'Summer Splendor' hit a new record high in viewership—4.67%.
But this time, the media stayed unusually quiet.
Because the truth was…
If 'Your Lie in April' had aired on any of the Big Three networks, it might have already taken the seasonal crown.
Unfortunately, it was airing on Aozora TV.
Online, 'Your Lie in April's fandom was more cohesive and combative than any other.
The number of trending topics this season even outpaced those of 'Summer Splendor'.
But could Aozora TV really reach this level of viewership?
Or was it truly Su Yan himself—who had earned the trust of the entire nation—that made this possible?
No one could say for sure.
Sunday, 8 PM.
'The Simplest Love!' episode 10 aired first.
But the landscape had changed.
Once that episode wrapped up, online viewers immediately flooded into discussions about the possible developments in the 'Your Lie in April' episode 10.
Everyone knew 'Your Lie in April' would end next week.
But Kaori Miyazono's illness—her life or death—was still a mystery.
Would Su Yan, the "Sadist," go for another tragic ending like always?
Or, for the sake of his new company and future fan support,
Would he finally give us his first-ever happy ending?
That suspense lingered until the clock struck 9 PM,
When episode 10 began.
Wen Zhen closed her laptop and exited the fan war with 'Summer Splendor' fans.
With other shows, she could multitask.
But not 'Your Lie in April'.
She had to give it her full attention.
And the episode opened with an emotional gut punch.
Kaori Miyazono's parents were gathered in the hospital.
A doctor, his face grim, gave them the update.
Her condition was critical.
But surgery offered a shot at survival.
If it succeeded—she'd live.
If it failed—she'd die.
Wen Zhen took a deep breath.
Su Yan, you damn sadist…
You're seriously saving this suspense for the finale?!
In the hospital, Kaori was struggling through rehab exercises, preparing her body for the operation.
She still wanted to play the violin again.
She limped through the corridors on crutches.
"In April, I met a boy—
He cried, discouraged, stumbling through life.
But on the stage, he shone like a constellation.
His life was like the most beautiful melody."
"We made a promise."
Kaori looked up at the doctor before her.
"To perform—together—one more time."
Wen Zhen felt her heart tighten. Her eyes welled with tears.
Kaori had always been terrified of surgery.
If she didn't undergo it, she might still have a few more years left,
gradually losing mobility, before finally succumbing.
But to stand on stage once more with Arima Kousei—
She decided to gamble everything.
"I want to fight. And fight. And fight some more—until the very end. That's my life."
By now, viewers had stopped blaming Su Yan.
There was no point.
Instead, Kaori's unwavering strength in the face of despair
made her shine even brighter in the audience's hearts.
["Teacher Su Yan… you have at least a shred of human kindness left in you, right?"]
Wen Zhen silently prayed.
Meanwhile, Arima Kousei trained obsessively for the upcoming music competition.
He wanted to fulfill Kaori's wish: to see him shining on stage again.
Midway through the episode, he reunited with his old rivals Aiza Takeshi and Emi Igawa.
All three were now competing in the same preliminary round.
As always, the music performance scenes were stunning.
Takeshi's admiration for Kousei,
his burning desire to surpass him—
poured into his performance.
The brilliance of the scene drew in countless casual viewers again.
Tsubaki Sawabe finally let go of her feelings for Kousei.
And Kousei himself overcame the emotional knot in his heart
regarding Kaori's supposed love for Watari Ryota.
"I really, really like Kaori Miyazono."
He confessed to his friend without hesitation.
"Idiot. I knew that."
Watari just smiled gently.
Wen Zhen felt warmth blossom in her chest.
But the next scene crushed it.
The two arrived at the hospital—
just in time to see Kaori being wheeled out of her room, unconscious,
rushed into emergency surgery.
Wen Zhen's heart dropped.
A suffocating sense of dread filled her chest.
No... please don't do this...
But the blow that followed was even worse.
The black cat was introduced back in episode one—
the symbolic character that had silently watched over Arima Kousei—
was struck and killed by a car.
Kousei clutched the lifeless cat in his arms, running desperately to the hospital.
But the vet pronounced it dead.
The episode ended with Kousei burying the cat.
In a park.
Sobbing uncontrollably.
Because he had just received news from the hospital—
Kaori Miyazono had been resuscitated.
The ED theme began playing.
Wen Zhen's hands were clammy with sweat.
["Su Yan… what are you trying to tell us?
Is the cat a metaphor?
Does its death foreshadow Kaori's fate?"]
["Or is this just misdirection?
A fake-out to make us think the worst?"]
She swallowed hard.
Her throat was dry.
She wanted to say something—
But the words wouldn't come.
Even now, the story remained veiled in mystery.
Kaori's fate still rested in the writer's hands.
["You evil, evil sadist.
You'd better show some mercy."]
Wen Zhen growled at her screen as Su Yan—playing Arima Kousei—appeared on screen.
The ED ended.
The episode 11 preview began.
In the midst of a snowy winter,
Kaori collapsed on the ground,
grabbing the hem of Kousei's coat,
her face covered in tears.
"I'm scared... I'm so scared."
"Don't leave me alone!"
The entire preview lasted less than ten seconds.
But Wen Zhen felt her heart physically ache.
It was the first time Kaori cried in front of Kousei.
"He won't leave you.
None of us will."
"Next week—the finale.
Every fan in Xia Nation
will be right here, watching you.
Beat that illness.
Stand up again."
Wen Zhen clenched her fist.
She was fully immersed now.
Unable to sleep after the episode, she opened 'Your Lie in April's RaccoonNet comment section.
And saw the whole page had exploded.
A quick check revealed the cause:
Five minutes earlier, Su Yan had posted a new status from his verified account:
[Next week, the truth behind 'Your Lie in April' will finally be revealed.]
A cryptic message—
But it lit a fire in every 'Your Lie in April' fan's heart.
The show's official page couldn't contain them anymore.
Within minutes, Su Yan's post had tens of thousands of comments:
["Wait—' Your Lie in April'? There's still a hidden lie?"]
["Su Yan, just tell us Kaori doesn't die at the end, please!"]
["When the cat died, I thought it was a metaphor for Kaori's death—but when she survived surgery, I couldn't help crying."]
["Su Yan, you can torment us however you want—but PLEASE give Kaori a happy ending. If you do, I'll forgive every other sad drama you've ever written!"]
["This is the first time I've fallen this hard for a fictional girl. She doesn't deserve to die. Don't do this!"]
["Kaori and Kousei HAVE to perform together again. Make that dream come true!"]
["If you're short on money, just say so. Turn on tipping. Tell us how much it takes to save Kaori—we'll crowdfund it!"]
["Everyone, stay calm. The suspense is still alive. Kaori's surgery will determine everything. Next week, this show will either become legendary—or be universally cursed. It's up to Su Yan now."]
["Three tragedies already—just give us one happy ending, please."]
["Kaori, fight! Kousei, fight! And Su Yan—if you let Kaori die, you're done in this industry!"]
["I live near the Hudu TV film studio. If Kaori dies, I'm waiting for Su Yan after work and chewing him out live on stream—mark my words!"]
["But seriously… doesn't anyone care what the lie in 'Your Lie in April' actually is? What's Su Yan going to reveal?"]
All night, 'Your Lie in April' fans were emotionally devastated.
The tension in episode ten was overwhelming.
Yes, the music performances were phenomenal,
But they were completely overshadowed by the emotional trauma.
Monday morning.
Su Yan, masked and incognito, bought breakfast from a small shop.
Groups of students walked toward school.
Office workers rushed to their jobs.
Even though many people glanced at him—
With no makeup and black-rimmed glasses, no one recognized him.
But everywhere he went, he could hear people talking about 'Your Lie in April'.
Middle schoolers, white-collar workers, even shopkeepers—
So many were catching up on the drama via RaccoonNet on their phones.
At this point, 'Your Lie in April' had become a national sensation.
Many viewers were still behind,
"But before episode 11 airs, they'll catch up. I'm sure of it."
Su Yan exhaled deeply as he entered the filming studio.
Today, the team resumed filming additional footage for the alternate ending.
At noon, the viewership for the 'Your Lie in April' episode 10 was released:
4.69%
This time, 'Your Lie in April' didn't pull a last-minute upset like 'To the Moon' did.
It didn't wait for the final episode to top the charts.
Instead—with the penultimate episode—it officially overtook 'Summer Splendor' in ratings.
By just 0.02%,
It became the most-watched show in Xia Nation this week.
The entire entertainment industry was stunned.
The Big Three networks—Sakura TV, Hudu TV, Zhongxia TV—fell silent.
But everyone knew the truth:
Su Yan had made history.
He'd achieved the impossible.
But in doing so,
He had also offended the three most powerful forces in the Xia Nation's television industry.
This wasn't just about Sakura TV anymore.
Now, all three were on high alert.
All of them were angry.
Because Su Yan's drama aired on Aozora TV,
and it had crushed their top-rated shows.
Who could tolerate that?
Or maybe…
There was another way to look at it.
Su Yan only had a grudge against Sakura TV,
not the other two.
Hudu TV and Zhongxia TV's production departments began to reevaluate.
If Su Yan could collaborate with Aozora TV…
Why not with them, too?