During the autumn broadcast season, the Big Three networks launched a total of five A-grade dramas simultaneously.
Compared to the summer season, ratings improved—
After all, the humiliation dealt by 'Your Lie in April' had been too much. The production departments of all three networks had been given a death order: "This quarter, we must deliver results."
Their streaming platforms also went all in with promotions, pushing the hype to the max.
In this environment, Hudu TV's fantasy drama 'The White Deer in the Forest'—with a 47-million budget—reached a peak viewership of 4.79% during Episode 7, just barely surpassing 'Your Lie in April's 4.78%.
However, the very next week, in Episode 8, ratings dropped to 4.5%, and audience feedback took a hit.
The reason? A major plot twist destroyed a beloved character's arc.
The show's rating fell from 9.0 to 8.5.
This kind of thing wasn't uncommon—shows often peaked mid-season and then crashed. Typically, it happened because the writers lost control of the narrative.
In the beginning, they dug tons of plot holes, building tension and expectations. But in the end, unable to resolve them cleverly, they resorted to deus ex machina or dumbing down the villain—moves that always annoyed viewers.
Still, a 4.79% rating in Episode 7 was real.
Which meant: the year's highest-rated drama was no longer 'Your Lie in April'.*
The Big Three networks collectively breathed a sigh of relief and stopped pushing their teams so hard.
That was enough.
Although in terms of word-of-mouth, influence, and impact, 'White Deer in the Forest' was far below 'Your Lie in April', the Big Three controlled the industry narrative.
They launched an all-out PR campaign, flooding the media with praise and pushing 'White Deer' as the "TV King of the Year," trying to minimize the lingering power of 'Your Lie in April'.
But viewers? They weren't so easily fooled.
If you ranked the best dramas of the year based on actual audience reception,
Then 'To the Moon' and 'Your Lie in April' would undoubtedly make the Top 3.
December arrived, and with it, the end of the autumn season.
Thanks to heavy investments in marketing, many of the autumn dramas pulled in solid broadcast ratings.
But their online performance? Brutal.
Average paid view counts hovered at 5 to 6 million per episode, and review scores were low.
Fast-food dramas didn't inspire second viewings.
No one was paying to rewatch them online.
By early December, audiences had already shifted their attention to the upcoming winter season.
At the top of the anticipation rankings?
Sakura TV's sequel to a beloved romantic classic from three years ago:
'Rain in Hudu: The Sequel'.
The original had premiered with a 4.23% rating and concluded at 4.91%, with a review score of 9.2—an absolute standout among romance dramas in recent years.
With a built-in fanbase and two top-tier stars returning as leads, it made perfect sense that this sequel ranked #1 in viewer anticipation.
And second place?
Su Yan's 'Life Is Strange'.
Most viewers didn't even know what kind of story it told.
But when you see these names on the credits:
[Screenwriter: Su Yan
Female Lead: Gu Qingyuan
Second Lead: Shen Liqian
Director: Shi Peihua
Producer: Shinozaki Ikumi]
…And remember they worked together on 'Your Lie in April', 'To the Moon', 'Rurouni Kenshin', and 'An Ancient Love Song'?
Confidence comes naturally.
Third place on the list went to Zhongxia TV's 45-million A-grade youth drama 'The Mystery of Time'.
From the trailers, Su Yan felt it resembled 'Hyouka' from his past life—sprinkled with mystery and a little suspense.
The cast was star-studded, with the female lead played by top pop singer Fu Jingyun, bringing along her massive fanbase.
Fourth place: Hudu TV's war drama 'Blazing Sun', based on a pivotal historical battle.
So, the winter season would see the debut of four A-grade dramas, each with:
Big budgets
Strong casts
Carefully selected genres
And, above all, the full attention of the Big Three networks
The air was tense. The industry could feel it.
["The Big Three aren't taking any chances—they're going all out to stop Su Yan and Aozora TV from winning again!"]
["Can you blame them? If Su Yan airs on a Big Three channel, the other two will target him. If he sticks with Aozora? Then all three will come for him."]
["Xia Nation's drama scene doesn't allow a guy like Su Yan to exist unchecked. He helped Aozora TV break the Big Three's 10+ year monopoly—that's not something they'll forgive easily."]
["But that's a good thing. Su Yan's like the catfish that keeps the other fish swimming. Before he came around, the Big Three fed us garbage dramas just to cash in on ad revenue. Now? They're scared. They're competing again."]
["We've got three S-grade dramas lined up for 'Your Lie in April'. That hasn't happened in years."]
["But let's not skip ahead—January's looking great too. These four winter dramas are top-tier in production and cast. Especially the sequel to Rain in Hudu—can it surpass the original?"]
["Hard to say. Rain in Hudu was a complete story. I bet Sakura TV only greenlit this sequel because they felt threatened by Su Yan. I just hope they don't ruin the legacy."]
["All comes down to the screenwriter. If 'Your Lie in April' had a Season 2, no one would doubt it'd still be good. Su Yan had four dramas with 9.0+ ratings. Meanwhile, Rain in Hudu's screenwriter, Sun Xiang, has had a rough two years… even I'm worried."]
["Anyway—I'm Team Su Yan. Hoping 'Life Is Strange' snatches another seasonal crown!"]
["Let's not get carried away. 'Your Lie in April' was a miracle—it's not something that happens every time. We all respect Su Yan, but it's unrealistic to expect every show to outperform 'Your Lie in April'. Still, if 'Life Is Strange' can just win in reviews, that's a big win."]
Even though the autumn season hadn't officially ended,
Public focus had already shifted to winter premieres.
Inside the 'Life Is Strange' production crew, Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi—both company executives—were very in tune with the winds of change.
Shinozaki had her brows furrowed as she studied the upcoming quarter's landscape.
"Just over two weeks until we premiere," she said, voice a mix of excitement and nerves.
"This is our fifth production together," Su Yan laughed. "Still this nervous?"
"Easy to go from poor to rich. Hard to go back," she sighed. " 'Your Lie in April' was the Season Champion. If Life Is Strange doesn't match that, I'll feel like we're slipping."
"And a Season Crown doesn't come easy—especially on Aozora TV."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice low.
"What if 'Your Lie in April' was a once-in-a-lifetime miracle? What if your fans aren't interested since you're not in it? Even if they are, the romance element is basically non-existent. That's way off-brand for you. What if…"
Su Yan stood and cut her off.
He walked to the window and drew the curtains open, letting sunlight flood the room.
"Are you scared?"
Shinozaki froze, then slowly nodded.
"…A little."
"Do you think Akasaka Yoshitoki and the crews behind the three rival A-grade dramas aren't scared too?" Su Yan asked, smiling.
"I don't even need insider info to tell you—the Big Three have probably told the 'Rain in Hudu. Sequel', 'Blazing Sun', and 'The Mystery of Time' team the same thing."
"Their bottom line: Do. Not. Lose. To. 'Life Is Strange'."
Shinozaki was stunned.
"So the real pressure isn't on us—it's on them."
"You're way too confident," she laughed, her tone softening.
"You're afraid that if you lose once, you might never get the chance to win again," Su Yan said quietly.
"But I'm different."
"Even if I lose—"
He turned to her.
"I'll just come back stronger and win next time."
Su Yan didn't blindly trust every script he drew from the system.
But he did believe that no studio, producer, or network in this world could match the creative power of the works he'd brought from an entire other reality.
He always aimed for #1, sure.
But if something flopped due to cultural mismatch or fierce competition, he could live with it.
So far, though, that hadn't happened.
In a blink, mid-December arrived.
'Life Is Strange' had reached Episode 4 in filming.
As Su Yan finished writing each new episode, Gu Qingyuan and Shen Liqian gradually came to understand the story's deeper layers.
Its premise was eerily similar to 'Steins;Gate' from Su Yan's past life.
One day, the main character Max discovers she can rewind time.
By concentrating, she can return to a moment just a few minutes earlier.
Her first use of the power?
Saving her long-lost childhood friend— Chloe.
But this rescue pulls them both into a deeper mystery:
A murder case that's shaken their small town.
The main plot:
Max uses her power to alter people's fates and solve the murder.
But the more she changes the timeline,
The more the world fights back.
She faces two choices:
Let the town suffer the consequences of her timeline interference.
Or—reverse everything she changed, one by one.
Including the very first change—letting Chloe die.
Unlike 'Steins;Gate', there was no "deceive the world" route.
In 'Life Is Strange', no matter what ending you choose—
It's a tragedy.
In Su Yan's past world, moral dilemmas like this were common:
"Would you sacrifice one person to save a thousand?"
And of course, that "one person" is always someone you love.
While the thousand? Total strangers.
In this drama, Max must face exactly that question.
Although Gu Qingyuan and Shen Liqian didn't know the ending yet, they could sense something was off during filming.
One scene in particular stood out—
Max gently kisses Chloe.
They were professionals. It didn't bother them.
But still…
Was Su Yan about to go completely wild with this story?