Late Monday night, just after midnight,
The broadcast of Episode 9 of 'An Ancient Love Song' concluded perfectly.
This episode's plot mainly revolved around Shen Buyan using Lu Yuan's connections to meet the Yuanqi Emperor of the Sheng Kingdom, who at this point had not yet fallen into madness.
Shen Buyan, being a modern-day scholar who researched the history of the Xia Nation, naturally had a clear understanding of the military and political flaws during the Yuanqi Emperor's reign, as well as their solutions.
Historically, these theories had long been studied to exhaustion by countless scholars—Shen Buyan was merely borrowing well-known conclusions.
But that alone was enough.
By applying theories that future generations had already dissected thoroughly, he successfully persuaded the Yuanqi Emperor to focus on recovery and stability, and to halt the northern campaign.
Delighted—especially because of his fondness for Lu Yuan—the Yuanqi Emperor rewarded her for recommending Shen Buyan.
He openly declared his intention to take Lu Yuan as empress and personally handed her the empress's token of authority.
At this point, many viewers immediately sensed that something was wrong.
So this was how Lu Yuan obtained the token?
Did that mean that in the second timeline, Lu Yuan's ability to become empress through the token was deeply tied to Shen Buyan's actions in the third timeline?
Because of Lu Shi's interference, the Yuanqi Emperor did not immediately bring Lu Yuan into the palace.
At the end of Episode 9, however, news spread that the emperor had praised Shen Buyan, going so far as to say he was more suitable to be chancellor than Li Yong. When Li Yong learned of this, he became utterly disillusioned with the Sheng Kingdom and the emperor.
He accepted the proposal of spies from Northern Lie Kingdom and began plotting to poison the Yuanqi Emperor.
At last, viewers realized the biggest issue at the core of this drama.
Late into the night, the comment section for 'An ancient love song' on Sakura Net remained ablaze.
["Why does it feel like everything is connected? This whole drama feels like one massive loop."]
["Shen Buyan convinces the emperor not to campaign north, so Lu Yuan won't enter the palace at 21, gains the emperor's trust, but also causes Lu Yuan to receive the empress's token. Li Yong feels completely sidelined and turns traitor?"]
["Then Li Yong poisons the emperor and turns him into a fool, leading to Lu Yuan's rebellion against Li Yong in the second timeline."]
["And then Shen Buyan tries to stop 26-year-old Lu Yuan from becoming empress and save Lu Shi… but Lu Shi is assassinated, forcing Lu Yuan to rely on the token and confront Li Yong as empress—becoming the 'Demon Empress Lu Yuan.'"]
["So Shen Buyan himself is the closed loop of history? Without his time travel, Li Yong might not have rebelled, and Lu Yuan might not die?"]
["Wrong. Li Yong was always going to rebel—the emperor already distrusted him. Shen Buyan just accelerated it. Lu Yuan was always going to become empress too. Without Shen Buyan's future knowledge, how could a powerless Lu Yuan ever fight Li Yong?"]
["Every episode ties everything together. My brain can't keep up anymore."]
["But I've got a bad feeling. Episodes 8 and 9 finally gave us sweet daily moments between Shen Buyan and Lu Yuan. She even said she'd leave the capital and live in seclusion with him by Nanmeng Lake once the troops withdrew."]
["And then this damn Li Yong shows up again at the end of Episode 9—scheming as usual—and Lu Yuan even notices something's wrong."]
["Please, writers, don't pull any nonsense. Let Lu Yuan expose Li Yong, save the Yuanqi Emperor, crush Li Yong in this era, and give us a happy ending."]
["I can't take it anymore. You already let 36-year-old Lu Yuan die, made 26-year-old Lu Yuan suffer watching Shen Buyan take a blade for her—I don't want to see tragedy happen to 21-year-old Lu Yuan too."]
["Everyone, go flood Sakura TV's official website. Let Su Yan know our pain and anger. We're not just toys for him to torment."]
["This drama should be covered by health insurance. After tonight's episode, my stomach actually hurts. If I end up in the hospital, Su Yan better reimburse me."]
["And what about Shinozaki Ikumi? As a producer, doesn't she review the script? Letting this torment us for so long—she and Su Yan are clearly in it together."]
That night, Shinozaki Ikumi couldn't sleep at all. From 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., she obsessively refreshed the comments.
When viewers cursed Su Yan, she hid under her blanket, giggling.
But when they started cursing her, her expression changed instantly.
"What does this have to do with me?" Shinozaki Ikumi immediately logged into a burner account and fired back.
"Su Yan already said this drama is agonizing at first and heals later! Thirty-six-year-old Lu Yuan will survive! You're attacking me before even seeing the ending?" she typed indignantly, breathing fast.
Yet deep down, she was beginning to doubt.
The scripts Su Yan had given her already reached Episode 12, but the more they filmed, the more something felt off.
Where was the turning point he promised?
At this rate, wasn't this turning into a pure tragedy?
Still…
There must be foreshadowing hidden earlier.
Believe him.
Her eyes hardened with resolve.
She stayed awake all night, arrived at the set early, and repeatedly checked her email to see if the production department had sent over the ratings for Episode 9 of 'An ancient love song'.
Soon after, Su Yan, Shi Peihua, and Gu Qingyuan arrived one after another.
Not long later, the entire crew—over a hundred people—was in position.
Only the final two episodes remained to be filmed.
"Miss Shinozaki, here you go. These are all the remaining scripts for 'An ancient love song'."
After finishing Shen Buyan's black-robed makeup, Su Yan walked over and handed her a document.
"All of them?" Shinozaki Ikumi immediately perked up.
She had been waiting for this ending for a long time.
She tore open the folder and began reading.
Simple lines of text filled her vision.
As she read on, her eyes widened.
This plot…
Her stomach began to ache.
She quickly finished Episode 13, eyes reddening, and opened Episode 14.
By the time she finished, it wasn't just stomach pain—there was an overwhelming sense of emptiness.
"This… what kind of development is this?!"
Clutching the scripts, she stormed toward Su Yan.
"This is what you call 'not tragic'? Su Yan, you're really good at lying!"
People nearby—including Gu Qingyuan—looked over curiously.
Su Yan showed no panic.
"Isn't it true?" he said calmly. "Can this really be called a tragedy? Lu Yuan doesn't die at 36. Both characters fulfill their dreams. The logic completes a closed loop—just like the line in the script: the fish swims in water; the tail is also the head."
"I don't think it's a tragedy. It just… feels painful."
"Isn't depressing the same as tragic?" Shinozaki Ikumi snapped.
"Do you know how many people in the Xia Nation will curse me? Curse you? How many fans do you lose?"
"Depressing and tragic are two different things," Su Yan replied.
"Shen Buyan and Lu Yuan calmly accept their fates and complete their lives. It's the audience who can't let go."
"As for being cursed," he smiled.
"I believe the audience of 'An ancient love song' will like this story. Even if they hate it tonight, once they calm down tomorrow, they'll still like it."
In truth, Su Yan wanted the outrage.
How else would he earn emotional value?
Shinozaki Ikumi opened her mouth to argue—but said nothing.
Change the script?
How?
There was no time.
The final week of December was approaching, and the finale would soon air.
Even dual-unit filming wouldn't leave much margin.
And this ending echoed the very first episode—how could it be improved?
She couldn't think of a better version.
Looking at Su Yan's calm expression, she finally understood his earlier words:
The strongest emotional impact is born from the deepest depression.
Though shaken, she had to admit—
The script truly moved her.
Painful to read, yet if she had to score the ending, she would give it full marks.
"Don't regret this. When the backlash comes, I won't be the only one blamed."
She handed the scripts to Gu Qingyuan.
"Qingyuan, study these scenes carefully. Use your best performance—make your fans cry when the finale of 'An ancient love song' airs."
Gu Qingyuan's gaze sharpened. She could already sense the direction of the ending.
It reminded her of Shinozaki Ikumi's expression when she first read Episode 4 of 'Rurouni Kenshin'.
Just then, Shinozaki Ikumi's phone buzzed.
She froze after reading it.
"What's wrong?" Su Yan asked.
"Did the TV station contact you?" Shi Peihua added.
"Producer Shinozaki?" Gu Qingyuan echoed.
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
"The ratings for Episode 9 of 'An ancient love song'… are out."
The atmosphere instantly tightened.
"How much?" Su Yan asked quietly.
"3.13%," she replied.
Then she repeated loudly:
"Episode 9's ratings—3.13%!"
The entire set erupted in thunderous cheers.
This surpassed even the highest-rated episode of 'Night Sakura' this season.
If Episode 9 of 'Night Sakura' didn't improve, 'An ancient love song' would officially surpass it and rank third for the quarter on Sakura TV—very likely entering the weekly top ten.
And any drama ranking top three for the quarter or top ten overall meant generous bonuses for the entire crew.
"The goal… is achieved," Shinozaki Ikumi said softly.
"Not yet," Su Yan smiled.
"It's only Monday. Let's see where 'An ancient love song' truly lands by Saturday."
Days passed.
By Sunday afternoon, Xia Nation's entertainment media exploded with coverage:
📰A Genius Work: 'An ancient love song' surpasses 'Night Sakura' with 3.13% ratings, ranking tenth in Week 9 of the autumn season.
📰From 1.38% to 3.13% in nine weeks—' An ancient love song' creates a miracle.
📰No good midnight dramas? This proves quality transcends time slots… average paid online views exceed 5.9 million—second only to 'The Painted One' and 'Lone Doctor'.
📰The rise of a genius—Su Yan cements his fame. Xia Nation's Best New Screenwriter Award seems inevitable.
📰True genius Su Yan rises against all odds. Fake genius Kiyota Sanji loses twice in the same market.
With its top-ten ranking, 'An ancient love song' exploded into mainstream awareness.
By Sunday night, Episode 1's paid views on Sakura Net surpassed 9 million.
More viewers rushed in to binge and catch up.
Industry insiders at Sakura TV, Zhongxia TV, and Hudu TV all wondered—
Would this drama really stop at the top ten?
At midnight, the familiar theme song played.
Episode 10 of 'An Ancient Love Song' began right on time.