"I object."
Chu You, who usually appeared calm and amiable with his narrow eyes and polite demeanor, was in fact the most domineering and vocal among the production department's three heads when it came down to real authority.
He looked straight at Xu You, the corners of his lips curling into a cold smile.
"How can the station change its decisions on a whim? You're the one who said the show would be paused for two weeks. Now you want to cut it down to one? Your production team ran into trouble, and we all covered for you — that's one thing. But now you're treating the entire TV station like it's your personal property?"
Minister Shi Teng raised a brow but didn't speak yet. He glanced at Xu You thoughtfully.
The production department was notorious for internal drama. And while he was the department head, all three of his deputies were heavyweights in their own right. Better to let them argue first and then make a decision.
"That's exactly why I'm proposing to bring White Lover back one week early," Xu You replied, his tone suddenly warm and friendly.
"White Lover is a major investment for the station. We poured a fortune into its pre-release promotion. A long hiatus would severely damage its performance. Shortening the break is in the best interest of the show — and the station."
Shi Teng gave a slight nod at that.
Chu You could clearly see through Xu You's intentions — and so could Shi Teng. But in cases like this, a self-serving proposal could still align with the station's best interests. That made things... tricky.
It was just like in web novels back in Jing Yu's previous life — if a story went on hiatus for two weeks, readers would forget it existed. TV dramas weren't much different. Sure, White Lover had been averaging a rating of 1.38, but that wasn't a bulletproof guarantee. If the break dragged on too long, viewership might tank once it resumed.
You're just scared that White Lover is going to get outperformed by 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'. Old bastard, what's with the excuses?
Chu You's eyelids twitched. Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. Xu You was framing his argument as being in the station's best interests — if Chu You started attacking on personal grounds, it would make him look petty. Xu You would win on the moral high ground.
"But 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' is also doing really well," Chu You argued. "Its first episode had a peak rating of 1.24, and the average was over 1. That's not something you just dismiss."
"Exactly, Director Chu," Xu You responded with a smile. "That's all the more reason to bring White Lover back as soon as possible! The fact that 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' managed to score over 1 in White Lover's time slot only proves how much of that success was due to White Lover's loyal viewer base."
What?
Chu You's blood pressure shot up. So what he was saying was that 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday's success was purely because White Lover's audience didn't know it was on break and tuned in out of habit?
Bullshit!
Everyone here had been in the industry long enough to know how viewer retention worked. Just because you aired something in the same slot didn't mean viewers would stick around for it — especially for a short stopgap drama.
"Sure, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' has some potential," Xu You continued, pretending to be objective. "But it's still just a short-term drama. It doesn't bring much long-term value to the station. And as for that 1.0 rating? Well, let's be honest — you could slot any show into that prime-time Sunday slot and probably break 1."
He glanced around the room.
"Don't you all agree?"
The other producers remained silent.
Who'd admit at this moment that their own shows wouldn't have done as well?
Truthfully, Xu You hadn't slept well the night before. The thought that such a strong competitor had only come about because of his mistake was eating at him. That morning, he'd spoken with Jiang Shiqing on the phone. After a quick discussion, they'd come up with this plan.
Yes, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' had broken an average of 1.0 and peaked at 1.24. It hadn't yet overtaken White Lover — but no one knew what would happen after episode two. And if White Lover wanted to hold onto the title of Jin Hui TV's top-rated drama of the year, they couldn't take that risk.
"Director Xu," Chu You said through gritted teeth, trying to contain his frustration. "Ratings are determined by content quality. 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' didn't start strong — it gained traction over time. That's proof that its success wasn't due to time slots or luck, but because the show itself is good."
The argument between the two escalated. Within minutes, both men were red in the face, temples throbbing, exchanging sharp glares.
"Enough. You've both made your points," Shi Teng said, tapping his finger on the table.
He looked at Xu You and paused thoughtfully before speaking.
"White Lover is indeed a major investment with impressive results. If it can return to the air early, that would be ideal."
Chu You's expression immediately changed.
"'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' was created as a stopgap for White Lover," Shi Teng continued. "Now that the fire's out, it no longer has a role. That's the natural logic."
"Minister, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday's ratings were outstanding. We can't treat it like just another filler drama," Chu You quickly countered.
"Let me finish," Shi Teng said, giving Chu You a glance.
"Yes, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' had a strong first episode. And once you start something, you should finish it. Millions watched the premiere. If we don't air episode two, it will hurt the station's reputation."
"But its success came from inheriting White Lover's audience," Xu You insisted. "It's not representative of the show's own strength."
Everyone knew what Xu You was really trying to do. Even Shi Teng could see it. But so what?
The three department heads all had their own connections in upper management. Even Shi Teng couldn't afford to offend them too heavily. 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' was a short drama with a budget of under a million and only two episodes. Even if it had a strong debut, how much profit could it bring?
Compared to White Lover, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' was insignificant.
And all Xu You was asking for was to reclaim White Lover's original time slot. It wasn't exactly an unreasonable request.
Chu You opened his mouth to say more, but Shi Teng gave him a warning look. He paused and waited for the minister to speak again.
"Indeed," Shi Teng said slowly. "Getting White Lover back on air is a good thing. The station hopes it can break new records."
"But since we started airing 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', we can't leave it unfinished. What about its second episode?"
He passed the problem back to Xu You.
"In cases where a show flops — low ratings, terrible reviews — no one complains if it's quietly dropped. That's why we do rolling production and adjust based on audience feedback. If a drama bombs, we can wrap it up in one or two weeks to avoid further losses."
"But 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' clearly doesn't fall into that category. Maybe it did inherit some viewers from White Lover, but that's impossible to quantify. What we do know is that audience complaints have been minimal. There's no justification to drop it now. Episode two must be aired."
"…How about airing episode two in the Wednesday late-night slot?" Xu You suggested, sensing something was off but still trying.
The Wednesday late-night slot — the graveyard of all graveyard slots.
Get lost.
Chu You was about to protest when Shi Teng's gaze stopped him again.
"That wouldn't be appropriate," Shi Teng said. "Here's what we'll do: Sunday at 8 PM, we return the slot to White Lover. But the 10 PM variety show that usually follows will be canceled for the week. That hour will go to episode two of 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'. Li Mu, do you agree?"
Li Mu — the producer responsible for the canceled variety show — forced a bitter smile.
"No… no objections."
What could he say?
In today's TV landscape, variety shows and singing contests already play second fiddle to dramas. Actors held a higher status than idols or singers, much like how things were in the Korean entertainment industry from Jing Yu's past life.
There weren't many brain-dead stans in Dazhou.
If Shi Teng asked him to give up a week of airtime, he had no choice but to comply.
Xu You's expression shifted subtly.