April 1st, Saturday night.
A steady rain fell in Modo City.
Zhang Ning sat on the bus, eyes glued to the small onboard television, which was playing a teaser for a new drama—
Imperial Capital TV's summer flagship, 'Manual'.
Beside him, three high school girls were deep in excited conversation.
"Ahhh, I heard the male lead is Ye Qizheng!"
"Same! I used to love his shows when I was little. His acting's amazing. I thought he'd quit acting to go into business, though?"
"He did. But I heard he lost a lot of money, like a lot of stars do when they try that. Guess now he's back."
"The teaser looked really good. Gave me that classic drama vibe again."
"Yeah, and Huanshi TV's summer dramas are high quality too. Unlike Xingtong TV's new shows here in Modo City—this April lineup is kinda mid."
"Well, YunTeng TV's 'Hikaru no Go' Season 2 is airing this quarter. I feel like it might surprise everyone again. Every quarter, the top shows are always from the Big Six networks. But if YunTeng TV really rises, the Modo City drama scene could get a whole lot more interesting."
"'Hikaru no Go' is great, sure, but YunTeng TV's still YunTeng TV. One good drama doesn't change their track record."
"Still, Jing Yu has a new drama airing tonight too—'Another', airing the same time as 'Manual'."
"Too bad it's not 'Hikaru no Go' going head-to-head with 'Manual'. I'd actually have a hard time choosing. But 'Another'? That's just a low-budget drama. Doesn't sound like it'll be anything special."
"I've been totally hooked on Jing Yu's work lately. After watching 'Hikaru no Go', I went back and binged all his old stuff. Everything he writes is amazing. Sure, 'Another' might have a small budget, but I'm definitely checking it out tonight."
Their chatter continued for the entire bus ride, and Zhang Ning quietly listened the whole time.
After all, he was a die-hard Hikaru no Go fan.
Any time someone praised Sai, he felt this deep, inexplicable joy.
'Manual'? Please.
He had seen the works of 'Manual's writer, Huang Jun, and had long given up on him. The guy always nailed the opening… only to deliver underwhelming, frustrating endings. Not bad exactly, but just the kind that left a sour aftertaste.
By comparison, Jing Yu was far more reliable. So far, not a single one of his dramas had crashed at the end.
Back home, Zhang Ning took a shower, ate dinner, and plopped down in front of the TV just in time for the premiere.
But honestly?
"YunTeng TV… seriously?"
Their bias toward Hikaru no Go was off the charts.
By 7:55 PM, just five minutes before airtime, YunTeng TV was still running 'Hikaru no Go' ads every two commercial breaks. Anyone who tuned in for even two minutes would definitely see the show's Season 2 promos and branded logos.
Meanwhile, 'Another' felt like a child from a second marriage—completely neglected.
No ads, no posters, no banners.
"It's about to premiere, and I haven't seen a single trailer?"
In the Jing Yu fan group, chat was buzzing.
"Does anyone actually know what 'Another' is about? I'm so confused. I only remembered it was airing because I saw Jing Yu talk about it on that interview show."
"I've got a friend working at YunTeng TV. He said the station has seven dramas this quarter, but every cent of the budget is going toward promoting 'Hikaru no Go'."
"Then what about the other shows? They just… air with no support?"
"Pretty much. They have to rely entirely on their own quality. I mean, YunTeng TV does have a basic viewer base, so as long as the timeslot isn't clashing with a mega-hit, it'll get at least 1% ratings. Anything more depends on how good it is."
"Honestly, if 'Hikaru no Go' didn't have such a cheap premise—no big stars, and Go matches aren't expensive to shoot—YunTeng TV would've invested way more than 50 million on Season 2."
The chatters kept chattering until 8:00 PM sharp.
Meanwhile, 'Manual' on Imperial Capital TV had already racked up a pre-broadcast viewership of 5.79%.
The sting of Hikaru no Go's spring-season surge had made the Big Three paranoid. No one wanted to be the one in fourth place again this quarter.
So they'd poured serious money into this season's lead shows.
Back at YunTeng TV...
Thanks to Jing Yu's dedicated fanbase, 'Another' still pulled in 2.21% viewership for its premiere.
In the network's analytics room, Cheng Lie finally let out a breath of relief.
It wasn't a triumph, but it was enough.
Still, the real test was ahead—could the ratings hold or grow?
That depended on whether the plot could hook people in.
The screen flickered.
'Another' Episode 1 began.
A moody, eerie filter washed over the first frames. Just a glance, and Zhang Ning already felt a wave of unease.
Opening scene:
A boy and a girl are chatting in voiceover.
"Do you know Misaki Mei? From Class 3–3?"
"Someone like that was in Class 3?"
"That was... 26 years ago."
Just a few lines—and Zhang Ning was drawn in.
Twenty-six years ago, a girl named Misaki Mei died in an accident at school.
Her classmates, devastated by her loss, couldn't bear the pain.
So someone made a suggestion:
"What if we just pretend she didn't die?"
They cleaned her desk every day, left her seat untouched, and even said "hi" to her empty chair.
Eventually, the whole class started acting like Misaki Mei was still alive.
And when they graduated?
They even reserved her a seat at the ceremony.
"Then what happened?" the girl's voice asked.
Suddenly, the background music shifted—
tension rising, eerie and sharp.
Zhang Ning, sitting alone in the dark watching TV, felt goosebumps crawl up his arms.
He couldn't help imagining:
If someone died, and everyone pretended she didn't—what would happen?
Logically, of course, nothing.
But this was fiction.
And if the show opened with that story, it meant…
Something was coming.
She's back, isn't she?
That girl—Misaki Mei.
Just the thought made Zhang Ning's heart start pounding.
He was a 140-jin guy, but hey—
Who says a strong man can't have the delicate heart of a shoujo heroine?
"Do you want to know what happened next?"
The male voice in the show hesitated.
"There's more?"
That's where the story of 'Another'
began.
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