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A subway train pulled smoothly into the platform at Dongyan Station.
Passengers squeezed inside the packed train car began disembarking, but the vacated space was quickly filled by new commuters. Moments later, the train roared back into the dark tunnel.
In Capital City, a sprawling metropolis of over 30 million people, the extensive subway network is the most relied-upon mode of transportation. Every day, countless residents ride the metro to and from work. The newest lines have already stretched into the still-under-construction Seventh Ring.
Lin Yu, with her female colleagues, flowed with the crowd and rode the escalator up to the station's exit.
In her arms, she clutched a giant cartoon plush bunny, making her stand out in the crowd. But she paid no mind to the curious glances, her delicate face still flushed with excitement.
It was February 14th, Valentine's Day, a special date. Lin Yu didn't have a boyfriend and had originally planned to spend the night curled up in her dorm watching shows online, hiding away from the romance in the air. But her friends had coaxed her into heading downtown to check out the festivities.
Now, she was incredibly grateful they had dragged her along. If not for their insistence, she might never have seen Lu Chen perform live, let alone share the stage with him for a love song duet.
Just thinking about that moment made her heart skip like a startled deer.
She had discovered Lu Chen through the TV drama 'Autumn in My Heart'. Though not a crazed fangirl, among all the celebrities she liked, Lu Chen had always been firmly in her Top 3.
But now? He was number one.
"Come on, let's hurry!" One of her friends urged, "The final episode of 'Autumn in My Heart' is about to start!"
The other two girls picked up the pace. One of them grumbled jokingly, "Xiaoyu, you're so lucky. I raised my hand too, why didn't he pick me?"
The girl in front chuckled, "With your tone-deaf voice? You'd have been booed off the stage!"
"Oh, really? You dare mock me? Take this!"
The two broke into playful fighting right there on the sidewalk, their bell-like laughter echoing far down the street.
Lin Yu couldn't help but smile and hugged the plush bunny tighter to her chest.
Originally from Jiangcheng, Lin Yu had decided to stay in Capital City after college. She now worked as an office assistant at a company and shared an apartment with her three coworkers beyond the Fifth Ring.
As an introverted person, Lin Yu didn't have many hobbies. Most of her free time was spent immersed in literature, music, and TV, she especially loved dramas.
Unlike many of her peers who were glued to the internet, she preferred watching programs the old-fashioned way, on television.
With her first paycheck, she bought a flat-screen TV and set it up in the tiny living room of their shared apartment. At first, she watched alone, but gradually, her roommates were drawn in and began watching with her.
They watched TV together, laughed, cried, and yelled at the plot twists together, and naturally grew closer.
It was the kind of companionship you just couldn't get from watching alone on a laptop.
And now, all four women were head-over-heels for the same show: Lu Chen's 'Autumn in My Heart'.
Tonight was the finale. They rushed home, quickly making their way back to the apartment near the subway. As soon as they got in, they flung open the door and dove onto the sofa together.
The TV was switched on instantly.
"It's starting! It's starting!"
"Starting? It's still commercials... Good thing we made it back in time."
"My feet are killing me, someone give me a foot rub?"
"Five bucks per foot."
"Buzz off!"
Lin Yu snuggled into the couch with the plush bunny. She buried her chin into its soft fur and stared unblinkingly at the screen, heart racing as she thought about the ending they were about to witness.
Because the finale was scheduled for Valentine's Day, Haijin TV had strategically pushed the final episode's airtime back to 9:30 PM to boost ratings.
Luckily, they weren't late.
After a 5-minute ad break, the familiar theme music rang out through the tiny living room.
Episode 20 of 'Autumn in My Heart' had begun.
Enxi, determined to spend what little time she had left happily with Junxi, often endured her worsening condition in silence.
This only pained Junxi even more.
Soon, Enxi began coughing blood, her illness grew more severe by the day. She started taking photos, quietly preparing for the inevitable.
One day, Enxi found bottles of medicine hidden in Junxi's room, medications he'd secretly prepared for her. She realized what Junxi had been planning and made him promise not to die because of her.
Junxi, eyes brimming with tears, gave her his word.
In the end, the two of them returned to the seaside where they used to play as children. Enxi listened as Junxi told her stories of their childhood...
At this point, the living room was deathly silent.
All four women were pale as ghosts.
Even though they'd long suspected that 'Autumn in My Heart' would end in tragedy, each had clung to hope that maybe, just maybe, the ending would turn around, that the couple would find happiness in the end.
But when the inevitable scene of love and loss unfolded before their eyes...
They all cried.
Lin Yu's eyes were misted with tears, her heart clenched unbearably tight. She tried hard not to sob aloud as she watched Enxi take her final breath on Junxi's back, watched as he staggered down the beach carrying the woman he loved with all his heart.
Then she completely broke down.
"Why did it have to end like this?" One of her friends asked in a choked whisper, dabbing at her tear-streaked face with tissues.
Lin Yu wanted to ask the same thing. She felt like Lu Chen had been too cruel. Why did the story have to end with death and separation? Why couldn't two people who truly loved each other be together?
But the show hadn't ended yet.
After Enxi quietly passed away, Junxi arranged her funeral. He asked Taixi to scatter her ashes into the sea. Then, he returned alone to the countryside path where they had walked together as children.
Scenes from their childhood played out in his memory. Suddenly, a delivery truck sped down the road. Just as Junxi was about to step into its path, he remembered the promise he'd made to Enxi: to keep living, no matter what.
What the audience didn't know was that, in the original version of 'Autumn in My Heart' from Lu Chen's dream world, Junxi had taken his own life to join Enxi in heaven. But that ending felt too selfish, a betrayal of his vow to her.
So Lu Chen rewrote it, Because sometimes, choosing to live takes even more courage than choosing to die.
With that, the story came to an end.
The theme song "Your Eyes" began to play, closing the series on a note of quiet sorrow.
After the final credits rolled, Lin Yu and her friends were speechless, each still lost in the emotional aftermath. Back in her room, Lin Yu found herself unable to sleep. She couldn't help but turn on her laptop and log onto the internet.
The web was exploding.
As the biggest TV drama hit of late 2015 and early 2016, 'Autumn in My Heart' had already built a massive fanbase. Its followers, nicknamed "Blue Fans", gathered on official Weibo pages, forums, and fan groups to dissect every twist and character.
Now that the finale had aired, those same spaces had turned into warzones of emotional devastation.
"Is it really okay to air such a heartbreaking ending on Valentine's Day?"
"I cried so hard my eyes are swollen. My mom thought something had happened to me!"
"Don't even talk to me. I'll be depressed for at least two weeks."
"I protest! Bring Enxi back!"
"I saw it coming, but it still hurt. A lot."
"I'm a guy, and I cried too."
"Cried +1."
On Waves Blog, Lu Chen's blog was nearly overwhelmed with comments. For once, he was actually being scolded by fans.
"Too cruel! Too heartbreaking!"
Even several celebrities posted their reactions, saying the ending had left them emotionally wrecked. Whether they were truly fans or just jumping on the bandwagon, it was clear that 'Autumn in My Heart' had broken through the entertainment bubble and stirred something much wider.
Now that the series had come to a close, maybe it was a relief for competing shows, but for thousands of viewers, it was a farewell filled with nostalgia, and regret.
At 11 PM, Lu Chen received a call from Chen Fei'er.
"You owe me," She said, her voice hoarse and missing its usual musical sweetness.
Lu Chen was startled. "Owe you what?"
"I watched the finale," She said. "I cried so much. It hurt. Don't you think you should pay for that?"
Lu Chen chuckled. "Didn't you already know how it ends?"
Aside from himself, Chen Fei'er had been the first person to learn the full story. She had even seen the unedited footage right after filming wrapped, and hadn't shown much emotion back then.
Not to mention… she played the heroine.
"It felt different watching it tonight," She said softly. "It felt like I was really living through that tragedy."
Lu Chen was both amused and touched. "Want me to come over and keep you company?"
"No need," She said, her tone already sounding a bit lighter. "It's late. You should get some rest."
But Lu Chen paused, then said: "In ten minutes, check my blog."
"Huh?"
Chen Fei'er sounded confused. "What are you up to?"
Lu Chen smiled. "You'll see in ten minutes."
"So mysterious!" She pouted playfully. "Alright then, I'll wait. Let's see what you're scheming."
After hanging up, Lu Chen opened his laptop and logged into his Waves Blog account.
He skimmed through the flood of comments on his latest post and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
Haijin TV had really played it smart, airing the finale of 'Autumn in My Heart' on Valentine's Day. They'd definitely cashed in on ratings and buzz…
But they'd also thrown him straight into the fire. After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen opened the blog post editor.
In the title bar, he typed these simple words: 'The Furthest Distance in the World!'
(End of Chapter)