Why do you equate femininity with bad performance? There’s nothing wrong with being feminine
also I’m not equating femininity with bad acting. I mentioned several things about his overall portrayal, but my main issue was his flat, robotic line delivery and lack of emotional range. A feminine actor can still give an amazing performance given their roles. I just didn’t find Almond’s portrayal natural or convincing for this particular character
Why do you equate femininity with bad performance? There’s nothing wrong with being feminine
Idk, but if you check most successful BLs, the leads are either straight or just don’t come across as feminine in their acting. I just can’t get over someone who’s supposed to still be finding himself while acting with a face full of makeup and feminine. It takes me out of the story, but that’s just my opinion
I just wish Almond would work on his line delivery. Its like he's reading the dialogue off a script.
Same. His delivery just felt really one note and robotic compared to Progress. Progress brought so much energy, charm and humor to his role, while Almond’s performance barely changed emotionally, so it was hard for me to connect with his character at all
It was a great BL overall, but I wish they had cast someone else instead of Almond. His performance just didn’t feel natural to me, too feminine. The heavy makeup, soft voice, and very nonchalant delivery kept taking me out of the story. Personally, I prefer BLs where the characters feel more grounded, so the emotional journey and chemistry hit harder😭
Y’all are sooo weird 😭 At the end of the day, this is a Chinese drama. Gray hair and sudden aging are often used to symbolize depleted cultivation, severe injury, or the aftermath of surviving something major. Stop trying to westernize everything and demand hyperrealism. Where’s the fun in that? The ending was lovely. Stick to your HBO shows if that’s what you want “jiejie”🤮
Yes, so it turns out that forcing her to marry him and the rebellion in the end were all faked by Prince Xin in…
You can dislike how the writers executed it, but calling it an unsupported “fan theory” is inaccurate. The finale explicitly reveals that Prince Xin deliberately made himself the rebel so Shen Xihe could defeat him publicly, eliminate the Rong faction and other political opposition, and secure her son’s succession. As long as he remained alive as an adult prince with military power, the court could use him as an alternative to a widowed Crown Princess and a child emperor. By branding himself a traitor and dying by his own hand, he removed that threat and gave her legitimate grounds to consolidate power.
Shen Xihe was not helpless, either she had already secretly deployed her own forces and prepared for the coup. Prince Xin did not single handedly “save” her; he deliberately positioned himself as the final obstacle she could lawfully defeat, sacrificing his life and political legitimacy to complete her path to power.
That is also why she holds him as he dies and finally admits that she is Gu Qingzhi. It is not proof that she suddenly loved him more than the Crown Prince. It is recognition, grief, forgiveness and closure after realizing that his final action was meant to protect her future. The drama can still be criticized for rushing the reveal, and his earlier behavior was absolutely possessive, the drama itself calls that out, but his final sacrifice was shown and explained, not invented by his fans.
Yes, so it turns out that forcing her to marry him and the rebellion in the end were all faked by Prince Xin in…
I’m referring specifically to the forced marriage and rebellion at the end. Those were deliberately staged so SXH could defeat him, remove him as a threat, and strengthen her legitimacy on the throne. And I don’t think it’s accurate to say he “couldn’t change” bc his final decision proves that he did. For once, he stopped trying to keep her and chose what she wanted, even though it meant sacrificing himself. His earlier behavior was flawed, but that doesn’t make his final act any less intentional or loving.
I don't think that he loved her more than the CP did. And I don't think he loved her in both of her lives. I think…
I see it differently. I agree that guilt and regret shaped him, but I don’t think that cancels out his love for her or reduces it to possessiveness. A possessive man would have tried to keep SXH for himself at any cost, yet his final plan did the opposite: he deliberately made himself the villain, staged the forced marriage and rebellion, and sacrificed his reputation, future, and life to secure her position on the throne. He also respected her choices far more than people give him credit for. Once he truly understood what she wanted, he didn’t demand that she choose him, he protected the life she chose, even though he would have no place in it. To me, that is more than simply escaping his guilt. His death may have been redemption, but it was also the culmination of a love he carried across both lives. Guilt and genuine love can exist at the same time.
Prince Xin is becoming obsessive with SXH. The emperor was sick after the funerals of the CP, Prince Xin was appointed…
I just watched the ending & I think you should watch it again! he did all of that on purpose to keep SXH safe and solidify her place on the throne. he faked the forced marriage and rebellion
Is anyone else super sad about Prince Xin’s death? Some might call him obsessive, but I never really got that vibe. He always respected SXH. Then, in the end, we find out that he purposely faked the forced marriage and rebellion just to solidify her place on the throne. To protect her one last time. It was basically his final attempt to protect her by sacrificing himself bc he knows he’s an obstacle to her.
He wholeheartedly loved SXH in both of her lives. Dare I say he loved her more than the Crown Prince did? I really wish he could’ve lived on.
Yes, so it turns out that forcing her to marry him and the rebellion in the end were all faked by Prince Xin in order to protect SXH. He really sacrificed everything just to ensure her safety on the throne. He wholeheartedly loved the same woman in both of her lives. Such a heartbreaking ending for him. I wish he would’ve lived on
Shen Xihe was not helpless, either she had already secretly deployed her own forces and prepared for the coup. Prince Xin did not single handedly “save” her; he deliberately positioned himself as the final obstacle she could lawfully defeat, sacrificing his life and political legitimacy to complete her path to power.
That is also why she holds him as he dies and finally admits that she is Gu Qingzhi. It is not proof that she suddenly loved him more than the Crown Prince. It is recognition, grief, forgiveness and closure after realizing that his final action was meant to protect her future. The drama can still be criticized for rushing the reveal, and his earlier behavior was absolutely possessive, the drama itself calls that out, but his final sacrifice was shown and explained, not invented by his fans.
He also respected her choices far more than people give him credit for. Once he truly understood what she wanted, he didn’t demand that she choose him, he protected the life she chose, even though he would have no place in it. To me, that is more than simply escaping his guilt. His death may have been redemption, but it was also the culmination of a love he carried across both lives. Guilt and genuine love can exist at the same time.
He wholeheartedly loved SXH in both of her lives. Dare I say he loved her more than the Crown Prince did? I really wish he could’ve lived on.