Michelle Topham

Hahaha, I laughed at that bit. And he just takes it because anything she does is adorable to him :)

Being an "IG influencer" has to be the most worthless "job" in existence. Anything ANY influencer says, whether I agree with them or not, I usually ignore.

Imagine going through life having a "job" that requires creating a reality of your own life that doesn't exist, and then having companies pay you to do so.

Lame beyond anything :)

And yep, none of them obviously stuck around -- that's the sad part of dramas nowadays though, as there are so many to choose from.

I read recently only 20% of Chinese viewers finish a drama, and that's if a drama is "a hit". If it's not, that number drops to 10%. And over 40% never get passed Episode 3. Over 50% have dropped it by Episode 5 (which makes no sense to me that some dramas are now going to be above 45 episodes -- WHO do these production companies think is going to watch all that? :)

I've had The Rise of Ning on my backlist for eons but I can't get passed Zhang Wan Yi who has been Meh in everything I've seen him in. I've avoided Lost You Forever for the same reason.

It's one of the best-written scripts of the year. And it's especially good when you read the original novel and realize what a mess the screenwriter had to deal with in order to create something this good. (The novel is interesting in its own way, although markedly different from the drama in every respect, but it's nowhere near as tightly-written as this)

Maybe you're watching a different drama? :)

I had an almost-mother-in-law (my fiance died the day before the wedding, life sometimes sucks :), and I was so incredibly lucky as she was lovely to me from the minute I met her.

I have friends who are not so lucky. Like you said, even in today's society in MOST countries, I think, a toxic mother-in-law can be a real hardship to both the wife's life and the relationship.

My almost-mother-in-law had a saying "A son is a son until he gets a wife. A daughter is a daughter for her whole life", and so she was thrilled that, even though her son was getting married, she was gaining a daughter who got along with her :)

I know right. Hahahahaha. It's a shame as it does ultimately damage a website.

I block comments on mine, as I've been there in the past with another site I had and the ugliness that ensued ended up destroying anything fun about running the site. Especially as you end up wasting half your day deleting vile comments and banning people. I've noticed more and more sites are doing the same.

You should see my block list on X (I have 2 accounts - one for drama, one for anime/donghua). It's in the THOUSANDS and grows exponentially by the day. If X ever limits the # of people on a block list, I'm screwed with both accounts - hahahahaha.

I know! She's so sweet to him all the time, and he's incredibly sweet right back. One of my fave C-drama couples in a while :)

I desperately need to get back to work :) but.... I am still flabbergasted by the absolute gall of Chen Xuan Qing who seems to think he has a right to her attention because she gave a few seconds to him about 100 years ago when she was 15 years old, then realized her mistake and quickly moved on.

I have a feeling though he will come to a bad end. After all, along with being a truly vile person, he's also now a murderer :)

Cannot wait to see CYY kick HIS ass as well :) Just hope the manservant doesn't get mixed up in it, as he's a decent guy.

Episode 30...

I don't think it does. I've reported several people who have been really vile, including one who does nothing but post links to her malicious gossip-filled website and has never contributed to any discussion about any drama at all.

All still here :) So I gave up.

Agreed. I love the OST. It's perfect for the period and, like you said, really fits those CYY and GJZ moments :)

The opening theme is lovely too.

BTW -- this is the album on YouTube Music (I don't listen to Spotify much as they recently changed their rules and now don't pay independent musicians if their songs don't reach at least 1,000 streams).

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kMQKMzg0CkKletzBc0cqjby2P539oH_gk

And they're both just so cute together :)

1,000 percent. And honestly, MDL needs to allow more blocks. I hit my 100 limit a LONG time ago, and am now being forced to remove people from my block list who have been "inactive" for a while so I can block some of the newer fools :)

Her sister character was soooooo annoying in The Princess's Gambit. So nice to see her get a much better role in this one :) And yep, Chen Yan Ying is adorable. Wish she had a few more scenes.

You're in the minority here. And what a shame. You are missing some of the best romantic scenes in a C-drama this year. Ah well. I'll just watch them four or five times for you :)

Hahahaha, no worries. I'll be watching it in a couple of hours, and you didn't spoil much :) And thanks for adding the spoiler.

I love how almost every single person, except a smart few, underestimate Jinzhao. Although, now that she's married Yan Yun, you'd think some more of them would have figured out she's probably someone special :)

It's always so satisfying to see her wipe the floor with them, wring out the mop, then go back for a second scrubbing :)

Shhhhhhhh, haven't gotten there yet (is that Ep 30?) :) - I just watched Ep 29.

I think at some point the CCP will crack down on it even more than they have. It does not look good for China and the Chinese, and it doesn't look good when even non-Chinese are participating in such sick behavior.

Look at South Korea, they've had this same bullshit going on for years, to the extent that several actors have committed suicide due to the bullying from certain "fans" riling up Korean society.

The Korean authorities/agencies/production companies are now taking it much more seriously because of this, with several high profile defamation court cases in the last year alone with fans being sued for their destructive behavior. Result? Huge fines and, if I remember correctly, in at least one case, jail time.

Chinese authorities have also started to take it much more seriously with similar court cases etc. As Chinese dramas become more popular outside China, my hope is Chinese authorities will start going after international fans whose behavior is helping destroy their so-called "favorites" lives as well. South Korean authorities are already starting to do.

And sure, what these idiots on MDL are stirring up is extremely mild - just silly defense of a character who doesn't exist and an actor who wouldn't give them the time of day if he saw them on the street.

But that's where it starts. And if it's not nipped in the bud, some of the same idiots will eventually graduate to full-on torches and pitchforks against other actors that have supposedly done something "wrong" against the actor THEY like. Because that's where it always goes. It's sick, and all of these people really need to get proper lives.

Love, love, love the relationship between Jinzhao and Yanyun now that they're married. They've become even closer in such a short time. And love that he respects her so much that he trusts her with so many secrets. They are true partners in life, and it's really lovely.