ethidda

I don't think it's supposed to be related to well intended love. Is just a coincidence that they have similar names. At least, that's what the Chinese info video I watched said.

I think a more accurate summary would be:

ML is the boss, a perfectionist, and suffers from OCD. He meets FL, who seems oddly familiar, and who seems to know all of his habits and preferences. Does she hold the clue to his missing memories from 5 years ago?

--

So what we actually know is (I've only finished ep 3):

ML and FL were engaged at one point.

ML lost some of his memories over 5 years ago.

FL seems familiar to ML, including knowing his habits, smelling familiar, being able to effortlessly play a guessing game with him, uses the same passcode as him, and even fits the ring he called with him.

But FL repeatedly refuses to admit to knowing him at all. So he retires to get her to admit it. (I guess this is where people see sexual harassment? But it's obvious she's hiding something from him that he should know.) I don't know why she refused to tell him the truth.

FL and her old boss are just friends. He had pursued her before but she turned him down for her her first love (ML). But is pretending to be her boyfriend because she's trying to get away from the ML. (And because he still likes her?)

ML's girl is some famous singer. They actually have no relationship. He helped her when they were both abroad. She really wants him.

It looks like FL, ML, and second girl were all in school together and second really changed her looks so she can get ML. (Was she involved in his memory loss?)

This is not the story I was expecting when I was reading the summary. And maybe that's why some people think it's problematic--because they don't understand Chinese and don't know what's actually going on...?

I haven't decided if I like it or not. It's certainly not the kind of romance/relationship I normally watch.

I will include a spoiler reply to this, with more details.

I stopped watching at around episode 15 ish when FL found out ML was the one trying to get her killed. Can someone tell me when they reconcile? For being the "mature" people of their nations/peoples, they sure don't know how to communicate.

I mean, she kind of broke all the rules, though. So I'm not sure is means anything just because she did it.

Interesting! I find it very appropriate for a 20-ish old crown prince to be stiff because he's not supposed to show inappropriate reactions, but is not yet mature enough to appear natural when restraining himself. He definitely opens up more in later episodes.

I mean, compared to the Romance of Tiger and Rose... While I do enjoy the show, I have a hard time thinking of the ML as a real prince with the way he's always wiggling his body this way and that. Not refined/princely at all. (Even though it's fun. So I can take it as comedy.)

There's no romance in the first ep because they don't know each other yet. They fall in love when they get to know each other.

What do you not like about it? I find it really well done and clever, especially the dialogue. The chemistry is much more subtle than the other romance dramas, but they actually fall in love because of each other's personalities. Not just because "plot."

Because it's the only way he won't be able to ever marry her. Otherwise, the emperor can give an edict for the girl to marry the prince instead (and the emperor is generally supportive of marrying for love). Or if the girl's husband dies, she can remarry the prince. But it's against the rules for the prince to marry his step mother, essentially.

I'm curious how you do a project? Where do you post it? I used to translate Chinese dramas, back before they were on viki/YouTube.

I'm having trouble getting through the first two episodes. Does the FL get less annoying?

I don't know if he has a secret agenda. But even the QQ said that the dancer is supposed to have a shared fate with YY, the eldest princess. So I think it's legit.

He's trying to poison her but the two cities have different wedding night drink customs. Hers is to loop through reach other's arms and drink the cup they're holding. His is to drink the other person's cup.

So he starts by poisoning the cup he's holding, but then she goes to drink her own cup. Then he switches the cups but she switches to his custom, so again he can't poison her. So finally he just gives up.

I've decided to drop it. It's a neat world/martial system. But the story is pretty cliche and a lot of things seem to just happen, without any build up/foreshadowing. The plot and characters are all pretty one dimensional. And there is no chemistry between anybody.

Pros: Interesting world/martial system. Pretty actors/actresses. (But seriously, the main guy always has his mouth open and looks kind of dumb.) Very typical adolescent male power fantasy type of show, if you enjoy that stuff, but it's not a smart story with actual intrigue or even really clever dialogue.

Does anyone know what is with the butterfly birthmark? Is the FL "that girl"?

In the book, they meet without knowing each other's identities and travel together for a while. But the story takes a while to get there.

I haven't watched this version, but yes, these characters are true to the book.

XYE is happy to lucky, to show that even "evil" people are not evil. They just look at the world differently. He knows how people think, so he is not disappointed/offended when they behave "badly." Very easy come, easy go.

HWQ was raised by women who hate men and hate him. So he is very, very repressed. Classically emotionally abused child. He thinks that as long as he does the "right" thing, things will be ok. Part of his character growth is that he has to learn to think for himself.

Honestly, the 2005 version was so terrible I couldn't watch it.

I've read the book and my favorite version is the 1988 version (HK) but it's not actually listed on MDL for some reason.

Here's a link to it in Chinese. It had great acting and was true to the book.

https://m.mtime.cn/#!/movie/71252/

Well, I mean YM is not the real head of Black Dragon Clan. The real head is also presumably the one who killed QSC's adoptive father.

Plus, there are trailers for at least two more episodes. :)

Episode 13

They find the locket and the map leads to a secret hide out. But why is Pei Yong there so quickly? QSC gets hurt and he and HR retreat to a cave.

In the cave, he promises to not die. He tells her that he chose her way back when, but he was too arrogant and egotistic and made her dislike him. She promises him another chance when they get out.

She has to find help. But YM is no good. Either he has a Black Dragon spy in his ranks… or he is pay of the Black Dragon Clan. And her dad is probably being watched. So she goes to find her cousin.

Her cousin helps, but the cart is not going the right way. And there's YM's jade bracelet on her wrist. So it turns out cousin betrayed HR, who is sent back.

YM brings HR QSC's bloody shirt saying QSC died. YM also says if HR marries him, he'll share everything he has with her and her dad. She asks him why he's doing this when he is already Duke ZN's son. He says it all means nothing when he's not the wife's mother. (Maybe concubine, maybe out of wedlock.) He's ignored and powerless.

HR realizes the bloody marriage paper is not in the clothes and YM doesn't know what she's talking about, so QSC is still alive.

Cousin comes in and talks about how wonderful YM was. How she worked hard being a lady, but YM didn't pay her attention. But he finally confessed to her that he loves her and she's out of his league and would she marry him (while drunk). So that's why she helped him. Oh, and he's a prince so his life is far more important than other people's.

HR gets a note that QSC is fine. He'll come save her. She should wait. And that she promised to give them another chance.

She waits to tell her dad this. But XF hears this and reports to YM. Why? Because he hates QSC, because he was treated so poorly on the island.

Episode 14

YM gets a letter. I'm not sure what it's about, but basically he's in trouble unless HR's dad covers for him. Dad says no. But YM says he's going to get married with HR, so if anything happens to him, HR will suffer too.

Anyway, they set everything up for a wedding and an ambush. But QSC shows up by himself. Then his pirates show up, with a coffin. The coffin is for YM. Inside the coffin are the ledgers of all the evil things they did (selling women and weapons illegally). QSC offers to settle things Jianghu style, a free for all, since he's a Pirate King and YM is a Head of Clan.

Oh, and through flashbacks, you see that XF didn't actually betray HR. He was part of the plot, to get information to QSC and sneak him in. He does have QSC, but he loves his adoptive sister and father more.

YM wants HR to marry him (still?). Cousin is going crazy and manages to trick YM into giving her a hug by saying she knows the secret exits.

QSC finds them and saves HR.

Duke ZN arrive with troops to arrest his son.

QSC is given money and the right to travel where he wants, after he turns down being a general. HR is "assigned" to him as the special ambassador. They go to Wan Jiang. The pirates all say that's so far away and there's nothing there. Also, YM is just imprisoned, not executed, since he's the duke's son.

Flash back to PY running away and Mr. YH finds him. PY says actually YM was not Black Dragon Clan head. He doesn't know who is, but that person is in Wan Jiang with the other half of the treasure map.