January 7th, Friday.
As the calendar turned to January, various TV stations across the country began airing their new dramas. Naturally, the shows on major networks like Xingtong attracted national attention—after all, they were a guarantee of quality.
But for regional broadcasters like Jinhui TV, thanks to years of local promotion and strong grassroots appeal, their programs maintained a solid following within their provinces.
Although Jinhui TV was clearly prioritizing its promotional resources on Dangerous Lovers, the residual popularity of 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' still lingered. The moment Jing Yu and Yu Youqing's faces appeared in trailers, they immediately captured the attention of TV drama fans across Lan Province.
The trailer itself was compelling enough—and with the lasting emotional impact 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' had left on its audience, having the same lead pair again only amplified curiosity.
During the daytime, seasoned TV fans were already active in discussion groups:
"Among the four biggest TV stations in Lan Province, 'Your Lie in April' is definitely the one I'm most looking forward to."
"Just seeing these two leads again reminds me of Shou Aimei and Gao Shan… my heart still hurts."
"Seriously, why does Jinhui TV always push those low-tier dramas? Haven't they realized that middle-aged-aunt idol romance dramas are out of fashion? That Dangerous Lovers one looks cliché as hell—other than casting a famous actress, the trailer screams formulaic."
"Speak for yourself. I liked 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', but I also enjoyed White Lovers. I'm looking forward to both writers' new works."
"Personally, I think all four major TV stations in Lan Province are losing their edge. If things keep going like this, they'll bleed viewers to the national networks."
"That's a stretch. At least local TV has cheaper subscription rates than the big national stations, and their shows are more grounded. Take Shuimeng TV, for example—some of their dramas are entirely in the Lan dialect with tons of local in-jokes. My grandparents love that stuff. They say national TV dramas are boring."
"Why overthink it? Let's just wait and see how 'Your Lie in April' performs tonight. 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' was really touching. Now it's time to see if this Jing Yu guy can deliver again."
"Just don't make it another tearjerker. Anything but that."
"It's a school romance, what are you expecting? You think it's a war drama or something? You saw the trailer: music, school life, romance—how could that possibly be depressing?"
"True! But now that you mention it… I kind of hope it is emotional. 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' left me feeling a little hollow, but it was memorable. Romantic comedies are fun and all, but after a while, they start to feel the same."
"You're a masochist, bro. I recommend finding a girlfriend and buying yourself some candles and a whip. Drama chasing isn't for you."
That evening, Tian Xin sat properly in front of the TV, lazily scrolling through a film discussion group on her phone.
In an era where online games and streaming hadn't fully taken over, TV dramas were still the go-to form of entertainment.
'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' had left a lasting impression on her. That ending… it had ruined her mood for a whole day. She'd even ranted in the group chat about the "heartless" writer. But when she saw this new show had the same lead pair, she obediently showed up to watch it again.
At 7:30 p.m., right after the news, another trailer for Dangerous Lovers aired. The female lead, Xu Xiangwen, was gorgeous, but unfortunately, office drama just wasn't Tian Xin's thing. As a high school student, she naturally wasn't into those kinds of stories.
After the Dangerous Lovers trailer came a bunch of boring ads… and finally, another trailer for 'Your Lie in April'.
"A lie? No wonder the title feels kind of weird. Maybe it's a massive spoiler?"
Bored, Tian Xin resumed chatting in the group.
"Could be. The trailer ended with the male lead reading a letter, and the first line hinted at something like that."
"Actually, the show starts in January and ends around late March or early April… the name does carry some weight."
"Or maybe the writer just couldn't think of a better title and picked something random. I still don't get what the name has to do with a music romance story."
"Long titles mean higher ratings, obviously."
After another round of casual chatter, it was finally 8:00 p.m.
Everyone in the chat fell silent at the same time.
Jinhui TV abruptly cut off an ad for some shady vitality supplement.
Although the drama was shot in winter, the story was set in spring.
Cherry blossoms drifted through the air. The lighting was crisp and vibrant. A beautiful girl with a soft smile walked down an empty street in the early morning, schoolbag in hand.
The group chat instantly lit up again:
"Ahh, Shou Ai Mei's cold goddess is actually smiling now!"
"I wanna cry already!"
"According to the trailer, her character is called Miyazono Kaori, right?"
Then came the episode title:
Episode 1: Friend A
The title lingered on-screen for two seconds before fading away.
No OP.
The perspective immediately shifted to a pair of small hands—those of a child wearing thick-rimmed glasses.
A powerful, passionate piano melody erupted. The child's fingers flew across the keys, creating a blur of motion.
Wow.
So young, and already playing with such skill.
Tian Xin instinctively marveled at the talent.
The scene then transitioned—the boy in glasses now appeared older, sitting in front of the piano with a blank, emotionless expression.
The audience immediately understood: this was him, all grown up.
Suddenly, a baseball shattered a window and smacked right into his flawless face.
And just like that—the story began.
The male lead, Arima Kousei.
The equally handsome school idol, Watari Ryota.
And the bright, bubbly girl… Tsubaki.
A high school trio full of energy.
The first ten minutes were all light-hearted campus life between these three.
The visuals were beautiful. The three actors had great chemistry, and their relationships were subtly conveyed.
The trio were clearly close friends—but it was also obvious that Tsubaki liked Kousei.
"Feels a bit slow…"
"It's been ten minutes. Where's the actual female lead?"
"Don't tell me this Tsubaki girl is the female lead? But the one in the trailer was played by Shou Ai Mei!"
Tian Xin's mind filled with questions.
"When you fall in love… the whole world becomes brighter."
Tsubaki said this line to Kousei with a somewhat wistful tone.
"Crap. The more I watch her, the more she feels like the female lead. And if she's not… that's kind of sad. She's just too likable to hate."
Tian Xin sighed.
Shou Ai Mei, hurry up and show up already! Your reincarnated soulmate, Gao Shan, is about to be stolen by a fox-spirit!
The quiet male lead, Kousei—his thick-rimmed glasses and handsome face masked something deeper.
Bit by bit, the show began to hint at his backstory.
"That autumn… I couldn't play the piano anymore."
Back at Jinhui TV headquarters, veteran ratings analyst Old Li stared at the real-time data feed.
At the moment of broadcast, the national rating was 0.71%. Five minutes later, it ticked up to 0.75%, then stabilized in that range.
"As expected… that kind of freak performance like 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' isn't something that happens twice."
Old Li lit a cigarette and began puffing away in his office.