Tuesday.
"Cut!"
As Shi Peihua's voice rang out—
The little girl who had just been smiling on camera immediately dropped her expression and turned nervously toward Shi Peihua.
"Passed," Shi Peihua said with a rare smile, addressing the young actress playing childhood Lu Yuan.
She was known for being strict on set—snapping at anyone, anytime—but she made exceptions, especially for children this young. And to be fair, this little girl had done well.
"'An Ancient Love Song' has officially wrapped."
As those words left Shi Peihua's mouth, cheers erupted across the set.
Three months. From a debut rating of 1.38% to where it stands now—
It was done. The filming had wrapped. Only two episodes remained to be aired.
But after the excitement came an unexpected wave of emotion. Some of the younger staff, fresh graduates whose first taste of the industry came through 'An Ancient Love Song', had red eyes and lumped throats.
"Alright, enough sentimentality!" Shinozaki Ikumi, the producer, raised a megaphone and shouted over the crowd.
"I've already explained the situation clearly. 'An Ancient Love Song' is wrapped, but production for the new drama 'To the Moon' officially starts tomorrow. Tonight, we'll hold a wrap party—location and time have already been sent out. If you've got no urgent conflicts, be there. But don't overdo it—tomorrow is day one for 'To the Moon'."
No time wasted.
The 'An Ancient Love Song' crew would directly transition into the 'To the Moon' crew, with additional experienced members being recruited.
"We got it!"
"Don't worry, Producer Shinozaki! We won't drop the ball."
"Understood. But tonight—we party till we drop!"
While props and sets still needed to be sorted, Su Yan, Shi Peihua, and Gu Qingyuan were called into the office by Shinozaki Ikumi.
"Su Yan, Gu Qingyuan—you two already know which characters you'll be playing in 'To the Moon'," Shinozaki said.
"You'll appear in the early episodes as Dr. Shen Yi (Eva) and Dr. Cheng Li (Neil)."
"You've both built a large fanbase from 'An Ancient Love Song' and 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'. Playing these two characters will help draw viewers early on. Casting for the main leads isn't finalized yet, but episode one has a tight turnaround—less than three weeks to shoot."
"So you two will shoot your scenes first. As for the actor playing the elderly version of Xu Han (Johnny), we're holding auditions this afternoon."
"I've invited a few well-known actors out of semi-retirement to audition. If one of them joins, it'll bring in a lot of middle-aged viewers, too. Su Yan, I'll need your input."
"Auditions for young Johnny and childhood Johnny, as well as the elderly, young, and childhood versions of River, are scheduled for next week since their scenes come later."
Shinozaki's notebook was packed with scheduling notes. She scribbled in it as she talked, constantly updating and adjusting things.
"Got it," Su Yan nodded.
Since 'To the Moon' would be set in Xia, Su Yan had slightly altered the original character names to suit the local context.
The story of 'To the Moon' centers around two neuroscientists working for a special company whose mission is to grant the dying their final wishes—not in reality, but by infiltrating the patient's memories and crafting a dream world to fulfill them.
What does that mean?
Using a machine, the two doctors enter the memories of someone near death. They explore the subconscious to uncover that person's deepest, truest desire—and then build a fully immersive dream inside the patient's mind to fulfill it.
If you want to be an emperor?
They'll let you die dreaming you are.
Want one last reunion with your parents?
They'll give it to you in the dream.
Want to go to the moon?
Then in that dream… you'll really go to the moon.
The two doctors mainly serve as guides—introducing the world and walking the audience through the story.
Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan playing them was the perfect balance of presence and purpose.
But the real protagonist of 'To the Moon' is a man at the end of his life: Johnny, whose dying wish is to go to the moon—alongside his late wife, River.
The entire story revolves around the two doctors delving into Johnny's mind, seeking the root of his dream:
Why does he want to go to the moon—an impossible dream?
Why did he forget this wish, even though it meant more to him than his own life?
What does this wish truly mean to him?
Only after uncovering the full truth could they create a dream so real that Johnny never notices it's fake—and dies believing his wish came true.
When those answers are finally revealed, it will be the moment of deepest sorrow and greatest beauty—the emotional core of the show.
Su Yan remembered that in his past life, the first time he finished the original game… his tears blurred the screen so much that he could barely see the ending.
And once he understood the meaning behind Johnny's wish to go to the moon…
That story was forever etched into his memory.
'To the Moon' didn't have a large cast, but it had a wide range of settings. Some required location shoots, and others needed custom props.
For example:
The seaside lighthouse, a critical location, needed to be found and scouted.
Since it was winter, the childhood scene of Johnny and River stargazing under the moonlit sky would likely require CGI.
The iconic music piece, "For River", had to be rearranged.
The symbolic plush rabbit prop also needed to be custom-made.
Su Yan couldn't leave everything to Shinozaki. He'd have to stay deeply involved.
With 'An Ancient Love Song' officially wrapped, both he and Shinozaki were now shifting the bulk of their energy to 'To the Moon'.
—
But for Xia's TV drama fans, the autumn season wasn't over yet.
As the weekend approached—
The 'An Ancient Love Song' comment section on SakuraNet was heating up again.
The show had gone viral. That meant everyone had an opinion.
Some were discussing the story.
Others were shipping Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan.
And then there were those pointing out all the plot holes.
To be honest, 'An Ancient Love Song' had its flaws.
The political intrigue and war plots were pretty shaky.
Anyone analyzing closely would see the holes—modern writers writing ancient politics always came with a few cracks.
Even the audience in Xia knew this.
But what made 'An Ancient Love Song' beloved in both Su Yan's past life and now—
Its strengths overshadowed its flaws by miles.
Even Su Yan, watching it in his past life, thought many scenes were ridiculous.
But the moment the story shifted back to Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan's emotional storyline, it all melted away.
The best way to enjoy the show was to accept its world—flaws and all—and immerse yourself in their emotional journey.
That night, after the 'Lone Doctor' episode twelve aired, viewers across Xia immediately switched to Sakura TV.
Shi Linghua was on her phone, scrolling through forums, waiting for 'An Ancient Love Song' episode thirteen to drop.
Midnight passed.
The opening theme began to play.
The story picked up right where it left off—
Shen Buyan knew he and Lu Yuan had no future.
He fantasized that if she hadn't fallen in love with him, maybe he could've changed her fate.
Even after the 18-year-old Lu Yuan confessed to him…
He still wanted to leave.
Because he knew—he couldn't stay with her forever.
He would leave eventually.
And she would be the one left behind to endure the pain.
The first time he time-traveled, Lu Yuan at 36 saved him—and died for it.
The second time, he died in the arms of Lu Yuan at 26.
The third time, he promised Lu Yuan at 21 they'd face Li Yong together… but was forcibly pulled back to the modern world.
Now, faced with Lu Yuan at 18, he didn't know how to respond to her feelings.
"If you leave early, the pain will be less."
"But if you never even try… how can you know pain is the only ending?" Lu Yuan asked.
"You don't understand." Shen Buyan replied, face filled with anguish.
Only two minutes into the episode, and Shi Linghua was already overwhelmed.
Lu Yuan, at 21, had told Shen Buyan that she never wanted to know the future—
Knowing would make everything dull. So now, Shen Buyan couldn't tell the 18-year-old the truth.
But this time, the version of Lu Yuan who loved the hardest, the fiercest, was standing right in front of him.
She didn't understand his cryptic words.
She only knew that she had fallen for this boy who had appeared in her life like a miracle.
And Shen Buyan?
He looked at her with sorrow in his eyes… and stayed.
He pawned his precious time-traveling jade pendant to buy her a konghou, a traditional harp.
But the next day—
When Lu Yuan saw his treasured pendant sitting in the pawnshop window, she instantly realized where her konghou had come from.
She sold all her jewelry to buy it back.
This entire scene mirrored the classic short story Su Yan knew from his past life: 'The Gift of the Magi'.
The husband sells his heirloom watch to buy his wife an expensive comb.
The wife sells her long hair to buy him a chain for his watch.
Shi Linghua, watching this unfold for the first time, felt that same surge of emotion all over again.