"Do I love Setsuna or hate her?"
Of course, he loved her. That much was never in doubt.
But when it came down to who he loved more—Setsuna or Touma Kazusa—
The answer was already written plainly before everyone's eyes.
This episode gave more time and space to clarify Haruki's inner conflict.
He accepted Setsuna's confession because he mistakenly believed Kazusa didn't like him.
But even after dating Setsuna, he couldn't let go of the feelings he had for Kazusa.
The story froze for a moment—on Setsuna's birthday, her face blank as she watched the snow fall outside.
Then—flashback.
To explain why Kazusa had such deep feelings for Haruki, the show adapted the plot from the original game novel:
"When the Snow Melts… and Falls Again."
By now, most Setsuna fans were beyond furious.
The label "scumbag Haruki" was flying around in fan chats like wildfire.
But curiously, no one was blaming Kazusa.
Not even the angry Setsuna fans.
It all started like this:
Haruki, the busybody class rep, first approached Kazusa, a cold, aloof girl transferred into the general studies class after a falling out with the music department.
Their first real conversation?
He was double-checking her student records.
He'd always show up when she wanted to be left alone—
And never when she wished someone would just sit beside her.
He was a presence she couldn't get rid of.
And so, bit by bit, the girl started observing the ever-popular, ever-diligent boy sitting beside her.
Pretending to nap, but always quietly watching.
Eventually… she got used to him.
Got used to the way he always asked her for help with class affairs.
The first time she found out that the terrible guitar playing in the next room was Haruki's…
She smiled—genuinely.
The first time she seriously practiced guitar at home, an instrument she rarely touched anymore…
It was so she could teach him—the clueless boy who wanted to perform at the school festival.
The first time, hiding her identity, she snuck into the next room to accompany him during practice as an anonymous "music student."
Every afternoon after school, their music echoed across the campus.
The first time she received a gift from a boy—
It was from the class rep: a foreign language textbook to help her with her studies.
She acted indifferent.
But that night, when she got home and realized she'd lost it…
2 AM.
In the pouring rain.
Soaked through and shivering, she retraced every place she had been that day.
The convenience store.
The diner.
Every street.
She finally found the soaked book, lying abandoned on the school lawn.
She lay there in the rain, staring up at the sky, and for the first time in a long while—
She laughed.
The "melting snow" in the title?
It was the story of Kazusa slowly falling for Haruki—
From frustration… to infatuation.
"Ah…"
Chen Xinyi felt something soft and vulnerable tug in her chest.
The fan chat was almost completely silent.
If Haruki falling for both girls had made her furious,
Then this flashback… this story of Kazusa waiting, yearning, falling deeper into one-sided love…
It made her unable to hate Kazusa even a little.
The screen returned to the present—
Kazusa secretly kissed Haruki as he dozed off after the school festival.
And not a trace of anger rose in Chen Xinyi's heart.
Just sorrow.
Pity.
"She was too late…"
If only she hadn't been so tsundere.
If she'd just confessed then…
Maybe Haruki wouldn't have ended up with Setsuna.
Maybe things would've been different.
Then came the car scene.
After the hot springs trip, Kazusa sat in the back seat watching Haruki and Setsuna kiss by the roadside.
And in that rearview mirror reflection—
She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
And so, unable to bear the pain any longer, she decided to go abroad.
She said it was for music…
But the real reason was clear:
She couldn't stay by their side.
She couldn't keep watching.
Chen Xinyi clutched her stomach. It hurt.
Her eyes were red. The BGM?
So heart-wrenchingly sad.
And then… the kiss.
Back to the present night.
Haruki, unable to suppress his feelings, embraced Kazusa.
And kissed her.
Chen Xinyi exhaled softly.
At that moment, fans across Da Zhou stopped thinking about what this meant for Setsuna.
Because the next moment—
One of the most iconic scenes in the entire story aired.
Haruki was immersed in the kiss.
Kazusa, at first, too.
But then—
She realized something.
Something she couldn't accept.
SLAP!!
A sharp crack echoed as Kazusa struck Haruki across the face.
Stunned silence.
"What the hell?! Why are you so damn good at this?"
"How many times have you kissed… Setsuna?"
Tears in her eyes, Kazusa ran off, devastated.
That line. That delivery.
Chen Xinyi took a deep breath, struggling to calm her storming emotions.
This was betrayal. Pure and simple. A knife to Setsuna's back.
And yet…
She couldn't bring herself to hate Kazusa.
Soon after, the ending theme began to play.
The final scene: Kazusa running into the night, Haruki stunned, not knowing what to do.
Episode 5 ended.
Chen Xinyi looked up at the screen.
"Scumbag Haruki."
Online? Exploded.
"I can't take this anymore! BOTH female leads got played by Haruki!"
"How dare he?! How does he have the gall to kiss her like that?!"
"That line… 'Why are you so good at this?' That must've destroyed her inside…"
"Damn this screenwriter. Ending the episode here? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!"
"Okay, Haruki's a dog, but don't blame Jing Yu the writer. He's just the messenger."
"I'm miserable. Why would two amazing girls fall for such a trash guy? I can't accept it."
"So you're dropping the show?"
"I wanted to. But now I have to keep watching. I hate Haruki… but I love Setsuna and Kazusa. I need to know how it ends."
"I need to go yell at the screenwriter. This kind of pain shouldn't be legal."
"I thought I was watching a romance like 'Your Lie in April'. But this? This is pure emotional torture. Didn't Jing Yu say this wasn't a tragic story?"
"Bullsh*t, it's not tragic. I'm still gasping for air. I'm furious. That scumbag doesn't deserve either of them. Let him die alone."
"Please… next week, can we have just one happy episode? If Haruki apologizes and lets go of Kazusa, maybe I can forgive him."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then what's the point of this story anymore?"
Episode 5 Ratings:
Opening: 2.31%
Peak: 2.77%
Average: 2.52%
A huge spike—up 0.3% from last week.
Liu Neng and Gao Wencang, watching from HQ, were so relieved they ran straight to a bar, ordered two bottles of baijiu and piles of skewers to celebrate.
They had feared this episode's emotional bomb would cause fans to rage-quit.
But instead?
The forums were flooded with discussion threads.
And even though four new dramas were airing on Jinhui TV's autumn schedule, right now—
The entire site was talking about one thing:
'White Album 2'.
Of course, while everyone was busy flaming Haruki, a new civil war broke out:
Team Setsuna vs. Team Kazusa.
Some fans even switched sides after tonight.
Sure, Setsuna was adorable…
But Kazusa's devotion was too moving to ignore.
If only these two incredible girls had fallen for a better man.
Still, that didn't dull their brilliance.
Haruki might be a mess.
But Setsuna and Kazusa?
They were still beloved.
Liu Neng and Gao Wencang drank deep into the night, stumbling into a taxi just before dawn.
They still had to film tomorrow.
But for the fans, that night was anything but peaceful.
Ratings only reflect the moment a show airs.
But the aftershocks?
Unpredictable.
By the next morning, on every major TV site, the forums were in flames.
People were arguing about who was better: Setsuna or Kazusa.
"Who are they?"
"What show is this from?"
"Which TV station is airing it?"
Curious passersby started checking out 'White Album 2'.
A day later, the latest weekly drama rankings dropped.
'White Album 2' jumped from 19th to 15th place.
That surge shocked industry insiders.
Not just because of the four-position leap—
But because 'White Album 2' was the only show in the top 20 not produced by one of the six major networks.
That alone made waves.
Popularity rankings also shifted:
Setsuna (Yuki) climbed to 11th among female leads in autumn dramas.
Kazusa (Touma) surged from outside the top 20 to 14th.
Meanwhile, Haruki crashed from 21st down to the sixth-to-last slot.
His popularity ranking had plummeted over 100 spots.
On Yindou, the comments section was filled with rage toward Haruki.
Journalists and reviewers gathering material for their reports were baffled.
"Why are fans flaming the male lead so hard…
But the show's rating just climbed to 9.0 and is more popular than ever?!"
It made no sense.
Absolutely none.