BLzebub

Yes, I read some comments speculating that the reason for editing him out was the false "wife and kid" rumour. But I wonder: why would they edit him out for that? It's not bad to have a wife or kid. Is there some crucial information that I'm missing?
I know in some East Asian countries, popular actors and actresses are expected to be single and their fan following plummets if it is discovered that they are in a relationship. Is there a similar expectation in China?

True, it becomes a male pride thing. Wu Suowei wanted the chance to top Chi Cheng for the same reason (though his request was denied). So perhaps that also played into him using érxífù rather than nǚxù.

I did find two gender-neutral terms for spouse in Chinese: 伴侶 (bànlǚ) and 配偶 (pèi'ǒu). Apparently, bànlǚ is an increasingly common gender-neutral term for "partner" so you could refer to your son's husband as "我兒子的伴侶" (wǒ érzi de bànlǚ), which means "my son's partner." Pèi'ǒu is a more formal gender-neutral term meaning "spouse" used in legal documents.

Oh you're very right! Wu Suowei used the longer term for "son's wife" or "daughter-in-law," 儿媳妇 (érxífù), once and the shorter term, 媳妇 (xífù), twice in reference to Chi Cheng in that conversation.
The subs I used translated 儿媳妇 figuratively as "son-in-law," which is why I didn't pick up on this. Thanks for informing me. Based off this, your interpretation is quite plausible, and I want to believe it more than my own earlier interpretation 😊
(On a sidenote: It's interesting that Wu Suowei didn't call Chi Cheng the Mandarin term for son-in-law, 女婿 (nǚxù). I think because 女 means "woman" or "daughter" and implies the person being referred to is related to the family via their daughter, which does not make sense in the case of Chi Cheng because he is related to the family via their son, Wu Suowei).

That's interesting! It wouldn't be the first time something has been lost in translation. I don't know much about Mandarin colloquialisms; I hope a Mandarin speaker can also give their two cents.

I went back and watched the scene again. I think now that Wu Suowei's mother understood at the hospital that Chi Cheng and Wu Suowei were in a relationship and that Chi Cheng was serious about Wu Suowei but she didn't know if Wu Suowei felt the same about Chi Cheng. So when she asked Wu Suowei at home later when he would give her a daughter-in-law (儿媳妇; érxífù), she did it to check if Wu Suowei was seriously interested in Chi Cheng too. When Wu Suowei made a sad facial expression in response to that question, his mom got the confirmation and so she suddenly brought up Chi Cheng and told Wu Suowei that Chi Cheng is a good person.

The kids talk happened further back in the past, before the hospitalization, though yes, even at that time Wu Suowei was serious about Chi Cheng and only said that to make his mother happy at a time when she wasn't feeling well.

Thank you for the recommendation. I have added Stay with Me to my Plan to Watch list and will view it soon. I'm glad we agree so much about Asian vs. Western/American series.

You are very right about Mrs. Wu's not wanting to make Wu Suowei uncomfortable in any way. We saw examples of that in Wu Suowei's flashbacks of his mom in their home after she passed and most clearly in Mrs. Wu hiding her cancer diagnosis from her son so he doesn't feel anxious and sad. I can see her not mentioning that she knows the nature of the relationship between Wu Suowei and Chi Cheng unless Wu Suowei states it himself. And I don't know how I had forgotten about when she said Chi Cheng was better than a wife; it is the clearest evidence of her approval of the relationship. Thanks for reminding me of that.

Thank you for the kind things you said and your heartfelt well-wishes in the last paragraphs. Your parents are blessed to have a loving, caring daughter like you. I hope we can both live our lives the way we want, care for our parents and may our parents and their love remain in our lives for a long, long time.

I noticed that you mentioned that you haven't completed the series yet so what I'm about to type next is going to be a spoiler but I wanted to clarify something (do not read beyond this point if spoilers bother you):
In a later episode, when Wu Suowei's mother is in the hospital and near death, Chi Cheng visits her when Wu Suowei is away and she tells him that she understands that Chi Cheng and her son are in a relationship. She didn't tell Chi Cheng to break it off or that the relationship itself was "bad." She only said that she was worried they were going to have a harder life due to society than other couples. This was their final conversation before she passed away.
In the scene of Wu Suowei's mother's funeral, Chi Cheng recalled her words and it was clear he understood them as her approval for the relationship.

Just before she died, Wu Suowei's mother requested her son to take her back home from the hospital. This was after her conversation with Chi Cheng. Once at home, she asked Wu Suowei when he was going to give her a daughter-in-law, but I felt like she asked that to see if Wu Suowei will finally admit to his relationship with Chi Cheng in front of her. Once he gave a vague response, she immediately praised Chi Cheng in front of Wu Suowei, I think to signal that she approved of Chi Cheng and their relationship, though I don't think Wu Suowei understood that because he was unaware of his mother's earlier conversation with Chi Cheng.

I agree with you that she seemed conservative and may not have been approving if she found out in her first interaction with Chi Cheng that he was into men and especially if she knew he was into her son. The boys hid their relationship from her for a reason. But she was a loving, understanding mother too and in her final days, she figured it out and accepted the relationship.

The scenes of Wu Suowei's mother's final moments made me cry for real. The thing I like about Asian series in comparison to Western ones is that they emphasize staying in touch with your parents and taking care of them (even if they won't understand you or approve of you like they should) while also staying true to yourself and the person you love and not compromising on that. To be clear, I'm not talking about toxic, self-centred parents but parents who truly love you who have your best interests at heart, even if they don't always do the right things. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. In contrast, a Western series might have given the message that you should cut off your parents from your life because they don't understand immediately, and not care to gain their approval.

I loved that Wu Suowei's mother ultimately understood the true nature of Chi Cheng's relationship with her son when she talked with Chi Cheng for the last time at the hospital. She did not tell him to end the relationship, she was just concerned that they may have a tougher life than other couples.

When she went home from the hospital with Wu Suowei, she still asked him when he was going to get her a daughter-in-law. That was confusing. I'm not sure whether she said that to encourage Wu Suowei to finally tell her about his relationship with Chi Cheng, or if she (unfortunately, like many elderly people) preferred a straight future for her son rather than a gay one. I'd like to believe it was the former reason. I liked that immediately after that question, she praised Chi Cheng, signalling that she's okay if Wu Suowei stays with Chi Cheng. Still, I wish she had been more direct in telling Wu Suowei about her approval for his relationship with Chi Cheng.

I liked that Wu Suowei encouraged Chi Cheng to stay in contact with his family (though I must say, Chi Cheng's dad was very problematic; kidnapping was too extreme). Wu Suowei mainly said so because he believed it was Chi Cheng's filial duty but it may also have the added benefit of maybe convincing his parents to eventually approve of their relationship. Chi Cheng's mother truly loved Chi Cheng (as evidenced by her worry for him when he got arrested) and even though her trying to set him up with Yue Yue in earlier episodes was bad, she can be forgiven because she mistook his interest in men as a phase and was doing what she (erroneously) thought was in her son's best interest. I'm glad Chi Cheng's sister finally told her that Chi Cheng's interest in men and Wu Suowei in particular is not a phase and encouraged her to accept them. And she did, as evidenced by her going to meet Wu Suowei at his sugar figurines stall later.

Some days ago, I was thinking about how I'll eventually have to come out to my parents, how they will not understand and how I might have to leave home if emotions run too high (I don't think they'll kick me out themselves but I might have to do that to avoid any rash decisions on their part). I was thinking of whether I should also break contact with them if I leave home but then I saw the episodes of Wu Suowei's mother's final moments and it was quite timely. Because it made me realize how much I love my parents, how I'll miss them once they're gone, how I'll regret not talking to them and how, even if my parents don't accept me, I must still try to stay in touch with them and take care of them (especially when they're too old) because I can never fully pay them back for all the love and care they've given me over the years. No one can love you like your parents, friends. Hopefully, they will eventually understand and accept me. Sorry about the wall of text and if this is too sappy and cringe.

He is my favourite Thai actor. He seems nice, humble and upbeat. I wish he continues to succeed in his acting career, has a happy life, finds a good life partner and remains safe from harm, bad habits and toxicity. I was sorry to hear about his father's passing a few months ago. I hope he and his family find solace soon.

Sorry friend but how did you learn of that information?
I saw a video yesterday which showed how he was edited out of an episode of a variety show (for unspecified reasons) that he recorded in July but which aired in August. That same variety show has edited out other guests too for different, seemingly strange, reasons in the past just to avoid controversy. Here is an article about it:
https://dramapanda.com/2025/08/tian-xuning-first-variety-appearance-hello-saturday-gets-cut.html
Is this incident what led you to believe he is banned or do you have some other reason?

I really hope his career is not negatively impacted just for acting in a BL. His popularity has greatly increased among people due to his BL. I hope fans support him.

Mark acted very well in this series, be it comedic, serious or intimate scenes. But Ohm seemed hesitant to kiss properly or show intimacy. I don't know if that was required by the script, or if Ohm is uncomfortable with intimate scenes (in which case, he shouldn't be in BL/romantic series), or if it's just me. I liked Ohm in 'A Boss and a Babe' so I was expecting him to be as comfortable here but he disappointed ngl.
That being said, I liked this series overall. The comments and reviews are way too negative. As always, watch the series yourself and decide if you like it or not.

You were so brave to come out in a place like Korea which doesn't have anti-discrimination laws and does have obsessive homophobic groups so you really risked your career. I hope you will be a good role model and an inspiration for gay kids. And I hope you don't experience any negative consequences.

The last sentence gave me a good laugh 😆 I would like more BLs like this which have romance but also a side plot where they investigate or solve cases. I know of two other BLs which have these elements ('Manner of Death' and 'Love Is a Poison') and I'm saving them to watch for a better time.
I did not like the breakup thing they did in the penultimate episode. It didn't seem to make sense but then Kaburagi explained his reasoning and then it did make sense. I liked how they resolved it with Onoe explaining his whole rationale for taking that case, including how he was sacrificing his comfort for Kaburagi's so that he understood how Onoe's intentions were good.

I also read that both his parents attended his fan meetings so what's more likely is that his dad was fine with his career choice.
True, we can't know what went through his dad's mind and this applies your original comment too that implies he had a negative reaction. Things shared about Krist's father online actually suggest he is supportive.

I read online that in an old interview, Krist shared that his father was one of the people who instilled acceptance of LGBT people in him, so I doubt his father was disappointed in his son acting in a BL drama. And Krist has become very successful through BL, much more than he would have as a swimmer.

I beg to differ from the folks who are saying it's boring. I found it very enjoyable and gripping. Perhaps the bored folks wanted to see grand gestures of love whereas this series depicts love between two shy people who show love in little ways. I liked the sexual tension, jealousy and Onoe's cute sulking.
The actors did have chemistry; that's exactly how "two people who like each other but won't admit it in words but will express it via actions" would behave. I liked the stories of the missions too; glad they were brief and moved the plot forward. Wish there was a season 2.

"it comes out of your statements that it's only about the fact that a straight couple was to be seen at all.
That, too, is your right to think that way. But what is not acceptable is that you and others insult the creators of the series for it, or even demand that something like this should not happen."
No, it is wholly acceptable to demand that people who made the drama adaptation stay true to the source material. The manhwa is a story of a gay couple and it does not have that straight couple. The makers of the drama invented the straight couple and sidelined the gay couple. Why they did so seems to be to cater to Korean audience's homophobia.

I don't mind straight couples in BLs but the gay couple should be the main focus of the story and straight couples that weren't in the source material shouldn't be concocted and given more screen time than the namesake gay couple.

I did not know that he lost his mother in 2017. How tragic. Maybe that's why he did not do a drama series in 2017 but did so in 2018. Hope he's doing okay now.

I'm giggling but I also feel bad that you're not having a good time. I can't say when exactly but I recall that the awkward moments decreased gradually so sometime in the latter half of the series, I felt that they were giving more air time to other topics. Personally, I really liked when they all went to renovate the rural school (middle part of ep. 6 through ep. 8) so I hope you like that part too. But also, I know this series is not everyone's cup of tea so I won't blame you if you drop it again. In any case, thanks for giving the show another try because of my comment.

My favourite character from Secret Crush on You. I can't wait to see him in more roles.

I understand. When Toh took a whole crab as a memento, that was a major "what the heck???" moment. For me, the other characters were more likeable than him and kept me engaged with the series. My personal favourite couple wasn't explored much but gosh their street food date was so cute! I hope you come to enjoy the show whenever you watch it again.