Over the past week, most of the staff at Jin Hui TV had been busy with their own tasks. To them, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' was just a drama whose first episode averaged over 1.0 in ratings, and then… disappeared.
But for the viewers who had watched that first episode, they hadn't stopped thinking about it.
Thanks to word-of-mouth spreading like wildfire, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday's first episode videotapes were being circulated widely across fan communities in Lan Province.
Dedicated fans even created regional groups to exchange and lend out these recordings, just so more people could experience the drama.
This kind of organic hype — where fans voluntarily distribute physical recordings — only happened with high-quality productions. But of course, none of this could be tracked or measured by the station.
But everything changed on Saturday.
StarEye TV — the Game Changer
StarEye TV, headquartered in the financial hub of Magic City, was the top station in the Da Zhou Federation — one of the top three nationwide.
In terms of scale, viewership, influence, and revenue, it completely eclipsed Jin Hui TV.
They'd produced not one, but multiple nationwide mega-hits, each breaking over 10% ratings.
And on this powerhouse channel, there was a particular program:
A weekly New Drama Ranking Segment, evaluating series from smaller TV stations.
They ranked shows based on:
Plot originality
Ratings performance
Popularity of the broadcasting network
The list excluded dramas from mega-stations like StarEye itself. Why?
Because those didn't need the exposure — they already dominated.
Instead, the show focused only on small and mid-tier stations' best works — making it a go-to resource for drama enthusiasts looking for hidden gems.
Much like the media culture in RB (Jing Yu's previous life), which ranked actors and shows based on influence, this segment became a trusted reference — particularly for discerning viewers.
Including shows from StarEye itself would be overkill. How could Jin Hui TV or any other provincial station compete in scale or audience numbers?
And this week, a new drama hit the list:
"My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday"
Sure, the name didn't exactly scream attention-grabber.
But its ranking?
#2 on the weekly chart.
Even more impressive: well-known TV drama critic Huang Bing, a frequent guest on the program, spent a full five minutes — unheard of — talking about it in the show's 30-minute runtime.
"At first glance, the beginning seems pretty standard," Huang Bing said, his face serious as he addressed the camera. "But around the 20-minute mark, something shifts."
"And by 40 minutes, when the core concept is revealed, I'll be honest — I was blown away by the screenwriter's imagination."
"From what I understand, this was an emergency slot drama. Written and produced in just two weeks. Budget? Less than one million yuan. The entire show only features five speaking roles, with the male lead also being the writer. And yet... the result was stunning."
"I've watched hundreds of dramas. It's rare for one to leave me genuinely excited for what happens next. The way episode one ends... It's the kind of cliffhanger that just grabs you."
Viewers' Reactions
After Huang Bing's glowing review, many viewers who hadn't even seen the first episode were intrigued.
"Huh? That actually sounds kind of interesting…"
"Wait, the second episode airs tomorrow at 10 PM? Dang, I was just thinking the plot sounded cool!"
"Perfect — I'll be free tomorrow night."
"Only two episodes? Meh… I didn't even see the first one. I'll wait for a rerun."
"Even though I didn't watch episode one, the critic explained the setting clearly. Plus, the leads look good! I'll give it a shot."
The way Huang Bing summarized the show — akin to how people in Jing Yu's past life watched TikTok plot breakdowns — gave enough of the story to hook new viewers, without overwhelming them.
So even if someone hadn't watched the first episode, they now wanted to see the second.
That Night: Fan Hype and Production Excitement
As soon as the 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' team found out their show was featured on StarEye TV, the group chat with Jing Yu, Liu Neng, Gao Wencang, and Yu Youqing blew up.
Even though it was just a drama recommendation segment, its impact on mid-tier stations was real. It typically boosted ratings by 0.1 to 0.2 — a significant margin.
"The heavens are really helping us now!"
"Actually, it makes sense. A show from a mid-tier station with an average of 0.7 scored a 1.24 on debut? StarEye couldn't ignore that."
"Even White Lover only ranked tenth on this list back when it premiered. I bet Jiang Shiqing and Xu You are livid right now."
"Even a 0.1 bump is huge for us!"
They spammed the group chat, even tagging members of the White Lover team.
Everyone at Jin Hui TV knew how Xu You had tried to bury 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', proposing to push it into the Wednesday midnight slot.
Screw him. Let him choke on this.
Meanwhile… Across Town
Jiang Shiqing, Song Xin, and Xu You sat in heavy silence.
Even StarEye TV had acknowledged 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'.
Frustration simmered. But they could do nothing.
Sunday Night – 8 PM
White Lover, episode 10, aired on schedule.
But in Jin Hui TV's drama viewer group, comments were already veering off-topic:
"This is fine, I guess… but honestly? I'm more hyped for 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday's second episode."
"Same here. Last week's ending had me itching for more."
"Didn't y'all bash Jin Hui TV last week for pausing White Lover? Now you're crying to watch the filler drama? LOL."
"Hey, 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' is just better. What can I say?"
"Ugh, looks like they're making the third female lead win. Not a fan of this direction."
"Well, Song Xin is dating the screenwriter. Of course, they're pushing her up. Childhood friends beating the main girl? Meh."
"The second female lead barely had five minutes of screen time this week. Yikes."
"Honestly? 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' just hits different. Better romance, better leads, way more interesting plot."
"Why fight about it? 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday's episode two is airing at 10 PM. Just wait."
"Bro, I watched the first episode from a recording someone lent me. It's been three days, and I need the next part. I'm dying here."
"Don't expect too much. Fantasy romances like this always collapse at the end. Two people on opposite timelines? You think that'll end well?"
10 PM
The chat died down.
Everyone's attention was locked onto Jin Hui TV.
Not just the viewers from last week — now, a whole new wave of curious onlookers who'd seen the StarEye TV review tuned in as well.
In the monitoring room, Jing Yu, Liu Neng, and Gao Wencang sat glued to the real-time ratings feed.
The screen flashed.
No opening theme.
"My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday – Episode 2"
The title card faded in.
The episode resumed exactly where it had left off.
Shou Aimei's calm, beautiful smile contrasted starkly with Gao Shan's bewildered, pained expression.
Even the background music had changed — a subtle tonal shift that immediately set a more melancholic mood.
Scene: Day 19 of their relationship.
The couple is at an amusement park again. But this time…
Though Aimei is still smiling, Gao Shan can't smile anymore.
"Aimei… do we have to follow what's in the diary?"
"Why… would you say that?"
"Because… it hurts."
"Everything we've done together, all the time we've spent… this version of you doesn't remember any of it."
Gao Shan is breaking.
The woman in front of him — she's Shou Aimei…
But also not.
Every moment they've shared — their first time holding hands, their first kiss, the night of day 15 — she has no memory of any of it.
To her, it hasn't happened yet.
At home, Cheng Jing, who had been snacking absentmindedly, had now stopped entirely.
She stared at the screen, heart aching.
She realized something.
Is the Aimei that Gao Shan loves... still the one in front of him?
If someone has none of the memories, none of the shared time... are they still the same person?
It was like that philosophical question:
If you replaced every part of a car, one by one, would it still be the same car?
This wasn't just a love story — it was an emotional paradox.
And the music?
It was heartbreak in audio form.
Cheng Jing could feel her mood sinking deeper as the story continued.
This kind of love... is terrifying.