It depends on your taste. But for those who like a dark romantic comedy where not everything is beautiful and sometimes it hurts, it's more than worth it.
Okay, I'm rebooted. And I don't think this comment contains any major scene spoilers, but I boxed it just in case.…
- Chi Cheng's family looks about as fake and obnoxious as those kind of families would, who keep ties purely because of status and money but don't actually like or see each other very often other wise. I don't blame him for bailing at all, I was feeling put off them all on my own lol. All the scenes at SW's house were great, I can't tell whether to feel bad for SW's mom who is obliviously accepting CC like a son/brother (as Chinese parents do) while those two are actually in a relationship. It's a realistic situation though, most kids wouldn't tell their parents in certain cultures, they'll either stay closeted and marry a woman and have kids or they'll just stay closeted until their parents die or find out somehow. Sad. Anyway! I definitely agree with others who praised Tian Xuning's acting for its nuance, he carries the character very effortlessly from scene to scene, from emotion to emotion. As they sometimes say: he brings the character to life.
- Everything about Chengyu and Xiaoshuai is fantastic, I love how they're being developed. I usually never like second pairs, but I actually like them equally as much as CC and SW in RL. So yeah, it's been obvious that XS likes Chengyu for a while now, and it's obvious Chengyu knows it but isn't forcing the issue despite already being comfortable referring to what they're doing as dating and calling XS his and XS would possibly make a token protest if he heard any of this, but also possibly not, after seeing ep 15 preview, he seems to be aware he and Chengyu are moving toward each other specifically in that way, and not away from each other. Based on his paranoia and miscommunication about jealousy of CC and whatever it seemed like he was pulling away, but he just needed a little nudge and Chengyu's actions regarding Meng Tao was exactly that! Speaking of, I also saw some comments saying that XS should be moving faster toward Chengyu after what Chengyu did for him regarding Meng Tao, but I disagree. Now is the time when XS can finally let go of what was probably a shit ton of self-hate and actually allow himself to look forward to being with someone without thinking he was 'dirty' or a 'slut'. It's a big mental adjustment, for him to suddenly throw himself at Chengyu, it wouldn't make sense. Now's when he can finally start letting himself want and have, so it'll be a little gradual and I'm here for it! Also, XS'S back story was well done! Concise but clear.
As for seeing Chengyu get angry and deal with Meng Tao 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 and also, I love that XS called him out for acting innocent and he laughed about it. That's a pretense boundary broken! They'll be more real with one another after that for sure. I also loved how Li Wang was grinning while filming Meng Tao being dealt with by Chengyu, just like how Ganzgi grinned when SW came to get Chi Cheng at the club, these two loyal idiots are very likeable XD
- I also loved when Wang Shuo said 'Guo Chengyu, you're far too smart to be likable." because YES, he is very smart, very calculated. Chengyu has been running a very long game with many additional mini games on Chi Cheng for years, to maintain their friendship after the fall out and then even more after SW and XS entered the picture. As I mentioned yesterday, I don't see the visual hype about Wang Shuo, but I enjoyed his appearance and scenes very much, because I was very entertained and interested in how he shifted the whole atmosphere, especially for Chengyu and Chi Cheng, it gave us a chance to visualize what things were like between them as younger men. Very quickly Chengyu started plotting too, but he's so busy protecting his friendship with Chi Cheng while also trying to push Chi Cheng into a confrontation over Wang Shuo that he's in a difficult spot.
It's quite easy to tell that Chengyu is playing an angle with WS because he first pushes him away after that fake ass happy hug and then greets him with honest harsh words (his real feelings upon seeing WS again), but as his temper settled he starts to manipulate the situation, seeing the opportunity for a possible confrontation fueled by alcohol and dredging up memories. It's not going his way though, because WS does seem to be a bit of a snake and he's playing it slow and sly, and he sees Chengyu's play. And Chi Cheng is VERY guarded around them both. It's gonna be fun to see this mess play itself out!
- Chi Cheng NOT telling SW he saw the picture, aka trying to hide it. I didn't see this as a big deal, it's actually pretty on brand for Chi Cheng. Did you guys think he was a open book or something? That is not a man who prefers to share his emotional fears with others. Thankfully SW was frank and direct enough for the both of them. Not that it's an over all problem solver but it was very good to see such clear communication, even if SW's passive aggressive way of handling it won't hold up for long.
- AND AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, my brain glitched at 37.57, Chi Cheng and Chengyu being that close and looking so good together was a system hazard for my brain processes. Yikes. I'll take a prequel series of them as besties with benefits in their younger years ANYDAY. How many times did I rewatch that scene? Yes.
BUT about the scene itself, I loved it, these kinds of messy relationships are never easily cleaned up, if ever, more often than not, someone walks away hated or angry or both. I loved watching both Chi Cheng and Chengyu, for different reasons and in different ways, try to mask their anger at WS, and CC, at CY as well. The tension! <33 And the way Chengyu couldn't sit still, drinking, eating, smirking, glancing around, fidgeting with unexpressed anger and frustration. CC likewise, trying to keep calm, keep smiling, feeling trapped because he doesn't want to expose his emotional pain and fear once again, being in a room with two people he feels wronged him. And Chengyu too, knows what Wang Shuo's hang up was/is about his closeness with CC and deliberately provoking him. Petty, passive, mean, cold, oh the dynamic! AAAAH I loved it.
That ending scene was PEEEAAAAK, the break away, the change of expressions, so well done, a perfect ending for the episode, such a good visual to reveal their real feelings and when Chengyu doubled back, his anger catching up and him wanting to confront WS for being back on his same ol' bullshit causing trouble, another great reveal of Chengyu's real hurt and angry feelings.
Episode 14 was imo one of the best so far. Now the looooong wait for next week. Sigh.
Okay, I'm rebooted. And I don't think this comment contains any major scene spoilers, but I boxed it just in case. Just want to share my thoughts on ep 14 in order of scene appearances:
In ep13, Xiao Shuai gets a text message related to his ex. Can someone explain what it said? What was the picture?
Ep13? The message came from a contact (presumably a friend or former colleague of his) sending him the exposé that he was confessing to in the video in ep14. Remember, by that time, Chengyu had already started the 'take down' of Meng Tao after Li Wang investigated Meng Tao for him.
Chai Ji Dan said that during Wang Shuo's audition, his kissing performance was so so good that his co-star lost…
This is a show, they're actors. They're playing roles. The kisses are performances. Stay crispy, stay present, stay in reality. Ain't no thang chicken wang.
That's what i think too, he looks kinda mad when GCY and CC shared cigarettes
Really? It's good to know it makes sense to someone besides me. 🤣Sometimes, I think I'm just blathering my thoughts on this show aimlessly into the ether lol 😆
That's what i think too, he looks kinda mad when GCY and CC shared cigarettes
Yep, he's been trying to force a confrontation for years so they can clear the air. Because he doesn't think CC will believe him if he just says the truth of what (didn't) happen. It's been a long time coming. Pretty sure that end scene was CY's anger catching up to him, he wanted to go after WS and confront him about being back on the same ol' bullshit lie in front of CC. Yeesh, so much drama lol
I'm sorry but after a scene like 37.57 howtf do they expect me to focus on anything or anyone else besides those two???????? I'll be back, my brain made the Windows XP shut down noise, I need to reboot.
1
- Everything about Chengyu and Xiaoshuai is fantastic, I love how they're being developed. I usually never like second pairs, but I actually like them equally as much as CC and SW in RL. So yeah, it's been obvious that XS likes Chengyu for a while now, and it's obvious Chengyu knows it but isn't forcing the issue despite already being comfortable referring to what they're doing as dating and calling XS his and XS would possibly make a token protest if he heard any of this, but also possibly not, after seeing ep 15 preview, he seems to be aware he and Chengyu are moving toward each other specifically in that way, and not away from each other. Based on his paranoia and miscommunication about jealousy of CC and whatever it seemed like he was pulling away, but he just needed a little nudge and Chengyu's actions regarding Meng Tao was exactly that! Speaking of, I also saw some comments saying that XS should be moving faster toward Chengyu after what Chengyu did for him regarding Meng Tao, but I disagree. Now is the time when XS can finally let go of what was probably a shit ton of self-hate and actually allow himself to look forward to being with someone without thinking he was 'dirty' or a 'slut'. It's a big mental adjustment, for him to suddenly throw himself at Chengyu, it wouldn't make sense. Now's when he can finally start letting himself want and have, so it'll be a little gradual and I'm here for it!
Also, XS'S back story was well done! Concise but clear.
As for seeing Chengyu get angry and deal with Meng Tao 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 and also, I love that XS called him out for acting innocent and he laughed about it. That's a pretense boundary broken! They'll be more real with one another after that for sure. I also loved how Li Wang was grinning while filming Meng Tao being dealt with by Chengyu, just like how Ganzgi grinned when SW came to get Chi Cheng at the club, these two loyal idiots are very likeable XD
- I also loved when Wang Shuo said 'Guo Chengyu, you're far too smart to be likable." because YES, he is very smart, very calculated. Chengyu has been running a very long game with many additional mini games on Chi Cheng for years, to maintain their friendship after the fall out and then even more after SW and XS entered the picture. As I mentioned yesterday, I don't see the visual hype about Wang Shuo, but I enjoyed his appearance and scenes very much, because I was very entertained and interested in how he shifted the whole atmosphere, especially for Chengyu and Chi Cheng, it gave us a chance to visualize what things were like between them as younger men. Very quickly Chengyu started plotting too, but he's so busy protecting his friendship with Chi Cheng while also trying to push Chi Cheng into a confrontation over Wang Shuo that he's in a difficult spot.
It's quite easy to tell that Chengyu is playing an angle with WS because he first pushes him away after that fake ass happy hug and then greets him with honest harsh words (his real feelings upon seeing WS again), but as his temper settled he starts to manipulate the situation, seeing the opportunity for a possible confrontation fueled by alcohol and dredging up memories. It's not going his way though, because WS does seem to be a bit of a snake and he's playing it slow and sly, and he sees Chengyu's play. And Chi Cheng is VERY guarded around them both. It's gonna be fun to see this mess play itself out!
- Chi Cheng NOT telling SW he saw the picture, aka trying to hide it. I didn't see this as a big deal, it's actually pretty on brand for Chi Cheng. Did you guys think he was a open book or something? That is not a man who prefers to share his emotional fears with others. Thankfully SW was frank and direct enough for the both of them. Not that it's an over all problem solver but it was very good to see such clear communication, even if SW's passive aggressive way of handling it won't hold up for long.
- AND AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, my brain glitched at 37.57, Chi Cheng and Chengyu being that close and looking so good together was a system hazard for my brain processes. Yikes. I'll take a prequel series of them as besties with benefits in their younger years ANYDAY. How many times did I rewatch that scene? Yes.
BUT about the scene itself, I loved it, these kinds of messy relationships are never easily cleaned up, if ever, more often than not, someone walks away hated or angry or both. I loved watching both Chi Cheng and Chengyu, for different reasons and in different ways, try to mask their anger at WS, and CC, at CY as well. The tension! <33 And the way Chengyu couldn't sit still, drinking, eating, smirking, glancing around, fidgeting with unexpressed anger and frustration. CC likewise, trying to keep calm, keep smiling, feeling trapped because he doesn't want to expose his emotional pain and fear once again, being in a room with two people he feels wronged him. And Chengyu too, knows what Wang Shuo's hang up was/is about his closeness with CC and deliberately provoking him. Petty, passive, mean, cold, oh the dynamic! AAAAH I loved it.
That ending scene was PEEEAAAAK, the break away, the change of expressions, so well done, a perfect ending for the episode, such a good visual to reveal their real feelings and when Chengyu doubled back, his anger catching up and him wanting to confront WS for being back on his same ol' bullshit causing trouble, another great reveal of Chengyu's real hurt and angry feelings.
Episode 14 was imo one of the best so far. Now the looooong wait for next week. Sigh.