Taylor calmed herself down and kept reading.
The story continued with Luke going to talk to Anni's ex-boyfriend—who was about to move abroad—on behalf of Anni, who had waited for him for two years.
The jerk's true colors were disgusting! Man, I wanted to punch his face so badly.
The next second, that wish came true.
Luke landed a heavy punch right on his face, and in slow motion, you could see two teeth fly out of his mouth. That was so satisfying!
As the plot moved forward, Taylor saw Anni walking down the path full of plum blossoms and couldn't help but sigh, "This place is so beautiful. If I walked there, all my bad moods would just vanish, wouldn't they? Next time I go to New York, I'm absolutely making Luke take me there!"
On screen, Anni walked, gazing at the beautiful scenery, and a smile slowly blossomed on her face. She walked ahead while Luke followed a few steps behind, as if he were right there beside her.
Anni turned her head and looked back at where Luke was. She couldn't see him, but she seemed to sense his presence, so she smiled and said, "Thank you!"
That moment's smile melted the entire winter.
Luke also smiled and nodded, believing that she could definitely feel it.
Seeing this scene, Taylor couldn't help but exclaim, "That's so beautiful, but why does it feel a little sad? It's so tragic that they can't be together."
Next, Anni arrived at the small pub. When the bartender brought out the bottle of wine Luke had kept there, Taylor felt her inner romantic just explode: "That's so romantic! Luke is too good at this! Seriously, how does he know all this stuff?"
The romantic atmosphere didn't last long. When Anni asked to meet, Luke said, "Because if we did, I would lose you forever."
The smart Taylor instantly understood: "Right, the people meeting wouldn't be the two people right now."
Someone who is exactly like me isn't me.
This was a concrete manifestation of "Who am I?"—one of the three philosophical questions.
Actually, from a practical perspective, for Anni, there was no difference between the two Lukes.
In the next moment, two options appeared on the screen:
[I won't let go! I'll keep her by my side, even if it's this way.]
[Let her go! I want her to be happy, and I need to let go of her and myself.]
Taylor realized that choosing different options would lead the short film's plot to different endings.
If I were Anni, what would I choose?
Would I choose the untouchable lover, or would I accept reality for the sake of an embrace?
[I won't let go! I'll keep her by my side, even if it's this way.]
Taylor's emotions were always passionate and sensitive, and this was clearly the choice that best fit her.
Then she watched the scene where Luke and Anni sat on chairs, their fingers intertwined across time and space.
This sight looked very familiar to her; it was exactly the same as a scene in A Diary Starting from the Past. It was the same long bench, and Luke and Anni were even wearing the same clothes and sitting in the same posture...
A powerful sense of temporal confusion hit Taylor.
She couldn't help but wonder: Was the story of Luke the boxer and Anni the patient really a perfect ending?
The next second, the two of them kissed across time and space.
Then came the credits:
Thank you, my untouchable lover.
Thank you for being willing to stay by my side this way.
The story was over, and Taylor was left with an unspeakable feeling of melancholy. But for her, this was the ending she chose. While there were regrets, life is never perfect.
It was just during that final kiss scene that Taylor suddenly noticed something sharp: Luke's kissing has gotten so much better!
Everything—from the choice of kissing angle to the tender look in his eyes—spoke to his incredible acting ability. It was only after seeing this kiss that Taylor truly realized for the first time: Could there really be such a huge difference in the quality of a kiss scene?
Darn it! He's even improving his acting in that area!
After complaining, Taylor remembered that the film had another ending.
However, she didn't feel the need to click on it and see, unlike other people. This was a good enough ending. She didn't necessarily need to know what the view was like on the other path in life.
The Alternative Ending
[Let her go! I want her to be happy, and I need to let go of her and myself.]
Meanwhile, Yuffie, who was at home in Shanghai, also made her choice.
She had been back in the country for over a month, preparing for her exams with her mother. Since Luke's last trip back was to Yanjing and was pretty rushed, they hadn't seen each other for a while.
She had been keeping up with Luke's situation, and of course, she wasn't going to miss this new short film.
Unlike Taylor's fiery and emotional approach to love, Yuffie had a calmer, more rational personality.
When Luke said, "Goodbye, my untouchable lover. I wish you happiness, too," watching the farewell scene, Yuffie suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness and helplessness: Where in the world can you find a solution that satisfies everyone?
But the dialogue when Luke and Anni met again two years later instantly struck her heart. Two lines of tears slid uncontrollably down her face.
On screen, Luke smiled and said, "We meet again so soon; I missed you."
What do you mean, "meet again so soon"?
It's been two years!
He only said that to make Anni feel better, to help her connect him to the person who just said goodbye.
And Anni's reply was, "No, it's been two years. I'm happy to be reunited with you."
She used the word reunited because she wanted Luke to feel that she wasn't a different person, but the same one who had been with him all along.
Both of them were trying their hardest to meet the other halfway and make the other feel better. These were two equally beautiful, but sorrowful, souls.
As the two hugged, the final credits appeared:
Goodbye. I wish you happiness.
Goodbye, my untouchable lover.
The video finished, but Yuffie didn't close it right away. Instead, she scanned the video's view count and the comment section.
In less than a week, the video had been played over 3 million times, making it the hottest video on the internet right now. The comment section was also overwhelmingly positive.
The temporal displacement between Luke and Anni was an unsolvable problem, but deciding how to choose in the face of such a dilemma was a true "rock and a hard place" situation.
The biggest controversy in the comment section was about which choice was more reasonable. Everyone expressed their views, adding even more buzz to the video. The main reason for all the discussion was that the script was thought-provoking. After watching it, people couldn't help but ponder that cursed philosophical question: Who am I?
That "Who am I?" topic is exhausting.
Luke, the one who started all this, didn't have time to consider the question. His attention was on the golden text that had just appeared on his system:
[Host has completed a thought-provoking emotional scene, gaining a skill reward: Marksmanship (Master Level)]