Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

Winter comes early to Hengdian.

In the ancient vine forest set, as the final scene was brought to the camera, Lin Yuan shouted "Filming wrapped!" A cannon salute exploded, and everyone was stunned for two seconds before applause slowly began.

The reason it's slow is because everyone is too tired.

Four months, one hundred and twenty-two days.

Hu Ge stood there, looking a little lost. Yang Mi had her head down, and Liu Shishi was holding a water bottle. None of the three spoke immediately.

Normally, filming on set is lively with people joking around, laughing, slacking off, and fighting over lunchboxes, but today it's unusually quiet.

Then Hu Ge moved first, walked over and patted Lin Yuan, his voice a little hoarse: "Director, we're done filming."

Lin Yuan: "Filming is finished."

Then the two stared at each other in silence for three seconds, and Hu Ge laughed. It was a laugh that was hard to describe, a laugh that was a little relieved and a little hard to explain. The cannons next to them were still smoking, and the smoke made the ancient vine forest look ethereal, but no one paid any attention to it.

The wrap party was held at a small, ordinary Chinese restaurant in Hengdian. The private room had two large round tables. When Fei Zhao heard the address, he was silent for two seconds before asking:

That's it?

"That's it."

Do you know how much you're worth right now?

"I know, but as long as the food is good, that's fine."

Fei Zhao: "...Alright then, thrift is a virtue."

Wallace Huo and Tiffany Tang came back from out of town specifically for this event. Their filming wrapped up at the end of November, and they were simply there for the banquet. Hu Ge hadn't arrived yet when they entered, and as soon as Tiffany Tang sat down, Liu Shishi leaned over.

"Sister, I have a question."

Tang Yan: "Ask."

"In that final scene where Zixuan and Changqing locked eyes, did you really cry? Your eyes were unusually red."

Tang Yan paused for two seconds, then asked, "Which eye did you see that?"

"The whole group saw it."

"...The lighting was quite strong that day, and it made my eyes uncomfortable."

Liu Shishi nodded thoughtfully: "Okay, I'll remember that if my eyes feel uncomfortable."

Then she turned to look at Wallace Huo, who had already picked up his teacup, his expression calm, looking exactly like Xu Changqing.

Liu Shishi sighed, somewhat admiring him. This person had been like this since the first day he joined the crew: calm, restrained, and quiet. But when he stood there without saying a word, the atmosphere in the entire place would drop two degrees. Director Lin really made the right choice in selecting him.

Hu Ge arrived last, pushed open the door to the private room, glanced at the entire table, and smiled:

"Everyone's here."

Lam Chi-chung raised his hand from the corner: "Director, I'm here too."

"I see it, I see it, sit down."

The dishes arrived, piping hot, and the atmosphere in the private room immediately became lively with the aroma of cooking.

Lin Yuan picked up his cup and, without wasting any words, said directly:

"The reason I initially decided on this project was because I couldn't stand the current crop of ancient costume dramas on the market. They're all assembly-line productions: floating, romance, a bit of angst, reconciliation, another bit of angst, and the same cycle over and over again. Fantasy dramas have been turned into idol dramas. You know what I mean."

Hu Ge: "I understand, I can't stand it either."

Yang Mi: "I've acted in some, but I won't comment."

The whole table burst into laughter, and Yang Mi laughed too, waving her hand: "Let's get down to business."

Lin Yuan continued, "I just wanted to tell a good story. I saw everyone's dedication and perseverance over the four months; every single detail you refused to compromise on was worth it in the end. Thank you."

After saying that, he raised his glass, and everyone at the table followed suit, clinking glasses around.

This is Lin Yuan. When he expresses his gratitude, he means it sincerely. With just this one sentence, everyone knows that he is serious.

Then came the really exciting part.

Hu Ge spoke first, putting down his cup with a somewhat wistful expression: "To be honest, I was reluctant when I first accepted this script. One person, three roles—the scope was too big, I wasn't confident, so I turned it down the first time."

Lam Chi-chung was surprised on the spot: So Director Lam went to negotiate and bring it back?

"Yes," Lin Yuan said, "If he won't answer, I'll go myself."

"I drank two cups of coffee that time," Hu Ge said. "Director Lin told me that Jing Tian's core is completely different from the characters I've played before."

He paused, then continued, "One hundred and twenty-two days, three phases of life. I never imagined I could make it through, but I did, and it was worth it."

There was a two-second silence at the table, then Huang Zhiwei raised his glass and said softly:

"Teacher Hu, I knew it! That coffee treat wasn't a waste of money."

The whole table laughed again. Hu Ge pointed at him and said, "Shut up."

Wallace Huo continued, his expression as calm as ever: "The character Changqing is restrained across three lifetimes. I was almost always without makeup, and all my emotions were suppressed in my eyes. During filming, I lost twice as much hair as usual."

Tang Yan: "I can attest to it; his hair loss is clearly visible to the naked eye."

Huo Jianhua glanced at her and continued:

"But the way this script captures the characters' emotions is rare among scripts I've worked with. Director Lin's attention to detail also surpasses that of most directors I've met. The entire filming process was comfortable, enjoyable, and worthwhile."

It was a high praise in the style of Wallace Huo; he didn't say much, but it carried weight, and everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

Yang Mi twisted her neck and replied with a smile:

"My situation was quite chaotic, with multiple projects running simultaneously, scheduling conflicts, and time management issues. The production team was very cooperative, and I'm especially grateful for that; otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to get my Xuejian scene right."

He paused, his tone hesitant, "Xuejian and Xiyao, one vibrant, the other aloof, the contrast between their characters is too great. Midway through filming, I was so immersed in the role on set that I couldn't get out of character. I spent twenty minutes alone in the corridor before I came to my senses."

As soon as Yang Mi mentioned it, Tang Yan immediately responded:

"I'm the same with Zixuan. She waited for three lifetimes, only to be denied. There's a scene where she and Changqing lock eyes—"

Liu Shishi immediately turned her head to the side, with a look that said, "I told you so."

Tang Yan: "Don't mislead everyone, it really was a lighting issue that day."

Liu Shishi: "Okay, it's a lighting issue, it makes my eyes red."

The whole table burst into laughter. Tang Yan poked her with her chopsticks, but Liu Shishi picked up her bowl and drank her soup as if nothing had happened.

When Liu Shishi talked about herself, her expression became more serious:

"Switching between the red and blue versions of Long Kui was more difficult than I imagined. The action scenes and crying scenes were layered together; there were two scenes where I could barely stand after filming, and I had to rely on my years of dance training to get through them. But I really love Long Kui; she carries the weight of Jiang Guohe's and her brother's obsessions, gentle yet stubborn—a very rare character."

Lam Chi-chung raised his hand and gave a simple and unpretentious speech:

"Just one thing: I thought Maoshan wouldn't have many scenes, but the director gave me more."

Lin Yuan: "The more ordinary the character, the more painful the sacrifice; this is a creative principle."

Lam Chi-chung: "Director, you're so sweet-talking. I'm just going to be tortured to death by you like this."

The laughter at the table didn't stop, and Huang Zhiwei, standing to the side, summarized it with a remark:

"I play Chonglou, the demon king. I was supposed to have very few lines, but they added more scenes for me. Director, are you particularly interested in supporting roles?"

Lin Yuan: "The protagonist is in the main storyline, while their personality is in the supporting characters; that's a plus."

Huang Zhiwei: "...That makes sense, so I've been made into this by you."

As the banquet drew to a close, Lin Yuan rose, holding his glass, and clinked glasses with each of the guests, starting with Hu Ge. He didn't say anything superfluous. When he reached the last person, he put down his glass and said:

"Chinese Paladin 3, filming is complete."

Just those five words, but everyone at the table knew the weight they carried when spoken by him.

The applause rang out sparsely and irregularly, but it was all genuine.

The banquet ended, but the night streets of Hengdian were still lit up.

Gu Zhiwan was waiting downstairs, wearing a cotton-padded coat and hat, with her hands in her pockets. When she saw Lin Yuan come down, she moved closer to him.

Are you tired?

"fine."

The two walked along the street. The lanterns along the roadside had not yet been taken down, and their orange light blurred the street. Occasionally, a breeze would blow by, causing the shop signs to sway gently.

Gu Zhiwan walked for a while and then spoke:

"In the story of Chinese Paladin," she continued, "you wrote regret into every couple, Jingtian and Xuejian, Changqing and Zixuan."

"right."

Why does it have to be regret?

Lin Yuan took two steps before answering:

"Because some stories are only real because of their regrets; if you make them happy, the audience won't believe it. Besides, this is the essence of the Legend of Sword and Fairy series; I can't change it, and I don't want to."

Gu Zhiwan paused for a moment, a strand of her hair was blown up by the wind, she reached out and tucked it back in, turning her head to look at him:

"So, you feel bad about the regrets of filming for over a hundred days?"

Lin Yuan turned his head, glanced at her, and spoke in a calm but serious tone:

"It hurts. So I don't want all those missed opportunities in the script to happen between us."

The streetlights cast long shadows, and the wind blew from one end of the street, carrying the quietness unique to winter.

Gu Zhiwan didn't say anything, but quietly took her hand out of her pocket and placed it on the back of his hand.

Lin Yuan intertwined his fingers and held them.

A row of warm yellow streetlights stretched out to the end of the street. The two walked side by side into the light, their steps neither fast nor slow.