Eleison

I think that's how he dies, so we got some foreshadowing this episode. 👍

He's one of my favorites, too

The beginning of the drama also feels kind of slice of life. That changes in Epsiode 16 or so.

It crashed for me last night for a few hours. Some people couldn't get on until an hour ago?!

I was confused because it's the definitely the same scene we saw at the end of Episode 28. They just didn't include it for some reason? People are saying they'll do a flashback, maybe?

I thought they only kissed when he caught up to her to say goodbye?

I think that would be true for a movie (if you skipped scenes it's probably not worth watching, because the run time is so short compared to a drama), but for dramas or TV, due to the nature of how much screen time there is, it might to have some scenes that viewers may not enjoy as much as others that they might love and still be a good show.

I'd rate a drama higher that had 80%-90% of it that I adored than a drama that I felt almost entirely meh about (even if I didn't skip scenes on the first watch). For instance, Racket Boys. I absolutely LOVED all the scenes with the boys and their families and friends, but eventually skipped all the scenes with the neighbor couple that moved in from the city and built relationships with the village neighbors. I thought it was completely boring, and since I signed up to watch a bunch of kids growing and learning to play racket ball, I didn't let those parts ruin my love for the drama overall. I rated that drama very high because of how much I loved 90% of the drama.

I would just scroll through the comments here for a few minutes. I think you'll get a better idea from various angles of what you'd be getting into by watching this. It will give you a more balanced sense of what to expect than from people responding directly to your question.

So many amazing parents have lost their kids momentarily in busy places one time or another (and usually only for a minute or two), but it happens, especially with babies/toddlers who suddenly get very mobile, active and busy.
It's not neglectful, per se, and the important thing is that you learn from your mistakes (as the drama emphasized).

I think very brief shots of him in Episode 27 in a montage, I think?

I heard someone say they decided to can that and go with what we saw in Episode 26. It makes sense so they don't confront each other until they're not staring into each other's eyes the entire ride spitting nails with their eyes. 😅

Isn't it a memorial for XZ's father?

He was similar with Tao as he is with Changyu; I think that's the version of himself he'd be if he didn't have to be the Marquis.

Some die hard fans! I wonder if it's for rhe actors or the writer or director? Or maybe people liked the novel?

I felt like Flourished Peony/In The Name Of Blossom and the Nirvana in Fires stuck with me, but I see what you mean. They are not always deeply thoughtful stories, just a fun romp in costume Cdramaland!

I was thinking of that one, too. The one of XZ ninja-ing off the wall with his mask was also really cool.

Related but not an answer to your question (it's a line that's said that I really liked), for some reason I really liked when he said, "Careful!" as Changyu wrestled her way off his horse at the beginning of Episode 27. I thought his worry over her in at the beginning of the altercation was so heart melty. He just had to go and ruin it with his line at the end. 🙄

Maybe that's the real reason so many find Qi Min so appealing: the gray hair? 😅

How is that even possible? What makes it so highly anticipated?

💯 It made me realize some people can genuinely like a drama purely due to the leads' chemistry and good looks. The writing can be shoddy and production quality/editing can be poor, and it still won't matter if these other things are present in overwhelming supply. 😅

I think Nirvana In Fire is the other closest and has maintained a 9 or 9.1. As much as I'm enjoying POJ, it still doesn't even come close to NIF... a true masterpiece, that.