Jang_Uk

I never said it was Ji Xing's fault that Han Ting apologized to her parents. I was pointing out that he was the only one who apologized and tried to salvage their relationship. We didn't see any apologies or efforts from Ji Xing's side. When she learned in Germany that the merger was good for the companies, she could have at least apologized for breaking into his safe or for her mistakes in the breakup, but we didn't see that from her. Only Han Ting was shown making efforts and suffering, while Ji Xing seemed unaffected after their breakup, as if it didn't bother her. If Han Ting hadn't pursued her then as Ji Xing was going then they would have lost their relationship. Yes, it is the writer's fault for making Han Ting apologize, as this has become a common trope in dramas. However, if we call out this behavior, the creators might notice that viewers are not enjoying it and may finally show a proper balance of emotions between the leads.

Su Zizhou

The issue for me wasn't just that Han Ting apologized and felt miserable, but that Ji Xing did nothing, even though both were at fault. Shouldn't Ji Xing also have been shown apologizing or at least trying to save their relationship like Han Ting? Ji Xing acknowledged that Han Ting wasn't to blame for the merger of the companies, so even a simple apology would have been appropriate. The way Ji Xing acknowledged it felt similar to how some men say they've "allowed" their female partners to work, as if implying that it isn't their basic right to work.

Is that really applicable even if the person didn't make a mistake? I don't think Han Ting made such a big mistake that he has to apologize to her parents for it. I didn't see Ji Xing giving an apology to Han Ting or anyone in his family for her part in the breakup and how she hurt him in the process. It has become a norm for CEOs in C-dramas to apologize to their GF's parents and her even when they haven't made a mistake, while the GF's get off scot-free. I watched a drama called I May Love You where the ML apologized for rejecting their daughter, even though it wasn't actually his fault.

Did something happen to Gao Han? Why does his face look so puffy in this drama? It looks unnatural to me.

It has become a norm for screenwriters to butcher female characters and important plotlines when adapting novels into dramas, often without good reason. They change the characters' personalities and remove the traits we loved from the novels. The important scenes we cherished in the novel often turn out very different in the drama. This has already happened in The Princess Royal and As Beautiful as You, and now it's happening with You Are My Secret. I don't think I'll read any novel that is set to be adapted into a drama in the future, as the adaptations are generally very different from the novels, and comparing them takes away all the joy from watching the drama.

He is only handsome and not a green flag, but rather a red flag. The way he gave that speech about meeting the FL, even though he knows she is someone else's girlfriend, and even invited her privately for dinner, is a red flag to me. You can appreciate someone's girlfriend and even love her, but only in your heart and not express it in front of others like he did. His actions after finding out about their fake relationship were right, but before knowing that, whatever he did created a bad perception.

Oh, of course, the husband who wants to rape her and has been cheating on her throughout their marriage—such a gem. Clearly, he's the ideal match for her, right? A perfect couple in your eyes, no doubt.

Was the psyche of SRQ really so interesting that the writer was writing more scenes for him, or was there something else going on? Writing more scenes for SRQ isn't wrong, but when it comes at the expense of the main character's development, it becomes a problem. The writer deleted so many scenes of PWX alone or with LR, which made LR's love for PWX seem petty, as if she didn't have a choice but to be with him.

In the novel, PWX was portrayed as a brilliant strategist, but here his only role seems to be simping for LR, with his brilliance not properly showcased. Even scenes confirming LR's love for PWX were omitted for the sake of SRQ's so-called interesting psyche, which wasn't even appreciated, as seen in the comments.

Let's take two examples: the brothel and assassination scenes. In the novel, LR went to the brothel for PWX and even slapped SRQ when PWX was almost assassinated due to her love for him. However, here these scenes were either altered or omitted solely to increase SRQ's useless screen time, which nobody wanted. Even the ending and cave scenes were heavily changed for no apparent reason.

In the novel, PWX arrested Wang Housen for two reasons: first, to avoid dealing with an angry LR (in his opinion) upon discovering the marriage letter to Consort Rou's niece, and second, to escape from the marriage entanglement. He displayed his brilliance in that decision, but here we don't even know why he wanted to arrest Wang Housen.

Ignore those people; they don't understand that novels only get adapted when they are hugely popular and have a large fanbase. The makers have a responsibility to adapt the novel to a drama as closely as possible because otherwise, they are doing a disservice to the loyal fanbase of the novel who made the adaptation possible.

Yes, you don't judge the show; you just judge the people criticizing the drama.

Just a question for my fellow male watchers: Would you be okay with getting a partner like LR?

Done!

These episodes haven't aired yet.

I hope so, because even in the novel, SML was not as annoying as the one in the drama. He didn't have much interaction with the leads. The plot of Princess Silver" looks interesting. I will check it out if I have time.

Yes, LR should at least say something to SRQ to kill his hope, or she could atleast try to defend PWX in front of SRQ, but she isn't even doing that. I feel that PWX is getting the short end of the stick here. No, I didn't watch "Princess Silver" because I'm not a big fan of historical dramas and only watch a limited number of dramas that catch my fancy.

Yes, it's true that the writers didn't include much of Hae In's emotional side, but at least she wasn't confused about her feelings. However, in this drama, LR is much more confused and still lacks clarity on who she loves even after 23 episodes. Leaving that aside, my reason for the comparison is that both dramas are second-chance romances where the creators are determined to push the SMLs onto us, hoping we will feel sympathy and root for them but instead, we end up feeling annoyed by them.

This drama is suffering from the "Queen of Tears" syndrome. Just like in QOT, the makers are excessively focusing on the SMLs, despite viewers being constantly annoyed by them. The series would have been more balanced if the MLs also had their own SFLs to even out the situation. I don't understand why, even though half the drama has aired, we still get so many prominent SML scenes, just like in QOT. The writers seem to hope that viewers will sympathize with the SMLs as they try to win the FL's affections. However, seeing them pursue the FL, knowing she is married in both this drama and QOT, is very frustrating. Moreover, the MLs in both dramas are much softer, with their constant declarations of love, while the FLs remain cold-hearted throughout most of the drama and take their time to warm up. The MLs have to patiently wait for them, even while feeling incredibly jealous. This makes us feel as if FL's are not making much efforts.

Hey guys, when do you think LR will stop giving SRQ hope? She becomes so starstruck and unable to say anything in SRQ's presence that it takes away the whole feel of our romantic scenes.

I think you are the only one who believes that LR doesn't love SRQ, even though it's clearly shown that LR has strong affection for SRQ, both in the present and the past. It's obvious, but you are being rather dismissive about it. Being together for 17 years can do that to you, and it's normal. People don't easily believe anything negative about their loved ones when it comes from someone they have no feelings for. LR clearly says she missed out on SRQ, so you shouldn't judge otherwise.