"So that's when Shouta fell for Sawako!"
"Please just get married right now!"
"Throw the bouquet! Don't shoot any more episodes—I'm terrified Jing Yu-sensei is going to stir up drama in later ones."
"Sawako fell for Shouta at first sight here, and Shouta fell for her here too!"
"Damn, is this what other people's love stories are like?"
"Oh my god, Xia Yining's portrayal of Sawako is incredible! How did she manage to be so terrifying in the horror scenes, yet now I'm in love? She turned me!"
"If I were Shouta, I'd fall for her instantly too."
"That smile… It's too beautiful. I'm actually crying."
"Can this show really last a whole season?"
"If these two don't confess in episode two, it'll be weird."
"It's so sweet."
[Someday... I'll tell you.]
Shouta's inner monologue echoed as the new semester began.
From that moment, the viewership of 'Kimi ni Todoke' officially broke 7.2%.
It had started at 6.42%, and now it had reached 7.2%.
Even though Yunteng TV's staff had long been aware of Jing Yu's pull, they still couldn't help but marvel.
A new semester.
A new beginning.
Daily class interactions between the two,
rescuing an abandoned dog together on the way to school…
Because Shouta was the first to treat Sawako differently,
It influenced the rest of the class to stop fearing her.
Shouta, Yano Ayane, and Yoshida Chizuru
even voluntarily switched their seats to be closer to her.
The first episode of 'Kimi ni Todoke' ended with a quiet moment:
Sawako was watching Shouta's back, his image reflected in her eyes,
and a soft, involuntary smile appeared on her lips.
Then the ending theme began to play.
Gu Yi frowned slightly, her face full of question marks.
In the fan group:
"That's it?"
"How are they not confessing yet?"
"I just watched an hour of this, and you didn't let them confess??"
"Jing Yu-sensei, what are you doing? You're teasing us on purpose, huh? Just let them confess already! They both fell in love at first sight!"
"Whatever. Be patient. They'll confess in episode two."
"This show is soooo good. But seriously—if things are already this far in episode one, can they really stretch it out for 10+ episodes?"
"Maybe they'll focus on the sweet daily life after they get together?"
"Ehhh, who cares—I'm totally satisfied either way."
"This is what a high school romance should be. No scheming, just wholesome vibes."
By now it was already 10 PM.
Ordinary viewers cared about the plot,
But people from other networks were focused on one thing—the ratings.
The bottom three networks of the Big Six weren't even worried—
They had been steamrolled by Jing Yu's work so many times that they didn't even dream of competing anymore.
But the top three networks...
Veteran writers like Liang Hui, He Zhanyuan, and Chen Bolin
all pretended to be indifferent in interviews,
But in private, they were feeling the pressure.
The top-rated drama of the first week of October
would very likely be determined by 'Kimi ni Todoke's first episode.
They were all well-established names in the industry.
To be beaten by a young writer—
That would be hard to swallow.
And yet...
When the final ratings came in,
They were disappointed.
'Kimi ni Todoke' Episode 1: Average rating 7.23%
With a narrow 0.1% lead,
It edged out 'That Year!', which had aired earlier at 8 PM.
And with that, the show basically secured the title of first-week ratings champion for October.
Last year, even after multiple successful dramas from Jing Yu,
Some people still claimed he was a "flash in the pan"—
that he'd fade just as quickly as he rose.
But after tonight's numbers,
The entire Big Six went silent.
To be fair,
'Stardust' had a 6.22% premiere,
'Summer Echo' had 6.32%,
and 'That Year!' had 7.13%—none of those were bad ratings.
In fact, those were solid results typical of the top three networks,
which had long held dominance in the television industry.
But the truth was—
even when their own performances were strong,
They still couldn't beat Jing Yu.
Even bringing out Liang Hui,
and even matching 'Kimi ni Todoke' with a romantic drama of the same genre,
They still couldn't outdo his viewership.
Of course, teams from Xingtong TV, Huanshi TV, and Imperial Capital TV
all tried to console themselves, saying things like:
"First-week ratings don't decide everything."
"There's still time to catch up later."
But in reality, the numbers told a different story.
Whenever Jing Yu's shows pulled ahead in ratings—
No other show had ever overtaken them again.
Not once.
Not in a single week.
Liang Hui furrowed her brow as she reviewed the data.
She had helped Huanshi TV produce their new show not just because of their generous offer,
But also because in recent months, Jing Yu's name had become too prominent in Great Zhou's television scene.
As one of the top writers in the country,
Liang Hui held a certain disdain for younger writers,
especially those like Jing Yu who had overshadowed so many of her peers.
She had thought 'That Year!''s 7.13% premiere was a great success.
But when 'Kimi ni Todoke' beat it on the same night,
she couldn't hide her embarrassment.
Over the next few days,
TV industry media across Great Zhou exploded with headlines about the first-week results.
📣 Media Headlines:
"Genius screenwriter Jing Yu returns after a year—his new lead drama premieres with 7.23%, winning the winter season's first-week ratings crown."
"Veteran writer Liang Hui, once hailed as a genius, now overtaken by the next generation?"
"'Kimi ni Todoke' debuts to rave reviews—viewers praise it as the freshest romance drama they've ever seen."
"Xia Yining's performance in 'Kimi ni Todoke'—from spine-chilling to heart-melting in one smile. Maybe we shouldn't only credit screenwriter Jing Yu. She's clearly more than just a pretty face."
"Yunteng's stock price rose 3.43% on Monday. Since Jing Yu joined the network, Yunteng's market cap has grown over 30%, nearing that of the weakest among the Big Six, Squirrel TV."
"Qingyun Group's apps Qingmao (video) and Qingyun (microblogging) gained over 2 million users this week. Hongbing Group and Yulin Group are also fiercely competing for ad space this quarter. Rumor has it Qingyun Group invested 1 billion in advertising—its rivals are not backing down either."
This season, Great Zhou's TV drama industry was busier than ever.
More exciting than previous seasons by far.
Jing Yu liked to read these news articles too.
But soon, his expression stiffened—
because he spotted a headline that caught his attention.