealed: 9.1.
Just barely edging out 'Summer Splendor's' 9.0, it took the #1 spot among summer debuts.
By noon, the viewership ratings were also released.
Sakura TV's 'The Simplest Love!' pulled 4.29%, placing second overall.
But 'Scarlet Love' only scored 2.54%, placing 17th—a surprisingly poor start.
Normally, B-tier dramas from the Big Three stations aim for at least 3%.
Dropping below 2.6% was bad.
And the reason? It wasn't because the show itself was terrible.
The industry quickly caught on—another drama had pulled viewers away.
That's right—
'Your Lie in April', airing in the same time slot, debuted with a stunning 3.69% viewership.
6th place overall.
The Xia Nation entertainment industry, media, and drama fans were all shaken.
Aozora TV breaking into the Top 10 was already rare.
But Top 6?
Last season, the drama in that same time slot on Aozora only got 2.84%, ranking 13th.
"Is Su Yan seriously that influential?"
Even after switching from Sakura TV to Aozora TV—
He still managed to perform this well?
His fans were following him, not the station.
Whether on Sakura or Aozora—it didn't matter.
At Aozora TV's drama division, the staff were ecstatic.
It had been four years since any of their shows cracked the Top 10 on debut—let alone reach 6th.
The team was ready to celebrate with dinner.
Over at the 'Your Lie in April' production set, the mood was euphoric.
Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi finally relaxed.
"Starting from 6th place this season, huh?" Su Yan smiled lightly.
This was officially the strongest opening he'd ever had.
Shen Liqian's 4 million-yuan paycheck was clearly worth it.
Her fans were incredibly loyal.
And of course, Su Yan's own fanbase was no joke either. The combination was what made this possible at Aozora TV.
If he hadn't left Sakura TV—
—with their better marketing resources and higher budget,
'The premiere rating definitely would've broken 4%.'
"Well, it's only the first episode." Su Yan told himself.
'To the Moon' made its comeback in the second half.
And 'Your Lie in April'—whatever happens—
Its late-season impact was sure to be even greater.