The buzz surrounding 'Your Lie in April' hadn't died down—in fact, it was still growing.
Naturally, Jinhui TV quickly noticed.
The production department was called in for an emergency meeting.
Just days ago, Director Chu You had been worried that the explosive, emotional finale might backfire—that the show's reputation would nosedive post-broadcast.
But reality proved otherwise.
Yes, 'Your Lie in April's fans were angry—furious, even.
But none of that anger was directed at the show itself.
It was all aimed at the screenwriter—Jing Yu.
No one questioned the story's quality. In fact, the vast majority were deeply moved by the final episode. Their anger stemmed from a place of heartbreak—that the man who controlled these characters like a god refused to give Kaori Miyazono a happy ending with Kousei.
On Da Zhou's most respected drama review site, Yindou, 'Your Lie in April' held an astounding 9.1 rating—ranking #1 among all Spring season dramas, including those aired by the country's top six networks.
Ratings could be influenced by platform size or genre appeal.
But fan scores?
Those were real.
They reflected true viewer recognition.
Today's emergency meeting had one clear purpose:
"On our station's website, thousands of 'Your Lie in April' fans are asking us to release the DVD version as soon as possible," said Department Head Shi Teng.
"Many want to rewatch it, but have no way to do so."
"And because the drama's reputation is spreading like wildfire across online platforms, even viewers from outside provinces—people who didn't catch the original broadcast—are flooding the site asking when the DVDs will be available."
"Already? That fast?"
"Of course. We should strike while the iron's hot. With 'Your Lie in April's popularity still rising, this is the perfect time to squeeze the fans dry. We have to meet their needs—aggressively."
"How many copies do you think it'll sell? 500,000? Maybe even 700,000?"
"Hard to say. Ratings were strong, but our station's overall brand isn't that well-known. That'll affect sales too. No one can predict the exact numbers."
The room quickly broke into discussion.
For TV stations, revenue didn't just come from ad spots.
Merchandising and intellectual property rights were huge sources of income.
When a show gets big, it opens doors:
Selling replica costumes and props.
Publishing photo books of popular cast members.
Creating behind-the-scenes content or novelizations.
Exclusive cuts and bonus content.
And DVDs?
They were core merchandise.
For dramas from the "Big Six," DVDs were almost always released soon after the finale.
Even though Da Zhou audiences were still mostly glued to cable and theaters (streaming services were still rare), e-commerce was booming—very much like Jing Yu's previous life in the early 2000s.
So there was no need for physical storefronts. Online distribution was more than enough.
Once Shi Teng brought it up, the whole room began brainstorming ideas.
"Director Chu," Shi Teng turned toward Chu You, "what's Teacher Jing Yu been up to these days?"
The impact of 'Your Lie in April' was so massive that even Shi Teng—once skeptical—now respectfully added the word "Teacher" before Jing Yu's name.
"Jing Yu—sorry, Teacher Jing Yu—has mostly been staying home since the show wrapped," Chu You replied.
"I called him a couple of days ago. He sounded… distracted. I think he's just been playing video games."
Shi Teng nodded solemnly.
"Good. A lot of writers get their inspiration from gaming. Teacher Jing Yu is clearly a diligent man."
The rest of the room tried (and failed) to suppress their expressions.
If it were anyone else, they thought, you'd be tearing into him for wasting time at home.
But since he broke ratings records, now gaming = inspiration? Really?
Apparently, success meant immunity. Even blatant lies would be spoken with a straight face if the results were good enough.
"Director Chu, the current momentum is obvious. 'Your Lie in April' may have ended, but the aftermath is only building. We've had over ten thousand fans request DVDs and merch just on our site alone."
"Fans are literally begging us: 'Please exploit us! Take our money! Sell us the merch!' How could we not respond?"
Jinhui TV had every reason to act.
Shi Teng continued, laying it all out with deliberate clarity:
"Find time to contact Teacher Jing Yu.
See if he can produce 'Your Lie in April' side stories or bonus scenes.
Maybe do a photo shoot with lead actress Yu Youqing—something romantic, to satisfy the fans.
Or maybe include deleted scenes that weren't broadcast—pack those into the DVD version."
His tone was calm, but his message was blunt:
We're launching the 'Your Lie in April' merch project. Fast.
And we're going all-in while the hype is still rising.
Time to "harvest" the fans with everything we've got.
Chu You took the hint, nodding seriously.
He'd already mentally filed away all of Shi Teng's suggestions.
The meeting lasted an hour, and only discussed one thing:
How to fully monetize 'Your Lie in April'.
After the meeting ended, Chu You immediately tried calling Jing Yu.
Why?
Because Jing Yu owned 3% of 'Your Lie in April's rights.
Gao Wencang and Liu Neng each had 1%, and Chu You himself had 1.5% as the showrunner.
Lead actress Yu Youqing and other cast members had small performance-based bonuses, but the majority of profits would go to the network—understandably, since they funded and staffed the production.
Still, every additional release—every DVD or merch sale—meant more money for Chu You personally.
So, of course, he was motivated.
But—
Beep. The phone you have dialed is currently powered off.
"…Huh?"
Chu You blinked, then sighed deeply.
Seconds later, he was in his car, racing toward Jing Yu's rented apartment.
Less than thirty minutes later, he arrived.
And before he even reached the door, he could already hear game sounds blaring through the thin wooden frame—along with some distinctly colorful language.
"Axi ba!"
"Dumbass!"
"Gan ni liang!"
"What the hell is this language?!"
Chu You stood there, stunned.
Some of it seemed like the Da Zhou dialect. Some… maybe foreign cursing?
Either way, the man inside was clearly locked in a serious gaming session.
And that man?
Was none other than Da Zhou's top-rated screenwriter—the golden boy of Lan Province's TV industry.
Twenty-four years old.
Already famous.
And now… living in a cheap rental, yelling at his monitor.
Chu You couldn't help recalling what Jing Yu's late father, Jing Liang, used to say with a sigh:
"If only he'd use that brain for something normal…"
If 'Your Lie in April' hadn't become a phenomenon…
Even Chu You would've been tearing his hair out over this so-called "talented son."