Friday evening might not be as golden a slot as the weekend drama slots, but among weekday schedules, it was still the best.
For a locally produced drama to air at this time and open with a steady viewership above 0.7% across the Greater Zhou region—that was already above average compared to historical performance.
Still, Old Li—who had witnessed 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' achieve over 1.8% in just two episodes with less than a million in production costs—couldn't help but place extra hopes and expectations on Jing Yu's new show.
And so far, 'Your Lie in April' was… decent. It had retained its expected share of the Friday evening audience. Not bad, but nothing exceptional—yet.
The first episode continued.
And then she appeared.
Yu Youqing as Miyazono Kaori.
Cherry blossoms fluttered in the spring breeze. Her long hair danced in the light. A melodica gently pressed against her lips. That beautiful, sunlit face, her fluttering skirt hem, those slender, fair legs—
Yeah.
Beauty attracts. Even viewers from other provinces, who'd randomly landed on Jinhui TV while channel surfing, paused when they saw this scene.
"There she is—my Shou Ai Mei."
"She's called Miyazono Kaori now."
"No. Unless she makes me feel even more than Shou Ai Mei did, she's still Shou Ai Mei to me."
The drama chat group burst to life as soon as Kaori appeared.
Tian Xin immediately felt the shift, too. The moment this character entered, the entire show became far more engaging.
Now that— she thought, —is what a real female lead looks like.
Tsubaki, standing next to Kousei, had always felt off. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty, but in comparison, she didn't quite match up to him.
Kousei, a child piano prodigy raised under the strict expectations of his mother, had once torn through national competitions, already considered unbeatable among peers his age.
The pacing was definitely on the slow side, and the show wasn't one to hook viewers instantly—but once it had you, it kept you.
And now, with Kaori on-screen, the ratings began to climb.
The park scene. A beautiful girl mistaken for a pervert photographer.
"Wait—Kaori's into Watari, not Kousei? That's… an odd setup."
"She's the female lead, right?"
"Don't tell me we've got a love triangle already?"
"But honestly, Watari's just as handsome as Kousei, and he's got that golden retriever charm. Kinda makes sense she'd like him."
Tian Xin felt annoyed.
Sure, she knew she was projecting. She was the one mentally shipping Jing Yu and Yu Youqing in real life. But seeing this development irritated her.
With the full main cast now introduced, the story moved to Kaori's first performance.
At Jinhui TV Headquarters:
"Ratings just hit 0.85%. That's solid!"
Old Li blinked in surprise.
For a local in-house production to hit that kind of number in its first episode—and on a Friday, no less—was rare.
Opening at 0.7% might have been average, but for it to climb to 0.85% midway through the first episode? That was another story.
It might seem like a minor shift—just a few tenths of a percent—but with the population of Greater Zhou, that equated to hundreds of thousands of additional viewers.
For reference, the police drama Lancheng Police Files, which aired the night before, was unlikely to ever climb more than 0.1% above its premiere rating across its whole run.
But 'Your Lie in April'? It was still climbing.
This is Scene Liang's kid, huh? Not bad at all.
Old Li puffed on his cigarette and chuckled to himself.
Even if Scene Liang had been alive to direct his own drama, he might not have done any better in this slot. And that old guy had always been talking down on his son.
You called this "not good enough"? Look at him now.
Back in the episode:
Kaori's violin solo at the music competition began.
Beautiful, unrestrained, passionate—she poured her soul into her performance.
The moment the violin—scored and dubbed by Jing Yu—rang out through Tian Xin's TV speakers, she felt herself stiffen with awe.
It was as if she had become one of the audience members inside that concert hall, afraid to even breathe too loudly for fear of disrupting the music.
"Beautiful…"
"I've played this piece myself. Why does it sound so different here?"
"I'm overwhelmed. The music quality in this drama is insane. Normally, when characters in music dramas talk about how good someone is, we as viewers don't really feel it. But this? When they praise Kaori's performance, I get it."
"Then why do the judges look so pissed off?"
"Classical music doesn't allow that kind of improvisation! No matter how good it sounds, if you don't respect the sheet music, it's a no-go. It's like remixing the national anthem into a club DJ track. You're gonna get roasted."
"But the composers are all dead. And it's not like this is some solemn ceremonial piece."
"Still—it's a competition. There are rules. You break them, don't be shocked when you get a low score."
The group chat exploded with opinions on Kaori's controversial violin performance.
Tian Xin had goosebumps all down her arms.
This drama… she thought, at least the music part—it's exactly my taste.
And sure enough, after the performance ended, the viewership climbed again—to 0.9%.
Old Li immediately picked up the phone and began calling the higher-ups, as per his instructions.
Elsewhere…
"Wait, what? There's still ten minutes left in the episode, and the ratings already broke 0.9%?"
Chu You, lounging in some massage parlor, looked genuinely surprised.
This Friday slot wasn't known for amazing numbers, and the last few dramas aired at this time had all flopped. Plus, he had barely done anything to help with 'Your Lie in April's release. He had assumed they'd be lucky to hit 0.8%.
But with the popularity of 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'…
Maybe the rebroadcast rights in other provinces helped? Some regions had 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' peaking above 2%—a huge boost for Jing Yu's visibility.
Seeing both him and Yu Youqing again likely brought in that existing fanbase.
"Still… we'll have to wait a week or two to see if 'Your Lie in April' holds up."
On another front, Xu You, Jiang Shiqing, Song Xin, and Tang Yidong had also received the data.
Jiang Shiqing and Song Xin didn't look happy.
They had hoped 'Your Lie in April' would crash and burn. A smooth debut like this? Disappointing.
Yu Youqing sat hugging a plush toy, quietly watching the first episode, while her former classmates were already buzzing in their chat group:
"As expected of our class's top student. Yu Youqing, you were amazing!"
"Who played the violin in that scene? It was incredible!"
"I heard it was the screenwriter, Jing Yu."
"Seriously? He can do that, too?"
"Xiaoqing, you're so lucky to work with someone that talented."
Yu Youqing just stared at the barrage of praise on her screen without much reaction.
She was used to it.
When Tang Yidong's new drama aired, the group had been just as hyped.
But Tang Yidong, watching all this unfold, was clearly uncomfortable.
After all, the group used to shower her with compliments. And now?
It's only the first episode. What's the big deal? 0.9% is nothing special. I've starred in shows that broke that.
Tang Yidong scoffed, changed the channel, and muttered:
"Not watching 'Your Lie in April'. No way it beats Dangerous Lovers when it airs."
Shame I'm not the female lead in this one…
But she wasn't worried. She'd get her chance again.
Back in the episode:
Kaori's violin performance is rejected by the judges—but she earns the audience recommendation and advances anyway.
The story returns to the school.
Sunset. After class. School gate.
And then—the closing narration begins.
A monologue from Arima Kousei, like a full-score composition of his emotions.
"The red-tinted clouds… echoing the melody buried deep in my heart."
"Again… and again… and again… Whenever this moment arrives, everything my mother left behind takes flight with the wind. I want to hear it again—but I never want to hear it again."
The boy looks up, bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. Cherry blossoms fall gently through the air. And standing in front of him—
Is that a violin case on her back?
"I want to see her again—but I don't want to see her. What name can I give this feeling? How can I possibly describe it?"
"Friend A!"
Kaori's surprised expression slowly softens into a radiant smile as she spots Kousei.
And in that instant, the viewers' eyes locked on the screen.
"You… dwell in the beauty of spring."
The monologue ends.
Episode One ends.
Tian Xin's eyes were sparkling.
"Now that's what youth is supposed to feel like. My own school life? What a joke…"
Honestly, aside from a slightly slow start, once it hit the 15-minute mark, 'Your Lie in April' became deeply compelling.
The drama group chat blew up:
"Following this one for sure."
"That slow start almost made me bail, but thank god I stuck around. The second Kaori showed up, the whole thing came alive. Can't wait for episode two."
"Great story, the music slaps, and the visuals are gorgeous. I could watch just for the cinematography alone."
"This is what romance should be. No petty office drama, no schemes. Just a sweet, honest love story."
"Looking forward to next week!"
Final Ratings (Episode 1):
Average Viewership (Greater Zhou): 0.82%
Peak Viewership (Greater Zhou): 1.01%
Average Viewership (Lan Province): 10.3%
Peak Viewership (Lan Province): 12.2%
Within Lan Province's four major Friday-night dramas, 'Your Lie in April' ranked #1.
Jing Yu had been busy with post-production work and hadn't been able to watch the broadcast live.
It wasn't until the next morning that Liu Neng handed him the printed ratings report.
"Teacher Jing Yu, no need to worry now! Even just the first episode has already surpassed our internal benchmarks for this time slot. As long as we maintain this level, no one in the station can say a word against 'Your Lie in April'."
"Come on, smile a little! You can relax now!"
Liu Neng was practically beaming with joy, and Gao Wencang had the same gleeful look.
But Jing Yu, staring at the data sheet with an unreadable expression, made them freeze.
"Teacher Jing Yu? What's wrong? Something off?"
"…The first episode didn't even average 1%?"
He let out a long breath.
"What's there to be happy about?"
Liu Neng's face twitched.
"Come on, we've got to take things one step at a time. For a drama airing on Jinhui TV, we're lucky to get even one or two shows a year that break 1%—and you want that from the first episode?"
The station's internal target was probably just an average of 0.7% for the whole series. 'Your Lie in April' had already exceeded that.
"But 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' broke 1% in episode one," Jing Yu muttered.
Liu Neng and Gao Wencang exchanged a glance.
That was due to the timeslot, the momentum from White Lovers, and 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday's first episode being packed with dramatic developments—from meeting, to falling in love, to conflict.
Meanwhile, in 'Your Lie in April', Kousei and Kaori were still just at the Friend A stage.
But Liu Neng didn't say any of that aloud.
"We'll aim for 2% later on. For now, just be happy—we've hit our opening goals," Liu Neng said.
"And try to smile a bit. If you keep looking like that, it'll kill the crew's morale."
Jing Yu forced himself to soften.
"…You're right. It's a slow-burn show. I'm being too impatient."
He folded the ratings sheet and tucked it into a file.
"Still… if we're going to climb, we'll do it step by step."
Liu Neng and Gao Wencang had grown used to Jing Yu's relentless standards—for both himself and the show.
But they couldn't help feeling the same…
Maybe… just maybe…
Could 'Your Lie in April' become that once-in-a-decade miracle for Jinhui TV?
No one knew how far this would go.
No one knew how the full story would unfold—except for Jing Yu himself.
And maybe… that was enough.