After 'Your Lie in April' climbed to third place in the weekly ratings, a wave of casual viewers began to check it out—just like what happened with 'To the Moon' in its later episodes.
Most viewers have limited time.
But for seasoned drama fans, shows in the top three for the season are always worth at least a look.
And the moment 'Your Lie in April' broke into the top three, it no longer mattered which network it aired on. Viewers across Xia Nation started flocking to it.
A drama airing on Aozora TV could hit this level? That alone was proof of exceptional quality.
On RaccoonNet, 'Your Lie in April's average paid views per episode surged past 'Summer Splendor', climbing to over 8 million.
Much of what Su Yan had been quietly thinking—Xia Nation's media had already said for him:
📰"Zhongxia TV's two A-tier dramas have already been surpassed by 'Your Lie in April'. Next, is Su Yan aiming to overtake 'The Simplest Love!' and 'Summer Splendor'?"
📰"After six years, a drama outside the Big Three has returned to the top three in ratings. Su Yan, leaving Sakura TV, didn't crash and burn as many mocked—but instead landed a slap in the face to the Big Three."
📰"'Your Lie in April', a touching drama blending romance and music, along with 'To the Moon', is the most emotionally resonant drama of the year so far, in the author's opinion."
📰"The difference between genius and mediocrity lies in a spark of soul! The plot of 'Your Lie in April' isn't complicated—school, romance, music—common elements, yet in Su Yan's hands, it delivers overwhelming emotional impact."
📰"Multiple figures in the music industry have praised the show's musical quality. Some even said that Su Yan's performance level is among the top in Xia Nation's music scene."
📰"A 21-year-old boy—how can someone so young know so much? Even the male lead, Arima Kousei, seems to pale in comparison to Su Yan in the real world."
📰"Su Yan's miracle continues. Will 'Your Lie in April' repeat the glory of 'To the Moon' and top the summer season?"
Morning.
Su Yan scrolled through countless articles praising him to the skies and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
He went downstairs to grab breakfast from a local shop, only to be recognized again by fans asking for autographs and photos.
After a bit of chaos, he finally escaped the crowd and drove through the streets of Hudu.
"I really need to buy a place soon. Living in a regular apartment complex makes it too easy to get recognized. And this car... ugh. It's so old and uncomfortable. Time to upgrade."
He had thought that countless times on his way to the set.
But now, with 'Your Lie in April's success, there was no longer any need for modesty.
Several overseas TV stations had already reached out to Su Yan's company to discuss licensing rights.
Of course, those million-yuan licensing fees were just the tip of the iceberg.
In the streaming age, revenue from online platforms has replaced old DVD sales and rentals.
That's where the real profits came from.
On RaccoonNet, 'Your Lie in April's average paid views had surpassed 8 million.
Even if that number didn't increase from this point, once Episode 11 aired—combining streaming splits, embedded ads, and Aozora TV's broadcast licensing fee—'Your Lie in April' was projected to earn over 60 million yuan.
With a production cost of just 20 million, the return on investment was insane.
That's how the TV industry worked.
When a drama flops, it can bankrupt its investors, directors, and writers.
But when it hits big? Financial freedom comes instantly.
Su Yan parked outside the set, wearing a confident expression.
"Next drama, I won't have to scrape together money again."
He always arrived early. Shinozaki Ikumi wasn't far behind.
Soon enough, she came in, flipping through documents. Su Yan quickly called out to her.
"Still haven't eaten, right?"
"Yep. Skipped on purpose. I was waiting for you to bring me breakfast." She grinned when she saw the bag of youtiao and buns. "This place near your house is dangerously good. I've eaten it for days and haven't gotten tired of it."
She took the food with a smile and began eating.
"Su Yan, you're sure you're not changing 'Your Lie in April's ending, right?"
While reviewing the day's shooting schedule, she asked with her cheeks slightly puffed from chewing.
"Mm, not changing it." Su Yan nodded.
"This ending is exactly what makes it unforgettable."
They had already spent over half an hour debating this the night she read the script for Episode 11.
"I get it. All your past dramas have had tragic endings—and they've done well. Based on that, your fans will probably accept this one too. As a producer, I shouldn't interfere with your script. But…"
She gulped down a big bite of youtiao with some water and let out a breath.
"But... shouldn't you at least give your fans some hope? Sure, a lot of people love tearjerkers—your ratings prove that."
"But just as many don't like being emotionally wrecked. If you write four consecutive tragedies, your reputation among drama fans will become fixed. Anyone who prefers wholesome love stories will avoid your name completely. No matter how high your ratings go or how good the reviews are, they'll never watch your shows."
She looked straight at him.
"For a genius writer like you, that's not a good thing. If you want to stand at the top of the screenwriting world, you can't afford to give up on any segment of your audience."
Su Yan paused.
That... actually made sense.
He had felt it himself.
In his past life, Gen Urobuchi had the same issue. Friends who preferred happy endings would immediately turn away the moment they saw his name—no matter how critically acclaimed his works were.
"I was thinking..." Shinozaki Ikumi continued. "Maybe you really do lean toward tragedies in your creative style. But if you write ten of them, shouldn't you at least give us one happy ending? Just one... to keep the audience guessing."
She smiled at him.
"Of course, it's just a suggestion. Up to you whether you take it."
I mean, I like tearjerkers too... but still! The system keeps giving me these tragic scripts—I don't even get a choice! Su Yan grumbled inwardly, but he was wavering.
After all, part of what made 'Your Lie in April' such a massive hit in his past life was the tragic ending.
Change it too much, and the emotional impact might be lost.
Still… Shinozaki Ikumi wasn't wrong.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Alright. For Aozora TV's broadcast version, we'll stick to the original script."
She looked up.
"But we'll also shoot an alternate ending—where Kaori's surgery succeeds, and she survives. We'll release that exclusively on Raccoon Streaming, one week later, as a separate 'if' route—a parallel world ending. Anyone who prefers a happy ending can just treat that one as the canon ending."
In Su Yan's past life, plenty of shows and films had done similar things.
Like 'The Butterfly Effect'—which had multiple endings, but only those who bought the DVD or watched it on streaming platforms got to see them.
Or 'SPL'—in the Mainland China theatrical release, the male lead lived.
But in Hong Kong and Taiwan, he died in a fall.
The industry was full of tricks like that, both in Xia Nation and abroad.
For 'Your Lie in April', the only major divergence between tragedy and healing was Kaori's surgery outcome.
The broadcast ending would be the official, "canon" one.
But those who couldn't accept it could find comfort in the streaming-only parallel ending.
He'd clearly label it as an "if" ending to avoid confusion.
"Yes! That's it!" Shinozaki Ikumi beamed.
"A parallel world ending? You're a genius! Honestly, you should have done this with 'Rurouni Kenshin' or 'An Ancient Love Song'!"
"That wouldn't work. In 'Rurouni Kenshin', Yukishiro Tomoe's death was essential for Kenshin's growth. In 'An Ancient Love Song', history was unchangeable—doing a what-if ending would have broken the setting. But with 'Your Lie in April'? It's totally feasible. Whether Kaori survives depends on the success of her surgery. Swap in a different surgeon, and the result changes without affecting the core narrative. Arima's life was already changed by her—her survival isn't necessary for his arc."
"Okay, but why are you so hyped all of a sudden?"
"Because I'm at my limit too!" Shinozaki Ikumi sighed dramatically. "I'm your number one fan in Xia Nation—and even I am breaking. If you keep writing this kind of emotional torture, I won't be able to watch your dramas anymore!"
"Teacher Su Yan, Producer Shinozaki."
Shen Liqian arrived at the set, carrying a well-prepared meal box for both of them.
Her manager had told her clearly: win over Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi with small, thoughtful gestures.
Now that filming was nearing its end, she wasn't going to waste this opportunity if she wanted to work with Su Yan again.
"I made too much breakfast this morning, so I brought you both some," she said with a soft smile.
"What are you two chatting about so seriously?"
"Just some production stuff. Thank you, Shen Liqian."
As an adult male, Su Yan had no problem eating two breakfasts.
Only Shinozaki Ikumi looked like she was suffering.
How am I supposed to eat all this?! I'm already full!
"You're welcome," Shen Liqian replied, still smiling as she walked off to the makeup room.
A short while later, Gu Qingyuan also walked in—carrying breakfast.
Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi exchanged glances.
Here we go...
"Sister Ikumi, Su Yan—I brought you breakfast," Gu Qingyuan said sweetly, noticing the meal boxes in their hands but showing zero awkwardness.
A pro actor never lets embarrassment show on their face.
She simply ignored it and handed over her food like it was completely normal.
"Perfect timing—I'm starving," Su Yan said with an equally flawless performance.
"Same here," Shinozaki Ikumi added, forcing a stiff smile.
A few days later, Sunday arrived.
'Summer Splendor' Episode 6 aired on Friday, pulling in a 4.58% rating.
'The Hopeful' and 'Single Men & Women' scored 4.21% and 4.29%, respectively.
Zhongxia TV threw everything they had into boosting ratings this week, trying to recover from last week's defeat by 'Your Lie in April'.
But even so, 'The Hopeful' still failed to surpass 'Your Lie in April's previous 4.33% performance in Episode 5.
Unless 'Your Lie in April' had major flaws this week…
There was no way its Episode 6 ratings would drop.
But compared to Zhongxia TV—
The one really suffering was Sakura TV.
Last week, 'The Simplest Love!' Episode 6 scored 4.43%—
Exactly 0.1% higher than 'Your Lie in April'.
At this point, Sakura TV's production director, Akasaka Yoshitoki, could no longer maintain a composed front.
If 'Your Lie in April', written by Su Yan and starring Shen Liqian, overtook 'The Simplest Love!'—
That humiliation would follow him for life.
What authority would he even have left?
Sunday afternoon, Akasaka Yoshitoki stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, fists clenched.
He couldn't believe it.
After climbing so high in the industry—
He was still feeling this kind of pressure… from a young writer.