Jason_17_

Personally I don’t have any issues with FL trying to find love but Most audiences want exclusivity in stories like this, so when that exclusivity is broken, they find it hard to accept. If this were a story where the two leads met in high school and dated for a year and broke up, hardly anyone would think twice about the female lead finding someone else. However, their bond began when they were children, which makes it much harder for audiences to separate that emotional bond.

Even if she was trying to move on, many viewers would rather see the female lead focus on her career, her friends, and rebuilding herself instead of seeking another romance. After experiencing such a deep and defining love, it's difficult for audiences to believe and accept that she would be ready to take another step toward love.

That said, MJ's greatest desire was always to have a home. She first saw her mother as her home, and later Chen Yi became that home for her. After being abandoned again, receiving no support from her mother, and constantly seeing the people around her enjoying the sense of family and belonging that she longed for, it was only natural that she would try to find that feeling again through love.

The problem is that this is ultimately presented as a fantasy romance about two tragic souls who grew up together and fell in love. Because of that premise, many audiences wanted her journey in those six years to be about her discovering that "home" within herself rather than searching for it in someone else.

Even if the ML had tried dating someone else, I think the response would have been similar. There might have been slightly less backlash, but people still wouldn't have liked the idea of either of them having exes.
Of course, some people are just hating on the FL for no reason.

So, my point is, humans can be foolish in one way or another, so I stopped bothering with them to find peace. Hate is an easy emotion to grow, especially toward fictional characters.

You came across a video? I only saw an AI photo, so I didn't think much about it.

ChenYi before arson incident - I hope she(MJ) has a smooth and peaceful life. From this moment on, may we always walk together.

ChenYi after the incident - Love you? Don't be ridiculous.

ChenYi after six years - We are different, My life is already a complete mess, I can't have a better life. Do you understand?

He went from wanting to spend his whole life with her to not even wanting her to touch his presence. Of course, that’s not what he wants to do, but in his mind, he feels he has no other choice.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to write all that out. I am aware of his financial struggles and the things he had to do because of them. The reason I didn't mention them in my previous comment is because I wanted to focus on the root cause; his fear of becoming like his father definitely shaped his choices, both in good ways and in bad ways.

I have some guesses about why and how he ended up in the underground, but I’m not sure if they are true, and most of them align with yours.

Chen Yi’s mindset won’t change that easily. He used to see a future for himself and dream of becoming a police officer, but his father stopped him from attending the academy. During their confrontation, he vowed, 'I won’t become like you.' But when he discovered that Chen Li Bin was indeed his biological father, his fear grew: the fear of inheriting his father’s traits.

Instead of following his dream, he chose to stay with his friends and build a future together. He could have gone to the police academy and pursued his dream, but he chose to support his friends. Perhaps he believed that if Chen Li Bin were in his shoes, he would have left his friends to chase his own dreams. Driven by a desire not to be like his father, he chose kindness. When MJ was abandoned by her mother and left a mountain of debt, he saw himself in her. Since he already viewed her as family, he chose to take care of her specifically to prove he was not like his father.

As days went by, his attempts to care for her and secure a better future for her caused him to completely forget himself. This mindset of putting her first became deeply rooted. It is not easy for him to simply say, 'Okay, I’ll think about our future.' This became even harder after what he went through. He even stopped viewing the pool as part of his own dream. Once, it was a dream shared by all of them; now, it exists only for his friends. He sees himself as trash that might slowly corrupt Miao Jing.

First, he needs to stop fearing that he will become like his father. In fact, he may already believe he has come close to becoming him.

Friends to Enemies🤒.

The confrontation broke the ice between them. I agree that alone wasn't enough for them to act flirtatious right away; in fact, they didn't. CY asked for time, and MJ agreed.

In the PS, MJ says, 'Six years was too long, I can't wait anymore.' However, that doesn't mean she wasn't willing to give him time. She tried to find the truth from his friends and Mr. Zhou. I don't know how much she learned about his past, but it certainly wasn't much. At this point, her goal was simply to find the truth and help CY.

At this time, CY was in a messed-up state due to the trauma and learning the truth behind MJ's actions. As always, he decided to protect her. They had a prior appointment to watch a play, and although she was sad that he didn't show up, it didn't stop their progress. From the moment CenYe entered the story, CY didn't hide his stance. To MJ, this was a huge sign that he was starting to embrace her, but she didn't immediately act as if everything was 'lovey-dovey' and flirty.

A few more scenes gave her the confirmation she needed. When CY entered the office and they talked in the hall, he started the conversation by talking about his outfit. MJ saw her chance and flirted hard, asking, 'Why are you here?' To avoid answering, he tried to flirt back, but it backfired; it only made the heat rise within him. So, he quickly gave up and backed off. Later, at home, MJ offered to dry his hair. Their stance and progression were pretty clear. MJ clearly spelled out that she didn't want to wait anymore, and CY stopped pushing her away. What more does MJ need to go into full-throttle mode?

For this particular couple, I felt what they showed was pretty clear. Of course I'm all their for more scenes.

Now another ice resurfaced in Ep 21; she gave him the cold shoulder because even now, he only thinks of her future, not theirs. This coming trip might give you what you were expecting.

I never said that it was implied; I said their actions were clear enough. It is obvious that our standards for what we consider "clear enough" are different, so I can understand the disagreement.

I think she was attracted to him from day one, but she also had her priorities straight.

I'm sorry, but I don’t really understand why you think their change was abrupt when their development has been happening since childhood. I don't know why you view their kiss as something normal. To both of them, that moment was incredibly important because Chen Yi stopped holding back his desire for her, and MJ screamed that she loved him. Chen Yi's current state of mind is entirely focused on wanting MJ to be safe and happy, so he is simply walking behind her and not projecting his own desires. I think the director showed the changes in their dynamic pretty well through Chen Yi's change in attitude and the decisions he was making. In my opinion, they are not like a typical couple that needs their progress explicitly shown. My earlier comment was also not about a confession; it was about their relationship stance. Anyway this is just my interpretation so you can disagree with it if you want.

Her kiss dare was the confession, and Chen Yi kissing her back was the acceptance. However, he needed time to clear his head, and the moment he started working at the company, that time ended. For them, there was no need for a verbal confirmation; they were already family and required no other label. Even though she calls him her boyfriend and Chen Yi sees no issue with that, I still think we will get a real confession in today’s episode.

Youthful Glory?

So, both the sister and the brother are going to be the future villains?

Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Didn't Chen Yi ask for some time?

Miao Jing: In places I never saw, how much have you suffered?

The floral untucked shirt, the loose tie, and even the buttons... it was hilarious 🤣, and the nosebleed takes the crown.🤣🤣

Yeah, my bad.

They should name this drama 'Chenyi's Embarrassment Collection.'🤣

I haven't watched the episode yet, but I think I understand why MJ dated and tried to find love. She wants a home, and Chengyi destroyed it. Even though she loves him so much, she still feels a need to find one, and maybe as a coping mechanism, she got into a relationship with the person she saw as home. She was all alone, so letting a person into her life is nothing wrong.

Yeah, I'm just thinking about the possibilities. If the writer really wants to break our hearts, they might choose to write it that way. But I guess they will not.