At the end of Episode 10,
Nagao ran back to his hometown in Ehime.
There, he searched everywhere for traces of Rika's presence, retracing all the interesting places in his hometown that he had once told Rika about.
But he found nothing.
["Go to your school! The reason Rika wanted to come to your hometown is that you talked about that school! How can you be this dumb?!"] Xia Ting was about to explode with anger.
Thankfully, the plot didn't drag on. Soon enough, Nagao remembered that point.
He went to his old school.
He stood before the wooden pillar where he had carved his name when he graduated.
At that moment, Xia Ting's fingers trembled.
Rika was not there.
But beside the name "Nagao Kanji" that Nagao had once carved—
There was a fresh new carving.
Another name.
"Akana Rika."
The ending theme began to play.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Xia Ting's face.
She truly couldn't withstand the impact of that scene.
Nagao really didn't deserve Rika's devotion.
But Rika's persistence in love—her struggle, her refusal to let go—moved her deeply.
At this moment, Xia Ting's affection and pity for Rika had far surpassed her dislike for Nagao and Satomi.
Her mindset changed.
As long as Rika could be happy, as long as she wouldn't be heartbroken—what did it matter if Nagao wasn't worthy of her?
Su Yan, you old thief.
You still have a chance to fix this.
Even if Nagao is an idiot—
As long as he comes to his senses in Episode 11, as long as the prodigal son turns back, we fans can forgive him for Rika's sake.
This is your last chance to win back us, 'Tokyo Love Story' fans.
After Episode 10 aired,
The fans of 'Tokyo Love Story' were no longer in an uproar.
That final scene devastated countless viewers.
The closing shot—"Nagao Kanji" and "Akana Rika" carved side by side on the pillar—made Rika's fans lose the urge to curse Nagao.
No matter how irritating the male lead was to watch,
He was still the man Rika loved.
Maybe Rika had bad taste in men—but so what? As long as she was happy.
["Nagao, explode in the next episode already!"]
["Su Yan, you've played this cowardly male lead for over ten episodes. Don't you want to give him at least one shining moment?"]
["Please, Episode 11—make me see him in a new light just once!"]
["Satomi, just die!"]
["I've never felt this way about a drama heroine before."]
["Sigh… I was fine before, but when I saw their two names carved on that pillar, I completely broke down. Rika had already been dumped, and she still came here alone to carve her name. How heartbroken must she be?"]
["I've been through a breakup. I understand that feeling. She just couldn't accept it."]
["Why didn't she fall for Kenichi instead?! I honestly think she and Kenichi have the best chemistry."]
["Kenichi is the only true god-tier male lead in this drama! Sure, he's a playboy, but he's ten times better than Nagao!"]
["In the next episode, I just want to see Nagao turn back. Not because I forgive him—but because I don't want the heroine to be sad anymore. My heart is shattered watching this."]
["Suddenly, there's this hollow feeling rising in my chest. I'm kind of scared Episode 11 of 'Tokyo Love Story' will stab us again."]
["This is unbearable. If Nagao had even one-tenth of Kenshin's resolve, this drama wouldn't be this tangled."]
["If he had one-tenth of Kenshin's resolve, the show would've ended in Episode 1. When Kenshin loves someone, it's absolute and unwavering. He'd never hesitate like Nagao."]
["Same screenwriter. Same actor. Yet the viewing experience is worlds apart… I can only say—is Su Yan's acting just that good? Or has his script style changed that drastically over the years?"]
["Sigh… don't mention 'Rurouni Kenshin' anymore. That drama is a lifelong pain in my heart!"]
["Su Yan, this week—you have one last chance."]
["If Episode 11 doesn't satisfy us, we're collectively boycotting 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' in April."]
As before,
In a single night, the media and Su Yan's fans mobilized together. Reports, articles, and forum posts flooded the internet.
The popularity of 'Tokyo Love Story' reached its highest point since its premiere.
At Zhongxia TV, employees had already sensed something unusual.
Though the exact ratings data hadn't been officially compiled yet, insiders always caught wind of things.
It seemed that last night's ratings for 'Tokyo Love Story' were absurdly high.
At noon,
Zhongxia TV officially announced the ratings for Episode 10 of 'Tokyo Love Story'.
5.75%.
When that number appeared, many professionals in the television industry could only let out long sighs.
"Monster."
"Absurd."
"Genius."
These words had been used on Su Yan far too many times before.
Now, seeing such numbers, people didn't even know how to describe them anymore.
Was Su Yan's goal no longer just to dominate the Xia Nation's ratings over the past five years?
As everyone knew, in earlier eras, television ratings were far more exaggerated.
Take Su Yan's previous life in China—before the 2000s, dramas with 20% or even 30% ratings weren't unheard of. The Four Great Classical Novels adaptations all had astonishingly high ratings. Back then, audiences had fewer entertainment options, and there were fewer TV stations to split viewership.
But after 2000—especially after 2020—
With the internet siphoning audiences away, even a 2% rating was considered solid.
That didn't mean those works lacked influence; distribution channels had diversified, and popularity spread even more easily.
The same logic applied to the Xia Nation.
Yet Su Yan's drama had now surpassed even 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' in ratings. That was outrageous.
Who said Su Yan couldn't do traditional romance dramas?
This quarter, 'Tokyo Love Story' slapped countless faces.
From its premiere until now, controversy never ceased. Characters were constantly cursed.
And yet its ratings kept climbing to new highs.
Meanwhile, the other two of the "Big Three" networks—Sakura TV and Hudu TV—
Haven't you two been slacking off long enough?
Zhongxia TV was relying on Su Yan alone to grind both of you into the dirt.
Once or twice might be fine.
But if this continued—
Would they still be called the "Big Three"?
Or would it become one dominant giant and two trailing powers?
The media mocked relentlessly.
Fans of 'Tokyo Love Story' engaged in feverish discussion.
And the drama's ratings—far beyond expectations—
Pushed Episode 11 onto the edge of a storm.
Su Yan, Shinozaki Ikumi, Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan, and the others were all preparing for the upcoming productions of 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' and '5 Centimeters per Second'.
Aside from Su Yan himself, the others felt their hearts lodged in their throats.
'Tokyo Love Story' had reached unprecedented heights in popularity.
If it could deliver a satisfying ending,
It would undoubtedly become a milestone in the Xia Nation's television history.
Ten or twenty years from now, when people discussed representative romance dramas, no one would ignore 'Tokyo Love Story'.
But that was only if—
Its ending didn't collapse in reputation.
Even if there was a 'What IF' ending, what if the audience emotionally broke down the moment the main ending aired?
Monday. Su Yan's residence.
"It's finally come to this," Su Yan muttered as he browsed online comments and media coverage about 'Tokyo Love Story'.
The ending segment of Episode 11 would include previews for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' and the IF-line of 'Tokyo Love Story'.
What status would this drama ultimately hold in the Xia Nation's reputation—
The answer would be revealed in just a few days.
Su Yan let out a long breath. He had done everything he could.
The final result now depended solely on the audience's support.
Those who shouted about dropping the show—
How many would truly follow through this week?
A new week began.
Another big-budget drama that premiered this quarter, 'Blood Route', saw its Episode 10 ratings fall to 4.85%.
Like 'Tokyo Love Story', it also concluded at eleven episodes.
Its Friday night finale achieved 4.91%.
An excellent closing performance.
After all, it wasn't an S-tier production—that result was more than respectable.
Yet the 'Blood Route' production team didn't even feel like holding a celebration banquet.
After its finale, media coverage was perfunctory at best. Everyone's attention was elsewhere.
📰Episode 10 of 'Tokyo Love Story' breaks 5.7% ratings—can its finale set a new record?
📰The strongest god-tier drama of the year. 'Tokyo Love Story' slightly surpasses 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'.
📰The year's ratings champion and runner-up are confirmed—'Tokyo Love Story' and 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' will cement Su Yan's industry status!
📰Su Yan's fans stop cursing him this week, instead praying for a miracle in the finale of 'Tokyo Love Story'.
📰Fans pray for Nagao Kanji's redemption in Episode 11—but a scumbag is still a scumbag. Even if he chooses Rika to spare her pain, can someone this indecisive and hypocritical truly make her happy?
📰'Tokyo Love Story' airs its final episode this Sunday. No matter the ending, it will achieve the best ratings performance of Xia Nation's television industry this year!
Amid media praise, criticism, and hype,
Sunday arrived.
The final moment of 'Tokyo Love Story'.
The finale episode was about to air.