Days passed, and filming was nearing its end...
The past has finally come to light, and all that has happened is now exposed to the sunlight.
Looking at Xu Yan's face, He Jiu, now the He Jiu he was, couldn't recall anything from the past. Yet, his heart told him that everything Xu Yan said was true.
His heart was aching, aching terribly.
“I’ve always been afraid to face you, afraid to step out of the darkness of the castle. I was afraid that once I had you, I would be insatiable and want you to stay. But now you no longer belong here, He Jiu.” Sunlight shone on the castle, and He Jiu’s whole body glowed with a warm, gentle light.
The light dazzled Xu Yan's eyes, and she unconsciously took a step back, pulling herself into the shadows: "I'm not saying this to make you remember the past. As for hatred, I've let it go. I've been very happy these past few days, a feeling I haven't had in a long time. The castle doors will open for the last time at midnight, and then you should leave."
He Jiu was still holding the flowers he had originally picked to give to Xu Yan, but now he felt he could barely lift them...
Last night they were still tenderly cuddling in the master bedroom, but today they face separation. He suddenly wished he could turn back time to half an hour ago, to before he questioned her about the child.
In the silence, Xu Yan finally returned to the shadows of the castle, unwilling to reveal herself again.
He Jiu gripped the bouquet tightly in her hand, and several of the flowers broke off and fell to the ground.
A small figure emerged from behind the door and, using the shadow of the doorway, approached He Jiu.
The little hand picked up the fallen flower and held it in her arms: "Mother said I can't come out to see you, I can't call you Father, because you're not a real Father."
A childish voice struck He Jiu's chest, sending a dull pain through him: "Even though my mother said that, I don't believe her, because she loves to lie."
She raised her small face, her eyes exactly the same as Xu Yan's. She seemed completely unconcerned that this person had recently questioned her about where she came from as a bastard: "But Father is different from us. People forget things, so it's okay. But Father, are you really leaving? Mother and I miss you very much."
He Jiu did not answer her question. Faced with that pale and youthful face, he was filled with shame.
"Cut! Great!" He Qing shouted, immediately relieving the serious atmosphere on set. Several staff members cried and complained, "This plot is really too heartbreaking. My eyes are swollen from crying all day of filming."
"Yesterday's shoot was all about the two of us being sweet and loving, and I was laughing so hard my mouth and temples were touching. But today I cried my eyes out."
"Director He, this plot is unfair. When the kid said 'Father,' I couldn't hold back my emotions, and now my eye makeup is all messed up like this."
He Qing glanced at them calmly and snorted disdainfully, "Hurry up, next round."
The castle today lacked the joy of the past few days; the curtains had been drawn again at some point.
Xu Yan never reappeared, and He Jiu searched the entire castle but couldn't find her. He found some strong liquor, but few adventurers actually get drunk, so he endured the burning pain of the liquor going down his throat while remaining sober.
The child stayed by his side the whole time. Xu Yan had previously not allowed her to come out, but now she wanted to stay with her father a little longer.
The usually strong man seemed to be swaying precariously at this moment. He tilted his head back, wiped his face with one hand, and struggled to suppress his sobs, while his chest trembled violently.
"Dong—dong—" The castle's clock struck, and He Jiu looked at the castle gate with teary eyes.
He rose and walked to the gate, pushing it open. The flower field outside was gone; in its place lay the gloomy path he had come by and a distant forest that seemed poised to devour everything.
"The castle doors will open for the last time at midnight."
"Are you really leaving? Your mother and I miss you very much."
He Jiu stood in front of the gate, Xu Yan's words echoing in his mind, the innocent child's voice striking his heart.
Xu Yan silently passed through the wall and stopped not far behind the other person. The child also silently came to her side.
The two, one big and one small, held hands, their eyes fixed on He Jiu.
Xu Yan felt that her heart had never been so calm. Now, she was willing to accept whatever choice He Jiu made.
From the moment she died and awoke again, she foresaw this scene. Her soul was trapped in this ancient castle, forever seeing only eternal night and never seeing daylight.
"Whoosh—"
That was the sound of clothes slicing through the air. She saw He Jiu walk away from her, and she felt herself fall into a warm embrace.
The eternal night was finally broken, and daylight arrived.
"Card!"
The story of "Daylight" ends here. Ye Chu breaks free from the play and steps back from Qin Ke's embrace: "Brother Qin, you've worked hard."
There was no response from the other party for a long time, so Ye Chu looked up at him and saw that Qin Ke was staring at her with an extremely gentle gaze.
Ye Chu got goosebumps all over and awkwardly stepped back, quickly rolling over to He Qing's side to watch the footage that had just been filmed on the monitor.
After confirming everything was in order, He Qing announced the wrap-up of filming, and the assistant director organized a celebratory dinner for the entire crew at a grand hotel.
Amid cheers, a large group of people noisily gathered on the hotel's buffet floor. The assistant director patted his stomach and said he'd booked the entire place and it was on him, so everyone immediately cheered and rushed towards the various delicacies.
Ye Chu sat opposite He Qing, eating noodles from her plate. She wondered if she should take the opportunity to ask Gu Yu more about her past.
"Excuse me, may I sit here?"
Ye Chu looked up and saw Qin Ke, who was holding a plate and asking her with a smile.
"Ah, Brother Qin, please sit down, it's alright." Ye Chu nodded blankly, without much expression, but He Qing, who was sitting opposite, raised an eyebrow.
Qin Ke seemed a bit too proactive. After sitting down, he tried different ways to strike up a conversation with Ye Chu. Ye Chu felt it would be impolite not to reply, so she could only answer his questions one by one.
"Ahem." He Qing coughed with a frown, but his brows relaxed when Qin Ke looked over. "Qin Ke, your food is all cold. What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?"
Qin Ke finally shut up, smiled apologetically, and lowered his head to eat.
Seeing this, He Qing quickly finished the small cakes on the plate and took out his phone to send a message to a friend.
He Qing: Gu, do you want to come pick up your little wife?
Gu Yu: What?
He Qing: I think my male lead seems to be interested in that young girl.
Gu Yu: Qin Ke?
He Qing: Correct answer.
Upon seeing this reply, Gu Yu said to the driver, "Turn around and go to the Lixia Hotel."
Cheng Yuan, sitting in the front row, asked in confusion, "What are we going to the hotel for?" Gu Yu replied, "Stop for a moment. Get off here and go back first. I have something to do."
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