SenpaiSuki

Thats right Cen Ye, take your stupid tea back, MJ already has a preferred tea tender!

You're treating 'the content bothers me' and 'the casting bothers me' as the same objection, but they're not. Someone can think a fictional age gap storyline is fine as fiction while still objecting to a real 16 year old actress performing romantic scenes with an adult man: because one involves an actual minor in an actual workplace. That's the whole reason aging-up casting exists. And the industry's track record here isn't reassuring: the Kim Sae Ron controversy and what Zhao Lusi has described about her treatment show how much power imbalance young actresses deal with. So no, wanting adult actors in these roles isn't hypocrisy about the genre, it's a labor protection for real people. You can disagree with the genre critique separately, but that's a different argument than the one I made.

Maybe just shut up if you dont even get the point!

LOL

You clearly can’t separate criticism of a casting choice from a personal attack on actors you’re attached to. I questioned the casting; your fandom translated that into “she hates my favorites.” I know the distinction went over your head. It’s fine, I expected that. Anyhoos, enjoy your imaginary victory lap. See ya.

“Don’t watch it if you dislike it” is not a rebuttal to criticism. And citing another questionable casting choice from years ago does not magically make this one less questionable. “It’s fictional art” is also not a shield from discussing what that art chooses to normalize. No one asked for “xxx content” or “spit swapping.” The point was the casting, not the number of kisses. But thanks for arguing against several points I never made.

And what does that say about you? At least I said the casting made me uncomfortable. You’re the one passionately defending and apparently enjoying it.

What was the ear-ring fiasco, pray tell!

I agree with you. I don't understand why some people take that kind of opinion as a personal attack on the actors or their abilities.

I think that's a fair distinction, and I agree that personal enjoyment and casting choices are two separate conversations.

For me, the discomfort isn't only about whether I personally enjoy the pairing. If it were just a matter of taste, I wouldn't think there would be much to discuss. My concern is more about the broader casting pattern and whether certain dynamics are necessary when there are other options available.

I like both these actors, I have nothing against them, just wanted to add that disclaimer.

So I was supposed to judge the drama without watching it? But apparently if I don't watch it, I'm a "non-watcher" whose opinion doesn't count. If I do watch it, I've somehow forfeited my right to criticize it. Convenient. That's a pretty effective way to make sure no criticism is ever valid. I can't tell if you're arguing with me or with your own logic.

LOL... "Only non-watchers" is a bold assumption considering , Bruv I've watched 22 episodes.

And who exactly appointed you spokesperson for everyone watching the drama? Saying "viewers are satisfied" doesn't make it an objective fact.

You're also missing my point. Aimi being experienced doesn't answer why she had to be cast in a romance opposite an older co star. Experience and casting appropriateness are two different arguments.And we've already seen older actors play teenage characters countless times, Bai Lu is just one recent example. So clearly "the character is 16" isn't some casting rule the industry has to follow.

My argument has never been that Aimi is untalented or that the drama is bad. It's that if older actors can convincingly play younger characters, there's no compelling reason to cast someone who's barely an adult in a romance with a much older lead.

Can we stop casting barely legal actors in romantic roles, especially opposite significantly older costars? I remember people complaining about the lack of romantic or intimate scenes (even kisses), while others defended that decision. Personally, I think watching someone who just turned 18 in romantic scenes with an older actor is also uncomfortable than simply cutting back on physical intimacy.
Before anyone brings up the age of consent, yes, it's 14 in China. But that's not the point, is it? This isn't about what's legal. It's about what the industry chooses to normalize and what many viewers find comfortable or uncomfortable to watch.

An 18 year old and a 28 year old may both be consenting adults, but that doesn't automatically make the pairing comfortable to watch. To me, there's a world of difference between 18 and 28 versus 25 and 35, even if both are ten year age gaps. Life experience and maturity matter.

And before anyone says the actors need to match the characters' ages, that's clearly not a requirement. Bai Lu was 31 while playing a teenage girl in The First Jasmine. Plenty of dramas cast actors in their late 20s or 30s as younger characters. It's an established industry practice. So why insist on casting barely legal actors for these romances? If older actors can convincingly play teenagers, then casting more mature performers for romance heavy roles seems like the better choice.

Can someone slap both Chen Yi and Cen Ye ??? 2 for Cen Ye being extra irritating today...

I know what you mean as someone who has touched upon M&A and IPOs. But it usually isn’t some goons trying to make a drug hauling business legal. Also this was the early 2000s, they hint that this is at the border area in HK (C dramas usually dump their drug related activities in Cantonese speaking areas to show nothing of such manner goes on in mainland lol). So for me this falls in the area of plausible although maybe improbable.
The China we know today is completely different than the one before so that’s something to think about.

In the novel they get together after all is resolved to some extent and while the police is closing on the Zhang guy MJ takes away CY to Latin America. They have a baby in the end.

People need to understand their relationship isn’t a simple romantic relationship. To them, they are the only real family left for each other. They are siblings, friends, elder-child, romantic partners, etc. and that is where their responses get tangled up.
MJ wants a romantic partner now more than anything, but her wounds of being “abandoned” by CY 6 years ago still raw. I should say she also has more relationship experience than CY since she dated two guys before ( in retrospect I think she was trying to find out what normal romantic relationship is). She also tried to emulate the other normal romantic relationship she saw growing up I.e. the police guy and his fiancé by redecorating the apartment. But she regresses to a younger sibling/ friend mode when CY shuts her out.
In the meanwhile, CY keeps bouncing between older brother, friend, boyfriend, parent, etc modes.
2ML has never seen the other sides of MJ that CY brings out before and I think he is discovering her in new light and falling for her again.

The comments made it seem like she moved in her boss's house as his official gf! Then i watched the episode and was relieved seeing perfectly reasobable reaction from FL

I think it's perfectly reasonable for the FL to react the way she did. From her perspective, she already knows Zhang has identified her as CY's weakness. That dinner wasn't really about her, it was a threat directed at CY, and he was clearly shaken by it.

She also just saved his life because those goons had no intention of bringing him back to Tengcheng. By forcing the police to respond earlier than planned, she disrupted Zhang's plan. Zhang already suspects CY's loyalty but still needs him, so he wants to keep him under his control. If the police hadn't shown up early, CY would've been completely at Zhang's mercy.

She's also smart enough to realize that CY is secretly cooperating with the police officer, which is why she contacted him directly instead of reporting everything through the general tip line.

On top of that, distancing herself from CY takes some of the pressure off him to constantly protect her. But she's also understandably angry because he repeated the same mistake he made six years ago. If you've ever been in a relationship, you know how frustrating it is when someone keeps shutting you out or making decisions for you "to protect you," especially when their life is on the line. There's only so long someone can keep trying to protect another person before it becomes emotionally exhausting.

At this rate MJ will get a baby out of CY and CY will still be like gimme some time...