She debuted after having a child with a celestial being.

Yang Yang had informed the entire crew about this scene three days in advance.

"For this scene with the petal rain, I want to capture the most beautiful moment of 'The Dream of Splendor'. Not just sweet, but beautiful. The kind of beauty that viewers will want to screenshot and use as wallpaper."

The filming location was chosen to be the Caihe River waterway in Hengdian.

The art team repainted a traditional awning boat twice, and the wood grain at the bow gleamed a warm, dark brown in the morning light.

The peach trees on both sides of the river were artificial branches arranged in advance by the props team, but the branches were covered with real pink and white peach blossoms, each of which was a fresh-cut flower transported from the flower market at five o'clock in the morning.

A layer of anti-slip mat was laid on the bridge surface because a dozen extras would be standing on it and scattering flowers at the same time.

After Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er paid their respects to their mother, they returned by small boat. Chen Lian was ordered to lead a group of people on the Caihe Bridge to wait for the small boat to pass by, scattering flower petals all over the sky.

This is the most romantic scene in the entire series.

Xiao He recalled the reports about this scene. It was said that the scene with the rain of petals was the one that left the deepest impression on the original male lead, Chen Xiao. It was filmed on the third day of filming and took a whole day to shoot.

Xiao He, wearing Gu Qianfan's dark, narrow-sleeved robe, boarded the ship first.

The boat rocked slightly. After regaining his balance, he turned around and extended his hand to Liu Yifei, who was still on the shore.

Liu Yifei looked down at the outstretched hand, her lips twitching slightly.

"Sister Pan'er, please board the boat."

"Brother Qianfan, why are you being so polite today?" She placed her hand in his palm, her fingertips slightly cool.

Xiao He grasped her fingers, with more force than written in the script; it wasn't a support, but rather a younger brother taking the initiative to pull her hand.

"It's only right to be polite to Sister Pan'er."

He let go of her hand only after she was settled at the bow of the boat, and then sat down beside her, an arm's length away.

Yang Yang sat behind the monitor, holding a megaphone. The clapperboard slammed down.

The covered boat slowly emerged from under the bridge, sunlight streaming in from the other side of the arch, creating a thin, shimmering surface on the river. The oars slicing through the water made a soft, gentle splashing sound.

Liu Yifei sat at the bow of the boat, looking up slightly at the peach branches on both banks.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the real peach blossoms on the artificial peach branches, falling on her face and casting dappled patterns of light on her eyelashes.

Xiao He sat opposite her, originally looking in the direction of the bridge, but his gaze was blocked by her profile.

The petals had not yet fallen, but she was already standing in the light.

He recalled that last winter by the Guanting Reservoir, she had also tilted her head slightly and strode alone into the frozen lake, facing the wind.

At that time, she told the camera in an almost stubborn way, "I can still move forward on my own," but her eyes were cold and clear, like the water frozen beneath a frozen lake.

At this moment, her eyes were soft, shimmering with light as they were bathed in the glow of peach blossoms and sunlight.

Some people are born to stand in front of the camera.

It's not acting; it's destiny.

From being called "Fairy Sister" when she debuted at the age of fifteen, to being ridiculed as box office poison during her low period, and now returning to the TV drama track, every step she has taken has been seen by more and more people.

Those who criticize her don't understand one thing: she's just temporarily lost her way, not fallen.

Even if a pearl falls into the dust, it is still a pearl; if you wipe it clean, it will still shine.

The woman sitting at the bow of the boat, bathed in sunlight and peach blossoms, is not a box office poison, not a resource-backed actress, and not one of those labels anyone uses.

She is Liu Yifei.

She is Liu Yifei, who has been standing in front of the camera since she was fifteen, experienced the darkest low point, sang her way back one song after another in front of the microphone stand, and is now sitting in front of the camera in a TV series.

"Camera position one."

Yang Yang's voice came through the loudspeaker.

"Move forward. Give Pan'er a close-up of her face."

Just then, Chen Lian's voice came from the bridge—"Flowers for sale!"

Xiao He looked up and threw a non-existent silver coin towards the bridge.

Chen Lian caught it, and immediately a group of people rushed over, scattering handfuls of flowers onto the small boat.

The petals fell.

First, a few scattered pink patches peeked out from the edge of the bridge arch, then more and more appeared, becoming denser and denser.

Peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and pear blossoms—the prop team mixed the three types of petals together and spread them out in the sunlight to create a layered rain.

Petals fell on the bow of the boat, on the water, on her hair, on her shoulders, and in her outstretched palms.

Liu Yifei tilted her head slightly, watching the rain of petals fall from the sky. Her lips parted slightly, and a thin layer of water welled up in her eyes.

As she watched the petals fluttering in the air, her mind wasn't on the lines, but on those long, dark nights of the past year.

The negative posts criticizing her for "zero acting skills" stayed on Weibo's trending topics for several days. She curled up on the sofa in her Shunyi villa and read through all the comments. After finishing, she turned off her phone and went to the backyard to feed the cats.

At that time, no one knew what she was thinking, and she didn't tell anyone.

These petals fell into her palm at that moment, like a reply from some distant place.

She recalled her childhood in the rehearsal hall of the Wuhan Opera and Dance Theater, where her mother would rehearse on stage while she sat on a small stool in the audience waiting.

At that time, her biggest dream was to stand on the stage and let others see her.

Now she sits in this awning boat, oars gliding across the water, petals falling on her shoulders, a camera pointed at her face, and the director shouts "Move!" from behind the monitor.

She finally felt like she was home.

Sixteen years have passed.

After her role as Xiaolongnu in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" made her a goddess, she never filmed another TV series.

Today's shower of petals is not Zhao Pan'er's romance, but Liu Yifei's return.

Tears slid down her cheeks and slid down her face.

It wasn't a loud, wailing cry; it was a quiet, slow sob that welled up from the depths of her eyes.

The tears were not part of the script; they came from Liu Yifei's own feelings.

These were tears that weren't in the script; they were her own.

"Camera position one! Move in! Quick, get a close-up of the tears!"

Yang Yang stood up from behind the monitor, his voice low but very fast.

"Camera position two, shoot from below the bridge, capturing both the petals and the glistening tears. Yes—hold on. Light—shift the reflector half an inch to the left, not too bright, natural light. Okay—that's it!"

Xiao He looked at her profile; petals fell onto her hair, but he didn't brush them away.

"Sister Pan'er," he said softly.

This isn't a line from the script—in the script, Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan only had actions and no dialogue; after the petals fell, the two were supposed to silently embrace and then kiss.

"Such a beautiful view, why are you shedding tears?"

Liu Yifei turned her head slightly to look at him, her eyes still glistening with tears.

She paused for a moment, her voice so soft it seemed as if afraid the wind would carry it away: "I'm overjoyed, I can't help it."

This line wasn't in the script.

In the script, after the petal rain stopped, Zhao Pan'er didn't say anything, she just looked at Gu Qianfan, and then the two embraced.

But the words that Liu Yifei blurted out at that moment were more accurate than any line in the script.

Yang Yang was stunned behind the monitor.

She glanced at Zhang Wei and whispered something.

Zhang Wei pushed up his metal-framed glasses and exclaimed "Good!" repeatedly.

Yang Yang raised the megaphone, his voice softer and steadyer than before: "Camera position three, medium shot, film both of them. Remember, don't disturb them. Keep filming. Don't stop. Petals—keep, keep scattering, scatter more!"

The petals fell again.

Xiao He stood up and took half a step forward, gently placing his hand on her shoulder and looking down into her eyes.

He remembered last winter when she was wrapped in a down jacket in her villa in Shunyi and said, "Help me have a child." At that time, her eyes were defensive and tentative. Now her eyes were open and soft.

It took her a whole year to go from "Help me have a baby" to "Overjoyed".

He leaned forward and pulled her into his arms.

Petals fell on their hair, shoulders, and the robes that clung tightly to each other.

The two couldn't help themselves and shared a gentle kiss.

"Cut." Yang Yang's voice finally came from behind the monitor.

She put down the megaphone, slowly leaned back in her chair, and remained silent for a long time.

Then she stood up and led the applause towards the two people in the center of the set.

Zhang Wei clapped along from the side.

The script supervisor, lighting technician, makeup assistant, and extras on the bridge—the entire set applauded.

"This one, even three takes wouldn't be enough." Yang Yang took off his director's earpiece, his voice still carrying a hint of lingering surprise.

"Yifei, your line 'overjoyed' wasn't in the script, it was a perfect addition."

"Thank you, director." Liu Yifei said happily.

After finishing work, Liu Yifei asked her assistant to prepare red wine and several delicate dishes in her hotel room in advance.

The lights were turned down to the dimmest warm yellow.

Two stemmed glasses sat side by side on the coffee table, their rims reflecting the flickering candlelight.

She changed out of her costume and wore a simple white T-shirt and dark gray wide-leg pants, her hair casually draped over her shoulders.

When Xiao He pushed the door open and came in, she had already poured two glasses of wine.

"Sister Sisi, today is such a grand occasion."

"Nothing fancy. Just two glasses of wine and a few dishes."

She stood up and handed him a glass of wine, then picked up another for herself. The candlelight flickered across her face, and something he rarely saw shone in her eyes.

"Xiao He, I have something to say to you today."

"What did you say?"

"Thank you."

"We're family, no need to thank me."

"Yes, I will."

Liu Yifei gently raised her wine glass, and the rim of her glass lightly touched the rim of his glass, making a crisp sound.

"Your kindness is undeniable. I can't take it for granted. From last winter until now, you've paved the way for me every step of the way—writing songs, forming groups, helping me get roles, accompanying me on set, and even handling my mother's objections. I, Liu Yifei, have lived all these years and have never felt I owe anyone anything. But Xiao He, I owe you a thank you."

Xiao He looked down at the glass of wine in his hand. He was silent for a moment, then looked up, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"If you really want to thank me, then repay me with your body."

"I told you, I promised my mom I couldn't do that..."

She lowered her eyelashes, and her voice suddenly softened.

"What if my mom gets angry and stops us from getting married? She finally agreed to be with us, and I don't want to disappoint her or ruin our relationship."

"Then may I, your younger brother, just have a taste, even if it's only a temporary relief?"

"What does 'stopping the itch through the boot' mean?" Liu Yifei was stunned for a moment, tilting her head to look at him.

Xiao He put down his wine glass, leaned forward, and whispered a few words into her ear.

Liu Yifei's cheeks instantly turned red from her ears all the way down to her neck, and a small patch of skin above her collarbone was tinged with a light pink.

She raised her hand and punched him in the chest with considerable force.

"You're so mean! Where did you learn that?!"

"The more colorful, the more I love."

Xiao He leaned back on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other.

"The beauty here is something my sister hasn't experienced enough of, so she doesn't understand."

"You're acting like you've been through a lot."

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes at him, but the light in her eyes hadn't faded. She lowered her head, her finger lightly tracing circles on the rim of her wine glass. She remained silent for a long time, long enough for the candlelight to flicker slightly, before speaking again, her voice so soft it was as if she feared being overheard by anyone in the corridor.

"Hmph...then...be gentle."