Xu You and Chu You both felt their breathing grow heavier.
At this point, both dramas were just shy of breaking into the Top 20 on the national spring drama chart. It might seem like several spots away, but in reality, the gap was only about 0.2 percentage points in average ratings.
Just a slightly better performance in a week or two could pull either show up the ranks. But that kind of fluctuation wasn't guaranteed. On the other hand, increased funding for promotion would deliver concrete results.
"Let's look at the ratings this week," Minister Shi Teng said, glancing at the two men.
"So far, Dangerous Girlfriend has had stronger early ratings compared to 'Your Lie in April'. And when the season ends, a drama's ranking is based on average ratings across all episodes."
"But we also have to acknowledge that Dangerous Girlfriend's edge is largely due to the massive upfront investment the station made. Right now, 'Your Lie in April' has a significantly better reputation and reviews across Da Zhou. The past is done—we don't need to reflect on poor decisions. What matters now is where we go from here."
"If 'Your Lie in April's Episode 5 achieves an average viewership that's 0.1% higher than Dangerous Girlfriend's Episode 5, then this 10 million yuan budget will go to 'Your Lie in April'. Otherwise, it will go to Dangerous Girlfriend."
"This is the final promotional fund for spring dramas. Next week, I don't want to see another funding request from either of you."
0.1%.
Xu You's expression grew stormy.
Chu You lowered his head, deep in thought.
'Your Lie in April' had shown faster growth in ratings over the last four weeks than Dangerous Girlfriend—that much was certain. That's how it managed to catch up by Episode 4.
But surpassing Episode 5 by 0.1%? Who could guarantee that?
It was like getting a test score up from 60 to 90—difficult, but doable. But raising it from 90 to 95? That's exponentially harder.
Both dramas were already at 1.68% in Episode 4. That's high for Jinhui TV.
And given Xu Xiangwen's popularity and other favorable conditions, it was expected that Dangerous Girlfriend would continue climbing in ratings.
But 'Your Lie in April'? It would have to rely purely on the quality of the show itself, battling a less favorable time slot, and still outperform by 0.1% just to win the investment.
It wasn't fair.
But since when had anything in this world been fair?
Even if 'Your Lie in April' had better word of mouth, even if its ratings had caught up, and even if the execs saw its potential to surpass Dangerous Girlfriend in the long run, it didn't matter.
What the station wanted was results.
They wanted to put money into one show and get a Top 20 hit in return.
The early setback in 'Your Lie in April's ratings couldn't be undone. Unless it proved it could outperform Dangerous Girlfriend in the latter half, the investment wouldn't be justified.
This week's episode—Episode 5—was the deciding factor.
If it could outpace Dangerous Girlfriend by 0.1%, then it proved that, by the end of the season, 'Your Lie in April' would win in average ratings.
Both men were calculating.
For Chu You, getting this investment could spark another ratings jump. 'Your Lie in April' had almost zero exposure outside Lan Province. With this money, they could hire well-known critics, buy column space in newspapers, or run ads on high-traffic websites.
For Xu You, it wasn't about winning—it was about not letting 'Your Lie in April' win.
His team wasn't strapped for cash. Dangerous Girlfriend had a solid script, plenty of marketing, and all the right advertising in place. Another 10 million wouldn't move the needle that much.
But if this money went to 'Your Lie in April'? Who knew what could happen?
'Your Lie in April' had made it this far with almost no promotional support—bare bones, no PR, no ads—yet it had caught up in ratings. That was terrifying.
Even if Dangerous Girlfriend didn't crack the Top 20, the station couldn't afford to have another show, made with a quarter of the budget, outperform it. That would be humiliating.
"I'll say it outright," Xu You said. "I don't think the station should place so much importance on 'Your Lie in April'. Jing Yu is a rookie writer with no real experience. I'd bet the ratings will crash in the second half. We've seen this happen plenty of times with new screenwriters. If the station wants to invest, then 'Your Lie in April' should at least beat Dangerous Girlfriend by 0.2% to be considered safe. I'm saying this from a business standpoint—not out of personal bias."
"Bullsh*t," Chu You snapped. "Jiang Shiqing has only been producing independently for one year longer than Jing Yu. He's not some seasoned veteran. If you want to talk about the risk of a script falling apart in the second half, Jiang is just as likely to fumble."
"Minister, I support your plan. Let's decide the funds based on the Episode 5 ratings."
"Minister—" Xu You still wanted to object.
But Shi Teng interrupted him coldly:
"A fourfold budget gap, a massive difference in promotional resources, a weaker time slot, and you're still asking 'Your Lie in April' to beat your drama by 0.1% to qualify. Xu You, is that not enough?"
He looked at Xu You with clear disdain.
Do you even have shame left?
Xu You looked around the room. The other members of the production department avoided eye contact or stared at him with thinly veiled contempt.
You had all the advantages—and you're still whining?
Afraid to lose? No confidence in your own show?
As he cooled down, Xu You realized how ugly he must have looked. Even he was embarrassed by his own words.
"I… I have no objections," Xu You finally muttered, sighing.
By noon, both the 'Your Lie in April' and Dangerous Girlfriend production teams had received the meeting outcome.
Soon, everyone at Jinhui TV knew.
"Fifth episode. Beat them by 0.1%?" Jing Yu repeated over the phone to Chu You.
Chu You might be a bit of a slacker, but he had a good sense for timing and opportunity.
If it were any other episode of 'Your Lie in April', Jing Yu might've been nervous. But Episode 5?
That was one of the series's major emotional peaks.
That being said, both sides had no more cards to play.
The episodes were already filmed and in post-production. There was no room to tweak or improve anything now.
Jing Yu stepped out of his office. On set, props and stage setups were being finalized.
Yu Youqing was in the corner of the set, rehearsing her lines again and again.
Today's main character: Ze Zhun.
Childhood friends losing out to unexpected love interests—that's an eternal theme in romance dramas.
But in 'Your Lie in April', that storyline had a unique touch, filled with emotional depth and fresh nuance. Many tearjerking moments.
While the show had only aired up to Episode 4, filming was already around Episode 7.
And starting with Episode 7, 'Your Lie in April' would begin to transition into her emotionally heavy, heartbreaking arc.
That would be the true core of the show—and where ratings could really soar.
Winning this funding now would come right in time to push marketing during the drama's most impactful phase.
A few days passed.
And then—Friday came.
The broadcast day of 'Your Lie in April', Episode 5.