Platinum Fox

You didn't answer my question. What is your definition of grooming?
How is it shown in the drama? If you are going to argue that she is 14 and he is 19, then this is not an argument. Even if DJX did have feelings for her at this time, it is still not wrong because according to Chinese marriage laws both are still minors. In the story they meet when she is 14. He agrees to be her pretend brother. He even asked the brother if he could go. The brother had no problem with it. When the meeting was over, he walked her home. They pinkie promised not to tell. Then, he doesn't meet her again until she is 17. How is this grooming when he doesn't see her for three years?

When she turns 17, now he has a problem because he is an adult and she is still a minor. The brother finds out during field day that DJX went to the school. The brother doesn't do anything to him. Instead, the brother passes her off to DJX, yet again, giving DJX permission to be her brother. At this time DJX and another of the brother's roommates hit on her. Both are shut down immediately by brother. Thus, DJX can be a "brother" to her, but not a boyfriend. So all of his actions from then on are seen as brotherly affection. All her actions towards him are seen as sisterly affection. This creates the unrequited love story for her.

Don't say something is grooming if you can't back it up with evidence from the story. You should have learned this in school. Now, I am losing all hope in humanity.

What is your definition of grooming?

Thanks for the clarification. I have not read the novel, nor do I intend to. From the sounds of it, the male protagonist is very controlling. They have softened him up quite a bit for the drama and even turned some of the controlling parts into humor (the training sessions). Yet, there is still something about him that makes him an obsessive character when it comes to her. Is this love? You're right. She spends most of the time trying to figure out who he is, and what he is all about.

That is what I love about this drama. Something can be interpreted in many ways. I have to disagree with you though about the mother. LBY does some of the same things as she does and people call it love, but when mom does it, it is called being a bad mother.

Since I have not watched Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (couldn't get past the first episode), I can't really tell you if he is different or not. However, I am assuming so. The main lead in Love Like the Galaxy is quite possessive of the female lead. However, he knows when to back off. I hope this helps. My suggestion is to watch it and if you become uncomfortable, stop.

While I agree with you on the empress being a mother figure to SS, if it hadn't been for mom's influence in NN's life (even if for a short time), she would not have had the type of relationship that she did with the empress. The empress never disciplined her children. In fact, none of the emperor's children take responsibility for their own actions, except 3rd and 5th prince. Everyone else claims they have been framed, etc. SS learned from mom to take responsibility for her own actions. However, what mom didn't have a chance to teach her was that your actions affect others. NaioNaio is all about instant gratification and immediate justice. She doesn't care who it affects. We see this when she collapses the bridge. Even though she asked the Wan family to put a warning sign about the bridge, the event could have turned out quite differently. Fortunately, the noble girls' parents were understanding about the whole incident, but they could have sued the Wan family for public humiliation. Only General Wan's mother understood what the bridge collapse was really about and wrote a letter to the parents speaking about what kind of girl SS is. We don't know what kind of letter she wrote, we just know it had to be bad enough for the father to want to punish NN. Something he has never wanted to do before. I agree with you, there was not enough time with mom to correct the damage done by Aunt Ge. Mom did the best she could in the short amount of time that she had.

Also, mom does not send NN away because she dislikes her, but wanted to get her away from the noble girls' toxic issues. Mom also knows that NN wants to explore the world. Going with the 3rd aunt and uncle allows NN to do this. When NN goes to Hua County, she literally begins the journey of understanding what LBY and her family went through with Gao City.

The mother in this drama has generated a great deal of discussion for her treatment of NN. However, when looked at through a historical lens, the mother's actions are right on target, and I would say even a little more modern as she tries different ways of punishing NN. However, NN only seems to respond to paddling. For a more modern lens of parenting watch Hidden Love with Zhao Lu Si and the mother from this drama. There is an entirely different relationship between mother and daughter. There has not been one criticism about the mom in any of the discussion posts for that title. However, Sang Zhi can't even cut up a watermelon at the age of 17 and mom and dad will not let her stay at home alone for a weekend.

Thanks for the discussion.

You might like King's Affection, Mr. Queen, Jewel in the Crown, A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College, A Class of Her Own, for starters. There are pros and cons to all of them, but they end happily.

It starts in episode 50 and ends in episode 55.

I have the same problem with some of the voices. Solution just read the subtitles and turn off the sound. I know you will miss the OST, but honestly most of the time I don't miss it. If the story and acting is good enough, then the sound doesn't matter.

A commenter reminded me of another drama Zhao Lu Si was in where her character (Sang Qi) fell in love with her brother's best friend A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College. I went back and watched the first episodes of that again and it plays out much like this drama. In that drama she is 14/15 when they meet and you can tell that he falls for her the minute he meets her. There is even romantic music playing at the time. We the audience do not think much of this. Our perception of this kind of love is okay because back then it was okay. It is called looking at something through a historical lens.

Hidden Love seems to be a modern retelling of that story. Now, as you put it and one of her roommates says, it is just plain wrong. Time has changed our perception of this kind of love. In modern times we have extended the definition of childhood to include the teenage years. Instead of children working in factories at a young age, their job is to go to school and study hard, so that they can get into a good middle, high, or university. Back when they first meet she was 14 and he was 19, they were both considered minors according to Chinese marriage laws. Once he turned 21/22, he was considered an adult and she was still a minor at 17. That's why the brother and Qian shut him down when DJX asks her if she thinks he is handsome. DJX did the same thing the brother did. Nobody in the car thinks anything of it. However, when it comes from DJX it has a different meaning. The perception is different. The brother also shuts down the other roommate who approaches her and calls her "little girl" and says, "I am nearsighted/shortsighted?" He wears glasses. This is to remind us of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.

Yes, the animals play huge symbolic roles in this story: the fox, the bear, the puffer fish, and the dog. Her name Sang Zhi (innocence) also has great meaning to this story. The picture of the fox and little girl signed Rosy, the flower in the museum, the math, and the book are just a few of the things that mean something in this story. I will let you discover the meanings of those for yourself. When you watch a story pay attention to the camera angles, the editing, the juxtaposition of scenes, how the story is told. There is much more to a story than what is on the screen.

Again if you have questions, I am happy to answer them. Happy reading and watching again.

Thank you for the discussion.

Yes, the opening scenes in episode 1 tell you this. I do not know if this is in the novel or something the screenwriters put in. But Hollywood has been using this technique for years. I have only seen this one other time in an Asian drama, Love Like the Galaxy. You can of course read the novel Hidden Love, but that's not the novel you should be reading. There are many other "hidden" symbols in this drama making it worth the watch at least in the earlier episodes. After they get together, it isn't as fun.

First, he acts surprised because he doesn't want her to know that he already knew that she liked him. He even apologizes for his imperceptiveness on this matter and pledges to not let it happen again. Because everything that she does for him prior to this can be read as something a sister would do (gives him a red packet with jelly beans and a star that says, "Happy New Year" on it , gives him money, and gives him flowers). All of these things she has given to her brother as well. How could he know that she thinks of him like that? Remember the conversation he had with Qian when he was trying to win her heart.

As for the manipulation of the audience and the characters, I will let you figure that one out on your own. I will give you a hint: a novel about hidden love and manipulation of time and perception. It is shown three times or exactly how many time frames there are (14 and 19, 17 and 22, and 19 and 24).

If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them. If you still are confused go back and compare what the brother does and what DJX does in the same situation. You are correct, he does have romantic feelings for her, but hides them under the guise of brotherly affection.

Who says he doesn't know? As I have been told by others, everything that he does could be interpreted as something a brother would do. However, I disagree, especially the milk bottle scene and her drawing of it afterwards. There are many clues in the story that hint that the audience's perception is being manipulated along with the characters in the story. I am not a fan of modern dramas, but the "hidden" symbolism in this story caught my attention. The first 10 or 12 episodes are very craftily done, but after that it just turns into a modern romance.

I also loved the comparison between Love Like the Galaxy with the mother figure and even the female lead character.

Yes, I feel bad sometimes for the 2nd leads (girl or boy) who have loved the main character since they were children. This was one of those times. I think he would have turned out to be a better person if she would have loved him more.

I love this drama because there is so much that can be discussed. Thank you for defending the mother. As you can tell it is a really hot topic on this discussion forum. I love the mother character. She is so human.

As for LBY I can understand people's view on how "childish" and "selfish" they thought SS was being by saying she wouldn't forgive him if he abandoned her. He was trying to save her life on the cliff. However, If LBY didn't want to implicate her family, then he should have never asked for her hand in marriage in the first place. He should have waited until his revenge was over, and everything had settled down. That's why I don't consider what she did childish. Actually, it was the most mature thing she could have done.

Dear Nope, I agree with you on some points, but when does mom not stand up for NN? The first person who shows disrespect to NN is Aunt Ge's maid. Once this is witnessed by the parents, the maid is shipped off to the work house. Never to be seen again. The next person to go is Aunt Ge, who was shipped back to her parents house. They cannot get rid of the grandmother because she is the mother of the father. Yet, when the grandmother blames NN for the grandmother's brother going to jail, both parents stick up for NN and blame the rightful party (the uncle). Yang Yang's maids who caused all the commotion about the desk also disappear and are never to be seen again. The only time she does not say anything in NN's defense is when they are at a place where she does not have any power. That is when LBY, who represents justice, steps in to prove with evidence what NN has been saying. He is giving NN and mom a way to solve the problem in court, not in the home of a spoiled noble girl. When the same woman doesn't respect NN during the courtship to LY, mom hits the woman and SS hits the daughter. When mom knows SS doesn't love LBY and knows SS hasn't had a chance to process the breakup with LY, she again stands up for NN by repeating what everyone else has said about NN. This is NN's reputation and reputation is everything. Mom and Dad are even willing to give up their status and live in the country if they need to, so that NN doesn't have to marry LBY. When have they not stood by this girl?

A girl who is constantly trying to manipulate the outcome of a situation. A girl who deserved the paddling for collapsing the bridge because someone could have gotten seriously hurt and it happened on someone else's property. Even though there was a warning sign put up, the noble families could have sued the Wan family for the humiliation suffered by their daughters. Also, NN did not pass out from the paddling, and we later learn the paddles barely left a mark. As for the food punishment, once NN explained how Aunt Ge tried to do the same thing, mom realized that wasn't a good form of punishment. Notice it never happened again. This is trial and error on the mom's part to find a good way to punish her willful daughter without using the paddles. During that time period what more could the mom do besides make her stay in her room or not go to the lantern festival. She couldn't take away her cell phone, computer privileges, or TV privileges. Mom also seems to have made her write something a number of times and that is why SS created the three way pen. Mom tried numerous times to talk with her daughter first and even allowed her to have a voice and discipline her maid in the desk scene.
Granted is the mom a perfect mom, no, what parent is.

As for the favoritism between the two girls. This is a theme carried throughout both season. The grandmother favors boys over girls. Grandmother favors her younger and older sons over the middle son. The father favors NaioNaio over Yang Yang. Do you ever see the father hug YY? Do you ever see the father hug his sons? Do you see the mother hug her sons? In any of these dramas, I rarely see any parent hug their children. Do you ever see the 3rd aunt and uncle hug NN or YY? Besides that, there is more to the favoritism than meets the eye.

You make some really good points about the mother in both of your posts. But I have to disagree with you on LBY and the cliff scene. There would not have been a cliff scene if LBY would have shared with her his past life, who he really was, and what he had planned on doing. She understood that he wanted revenge, but she did not know why. She had worked out most of the pieces about his identity, but did not know why he wanted to kill Ling Yi. After everything is said and done she realized the problem and found a way to solve it without violence. However, he went ahead and did what he wanted to do. Had he just talked with her, justice could have been served and nobody would have had to be implicated.

Yes he does respect her and her thoughts and feelings. He allows her to do whatever she wants. He will never force her to do anything that she doesn't want to do or challenge her to be a better person. However, she also knows that he will make the effort not to hurt her, and they share the same goals in life. He would be a good match for her because at this point in time they both go by their feelings. She makes him feel more confident. He makes her feel safe and secure (providing her with food). At one point she even says, "I do things by what feels good right now." or something to that effect. Right now they both want to get away from their home lives.

Yes.

Good, then the story is doing its job. Even though she has had a crush on him since she was in middle school, she treats him like a brother because she thinks he only sees her as a little sister, especially when she is in college. This is the reason she puts him down as brother no. 2. Once all the misunderstanding on her side are cleared up, are they free to have a full bloom romance.

There are many clues that DJX when she is 17 is beginning to fall for her as well. Yet, he must treat her as a sister because of the relationship he has with the family. Once you are finished with the story I can explain more or just read other posts of mine. You are one of the few people who have noticed or should say have commented on the "weirdness" about this relationship in a good way.

Yes, many people miss the fact that the mom really loves her daughter and wants what is best for her. Is she perfect, no. That's what makes her human. As for the hugging and showing affection. How do you show affection to someone who has never had affection given to her? If mom would have run up and hugged her when they arrived home, NiaoNiao probably would have reflexively punched her because she is not used to being touched in that way. People have to want to be touched and loved. At the beginning, NiaoNiao is giving off the vibe of, "you haven't earned my respect or love, so don't touch me". As a parent you try, but you don't want to push things like this sometimes because you don't know what it will do to the child.

Thank you for sticking up for the mom. Many people have ranted about her way of showing love to NiaoNiao, but I fully understand why she did it. Discipline is love.