Bittersweet Love

A good drama underrated cz ppl hated a "weak" mc

The drama is really good and the characters are layered with depth unlike the usual basic monotone characters.

Our ML Bei Lu Qing was someone who went from green flag to red to yellow flag by the end of series. I feel lack of communication from his side was the reason for all the mess that happened with Xiao Fan

As for Xiao Fan he was an unexpected bomb initially we all felt soo bad for him. Ppl hated him for being a door mat but then 1 strike brother ended up ruining every other character's life in the series🤌🤌

I really like how the choises each character and their personality were super realistic. For example, Bei Lu Qing was a gay rich man his 1st relationship ends up in the trash cz of his family so he tries to save his 2nd relationship by freeing himself from them and trying to handle things on his own which hurts xiao fan. Xiao Fan on the other hand was someone who was seen as useless by his family and was treated as such explains his timid personality but he had his breaking point too like any other human.

It is really good. Not too toxic as compared to other cbls when it comes to the leads but yes they are twisted for sure. But literally every character in this drama is a red flag not 1 likeable support character and everyone pays for their mistakes. I loved it. I do feel they could have shown a bit more of their life after their marriage... cz i wanted to see some sweet moments

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Brother-in-lover

I have so many feelings. Firstly, the drama is a bit slow paced but there was enough happening to keep me from keeping it in 1.75x. They also had plenty of couple intimacy so that you can tolerate some annoying characters. If you like toxicity and don't mind miscommunication then you should like this show. It definitely kept me interested enough to binge it. Possibly used AI in some scenes.

Chinese BLs have decided that not only are they going to catch up in this genre after decades of censorship but show us just how twisted they can get. The story is of a man from a village who didn't finish school. He is married off to a pregnant woman from a rich family. They pay the village guy's family money for this arrangement. He sets off to live in the city with his wife and her family. His wife has no interest in him but he catches the attention of his brother-in-law who starts crossing boundaries with him and eventually gets fully involved. Every step is problematic. This drama really went for the shock value.

We are introduced to several other characters in the story - the vilage man, Lu Xiao Fan's family (he has a caring mother, an extremely annoying money hungry older brother, an irritating father and a sister who disappears later in the show), as well as the rich brother-in-law, Bei Lu Qing's friends who deal with stocks. Every side character made up for the lack of emotions shown by the two leads.

XiaoFan is essentially acts like a trad wife for LuQing - cooking and bringing him his meals, hanging around him and always avaialable when he wants to have sex. LuQing provides for XiaoFan even though he refuses gifts. They manage to keep their relationship a secret from their families quite well. Also, they don't really communicate.

The drama was watchable and I would have given it a 7 until the end when it became super confusing. I think the subs weren't great. In any case, miscommunication was the highlight of the relationship issue so it was also annoying. But they wanted some drama. Some back story for Bei Lu Qing was also missing.

I wouldn't really recommend it but it can be amusing for the shock value.

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girl. don't piss me off.

I was really excited for this drama in the beginning. The tension and dialogue between the main couple was great. The dark romance and forbidden relationship dynamic was addicting. The visuals were also really nice. But I was kinda disappointed (and confused as hell) at the end. It was definitely a binge-worthy watch, though generally anti-climactic. And the final plot twist was satisfying, however it made me even more confused.

Overall, I've got a bone to pick with both MLs. CAN YOU PLEASE LEARN TO COMMUNICATE LUQING? CAN YOU PLEASE GROW A SPINE XIAOFAN?

The Lu mother and Bei father pretty much felt like the only semi-redeemable and slightly-tolerable characters (emphasis on semi- and slightly-). But I will say, the Lu and Bei families should SUFFERRRRR. Ugh. How frustrating.

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Triggers for drinking, date-rape drug use, SA, violence, cheating, & stupidity

I apologize in advance if this review is a little all over the place. I took a lot of notes, and it got to the point where keeping them organized was a lost cause.

First off, I love that this was set in the 90s. A little before and after I was born, so it was a bit of a nostalgia trip. The set design & prop crew did a fantastic job with everything.

Honestly, my only real complaints about the show were: some scenes being replayed at different angles & it just didn't look good seeing the actor do the same action again and again and again. I have a few unanswered questions that I feel are important (I'll get to this at the end), & the unwillingness to communicate. This wasn't just miscommunication; they just didn't do it. I'm also 50/50 on whether I liked the narration or not.

Normally, I would have cheating as one of the things I hated most, because it's one of my biggest triggers, but honestly, in this case it was valid. I'm not saying that because I didn't like Bei Lu Xin either; on the contrary, once she stopped being a drunk, I actually liked her a lot. I liked that she was bold, blunt, & I was 100% in her corner when she started telling off Lu Xiao Fan's family. I've never been so happy when she called Fan's family trash and shameless to their faces. No, the cheating was valid because Lu Xiao Fan was basically sold to the Bei family & there was no love there. It was also going on on both sides. Was it right? Hell no. But I didn't think less of either character for it. This is a massive first for me.

Specking of Lu Xiao Fan~ I really liked him as well. He kind of stays a doormat throughout the series, but he's one of those hard brisily ones that hurt your feet if you stand on them barefoot. He's overly polite and mild-mannered, has a hard time going against anyone or specking up for himself, & has little self-esteem. All that being said, we learn at the end that he plays the long con and will hit you where it hurts when you are least expecting it. The scary thing was that it wasn't even really done out of hate. I don't think this boy is capable of hate.

I can understand Lu Xiao Fan's actions as well when you think about everything that Bei Lu Qing was doing and planning for them to be together, but not explaining any of it, so all Lu Xiao Fan saw was Bei Lu Qing pushing him aside for someone "better" than him. Who wouldn't be hurt and have a plan of attack & a financial plan that has literally been years in the making? A lot of my unanswered questions actually got answered in the last episode, such as why Lu Xiao Fan was throwing random magazines away? Why is he collecting cardboard boxes & trash? Why is he in this random alley? Why was this random stock trader guy smirking? I LOVED seeing all of these little puzzle pieces being shown throughout the series come together to help complete a picture that was hidden within the bigger picture we were focused on. I never would have guessed Lu Xiao Fan had been planning all of that.

This show focuses heavily on family dynamics. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And in this specific case, the very ugly.

The family was its own headache. I swear they only had a few functioning brain cells between them all. Before I get too into this, I just want to say that I grew up on a farm. I still farm to this day; being a farmer means that you have to save where you can if you can, and you are going to take more losses than gains. Especially if you live and work out of a small town and sell locally. This is all to say that I have a good idea of how poor these people probably are, so I'm not judging them for being poor and wanting a better life. I'm judging them on the fact that they are money-hungry assholes, with only the mother being halfway decent. The little sister is a self-entitled brat that I'm glad we aren't subjected to for very long. The mother, as I said, is halfway decent, but she still sold her son and used him to get further in life. What made her decent is that she gave Lu Xiao Fan some money before he left, refused to take his money in the end, & took his side when her oldest son Ping and husband were trying to take advantage of Lu Xiao Fan. The husband really was just money-hungry and felt he was owed by the Bei family.

Ping gets his own paragraph because he's a special asshole. The stupid kind that never learns & leeches off others instead of doing the work himself. Lu Xiao Fan goes to Bei Lu Qing to get Ping a job, then another job; he then loses that job & his fiancée after getting a girl pregnant after a drunk one-night stand, so Fan has to ask for another job for him when all he's trying to do is get away from the Bei family. Then this asshole badgers his brother for money so he can enter the stock market & when he doesn't get it, he sells client information & takes money from everyone in his village. He loses in the stock market & leaves said village bankrupt. He does all of this and doesn't feel bad about any of it, only that he didn't make money. When Bei Lu Qing offers money for the Lu family to cut ties with Fan, he's only more than happy to sell his brother again. Ping is the perfect example of a waste of oxygen. He is one never-ending problem.

The family is also rude and ill-mannered, which has nothing to do with them being poor & everything to do with them believing they are owed the good things they are getting & everything bad that happens is someone else's fault. They have zero accountablity & that continues as far as I'm aware until Fan cuts all ties with them. They are money-hungry and an embarrassment. How did Fan turn out so sweet? I was so happy when he cut ties with them.

Lin Zi Yang is the last character I want to talk about. I didn't really expect him to have as big a role as he did. I didn't even bother to learn his name until episode 3. He turned out to be one of the characters I liked the most because, no matter how scheming, he was a loyal friend. I also found his reaction to Lu Xiao Fan pulling a meat cleaver on himself very funny. He backpedaled so fast lmao. Lu Xiao Fan is going to make him go prematurely gray.

I guess now I should get to the unanswered questions. If you know the answers, please feel free to share!

Why marry Lu Xiao Fan of all people? At one point, they make it sound like he was chosen, so who chose him? Why? I was hoping it would have been Bei Lu Qing, so we'd get a little more backstory on why he's obsessed with Fan. What did Lu Xiao Fan do with the money his mother gave him? What happened with Bei Lu Qing's mother? Why, in that one scene that we had to watch TWICE, did Lu Xiao Fan pull his pants down? What happened after? (Maybe don't answer that one?) What happened to the girl Ping got pregnant? Did she keep the baby? Was there even a baby to begin with? Did Li Wen Xi lose out on a lot of money in the end? How did Bri Lu Qing and his friends recover financially? On this, it would have been nice to see the search process for Lu Xiao Fan. What happened to the Lu family once they returned home to their now bankrupt village? What was in the box Lu Xiao Fan hid under the bed? Why was Lu Xiao Fan still wiring money to the bully/trader dude (I'm sorry, I forgot his name)? Did the trader dude tell Bei Lu Qing where Lu Xiao Fan was? If not, how did they find out? I know from the wire transfer, but how did they know about it/ come across it? They shouldn't have even known the two had contact with each other, right?

I feel like I have a lot more questions, but I just can't think of them right now. Honestly, if they had just answered the questions of how they found Lu Xiao Fan, what was in the box, & why Lu Xiao Fan was chosen in the first place, I might have given this series an 8. It was really good. The chemistry wasn't all there, & the kisses were just alright, but the story, production value, & pacing were really good.

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Ten Years of Devotion—and the Desire to Be Loved in Return

If you ask whether I enjoyed this drama, my first answer would be, “It frustrated me.” Yet I kept watching, and by the end, I could not say I disliked it. There is something quietly absorbing about this unequal, emotionally restrained relationship.

Lu Xiaofan enters the Bei family through a marriage arranged for other people’s convenience. His own family treats him as expendable, while his new household seems to regard him as little more than an extra servant. His wish is painfully small: he wants someone to need him.

That is what makes his attachment to Bei Lüqing understandable. Lüqing helps him study and deals with his family’s unreasonable demands. Xiaofan responds by learning to make his favourite nourishing soup and preparing it every day. Being allowed close to this man becomes his small happiness.

What frustrated me was that becoming physically intimate and living together did not seem to change the balance between them. Xiaofan continued to give, while Lüqing continued to receive. Neither revealed much of what was happening inside.

But Xiaofan’s restraint should not be mistaken for an absence of feeling. Whenever he is hurt, he takes a step back and contains it. At the beginning, he is still young, with little sense that he has the right to ask for more. Simply being wanted seems enough.
Lüqing, meanwhile, notices far more than he admits. He recognises Xiaofan’s small hurts and quietly takes care of them without letting him know. Even their separation turns out to have been his way of protecting Xiaofan from his formidable mother. The audience learns this much later; Xiaofan himself is never told.

That makes Lüqing’s care both moving and exasperating. Protection offered in secret cannot reassure someone who believes he has been rejected. Lüqing may understand Xiaofan, but Xiaofan is left trying to understand Lüqing with very little help.

The story spans ten years, beginning in 1980. I found that passage of time essential to my reading of Xiaofan. The young man who once asked for almost nothing gradually becomes someone capable of demanding a response.

I spent much of the drama waiting for this sad-looking young man—who kept reminding me of the Japanese actor Teppei Koike—to finally retaliate. When he deliberately causes Lüqing a major loss through stocks, I did not read it primarily as financial revenge.

To me, he wanted to show Lüqing that he, too, could scheme against him. He was not simply the innocent, endlessly accommodating person Lüqing had grown used to watching and protecting.

More than that, I saw it as a demand for reciprocal love. Xiaofan had given his affection without calculation for years. Now he wanted Lüqing to reach for him with the same longing. He wanted to feel that love himself, rather than remain dependent on gestures whose meaning was hidden from him.

This is my interpretation, but it made the ending more satisfying. His retaliation felt like the moment he finally insisted that his own desires mattered.

Twelve episodes were the right length for me. At twenty, I might have surrendered to the frustration. At twelve, I stayed long enough for that frustration to become part of the appeal.

Lüqing seems to want to spend forever watching Xiaofan’s smallest emotional reactions. I can see the affection in that—but honestly, what an infuriating man.

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Game of patience

Honestly, i ran out of patience while watching this series. It was pure ragebait every episode.
No communication. Lu Qin really confused me alot about what he's feeling, coz he feels something but shows something else

I was like why Xiao Fan is even tolerating him. I didn't like that Lu Qin never took stand for him in public while his friends or others spoke bad to Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan's family gave me headache. No one has brain. Even when the mother showed some brain, she also was more focused on her elder son. When Ping didn't have empathy towards his mom like Xiao Fan has

The only thing that could save the series for me was by showing a comeback of Xiao Fan and honestly i loved the plot twist. It was so so satisfying. This series made me study about stock market for a better understanding

But the ending didn't do well for me. It was so abruptly finished, the happy ending didn't feel anything to me. It just jumped to showing their marriage. It'd have been better if it showed some development.

Anyways, the actors did good job in their part of acting. This drama was like a so-so type of drama for me

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I absolutely love this series! From the very first episode, I was completely hooked. The chemistry between the main characters is incredible and feels so natural that it makes every scene enjoyable to watch. Their performances are full of emotion, making it easy to connect with their characters and become invested in their journey.

The acting is one of the strongest parts of this series. Every cast member delivers an outstanding performance, and each character has a unique personality that adds depth to the story. There are no boring moments because everyone plays their role so well. The emotions, expressions, and interactions all feel genuine, which makes the experience even more enjoyable.

Another thing I love is how interesting and intriguing the storyline is. Every episode leaves me wanting more, with unexpected twists and emotional moments that keep me excited for the next chapter. The writers have done an amazing job of building suspense and making viewers curious about what will happen next. I always find myself thinking about the story even after the episode ends.

The only thing that makes me sad is the release schedule. New episodes only air every Friday, and waiting an entire week feels so long because I'm always eager to see what happens next. If it were up to me, I would love for new episodes to be released every day! That's how much I enjoy watching it.

Overall, this is one of the most entertaining and captivating series I've watched. The amazing chemistry, talented actors, and engaging storyline make it a must-watch. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a drama that is exciting, emotional, and full of unforgettable moments. I can't wait for the next episode, and I'm sure I'll continue loving this series until the very end.

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There is definitely a twist coming up, i can feel it!!!

The story starts out slow but the build-up is worth waiting for. From the way the story is panning out, i know there must be a twist in the coming episodes... i can feel it in my bones. All that silent reading of financial times and listening to BLQ's friends talking and sharing of insider info, LXF must be quietly learning and planning something. He really can't be that dense.

Like BLQ, i think LXF knows how to seduce the person he likes. "You did that on purpose" is repeated in the series. It is a hint to the audience. Can't wait for the coming episodes.

It is frustrating how LXF's family treat him but i think that is how many people from rural areas are... the act of selling of own children for a better future isn't a practice confined to China. It happens in every country. It is sad though.

Stay on this road!!! I think the ending will be worth it.

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Dark sweet romance

Actors: superb
Music: great
Storyline: amazing

Now let's gossip

Both families are messed up... totally messed Up,,,from ep1/10 it's been an emotional rollercoaster but fun plus the nc scenes which I found super cute and sweet .
I loved the couples chemistry and how even if problems come their way they still get back together in a twisted dark way.

Honestly it's a red flag drama,if u not into red flag dramas don't watch ,Caz no one is a green flag but they not crazy...thats only normal thing about this

Finally the ending was like yoh...a part of me wanted more drama but I think I wld have ruined it....I'm happy and content abt the ending


It was a good rollercoaster

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