After a long hesitation, Haruki finally replied to Setsuna's message.
Tears streaming down her face, Setsuna forced herself to sound cheerful as she talked with him on the phone—celebrating Kazusa's award together.
Humble yet persistent.
Despite the upbeat music and the context of congratulating a dear friend, the audience just felt more and more gut-wrenched the longer they watched.
Because—
She was using her best friend's success just to get an excuse to talk to the boy she liked.
Episode 7 ended.
Peak viewership: 3.16%
Average viewership: 2.85%
Compared to the previous week, the growth had slowed.
But considering Jinhui TV's platform limitations, anything above 2% was already pushing its upper bound. Gaining even another 0.1% at this level was immensely difficult—like raising a score from 90 to 100.
The internet buzz from the so-called "White Album Scholars" had only been going on for a week. It wasn't long enough for all that discussion to translate into tangible ratings.
Even so, the fact that the numbers rose at all rather than falling was already beyond everyone's expectations.
Since the airing of 'Your Lie in April', Chu You's voice had grown louder within the station. Once the most arrogant of the three production heads, Xu You, had lost much of his previous swagger. After 'White Album 2', their positions had clearly reversed.
The genius screenwriter Jing Yu, whom Chu You had personally recruited, had now produced two dramas with peak viewership above 3%. Meanwhile, the second-highest-rated drama in Lan Province didn't even reach half of 'White Album 2's peak.
Colleagues from every department were eager to cozy up to him—even the station director had publicly praised him multiple times. At this rate, if Shi Teng retired in a few years, Chu You was practically guaranteed to be the next production director.
A few days earlier, during Zhongyuan Festival (Ghost Festival), Chu You had gone to honor his late parents. But he'd also burned a stack of paper offerings for his long-deceased friend—Jing Liang.
He had never in his life felt more strongly that Jing Liang was the best friend he had ever made. If Chu You really did become department head one day, then every year, alongside visiting his parents' graves, he'd also go pay respects to Jing Liang.
This morning, he arrived at the 'White Album 2' set bright and early—checking on production while bringing high-end tea and gifts for Jing Yu.
It was highly unusual for a superior to gift a subordinate during a work visit—but Chu You wasn't exactly shy about it.
"You've been working hard, nephew! Take care of your health."
"Thank you for the concern, Uncle Chu. Serving the station is no hardship at all," Jing Yu replied politely.
Chu You was mainly there to check if the production had any issues—budget shortfalls, understaffing, anything affecting the schedule.
Jing Yu, of course, welcomed it. Who wouldn't want more money and more manpower?
But at this stage, no matter how much more Jinhui TV invested in promoting 'White Album 2', it wouldn't have much effect. The dramas ahead of it in the ratings had bigger budgets, better time slots, and more massive distribution.
In plain terms, Jinhui TV simply couldn't compete.
Still, Chu You had another purpose for his visit: to probe Jing Yu's intentions about renewing his contract.
Even a slim chance was worth chasing.
He didn't dare dream of a long-term deal. But even a short-term, high-value agreement like those top-tier screenwriters had with the major networks—premium pay, royalty splits, copyright shares—anything was worth trying.
Even if Jing Yu stayed for just another year or two, it would be a win.
But, as expected, Chu You left disappointed.
Jing Yu didn't reject him outright—but his words made it clear. It was the classic "delay and deflect." Both men understood the message, but left it unspoken out of courtesy.
Chu You sighed inwardly.
Honestly, if he were in Jing Yu's position, he'd leave too. He understood the logic well—someone who prioritized personal gain like himself couldn't blame someone else for doing the same.
In fact, if Jing Yu had stayed out of sentimentality, Chu You might've really thought he was an idiot.
Still, knowing that didn't make the disappointment sting any less.
It was already mid-August.
With less than three months left until Jing Yu's contract expired in November, and 'White Album 2' expected to end right around the same time, everything was lining up.
After sharing a quiet lunch, Chu You left.
But from then on, he shifted his focus—from Jing Yu to the show's actors: Yu Youqing, Xia Yining, Liu Yushi, and Chen Zhongyi.
The success of 'Your Lie in April' and 'White Album 2' didn't just launch Jing Yu—it also catapulted these actors into the spotlight. They weren't just famous in Lan Province anymore; even audiences in other provinces were starting to recognize them.
Chen Zhongyi, in particular, had risen fast.
Thanks to his roles as Takeya Iizuka (White Album 2) and Ryota Watari (Your Lie in April), he broke into the top three on the Lan Province male celebrity chart—the only one in the top ranks who had only ever played supporting roles.
This sharply contrasted with Jing Yu, who now had to go out in a mask and hat just to avoid getting pelted with insults in public.
Still, Chu You didn't get much from these meetings either.
These actors weren't fools.
Before fame, signing "sell-your-soul" exclusive contracts with a station in exchange for opportunity was normal. But once famous? Who would tie themselves to a single station for 10 years?
Who could even guarantee the station would still be relevant in 10 years?
Most gave polite responses like "we'll consider it,"—which, of course, was just a soft "no."
Only Xia Yining and Yu Youqing, after seeing the contract terms, asked the same question:
"Does Jing Yu intend to stay with the station?"
Chu You understood immediately.
They didn't have faith in Jinhui TV, but they did have faith in Jing Yu.
If he stayed, the station had upward potential—it might be worth it to sign.
But if he left?
"Can one screenwriter change the fate of an entire TV station? How could it be that simple…" Chu You shook his head.
Yet even as he thought that, a memory surfaced—of that screenwriting genius from Yunteng TV.
For a few years, that writer almost single-handedly transformed Yunteng into a network rivaling the Big Six.
Until five years ago, he jumped ship—taking half of Yunteng's senior staff with him.
Since then, Yunteng couldn't even crack the top ten.
While still technically a first-tier network, it had fallen far behind. Compared to Jinhui TV, though, it was still on a whole other level.
As 'White Album 2' aired episodes 8 and 9, the college arc continued.
This phase focused entirely on repairing the broken relationship between Haruki and Setsuna.
Kazusa didn't appear at all, leaving her fans increasingly frustrated.
But Setsuna's fans were thriving. While they still saw Haruki as trash, Setsuna was gradually regaining her spark—smiling more, healing more.
Thanks to Kazusa's award, giving them an excuse to reconnect, Haruki and Setsuna began texting again. Their relationship slowly mended.
The heavy atmosphere of despair started to lighten, just a little.
If it weren't for the game's final chapter, the college arc itself might've even been seen as bittersweet with a touch of hope.
By episode 10, after three years apart, Setsuna and Haruki finally had their first date.
Just when they seemed ready to let go of the past—already at a hotel, no less—Setsuna saw a magazine article that Haruki had written as an intern…
A profile on Kazusa.
She asked:
"Haruki, have you… Really forgotten about Kazusa?"
He lied.
He lied, even though Setsuna knew everything.
She slapped him.
Screamed at him.
And the cycle of despair began anew.
"Sigh… I thought this week's episode would finally ease the pain. Still getting stomachaches!"
"They made it to the hotel, and he still gets slapped? Bro…"
"The screenwriter's really trying to kill us. And Setsuna too—why do they keep doing this to themselves?"
"As a Kazusa fan, I was suffocating watching this. Good thing they stopped before going all the way. Otherwise, where does that leave Kazusa?"
"It's been almost a month without seeing Kazusa. Is this screenwriter insane?!"
"What do you expect? She was the mistress, then ran off abroad. Should Setsuna and Haruki wait for her to come back and do a 'fair competition'?"
"Trash male lead. So frustrating. Damn."
"Wait, is this show really ending like this? We're on episode 9 and autumn's almost over."
"Don't worry, it'll keep airing for a few more weeks after the season ends. Kazusa will definitely return."
"Don't remind me. Just imagining her coming back after all this repair work between Setsuna and Haruki gives me goosebumps. Are we getting a second round of betrayal?"
"No way, right?"
"...Right?"
"If the writer does go that route, I swear I'm sending razor blades to the studio."
Though the viewership growth had slowed near the 3% mark, by Episode 10, the average had officially broken 3%, ranking 12th among all autumn season dramas.
That number sent ripples across Da Zhou's TV industry.
With winter approaching, dozens of music-melodrama hybrids were lined up by stations across the country, ready to capitalize on the trend.
Some writers and directors even boasted:
"This winter, my new show will kick 'Your Lie in April' to the curb and punch 'White Album 2' in the face!"
They got roasted by fans, of course—but the marketing impact was undeniable. Name-dropping 'White Album 2' worked wonders.
From Jing Yu's perspective, though, the college arc was the dullest part of the entire story.
Because the core of 'White Album 2' was the love triangle, and with Kazusa missing, half the fun was gone.
Still, thanks to the emotional buildup from the high school arc, most fans were glued to their screens, desperate to see how it would end.
Setsuna fans were hoping for full reconciliation and a happy ending.
Kazusa fans were waiting for her grand return—to snatch Haruki back from Setsuna, that "fake sweet girl," and get their happy ending instead.
Mid-September.
As the college arc neared its conclusion, Jinhui TV seized the moment.
They invited Jing Yu, Yu Youqing, and Xia Yining for an exclusive in-house interview special dedicated to 'White Album 2'.