After rewatching a second time I kind of think I understand the ending and am convinced it’s actually a happy…
Also it’s the reason Xing Feng doesn’t tell her where the body is because there isn’t any. Xing Feng wants to die that’s why he riles her up and lies and also it’s sort of a revenge not to tell her that Chang An is alive as somewhat payback.
But Xing Feng in the end chose to redeem himself by letting them both live, he wasn’t a bad guy.. I think he had an understanding with Chang An that he would “be dead” and get to leave but not a happy ending with Wan Mei and he allowed him to leave that fan as goodbye.
But I don’t think he realized or figured out that Chang An would write a hidden message.
After rewatching a second time I kind of think I understand the ending and am convinced it’s actually a happy ending.
The fan is a clue/riddle left from Chang An, he’s alive and is telling her where he has gone. They show her reading that damn fan for over 6 months straight and she even says she’s gone crazy watching it. What she doesn’t realize is that she then tells the cat what she thinks Chang An would be doing if alive she subconsciously describes the hidden message on the fan. She has read it so many times she is unknowingly starting to figure it out.
Just watch the ending as well it and decipher the writings on the fan and her last words there’s a hidden message that is a location. Chang An is alive and waiting for Wan Mei and we then realize she’s going to figure it out as well.
The FL was the only redeeming thing about this drama! Damn she’s cute and I can’t believe this was her first acting role and she’s not even an “actress”.. She’s mainly a singer/performer and yet this was her first go and she still carried the drama!?
Hopefully she gets more roles because her bubbly charismatic personality really shined in this one!
Any rumors of a season 2? Usually in these mini dramas if they are planning a season 2 you will see the very end subtitle/text say “End of Season 1” but here there was none ao guessing not..
I read somewhere on weibo that they are not including Songyi in the 2nd season.
Honestly I wouldn’t call Song Yi or Tan’er a real FL in season 1, yes she is the wife but the drama feels more “story arc based” where she is a big part for the first half but still second fiddle to Ning Yi.
Then she disappears for almost a third of the show and even though she has cameos the other half of the drama it shifts to Xigua as “FL”..
And honestly it feelt like it was supposed to be another love arc for Ning Yi and Xigua and the drama pretty much told us without showing it that they both were actually in love with each other.. And that is what people seems to be saying about source material as well..
Especially their chooked up goodbye made you feel like one of those “they are in love and if they just met before he got married but now to late” situations..
Thinking about a season 2 storyline, what would even Tan’Er be contributing? More business drama? It feels like the cliffhangers and all the side plots makes her role insignificant either way so maybe best to write her out of it..
Having the incoming war between states and also quelling Xiguas rebellion/bandit raids making Ning Yi and Xigua finally fight feels much more interesting.. And also opens up a redemption arc for her and them.
I don't know why, but whenever the main actor cried (or tried not to cry) it was SO intense.... That last scene…
I honestly felt like they were both in love with each other, it’s one of those “If we only had met each other before all this, but now it’s impossible..” situations..
Yes we saw early that Ning Yi and Tan’er went through some stuff that made them fall in love but it was like building a business and mundane daily family type love.
While Ning Yi even though forced by Xigua they slowly on a deeper level connected trying to save a country and helping the common poor people.. It felt so much more impactful what they did and had even though it couldn’t take the next step because you could see them both realizing he was married.. The really complemented each other and was polar opposites in many cases but a yin and yang perfect match together.
Ning Yi is a rather self serving and “do as little as possible” type but the lengths he went through to try and talk Xigua out of rebellion and bandit life and then to save her and her master.. And then as you said him trying not to cry at the end was heart wrenching. That to me felt like he doesn’t want her to leave, he wants her to stay and be on his side but knows he’s hurt her to much that he won’t be able to make her trust him again..
I think if this was a western drama we would actually have got a small love arc between them but it feels pretty much taboo in Cdramas so knew it wouldn’t happen.
It can’t be just me that felt like yes the 2021ML got the 2022ML’s memories but he was still polar opposite personality.. He was still stiff, coldish and felt like EQ -1000..
The 2022ML and FL had the most energetic but still warm and uplifting relationship, the ML completely changed and became straightforward, humble, loving, warm and kind while falling in love with FL. They then had the most laidback cozy, warm and romantic relationship..
The paintings he made of their future dream life was so romantic and loving and then the wedding he made for them. You could feel the chemistry and love between 2022ML and FL…
But for me the instance he “merged” with 2021ML the chemistry was fully gone.. The 2021ML was as I said before the same uncomfortable and stiff/cold person but he just started reciting memories to FL as if that was supposed to represent their love.. I didn’t feel it at all and to the last seconds when she started to convince herself that he was 2022ML while watching fireworks again it didn’t feel at all warm or real.. 2021ML super cold/stiff but reciting memories and it felt more as if FL was so heartbroken she was in denial and just couldn’t live without 2022ML as was already ready to sacrifice herself for him and after he died it felt like she just took the second best thing..
It felt desperate and not warm at all.. To the last frame the warmth in the 2021ML felt fake, just his smile and eyes are lacking of any warmth or spark.. It’s hard to describe but 2021ML feels like a empty shell of a man, a robot with no real emotions just with memories of the past…
There just was no chemistry between 2021ML and FL.. I felt like the story would have been so much better if the cold 2021ML would have found a way to take the 2022ML’s place and sacrificed himself instead so 2022ML could have returned…
In the Part 2 we get a extra episode showing a timejump and now they have a child and happily together, meaning she finally found a way to come back, most likely the genuine sacrifice from both of them made the “Plot Master” give them another chance.
I used machine learning AI tool to translate Part 2 and the hardcoded Chinese subtitles to English so I could finish the show. They are sometimes a bit grammatically incorrect I guess but still watchable, I’ll uploaded the part 2 subs if anyone wants it https://ufile.io/ku3wvpuw
Pretty good. I liked it! Definitely heartbreaking but in a good, sad way. I just wished our FL had shown a bit…
I understand how the FL had a hard time showing the ML affection, it was never about accepting him, she had a hard time accepting herself.
The fact was that she was very much in love with the ML but everytime she allowed herself to acknowledge that she was reminded that he was the son of the man who kidnapped her, killed her fiancée and tortured her like a bird in a cage for 5+ years. It was the reason the maid got angry at her as well since she realized that the FL now loved the ML basically as much as her fiancée and was willing to die for him.
The sentence she said to herself after the ML asked if she could ever fully accept her love was basically “If I was born 10 years later I would”. Meaning she at that moment had accepted that she was fully in love with ML to the point that she would have chosen him if the events of the past never had happened.
Then as a ultimate show of that love was her sacrificing herself to save the ML and also to be faithful to her fiancée in this life as her heart was first promised to him in this life, but the meaning really is that she acknowledge her love for both. Also with that sacrifice and quote from earlier she is implying that in a possible next life her heart would be fully open for ML.
This is why I’ve read that many people wants a season 2 to see if fate changes. What would be cool is if we get a season 2 with basically role reversal that in next life her soul is searching for ML and finds him and fights for his affection and love and in the end they somehow remember some of the past.
Either way these two had amazing chemistry and I hole if not a season 2 then they get another original drama together!
Y the bad ending!!! 2 of their dramas have bad ending!
I wouldn’t say bad ending, this actually was the best ending. It was to big of a scar in both their hearts, his parents caused Yun family’s death. And she had lived a tortured life as a bird in the cage for the emperor she hated.
They both got to live and no one died, she found hapipiness in the end as we saw her run through thr market and he became a good emperor that was satisfied just watching her from the shadows while she was free and happy..
So all in all happy ending compared to their other drama where he sacrificed himself for her and she was implied to have died as well out of grief the last seconds of that drama.
At least both is alive here and found peace even to not together
This director really loves to make these short cliffhanger dramas!! I love them all but just so frustrating not knowing if we get a season 2 just like her other drama with Richard Li Zhao Ge Fu..
Try a familiar stranger.. it's also a mini drama where the ML and FL gradually fall in love with no misunderstandings,…
Yes I loved that show as well, exactly in my ballpark! I found Ryan Zheng through that drama and love his chemistry with Ke Ying, probably one of the best pairings in recent memory.. Would like a full length drama with them :)
Loves this! Any Recommendations for similar drama where ML and FL work together and never any stupid misunderstanding, love triangle or breakups but natural fall in love?
I’m being 100% honest here.. These two leads might have the best chemistry in all Cdrama and that is comparing vs hundreds of S-tier dramas.. Their short dramas together even though they are max 30-60 min long has more life and vibrance then most 40 episode and 40-60 min runtime episode big dramas..
Amazing honestly… Hoping they get a chance to level up to at least a 10 per minute episode drama next they are great!
But Xing Feng in the end chose to redeem himself by letting them both live, he wasn’t a bad guy.. I think he had an understanding with Chang An that he would “be dead” and get to leave but not a happy ending with Wan Mei and he allowed him to leave that fan as goodbye.
But I don’t think he realized or figured out that Chang An would write a hidden message.
The fan is a clue/riddle left from Chang An, he’s alive and is telling her where he has gone. They show her reading that damn fan for over 6 months straight and she even says she’s gone crazy watching it. What she doesn’t realize is that she then tells the cat what she thinks Chang An would be doing if alive she subconsciously describes the hidden message on the fan. She has read it so many times she is unknowingly starting to figure it out.
Just watch the ending as well it and decipher the writings on the fan and her last words there’s a hidden message that is a location. Chang An is alive and waiting for Wan Mei and we then realize she’s going to figure it out as well.
Screenshots from ending
https://imgur.com/a/2S4vLBb
https://imgur.com/a/BGuRdFd
and full video showing and explaining in the subs the message
https://youtu.be/Yj91491ByM8
Hopefully she gets more roles because her bubbly charismatic personality really shined in this one!
Then she disappears for almost a third of the show and even though she has cameos the other half of the drama it shifts to Xigua as “FL”..
And honestly it feelt like it was supposed to be another love arc for Ning Yi and Xigua and the drama pretty much told us without showing it that they both were actually in love with each other.. And that is what people seems to be saying about source material as well..
Especially their chooked up goodbye made you feel like one of those “they are in love and if they just met before he got married but now to late” situations..
Thinking about a season 2 storyline, what would even Tan’Er be contributing? More business drama? It feels like the cliffhangers and all the side plots makes her role insignificant either way so maybe best to write her out of it..
Having the incoming war between states and also quelling Xiguas rebellion/bandit raids making Ning Yi and Xigua finally fight feels much more interesting.. And also opens up a redemption arc for her and them.
Yes we saw early that Ning Yi and Tan’er went through some stuff that made them fall in love but it was like building a business and mundane daily family type love.
While Ning Yi even though forced by Xigua they slowly on a deeper level connected trying to save a country and helping the common poor people.. It felt so much more impactful what they did and had even though it couldn’t take the next step because you could see them both realizing he was married.. The really complemented each other and was polar opposites in many cases but a yin and yang perfect match together.
Ning Yi is a rather self serving and “do as little as possible” type but the lengths he went through to try and talk Xigua out of rebellion and bandit life and then to save her and her master.. And then as you said him trying not to cry at the end was heart wrenching. That to me felt like he doesn’t want her to leave, he wants her to stay and be on his side but knows he’s hurt her to much that he won’t be able to make her trust him again..
I think if this was a western drama we would actually have got a small love arc between them but it feels pretty much taboo in Cdramas so knew it wouldn’t happen.
The 2022ML and FL had the most energetic but still warm and uplifting relationship, the ML completely changed and became straightforward, humble, loving, warm and kind while falling in love with FL. They then had the most laidback cozy, warm and romantic relationship..
The paintings he made of their future dream life was so romantic and loving and then the wedding he made for them. You could feel the chemistry and love between 2022ML and FL…
But for me the instance he “merged” with 2021ML the chemistry was fully gone.. The 2021ML was as I said before the same uncomfortable and stiff/cold person but he just started reciting memories to FL as if that was supposed to represent their love.. I didn’t feel it at all and to the last seconds when she started to convince herself that he was 2022ML while watching fireworks again it didn’t feel at all warm or real.. 2021ML super cold/stiff but reciting memories and it felt more as if FL was so heartbroken she was in denial and just couldn’t live without 2022ML as was already ready to sacrifice herself for him and after he died it felt like she just took the second best thing..
It felt desperate and not warm at all.. To the last frame the warmth in the 2021ML felt fake, just his smile and eyes are lacking of any warmth or spark.. It’s hard to describe but 2021ML feels like a empty shell of a man, a robot with no real emotions just with memories of the past…
There just was no chemistry between 2021ML and FL.. I felt like the story would have been so much better if the cold 2021ML would have found a way to take the 2022ML’s place and sacrificed himself instead so 2022ML could have returned…
In the Part 2 we get a extra episode showing a timejump and now they have a child and happily together, meaning she finally found a way to come back, most likely the genuine sacrifice from both of them made the “Plot Master” give them another chance.
I used machine learning AI tool to translate Part 2 and the hardcoded Chinese subtitles to English so I could finish the show. They are sometimes a bit grammatically incorrect I guess but still watchable, I’ll uploaded the part 2 subs if anyone wants it https://ufile.io/ku3wvpuw
The fact was that she was very much in love with the ML but everytime she allowed herself to acknowledge that she was reminded that he was the son of the man who kidnapped her, killed her fiancée and tortured her like a bird in a cage for 5+ years. It was the reason the maid got angry at her as well since she realized that the FL now loved the ML basically as much as her fiancée and was willing to die for him.
The sentence she said to herself after the ML asked if she could ever fully accept her love was basically “If I was born 10 years later I would”. Meaning she at that moment had accepted that she was fully in love with ML to the point that she would have chosen him if the events of the past never had happened.
Then as a ultimate show of that love was her sacrificing herself to save the ML and also to be faithful to her fiancée in this life as her heart was first promised to him in this life, but the meaning really is that she acknowledge her love for both. Also with that sacrifice and quote from earlier she is implying that in a possible next life her heart would be fully open for ML.
This is why I’ve read that many people wants a season 2 to see if fate changes. What would be cool is if we get a season 2 with basically role reversal that in next life her soul is searching for ML and finds him and fights for his affection and love and in the end they somehow remember some of the past.
Either way these two had amazing chemistry and I hole if not a season 2 then they get another original drama together!
They both got to live and no one died, she found hapipiness in the end as we saw her run through thr market and he became a good emperor that was satisfied just watching her from the shadows while she was free and happy..
So all in all happy ending compared to their other drama where he sacrificed himself for her and she was implied to have died as well out of grief the last seconds of that drama.
At least both is alive here and found peace even to not together
Give us season 2 for this now!
Amazing honestly… Hoping they get a chance to level up to at least a 10 per minute episode drama next they are great!