Meari21

"His aura was just too sweet"
--- Because he is supposed to be sweet. Fan Yue was a good kid with a sweet disposition who went through a tragedy and had to put on the mask of a great demon king to survive and protect his subjects. He is not supposed to be domineering, he is only pretending to be all ruthless and cold. This is the same guy who gathered refugees of demon clans that lost their homes because of wars between the kingdoms. And the one who took pity on an outcast princess and made her his personal bodyguard. Even Jingyuan was a playful and flamboyant demon lord, not the usual dark and brooding kind. I'm not saying that this is your case but I've noticed that those who take issue with his portrayal are those who are expecting a different kind of demon, the type with a dark sexy aura and they usually have guys like Luo Yunxi or Dylan Wang in mind. So when Ruipeng was cast, they were disappointed because he doesn't have that kind of appeal to them and his Fan Yue is nothing like what they wanted to see. Demons are not innately evil, they are more like fairies in western folklore. I think there's a misconception about what demons actually are in Chinese mythology. They are capable of both good and evil, so not all of them will have that sexy evil demon vibe. But of course, I respect your opinion as we all have our own preferences. I'm merely responding to your take for the sake of discussion.

I was talking about the story. I don't expect it to have the same vibe since it's a different production and set in a different country. Thanks for the information, though.

Then you will hate most Japanese dramas and movies because they almost always have open endings. lol

What do you mean exactly? Two high traffic actors? As far as I know, only one of them can be called that and that's Bai Lu. Ao Ruipeng was a B-list actor at best. This drama practically catapulted his career. The other two leads are up and coming actors. They also gained considerable attention because of this drama. And aren't you the same person who posted a long rant about how terrible this drama is and how much you hated it? I do remember that because you caused quite a ruckus here.

Everyone who sacrificed their lives for the cause will be brought back to life according to "Heaven". Fan Yue was only the first one brought back, the rest will come later on, they just don't show it in the drama. You'll just have to use your imagination.

That has more to do with cultural differences though. In ancient China, women were considered properties or tools to establish alliances between powerful clans. They don't get any real education save for learning how to manage households and take care of their families. It's a patriarchal society, after all. In western countries, women were more respected because that was the norm and men (and women) were expected to show proper courtesy in society.

Jingyuan came back when a fragment of himself that restrained the hidden heart of Moli broke off. As Fan Yue was supposedly dead (but not really dead, if he was, his body would've dissipated like for most demons), he took over his body. He left again because his whole reason for existence is Xingyue and when it was clear Bai Shou is not her, he had no reason to stay.

Cool! Thanks for answering my question.

I think he's the type of actor who would do better with antagonistic roles or a red flag male lead maybe when he learns to exude more masculinity and maturity in this performances like Liu Xueyi.

Does it remind you of Jane Austen's Pride of Prejudice and Emma? If it does, I will give this a go. I find those types of stories entertaining.

I felt the Chong Zhao and Fu Ling romance was forced. I didn't buy it. I don't see the chemistry they're talking about either. But that's just me as I hardly see chemistry in most hetero couples. I'm a BL kind of girl. lol I also like Chang Hua Sen as a villain more, I thought he looked too boyish as Chong Zhao next to a more mature and sensual Dai Lu Wa as Fu Ling. The letters subplot would've been alright if he actually developed feelings for her even when she was the murderous psycho. That for some reason he couldn't understand why he was drawn to her and wanted to convince her to leave Cold Spring Palace. But he didn't. He was still very much obsessed with Bai Shou. I get that a child would fall in love with a secret admirer so it makes sense that he became infatuated with Bai Shou because that was the only reason why he supposedly loved her. They could've made Fu Ling more sympathetic by making her act differently around him, making sure he doesn't dirty his hands instead of encouraging him to kill and be part of Cold Spring Palace. She could've been ruthless with others but a completely different person with him.

Hi there fellow crazy CP fan! lol

Oh same! I'm not into romance or CPs and I very rarely ship hetero couples so in C-drama they're the only two couples I ship that I will watch no matter how bad the drama is. 😅 The downside is I will have difficulty watching them being paired with others from now on. I couldn't stand seeing Neo with other actresses after I saw him with Zhou Ye. Same with her. I like Wang Xingyue but I'm very hesitant to watch Scent of Time or her upcoming drama with Cheng Lei. I will definitely dislike Bai Lu's pairing with Joseph Zheng even though I like him too. And Ruipeng's pairing with Li Landi will not sit well with me either. 😂

Yes, she handpicked Ao Ruipeng to be her leading man. She saw his potential and she was right.

Agreed!

Maybe it's just me but there were instances when he was Mo Li that I was reminded of Liu Xueyi when he's playing villainous roles like the one in Love and Redemption.

Oh, so that was from last year.

Oh yes, Chang Hua Sen should play more antagonistic roles. It suits him.

Yes! Ao Ruipeng surprised me too. His dramatic scenes got to me. lol

No worries. We all have our preferences. I also agree that Ao Ruipeng did well in this drama. I especially loved seeing him as Jingyuan. It's just that Dai Lu Wa and Liang Xue Feng's portrayals really caught me off guard. And I cried the most because of them.