Blackrabbit63

Messing with our emotions is right. I think about this show all the time now, wondering what is coming next.....when will she know...will they reconcile or not, how do they take on the bandits, does he get a cure or not???? I might be a little obsessed now😂😂😍🤔💖 .....all signs pointing to an engrossing plot and good characters.

I laughed at your comment, I'm starting to prepare myself for this too - Long Ballad ver 2, especially with ML always insisting to not tell her the truth....

Me too, I hope he apologizes properly. If so I can forgive him, as I'm sure DW will! 😊 lol It's amazing how invested I am getting in these characters and this show, a sign for that it has good characters and a story I'm interested in. 🥰🔥

I've been thinking about what you wrote here, all this morning after I woke up. I really appreciate your point of view, as it is helping me see why writers like this trope so much. It fits his character to do this, I agree, so I like how you say it from his viewpoint. I don't think it fits DW's (or mine! lol), so I'm curious to see what her reaction will be when she finds out. I'm also very curious what his reaction will be when he is cured, if it's after they are reconciled (I assume still they will be) or before, and how that changes his actions. There are so many different ways this story can go......

I don't think YZJ is showing any regret at all for pushing her away. It hurt him to push her away (we saw that in the rain scene), but he hasn't expressed any regret at the decision, just sadness at that moment. If you've seen ep 27, you will know what I mean. He believes what he is doing is the best thing for her. I agree, if he ever tells her the truth, then they won't have much time and she would do all she can to be with him - but we don't know yet how this will happen, if it's before he's cured or after, or if he will be cured, all we have to go on right now is that he is pushing her away, thinking he's saving her pain and keeping her safe. I'm shaking my head at this trope! lol I'm not sure what you mean by YZJ is facing his regrets for being selfish and carrying the weight of what he's done? Did I miss a scene? I haven't seen one where he is concerned that she hates him....in fact, he thinks it's safer for her that she does. I hope we see the regret at some point!

I hope he does show some remorse after. I agree, this is part of his growth as a character. She has had a lot of growth, and he has had a little bit. I think she has outgrown YZJ, unless he makes a dramatic improvement. It's why she keeps asking him if he only has revenge....until he can answer her that he has more than that, she will keep walking away.

I'm in the groveling group! lol Why is lying to her and hiding he's dying such a noble thing to do? Yes he watched the convoy dying - so did she!! They could have grieved together, and she could have stood beside him until he dies....and he decides only on revenge, not on love. That's what she keeps asking him, does he only have revenge? Of course I feel tons of pity for him, and I understand he's afraid she will hurt when he dies, but that's not protecting her. She's still going to be hurt. So we see him crying once when he hurts her, and hears her sobbing, but he keeps doing it. In a way, this trope shows he thinks it's good for her to be hurt now, rather than later. Which he is controlling! lol just a little toxic.....And of course the pain is very different, and he doesn't understand this. Grief pain is not the same pain as being completely rejected by someone who swore he loved you. Which we just saw happen with Lady Huan. That's why I want YZJ to suffer a little once he realizes what his choice did to her. So far he hasn't regretted making it as he keeps making the same choice at every opportunity he has to change it.

Yes, I'm one who finds that noble idiocy annoying in general. In this case, YZJ doesn't give her a choice, and this is what bothers me about this trope, as well as his character: he only has a little while to live, they are already in love, and he decides it's better to make her hate him, than to let her grieve when he dies. He's taking her choice away to choose to be with him, and to share in what he's going through. He does it to protect her, but it also denies them the chance to grow closer together in their remaining time. That's what I don't like about YZJ's continuously deciding it's better for her to not know. He's not thinking about after he dies and she finds out. How she will feel that he didn't want her with him, didn't want her love at the end, would give it all up to keep her safe. She didn't ask him to. I understand that he doesn't want to put her through pain, but pain is part of loving, and he has hurt her even more by being so cruel with his words and pushing her out of his life completely. Grieving or hate, why do they always think hating is better? I'm hoping he comes to regret this, and we see her not accepting him so easily back. Of course, I am hoping he finds a cure as well. I like YZJ, he is fascinating! I want to see him learn how much he devastated her with his choice. Of course, I hope this every time this trope happens in a drama! lol And for him to have regret that he made that choice...that would show his character growth. He said way back in ep 18 that he would never let anyone hurt her again, and he's given her the most pain ever since. The irony!

Yes, I agree, with what you say, about the complexities of love and loss in this show and for our characters. I was commenting on another comment above, and suddenly realized that I'm waiting for YJZ's character growth to begin, when he starts to accept love again, but not sure how this is going to happen after today's ep 27 (I just watched it). You are right, YZJ's choice is tragic so far. I wonder if DW is disappointed in him too? Of course she is! lol All he has room for is revenge now.....he values her but won't tell her...very messy....

Even just now in ep 27, YZJ would rather stay her enemy, than tell her the truth and let her make her own decision, and he says he is protecting her. He has succeeded in pushing her away enough that she has nothing to do with him. I am not sure how she can fall back in love with him. I think we can see that she doesn't believe he killed Shrimp & Co, or she would be trying to get revenge on YZJ by now. She has already made the connection between the Zhengs and the bandits, and he still won't tell her the truth. I wish they would finish with this bandit story and his dying, so that he has time to start showing he values her. I think what I'm trying to say is that if this drama is about her gaining self-respect and a place in the world, then she can choose now on her terms to take him back or not (when he tells the truth) and he has to respect her terms. And I don't see him respecting her yet. He'd still drug her if he thought that would protect her. That's what I'm hoping for in the next episodes, is character growth beyond revenge, for him.

I agree with what you say here, "He doesn't care to tell the truth," well said, and: "It's like there is going to be love but it's gonna be just in memory for her". Also, YZJ wanting to protect her suddenly is confusing, as he has said stay away from him. I like her reaction to that, that she can't figure out what he wants any more, and doesn't care to. He still isn't telling her what is going on, and she walks away.

I applaud DW's choice too, to honor her and Shrimp's dream. I find this more relatable than what YZJ is choosing. I understand he is choosing revenge, but I hope it costs him something before he gets DW back - ie he has to earn her trust back. That he didn't want to spend his last days with her is going to hurt her too, even if she understands his need for revenge. At least I hope so, because it will be disappointing if she accepts him back quickly. i have to admit I'm kind of cheering for the SML right now, at least he hasn't broken her heart into 10 million pieces and stomped all over them like YZJ has. Also, YZJ pushing her away shows that he is still making decisions for her (he's going to protect her by pushing her away) instead of making decisions with with her (telling her he's dying and he's afraid she will be in danger). This would give her the choice of staying with him or not, and at least he would be telling the woman he loves that he is dying (being honest). Plus drugging her as he left! lol They weren't really partners in his eyes. That's why I hope she takes a while to take him back.

I agree YZJ is acting according to what he believes, and it's easier for him to push her away. Then, I really want him to have to earn DW's trust back, and not just have her take him back when he tells her what is going on. He doesn't deserve her back so easily any more because of his hurting her so much. He could also spend what little time he has with her, since they are already in love, and keep her safe while he can.... He's hurt her so much...I know he's trying to protect her because of the pearl, but everyone knows they were together once, so she isn't safe anyway. So I dislike his actions although I understand them, and am with DW on this....Her remembering Shrimp and Co on opening day was one of the most moving moments in the drama so far. I can tell I am really involved in this drama when I start analyzing all their behaviour! lol

I'm still devastated he said to her that he doesn't want to be with her....I'm so glad she said to him when he came to her to offer help, that she doesn't know what he wants any more, and doesn't care to work it out. I am so with her at this point. When will he choose love too?? I want him to have to work to earn her trust back now. But he'll claim he was 'toughening her up" so she could go it alone on her own after his death, and she'll accept that....please make him suffer a little the way she has!

Thank you for this awesome recap. Ep 26 left me on edge...it's all I've thought about all day. I still have 25 mins until the next episode is out! I too like ZJR as a back-up boyfriend...he is so open and honest with her. YZJ is a cool pirate businessman who hides everything....so hard to trust him at this point. Though I love LYN in the role, and I want our CP to be happy....dreading who is going to die next if they killed off Lady Huan like that....so on edge that I can't watch anything else today! lol

I'm still in shock that she is gone. I really liked her character and friendship with DW. 😭😭

I just finished watching Ep 23 and am still crying. ...I love that she imagined them with her for that moment. Oh, that's making me cry again....Also love where DW set up her shop! 😅

I did also want to wring his neck on many occasions, and then he would melt the FL and me with something he said or did....he was so casually thoughtless and cruel, and also brilliant, even though he was also loyal to what he believed...I too thought he was realistic. I like how it's her mole that differentiates her from everyone else for him at first. I really enjoyed the journey with them, and the novel too. I'm liking the drama because of the two leads, and the visuals in the cinematography are stunning, even though the drama story wanders a little bit sometimes. If the producers put in that scene, then that will make their drama journey just as twisted and exciting. I am hoping!

I wonder this too. It would be in fitting with the dark side to the drama too. It fits his character so well....and you are right, in the novel he realizes what she means to him only after it's too late. I would like to see it, I wonder if they dared include it?

His character is so good and so twisted in the novel. By this scene at the end it was entirely believable he would do that because of his great love and his inablitity to accept that he couldn't walk away from her at the same time. His actions! lol I was so glad it was a happy ending though. i really enjoyed the novel though I yelled at him for 3/4 of it....