In the evening, Jiang Xiaoling hurried out of the company and boarded the subway home.
Inside the carriage, posters announcing the finale of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' had already been put up in various corners.
Small screens hanging along the aisle were also broadcasting promotional clips for the final episode.
Many passengers paused to watch, while others quietly discussed the plot.
Carrying her bag, Jiang Xiaoling lowered her head, staring at her toes—but her ears were carefully tuned to the conversations around her.
Hearing that most people were excited for the finale, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
She took out her phone.
Her lock screen was Su Yan—
Specifically, Su Yan as Himura Kenshin.
From the day 'Rurouni Kenshin' aired eight years ago until now, she has always been a die-hard fan of Su Yan.
She was active daily in over a dozen fan groups, regularly attended offline fan meetups in Hudu, and, back when Su Yan still filmed there, she never missed a chance to apply for fan meeting tickets.
She even owned two pieces of clothing personally signed by Su Yan.
Eight years.
She had grown from a high school student into a working adult.
And in those same eight years, she had watched Su Yan rise—
From a suppressed rookie screenwriter at Sakura TV—
To a world-class actor, star, writer, composer, and film investor.
For Su Yan, she was just one of countless fans.
But for Jiang Xiaoling—
It all felt like a dream.
Especially tonight.
In the past two or three years, fans had noticed something:
Su Yan appeared less and less in leading roles.
Part of it was age—most of his protagonists were teenagers.
In interviews, Su Yan had said that although makeup could make him look young, the spark in a real teenager's eyes couldn't truly be faked.
So he gradually stepped away from such roles.
Of course, Jiang Xiaoling—and most fans—believed the real reason was that Su Yan was overwhelmed managing multiple projects and wanted to shift focus toward writing and company operations.
Which meant—
After 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' and 'Rurouni Kenshin' fully concluded, it was uncertain when they would next see Su Yan as a leading actor.
On her way home, Jiang Xiaoling chatted with online friends in her fan groups.
Finally, at 7:40 PM, she arrived home.
Her two cats immediately ran up to her, meowing impatiently.
After feeding them, she turned on the TV.
At that moment, the channel was replaying Su Yan's interview about the finale.
She had already watched it three times, but still watched again with interest.
"Since my debut, whenever my works reach key moments or their endings, fans and peers always question how I'll wrap things up… But this time, I can promise all fans of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'—the ending will be the most exciting part of the entire series."
Su Yan's confident words filled her with reassurance.
Soon—
The opening theme began.
Listening to it for the last time, Jiang Xiaoling watched carefully, trying to spot any hidden clues.
But—
Nothing new.
Just like always.
As the opening ended, the story began.
Picking up from last week—
The war had entered a conventional battlefield phase.
Lelouch's Britannian Empire held the advantage.
But Schneizel possessed the ultimate weapon—the F.L.E.I.J.A.
Its destructive power needed no explanation.
Both sides had their strengths.
But the key to victory—
Was Nunnally.
Lelouch's goal.
The person he cherished most.
And now—
She stood against him.
The armies faced off.
Lelouch used captured leaders of the United Federation as leverage—but Schneizel, cold and ruthless, remained unmoved.
The battle began.
Explosions, beams, countless aircraft, and tanks clashed across the battlefield.
While it couldn't match the budget of top-tier films, for a TV production—
The visual quality was already extraordinary.
Lelouch and Schneizel commanded millions of troops.
For the next ten minutes, the main plot barely advanced.
Instead, the focus was on intense aerial duels—
Suzaku, Xingke, Kallen—
The elite pilots showcased dazzling combat sequences.
Beneath the spectacle, however—
It was the brutal reality of war.
Countless soldiers fell.
And yet—
The true deciding factor remained Nunnally.
Because she held the F.L.E.I.J.A. trigger.
As the battlefield reached a stalemate—
Lelouch made his move.
His specialty—
A surprise attack.
If Lelouch had lived in the Three Kingdoms era, he would likely have supported bold, high-risk strategies.
While the frontlines raged, he infiltrated Nunnally's flagship alone—
To seize the trigger.
Jiang Xiaoling frowned.
It was an incredibly daring plan—
Yet somehow, everything proceeded smoothly.
This was the limitation of storytelling.
How could a writer who had never been on a battlefield perfectly recreate its chaos?
Some fans had criticized this aspect before—
That Lelouch's plans sometimes felt like they succeeded because his enemies were conveniently weakened.
But that wasn't why the story worked.
What mattered was not whether his strategies were flawless—
But how they shaped his character.
When Lelouch finally confronted Nunnally—
Jiang Xiaoling held her breath.
Yet—
Nunnally still spoke harshly to him.
"I must stop you, brother."
Even after Lelouch seized the trigger, she crawled across the ground, desperately trying to stop him.
Jiang Xiaoling fell silent.
Nunnally…
Did you really reject Lelouch that much?
Meanwhile—
Sensing something was wrong, Schneizel attempted to retreat.
But he soon discovered—
His aircraft had already been infiltrated by people under Lelouch's Geass control.
Separated by a screen—
The two brothers faced each other through a video call.
The final confrontation—
Had begun.