Jason_17_

Miao Jing doesn't act with an attitude just for the sake of it. At first, she had to because of how they separated; she didn't want to be forced by him to leave the house. Before Ep 17, she was in a state of observation. She didn't react the way she actually felt; instead, she responded deliberately.

Starting from Ep 21, she shows him attitude again because she is hurt.

She repeatedly asks ChenYi what he is to her, because he always acts like a slave whose only responsibility is to be a shield for her by disregarding his own safety. She treats him as her boyfriend, her one and only family, someone she could lean on, someone with whom she could be vulnerable, and she wants ChenYi to do the same: to lean on her and not just jump in front to shield her. She doesn't want history to repeat itself, where ChenYi destroyed himself for her. If she played it safe and doesn't show that his way of loving her is hurting her, then ChenYi would never overcome his nature: his nature of isolating his emotions and needs, of hiding his vulnerability even in front of her, and of not seeing her as a weak, helpless kid, of doing thing alone risking his life.

She calls him her boyfriend because she knows how much he loves her; she doesn't need a confession or to ask him out. From the moment ChenYi started showing jealousy and took her out of the CenYe room, she saw it as him opening up to her. It was her green signal for the confrontation they had in Ep 17 and his answer, and that was enough.

The novel is definitely wilder, but the drama plays it safer to match audience expectations and preferences. The cdrama writers seem to prefer keeping relationships exclusive, which explains why Tuli was just a fake girlfriend with no real history. As for Miao Jing, I’m not sure if they truly where in a relationship. With how much non existent information we have it’s pretty much up to the viewers, if you want to think they were intimate, go for it; if not, that’s valid too. There’s actually a scene in Episode 30 where Cenye and MJ talk about their relationship, but the subtitles are messed up in Mangotv. I’m just waiting on Viki for a proper sub.

I know. What I meant by verbalize is that they don’t ask each other out. Miao Jing actually asks, but not directly. Episode 17 was her asking him out.

This is the intensity I expected from war scenes in other recent period dramas, but they failed to deliver; this one, however, delivered. The emotions, context, planning and fights, everything is 🔥

Chen Yi is always willing to go to hell for Miao Jing; he shields and pushes her away, hoping she can live a safe and happy life. However, Miao Jing does not see happiness in a life without him. Instead, she finds happiness in walking with Chen Yi, even if it is through hell.

Some viewers might perceive his love as greater than hers, but her love is no less than his. She simply wants to go through everything with him: both happiness and hardship, life and death. Everything she does is intended to make Chen Yi realize that loving her is not just about sacrificing everything for her, but about being willing to share the burden and lean on each other for both small and big things. Not just think about her but about them.

Miao Jing is completely and exclusively in love with Chen Yi. Her past relationships were a result of her trauma and a desperate attempt to live a normal life and find a home to fill the void within her; however, those relationships failed to do so. Ultimately, she returns for Chen Yi.

1 - Yes, the female lead (FL) had two past relationships, and one of her exes comes back and ML is in a fake relationship. You don't have to worry about them, FL don't have any feelings for her ex and ML don't have any feelings for his fake girlfriend.

2- This is a difficult question because they do not verbalize their love; instead, they start treating each other like BF and GF because they already know what they feel for each other.

3 - They break up in Episode 11 and they remain apart for six years. The story skips this six-year gap; their relationship begins actual progress again from Episode 17.

4- Happy ending.

Damn... Hands down, I was feeling their love, and I felt like I was in... LOVE.

I see it differently regarding your statement: 'Not putting someone above everything else and especially above your job means you dont love them btw.' Love has levels, and there are many real life stories where we can experience these levels. But yeah, I will rewatch the drama. Not just because of that scene, but because I love this drama.

This is just one of my many reasonings: In some cases women might feel uncomfortable bending down to tie their laces for obvious reasons. So, this gesture might have started as a way to protect them and eventually evolved into a romantic gesture that most men follow, or at least see in Asian dramas. Honestly, I haven't seen anyone do it in real life.

I loved Episode 28 so much and want to rave about it, but I’ll wait until I’ve finished the drama.

Another great episode. It was definitely a slow one, but I enjoyed it.

I just finished Episode 2. I like the presentation style they chose, but the execution is lacking.

Another great episode.

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.