Platinum Fox

Actually, he is very needed. The whole drama juxtaposes what is real and what is fake. Lin Tao's relationship with the sister portrays the fake relationship as she doesn't love him. Her real love is Yu Yi Ming.

Doesn't matter who would be the better parent. The fact is Hao Chen is not biologically Hao Ming's son. Even though HM's parents and HM raised him, they have no claim to him unless the biological father and the mother's family give up claim to him. The chances of finding HC's biological father is pretty slim. But, since we met the father of the mother, it stands to reason that the mother's family took Hao Chen to live with them. Fang Lei could have taken the secret of Hao Chen's parentage to her grave, but she decided to tell? Why because he no longer served her purpose?

Now HM and XY seemed pretty happy at the end, so they must have worked out a deal with Fang Lei's family to be able to see Hao Chen, so he can remain in the family album. Remember that the picture was taken before they found out that he was not HM's son. Also, of course HM and XY can go on to have children of their own, but Hao Chen will always be their "first" child even though not by blood and is no longer with them on a daily basis. Thus he can remain in the family album.

The whole drama juxtaposes what is real with what is fake. In the beginning, it appears that Xu Yan is the only one faking her family, but in the end we find out that HM has a secret about his family as well. Both secrets end up causing trouble for both HM and XY. Once they are found out, each can start being their true selves with themselves, with each other, and with the people around them.

Yes, but even that has to be rectified. They can't just take someone else's child even though the family raised Hao Chen since he was a baby. They raised the child based on a lie. This is why Hao Chen is not in the last episode. When they look at the photo album in the end the last picture is of the couple and the grandmother. The real family and blank pages for their children in the future. This does not mean that Hao Chen can't come back and live with them if Hao Chen's father's family doesn't want him or the mother's family for that matter.

That was the whole point of episodes 1-15. Everything was fake even their relationship. Then after episode 15 when the fake becomes real everything is more natural. The camera work in this drama was just amazing as it expressed this really well. jmo

No she did not kill her sister, but I do wonder if it was a suicide made to look like an accident.

Exactly, this is the culture that has been established. So I have to ask if this is the norm, is it really bullying or just survival of the fittest? I had a hard time with this drama because I had the same reaction as you, where are the teachers and the parents? But realized they are just part of the problem and have spawned this culture of bullying. You should watch the movie Brave Citizen. It really helped me understand this drama.

Glad I could be a source of entertainment for you. Maybe what you find troubling about my responses is that they are not looking at this drama as a source of entertainment, but as social commentaries on Chinese life. That is a whole different perspective.

I had a very different take on this drama, especially those that ship CC and WSW. I am in the minority on this, but I can't perpetuate what the drama does to WSW in order for him to fit the mold of the perfect lover for CC. I don't want to spoil anything for you, so I won't comment any further. My thoughts start with that very scene even though I know it is used to show just how despicable CC and GCY are in the beginning. The drama shows their character growth. For me, even though his actions are toned down, CC doesn't change, his dominating personality just becomes more subtle.

Happy drama watching.

This was exactly like a Hong Kong film with its quirky characters and action packed scenes. None taking themselves too seriously and almost seeming to be enjoying themselves. To see Jackie Chang and Jet Lei in the same film what a treat. Their fight scene left me with how they would end it. It was done so beautifully to show that neither way of fighting is better than the other. Well done.

What a fun movie. Reminded me a great deal of Ghostbusters Chinese style.

All three of her beaus are needed for the story to progress. LY represents pathos as their relationship is based on feelings, not ethos or logos. They are the most open with each other about their feelings, thoughts, dreams and goals. The carriage they ride in is open and they face everything together. The problems are LY would never challenge her to be a better person and because of his family's status, they would never move out of the family home which is what both of them desperately want to do at the time. LY represents her growth in learning to love someone other than herself and family members. Something that she has been unable to do as she doesn't trust anyone.

The third male lead is there because he represents logos. He tries to win her over with logic and love isn't logical. She is not a logical thinker at the time she meets him. Plus, he is too self absorbed to really care about her. He just wants to bicker with her as that is all he has seen in relationships. He hides his true feelings, thus he sits as the center of attention in an enclosed carriage. He will never have her because he broke the shao shang string while he was playing the zither. The only reason he likes her in the first place is because she answered a straightforward riddle. There was a right answer.

LBY/HWS represents ethos (law and order). This is how they meet the first time. It is why he becomes interested in her in the first place because she is willing to turn in a family member which most families wouldn't do. At the time, she is also about law and order. He challenges her to be different than she is, but doesn't want to change himself. He hides everything about himself from her. This is why he rides in a carriage where no one can see in, but he can see out. It has a bed in the back and drawers on the side for his belongings. It is home, everything he loves is hidden away in this carriage. If it were not for his family being in trouble, her parents wouldn't have had to go away in the first place. So the two have been connected since she was born. The entire drama is her going on a journey to understand why her parents had to leave her behind and why LBY hides everything from her. jmt

He is truly praising her and not in a taunting way. She is not used to being complimented as she was raised by her Aunt Ge and grandmother who both favored boys. Also, she doesn't trust anyone, except her maid, so yes it is a misunderstanding on her part.

I apologize if you felt that I was talking down to you that was not my intention. What you have said is exactly my point. Danmei dramas are not about gay love at all, but they could be as this is how homosexuality is treated in China. In danmei's boy love is just a plot device used by women writers to explore women's issues about sexuality in a straight relationship. But viewers take these types of dramas as real boy love and queer culture. I don't. I recognize it for what it is. That is why I said this is written by a woman for women, not actual gay men. Bad Buddy is written by a gay man for a general audience, but specifically for gay men. He took a danmei story and rewrote it to actually reflect gay culture in Thailand.

Once that is understood, then you understand that WSW figuratively represents the woman in the relationship. We would tell that woman to get the hell out the relationship with CC, but because he is rich WSW stays with him and becomes a subdued housewife. The ideal woman, in China, is one who is submissive to her husband. CC and WSW represent past and present ideals of a good marital relationship in China. GCY and JXS represent the future ideals of a good marital relationship. Men and woman should be equal. Queer culture is also treated like this China. So CC and WSW can also represent queer culture. The fact that this drama can't be shown in mainland China supports this claim.

I don't find couple number 1 entertaining, nor do I like the message that it is sending to both men and women alike. I am glad that you and others enjoyed the drama. I enjoyed the second couple.

Thank you for the discussion.

Actually Bad Buddy and Revenged Love are quite similar in concept. Both are enemies to lovers. Both are about gentlemen who start out straight and by the end are gay. Both have a set of parents who do not like the idea of the boys being together for different reasons. Both are about competitive partners. The biggest difference is how the stories played out. Pat and Pran's relationship comes about naturally. Neither one is the dominant or the submissive even though they had been competitive with each other their whole lives. They had a healthy sexual relationship and had equal status outside the bedroom. Neither one questioned their sexual identity or masculinity in the drama. Neither were stripped of his sexual identity through language or cultural gender roles. Neither of the families questioned their love as men or said you are going to have a hard time being two men in love. Bad Buddy is a danmei that has been retold by a gay man for other gay men and is openly shown on public television. It is a love story about two men who could represent straight people or gay people. This is because Thailand is more accepting of homosexuality. This is why I said, in your explanation you are describing Bad Buddy not Revenged Love. China is not accepting homosexuality and their dramas reflect this very concept.

Revenged Love portrays this nonacceptance of homosexuality even though it is about boy "love". From the very beginning WSW uses female tactics to catch CC's attention because he is competing against a woman for CC's attention. When CC and WSW finally become a couple, there is a question if CC and GCY should be together, but we know that it won't work because CC and GCY are too competitive with each other. CC needs someone he can subdue, and he does this because WSW totally accepts everything CC offers even though he knows there is something different and maybe even something better out there. He questions his masculinity and even stripped of his masculinity because of language and gender roles. Chinese culture is all about subduing the woman and keeping her in a submissive role. This fits WSW perfectly as that is what CC does with him.. Now if there is a second season, it would be nice to see them as equal partners in every aspect of their lives just like in Bad Buddy.

One thing I can say is that the writer represented what China really is and the hope of what it could be. CC and WSW represent the past and present. GCY and JXS represent the future. Your explanation fits more with GCY and JXS rather than CC and WSW.

In case you hadn't read my other post. No, I am not Chinese, but I understand the oppression that the culture has on women and people who go against traditional gender roles. Both are to be suppressed and controlled. I encourage you to compare Thailand's BL and China's BL they are definitely not the same and carry very different messages.

Actually, I am the target audience as this is a danmei drama. As a man or woman I would stay away from Chi Cheng as he is the most red flag male out there. Even at the end when he has supposedly softened and fallen in love, he still is the dominant force in that relationship. He makes the decisions about everything and WSW just goes along with it. Sorry, I can't perpetuate those kinds of relationships.

Now the second couple is different and that is truly a healthy relationship. A drama doesn't have to be clean and fluffy to demonstrate a healthy relationship, the second couple is proof of that.

Technically, Sang Zhi is still a child when she starts her sexual journey with DJX. Marriageable age is 20 in China. However, she is of the age of consent at the time. In other countries children aren't considered adults until 18 (the United States), 20 (Korea, Japan?).

You're right had they meet when she was out of college, no one would have had a problem.

That's interesting because I have had other notifications with nothing in them as well. Thanks.

I see that you come from the European time zone, and views of sexuality and gender roles are very different there than they are in China. What you are describing in your argument is the ideal world we all want to live in, but that is not the case in most Asian countries, especially China, who will not even allow bl dramas to air on the mainland. So you have to go with what the culture of the country is in order to understand what is going on in the drama. For me, you are describing Bad Buddy, not Revenged Love. Bad Buddy is Thai which is a much freer society than China. Revenged Love is a Chinese drama produced in Thailand with funds not from the Chinese government.

Again, I encourage you to watch East Palace, West Palace. It is on Tubi for free. I also encourage you to watch Flourished Peony and In the Name of Blossom. You will really start to understand what women and submissives are up against in that country.

Also, I agree with you in all aspects of your point of view. For me, I wish that was what the drama was portraying. Thank you again for your insight. Happy drama watching.

First, thank you for taking the time to explain your point of view. Not many commenters do that. Also, thank you for clarifying the use of the terms. I want to say that I see what you are saying and am glad that others are enjoying this drama. I enjoyed the second couple, but not the first.

Your clarification of the term just supported my argument. The fact that the Chinese language has no term for a man who takes the submissive role in a relationship or as a marriage partner and must identify as a female shows that this type of relationship is not acceptable. Even in the United States when gay marriage became legal, the government had to come up with a term to name that type of marriage. I would suggest you watch the movie East Palace, West Palace which was written by a man. It explains a great deal about the Chinese perspective of submissives in a gay relationship. However, I know from your profile that you do not like raw and gritty. That's okay, but it goes a long way in explaining my point of view of this drama.

Also, I see that you have watched Bad Buddy. That drama was written by a gay man for other gay men. Notice that in the relationship you really can't tell who is the dominant or the submissive as there is a mutual understanding that both can be dominant or submissive. They have a healthy relationship in the bedroom as well as in other aspects of their daily life.

Even your explanation of CC allowing him to run the company and take care of the finances at home suggests that WSW has taken on the submissive role as the female in Chinese culture is the one who runs the home and takes care of the family finances. As for CC allowing him to run that company, that is just to appease WSW for the inequality found in the bedroom. The money that went into the company to begin with came from CC. If CC wanted money he had other places to go and get it. So your argument that CC allowed him to run the company to show equality in the relationship is debatable. Watch the straight drama Flourished Peony and In the Name of Blossom, and you will understand what I am talking about with this concept. Again, Revenged Love is a danmei. It was written by a woman for other women. It allows women to explore their sexuality in a different way. Can women be dominants in a relationship or are they doomed to always being the submissive?

I see where you and other commenters are coming from; I just don't happen to agree with the message that the first couple is sending for men or for women. Is WSW exploring his sexuality as a gay man or defining what it means to be a woman in a straight relationship? Can he be doing both?

Thank you for the discussion. Happy drama watching!

Do you know the reason for why they would hide it? I find that rather strange.