Because Yao Xiaoling had just binged Episodes 1 through 6 in a single day on SakuraNet and was now watching Episode 7 live on Sakura TV, the entire storyline was fresh in her memory.
Which made this third-time meeting between Shen Buyan and Lu Yuan all the more bittersweet—and painful.
Her stomach was starting to hurt.
Of course, the most unintentionally hilarious moment belonged to Li Yong in the drama.
His face, filled with disbelief as he witnessed his trusted subordinate Lu Yuan tearfully reunite with the assassin Shen Buyan—as if long-lost lovers—was pure gold.
He looked like one of those pitiful guys getting cheated on in a bad soap opera.
There had always been subtle hints in the show about Li Yong's affection for Lu Yuan—deeply hidden but undeniable.
And now, his expression was pure jealousy.
Worse yet, from Li Yong's perspective, the only threat at this moment had been the emperor's guards coming to arrest him—just an arrest, nothing fatal.
But Shen Buyan's assassination attempt?
It made Li Yong start to question everything.
Could it be that Emperor Yuanqi didn't just want to punish him a little… but had sent an actual assassin to take him out?
Li Yong didn't dare stick around and fled through the window.
Now, the room held only the "reunited lovers," Shen Buyan and Lu Yuan.
["So this… this is why Li Yong ends up betraying the country? He thought the emperor wanted to kill him?"]
Yao Xiaoling's thoughts were spinning.
And then, a chilling realization hit her.
["If Shen Buyan had never traveled back, and if that assassination attempt never happened… would Li Yong have still betrayed the country?"]
It was starting to feel like Shen Buyan wasn't changing fate.
He was fate.
Maybe… maybe he wasn't here to prevent tragedy. Maybe his time travel was the cause of it.
But before she could untangle that thought, the story swept her along.
Neither Shen Buyan nor Lu Yuan cared about the fleeing Li Yong anymore.
Lu Yuan's eyes were glassy with tears as she looked at Shen Buyan.
"Why did you take so long to come back?"
"Where have you been all these years?" Her voice was trembling.
"Do you know how long I've been searching for you?"
"I searched the Sheng Kingdom's courts, the people, Lake Nanmeng—everywhere."
"Everyone told me… there's no such person. No one knew you."
Shen Buyan's eyes filled with tears. He couldn't speak.
He only held her tightly.
"I'm sorry. I keep making you wait."
Lu Yuan opened her mouth, but didn't say anything to blame him.
"It's okay. You're back now. That's all that matters." She replied, voice trembling, but smiling.
Yao Xiaoling felt her stomach twist even more.
Lu Yuan's words made it clear that somewhere even earlier in her life, she and Shen Buyan had already met—and fallen in love.
Then he vanished.
Of course, she couldn't find him. He was in the modern world, over a thousand years in the future.
For Shen Buyan, every failed attempt just meant returning to the present and bleeding on the jade fragment to go back.
But for Lu Yuan?
Every time he disappeared, it meant years. Even decades.
From their earliest meeting, to Lu Yuan at 21… then 26… then 36, dying in Shen Buyan's arms.
Nearly twenty years.
Four reunions.
And ultimately, meeting a Shen Buyan who didn't recognize her, holding a sword to her throat.
["Writer... you'd better think long and hard about what you're doing. If you don't give these two a perfect ending after all this emotional damage, I swear I will blacklist you for life—and convince all my friends to boycott every show you ever make again."]
Yao Xiaoling's eyes were already glistening with tears.
This was the definition of gut-wrenching.
Taking something beautiful—Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan's love—and showing it crumbles before your eyes.
The sweeter this reunion, the more heartbreaking it became.
The story continued.
On the night of the Shangsi Festival, it began to rain in the capital.
"Isn't it the Shangsi Festival today? I want to take you somewhere." Shen Buyan smiled.
Tears in her eyes, Lu Yuan smiled back.
"I just remembered… our first meeting was during the Shangsi Festival."
The instrumental intro to 'Empty Waiting', the drama's iconic battle theme and saddest insert song, began to play.
What followed was a breathtaking montage:
The grand palace, bright lanterns lighting up the streets, the crowds ignoring the rain to enjoy the festival, acrobats, candied hawthorn, food stalls, masks…
Compared to the low-budget visuals of the version from Su Yan's past life, this version painted a stunning portrait of the Sheng capital.
But what truly made the moment unforgettable was the music.
A haunting duet of konghou and flute.
Shen Buyan held Lu Yuan's hand as they ran through the rain, finally reaching the tallest tower in the capital.
A sweeping view of the entire city.
The lantern light reflected off Lu Yuan's flawless makeup, and Shen Buyan gently brushed her hair behind her ear.
Time felt like it stopped.
["Yes. YES. Kiss her. This is the moment!"] Yao Xiaoling's heart pounded.
["Come on, writer, you know what to do."]
["Seriously, how has it been seven episodes and the leads haven't even kissed yet?! What kind of drama is this?!"]
Now was the time.
They had the atmosphere. The rain. The lighting. The budget.
Make. Them. Kiss.
But instead…
Another gut-punch.
The lyrics of 'Empty Waiting' began.
Still smiling, still hand in hand, they stood atop the city.
"Why did you bring me here?" Lu Yuan asked.
"You live in Mirror Flower Tower, but your heart belongs to the world. I figured you'd like seeing everything from above." Shen Buyan said, gazing at the city below.
The camera panned down.
Couples in the street were all carrying willow branches.
Yao Xiaoling's eyes narrowed. ["Willow branches?"]
"Actually," Lu Yuan said, her voice full of longing, "I'd rather be down there. Just like them."
"Spending a peaceful Shangsi night with the one I love."
Yao Xiaoling's eyes widened.
Wait... willow branches… Shangsi Festival…
Wasn't that the same scene from Episode 1?
When the 36-year-old Lu Yuan lifted the city's curfew and walked the capital with Shen Buyan?
Shen Buyan's smile faded.
He realized—
This was what she had waited for.
This was the night she had dreamed of for 15 years.
Their words overlapped with flashbacks from Episode 1, and as 'Empty Waiting' continued to play, the sadness poured out of the screen.
"Wearing your favorite clothes. Meeting the one you love." Lu Yuan whispered.
The camera cut to Episode 1: 36-year-old Lu Yuan in a radiant crimson gown.
Now, in Episode 7, 21-year-old Lu Yuan was simply sharing her dream.
In Episode 1, she had finally fulfilled it.
"Eat mustard greens and boiled eggs." She added.
Cut to: Lu Yuan watching Shen Buyan eat that very egg.
"Walk through the night market." She said softly.
Cut to: the pair wandering silently through the forbidden palace.
"Pluck a willow branch, dip it in dew, and brush away misfortune." She smiled at him.
Cut to: 36-year-old Lu Yuan, completing that exact ritual.
Yao Xiaoling's nose stung. She couldn't hold back anymore.
She remembered…
After all that, in Episode 1, Lu Yuan stood there holding the willow branch, waiting so hopefully for Shen Buyan to respond.
She wanted him to finish the ritual. To fulfill her dream after 15 years of waiting.
But the first-time-travel Shen Buyan, annoyed by her riddles, had simply said:
"Stuff like that… means nothing to me."
That single sentence crushed her.
The camera returned to Episode 1, giving a new angle: Lu Yuan turning away—but now showing her face.
She didn't want him to see the tears falling.
Yao Xiaoling was numb from the emotional whiplash.
["That's what that scene meant?!"]
["That's what Episode 1 was really about?!"]
Back in Yuanqi Year 1.
"Then let's do it now." Shen Buyan said, finally understanding.
But Lu Yuan smiled softly.
"It's too late. Shangsi night is almost over. And it's raining. We can't do something this important so casually. We have time."
NO.
Yao Xiaoling wanted to scream.
["If you miss it now… you'll have to wait 15 more years!"]
She was more desperate than Shen Buyan himself.
["Say something, idiot! Don't let it slip by!"]
["I swear, if I could jump into this drama right now, I'd grab Lu Yuan and make all her dreams come true myself!"]
But Lu Yuan's mind was made up.
Yao Xiaoling felt a lump in her throat.
She hated the writer.
Pure, unfiltered hate.
["You monster. Do you even know how to write a drama? If you don't, give me the pen—I'll do it!"]
The plot continued.
Lu Yuan asked why he had tried to kill Li Yong.
Shen Buyan replied that in the future, Li Yong would betray the kingdom.
Lu Yuan scolded him, furious that he'd kill someone over a crime they hadn't committed yet.
If he continued down this path, she would see him as an enemy.
It was clear: 21-year-old Lu Yuan was still loyal to Li Yong.
She didn't know Shen Buyan was a time traveler.
She didn't know why he vanished.
And Li Yong hadn't betrayed anyone—yet.
But at this point, Yao Xiaoling could barely focus.
Her mind was stuck on one thought: How is the writer going to fix this? How can he save 36-year-old Lu Yuan?
But how?
Shen Buyan couldn't go back again.
So how would he save her?
He'd already failed to change her fate in the second journey.
Lu Shi still died.
She still became empress.
He still failed to kill Li Yong.
Now, in his third attempt, his assassination was stopped by Lu Yuan.
How was he supposed to change anything?
Could history even be changed?
She didn't know.
She just knew she was completely trapped in this story.
She had a feeling the ending would be tragic.
But still… she couldn't stop hoping.
Hoping that Shen Buyan's final journey could rewrite fate.
Break Lu Yuan's curse.
Even if she was sure heartbreak awaited her, she still wanted to know.
Still held onto hope.
Still, the writer was desperately praying that he would show mercy, just once, and give them a happy ending.
Yao Xiaoling let out a long, shaky breath.
At the end of Episode 7, Shen Buyan, having argued with Lu Yuan over Li Yong, walked alone through the rainy Shangsi streets.
Then, a thought struck him.
"If I couldn't stop Lu Yuan from becoming empress… maybe I can stop her from joining the palace at all in this timeline!"
"If she's willing to give it all up... and come with me!"
…?!
Yao Xiaoling blinked.
And suddenly—hope.
After all the betrayal and circular suffering in his second journey, where everything returned to how it originally was…
Even if she knew it was probably a trap set by screenwriter Su Yan…
She still couldn't help but hope.
["What if she really does give it all up? Leaves Jiangdu? Leaves Li Yong's promises of power and wealth?"]
["What if she goes with Shen Buyan?"]
["What if they really build a cottage by Lake Nanmeng?"]
["What if Shen Buyan chooses to stay in the past and live as one of them?"]
That…
That would be the perfect ending.
Yao Xiaoling's heart pounded.
"Alright, Su Yan… I'll believe in you one more time."
"Just once more."
"Give us sweetness. Give us happiness. Give us a happy ending!"