'White Album 2's early plotline clearly hinged on a key turning point—the school festival.
Before it: the sweet, warm interactions of the schoolyard trio.
After it: a sudden and dramatic shift in tone.
Sure, love triangles are a common staple in romance dramas. But even in Jing Yu's previous life, few works caused the level of fan wars and emotional division that 'White Album 2' did—let alone spawning its own mini pop-culture subterm: "White Album Studies."
By the time Episode 4 aired, most fans had already become emotionally invested in both heroines.
Even fans of Yu Youqing, who still loudly supported her online, secretly found Kazusa's character incredibly compelling. Setting aside Yu Youqing's popularity boost from playing Kaori Miyazono in 'Your Lie in April', Kazusa's charisma in the early stages of 'White Album 2' was actually starting to overshadow Setsuna's.
Following Episode 3's release the previous week, Kazusa's popularity ranking on Yindou—for female characters in currently airing autumn dramas—jumped significantly, reaching 25th place.
And within the 'White Album 2' fanbase, Kazusa's supporters were no longer hopelessly outnumbered. They were starting to fight back.
Half a month ago, Xia Yining had officially graduated from school.
Of course, given the paycheck she received for 'Your Lie in April' and her family's background, post-graduation life wasn't a concern. In fact, she'd gone ahead and rented an entire apartment near the filming studio.
Her roommate, Chen Jing, who hadn't found a job yet and was currently unemployed, shamelessly came to crash with her.
"Ugh, Xiaoning, I'm so jealous of you! Fresh out of school and already starring as the female lead in the highest-rated drama in Lan Province. And on top of that, you're flirting with Teacher Jing Yu on set every day!"
Chen Jing lounged on the sofa in a bathrobe, her figure on full display. While she wasn't as stunning as Xia Yining, she was still strikingly attractive by normal standards.
"Sit properly."
Xia Yining didn't bother with her fan anymore—she turned it into a weapon and smacked Chen Jing's butt with it.
"Oof, did I hit the mark?" Chen Jing smirked, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Wait... isn't 'White Album 2' Episode 4 airing tonight? You guys should be wrapping up Episode 5 by now, right? Unless…"
A flicker of panic flashed across Xia Yining's face.
Chen Jing's heart skipped a beat.
Did I really guess right?
"No way—tell me! Are there some juicy, intense scenes coming up?!"
Chen Jing immediately sat up like a village auntie catching gossip during New Year's, eyes shining with curiosity.
"Trade secret. I signed an NDA—I can't talk about the plot," Xia Yining said with forced calm, giving a cool chuckle.
But her mind couldn't help replaying the scenes she'd just filmed with Jing Yu over the past two days.
Only today had they finished shooting Episode 5 in full—that one scene, the one where just reading the script had made her stomach ache:
"Why… are you so good at this?"
Yeah. That scene.
Normally, when she kept her distance from Jing Yu, he came across as polite, calm, talented—very professional.
But during certain intimate scenes on camera… well, even professionals couldn't avoid being affected.
She was trained, and the kiss scenes had props and techniques, but there was still unavoidable physical contact.
And that stirred something she couldn't fully suppress.
"Was it a kiss scene? Or something even spicier? Or both?" Chen Jing transformed fully into gossip queen mode, chattering nonstop beside her.
But seeing Xia Yining utterly ignore her, Chen Jing clenched her teeth—then suddenly grinned.
"Whatever, it's airing on TV anyway. Let's see how long you can hide it."
"It's starting," Xia Yining reminded her.
Episode 4 of 'White Album 2' began.
Chen Jing turned her eyes to the TV and, without hesitation, grabbed the bag of chips Xia Yining had left on the table and started munching.
But as the show went on… her attention shifted completely.
On screen, during the school festival scene, Setsuna appeared in a flowing white dress, and Kazusa in a sleek black one.
The 'White Album 2' fan groups exploded with excitement. Even Chen Jing, a woman herself, was dazzled.
"God, they're beautiful…" she murmured.
Even as a fellow woman, she felt herself falling a little.
Across Da Zhou, fans were chatting non-stop:
"Give the cinematographer a bonus chicken leg tonight."
"Yu Youqing's styling is divine."
"Xia Yining is no slouch either!"
"I've watched both their shows now, and even now, their visuals still manage to stun me."
"It's really the story that makes the visuals stand out. The character writing is solid, and the acting is spot-on."
"Weren't the two songs they performed here called White Album and Song of Destiny?"
"I seriously admire the guy playing Haruki. He acts, writes scripts, and composes music. How does he even find the time?!"
"Guess that's what genius looks like. Otherwise, how'd he manage to dominate Lan Province TV twice in just half a year?"
It was once again that familiar musical touch from 'Your Lie in April', though this time it wasn't violin and piano.
The light music style still hits hard.
On screen, Kazusa (Winter), was shown as a musical polymath—piano, electric keyboard, bass, saxophone—you name it.
Setsuna's vocals were just as powerful.
And Haruki's guitar solo during the school performance? It was done using an advanced fingerstyle technique unique to his instrument.
The performance—voiced and performed by Jing Yu himself—ignited a wave of adrenaline among viewers.
Xia Yining quietly watched Haruki on screen, while Chen Jing sat there, frozen.
"Xiaoning… didn't you once tell me that all the instrumentals in this drama were performed personally by Jing Yu, with no dubbing in post?"
"Yeah. And the electronic keyboard for both songs tonight? That was also recorded live by him in the studio. Only Yu Youqing's singing needed a voiceover—he is a man, after all," Xia Yining sighed.
"...Is he even human?" Chen Jing gulped.
"Back in 'Your Lie in April', he did Kaori's violin dubbing and Kousei's piano playing. Now he's handling 'White Album 2's guitar accompaniment. How does he know so many instruments? Is learning one enough to master the rest?"
"Of course not. I only know piano myself. The rest? Forget it. And my piano playing…" Xia Yining paused.
She remembered how, during filming, Jing Yu had sighed endlessly over her musical performances.
But only after full post-production sound editing could she truly feel the emotional pull of Jing Yu's music. That guitar solo? It reached deep into your heart in seconds.
By the time the performance scenes finished, 'White Album 2's ratings climbed to 2.38%.
A truly great drama needs thirty minutes of plot to move people.
But an outstanding piece of music—combined with a great performance?
Ten seconds is all it takes.
Then came the third song performed at the festival—Kazusa composed it, Haruki wrote the lyrics, and Setsuna sang it.
But… the performance wasn't shown.
Instead, the scene cut to the backstage rest area after the event.
The performance had been a huge success. Haruki and Kazusa chatted, still excited, until eventually, Haruki, exhausted, fell asleep.
When he woke up…
Kazusa was gone.
Only Setsuna remained in the room.
The atmosphere—
Shifted.
Their conversation slowly… changed tone.