"The scene looks so joyful. Both of them are being so thoughtful toward each other.
Then why… why does it feel so heartbreaking?"
Because Shi Linghua already understood, Shen Buyan's departure was a foregone conclusion.
She took a deep breath.
Those who enjoy deeply emotional, bittersweet stories aren't immune to pain—
In fact, they feel it even more intensely, more deeply.
And yet… the more devastating the plot became, the more it compelled her to keep watching.
While many viewers were still hoping for a miracle—that Shen Buyan might stay in this era—
By episode thirteen, Shi Linghua was convinced: it was impossible.
"Using joy to write sorrow" perfectly captured the tone of this episode.
Maybe… the key to changing Lu Yuan's fate would only be revealed in episode fourteen?
At the very least, Shi Linghua still trusted Su Yan's early teaser from online:
That Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan would get to fulfill their wishes in the end.
Northern Lie Kingdom launched an attack on Huofeng Fortress, and Li Yong summoned Lu Yuan to assist with intelligence gathering.
Though reluctant to leave Shen Buyan, Lu Yuan chose duty for the sake of the country.
Before she left, she sought Shen Buyan out.
And returned his jade pendant to him.
Shen Buyan looked at the pendant, and his expression darkened with unease.
As the emotional background music began to swell—
Shi Linghua suddenly had a terrible premonition about what was coming next.
[No way…
Wait—
Is this… their final goodbye?]
"I have somewhere I need to go. I'm leaving today… but I won't keep you waiting too long."
Lu Yuan smiled.
"Lu Yuan, I… I want to give this to you."
Shen Buyan looked at the jade pendant in his hand. He finally understood everything.
He placed the pendant into Lu Yuan's hands.
The screen began to rewind.
Backwards, through Shen Buyan's four time-travel journeys—
His farewell to Lu Yuan at 18
Their bittersweet reunion under the lanterns at 21
The moment he was pulled back from her side in the royal capital
His death in the arms of Lu Yuan at 26
Her decade-long resistance against Li Yong as empress
Lu Yuan, at 36, dressed in red, waiting ten years to meet the man from her youth one last time—
And ultimately dying in his arms to save him.
This pendant had journeyed through a millennium.
Broken into five pieces.
And in the modern day, Shen Buyan had unknowingly bought it—
Beginning his four-time journey through time.
"So… is this our token of promise?" Lu Yuan asked.
Shen Buyan smiled gently.
"It is. As long as you have it, I'll always be with you."
Lu Yuan leaned in and kissed him.
"Shen Buyan, goodbye."
"Wait for me, okay?"
Lu Yuan smiled as she turned and walked away.
Shen Buyan watched her leave.
—
Cut to the next scene:
By the shore of Lake Nanmeng, there was no Lu Yuan.
No Shen Buyan.
This time, Lu Yuan would not see Shen Buyan again until she was 21.
But Shen Buyan…
Would never get to see Lu Yuan again.
—
The ending theme played.
Shi Linghua felt like her chest had been pounded over and over—her heart thudding, breath stuck in her throat.
A wave of sorrow rose, hard to describe in words.
She had known this was coming.
The entire episode had foreshadowed their parting.
This was their final goodbye.
Shen Buyan had returned to the modern world.
He and Lu Yuan—separated by a thousand years of history—could never meet again.
Shi Linghua opened the comment section on SakuraNet.
As expected—
It was flooded with devastated viewers.
Episode thirteen had gone far beyond what anyone imagined.
[This was really their final goodbye?]
[Now I finally understand how Lu Yuan felt back in episode one.]
[Don't panic, there's still episode fourteen. The twist must be in the finale.]
[Right! The writer already said the ending would fulfill both of their wishes.]
[All this pain in episode thirteen is just a setup. The finale will be the real happy ending.]
[I can't imagine how bad I'd be crying right now if Su Yan hadn't spoiled that the ending would be okay.]
[But how do they resolve this? The time loop is closed now!]
[How? If I knew that, I'd be the writer. Let's see how Su Yan, the sly fox, pulls it off.]
[That old lady selling the jade in the first episode feels suspicious. What if… she's some kind of immortal?]
[Okay, that's a wild theory, but I'm listening.]
[I don't care how. As long as Shen Buyan gets to go back and rewrite everything—I'm giving this 10/10.]
—
By noon the next day, ratings for episode thirteen were released:
3.81%
This meant it was almost guaranteed to surpass the still-unaired episode thirteen of 'The Mind Reader', officially securing 4th place for the season.
It also hit 8.4 million average paid streams on SakuraNet, becoming the highest-streamed drama across all platforms this season.
When these numbers were released across the industry—
TV professionals began to sense something unusual.
This result…
Beating 'The Mind Reader's 3.68% was already impressive.
But compared to 'The Gilded Ones''s 3.93% from last week?
The gap was razor-thin.
And the media? They ran with it—no hesitation, no brakes:
📰'An Ancient Love Song' Soars Again in Episode 13—Will It Topple the Three Giants in the Final Episode?
📰From C-Tier to Champion: 'An Ancient Love Song' Proves Storytelling Is King Over Budget
📰Genius Screenwriter Su Yan's Ultimate Romantic Vision—Will Time Travel Become the Next Big Trend?
📰Internal Power Struggles Revealed: Su Yan's Battle Against Kiyota Sanji and Akasaka Yoshitoki Exposed by Critic Li Li
📰Rumor: Su Yan's New Drama 'To the Moon' to Air on Saturday, January 11 at 9 PM—Less Than Two Weeks After 'An Ancient Love Song' Ends
📰Fans in Uproar: If 'An Ancient Love Song' Doesn't Have a Happy Ending, They Threaten to Boycott Su Yan's Next Drama
📰Breakout Phenomenon: Su Yan May Reshape Xia's Entire Drama Landscape
📰Su Yan Is a Real Genius—Not Bound by Broadcast Slots. Kiyota Sanji's So-Called "Genius" Drama Hasn't Cracked Top Ten in Weeks.
📰The Three A-Tier Dramas Should Be Nervous—Whichever Gets Dethroned by 'An Ancient Love Song' Will Become the Industry's Biggest Joke.
—
Back on the 'To the Moon' set, Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi were busy filming episode one.
They were happy about episode thirteen's numbers, of course—
But the intense production schedule left them little time to celebrate.
Meanwhile, the teams behind 'The Gilded Ones', 'Lone Doctor', and 'The Painted One' were entering full panic mode.
These were A-tier dramas.
If a C-tier midnight drama beat them in viewership—even for just one week—
The humiliation would be immeasurable.
Most people had predicted 'An Ancient Love Song' would peak at 3.7% and stop there.
Who could've guessed that so many new viewers would jump in during the final week?
On second thought—it made sense.
As shorter dramas (only 11–12 episodes) finished airing, viewers had time to discover new shows.
And with 'An Ancient Love Song' being the highest-rated show of the entire season, it naturally rose to the top of the recommendations.
The three A-tier dramas all had thirteen episodes and would finish airing this week, in late December.
But 'An Ancient Love Song'?
Its fourteenth and final episode would air at midnight, early Monday morning.
Technically speaking, it wouldn't be directly compared with the others' finales.
But let's be honest—
Nobody cares about "technicalities."
Media, fans, even industry insiders—
They'd absolutely compare the final ratings head-to-head.
Especially 'The Gilded Ones', which had topped out at just 3.96%.
If 'An Ancient Love Song' could rise from 3.81% to over 3.96% in its final episode…
Then nothing else mattered.
No excuses would help.
It would be the most embarrassing outcome imaginable.
And the media wouldn't go easy.
They'd roast the losing drama mercilessly.
Meanwhile, 'Lone Doctor' (4.11%) and 'The Painted One' (4.17%) still had a decent cushion.
Their teams were actually kind of eager to watch 'The Gilded Ones' crash and burn.
The showdown was on.
Both 'The Gilded Ones' and 'An Ancient Love Song' were Sakura TV's top-performing in-house productions this season.
But only one could have the perfect ending.
Would history be made by 'An Ancient Love Song'?
Or would 'The Gilded Ones' defend its last shred of pride?
The outcome was still uncertain.
Even if it lasted for just one week—
If a C-tier drama in a midnight slot beat an A-tier primetime drama…
Then Su Yan would have rewritten TV history.
And the 'Gilded Ones' production team?
They'd be the laughingstock of the industry for a long, long time.