Juuu

I get your points but I think this wasn't a storyline focused on revenge but more on other messages. And there's also the question of what is the perfect revenge - that will differ from person to person. For some people, the best revenge is to find happiness, to find peace. Permanently disabling or killing someone is "an eye for an eye" type of revenge, but that doesn't mean it's the "perfect" revenge. I think in Li Xun's case he was always focused on seeing "the bigger picture" (he mentioned that many times), besides being keen on not wasting his time on meaningless things. He was also idealistic and wanted to create programs that could do some good for society. His goal was to get the original L&P back, which had been focused on medical programs, and as soon as he got some money into that small smartup with the games, he shifted the company back to his original plan. That was something that Gao could never replicate and why should Li Xun waste his time to play cat and mouse with Gao when he was never in it for the money and prestige, like Gao had been? I think Gao was the most pathetic character and he build up this huge company out of insecurity, while Li Xun didn't need a fancy huge company to feel "good enough". In my opinion, Li Xun got his revenge because even after he went to prison and was an ex-convict - basically, the lowest in society - he was able to get back up on his feet in a short amount of time using only his wits; no connection, no money, nothing. Just by being himself and not even bothering that much with Gao, he got to a place that Gao couldn't go on his own bc Gao lacks the idealism and the vision for it.
About FZJ, I agree that his background wasn't explained well enough but to me he seemed like those guys who snatch onto powerful people and do lots of ass kissing to get what they want.
I also wonder if the director/writer possibly thought they could get a 2nd season or something, since they left some things totally open in the end, like what happens with Li Xun's career, he was just starting; what happened with Zhu Yun's parents once they find out she got married; what happened with L&P after Gao went abroad, like did he just quit? I think there was enough open stuff for a 2nd season but they're pretty rare so idk if the writer's did this on purpose or what was the reason for leaving so much without a clear ending...

Maybe I worded it confusingly, sorry! You asked what his exact goal was, and basically the goal was to purposefully get into trouble by beating the shit out of the guy (which he did in an irrational way, like no weapons, not much damage done besides the eye). He purposefully did it in front of an audience...I think the writers made it pretty clear that he wanted to be seen and to be charged with a crime. That's how I see it and I think the writers didn't explain many things and just let viewers figure it out themselves. For example, the parts where Li Xun keeps asking people to pick things up from the floor for him; on first watch I just thought this was to show his arrogance but on later rewatches I noticed it was bc of his spine injury, that movement caused him pain, so him being too proud to show weakness he'd rather ask ppl to pick up stuff for him...he'd rather seem arrogant than weak to others. But the writers didn't fully spell it out, so people either got it or didn't..
That's the problem when writers don't make things too obvious, some things might not be fully clear to everyone and people have to figure it out by themselves, it can be risky but I personally enjoy it when it's a little less "in our faces" and more nuanced :) but I also understand that some ppl might see it differently and not like it.
But anyways, yes he could've definitely planned out a more elegant revenge and caused more damage to the guy but he was too emotional at that point and ended up doing it the fastest way, but ultimately it didn't matter bc his goal was to get caught anyway.

Honestly I don't think he was thinking straight enough to have like a precise goal. I think he just wanted to beat the shit out of him. He was grief-stricken and Li Xun didn't even take a weapon with him, which also shows how irrational he was acting. This was also a form of self-sabotage and self-hatred, because after his father's death he saw it as his role to take care of the family; prior to his sister's death he had told Zhu Yun that he failed that because his mom died and his sister married a bastard. Now that his sister was dead and because of him, he was basically punishing himself by ruining his own future...

I watched it this year for the first time and I'm at the stage where I can't move on. I've been rewatching like a crazy person, already on my 4th rewatch now. I've never been so obsessed with any drama, korean or chinese. I rarely even rewatch dramas but this one just got me. I wish I could've loved First Frost as much as everyone, but it just wasn't for me. I haven't yet found a drama that helps me to move on from L&P

I think it's a bit exaggerated to say that Li Xun was "goody-two-shoes" when he actually refused to meet GJH when he was waiting for his operation and never truly made peace with him or said that he forgives him. Li Xun gave up on the revenge bc he was smart enough to see that GJH was already miserable without Li Xun having to do much. GJH had literally made himself sick because of all the stress, which is also shown many times in the show that people of this profession have to take care to not suffer from burnout and brain damage. The point was to show that Li Xun had grown and wasn't hung up on revenge which could end up being self destructive again, but this time he chose to move on and be happy with his own company and his future with Zhu Yun.
FZJ looking too well was also something I thought, but I actually saw some people who have lost their eyes, including my uncle, and they get eye transplantation which can look extremely natural. So maybe FZJ got that..and 3 years had passed too

That was exactly the point that you missed, he was self-destructive at this point. He planned that whole thing, that's the reason why he distanced himself from Zhu Yun. He had just lost his only relative after he had allowed himself hope for a better future, he was planning on bringing his sister to live close to him, he was happy for the first time, in love and was building a company. All of a sudden everything crumbles down due to his sister's death and he finds out that guy was responsible for her death. It's like a culmination of pure hate and anger but also resignation at his own fate, kind of like he accepted that he just couldn't have good things so he wants to blow it all up in a big mess. He later on says to Zhu Yun "I promise I won't self destroy myself again". The writers made no mistake, it was all part of the storyline and that's why Li Xun is a complex character and not everyone will like him.

I'm enjoying this drama, the actors are really great at showing emotions and the ML has very expressive eyes especially during sad scenes. I love Kim Minha from Pachinko, she's great. The only thing that's really bothering me is that these actors look too adult to be in high school - especially the two male actors. They look their age, late 20s to early 30s. They should've either put the story in an university setting or cast younger actors (even though I find the cast really great at acting). It just throws me off when they put these grown people into high school uniforms..

they're posting really explicit & offensive comments here, we need to report them.

This reminds me of 2000s romcoms, it has some really absurd but funny scenes with this clumsy but cheerful FL that reminds me of some of my favorite movies growing up. The ML is so handsome with the buzzcut!! I also like that the FL and ML aren't afraid of skinship and don't act like nervous 12 year olds when together. And I also like that the FL is proactively chasing the ML, a refreshing change to the simp-MLs we're getting these days. And despite the ML being somewhat cold to her and her advances, he's never completely red flag or an ass. It's not deep, it's something fun and it has lots of annoying stuff too (the 2Ls) but it's still fun!

i agree, something's off...i really wanted to watch this bc of chen feiyu but i feel like the entire cast is unnatural. I've watched up until Ep 3 and don't think I'll force myself through the rest. None of the dialogues seem natural.. like when ML is talking to his buddy it seems so unnatural, and the dynamic between the roommates too. The ML also doesn't have enough depth, and the FL's acting is very bland :/

most probably he did something *noble* for her sake and it's all a misunderstanding 😭

Also, I have to add something to get it off my chest lol: The slow motion scenes are so excessive here, it was making the lukewarm plot even MORE boring. Excessive use of slow motion or just hyper-zoom and slow moving camera for a few minutes is my pet peeve in cdramas and kdramas :(((( Idk why they abuse this so much lol

i agree that usually the first episode sucks in most cdramas (and even kdramas) but usually things pick up from the 2nd episode on. In this case I even found EP 2 more boring than EP 1 :(

lmao

I agree with the comments saying something's off about the show.. I've had to force myself through Ep 2 bc it was so incredibly boring. The issues for me are
1) the very uninteresting plot - them being "soulmates" and love at first sight-trope is just so boring and in my opinion it's lazy writing.
2) the way they get closer is also very boring :/ just nothing special. It doesn't have any spark, nothing exciting is going on.
3) I don't feel any chemistry between the leads unfortunately.
4) By the end of Ep 2 there's actually nothing in the storyline so far that makes me want to keep watching :/
I've only seen Chen Feiyu in Lighter and Princess (which is my favorite Cdrama so far) and I think he suits serious roles better than "sunshine"-type of roles...
Btw, the female lead reminds me of Jisoo from Blackpink a lot! Is it just me?

just for the fact that Ligther and Princess if your no.1 I trust your opinion and will have to watch this drama

thanks!

same i usually prefer binge watching when it's completed but this time i think i'll join in at the beginning

Any news on when it will likely air?

I'm rewatching now and does anyone feel like chen feiyu was visibly thinner when he was playing college-era li xun? I wonder if he did that on purpose to look younger /look a bit more grown up after the time jump? If so..that's dedication to the role 😳