Mr. Lu, stop being such a jerk. Your wife is your nemesis's white moonlight.

After returning to Bincheng, life suddenly became very busy.

Despite the long work stoppage, everyone has been busy. The screenwriter and director have had in-depth discussions on the script, ultimately hoping to shoot several versions for comparison during editing.

Upon returning, Shao Feng shared this idea with Yan Heng. More filming meant additional investment, and Yan Heng agreed without hesitation.

Shao Feng was also aware of this. When it came to matters related to Xu An'an, Yan Heng cared least about money.

Well-funded film crews are really extravagant; they can call back whoever they want for reshoots. As long as it makes the film better, Yan Heng is willing to fully support the director's various ideas and attempts.

This positive cycle fostered an excellent creative atmosphere throughout the production team, with inspiration constantly arising spontaneously on set. In this environment, even newcomers like Xia Xingyao and Deng Xiao delivered performances far exceeding their usual abilities.

Not to mention Xu An'an.

Acting is a profession that demands experience and inspiration. Xu An'an now possesses a certain level of life experience, and Yan Heng's production team provides her with a wealth of inspiration. Xu An'an is aware that in "Breaking the Cocoon," she has already delivered an acting performance that surpasses all her previous works.

Whether she wins the award or not, she has done right by herself.

On the day filming wrapped, the last shot was of Chen Nian, played by Xu An'an, standing by the sea, facing the wind, gazing into the distance.

The moment the director yelled "Cut," the entire audience was silent for a second, then erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Filming wrapped up!

Xu An'an stood on the beach, surrounded by a group of people. Someone shoved a bouquet of flowers into her hands, someone sprayed confetti on her head, and a photographer rushed over with his camera to capture her bewildered expression. She hugged the flowers, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled.

Yan Heng stood on the periphery of the crowd, watching her from afar, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

That night, Yan Heng booked an entire beach and villa in Bincheng to throw a wrap party for everyone.

A dozen or so villas face the sea and stand in a row along the waterfront, ensuring that the entire crew of several hundred people has a place to stay. The main actors, director, and producer were assigned to the central villa with the best view.

As evening fell, the setting sun painted the entire sea surface golden red, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, swept over me. Just standing there made me feel good.

Two barbecue grills were set up in the backyard, the charcoal glowing red-hot, meat skewers sizzling and dripping with oil, the aroma of cumin and chili powder filling the entire yard. The assistant director himself took to the grill, beer bottle in one hand, chicken wings flipping in the other, looking quite professional, while calling out, "Hey you—move the table over here! Where's the sauce? Where's the sauce?"

The others weren't idle either; everyone prepared several of their signature dishes, eager to show off their culinary skills. From the kitchen to the living room, and from the living room to the courtyard, the entire villa was bustling with activity.

Soon, the long table was laden with dishes. Wine glasses clinked together, and ice cubes swirled in the amber liquid.

Such an atmosphere on set is rare and precious. Shao Feng couldn't resist having a few extra drinks and became quite drunk. He stood up, cleared his throat, and said loudly, "Come on, everyone, quiet down, I have something to say!"

The crowd quieted down and looked at him with smiles.

"First of all, congratulations on the successful wrap-up of filming for 'Breaking the Cocoon'!" He raised his glass, looking at everyone. "You've all worked hard these past few months! And congratulations on finally being free from my torture!"

"We enjoy being tortured!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and Shao Feng also laughed heartily.

"Secondly," he raised his voice, "I want to especially thank one person—our investor, Mr. Yan!"

Everyone's eyes turned to the person in the main seat. Yan Heng was slightly taken aback by the sudden call to name, but then politely picked up his wine glass and clinked it with Shao Feng's across the table.

"As everyone knows," Shao Feng's tone became more serious, "it's a film and television winter right now. Even commercial films are facing investment slumps, let alone art films like ours. Yet, President Yan has added tens of millions more to our film's investment. What incredible trust that is! Let's all raise a glass to President Yan!"

"Yes!" someone echoed.

"President Yan is awesome!"

"Respectfully, Mr. Yan!"

Everyone raised their glasses.

"Director Shao, you flatter me," Yan Heng raised his glass and gestured to the others, "It's all for the sake of the film."

After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.

The atmosphere became lively again.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone completely let loose. The atmosphere was always exceptionally good where handsome men and beautiful women gathered. Xu An'an was also dragged into playing two rounds of Werewolf. She was a villager in the first round, but drew the werewolf card in the second, only to be exposed in the very first round of speaking. Xu An'an stomped her feet in frustration, while Xia Xingyao laughed so hard she fell back onto the sofa, unable to straighten up.

Yan Heng didn't like playing these games, so he leaned against the balcony watching Xu An'an.

Shao Feng went to the balcony to smoke. Following his gaze for a while, he smiled and asked, "What's the situation between you guys now?"

He has never been particularly interested in things outside of movies, but as much as he doesn't care, even a blind person could see Yan Heng's feelings for Xu An'an over the years.

Yan Heng took a sip of wine, thought for a moment, and said, "We haven't received any official recognition yet."

Shao Feng laughed loudly.

The only person in this world who could make Yan Heng fight so bitterly for a title is Xu An'an.

He and Yan Heng had been close for so many years. Yan Heng glanced at him, took a sip of his drink, and asked again, "Will you make it to this year's Cannes?"

Shao Feng wiped away the tears of laughter and roughly calculated the days. The Cannes Film Festival was held in mid-May, and the deadline for feature film submissions was mid-March. It was early December now, so there were still about three months left for production.

"There's still time," Shao Feng said.

"That's good." Yan Heng nodded, then turned to look at Xu An'an, who was struggling in the Werewolf game.

Even from this distance, Yan Heng could tell that she had drawn a werewolf again. Every time she drew a werewolf, she would subconsciously touch her ears. She's supposed to be an actress, but why is she so silly when playing this game?

Yan Heng smiled unconsciously.

Aside from acting, Xu An'an doesn't lie.

The same goes for Yan Heng.

At least, that's how it is with Xu An'an. He might hide things, but he'll always keep his promises to Xu An'an.

Xu An'an was speechless after being utterly defeated by the game Werewolf, and sat on the elimination bench watching the game with a long face.

Yan Heng put down his wine glass and walked to Xu An'an's side: "Want to go for a walk?"

Xu An'an glanced at the card table where she felt out of place and nodded.

The two slipped out through the side door of the villa and slowly walked along the coastline.

The beach shimmered with a silvery sheen under the moonlight, and the waves surged in and receded, leaving behind tiny bubbles that dissipated at our feet.

The night breeze was a bit chilly, and Xu An'an hunched her shoulders. Yan Heng took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

After walking for a while, Xu An'an suddenly stopped.

She recognized the place.

This is the beach where Yan Heng confessed his feelings to her a few months ago.