MadelineMaureen

pretty sure the 💔for episode 20 is because she thinks Lin is hurt. I think the shattered heart isnt about the leads but possibly the 2ML. As there seems to be another confession between the ML & FL in episode 21 based on teasers.
so im thinking Lin will finally figure out that she wasn't the one he was meeting before his accident in episode 25. though now that I think about it I can't tell if the pics go with the SVIP or just VIP.

should be soon. episode 21 he seems to be putting the pieces together based off of her reaction to thinking he was possibly hurt.

There is a misunderstanding on him and his friend's side. His friend thought a woman was the daughter of Mr. Nie requested a date with ML....ML thought that meant his friend was talking about Nie Xi Guang(FL), but it was another woman...the daughter of the female "friend" of FL's father(possible affair partner).
So ML thought he was going on a date with FL(at her request) and then got in an accident, and she didn't even care to check on his wellbeing. So he associates her with his accident and the loss of his neurosurgeon/medical career.

I wonder when Zhuang Xu is going to tell his little brother that Ye Rong is a lying liar who lies. Because of Ye Rong's manipulation of Zhuang Fei, Zhuang Xu put A LOT of distance between himself and Xi Guang. I still cant believe that even after meeting her in person that ZF had such a negative impression of NXG. The only time he met her she was buying her cousin food let him join & barely talking to ZX. He didnt even attempt to get information from his classmate about her. he either has a crush on Ye Rong himself or is prejudice against people in better financial situations than he has.

PS. covid sucks & trying to read subtitles while going in and out of a fever is...interesting.

I think i blacked out 3 kdrama cliche bingo boards with all the tropes they threw in here. did I still love the show...yes yes I did. it was too sincere to not giggle and smile at the stupid shenanigans.

Random rant.
I'm being lazy with my episode notes for the last few episodes because I'm just....not looking forward to rewatching them(?). (This is how I sometimes take notes on shows I watch in my media journal) I might just end up giving only my opinion instead of summarizing the episode as well because I just have some much shit to say about production choices over the play by play of what was happening in which episode.
Did I leave enough space or too much space, that is the question. I normally keep pretty decent notes incase I want to come back to rewatch a show, but like....honestly I don't know if I would want to watch the show as a whole all over again. I think I would just stick to episodes 1 through a little ways into episode 19.
The drastic downturn in editing, continuity, attention to any kind of detail was just so jarring. Not one character made sense. All storylines and character development for anyone outside of the two leads was just dropped. They did speed runs for any updates of others and yet somehow still ended up with very little screen time for the leads together.
I just...I mean it wasn't as bad as what happened with Ski into Love....because that editing was....WILD. I just feel bad for Esther because that's two dramas in a row that started great and then literally lost the plot about 3 quarters of the way through. This all rests on production and censorship(for content and for time). Would love to get my hands on the translated scripts to see if it was as convoluted on the page as it was on screen.
I think i'm just disappointed that a show I was really loving just gave no consideration to the "present day" storyline.

Isn't the 14th episode supposed to be released right now? Did I get my timing wrong?

Because Rong told everyone that XiGuang left to study abroad aka long term(at least a few years) being out of the country.
He was under the impression that she wasnt in China at all the past year.

Wedding packet, exact time of meeting, not being able to to participate in teasing the groom at his wedding even though she would be present, preferred wedding time, etc....the way this man stealth teases her is so freaking cute. He will always be able to surprise her for her birthday at this rate. She wouldn't be able to pick up on anything.

I think some of it has to do with their families/mothers being close and not wanting to disappoint the elders or something. Not really sure as they kind of keep it just vague enough. I recognize the actor who plays his younger brother so I keep waiting for him to pop back up later on or something.
I totally get wanting to be on more equal or stable footing before putting yourself out their to the person you like. But SML just doesn't understand how to communicate with XiGuang at ALL. His aloofness runs a bit too deep. He never clears things up with ANYONE. He doesn't correct his friends or he has somehow remained completely oblivious to everything their department has said about him and Rong and NXG and didn't know it needed to be corrected. Also he doesn't seem to even treat his "friends" as well, friends. He doesn't tell them anything. And his loser of a roommate is getting drunk after finally getting into a relationship with a girl he's been pursuing for YEARS and he's yapping about SETTLING FOR HER. Are you fucking for real right now? If XiGuang doesn't throw them ALL in the bin after this wedding I swear. Only the real one, my girl, Xiao Feng(Really hoping I got the name right...the one who answered the interview call) can stay.

Giggling, kicking my feet as I watch.

LYS: you wont have time to tease the groom at my wedding 😏

OMG OMG OMG I love his friends! "You can pay her back double" *knowing eye contact...understanding assignment activated*

also keep in mind she lived off campus until her second semester of Junior year. other than her taking some classes with some of them they arent as close as other dorm groups would be by senior year.

also...her actions and words go against the version of her he made up in his mind after "she" didnt visit or call him after his accident when they had had plans & then he was hurt.
One of the first things out of her mouth after waking from her accident was if her friend was okay and that she must have been so scared. that contradictory action took him off guard. when she got upset by his words he didnt like seeing her cry. then his friend called him tf out on his behavior/attention to her the night they came in. so he reevaluated his actions & decided to move on from his past grievance.

cause his friend called him out on his attraction to her & she was upset & he found out he actually hates when she's hurt or upset.

It's like so many MLs of that time though, if you think about it. Studious, cool, handsome, yet aloof.

He's teasing her, because technically she(her family) owns half the company, and he knows she can afford the bill. She's not mad because she not only can afford it, but he's treating her as more of an equal than others have in the past after finding out who her family is. She also just has a very easy going personality in general. I'm sure that if she had expressed actual distress at having to pay the bill his wallet would have magically found it's way back into his pocket for use.

I think of it like this. She first meets him as the tutor for her younger cousin. Cool, academic, helpful, handsome. She moves onto campus and observes him more. Playful with his friends but focused in his studies...that can be extremely attractive.
She finds out her roommate is from the same town/neighborhood and feels things out. Is pretty much given the all clear and goes for it. Though rejected, he wasn't rude about it and she decided he just needed to get to know her better, she's confident and bright and easy going so she says "that's fine, but I'm still going to like you."
She then finds out later that her roommate lied as a weird test for him. And word gets around that NXG interfered with a relationship...her roommates relationship no less. So she backs off, but knows they aren't together, and is constantly around him still, because friend groups. NXG misinterprets a LOT of things people say/do. She wants to be smarter/more academic because she has a crush on the top student.
It's not until the final months of their senior year that we, the audience, are seeing their and the overall group's dynamic. So communication has broken down more and more over time, awkwardness after rumors begin to color her every interaction with the others. But she still remembers him as the kind, cool, academic guy who got her excited to be on campus.
She feels unworthy because of his intelligence and self reliance is so much higher than hers(from her perspective).
Also, never underestimate the power of a negative comment from someone you are even remotely attracted to...the instinct to prove yourself worthy of their praise is...well...real.
Also any time I question her logic in still crushing on him when she thinks he thinks poorly of her....she's in her early twenties....I too was a mess in my early twenties. Seeking approval from people I never should have cared about in the first place.
I don't think viewers should need to make up a full headcanon to rectify a character's choices, but it was something that my brain decided to do on it's own. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's slow to start, but getting good. I think the lack of ML until episode 5 might be "too long" for some viewers, but I think setting up the FL's past/character is more important to focus on in those early episodes.
Once we meet the "real" personality of the ML it gets even better.