Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

Then He Xu heard a shout—the first cheer from a crowd at the edge of the set.

Immediately afterwards, the cheers exploded like a fuse, crackling along the edge of the set.

It spreads from one person to another, from one corner to another.

Some people whistled, some clapped, and some covered their mouths with the backs of their hands, but laughter still leaked out from between their fingers.

The young man from the props team simply put the wrench on the ground and slapped it loudly with both hands above his head.

He Xu leaned against the gray wall and blinked.

His eyes were still dry, and the tear stains on his face hadn't completely dried, but he could feel the corners of his mouth turning up uncontrollably.

He bent his knees slightly as he pushed himself up from the ground—his legs had gone numb from sitting for too long.

He staggered half a step, and a hand reached out from the side to support his elbow.

Jonathan had somehow returned from the warehouse's iron gate, the hem of his old leather jacket still swaying slightly.

He held onto He Xu's elbow until He Xu was steady before letting go.

"Congratulations on wrapping up filming," Jonathan said, the lines around his eyes appearing a bit deeper than usual.

Standing in the center of the set, looking at the staff around him clapping, cheering, and patting each other on the shoulder, He Xu suddenly felt a little unreal.

Three months ago, when he stood at the entrance of this film set, he would still uncontrollably glance at the camera.

Three months later, he sat on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and finished delivering his lines. Then someone told him that he had finished filming.

"He Xu!" Mike's voice came from behind the crowd. He pushed past two people, holding a creamy white cake with the film's logo and the words "Congratulations on wrapping up filming!" written in chocolate on it.

Mike handed the cake to He Xu: "I chose it, chocolate. Don't ask why."

He Xu looked down at the cake in his arms and smelled a strong, sweet aroma that was a mixture of cream and cocoa powder.

"...When did you buy it?"

"After we wrapped up yesterday," Mike said, hands on his hips, a smug look on his face, "I guessed you'd finish filming today, so I booked it in advance. If Carter hadn't approved it today, I'd have to give some to the staff—thankfully you did."

Someone nearby burst out laughing.

"That last take," Carter said from the side, his voice tinged with laughter, "was one of the best wrap-up scenes I've ever filmed."

He Xu, holding the cake, paused for a second or two before saying somewhat shyly, "...Thank you."

Carter chuckled, released his grip, and took a half-step back. "Alright, stop standing there. Go change your clothes. Your makeup and styling team is already waiting for you—come back after you've removed your makeup for a group photo. You'll be holding that 'THE END' sign."

He Xu followed his gaze to the edge of the set—a young man from the props team was holding up a white foam board with the words "The End" written on it in black marker.

The group photo was taken outside the set.

The photographer set up the lights, and more than thirty people squeezed into three rows in front of the warehouse's iron gate.

He Xu was placed in the very center, holding the foam board that read "THE END".

Carter and Jonathan stood on either side of him. Jonathan was still wearing Marcus's old leather jacket, with one hand on He Xu's shoulder.

"Three—two—one—" The photographer peeked out from behind the camera and made a gesture.

He Xu couldn't help but smile when the flash went off—a smile completely different from Langdon's bitter smile in the warehouse.

After the photos were taken, the crowd dispersed somewhat, but many people remained, chatting in small groups about the shoot and their plans for the evening.

Carter walked over, tilting his head to look at He Xu: "Here, one more. Take that sign for a solo photo. Photographer, take one of him alone—yes, right there in front of the iron gate."

He Xu stood in front of the iron gate again, holding up the foam board that read "THE END".

He couldn't quite describe his feelings, but when the shutter clicked again, he suddenly felt that everything he had experienced here over the past three months had been captured in this single frame.

After taking a solo group photo, Carter turned his attention back to the monitor, confirming the list of shots to be added tomorrow with the assistant director—after all, the other actors hadn't finished filming yet.

Jonathan was still standing next to He Xu, but he didn't leave in a hurry.

"I still have a few more scenes to film," Jonathan said. "It will probably take another week or two before the whole crew wraps up filming."

He Xu nodded: "Then you'll be busy for a while."

"I'm used to it," Jonathan said. "What are your plans now? Go back to your place and lie down?"

"Probably." He Xu adjusted his backpack straps. "Carter said there might be reshoots and dubbing, and told me not to go too far. As for the rest, we'll wait for further notice."

Jonathan glanced at him, his lips twitching slightly: "Then you should rest well, don't end up in the hospital again by yourself."

"I'm not a masochist."

Are you sure?

He Xu did not refute, but he lowered his head, flipped over the foam board with "THE END" written on it, and stared at the two words for two seconds.

Then he put the foam board back in the prop box and walked side by side with Jonathan toward the parking area.

When they reached the fork in the road, Jonathan paused, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I'll head back now. I still have my show tomorrow."

He Xu nodded: "Mm."

Jonathan turned and walked towards the film set.

He Xu stood there, watching his figure disappear into the shadows at the entrance of the set, then turned his gaze away and walked toward the car where Marco was already waiting.

As he opened the passenger door and got in, he placed his backpack at his feet, leaned back in his seat, and glanced out the window.

The warehouse set lights were still on, and people were moving equipment, squatting on the ground to gather cables, and talking into walkie-talkies—they were all preparing for tomorrow.

He looked at it for a few seconds, then looked away, leaned back in his seat, and exhaled.

"Back to our accommodations?" Marco's voice came from the driver's seat.

"Back to my lodgings," He Xu said. "Nothing much should happen for the next few days. Just wait for further notice."

Marco glanced at him in the rearview mirror, his gaze lingering for a moment on his calm face, then nodded and started the car.

As the car drove out of the film set's iron gate, He Xu glanced at the rearview mirror—the gray buildings grew smaller and smaller in the twilight, and the iron gate was slowly closing.

He looked away, lowered his head, and stared at his fingers resting on his knees, slowly loosening and clenching them again, as if confirming that his hands could finally rest today.

After returning to his residence, He Xu took a shower, changed into a clean T-shirt, and sat on the sofa in the living room, watching the sky outside the window sink from orange to deep blue.

The phone sat quietly on the coffee table.

No one urged him to return to the set, no one asked him about tomorrow's makeup and blocking, and there were no newly revised pages of the script for him to turn to.

He sat there, turning his head to glance at the pool in the backyard, where the sky, not yet completely dark, was reflected on the water.

He found that he could finally stop thinking about anything.

For the next few days, he just had to wait.

He waited for the possible reshoot notice, for the wrap party after the whole crew finished filming, and for the dubbing work he needed to do in the recording studio after the film entered post-production.

Everything is settled.

His part is finished; all that's left is to wait.