Signorinara

I saw that video of him literally asked the Director to change that line, and..well, if you got the time & you haven't seen it, you should watched the video yourself and see WJY's response to his request and how endearing his reply to her. He's the sweetest, in fact they both are.

Their interviews are beyond hilarious but heartwarming, they laughed the hardest when they were together. Like in the bts clip of the extra episode, WXY even said it himself that he was so happy he literally couldn't keep a straight face & act mad at WJY on the set. They just kept grinning and laughing even at the most minute incidents, like they hadn't been that overjoyed in a long time.

You meant 'Iron Monkey' !? I think i'd seen it ages ago but forgot exactly when, watched a great number of Chinese movies back then, i lost counts of most plots but still remembers the titles..

Great to know there's someone else here being appreciative towards the fighting sequences. They choreographed it fairly well, the first fight between Duke Su the Duo Ji against Chu Lan was done neatly. But Xiao Heng with words are indeed the second most perfect fit for him after A Li in the entire series. The fan was great and all, but mannnn... him holding that sword and effortlessly swing it to the side, back and front while horseback riding his way into where King Cheng was showed me just how dangerous the man is, and the entire fighting scenes he had with the Commander was also quite satisfying.. well still cant beat the sword fighting parts in The Rurouni Kenshin Pentalogy but i gotta say Wang Xingyue was natural doing all those stunts. Dude be great at acting, looking fine AND proficient in martial arts as well.

Oh and the battlefield scene, he definitely should do colossal/heavily-war-themed movies one day, or at least being a field operative, cause despite having such delicate facial features, he easily managed to give out that stern and rough look in his eyes.

Pleasure to be back after a long while. Thanks for having me, Pal.

Oh btw..i have you to thank for the details you provided regarding the wordplay in the dialogues between A Li & Xiao Heng. It helped me understand their intentions better. ^^

Pleasure to be back after a long while.

Oh btw..i have you to thank for the details you provided regarding the wordplay in the dialogues between A Li & Xiao Heng. It helped me understand their intentions better. ^^

Thanks for the recommendations.. ^^v

Oww...i thought he had been long retired from the showbiz, or at least going on a somewhat long hiatus like Takeshi Kaneshiro & Chow Yunfat.
See what i meant with 'being away for that long' !?

Cause i mostly watch movies, and it hasn't even been that long since i began including Chinese films on my watch list, and in all those films i 'd seen so far, not many familiar faces i could find, including Ringo Yu.
Glad to know he's still kicking.

Since i never read the novel, and there were so many information & speculations about the ending circulated soon after 40th eps aired, i couldnt help but getting even more puzzled with how things went down in the finale. Interpretations were divided between the tv audience and book readers at the time, and twas pretty hard to discern which direction the production team expected the viewers to take. I knew they had been filming the extra episode like few days before it officially ended, but a part of me kinda suspecting that it'd be like an alternate ending, and i sincerely did not want that.

So i knew i had to make sure first that XH did survive the war against Dai Country, and it was indeed WXY himself who was riding that horse on the hill, before i could watch the actual final episode with ease.

I didn't hate the ending sans the bonus episode, J-doramas & movies had well equipped me mentally & emotionally with how they casually end the protagonist's existence with a single sequence, or line, just because they can, so i was prepared for literally the worst case scenario. it's just the way they made the finale thing seem blurred & misleading that got to me. Some of the (executive) producers must have seen Inception one time too many.

When i instantly recognized his face, standing on the side of his son's coffin, which was a wide shot, taken from quite a distance, that's when it strangely struck me that i'd been away from historical Chinese dramas for that long.

Ohhh you're well aware of his repertoire, too !?
HK's golden age is simply unrivaled..

True that..i remember thinking when his character first appeared on early episodes, ain't no way someone his caliber would briefly appear for a single scene. He must've held a significant role in this story. What a waste to have him on board only to pop in and then left.
And so, when he did return, i must give it to Wang Xingyue for his natural performance alongside Ringo Yu. Dude [got me convinced that he is General Xiao's Grandson. Equally tactical, intelligent, charismatic, but at the same time loving and soft at heart individuals them both. His screen presence is beyond his years.

Hopefully they'd soon be offered to do thriller, a gritty one with tight script (and ENOUGH romance, like a proper one), and helmed by a reliable director.

True love never dies indeed.
I read this on the Y*tube comment section of The Double related video that XFF lost everything because of SYR. Her Father & Brother, her chance of maximizing her talent, her own life, AND her Mother's precious pendant. But Xiao Heng returned them all to her.

A Li also never handed the jade pendant over to Syr after they got married, even though it was presumed that it'd likely be her future husband's since she received it from her Father when he asked her if syr is indeed the one for her. But the fact that she held on to it, and ended up being pawned for syr's sake, only to be redeemed by, none other than Xiao Heng, before eventually became his, gifted by his wife on their wedding day feels like a complete circle. Symbolizing that even then, deep down she knew that syr wasn't worthy of her most precious possession, because it belongs to the one. The jade pendant is like XFF's heart, it took a long time to get there, but it finally found its way to its guardian, Xiao Heng.

Apologies for bothering you with my questions.
Kind of you to bear with me. ^^

The way i see it, it was his response to King Cheng's remarks right before Duke Su's, which was practically his way of begging Duke Su not to finish him off because he was his late Father's 'only disciple' by implicitly saying:
"Look, i know your father really well, we were so tight knit close, he taught me everything i know as an imperial soldier, so, could you pleaseee spare my life for old time's sake ??"

To which XH basically replied:
"Oh..i know who you are, you used to be my father's comrade in military. I also know that he trusted you until you double crossed him. But you know what, fortunately this sword in my hand, which also happens to be my Father's, knows none of those stories and history you had with him, so it couldn't care less about your life at all. PLUS, i'm not my Father, so that makes two of us. So, nope. We got no reasons whatsoever to let you stay alive & breathing fine, precisely after what you had done to my Father AND your treason attempt. So, Byeee."

1. Duke Su SURVIVED the war against Dai Country, since he managed to beat their commander (right before that very jade pendant scene), in the context of ancient war at the time, it'd also mean that their soldiers had to surrender immediately. cr: @unbeliebubble

2. The scene on the hill, in which XFF wore a full red attire, was NOT A DREAM. Because the man who was seen hurriedly riding horse towards her was indeed Wang Xingyue himself and not a double stunt. cr: WXY's weibo video
*The production team probably thought it was a good idea to get a little creative with how they wanted to deliver this good news without being too obvious, but quickly forgot that artistic approach are mostly hard to be comprehended logically, and instead sent everyone into ultimate confusion and, for some, agonizing despair.

3. As kindly explained by @busterboy, in the book, after they got married, Xiao Heng loved Xue Fangfei even more. Very much so, it's almost like his world revolved only around her. Whatever she loved, he loved. There was a sweet part where he goes early to line up for red bean cakes just like the commoners instead of asking the servants. He took XFF traveling as she hoped to see the world. They were a super sweet couple, XFF even comments she never would have imagined she would meet someone who would love her as much as XH.

The Double is my first historical chinese tv series in 20 years.

Remember Xiao Heng's Grandpa, General Xiao!?
Yeah...the first person who called A Li 'Xiao Heng's wife' before they even got married, and saved her from King Cheng's grip.

His name is Ringo Yu and i grew up watching him acted alongside the likes of Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow, Jet Li, Sammo Hung & Anthony Wong. Most of you guys here younger folks probably have never even heard of the last two names until now, but thats fine, cause my point is he is a living legend in the industry, and right before Japanese & Korean's movies and series took over, up to that point in time, i remember i'd watched tons of historical movies & series, including the ones that he starred in. And this was before DVD era, yep..been quite a while.

It hasn't even been 3 years since i started watching C-cinematic projects again, coincidentally, initiated through Infernal Affairs (Tony Leung & Andy Lau). I'd watched it many years ago, but one day i remember asking myself "how did it end again!?", and decided to see it one more time.
And just like that, it completely reignited my interest in C-movies & films all over again until now, and haven't properly 'returned' to J/K-movies/series since.

There's something about Chinese films & dramas that i apparently had long forgotten.
Despite its fast pace, and lots of overlapping dialogues, there's always this one scene that manages to make you feel so much, a radical, rich emotion at that, with the most minimum lines.
A single look in the actor's eyes that can convey many unspoken innermost feelings without words.

I cried when Zhou Dongyu's character quietly struggled in 'Better Days',
i chuckled every time Fan Wei's character bickering with Chen Minghao & Qin Hao in 'The Long Season',
i was in stiches while adventuring with Da Peng & Li Xueqin in 'Post Truth',
i bawled my eyes out for Greg Hsu in 'A Sun' & Jing Boran's equally blighted role in Regeneration,
i was a sobbing mess alongside Zhang Yi upon hearing the heart wrenching story of Fan Wei in 'One Second',
and every single one of them has somewhat awaken all sorts of inexplicable emotions in me that i never knew had been well buried deep within.

The Double gave me all that.
It's perfect because of its imperfections.
i love it the way it is.

I personally think what happened to Ji duos is the way the writers balanced things out with Tong-er situation.
That way, XH & XFF would trust no one and nothing else but each other's relentless supports along the way.

Lastly, to everyone who has not watched The Double yet,
and most importantly, to those who still find the ending confusing,
let me just tell y'all these:
The Double has a HAPPY ENDING.

Because:

Someone else said this before on another website that Wang Xingyue might be young be he's an old soul. Just like Jackson Yi (Better Days), them both despite their young age, got this natural mature aura in the way they carry their respective roles, they just morphed into another person almost effortlessly we forgot that they're much younger than their on screen characters once the cameras rolling.

Briliant performance, Wang Xingyue.
And ofc, Wu Jinyan. Ohh gurllll...never seen her before in anything or anywhere else, so she was also a huge surprise to me. Marvellous actress she is.

I can only imagine the agony XFF had to bear when her love went missing for years. Ohh..btw, during his disappearance was there any indication in the book that shows if XFF also
that believed XH died in the battle after the pendant was returned to her, or she'd always believed that he was still alive??

Am with you on how the drama portrays the relationship between Duke Su & the Emperor. After all, Xiao Heng was his only confidant. And to save everyone's hearts from further misery, i thank the production team for letting it stay that way.

But i'm still not over spinning princess and murderer shen's absolute lunacy just yet, the actors embodied their roles slightly bit too well, i can't even stand the sight of them when i saw the the online interview involving the entire cast ensemble last night. ^^

I haven't been this resentful towards fictional characters since i cant even remember when.
And i haven't seen any swoon worthy on screen power couple like Xue Fangfei & Xiao Heng in many years, practically none after Crash Landing on You.
Am sorry i slightly deviate from our point of convo.

Awwww...for real???
So A Li became Xiao Heng's universe, man did only want her and her alone.
They should've included those moments as well in the series. Imagine the level of chaos resulted from his attempt of cooking and holding tight her hand while travelling. Some couple are clearly custom made for each other.

Also, I finally saw the extra episode last night, and many major thanks to you, i enjoyed it so very most much, i replayed the first two minutes for at least 4 times.
I smiled so intensely my cheeks hurt.

I love how i didn't realize how she'd gradually softened him as a person as their relationship progressed into a deeper state over time, until XH engaged in the fighting scenes during the last few final episodes.
I totally forgot how cold-blooded, cunning & ruthless Duke Su was before meeting A Li. He wasn't kidding at all when he said to her, "When i raise my sword & bring it down, i think of nothing."

I personally don't mind the battle sequence on the final eps, to me, it was done exceptionally well, cause to be honest the first & primary reason i was drawn into The Double a few months ago was the very image of Xiao Heng holding Wen Ji in the battlefield, fully unaware of anything or anyone about the series, so i was satisfied to finally witness the entire war scene, including that pendant biting bit (like who isn't). Wu Jin Yan & Wang Xing Yue don't disappoint.


My friend, if it weren't for you, i would've been forever left in ruins by that artistic choice of ending i saw last saturday. Thank you, truly.

I haven't seen ANY historical Chinese series in roughly 20 years (kid you not), as i mostly prefer movies over tv shows. (A picky movie buff here)

Officially returned to Chinese cinematic universe through Tony Leung & Aaron Kwok's Where the Wind Blows last year, and never did i imagine i'd find something as finely crafted as The Double along the way, which also happens to be my comeback historical tv project.

Gosh, WJY & WXY are indeed the power couple.

Looking forward to check out yours, too ^^v

That entire fighting sequences were all done right. Reminds me of those good ol' colossal chinese movies in the 90s-00s.

Am still loathing them to the core 🥸

From here on out whenever someone extremely bothers me, imma just say "dang you, Wanning'

You have no idea how much i appreciate this post.

Thank you so very much for taking the the time to explain it here.

I haven't seen the extra eps. yet, but seeing most comments here it seems like it is HE.
But then i saw someone else posted earlier abt what happened after the 8th year, and since am currently still at the heartbroken/confused state from discerning eps 40, i immediately thought "well..at least they did spend some significant amount of time together as a married couple".

I did wanna ask around here about how the story ends in the book, but again, im kinda still scarred by last night, i didn't think i was ready enough to take another blow should the original ending turned out to be even more tragic than i was prepared to face.

But reading your explanation here feels like the clear closure i've been looking for.

Cause i couldnt even tell if he survived the war or not? was it the very the same war against Dai country he talked abt right after they got married, or did it happen many years after ? Did they even get to experience marriage life or that was that, he just left for one war and then he was gone for good? My mind hadn't stopped analyzing since the (official) last eps, until i come across your post

Particularly, in the last scene on the hill a man in red was seen riding a horse towards A Li, but never revealed his face, when in fact it was indeed WXY himself who actually rode the horse. If Xiao Heng couldnt make it out alive (whether that last scene was either just a fragment from A Li's dream or it was her soul reuniting again with her Xiao Heng after her passing), why bother having him shot that very scene in the first place!? Why not using double, after all, we just got to see XH's montage from afar.
My confusion instantly doubled down, what actually happened!?

I wanted to see the extra episode, but i also didnt want it to feel like a consolation ending.
I honestly wanted it to be the real one.
And thankfully, it is.

Your explanation truly completes the entire picture.
I can't thank you enough, @busterboy 🥹

Now i can peacefully watch the actual, final (40.5) episode of The Double.
Ohh..as if this series hasn't been captivating & stellar enough, it even gives me the ending that allows me to have a restful sleep afterwards.

Ohh..would you mind if i refer your post to anyone perhaps still find the entire ending situation rather puzzling?

🫶