As February passed and March arrived, 'Your Lie in April' entered the final stretch of filming.
In the last episode, Kaoru Miyazono didn't have many scenes — the focus was entirely on Kousei Arima.
Crushed by the looming death of Kaoru, Kousei nearly collapses emotionally.
But to honor her wish, he musters the courage to step onstage and participate in the "Concerto of Emotions" — the music competition Kaoru had longed to see him perform in.
Episode 11 is intensely heavy from start to finish, but Kaoru, even in her dire state, is still always smiling.
On set, Director Gao Wencang watched through the monitor as Jing Yu — both the screenwriter and the actor playing Kousei — performed his scene.
His face remained calm, but subtle expressions betrayed his deep fear about Kaoru's condition.
It was a performance incredibly controlled, perfectly measured — and not the least bit forced.
His acting has improved so fast…
In the shot, Jing Yu (as Kousei) carried Yu Youqing (as Kaoru) to the school rooftop.
Snow — artificial, from a snow machine — gently fluttered around them.
They followed the script to the letter.
"Aren't I still here?"
"I'm going into surgery... on March 18th."
Yu Youqing delivered the line calmly, looking into Kousei's eyes.
Hiss—
Gao Wencang couldn't help making a strange face.
Jing Yu, you're ruthless.
The script had scheduled Kaoru's surgery for March 18th, the exact date Episode 11 would air.
Just to make it feel more real for the audience.
Thinking back on the earlier episodes, Gao realized the title — 'Your Lie in April' — had been a massive piece of foreshadowing all along.
That day's shoot wrapped at sunset.
Because it was the final episode, the schedule had more breathing room. No overtime filming was planned.
Yu Youqing, having fully immersed herself in Kaoru's final scenes all day, was visibly downcast. Her eyes were red.
"Sorry, Teacher Jing Yu, I might've gotten too emotional."
"No," Jing Yu replied. "You did great.
Your portrayal of Kaoru has been even more powerful than I imagined."
"Not at all," she said quickly.
"You're the one with the incredible acting. Your Kousei… if Kaoru were real, she'd never regret falling for someone like him."
Jing Yu didn't respond further.
Although less than three months had passed since the shoot began, he'd poured everything into this project.
With less than a week left before wrap-up, a quiet melancholy crept in.
Around them, crew members were packing props.
Once the cleanup was done, everyone would be free to go home.
"Teacher Jing Yu, do you have plans for after 'Your Lie in April' wraps?" Yu Youqing asked softly.
"Plans? I don't know.
Maybe I'll take my actor and writer's fees and go traveling."
"Traveling?" Her eyes flickered at that.
"Or maybe not. I haven't really thought that far ahead.
If I've got nothing else lined up… yeah, maybe I'll travel."
He hadn't left Lancheng since arriving in this world.
He was still curious about what this world had to offer.
"I thought you might be tapped for a summer drama by the network," she said, pausing before continuing.
The subtext of her comment was hard to miss — like she might be hinting at wanting a part in his next project.
But after months of working together, they understood each other.
Jing Yu knew she wasn't hinting at anything shallow.
And she knew Jing Yu wouldn't assume that either.
"No word on a new script yet," he chuckled.
"Why? Worried about what I'll do after 'Your Lie in April' ends?
You've spent months acting alongside me. Don't tell me you haven't gotten sick of me?"
He said it jokingly.
Yu Youqing was silent for a moment. Then she looked at him and said seriously:
"I'm not sick of you."
Her sincerity caught Jing Yu off guard.
"I was thinking… once we finish filming, and things slow down, maybe we could hang out.
You know, you, me… and maybe a few crew members? Like a group meetup."
Even she realized her tone was slightly off, so she changed the subject quickly, looking a little flustered.
"You really think I'll be that free?" Jing Yu teased.
"You're Kaoru Miyazono now.
When the show ends, you'll be flooded with work — invitations, endorsements, TV shows. You'll be anything but idle."
"You're famous now. You're not that unknown actress anymore."
But before he could finish, Yu Youqing cut in:
"Even so…
If I — as a friend — ask you to hang out, meet up, or go somewhere together…
Will you say yes?"
She held his gaze.
These past few days, she'd felt a strange emptiness inside.
After 'Your Lie in April', it was back to real life — helping her mom at the flower shop, dealing with daily errands.
Exhausting as the drama shoot was, she realized…
She'd been happier here than anywhere else.
Jing Yu noticed the shift in atmosphere, but he was even more struck by the weight of her words.
Friend?
He paused, thinking:
Could Yu Youqing truly be called a friend?
"Yeah. Of course," he finally said.
March 4th — Episode 9 aired.
It picked up right where the last one ended:
"Do you want to die with me?"
From her hospital bed, Kaoru asked the shocked Kousei.
"Just kidding. I was joking."
The episode premiered with a viewership already over 2%.
Even among Dazhou's six major networks, four of the dramas airing that night had lower ratings than in 'Your Lie in April'.
From a niche provincial drama, 'Your Lie in April' had exploded into a top-tier Friday night show.
Sure, compared to the biggest weekend dramas from the big six, 'Your Lie in April' was still behind.
But in its time slot, among competitors?
It stood tall.
Jing Yu's name, too, had been added to every major network's talent database.
And Episode 9 followed the same tone as Episode 8 — oppressively tragic.
Kaoru's condition worsened.
The illness was never named outright, but viewers understood:
This was fatal.
Kaoru had been Kousei's light in the darkness — the one who lifted him from despair.
And just as he began to recover, to move forward with music…
That light was about to go out.
The ratings soared as the story progressed:
2.22%
2.31%
2.38%
For Jinhui TV, numbers like these were unheard of.
But 'Your Lie in April' fans had done the work.
Across social media, forums, and chat groups, they promoted the show tirelessly —
Short clips, piano performances, edits, discussions —
Combined with the TV station's 13 million yuan promo budget, they brought 'Your Lie in April' to viewers outside the province.
Gao Wencang and Liu Neng had worried Episode 8's tone would push people away —
That 'Your Lie in April' might lose momentum or even backslide in ratings.
But now, monitoring the live viewership data with Jing Yu, they saw something strange:
The forums were full of people cursing out the screenwriter…
Yet ratings kept climbing.
In drama fan groups:
"I have a bad feeling."
"Is that Lan Province writer really going to do it? He's been hinting so much at Kaoru dying…"
"Nah, probably just suspense-building. No way a rookie writer would be that reckless. He wouldn't risk his whole career by pissing off Kaoru's fanbase."
"Come on, he plays Kousei himself. You've seen how much Kousei loves Kaoru. There's no way he'd kill her off!
Writers treat their characters like their kids — Kaoru's so beautifully written, you can feel the emotion behind her creation.
Killing her off? He'd suffer more than we would!"
"I hate this! I just want to see Kaoru and Kousei attend a music competition together!
Why all this tragedy?!
Just let them fall in love in peace!"
"You can scream all you want — but unless you file an official complaint to Jinhui TV, or stand outside the filming site, nothing's gonna change."
"If he kills Kaoru, I'll never watch another one of his dramas. Ever."
"Agreed. I can accept anyone dying — even Kousei — but not Kaoru!"
"Kousei: Do I even matter to you people? I'm the main character!!"
"Main character? Pfft. Your popularity's not even one-third of Kaoru's."
"Only two weeks left.
We still have time.
Let's flood the TV station with complaints — maybe we can stop this madness!"
By the end of Episode 9 —
The average viewership hit 2.38%.
That very night, Jinhui TV's official website crashed under the weight of complaints from 'Your Lie in April' fans.
Most fans still believed the writer was just toying with suspense.
That the ending would be happy.
But — what if it wasn't?
What if Jing Yu turned out to be just another "pretentious literary type" like so many who had ruined Dazhou dramas before?
They had to stop that outcome before it happened.
Historically, in Dazhou, viewer protests had absolutely influenced show endings.
Sometimes, even forced rewrites.
But only if the fans made enough noise.
And the fans of 'Your Lie in April', out of growing concern, began digging into Jing Yu's previous work: 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'.
What they found…
…made their hearts sink.
"Oh no.
This guy really is a pretentious writer."
"He has a history of tragic endings?!
That's the ending in 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday'? What kind of monster writes that?!"
"We need to pressure the station NOW — before he screws this up!"
Monday.
Jinhui TV's phone lines were completely flooded.
Almost all the calls were from fans demanding the writer "lighten up" and change the direction of the story.
All those complaints were compiled and delivered to Jing Yu.
Normally, a TV station might pressure a writer to change direction based on feedback.
But 'Your Lie in April's success was undeniably Jing Yu's doing.
No one at Jinhui TV — not the writers' department, not the production board — dared to touch him.
Has anyone else ever written a show for Jinhui TV that broke 2% average viewership?
No?
Then what gives you the right to tell him what to do?
If they tried to intervene and messed it up, the fallout would be on them.
In Dazhou's entertainment industry, screenwriters held enormous power.
Once the funding was approved, the writer had final say on story direction.
If the show did well, they were the hero.
If it flopped, they took the blame.
As long as the director and producer signed off, and the final script passed content checks, the station had no reason to interfere.
Many shows started strong, only to crash and burn at the end.
A great reputation took ten episodes to build,
But a single bad scene could destroy it.
'Your Lie in April' was almost over.
No one wanted to interfere now — only to take the blame later.
But inside the 'Your Lie in April' production crew?
The pressure was crushing.
Ever since Episode 8, fans had started complaining.
Episode 9 only intensified the backlash against Kaoru's tragic arc.
And the crew — who already knew how Episodes 10 and 11 would go — were under immense strain.
But by now, the final episode was nearly wrapped.
Too late to change anything.
March 9th, evening.
The setting sun bathed the streets in gold.
At a crosswalk, Kousei (Jing Yu) and Tsubaki (Liu Yushi) smiled at each other quietly.
A beautiful moment.
No Kaoru.
No more changes are possible.
"It's a wrap!"
"Filming complete!"
"Thank you all for your hard work over the past three months!"
The crew clapped and cheered.
But the core cast and staff wore complex expressions.
Especially Gao Wencang and Liu Neng.
"Well… It's done," Liu Neng sighed.
"Now all we can do is trust Jing Yu."
They knew fan backlash after Episode 10 might be even worse.
And after Episode 11?
Jing Yu might need to lie low for a while — or risk being swarmed by Kaoru fans in public.
"Still… It's over.
'Your Lie in April'… has finished filming."
Gao Wencang exhaled deeply.
With regret — and anticipation.
"Now we wait for these last two episodes to air over the next week or so."
He still thought Jing Yu's ending was dangerously risky…
But at the same time, deep down,
He believed in the possibility Jing Yu once told him about.