"You could've let them live happily together in the past, but no, you had to go for the heartbreaking route again."
But Chu Haosen had nowhere to vent his anger.
Just like with 'Rurouni Kenshin', this drama was undeniably painful—
But every bit of that pain had made Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan feel real.
If not for the pain, he wouldn't have gotten so emotionally attached to them.
He wouldn't be this desperate for them to have a happy ending.
If Su Yan had written an easier story, maybe 'An Ancient Love Song' would've been just another forgettable historical romance.
Lu Yuan would never have become such an unforgettable character.
It was a paradox.
A deadlock.
Was this really the end of their story?
A love-defying time itself—only to end with loss.
He was frustrated—furious.
But the plot kept going.
Shen Buyan finished his song on the flute.
His eyes, once tightly shut, opened.
Before him was Nanmeng Lake, lush, peaceful—filled with the songs of birds and the scent of flowers.
He was middle-aged now.
And in the flower fields, he saw a little girl flying a paper kite.
[No way... Don't tell me—]
Chu Haosen suddenly remembered Shen Buyan's wish at the wishing tree.
"To see Lu Yuan one more time."
Could it be…?
The BGM 'Emptiness Waits' started to play again.
Shen Buyan slowly walked toward the little girl, his expression complicated.
"Uncle, your clothes look really weird!"
She giggled.
And Chu Haosen's tears immediately began to fall.
["Uncle"—this is time's cruelty.]
The man who had loved Lu Yuan for a lifetime…
Now faced her again—only for her not to recognize him.
By their side stood the little tree she had just planted.
The tree where people could tie wishes—just like Shen Buyan had done.
It was a full circle.
Shen Buyan gently took her hand, trying to guide her home.
"Uncle, have you been to the capital? Have you seen the emperor?"
"Yes, but not the one you're thinking of."
"Then can you ask the emperor to stop the wars? That way, my papa can come home to be with my brother."
Chu Haosen gasped.
[So this is why Lu Yuan, even at the cost of love, was determined to save Sheng Nation.]
Her father died in the war against Northern Lie Kingdom.
That was why she had valued peace above everything since she was a child.
"Someday, the people of Sheng will live in peace—because of you." Shen Buyan said, holding her small hand.
"Me? What should I do then?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
Then came the most powerful line in the entire drama.
"You don't have to follow anyone's orders. Love who you want. Do what you want.
One day, all your wishes will come true.
Your name—Yuan—means hawk."
That line mirrored the very first episode, where Shen Buyan had argued about the meaning of her name.
"Little girl, I think it's time for you to walk home on your own now."
He said, gently but filled with reluctance.
He could feel it—this journey through time was ending.
"Will I ever see you again?" Lu Yuan asked.
Chu Haosen froze at that question.
He felt it like a punch to the heart.
"Yes." Shen Buyan paused—then smiled.
She would meet him again at 18.
Again at 21.
At 26.
At 36.
At the end of her life.
But for Shen Buyan, this would be the last time.
Lu Yuan took a few steps forward, wanting to say something else—
She turned back.
He was gone.
That was their first meeting.
And their last.
No more second chances.
The wishing tree had granted Shen Buyan's wish.
And now, their story had closed—perfectly. Unbreakably.
The ending theme of 'An Ancient Love Song' began to play.
Two large characters faded in:
The End.
For the first time ever, Chu Haosen found the ending theme painful to hear.
It made him feel like he couldn't breathe.
Like something had been ripped from his chest.
[You liar, Su Yan.
You said they'd both get their wish.
What part of this is a happy ending??]
His mind was blank—just that haunting 'Emptiness Waits' playing again and again.
Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan's six encounters looped in his head.
Maybe, for them, there were no regrets.
Even if they couldn't grow old together, their love had already transcended time.
But for viewers like Chu Haosen—
[This was heartbreak.
This was the most devastating ending ever.]
Meanwhile, the Sakura Net comment section exploded with reactions:
[Why does this hurt so much??]
[SU YAN YOU MONSTER!! 😭😭]
[Is this just how he writes? Does he refuse to give anyone a happy ending?!]
[I'm in pain too, but after watching 'Rurouni Kenshin' last season, I kinda get it.
Sometimes, it's not about the happy ending—it's about the journey. That still makes it a masterpiece.]
[Nah. The journey AND the ending matter. Don't tell me otherwise.]
[Real life is already sad enough, why do I have to watch Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan suffer too??]
[I don't even think this is a tragedy! They loved each other all their lives, they got to say goodbye—does the lack of growing old together really make it a tragedy? This love is pure and unforgettable.]
[I cried so hard when the Konghou's music echoed through time. That scene shattered me.]
[I KNEW Su Yan would pull this. He said they'd get their wish, and I didn't believe it for a second. Now look. Even knowing didn't stop it from hurting like hell. Su Yan, APOLOGIZE.]
[I'm now scared for 'To the Moon'. What if it's this sad too?!]
[I can't even think about new dramas. Every time I close my eyes, I see Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan.]
[Am I the only weirdo who actually loved it, even through the pain? Su Yan's writing is just that good.]
[Stop blaming Su Yan. If you want to rant, go yell at shows like 'Pure Breeze' that force tragedy for no reason.
'An Ancient Love Song' was always fated to end this way.
This wasn't about Shen Buyan changing fate.
It was about letting us see Lu Yuan's life through his eyes. And in that sense, this ending was… perfect.]
[The moment you grieve for Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan… that's when the story succeeds.]
[Guys… I think it's gonna take me a long time to recover from this one.]
That night, 'An Ancient Love Song's comment section was the most active it had been since airing.
Its rating climbed to 9.4.
But Su Yan's personal approval hit rock bottom.
The next morning, Sakura TV's internal statistics department released the official viewership data for episode 14.
The number shocked everyone.
They had expected it to rise—
But not this much.
4.01%
That figure hit the entire station like a punch to the gut.
Who would've guessed that Sakura TV's first fall-season drama to break 4% viewership would be...
A C-tier, midnight-timeslot drama—
'An Ancient Love Song'.
In the final week of the fall season, it overtook 'The Gilded Ones', which had held third place for 12 weeks straight.
And now, it stood third overall.
Even if it only held that title for one week—
That alone was enough to shake everyone at Sakura TV to their core.
Meanwhile, media outlets across Xia Nation could no longer sit still…