CasualCDfan

"Besides, why someone must change after falling in love?" Because loves changes people. It's like asking why must a person change after becoming a parent. If you love doesn't change you, then you're not in love.

And yes, Minglan did change. She stopped pretending. When she finally surrendered to love, she became less cautious.

HZ not only carries a heavy burden, but she also had to end her relationship with the man she loves. Despite these challenges, she remains unchanged—pragmatic and emotionally constant. To me, this doesn't make her a compelling character. She comes across as a bland Mary Sue, seemingly impervious to the turmoil surrounding her.

She's perfectly rational in every situation and solves every problem effortlessly. She's basically perfect. The first 6 minutes of the show perfectly telegraphs how much of a Mary sue she is.

Minglan going from overly careful and somewhat indifferent wife to falling in love with her husband is what makes her character so much more compelling than HZ. HZ is the same person before and after she supposedly fell in love. That, to me, is an unrealistic portrayal of human relationship.

There's being too melodramatic, then their being too indifferent. Maybe it's just me, but this love story lacks any real emotional weight.

That's a fine explanation. But I think you're given the writers too much credit. I guess I like a little bit more angst in my love story. lol

I don't need her to overly emotional. However, her indifferent reaction post breakup makes me question whether she was actually in love with the guy.

I hear you. But I still blame them. Good writing shouldn't be contingent on how some fans feel. A well-balanced love story is such a joy to watch. Sadly, for the reasons you've mentioned, we're getting superficial crap like this. But since it's popular, they'll keep making them.

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not convinced by this explanation. If that were true, she would have been straightforward with YX about her intentions. She's always been upfront about her feelings and intentions. So why resort to noble idiocy now? The more likely explanation to me is that she's written that way because the writers doesn't want their Mary sue FL to show emotional vulnerability. They don’t want her to seem weak just because she's in love, which is ridiculous because showing her emotional depth would actually make her character more compelling.

If you like a female centric story, a Mary sue FL and a bland main romance, you'll love it.

It's so frustrating. It is poor writing. They can't let their precious Mary Sue be vulnerable for one second. lol This drama could've been one of my favorites ever. The I can't over how the FL and his relationship with the ML is written. Oh well, time to rewatch Ming lan. lol

I agree with you analysis of Ming lan. Also, Ming lan falling in love and becoming more emotional and less rational didn't diminish her. It made her a much more well-rounded character. In this drama, it seems like the writers are afraid to show the emotional impact that falling in love can have on even the strongest and most rational person (male or female). HZ feels like the exact same person before and after she supposedly fell in love.

I don't hate her character. I just find her super boring. But we're in agreement. Falling in love can leave anyone, regardless of gender, emotionally vulnerable, and that's perfectly fine. However, HZ maintaining perfect composure after her breakup with a man she supposedly fell for just doesn't add up. Unless, of course, she wasn't truly in love with him, which would be understandable. But given that previous episodes tried to convince us of her deep feelings, her reaction seems weird.

This is why I love The Story of Ming Lan. After falling in love, Ming Lan naturally changed. She became more emotional and slightly more irrational. Which is OK! Love does that to people. SPOILER: After her husband was wrongfully accused and imprisoned, Ming Lan refused to leave, even when he suggested an amicable separation to protect her reputation and their child's future. Ming Lan had just given birth, so her responsibilities were immense. Yet, because of her love for her husband, she chose to risk everything. Was this the rational approach? No, but that was precisely the point.

My main issue with this drama is that while it tries to convince us that HZ fell in love with YX, it doesn't effectively demonstrate this during and after their breakup. While she wasn't totally indifferent, she didn't react like a girl in love. Their relationship feels so emotionally weightless to me.

THANK YOU! This is exactly what I've been thinking. I don't find the FL a compelling character at all. She's basically perfect. She's always rational. She always has all the answers. So, since she's a Mary Sue, she can't show any emotional vulnerability after breaking up with the man she's supposedly in love with.

My problem with her seeming indifference after the breakup is that the show led us to believe she had really fallen for him. Yet, she ended broke up with him quickly, without any hesitation, and appeared completely unfazed afterward. That just doesn't seem realistic. While I think this is a good drama, the romance between the lead is pretty subpar.

You're not getting it. Let's drop this.

If you're enjoying this one, you'd love The Story of Ming Lan.

Lmao

I don't know. I wanted her to resist a bit. I wanted her to fight for her love. We all know she's capable.. Maybe her rush to break up with him will pay off later. There is line in the later episodes where she expresses regret for having broken up with him.