Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

@_jenjenn

"I know that he can control the love bug but is it really possible that he is able to suppress it so she cannot sense how his heart feels? The love bug topic is probably one of the biggest ones I feel so lost in this drama."

 About the bug, I don't think there's a clear answer about the way it works, so I personally rather focus on its significance. I'll add a quote from memory lost in space, a novel that TH wrote after LYF, but IMO it could help shed some light on TH's thought process regarding XY-XL's relationship, since I believe there are some aspects that are shared by both novels. LYF has the lovers bug, MLIS has a blood oath that slaves make on a particular beach, that ties them into a marriage and a promise between them.

"As slaves, they have nothing, not even their own bodies. Maybe they can still talk togheter today, and tomorrow one of them will be bought and his whereabouts will be unknown and they will never see each other again for the rest of their lives. Therefore, when they are togheter, they will cherish the days togheter very much. After the separation, they only hope that the other party can live safely. This beach is where they secretly hold their wedding for themselves. No matter how poor they are, as long as they use their own blood as a guide, the sea tide will be their witness. "

XL and XY had their hearts and lifes tied through the bugs, but also shared each other's blood. Similar to the slaves, they cherished each moment they got to spend togheter, the stolen moments that XY talked about. After they separated, the only thing that they wished for was for the other to live. When jing died, XL's request to XY was to live. Before the final battle, XY's only request to CX was to let XL live. If you plan to read the novel, you'll notice that when these 2 get togheter, there's only them and no one else. A sort of intimacy that's hard to explain, but definetely one of a kind. CX and XY's intimacy, altought poignant too, has a different vibe. As for XY and Jing, altough there is some level of complicity between them too, it doesn't have the depth of the other 2. Their good times felt cozy and nothing more, not soul stirring material IMO. Anyway, what I am trying to say is that to me the lover's bugs act as a promise between the couple, a lifelong promise similar to a marriage. They tied their hearts with the bugs, while with the crystal ball XY attempted to have their destination tied as well. În the novel, XY is described as being quite depressed during that time, she already accomplished her mission în helping CX becoming the emperor, jing got married and  her times spent with Bei became less and less. Ah Heng went through a similar phase în once promised, but unfortunately I don't know the chapter, I have only made some PS of some pages that I have found interesting. Anyway, I think the thought process îs similar, AhHeng and Chi You had their home în Jiuli Mountain, while for XY and XL their home was the ocean, so the crystal ball IMO was more of a plea to XL rather than a "it could have been"

"... my mother and brothers will always be there. But when I found that nothing was better than a home, I have nothing. My eldest brother was gone, but I still had my 4th brother and mother. My 4th brother was gone, but I still had my mother. As long as my mother was here, I would still have a home. Now my mother is gone, I have no home... Chi You lowered his head and kissed her temples "Have you forgotten the home you decorated with your own hands in Jiuli Mountain? We have our own home"

Having "no place to go"  and  "sometimes the world îs so big, but there's nowhere to go" îs a motif that's been used several times în LYF. The first time XL and XY met or when XY found out who her real dad is or when she killed herself after CX's betrayal. Not sure if you found out already, but în the novel XY goes back to the ocean at the end of the book, not în QS's Town, as shown în the drama.

"The scene where he played the instrument and sang her "Peach blossom blood", was that his intention as the last attempt hoping she would understand his love for her and perhaps hold him back?"

I don't believe that was his intention, otherwise he wouldn't have refused to sing the last part, even though XY insisted as far as I remember. The implication of the last verse the way I see it is for the other party to never forget about them. XL not only made sure to erase every trace of him from XY's life, but went to great  lengths to make her despise him. If what he wanted was for her to hold him back, XY gave him plenty of opportunities already.

"my brothers, when I die, please bury me by her roadside, so that no matter where she goes, she will pass by my grave".

In once promise, ChiYou sang this song to Ah heng, while în Jiuli. The men from Jiuli, same as the merpeople, sang love songs în order to pursue the women they wanted. However, if you ask me, în lyf it was XY who tried to pursue XL, giving the significance of the crystal ball. There are 2 ways for the woman to reply back and Ah Heng, during 2 different stages from once promised, used them both.

"Chi You said lightly," There are two ways to reply. One is "if I can't forget your shadows, I will gouge out my eyes, If I can't forget you, I will dig out my heart"

As a means to forget about the loved one. As far as I recall, she believed that Chi You betrayed her or something. 

"You told me that you would rather bleed on your clothes, as long as I have you în my eyes, and would rather bleed în the wilderness as long as I have you în my heart. I have you în my eyes and în my heart, but have you really had me în your eyes and în your heart? I tell you, from now on, you and I are done with each other, I will completely forget you, If I still have your shadow în my eyes, I will gouge out my eyes, If I still have you în my heart, I will destroy my heart"

Which has the same vibe to what XY told XL on the last meeting ("Except for your great benefactor Gonggong, are all people just pawns in your heart?) " Of course, neither Ah heng or XY were able to stay true to their words. 

"She and Chi You hadn't see each other for severa years and she never mentioned him. However, he was always în her heart, accompanying her day and night. 

The other way to reply to the song was for the woman to sing back a love song about how she îs willing to have their lives and deaths intertwine. În the drama, XL sang the first part of the song to XY, but în the novel it was SirBi who sang it (without the last verse) after XL killed the lover's bugs with his own life, so what XL did IMO was replying to XY's pursuit by making sure that XY will not  get entangled with him, as Ah Heng and Chi You, but more like the slaves from MLIS who all they wished for for the other party was to keep on  living worry free after their separation.

"The scene where she cried after knowing XL died in the battle. I cannot stand it, it defeated all of the feelings that have for each other throughout the whole drama. I completely dislike this scene."

The drama downplayed that scene big time, my heart broke for XY when I have read the novel, such a disappointment. În the novel she couldn't even accept his death at the beginning and till the end she kept questioning XL.  Like altough they were worlds apart, if XL would have been willing, he could have always let her know. I personally believe that what she questioned him about wasn't the fact that he left without saying goodbye, but that he left with no  confession. She longed for him to admit that she meant something to him and that her feelings were mutual. However, she was left believing that she was only a transaction to him, otherwise at least în death he would have admitted something. He even erased the only thing he let her have for free, the 2 memories from the mirror.

But altough XY never got to know XL's true feelings, the thing that made her smile again after she got the news of XL's death was the laughting doll that XL made for her, in which he hide his well wishes and  his true feelings.

Xiang Liu's theme song 等不到的等待 "A Wait That Will Not Come True" won Gold Single certification on Tencent Music Charts on 10 Jun 2025! The certification is given for songs that achieved a cumulative total of 500,000 certified units in streams, sales, and recommendations.  Congratulations to TJC, composer Dong Dongdong and lyricist Tong Hua!

 liddi:

Xiang Liu's theme song 等不到的等待 "A Wait That Will Not Come True" won Gold Single certification on Tencent Music Charts on 10 Jun 2025! The certification is given for songs that achieved a cumulative total of 500,000 certified units in streams, sales, and recommendations.  Congratulations to TJC, composer Dong Dongdong and lyricist Tong Hua!

Thank you for the news!  Such a beautiful song, I'm not surprised it has gone 'Gold.'  I didn't think we'd hear him sing it again, but he did so at his recent appearance with Karen Mok.  Congrats all around!

 blabla100:

The drama downplayed that scene big time, my heart broke for XY when I have read the novel, such a disappointment. În the novel she couldn't even accept his death at the beginning and till the end she kept questioning XL. Like altough they were worlds apart, if XL would have been willing, he could have always let her know. I personally believe that what she questioned him about wasn't the fact that he left without saying goodbye, but that he left with no confession. She longed for him to admit that she meant something to him and that her feelings were mutual. However, she was left believing that she was only a transaction to him, otherwise at least în death he would have admitted something. He even erased the only thing he let her have for free, the 2 memories from the mirror.

With this take, XL and XY are both contradictory about their feelings.  Or maybe it's like their love.  They can't help wanting something, even as they act in a manner that is opposite or prevents them from grasping what they want.  I mean, what would XY do had XL confessed before he went off for the last battle and right before she married Jing?  Likewise, what would XL do had XY said admitted to him she wanted to spend her life with him when he enchanted her after the wedding robbery?

 HeadInTheClouds:

Ok, fessed up. Is your wallet still with you or has it made a run for its life? Lol. Where did you go to find a seller for this poster? I'd imagined that it wasn't easy to come by. And in such good condition as well!!!

Actually it was very affordable at RMB25 for just the poster alone. The shipment was more expensive than the poster itself, but still inexpensive, all things considering.  You can purchase it from Taobao here. The seller did forewarn me that there would be creases because the poster is old (printed Jul 2013), but ultimately, the actual condition was very good with slight creases at the edges only. 

Prior to this, I debated for a long time whether or not to buy the LYF + OP 1st edition second hand books  (with the poster, among other free gifts) which would have set me back ~RMB 270-390 with shipping, but ultimately after a very long talk with my wallet, I opted just for the poster itself, and my wallet kindly chose not to flee *phew!* 

Now, I wish the character diagram from the revised edition of Once Promised could have been sold separately as well. So far no such luck, and much as I would love to own it, I balk at buying a second copy of the revised edition just for the character diagram.

 HeadInTheClouds:

I'm here to offer you a solution. You can send it to me. I'll frame it and send you a picture. You know that it will be in good hand ;-)

LOL! Ohhh I don't know... while that sounds like a plan... something tells me there must be a catch somewhere!

 HeadInTheClouds:

How big is it? 

Roughly 37 x 52cm. So, will you be buying the poster and sharing photos of it framed up, just to make me green with envy?

Incidentally, our big Mao Qiu is no longer available for purchase, which makes me regret that I did not buy another one when I thought about it previously. Gah!

 HeadInTheClouds:

I'm here to offer you a solution. You can send it to me. I'll frame it and send you a picture. You know that it will be in good hand ;-)

Always ready to sacrifice for LYF.  :)

 HeadInTheClouds:

I'm a little worried about my XL doll. I think he's in danger of becoming bald. I made the mistake of having him in bed one night, and the poor thing got squashed. Luckily, I have the hairpiece, so if necessary, I'll do an emergency hair transplant with super glue. ;-).

hahahahah ... hair plugs for Xiang Liu!

 HeadInTheClouds:

Didn't they put out an official one for the alpaca? I swear I saw it. I have an acquaintance who wants to get the official alpaca doll and the 10 cm dolls of TQ and SCC, but we can't find them on any of the buying platforms.

Yes, I'm pretty sure they did have a Filter alpaca plushie, but they are harder / more expensive to buy and ship to the US, especially now.  The ones on Amazon look pretty close.