Laughing Stars

If this is not your thing, then it's simply not your thing. I see in your comments that you expected it to be more like NiF and from my own experience, there is nothing worse than when we expect something and then get something completely different.

These are two totally different stories. MCS is a man with his own power base, who was an adult when everything exploded around him. Zanghai was a child and his practical experience in anything doesn't exist. Does he have plot armour? Yeah, sure. But let's be honest then, MCS also had major plot armor.

Anyway, Zanghai is still a great drama. I sincerely hope you can put your expectations aside and try to see this as a separate and completely different work. If not, it sucks but it happens. Maybe next one will be better for you. Spending time here arguing with others won't do anything but waste your time in finding something you do like. Good luck!

Nirvana in Fire and Joy of Life.

I highly recommend NiF, fantastic drama.

We are going a little crazy with theories but boy, are we engaged 😂

I don't know for sure 😭😂

At first I thought exactly like you did but then the more I think about it, something just isn't sitting right with me. He is too easily led, too naive, too stupid for the lack of a better word.
I think he really might be playing them.

He seems to be falling for their games way too easily. I understand that he was incredibly shocked by discovering his parents but on the other hand, he has been in this world for months now and experienced how rotten to the core and how cruel they all are. He is incredibly smart. Yet not once, not even before he discovered his parents, does he think he is being played?

No, I think he knows. I think he knows and he still did what they wanted him to do. It sounds insane but I really think it's a possibility.

I don't mind if they end up playing us the viewers. At least we are having a great time trying to figure all this out 😂

Oh and thank you!

He had the death sign on his hand, if you remember that tattoo. He was always meant to die. His death was used then to establish Zanghai's identity.

I think they think they are toying with him.

Yes, they baited him and he fell for it. But what I think is that he actually pretended to fall for the set up. He took the bait even though he knew it was a set up. It was a calculated risk on his part. He did exactly what they wanted him to do because he wanted to draw out the masked man to get as much info as he could.

They want him to find the artifact. That's the point of their game with him. But I think he knows that and is faking it all. He is doing all this to get them where he wants them. It's crazy risky, I don't think a fully stable person could go that far. But that is what I think he is doing.

Or I am overthinking 😂

He still feels empathy, so that is primarily why I would eliminate psychopathy.

But I agree that if this part is correct and he is playing all these games, then we have passed into mentally dangerous territory. He has endangered himself enough times to an incredible degree that no mentally stable person would do.

There are moments in Xiao Zhan's acting that if we put them together maybe do signify this extremely calculating personality that is playing this game. It's in the eyes, at several points he had an incredibly cold and maybe even slightly mad look. But on the other hand, they also fit the individual scenes on their own so like I said, I can't make up my mind if we are simply overthinking. If we aren't though and he really is all that below the surface, that would be amazing. Chilling but amazing.

He should be. And that is the problem, so to speak. We are just talking about that, look below.

I can't decide if we are attributing too much or too little to Zanghai. I too have wondered if the whole bronze tube scene was a set up for the masked man because while I can understand that Zanghai is still young, this attempt was somehow too rash and his reasoning a little too naive. He has seen too much until this point not to realise Marquis is baiting him.

If that's the case then he is very cunning. Not a psychopath, that is not what a psychopath is. But he would be extremely calculating and cold, to take such risks. It's definitely not behavior of a person who is mentally healthy.

On the other hand, he simply could be naive and still rash, after having seen the state of his parents. I can't make up my mind which I believe more but I know I would prefer the first option because it's cooler 😂

Definitely not dead. It was just to get him out of the line of fire.

You know, I agree, he is. He is going to end up playing us too!

We should rename this show to Legend of Sus 😂

It's because of the antis that are giving low scores to all episodes, even those not aired yet. Drama is great! Come join us in the many discussions!

Oh sus for sure. I kept talking at my screen, stop trusting him, have we learnt nothing 😭😂

He is definitely sus but it was still great acting 😂

Oh, I don't see anyone mentioning it but the actor who plays Guanfeng knocked it out of the park in the reunion scene!

You could absolutely be right and in the end, by the time we have the fully formed character everything will fit seamlessly. I am open to the option that this is what actually fits the character, once fully realised.

As I said way above, even my current opinion isn't in any way negative enough to impact my thoughts in any significant ways. I think she has good chemistry with the ML but then, I have a soft spot for younger actresses whose path is often impossibly difficult so I hope she can have a break through on her own too, as an individual character in this drama.

I have to say I disagree. Nobility is nobility and in those times, especially in nobility women were commodity that was used to make connections or sometimes as collateral. She is also someone from a conquered kingdom, not a part of a ruling Imperial dynasty. It would be a miracle if she hadn't experienced many hardships in her life.

In any case, she would still be constrained by the then societal norms and demands on proper comportment simply by living there. She doesn't hold the power to shed those demands.

I don't think I am misreading the character at all, I am just not agreeing with her interpretation of what a powerful woman of that time and in her place should behave. Of course, all that might change in the future.

I just went back to some of her scenes to see if I can articulate it better. I think that the impression that we are supposed to have is that of a bad-ass boss woman. But that is not what I am getting from her. She is almost too peppy in her physical movements and way of speaking.

I think the way she acts is very modern so in the end, this doesn't fit the times that the drama is showing. Women in that era who have managed to achieve that type of success would have been way more stern, cold, jaded, more contained as I mentioned. After all, women had very little power. So I think the interpretation would be fine in a modern drama but its not sitting well here. Though as I said, plenty of time to see how she portrays the character.

For me, she has a somewhat modern way of acting. I am not very good with explaining but I think a person of that time period would be more contained.

It's not bothering me to the point that it's reflecting negatively on the drama but I do notice. There is a difference between her and the rest of the principal cast that is noticeable, I understand what you mean. We should give her a chance though, nobody started perfect and there is a lot of episodes to go.

This is a male focused drama.

People tried emphasising this before but I feel like from the desire to see her be the lead, some of her fans missed what male focused drama means. Essentially it has only one lead and that is the ML. She is simply the main female character but this isn't the typical lead role. She won't have major screentime.

It's still Zheng Xiaolong so you don't need to worry. He won't make her a prop. She will just come in later with the majority of her story and judging by already shown episodes, it will be good. It may not be the screentime that her fans want but it is a great thing for a young actress to be a part of this production. Just be patient.