Lotus

That means she's got the hots for Xiang Liu and hasn't admitted it.

The Chinese title means something else "longing forever", basically, Xuan's love is forever unrequited, he will long be longing for his cousin.

I'm a therapist, I concur! Although I would hesitate to take Xiang Liu as a client. That guy has a tendency to abuse his healer LOL. Tu Shan Jing, I'll accept as a client in a heartbeat. Cang Xuan, I think that guy needs a long draw-out therapy course of many years.

It's kinda out dated though, not politically correct anymore to have a caring mother who abuses her son into being successful at school and successful at physical rehabilitation after an accident. Her behaviours are acceptable in 1980s, I don't think that's acceptable in 2023!

I just finished watching this, and it's heartwarming at some points and bland at others. I can't say I didn't press fast forward on some filler scenes. Overall, it's an ok drama for a student-teacher taboo relationship. It reminded me of the real-life love story of France's president Emmanuel Macron (who has 25 years age gap with his wife and met his wife as a high school student when she was his drama teacher). It's unusual, but Macron is not an average man. These relationships are not for the faint of hearts but for the brave. Macron made it work and went against all odds, still kicking at 20+ years of marriage with his wife.

I love this drama too. I don't know why people have so much issues with it, maybe because nobody in it is purely good or bad, but complicated. I watched this drama twice 3 years apart, both times it hurts so good. That's the whole point, it's a melodrama. The ending is a little not to be desired. I know a lot of us want good ending, including myself, but seriously, it's more realistic with Korean conservative society. The taboo love between Hwang and Hyang is so pure and realistic. What gets me riled up is that everyone knows, but no one gives a damn about the boy or the man when he's so in love with her. Everyone in his family dismisses his feelings and is on his brother's side. He's the one who found Hwang first and loved her first.

I think it was during the shooting of Cambrian Period that the director had commented that he looked "too young", which is true, he has a youthful face and looked much younger than his age (which was probably 18-19 at the time), add an older actress and FL into the mix and he looked really young. He fixed his nose to be smaller, more pointy so it appeared longer. It changed the over all look of the face to make him look more mature. I wish he would wait a couple of years to let himself mature naturally. I like his look in Cambrian Period than the subsequent drama, although he does look younger than the character.

I'm so looking forward to this second season. The first one was awesome!

Yes, after this drama he did plastic surgery on his nose which removed the youthful baby face look. It’s obvious in his subsequent dramas his nose looks different. I first saw him in A Girl Like Me, where I thought he looked more like madam Tussaud Wax figure. His face looked unnatural. When I saw this drama, I realized what had changed: his nose.

Watching this drama after A Girl Like Me and Back From the Brink, I find it hard to convince myself to treat the ML character as mature and badass as Neo played him. Neo looked 14 yrs old in the drama and the FL looks like she's robbing the craddle. He's more convincing as a mature young man in AGLM and an ageless dragon in BFTB.

Just a weird feeling..... he's so young in this drama and not really befiting the character he's playing with his supercute and almost prebuscence baby face.

I just wished he wouldn't do plastic surgery after this drama and wait to age naturally. In the subsequent dramas, his face doesn't look natural as in this one. He had lost that youthful feature forever.

The drama is watchable until about episode 15-16 then it was all downhill from there. I struggled to finish the rest.

watched it 2nd time two years after it was released. Still as good as the first time. This drama is underrated.

Unfortunately filming pop drama gets you noticed and more pay. Also, there aren't that many good scripts around.

I heard from some that LCY character in the novel was presented as a lot more evil. But the adaptation is much more fascinating as his character is ambiguous.

Finally saw this in 2023. I avoided watching this drama for several years. I played the theme songs on my erhu. I know it's a tragedy. I'm not one for tragedies, especially in Chinese Drama. They have done tragedies pretty badly in recent years. This one is an exception. I'm surprised at the characters' depth and development. The story held together pretty well, and the set was well done. This drama gives you a sense of lingering feeling after you finish it. Sweet but bitter.

This drama is different, an ML you love to hate, but the depth of his character is so intriguing. He's driven, complex, and cruel but also pitiful. In complete contrast, the FL is innocent, kind, forgiving and compassionate. She's everything he wants but never got in life because he's so busy trying to survive in a cruel environment. In the end, his selfish, possessive and cunning, cruel love didn't destroy her soul. She was free by forgiveness and compassion for others. He lived for revenge and power. To survive in the cruel world he was born into; he had to rule it.. She finally chose her life's meaning to bring compassion and peace to that cruel world.

This drama has depth! It's never black or white: everyone and everything in it is ambiguous. The making of a mature story.

Most importantly "enthusiastic consent"!

A light hearted fun comedy that doesn't take itself seriously to binge watch. I can't wait until season 2. Cdrama should make more of these!

Well, most girls are fan of Twilight series too, which in my opinion is twisted and sick, depicting a very unhealthy dynamic between ML and FL. Edward is super creepy!

Well, they did their best in 2 hours. I agree that he could have please his master more. Also, there are no aftercare, which is important in BDSM.

Well, they did their best in 2 hours. I agree that he could have please his master more. Also, there are no aftercare, which is important in BDSM.

I think the consent of BDSM between Jiwoo and Jihoo is contrasted with the abusive ex who was "normal" that had traumatized Jihoo. The movie portrayed this beautifully!