All across the major drama fan groups in Great Zhou, things were exploding.
"Absolutely legendary."
"Okay, maybe the story logic wasn't flawless, but still… this is the best show I've seen in five years."
"Five years? Are you kidding me? Has anything in the past decade even come close to Steins;Gate?"
"Exactly! Forget the ratings for a second—look, I'm not trying to stir the pot between Steins;Gate and 'Hikaru no Go', but comparing it to 'You, Under the Cliff', 'Black Cat', or 'Manual'? Come on, it's not even close."
"Steins;Gate is GOAT!"
"I respect the version of me from over a month ago—the guy who stuck with the early episodes and didn't give up. Steins;Gate is #1, and my foresight is #2!"
"Jing Yu is a genius!"
"Mayuri is amazing!"
"Makise is queen!"
"Itaru is king!"
"Suzuha, Mr. Braun, Ruka—they all rocked!"
Okabe's harrowing journey over the past few weeks had taken an emotional toll on the audience as well.
But now, it had all been worth it. The more pain they endured in the early episodes, the more satisfying the ending became.
Especially since the central theme of the show—Okabe defying world line convergence—wasn't just brilliant writing. It struck a deeply personal chord, as if the audience, stepping into the protagonist's shoes, had themselves fought and triumphed over destiny.
Now that the story had reached its climax, fans had basically entered gibberish-hype mode in the group chats—sending meaningless but passionate messages as a form of catharsis.
Meanwhile, those who weren't satisfied just blowing up fan chats headed to public drama forums and began furiously promoting Steins;Gate to everyone they could.
On Yindou Net, the show's rating shot up from 9.5 to 9.7 overnight after the final episode aired.
But the ratings weren't even the most shocking part.
The next day, the final episode's viewership numbers were released to the entire television drama industry.
Steins;Gate finale: 6.20%
'You, Under the Cliff': 6.11%
While online fans had already declared Steins;Gate a masterpiece in post after post, the industry was more stunned by the numbers.
No one in the business was surprised that 'You, Under the Cliff's ratings might dip if a strong competitor aired at the same time—that kind of viewer split was inevitable. After all, Great Zhou only had so many drama viewers, and if two good shows aired simultaneously, audiences would naturally be divided.
But what they couldn't accept—what shouldn't have happened under any circumstances—was this:
A mega-budget drama like 'You, Under the Cliff', backed by hundreds of millions in investment and broadcast on high-profile Huanshi TV, had its ratings surpassed by Steins;Gate, a drama made for only 20 million.
Even if it was just for one episode, one week, one moment—this was unthinkable.
'You, Under the Cliff' had all the big names: master screenwriter Lin Bin, veteran actors like Sun Ling, Tong Shujuan, Xu Rong… The marketing budget from Huanshi TV alone ran into the tens of millions.
And yet this was the result?
What did this mean?
It meant that all the early dominance 'You, Under the Cliff' enjoyed wasn't because the show was better, but because it had better resources. And those resources couldn't even maintain their lead for two months.
You thought 'Steins;Gate' was just a pawn Yunteng TV threw out to disrupt Huanshi TV?
Well, the finale's ratings just proved one thing: 'Steins;Gate' was more loved by the viewers.
This simple fact hit the industry harder than even the overall drop in 'You, Under the Cliff's viewership.
Huanshi TV.
Lin Bin sat in a conference room while executives ripped him to shreds for over an hour.
Exhausted, he walked out of the building and looked up at the clear blue sky.
"What do you want me to do? I can't control the ratings…"
Lin Bin was still bitter. Until now, he had never let go of his arrogance toward 'Steins;Gate'.
But the previous night, after 'You, Under the Cliff' officially lost in ratings, he had sat alone at home for two hours. Then he called a friend, found a high-res copy of 'Steins;Gate', and binged the entire show through the night.
Now, his face was a mix of emotions.
He had lost. Of course it stung. But even he had to admit it—after watching all the episodes, he could see it clearly.
'Steins;Gate' was an excellent drama.
It didn't just match 'You, Under the Cliff'—it was better. Especially at the script level.
"This… is the audience's choice," Lin Bin sighed heavily.
Jing Yu.
The face of Okabe, the protagonist of Steins;Gate, flashed through his mind.
Lin Bin now understood—Great Zhou's drama industry had a new name that demanded serious attention.
Back in his industry group chats, he saw people from Xingtong TV, Imperial Capital TV, and other insiders celebrating 'You, Under the Cliff's loss.
"Mocking me, huh? Heh… This time, I just happened to run into this guy Jing Yu." Lin Bin sneered, left the group chat, and muttered:
"Let's see if you all still laugh when your shows go up against him."
Although 'Steins;Gate' had concluded its main story, Jing Yu had agreed to shoot a series of side episodes based on Cheng Lie's suggestion. So while the fans were still hyped from the finale, they were now looking forward to these bonus episodes.
Even if it was just a bunch of over-the-top antics from the characters in their daily lives, they were in.
Once these extra episodes were publicly confirmed, the entire drama industry knew:
'You, Under the Cliff' was officially done for.
Some dramas, like 'Manual', had managed a ratings rebound after their 'Another' arcs ended. But Jing Yu wasn't about to give 'You, Under the Cliff' that chance. Even if it meant dragging out the ending with bonus content, he was determined to suppress 'You, Under the Cliff' long enough for 'Hikaru no Go' to seize the season's ratings crown.
And really, who could blame him?
If anyone else were in Jing Yu's position, they'd do the same.
The remarkable part was that Jing Yu—a writer from a lower-tier station like Yunteng TV—had managed to back Huanshi TV into a corner like this.
It was hard not to feel a little amazed.
In the days that followed, new episodes of other dramas began airing across the top three networks.
With 'Another' ending and no major rivals for 'Black Cat', dramas from Xingtong TV and Imperial Capital TV saw stable gains in viewership.
But 'Hikaru no Go' Episode 9 still ranked #1 for the week.
Its average viewership reached 6.99%—just one step away from the 7% barrier.
Meanwhile, 'Black Cat' had started to surge as its late-game plot picked up steam, closing the gap with a 6.88% weekly rating.
Despite 'Hikaru no Go' receiving better word-of-mouth and reviews, the difference in platform scale between Yunteng TV and the top three broadcasters still limited how far ahead it could pull.
Seeing this, Yunteng TV's upper management didn't hesitate.
They immediately increased marketing investment for 'Hikaru no Go'.
No one at the network had expected the show to come this far. But after Steins;Gate successfully dethroned 'You, Under the Cliff', the possibility of 'Hikaru no Go' ending the summer season at the top became very real—over 60% probability.
As long as the last four episodes maintained solid ratings, 'Hikaru no Go' would claim the seasonal crown.
At this point, Yunteng TV went all in.
Even though they were outmatched in budget, distribution, and industry connections compared to the Big Three, they were determined to push 'Hikaru no Go's nationwide promotion to the same level.
And so, the calendar turned to June.
The final month of the summer season.