Lu Yuan's letter marked the first major turning point in 'An Ancient Love Song'.
It was also the kind of letter that gave many die-hard 'An Ancient Love Song' fans goosebumps late into the night.
"We were never strangers passing by. You've always been a part of my life. I knew you would appear on the Shangsi night of the fifth year of Yuanqi. And when you saw me that night and acted like you didn't know me at all… I knew then—the future me must've said nothing to you."
The audience finally understood.
This was why the 36-year-old Lu Yuan said nothing to Shen Buyan—why she tricked him into joining her for Shangsi by answering his three questions with three vague answers.
Because of what she'd experienced, she didn't want Shen Buyan to burn himself like a moth flying into her flame.
As for what exactly those past experiences were… well, it was only episode three. Obviously, more would be revealed later.
That's why 26-year-old Lu Yuan decided: this time, on this Shangsi night, she would not acknowledge him.
And the 36-year-old Lu Yuan honored that decision.
"That day, I asked you what year it was. You answered, 'Probably Yuanqi Year Fifteen.' At that moment, I knew—after this, I'd have to wait another ten years to see you again."
When this part of the letter was revealed, many viewers simply lost it.
Because those with sharp memories remembered how, in episode two, when Shen Buyan mentioned it was "probably Yuanqi Year Fifteen," Lu Yuan had gone silent for several seconds.
She had truly believed that if she didn't acknowledge him now, he wouldn't get involved in her dangerous struggle with Li Yong.
But by refusing to meet him this time…
She would have to wait ten more years to see him again.
And she endured it. She hid her feelings well and pushed Shen Buyan away again and again.
Until Shen Buyan, through his connection with the foolish emperor, secured a position as military supervisor and followed her brother Lu Shi to Huofeng Fortress.
And to protect Lu Shi and her, he willingly put on the general's mask and armor, pretending to be Lu Shi—offering himself as bait to die in his place.
Only then did Lu Yuan finally reveal everything.
She drugged Shen Buyan and went in his place.
"I believe you. Everything you said is true. I've had my hopes shattered again and again. If fate really can be reversed, the one behind the mask shouldn't be you. If someone has to die, I want it to be me. Because you and Lu Shi… you're the two most important people in my life."
The letter ended.
The scene then cut to Liuli Valley, where the Beilie army had set up an ambush for Lu Shi.
The masked figure leading the charge looked at the valley ahead without hesitation, then spurred their horse forward.
Episode three of 'An Ancient Love Song' ended at a point the late-night audience simply couldn't bear.
In episode one, viewers didn't quite understand the setting—though they sensed the sadness, it wasn't painful yet.
In episode two, they began to feel the sting.
Lu Yuan, at 36, died smiling in Shen Buyan's arms. She told him not to be afraid, to go meet the 26-year-old her, and to experience the beautiful memories they once shared.
And then in episode three…
She told him everything. And to keep him from dying, she smiled and rode into a valley filled with enemies.
[What the heck, is the screenwriter heartless?! Don't tell me Shen Buyan's second time-travel made Lu Yuan die early, at 26?]
[No, that doesn't make sense! If Lu Yuan dies at 26, how does her 36-year-old self even exist?]
[Parallel timelines? Does each time Shen Buyan travels create a new world?]
[I don't get it, but I really can't take this anymore. Episode three actually made me cry.]
[Why? The history books in the show say Lu Shi dies at Liuli Valley, but to change that… does either Lu Yuan or Shen Buyan have to die?]
[This is all the screenwriter's fault, seriously.]
[If the female lead really dies, I'm dropping the show.]
[We HAVE to save Lu Yuan. The 26-year-old can't die. 36-year-old her either.]
[I'm stunned. I'm a guy, and I was crying red-eyed in the middle of the night.]
[Why isn't this amazing drama more famous?!]
[No, I can't take this alone anymore. I'm not going to let other Xia Nation drama fans chill watching dumb fluff shows while I suffer. I'm dragging them into this pain too.]
[Right?! Why are we the only ones crying through the night while others just enjoy themselves?]
[Su Yan, huh? When I finish 'An Ancient Love Song', I'm blacklisting this guy. Not watching anything he makes again.]
[Yeah, block him. And Shinozaki Ikumi, too. First, she gave us that nauseating 'Sakura Love Song', on par with 'Pure Breeze'. Then she jumps genres with Su Yan to make this kind of tearjerker that breaks me as a grown man. Block them both.]
[Everyone bear witness: if I ever follow another show by Su Yan or Shinozaki again, I'm turning into a dog.]
The fans couldn't take it anymore.
They flooded the comment sections of other shows with posts like:
"Top-tier sweet romance! You'll regret not watching!"
Of course, half-truths are the best bait.
Some viewers even leaked small spoilers about the time-travel elements in the show.
In a world without any existing time-travel genre, just the concept alone was enough to pull in curious viewers.
Despite yelling at Su Yan, the fans genuinely loved Lu Yuan.
To them, the story and its creator were entirely separate.
Even while dragging Su Yan online, they still gave episodes one and two glowing 9.0 ratings on SakuraNet.
This season, with over a hundred dramas airing across the four major streaming platforms, most have already been uploaded.
And ratings, on these platforms, came from that same vocal group of review-loving viewers.
So even though 'An Ancient Love Song' was only ranked 23rd in viewership…
Its 9.0 rating placed it firmly among the top 5 of the entire autumn lineup.
Curious casual viewers started checking it out.
How could a midnight slot show get this kind of score?
Was this another case of a hidden gem buried in a garbage time slot?
"I need to see what's going on here!"
People began catching up via SakuraNet.
It was only 2 yuan for the first two episodes. Who couldn't afford that?
The next day.
With episode three of 'An Ancient Love Song' climbing again in the charts, its viewership reached 1.88%, securing the top spot in its time slot once more.
Its popularity and paid streaming figures on SakuraNet also surged.
Even staff inside the network were taken aback.
"Seriously? Episode three already pulled in ratings like this?"
"Is it gonna keep going up?"
"Ep 1 to 2 rose 0.21%, and ep 2 to 3 rose 0.29%... Is episode 4 gonna break 2%? This is the Sunday midnight slot, mind you!"
"A 9.0 rating on the site? This feels familiar… Didn't Su Yan's 'Rurouni Kenshin' short drama also launch with a 9+ rating?"
While most dramas had stagnant ratings after their premiere episodes, 'An Ancient Love Song' had been rising for two straight weeks—making it stand out dramatically.
Head of Production, Yoshizaki Shigeyoshi, stared at the latest internal analytics deep in thought.
In another office, Akasaka Yoshitoki was brooding too.
'Night Sakura' was now ranked 12th—falling short of his top ten expectations.
But he couldn't really blame his nephew, Kiyota Sanji.
Kiyota was just the "face" of 'Night Sakura'—more of a mascot than anything else.
The script had been purchased by Akasaka himself. Most of the production crew were from his own faction, and even the cast was made up of long-time collaborators.
If the show underperformed, the fault was his.
"But this Su Yan…"
Akasaka frowned at the latest 1.88% rating.
'Rurouni Kenshin' succeeding could've been chalked up to luck.
But 'An Ancient Love Song' performing this well for three weeks straight in a midnight slot? That was pure skill.
Too bad… Su Yan was someone promoted by Ogata Aya.
Sigh.
"Cut!"
"Finally done."
Su Yan stepped away from Gu Qingyuan, wiping the fake blood from his face.
"Congrats. We've officially wrapped all of Shen Buyan's second time-travel scenes."
Gu Qingyuan's tear-stained expression instantly disappeared, replaced by a smile.
"How was it, Mr. Su Yan? How'd I do just now?"
"Amazing. I almost couldn't keep up with your performance," Su Yan said sincerely.
Gu Qingyuan, a graduate of a professional acting program, was undeniably skilled. She often pulled Su Yan right into her scenes with her intensity.
Honestly, just watching this drama in his past life had been painful enough. Filming it himself hit even harder.
With this scene done, they wrapped up for the day. Crew members began packing up props and equipment.
Though it was only Friday, the ratings for the weekend's major shows wouldn't affect 'An Ancient Love Song' anymore.
It was almost certain that the drama would rank 19th in the third week of the autumn season, with its 1.88% viewership.
It's the first time entering the top 20.
It was now fewer than ten spots away from 'Night Sakura'.
Shinozaki Ikumi finally felt that the goal was within reach.
That evening, all crew members were invited by her to a celebratory dinner.
"That means tomorrow we'll just shoot a few scenes of Shen Buyan returning to the modern world. With that, episodes 9 and 10—technically the 5th and 6th episodes—will be completely done. That wraps up the second time-travel arc," Shinozaki said, walking over with documents in hand.
"Su Yan, you still haven't submitted the script for episode 7. I need it by tomorrow morning so I can lock down the location contracts."
"Oh, wait—here." Su Yan rushed to grab a script from his bag and handed it over.
"This is the full arc for Shen Buyan's third time travel."
"Huh? You wrote this fast? All four episodes at once?" Shinozaki blinked.
"Well, I promised I wouldn't delay submissions. You've already got so much on your plate—I don't want to add to your stress," Su Yan said seriously.
His words seemed to touch her. She smiled.
"If only everyone in the crew were as easy to work with as you."
Shi Peihua had to go home early, so only Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan joined Shinozaki in the company car headed to the dinner.
On the road, Shinozaki started reading the script—originally just to pass the time and check logistics.
But the more she read, the weirder her expression got. She kept glancing at Su Yan.
This plot…
Made her eyes sting. She was starting to tear up.
Especially the part near the end of the third time travel—when Shen Buyan and Lu Yuan part ways inside a carriage, separated only by a curtain.
It was gut-wrenching.
"Su Yan…"
"Didn't you say 'An Ancient Love Song' wasn't a tragedy?"
"Yeah," Su Yan answered calmly. "It's not."
"Then what's with this script?" she asked.
"Su Yan, if you wrote another tragedy, your fans will disappear. Those 'Rurouni Kenshin' fans following this show didn't come to see more death and separation!"
"So it's heading the way of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal', with Tomoe's tragic death?" Gu Qingyuan's eyes widened.
"Lu Yuan dies again?!"
"No—don't jump to conclusions," Su Yan quickly said. "Shen Buyan's third time travel just fills in some gaps. It's a little heavier than before…"
"A little?" Shinozaki scoffed.
"I promise you—Lu Yuan won't die on that final night of the story."
"Really?" she eyed him suspiciously.
"Really. I've already planned the ending—it ends with Lu Yuan smiling," Su Yan said.
Yeah…
She's smiling.
It's Lu Yuan, alright.
Just… maybe not exactly the way Shinozaki imagined.
To prevent her from demanding rewrites, Su Yan could only tell half the truth.
"Fine. I trust you can pull it off."
"Make it tear-jerking if you must, but the ending has to satisfy viewers' hope for a happy reunion. That's how we'll get ratings. That's how we break into the top ten. I like the idea of Lu Yuan ending with a smile—don't change it."
"Definitely," Su Yan said with a smile.
"?"
Gu Qingyuan looked at him. Something felt off.
But she couldn't quite figure out what.