Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 liddi:

More leaks:

Apparently at the same time that Xiao Yao was waiting at Dragon Bone prison dressed in red, Xiang Liu was standing in the seashell, also in red robes, holding the ice crystal globe in his hand. They were not in the same location, but the scene took place at the same time. While Xiao Yao's eyes were fixed on the ocean, it suddenly started to snow. He eyes lit up and she stood up eagerly, but finally sat down again in dejection when she could not see anything. 

I am so happy and so holding back the tears.  HOW can they do this to us???  Thank goodness they are doing this.

Also, yes.  There's a ton of XL in the red 'wedding' costume pics on weibo now.

 liddi:

Fingers crossed the actual drama continues to pleasantly surprise us.

No - the conversation between Shao Hao and A Nian was only in the leaked script, taking place just before her wedding. So far the official leaked scenes from the trailer, character features are pretty much faithful to the leaked script. The one surprise is Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu in red during the 7-day wait, which at last gives me hope that the drama has incorporated positive changes.

I think my expectations are lower than some folks.  lol  But yes, keeping my fingers crossed for more GOOD surprises.

Ah, I must have gotten that confused, thank you.  It appears, since they replaced Sir Bi with A Nian, they've given her more scenes.

 liddi:

More leaks:

Apparently at the same time that Xiao Yao was waiting at Dragon Bone prison dressed in red, Xiang Liu was standing in the seashell, also in red robes, holding the ice crystal globe in his hand. They were not in the same location, but the scene took place at the same time. While Xiao Yao's eyes were fixed on the ocean, it suddenly started to snow. Her eyes lit up and she stood up eagerly, but finally sat down again in dejection when she could not see anything. 

This would be a super duper clear indication that she was waiting for XL.

 HeadInTheClouds:

I read the whole wearing red thing as implication that theirs is a romantic relationship as the red outfits would immediately bring to mind wedding attire.

Yep, because that is what it is supposed to mean.

 HeadInTheClouds:

Apparently, Jing is also lurking somewhere during this sequence (somewhere away in Qing Qui), doing, what else, moping and on the verge of tears.

LOL!  Wait ... is that not a joke?  Cause it would be totally plausible for that stalker to be horning in on our scene!  arrrrggggh!  That scene should be totally free of his presence.  dammit.

I wish my photo editing skills were passable.  I was thinking of starting a Spot the Stalker topic, but it would take me too much time.

 liddi:

Fangfeng Bei's eyes were cold and the illusion disappeared. The boat continued to move forward but the illusion of Wen Xiao Liu reappeared once more.

Oooooh, are we going to get Bei Liu?

 liddi:

Fangfeng Bei's cold eyes betrayed a trace of emotion. Lowering his gaze, an ice crystal globe appeared in his hand.
He stared at the crystal globe intently as if bewitched, and reached out to touch the mermaid within, their fingertips touching through the ice crystal.
His eyes softened but his words were cold.

FFB: I taught you the ability to protect yourself, yet now you want to take things lying down and just get by. Have you asked if I agreed?

This could imply several things ... but it also seems to verify that FFB's meeting with Jing wasn't coincidence at all.

I can't wait to see this scene.

I remember tan jian ci wearing red robes that looked like a wedding outfit last yr for some photos or event or something so not too surprised if that is shown in the drama. Not that I don’t like AN’s character development but I wish they didn’t give her all the lines that was meant for others. 

 HeadInTheClouds:

I still chuckle whenever I think about how you told me that they explained XY giving XL the crystal ball was an invitation to a tryst.

iirc correctly that was one person's interpretation in the YaoJing thread from someone who was willing to acknowledge that the scene in the ice crystal ball did have some meaning / the whole thing wasn't just XY's last poison creation for XL with no deeper meaning. But she didn't view it as evidence of XY having deep, long-term romantic feelings for XL and asking him to do something (e.g., give her a reason to not marry Feng Long) in relation to those feelings. She saw it as just an invitation to indulge in temporary passion (i.e., the activities of the mercouple they had witnessed) before resigning herself to a passion-less marriage with Feng Long. Friends with temporary benefits I guess? 

 HeadInTheClouds:

;-)

^^

 AH :

My impression, based on WXL's behaviour (including her very respectful mannerisms and speech), was that she definitely didn't suspect or sense that the demon woman was XL in disguise when she was on the boat. If she did, that would make the rejection at the end of the encounter much worse / much more painful for me. 

 blabla100:

I guess I am the only one, but I  have the impression that by the end of the scene, WXL kinda did sense that the woman on the boat was XL.  Also,  IMO it was easier for XY to spot XL later on because their feelings grow even more, a baby tiger is not the same as a hundred years tiger.

 Kokuto:

Well, I would be kinda suspicious with the merman delivery service.

The S1 script describes the delivery service simply as a minor demon with scales on his face. It does not specifically describe him as a merman. So he should be just a water demon.

I have a love/hate relationship with this scene, which is identified as an important scene in the script. The manipulation of the weather, the rocking of the boat to ensure they were in close physical proximity, while amusing, felt very "un-Xiang Liu". However, I love that he got to hear her honest, glowing opinion of himself, and he got to tell her indirectly that he misses and worries about her, asking her to come home since the company she was keeping did not seem to share the same purpose as her.

I never felt that Xiao Liu knew the woman on the boat was Xiang Liu. Rather, my take was that the woman's words gave her food for thought, being reminded that there are those who miss and care for her deeply, and her state of mind affects them too.

Actually, their meeting in this scene was not planned. Xiang Liu was leaving Zhi Yi City after sorting out the provisions for the Shen Nong resistance army when Xiao Liu happened to flag down their boat. Since Xiang Liu noticed her first and disguised himself, he would have made sure she could not detect who he really was. Else there would have been no point to the disguise to begin with.

Initially, I disliked the the pretext of falling into Xiao Liu's lap to draw her eyes from the couple on the bridge, feeling it unnecessary and forced. However, when I thought about it, it makes sense. At this point in time, she was still Wen Xiao Liu, and had just come away from being in the presence of Jing and Yi Ying acting loving towards him, keenly feeling envious and inferior in the face of Yi Ying's grace and beauty. 

The equivalent scene in the novel should be the following:

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple... fireworks of various colors and shapes bloomed above the boat, casting a clear light on the two figures standing at the bow. The man wore a sky-blue garment, standing quietly with an elegant, graceful demeanor, reminiscent of green cypress and bamboo in a mountain stream. The woman was tall, dressed in a water-red embroidered gown that trailed on the ground and defined her waist which was so slender it could be held with a mere grip. She seemed to be intoxicated, her head tilted back in surprise as she watched the fireworks, staggering a few steps, her body swaying unsteadily and nearly falling. The man reached out to steady her, and she leaned softly against him, like a beautiful, entwining vine flower.

As the boat gradually sailed away, taking the colourful fireworks with it, the crowd slowly dispersed.

Xiao Liu remained standing on the riverbank, staring at the darkened river. It was strange. Yi Ying was not the most beautiful woman Xiao Liu had ever seen, yet under the fireworks, the way she stumbled, fell, twisted her body to be helped up, leaned softly, all carried a kind of delicate grace unique to women. Such beauty struck Xiao Liu deeply, and made Xiao Liu who had lived as a man for about two hundred years, both envious and ashamed.

-- Vol 1 Ch12 

Seeing the couple on the bridge reminds her of Jing and Yi Ying, thus she was downcast once more after her spirits were previously lifted by the boat excursion with the veiled woman and the partaking of snacks, her remembering how good Xiang Liu was.

The script specifically describes the couple on the bridge thus:

As Wen Xiao Liu smiled looking at the sky filled with fireworks, she accidentally saw a young couple sitting by the river bank. The man was wearing linen robes (similarly dressed as Ye Shi Qi). The girl was also simply dressed, but her clothes were striking and beautiful. The man took a lotus leaf dumpling from the bamboo basket next to him and gave it to the girl, which she happily ate as the man gazed at her with a smile. Their smiles were sweet and intimate. Xiao Liu looked at them, stunned, and the smile on her face gradually faded, her expression somewhat sorrowful.

-- S01E17  (originally S01E15 leaked script, scene 22)

So, I believe that more than jealousy, Xiang Liu did it to distract her away from the sight of the couple and break her train of sad thoughts. While he did drop her off apparently piqued when she disagreed that they looked compatible since they were just passer-bys who met, he still continued proceeded to remind her of her own worth, that there are those who miss and worry about her, to whom she matters. The script says this:

F-XL: The next time you are unhappy, think about those who miss and worry about you. He... they are not happy if you are not happy.
:
Xiao Liu stared at the disappearing canopied boat, then resignedly turned around and slowly walked along the river bank, carrying the food container. Fireworks lit the skies once more. Wen Xiao Liu gazed at the sky, then lowered his head to look at the container. 

WXL (murmuring): Those who miss and worry about me?

-- S01E17  (originally S01E16 leaked script, scene 1)

Still, I don't believe that she had any indication the veiled woman was Xiang Liu, merely that she was recalling her words, and slowly allowing it to sink in.

In the next scene, she goes on to confide in Cang Xuan that she wanted to wear a beautiful dress, not because of Jing, but because she had not been a woman for so many years, and had almost forgotten she was one too. So it was her slowly adjusting her mindset to becoming a woman once more and facing her fears of potentially disappointing those she cared about when she did, while being reaffirmed by Cang Xuan as well, that she would never disappoint them.