Fujiwara Takumi ultimately secured victory.
The final race was indeed spectacular, filled with twists and turns.
Down the mountain.
The scene shifted to the confrontation between Zhang Qingyun and Zhang Yang.
Takahashi Ryosuke invited Fujiwara Takumi to join his team.
Fujiwara Takumi neither accepted nor refused, simply stating he would consider it later.
Then, the camera cut.
To the alley where he and Natsuki had parted ways after their outing.
A Mercedes-Benz stopped at the alley entrance.
A familiar figure alighted, followed by a man.
An embrace.
The Mercedes drove away.
Natsuki walked towards the alley.
A piano melody began to play.
The camera focused on Fujiwara Takumi, then switched to Natsuki.
Their eyes met. There were no lines here, but their performances were superb, conveying the emotion perfectly.
The moment Takumi turned and ran, that familiar music suddenly blared!
"Takumi!!"
"Takumi!!!"
Natsuki chased after him.
When the music reached a crescendo.
The singing began.
Although Zhang Yang hadn't sung in a long time, he possessed fundamental vocal skills. And since this wasn't a live performance, singing a song in a studio version was quite simple for him.
"The world in the rearview mirror,
A farewell growing ever distant.
You turned away,
Your profile still beautiful.
My gaze follows,
Only to hear your tears..."
Driving, Takumi couldn't help but weep.
This scene, coupled with the sudden background music, was a moment of pure artistry.
The immersion was absolute. At this instant, many viewers could feel Fujiwara Takumi's inner turmoil.
Even if they tried not to empathize, they were completely swept away by the sorrowful song.
"Lingering outside the car window,
Is the opportunity I missed.
The spot where you stand,
Separated from me by tears.
The streetscape keeps receding,
Your breakdown fragments outside my window..."
Memories surged like a tide, yet those memories seemed to mock him.
All that was beautiful had shattered.
He outran the GTR, outran the FC, but could never catch up to that Mercedes.
He had defeated all opponents, yet lost to a Mercedes.
"I traveled north,
Leaving the season with you.
You said you were tired..."
Returning home.
His father had prepared celebratory drinks and dishes.
He ignored them and went straight to his room.
"That darned Jiangnan old fox is a beast, writing such a plot?"
"Can't you give us a perfect ending?"
"My roommate, before he died, wanted to watch a perfect ending movie by Jiangnan old fox."
"Damn it, the plot had already stabbed me to death, and this song is like salt on my wounds!"
"Pain, so much pain. I tried so hard, only to lose so completely."
"This wave, this wave is Jiangnan Ting Yu combined with double-edged swords. This song paired with this plot is superb!!"
The excitement from winning the race had completely vanished.
All that remained was the green-hued agony.
Especially for those who had empathized, feeling a sense of first love with Natsuki.
Now, that first love had become incredibly painful, impossibly difficult to accept.
...
The music continued.
Upon returning home, Takumi first called Iku.
"Iku, I'm sorry."
This also showed that he and Iku were true brothers. After all, Iku could tell him such a thing immediately. Though he found it hard to believe at first, apologizing to Iku now that he knew the truth was something only true brothers would do.
This performance was also a moment of Zhang Yang's acting prowess.
Whether it was his expression, his acting, or the overall feeling.
It was incredibly real!
Impeccable!
It was practically a textbook example!
Of course, such a realistic performance was entirely due to Zhang Yang embodying his own experiences in this segment.
Why do people say acting is like life? Even the best acting can't match the naturalness of real experience.
Accompanied by the music, he then called Takahashi Ryosuke.
"Takahashi Ryosuke, this is Fujiwara Takumi. I want to... join the team."
The moment those words were spoken.
The accompaniment reached its climax.
"I traveled north,
Leaving the season with you.
Around the steering wheel,
My regret spins..."
Amidst the slightly heart-wrenching vocals.
The camera focused on his father, Bunta Fujiwara.
Betrayed by a woman himself, he chose a life of decadence, while his son embarked on the path of a racer.
Bunta Fujiwara, smoking, leaned against the wall and smiled.
His smile held relief, contentment, and many indescribable emotions.
The movie concluded here.
The lights in the cinema came up.
Just as many audience members, still lost in the moment, were preparing to leave.
A small line of text appeared on the screen.
[Don't go yet, there's a post-credits scene!]
Some audience members, numbed by the emotional blows, lost interest in the post-credits scene and left with their belongings.
The remaining few felt that watching it wouldn't hurt, and perhaps there would be a surprise.
"Shall we go?" Zhang Wei asked.
"Holy crap, Zhang Wei, are you serious?" Gong Ju Ren asked in surprise.
"The movie's over..." Zhang Wei scratched his head, looking confused.
"Yang ge told me that the post-credits scene is the most exciting part of the entire movie," Gong Ju Ren explained.
Jiang Xiao E nodded, "I heard that too. Although I don't know what the post-credits scene is, Yang ge said if we don't watch it, we'll definitely buy another ticket."
Shen Jinghong, who was about to leave, sat back down upon hearing them: "That good?"
He found it hard to believe. After all, the movie had already finished. How exciting could a post-credits scene be that it would warrant buying another ticket? It was just a post-credits scene.
However, it wouldn't hurt to watch. They had already waited this long, so a little more time wouldn't matter.
After the end credits finished.
The screen went black.
Two seconds later.
The picture reappeared.
The scene was familiar: Mount Akina, from the earlier race.
However, the cars had changed.
Four sports cars in front, and a Wuling Hongguang behind.
"What are they doing? Is this another race?"
"Holy crap, judging by the look of it, this isn't part of the movie. Is the post-credits scene just a car race?"
"Hahaha, Wuling versus supercars. Isn't that asking for trouble?"
"Who thought of this race? The Wuling won't win in the end, will it? I don't believe it."
"But who is racing?"
The scene was utterly absurd.
If it weren't for the Wuling Hongguang, everyone would have considered it normal. After all, they were all supercars. But the presence of the Wuling made it incredibly out of place.
As the audience was still wondering, a very dynamic piece of music suddenly started.
Accompanied by the music, the cars began to move!
The roar of the engines and the screech of the tires, combined with the music, instantly ignited the audience's passion!
"Find a pen, write down the diary, record courage.
I can, against the wall, let my fists rebel.
Breathe, the sunroof glass, open my body.
Here, the engine sound is like an instrument..."
This is??
It's Ting Yu's voice!
A song with a very distinctive personal style.
At this point, everyone finally understood that the post-credits scene also included another song by Ting Yu!
ps: "Yi Lu Xiang Bei" original artist: Jay Chou, Lyrics: Vincent Fang, Music: Jay Chou (I am currently writing and publishing; once I have two chapters saved, I will resume daily updates at 9 AM.)