This review may contain spoilers
Sold, Silenced, and Stuck in a Cycle!!
I don’t really know what to say or where to start, honestly. There is so much to unpack here, but I’m struggling to put it all into the right words.
First, let's talk about the setting. The story starts in the 90s and seems to end right before the 2000s. In China, same-sex relationships during that era should certainly not have been seen as normal or openly accepted, so I was quite confused by how casually it was sometimes treated.
They really should have shown us much more of the deep-seated conservativeness and close-mindedness of that period.
On the bright side, the music was great—I loved how it was used at just the right moments. As for the acting, I can't complain; I felt like the cast delivered well.
When it comes to Lu Xiao Fan's family, they are the textbook definition of parents who sacrifice their child's future for their own burdens. I hated the fact that they essentially sold Xiao Fan. At first, when his mother gave him that money before he went to Bei’s place, I thought she might still have a shot at redemption. But as the episodes progressed, I couldn't help but hate his whole family.
If they all believed the eldest son was the most important, they should have put the responsibility on him, not Xiao Fan! Life in the province is undeniably hard, and poverty doesn't help, but to the point of being completely shameless?
Xiao Fan's family is the absolute worst.
And what even happened to Xiao Ping's child? I bet the girl didn't receive any financial help from him—though honestly, that's probably better, since he wouldn't be a good father anyway if he doesn't change.
On the other side, Bei Lu Qing's family—we didn't see nearly enough of them, especially his mother. There are so many "what happened?" questions running through my mind. Like, what happened to Lu Qing's mother after he bought up all those shares (not entirely sure if that's what he did)?
If the Bei family has such massive reputation and power, couldn't they have just used someone of equal social status to step up as Lu Xin's husband?
And Lu Qing's friends? I really don't like them.
They're the type of people who look down on anyone they think doesn't fit their lifestyle. Zi Yang might be the closest to Lu Qing and occasionally helps him out (especially regarding Xiao Fan), but he still speaks ill.
Then there's Lu Qing. To be honest, I just don't understand him.
His character felt overly controlling at times, and I never really saw how he fell for Xiao Fan—was it just the soup?
Or Xiao Fan's inherent kindness?
Let's not forget: Xiao Fan was his sister's husband! Regardless of whether the marriage was just a paper arrangement, Lu Qing shouldn't have started anything with Xiao Fan, and neither should Xiao Fan.
And the total lack of communication? If Lu Qing had just shared all his master plans with Xiao Fan, everything could have worked out smoothly, and we might have actually seen him truly "folded" and devoted to Xiao Fan.
As for Xiao Fan, I couldn't seem to hate him, even when he slowly started reciprocating Lu Qing's kisses and feelings. In fact, I just pity him.
He was never even given the chance by his family to get a proper education. He was so used to being poor, and watching his miserable situation play out across 12 episodes made me feel so bad for him. There wasn't an episode where I didn't desperately hope he'd finally get the happiness he deserved.
He was belittled and shamed like he wasn't even a human being. He was kind-hearted and didn't want to trouble anyone, yet the people around him constantly troubled him to no end!
When the last episode showed that he planned a way out, I thought, Finally, true freedom for him to live the life he deserves. And sure, that might be his own soup shop now, but... did he do all of that just so Lu Qing could track him down?
At first, I couldn't understand why Zhen hung up when Xiao Fan called—I thought maybe they had a falling out. But looking back, maybe it was intentional so Lu Qing could find him, which is ultimately how they traced him.
Am I happy with the ending?
Not totally.
The wedding and them getting back together felt so rushed.
They should have given us at least one or two proper episodes of them actually being together after everything they went through.
And the wedding itself—is that even legally recognized back then? Plus, it seemed like he never even ended up going to France!
As for the chemistry, I'm honestly not sure about that either, because I was too focused on feeling sorry for Xiao Fan. They never really had deep, meaningful conversations—or at least, not any that I can remember.
Their routine felt like a repetitive cycle of kissing, watching each other, cooking, and eating. Maybe some real-world relationships are like that, but narrative-wise, they needed something substance-driven aside from just that.
Ultimately, I'm conflicted about whether I like this show or not. Maybe I was just hoping they'd give us an ending focused on the genuine individual and joint character development of the main leads. And the fact that the mother was casually mentioned right at the end? I literally rolled my eyes watching that scene!
First, let's talk about the setting. The story starts in the 90s and seems to end right before the 2000s. In China, same-sex relationships during that era should certainly not have been seen as normal or openly accepted, so I was quite confused by how casually it was sometimes treated.
They really should have shown us much more of the deep-seated conservativeness and close-mindedness of that period.
On the bright side, the music was great—I loved how it was used at just the right moments. As for the acting, I can't complain; I felt like the cast delivered well.
When it comes to Lu Xiao Fan's family, they are the textbook definition of parents who sacrifice their child's future for their own burdens. I hated the fact that they essentially sold Xiao Fan. At first, when his mother gave him that money before he went to Bei’s place, I thought she might still have a shot at redemption. But as the episodes progressed, I couldn't help but hate his whole family.
If they all believed the eldest son was the most important, they should have put the responsibility on him, not Xiao Fan! Life in the province is undeniably hard, and poverty doesn't help, but to the point of being completely shameless?
Xiao Fan's family is the absolute worst.
And what even happened to Xiao Ping's child? I bet the girl didn't receive any financial help from him—though honestly, that's probably better, since he wouldn't be a good father anyway if he doesn't change.
On the other side, Bei Lu Qing's family—we didn't see nearly enough of them, especially his mother. There are so many "what happened?" questions running through my mind. Like, what happened to Lu Qing's mother after he bought up all those shares (not entirely sure if that's what he did)?
If the Bei family has such massive reputation and power, couldn't they have just used someone of equal social status to step up as Lu Xin's husband?
And Lu Qing's friends? I really don't like them.
They're the type of people who look down on anyone they think doesn't fit their lifestyle. Zi Yang might be the closest to Lu Qing and occasionally helps him out (especially regarding Xiao Fan), but he still speaks ill.
Then there's Lu Qing. To be honest, I just don't understand him.
His character felt overly controlling at times, and I never really saw how he fell for Xiao Fan—was it just the soup?
Or Xiao Fan's inherent kindness?
Let's not forget: Xiao Fan was his sister's husband! Regardless of whether the marriage was just a paper arrangement, Lu Qing shouldn't have started anything with Xiao Fan, and neither should Xiao Fan.
And the total lack of communication? If Lu Qing had just shared all his master plans with Xiao Fan, everything could have worked out smoothly, and we might have actually seen him truly "folded" and devoted to Xiao Fan.
As for Xiao Fan, I couldn't seem to hate him, even when he slowly started reciprocating Lu Qing's kisses and feelings. In fact, I just pity him.
He was never even given the chance by his family to get a proper education. He was so used to being poor, and watching his miserable situation play out across 12 episodes made me feel so bad for him. There wasn't an episode where I didn't desperately hope he'd finally get the happiness he deserved.
He was belittled and shamed like he wasn't even a human being. He was kind-hearted and didn't want to trouble anyone, yet the people around him constantly troubled him to no end!
When the last episode showed that he planned a way out, I thought, Finally, true freedom for him to live the life he deserves. And sure, that might be his own soup shop now, but... did he do all of that just so Lu Qing could track him down?
At first, I couldn't understand why Zhen hung up when Xiao Fan called—I thought maybe they had a falling out. But looking back, maybe it was intentional so Lu Qing could find him, which is ultimately how they traced him.
Am I happy with the ending?
Not totally.
The wedding and them getting back together felt so rushed.
They should have given us at least one or two proper episodes of them actually being together after everything they went through.
And the wedding itself—is that even legally recognized back then? Plus, it seemed like he never even ended up going to France!
As for the chemistry, I'm honestly not sure about that either, because I was too focused on feeling sorry for Xiao Fan. They never really had deep, meaningful conversations—or at least, not any that I can remember.
Their routine felt like a repetitive cycle of kissing, watching each other, cooking, and eating. Maybe some real-world relationships are like that, but narrative-wise, they needed something substance-driven aside from just that.
Ultimately, I'm conflicted about whether I like this show or not. Maybe I was just hoping they'd give us an ending focused on the genuine individual and joint character development of the main leads. And the fact that the mother was casually mentioned right at the end? I literally rolled my eyes watching that scene!
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