Sunday—episode three of 'Kimi ni Todoke' aired.
The general narrative pattern of this drama had already become clear:
It established early on that the male and female leads liked each other, and then wove in stories about their friends. Through resolving conflicts within their circle, the relationship between the leads gradually deepened.
For example—
At the end of episode two, vicious rumors about Sawako's friends, Yano and Chizuru, began spreading throughout the school.
And shockingly, the source of those rumors seemed to point to Sawako herself.
Thus, episode three focused on this conflict.
Yano and Chizuru refused to believe that Sawako would do something like that.
But both of them had somewhat stubborn personalities, and combined with Sawako's airheaded innocence—
The situation only became more and more chaotic due to a series of misunderstandings.
Watching this episode, Su Yan's fans were on edge the entire time.
Yano and Chizuru asked Sawako a crucial question:
Did she consider them friends?
They couldn't bring themselves to directly ask if she was the one spreading rumors—
So they decided that as long as Sawako answered "yes," they would trust her completely.
But—
Sawako's answer was:
"Rather than calling you friends…"
Anyone good at language knew that a phrase like "rather than" signaled a turning point—the important part came after.
Unfortunately—
Yano and Chizuru, already upset, couldn't hold back their emotions and didn't wait to hear the rest.
By episode three, the show's uniquely frustrating emotional tension had fully emerged.
The nickname "so frustrating it'll kill you" for 'Kimi ni Todoke' was definitely not undeserved.
Even binge-watchers would feel their blood pressure rise from the characters' clumsy misunderstandings—
Let alone those watching weekly.
That night, Su Yan's fan forums exploded as usual.
["This is painful!"]
["Why does Su Yan's romance drama feel even more torturous than his tragic ones?"]
["It's already episode three—why haven't they confessed yet?!"]
["I can't take this anymore."]
["Why would Sawako say something like that?! If Chizuru asked whether they were friends, just say yes! What's with starting with 'rather than friends'?"]
["I feel like what she was going to say next was actually positive… but she never got to say it."]
["I hate when people only say half a sentence. The old sadist did this on purpose, didn't he?"]
["Well, of course. If the plot went smoothly with no twists, would it even be a drama? That'd just be our daily lives."]
["…That hit a little too hard."]
["I just want the leads to hurry up and confess already!"]
["Relax. These friendship arcs are good, too. Those dramas where they confess in episode three, kiss in episode four, and then just get overly sweet—I get sick of those."]
["Even though both are romance dramas, this feels totally different from 'Tokyo Love Story'. That one had Rika going all-in from episode one, relationships flipping constantly in the first three episodes, and by episode four… well, you know. Meanwhile, here, it's episode three, and they're still secretly in love."]
["Have some patience."]
["My patience is running out. Next Friday, 'Your Name' releases—I'll go watch that three times first."]
["Even during 'Your Name''s release, I'm definitely keeping up with 'Kimi ni Todoke'!"]
["Enjoy this month. Having both 'Kimi ni Todoke' and 'Your Name' at the same time… who knows when the old sadist's next work will come after summer."]
["Isn't 'Fate/stay night' already in production? Maybe it'll air next January. And the second 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' will probably be released during next year's Spring Festival."]
["Easy for you to say. It's only July—still half a year away."]
["Honestly, compared to Su Yan's big special-effects productions, I think something like 'Kimi ni Todoke' is even better."]
["Agreed. 'Your Lie in April' is still number one in my heart. None of his later works has moved me the same way. It's a shame he hasn't made another music romance like that."]
For the entire night, fans vented online about episode three.
Since this drama lacked the heavy, tragic elements of Su Yan's past works, the overall tone of the discussion this season was much calmer.
Fans weren't instantly raging at every dissatisfaction like before.
The next day—
Episode three's ratings settled at 5.71%.
Growth had clearly slowed.
After all, the audience base for romance dramas was limited—there was only so much room to expand.
Starting Tuesday, however—
The focus of the Xia Nation's entertainment media shifted almost entirely.
Major film investors began dominating headlines.
With over 200 million in production costs and another 200 million in promotional spending, 'Your Name' was unquestionably the most anticipated film of the summer.
Thanks to the strong reputation of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie', Su Yan had already built a massive moviegoing fanbase.
Cinema owners, theater chains, and industry executives all gave 'Your Name' top-tier treatment.
By Tuesday alone—
Advance ticket sales for opening day had already exceeded 100 million.
And for its Friday release, it secured a staggering 31% screening share, far ahead of competitors.
Other films struggled in comparison:
The horror mystery 'Bone Temple' (investment: 200+ million) — 19%
The comedy 'Three People' — 16%
The youth romance 'Summer Night' — 11%
'Summer Night' had it the worst.
Originally planned for the Spring Festival season, it had withdrawn due to fierce competition—only to run straight into 'Your Name' in the summer.
With marketing already spent, it had no choice but to release—
But the low screening share clearly showed the industry's lack of confidence.
At home in Hudu, after finishing a full day of promotional work, Su Yan studied the summer box office landscape.
Two years ago, when 'The Garden of Words' was released—
He had been nervous.
Back then, its screening share and treatment were similar to what 'Summer Night' was experiencing now—unfavored, barely supported by theaters.
But this year—
Before 'Your Name' had even premiered, the entire industry already viewed it as the strongest contender for the summer box office champion.
"This must be what they mean by 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river,'" Su Yan murmured, letting out a long breath.
He reviewed the competing films once more.
Although competition this summer was fiercer than in previous years—
This time, he felt the most confident.
In the film industry, both quality and promotion were equally important.
When 'Your Name' was released in his previous life, its box office had only reached around 500–600 million—
But that was under poor scheduling and minimal promotion.
After all, as a foreign film, it lacked domestic backing and theater support.
Even so, it had achieved strong results.
Now—
In the Xia Nation, Su Yan had provided it with the best possible conditions.
And his goal this summer wasn't just to beat competing films—
He wanted to surpass the box office of 'Rurouni Kenshin' from half a year ago.