RouteVenus

1) The spell only takes about 80% of life force of HC, but I am not sure which episode mentions it.
It explains why HC had trouble recovering his primordial spirit for 30.000 years and why it was partially getting restored when he and XY started their trials (because she was essentially giving his life force back to him - as I understood it)

2) Their story starts with what happened 30.000 years ago, that's the origin of the red thread.
(There is a theory that since each one of them gave it a bit of their primordial spirit, HC could come back to life in the finale.)
I think that they have been dreaming about each other because for some time, the two of them have been stuck in a time loop with the trials always ending with the 5th one - reliving the past again - and then HC's memory is taken by his brother and the future is same again.
But this time, as I understand it, enough variables were in favour for our OTP (e.g. they became friends with Jin Lian and Zihui in life 3), that Jin Lian trusted HC enough to give him the time compass and HC kept his memory intact

3) That is how I interpret it. But maybe it was some magical artifact that would essentially become a red thread of specific people, depending on who touched it?

Enjoy the ride! You already watched the most boring lives 1 and 2, from now on, it will only get better! (and with less and less interference from the annoying SML) <3

Right? I am so grateful that LYST gave DYX opportunity to try a fantasy genre and even more that they had the right idea to pair him up with YCY. One of the reasons why I want LYST to be a popular drama is that these two really need to be cast together again. As you say, even in BTS it was clear they were on more equal footing, with YCY being the slightly less experienced one, and DYX seemed to look out for her.

I didn't really have a big problem with romance in RoTaR because if I were the FL, I would probably act in the same way. She knew for a fact that this guy came to kill them all and conquer the city, so no wonder she was confused at his suddenly cute/kind behaviour and worried that he might turn on her :D. Her actions were not always 100% logical, but I could see where she was coming from.

It is a last minute HEA, similar to LBFaD. It's short, but satisfying.

Yes, it is happy ending, don't worry :) Overall it's a very sweet show!

Thank you, I finished it and even left a short review :)
https://kisskh.at/729705-hidden-love#comment-14503481

In Love You Seven Times? No problem:

- they do not break up; they get together after the third trial (the master-apprentice one) and stay together to the end

- the ML pretends to forget about the FL for like one episode (noble idiocy), but she doesn't leave him (it's not angsty)

- the second lead doesn't influence their relationship in any major way; he is the worst in life #2, he gets better afterwards, never forces himself on the FL, never hurts ML

- the "30.000 years ago" episodes are the cutest; they meet, flirt, fall in love and get engaged to be married; but on the night of their wedding, the villain frames the FL as a murderess, she and ML fight him, FL sacrifices herself and the villain takes ML's memories, that's why he doesn't realize in the present time that he and Xiang Yun already know each other

- yes, it's the last minute happy ending, but it is explicit, not open; it's similar to ending of LBFaD and both leads remember each other (no amnesia)

After seeing Ding Yuxi in four romantic dramas, namely: The Romance of Tiger and Rose (with Zhao Lusi), Intense Love (with Zhang Yuxi), Moonlight (with Yu Shu Xin) and Love You Seven Times (with Yang Chaoyue)...
...I have to honestly say that I liked him with Yang Chaoyue the most! <3

I can't really explain why, because he was good with everyone and both Zhao Lusi and Yu Shu Xin are objectively more experienced actresses than Yang Chaoyue is.
But DYX and YCY's chemistry just feels very natural and sweet, like a real couple's, not to mention they look great together and they seem to be good friends behind the scenes as well.
In the 5th episode of the variety show "As You Wish" the cast shot an over-the-top romantic short film set in the university campus and it was a joy to watch.

I sincerely hope that someone will cast them in a modern romantic comedy soon; it would be a waste if these two should never play a couple again.

Nearly two weeks since the show ended and I am happy to see that the rating went up a little bit! :)
(cheers to all new fans btw!)
Does anyone know whether the ratings in China went up as well? After facing so much negativity from the trolls during the course of the show, I really wish the cast and crew was appreciated for what they created.

Despite the fact that I think the last four or so episodes were on the weaker side, the drama overall was great, has good rewatch value and kudos to creators for not betraying the mood of the show at the last minute and delivering a satisfying ending!

This was such a fun treat for all fans of Love You Seven Times. I really liked the cast members and I do believe you can see that the cast must have gotten along great during the drama shooting and I hope they'll stay friends in the real life too.

They confess at the end of ep 10 and start dating in ep 11 <3.
They take a short pause in ep 14 but never break up.

This was such a sweet and consistently good series! I enjoyed it a lot and will probably rewatch it in the future.

By the way, I am happy that I guessed correctly who was the secret lottery winner :D.

I am at episode 6 and really frustrated with the ML's behaviour.
He denies being interested in the FL, even calls it absurd, lies to her that nothing happened between them, but when she is the one who draws the lines and tells him clearly not to overstep, he suddenly goes into "I thought you've changed" mode, suggesting she is the mean/pathetic one.
I know that the FL is not a perfect human being, but it seems to me that he is prejudiced against her from the beginning. Even when he quickly discovered that she is actually soft-hearted and only prickly on the outside, he always seem to look for reasons to misunderstand her. It's interesting to compare how coldly he treats her in episode one, even when she is polite, and how kind and understanding he is when he meets the SML for the first time - who is also a helpless outsider with strong opinions about things.

I know I am in minority here, but I like the FL better than the ML.
(that being said, both are realistically imperfect characters and the actors are doing a great job portraying them!)

I thought this would be a slow-burn but the leads seem to be in the full flirting mode by episode 3?
:D
It's a bit slow but nice so far, I like the no-nonsense FL. I am at ep 4 and I hope that the quality will hold....

Thank you, I might give it a try after it finishes airing :). (same for MJTY actually)

Yes, that's true, I am very picky. I rewatch a lot and spend a lot of time picking new shows to watch that would suit my tastes, that's just how I roll :D.

And I don't mind general negative comments/negative rating (e.g. "This show sucks!") but when I see lots of specific comments like "this show overuses outdated tropes" or "it's boring/slow" and I know that what I am looking for is a fast-paced show that reinvents old clichés or at least doesn't use them too much, then there is a good chance that I will not enjoy it as much as I'd want to.
Hope this makes sense <3.

I had this on my watchlist because I thought it would be cute, straightforward historical rom-com, something like "Oh My Sweet Liar" or "Romance of Hua Rong".
But judging from the comments and rating, it's probably not going great... I think I'll pass on this one for now.

This was just an okay drama for me <3. Probably 7.5/10 for now.

I will not say it's overrated, because it's always nice to see a mellow, sweet drama with minimal conflict to be rated high. After all, the ratings are always subjective, that is the point, and I am sure that each one of us can name plenty of dramas that we consider either overrated or underrated; it all boils down to personal preference. And feel-good shows need their spot in the sun too!

"Hidden Love" is a heartwarming series and I understand how people relate to this and find solace in this simple yet touching story. Not to mention the leads are great here!

Personally, I didn't mind the slower pace or the lack of confict. I only felt that it became a bit repetitive towards the end and that the main couple at some point stopped really talking to each other. I mean, they did interact, but it felt superficial to me. It almost reminded me of "Intense Love" in that respect: pretty people being cute but somehow never talking about their likes and dislikes, hobbies, work, friends or even their future in detail....I just like my OTPs talking about stuff and going through things together, you know? :D

I am not sure if I will rewatch this in the future, but if I'll ever want a sugar sweet balm to calm my poor nerves, I know where to look :).

I only started this today. The first six episodes were a bit boring if I am being honest. But I see from other comments that it will get better from ep 8, so I am holding on....

If you want more modern rom-com cdramas with healthy relationships and no major misunderstanding, you might want to try "My Little Happiness" or "Moonlight". Also "You Are My Glory" and "Falling Into Your Smile", but both of these have e-sport theme (YAMG only in the first half, FIYS is centered around e-sports).