Platinum Fox

I understand what you are saying and your interpretation of these scenes. However, in the overall plot WSW, who is literally a blank slate when it comes to bl relationships can be either a top or bottom. Throughout the drama he is forced into the submissive role for comedy sake and to win CC's heart, and then once they start dating is groomed to be the submissive to complete the "love" story. That is what bothers me. WSW had no choice, but to be the submissive if he wanted a relationship with CC. For me, that is not a healthy relationship. If it were a straight relationship, we would tell the girl to leave immediately.

I don't know if you have watched Addicted based on a novel by this same author, but there is a scene in it where the two boys take their first steps in love making. The dominant boy starts to take off the timid boy's clothes aggressively. The timid boy asks him stop and if he can be on top. The aggressive boy says, "sure" with no argument, no forcing of the timid boy to be on the bottom. It was a beautiful moment that said, "I respect you are and am willing to work with you on this issue." This is not the same as CC and WSW's relationship.

I do want to say that I appreciate all your insight with the book and drama. It has been quite enlightening.

So it is okay for WSW's boundaries to be crossed just because CC doesn't like anal sex performed on himself? I see you haven't watched Addicted. In one episode when the bl couple first talk about having sex, the dominant one starts to take off the submissive's clothes, the submissive asks him to stop and asks be on top. The dominant one says, "Sure". There was no argument, no roughly taking him, etc. It was a beautiful moment that said, "I respect who you are and your thoughts and feelings on the matter." It is not like CC who flatly refuses to be the submissive because of his macho ego.

In this drama, WSW is groomed to be CC's lover (a submissive), and his thoughts and feelings are totally disregarded in the matter. In the end, he is even okay with being called aunt by the nephew. For centuries, Chinese women (all women really) were groomed to be submissives to their husbands in every aspect of their lives. It is only in modern times that women have made advancements in being treated as equals in every aspect of their lives. For me, this drama just perpetuated that submissives (man or woman) should not have a say in their own sexual matters.

If this were a straight drama, we would tell the woman to leave her man immediately as he has no respect for you.

Now, I read your profile. It says that you are female, but in your post you claim to be a gay man. What does this say about you?

Being new to bl, I guess I find it shocking that people are going gaga over someone who mistreats people and calling it love. For me, if it were a girl and a guy we would tell the girl to immediately get out of the relationship, but here we cheer it on and even laugh. jmo

I just finished Stay with Me. I really enjoyed it, but what was that ending? I'll check out the other ones that you recommended.

Thank you for all the discussions and friend request. Happy drama watching.

Loved this drama and all of its bl undertones, but what was up with that ending? Is that how the novel ends?

The Chinese government is not releasing BL's now. Revenged Love, though Chinese, was produced by the international company VIki. The people of China are unable to watch it unless they have a certain VPN number. So Revenged Love is only for the international viewers.

Stay with Me is the CCP version of Addicted. It was produced by the state run film industry Youku. Dramas that go through this platform need be censored. Stay with Me promotes the two boys as family (brothers) rather than gay males even though there are erotic undertones. In fact the whole drama is about blended families. This is in keeping with the censors. It has 24 episodes and plays the novel, Addicted Heroin.

Addicted, even though it was produced by an independent Chinese film company. However, so it wasn't subject to censorship until it aired. When the two boys start talking about gay sex, that is when the censors banned it which was at episode 15.

It depends on what you are looking for in the drama. I have watched both and have enjoyed both as they focus on different things. Hope this helps.

Exactly! You watched Addicted and the boy who is the dominant one has a healthy outlook on what it means to be dominant. When his timid boyfriend stops him the first time they have sex and asks to be on top, he says, "Sure." No argument, no roughly taking him. This is the exact opposite of CC.

CC is mad because he lost the competition with GCY. It took three years for GCY to win, but he won. CC and GCY are rivals in everything. You understand this rivalry in the opening scenes when CC and GCY are watching the two snakes fight and CC's snake wins. He is given a terrified submissive from GCY as a gift for winning. WS is the perfect lover because he is willing to be the submissive and never challenges CC to be on top. When he learns that CC loves GCY, his power in the bedroom is lost, so devises a way to get back at both boys. Both boys are just despicable people in the beginning. Do they soften up in the end, yes, GCY more so than CC.

For me, CC remains dominate and WSW (a blank slate) becomes the perfect submissive as he challenges CC to be different through words, but CC doesn't listen to him. I don't see their relationship lasting past a couple of years as WSW will get tired of being the submissive, have made his fortune using CC's money, and look for greener pastures. The only way that relationship will last is if CC drastically changes his point view on sex. We don't know if he does, as they never show WSW on top.

As for CC and GCY, I would call what they have a bromance. Even though viewers comment that CC and GCY would make a good couple, it wouldn't last as neither one would yield in the bedroom, no matter how much they loved each other. jmo

Hope this makes sense. Happy drama watching.

What is love and how do we show it? I never said that CC didn't love WS. CC loved WS in his own way, but we have to ask why doesn't CC ask GCY to leave when WS and CC are getting lovey dovey. It is because they are rivals, and CC wants to show off that he has someone and GCY doesn't. However, CC and WS' relationship even after three years is not a very stable one because when CC and GCY kiss and CC says he loves GCY most, that shatters WS' confidence in the relationship and rightly so as what else do they have in common besides the snake farm? It sounds like they never really had heart to heart talks it was more about sex. If after three years of being together WS still can't talk to CC about what is troubling him, then that is not a stable relationship. That is just WS giving in to CC in order to keep him happy and wanting to stay.

As for CC remembering WS for six years, CC continues to run the snake farm that the two of them built together. It is still a source of rivalry with GCY (the opening scenes). Notice though that after CC kills the snake, the only mention of the snake farm is in selling it or giving it back to WS. CC is no longer interested in it and neither is GCY as they are no long in competition with each other. CC and GCY are still friends, but no longer rivals in anything.

Yes, they can. The problem is can they back it up with evidence from the drama. I can. You don't have to agree with it and can give your own interpretation. It is why I say this drama in appearance is a fluffy, simple love story. However, underneath there is something else going on. Until you have read The End of Eternity for yourself, you will never see it.

Boho, what is CC's personality? He is a dominate male. What is GCY's personality? He is a dominate male. As Jiang said two dominates would never last in a relationship as each would be fighting for control in the bedroom. This is why both men needed submissive boyfriends. CC and WS were perfect lovers in bed as WS was a submissive without argument. WS never challenged CC in anything. This created a power imbalance in their relationship and causes WS to feel insecure when he hears that CC loves GCY more. On the other hand, GCY challenged CC in all ways except in the bedroom as the two boys know that each of them are dominates and neither would stoop to being the submissive.

For me, WS had every right to do what he did to both of the boys. In the situation WS had given his heart to CC who only used him as a plaything. And he didn't mind being the play thing until GCY and CC kiss and CC says he loves GCY more. Both of these things took away all of WS's power in the bedroom. How does he fight back? He "sleeps" with the very person CC loves. With his act he took down two dominates. It cost him a relationship, but it needed to be done as both CC and Guo were very selfish lovers. If WS had confronted CC when CC was sober, CC would have broken up with him immediately as he doesn't want someone who will challenge him in the bedroom department.

Hope this helps and makes sense as I know English is not your first language.

Happy drama watching.

Actually, you have a point. Should they reconcile after everything that went down? Viewers think Shao Shang broke up with him because he abandon her to save her life on the cliff. That was not the reason why. She broke up with him because they are not on the same page as to what love is. Her and LY were on the same page, LBY and her were not. They get on the same page after they survive the burial vault. They work together to finish what Shao Shang's parents started. The two have come full circle. You do remember that Shao Shang's parents went to rescue LBY's family in the Lone City. They were too late. So essentially, it is because of his family that SS was left behind. The drama is her journey of discovery on why her parents left her behind and understanding LBY and why he is the way he is.

And you're right. There is never a moment when we can say that SS fell in love with LBY, but she tries to show him she loves him through her actions which is what LBY does. Do we ever really know when LBY falls in love with her, no. Because can you say he loves before he does what he does. Love crept up on both of them. Love in their case was learning to work together and being there for each other in an equal manner, trusting each other, and growing together. Before they broke up, they were always working on opposite sides. When they did "work together", she is the one who would figure it out and get into danger and LBY would have to rescue her. Being on the same page meant she was able to handle the situation without him rescuing her.

My opinion on The Double is that is a makjang parody and an interpretation of LLtG. One commenter even wrote if it was a remake of LLtG.

Hope this helps and makes sense. Happy drama watching

Does anyone else think that with the hairstyle in the drama that Xu Bin looks like Xu Kai? I feel like they could almost be brothers.

Youku is a China based company. All movies and dramas must past through censorship in order to be aired in China.

The reason Stay with Me can be aired is because it is not bl. It is a bromance. However, there are some very suggestive scenes in the drama that hint at bl (the bicycle scenes). Have you ever watched The Untamed. It was to be a bl, but the writers changed it to bromance to get it past the censors.

FYI: Revenged Love can air without being censored because it is not being shown in China. RL was produced by Viki which is an international company. Stay with Me was produced in Mainland China where it must get by the censors.

Also, Revenge Love is strictly about boy love, whereas Stay with Me has elements of bl in it, the little girl sings in the opening credits about the importance of family and who makes up a family which is the main theme of Stay with Me.

Thanks, I am glad I am not the only one who found the acting off. Almost dropped it after episode one because of it. Also, I found the love story between the main leads dysfunctional and toxic, not charming and sweet. The second couple's love story was beautiful.

Okay, that also answers my question. Would you date a girl whose personality is like CC? Would you date a straight boy whose personality is like CC?

Yes, they did last in the drama for a year and half, but what about three years from now or even five years from now?

Now my question is why would you rather date a woman, then a guy (gay or straight) who has the personality of CC? Ask yourself, if WSW and CC's relationship were a guy and a girl. How would you respond?

Also, the drama pokes fun at WSW's first time by making him walk funny afterwards. It is because CC forces him to be on the bottom as CC is always on the top. WSW even goes on to say that he doesn't want to have sex anymore as it isn't pleasant for him, and CC has a fierce libido. In the drama, it said nothing about WSW wanting CC to push harder. So my interpretation comes from the drama not the novel.

And, no I haven't forgotten that WSW controls the purse strings, but that is because he is good at making and saving money. CC refuses to work for his dad because he doesn't want to go into business with is dad. WSW does all the business work until his mom dies and then CC takes over and gets in trouble with the law because of it. It shows that he is not cut out to be a business person. So in a sense in this regard CC is the "woman" of the relationship, as it is the man who makes the money. But this is not the same as being equal in the bedroom.

Sorry, I just don't see WSW and CC's relationship lasting. I am glad that you do.

Thank you for the discussion.

If your interpretation is that WSW and CC are a loving couple, that's okay. I am just offering a different point of view and asking you to put yourself in WSW's shoes.

Viki is the original platform, but you will have to pay for plus instead of just standard or free. However, it has been picked up by KisskH.

You have just made my point. WSW looks and acts feminine, so in Chinese culture he would be what women should be submissive to their husbands. Throughout the entire drama, WSW is submissive to CC. However, he complains about this numerous times throughout the drama. In the end, there is still clearly an imbalance in their relationship which will effect it in the future if it is not rectified. To help you understand this compare the two couples.

Remember that Guo and JXS were both gay at the beginning of the drama. Guo, being the dominate one, never forces JXS into the submissive role as he learns that JXS was hurt badly in a previous relationship. Even CC notices how differently Guo treats JXS. In the end, Guo buys JXS a building to expand his clinic. He makes JXS feel good about himself and his goals. Guo treats him as an equal partner in all aspects of their life.

On the other hand, WSW is a straight male and CC is a gay guy. WSW is a blank slate when it comes to bl relationships. He could be either a dominate or a submissive. However, in order to win CC's heart and exact his revenge, he is forced to be a submissive because CC is the dominate. He plays the role of submissive until he falls in love with CC. Then, every time the two "make love" and I say that in quotation marks as it is not love if it is forced, CC is on top. After the first time, it is clear that CC was really rough because WSW is sore from the experience. It is joked about in the drama, but it actually makes WSW realize that the relationship is imbalanced. When CC is in jail, it is the first time that WSW has to take control and does so with ease as he gives up his family's home to save CC from jail. While in jail, CC breaks up with him because he can't control the situation, nor WSW. After he gets out of jail, CC can only hope that WSW will want him after he gets out of prison. It is why CC buys back the house and tree. It is a present to ask for forgiveness and hope that it will make WSW want him. This is sad because WSW has already let the selling of the house go. He was ready to build a relationship with CC in their new home. Sorry, I just don't see this as a balanced relationship and further down the road, most likely WSW is going to see the light and want out.

Also, I disagree with you. WSW had a purpose, to win back the heart of his girl and in the end win the heart of CC, just as CC wanted to win WSW's love. My question is, is that love worth it?

As your profile says you are a woman, let me ask you one question, would you rather be with Guo or CC? Whichever one you choose says a great deal about you and your perspective of what love is. jmo

Thank you again for your insight and discussion. Happy drama watching.