Chapter 24: Cut

The last day of shooting began in the dark.

Snow fell out of a machine onto the cobbles of the Lu Pictures lot.

Wenxin stood in Su Min's grey coat beside the camera, drinking the gaffer's tea.

"Final scene," he said. "Last shot of the last day. How does it feel?"

"Like the end of a very long winter."

"Of what?"

"Never mind."

Across the lot Haoran stood under a streetlamp in Captain Shen's long black coat, with his left hand in his pocket.

The board had reinstated him as CEO a week ago, without a word of apology.

This morning he was only the actor.

The director raised his megaphone.

"Everyone listen. This is the scene where Su Min stops pretending."

The crew went quiet.

"She has loved him for the whole film, and he has never said what he wants."

He pointed his megaphone at Wenxin.

"In this scene, she says it first."

Wenxin read her last page one more time, though she knew it.

Su Min's final line was a single sentence. She had been carrying it for seven weeks.

Mingxuan sat in a folding chair by the monitors with a blanket on his knees. Anqi sat beside him with a script in her hand.

He raised two fingers to Wenxin, and she grinned.

"Places!"

She walked out into the snow.

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