Suliabryon

That's probably where I am at, too. I loved that drama so, SO much. But I am also loving this one so much! Modern dramas are really hard to hit for me with a 10. But this one and that one sure are/did.

RIGHT??? It's so bad because those are usually the most emotional/intimate scenes!

And that ENTIRE episode was so drenched in tension, you could feel the relationship shifting between them, you knew THEY felt it, it was just unspoken until she kissed him at the end of 14/beginning of 15. But literally there were moments in that ep when I was yelling at my TV "OMG JUST KISS EACH OTHER".

The First Frost was my favorite modern drama this year, and maybe ever....until this one. We'll see if Speed and Love dethrones it for me!

Technically Dylan became popular after Meteor Garden, but LBFAD did catapult him even further, no question.

OMG someone please spoil me, what accident? Why do they break up? UUUGH.

Honestly, this is a western viewpoint. China, Korea, and Japan all like that "cutesy" vibe in a way we just don't get. I've gotten used to it by watching so many dramas, and with her character being young and pretty sheltered here, it doesn't bother me so much. But yeah, that's why. Because that "demeanor" is super, super popular in the east.

100% Not just you. When she tells him "I don't mind that you're dirty" I was like "Girl, none of us do."

Right?? I think he was so afraid it was just a drunken impulse from her, and they couldn't talk about it right then even if she was sober. The hand holding was such a small thing, but so full of emotion and depth. The way he didn't want her to let go to accept the juice bottle from Nana. My heart.

He's literally not allowed to tell anyone per whatever contract he signed when he agreed to become a UC to clear his record. That's standard. And even if he could have made her an exception, they weren't together when he started so he wouldn't have. I'm sure he's going to tell her anyway at some point, but yeah.

I mean, they DID have 14 episodes worth of insane tension to deal with.

😂

And then he left them alone like the great wingman/friend he is.

...aaaand block! Bye bye negativity.

I kind of love them! I can see them being frenemies, lol. And I actually really liked the chemistry between him and FL. I love that he isn't really pursuing her but just likes and respects her, and how she instantly clocked it. They could be friends. I also don't think he's a true antagonist.

Exactly! I loved the moment, too, when his wife was prepping the red envelopes and dithering and second guessing not giving enough money to Mu, who is not her daughter, and the way he went soft and looked at her. And I thought "he's thinking about the difference. How his ex-wife could never accept Zhao, but his current wife has such a kind heart she immediately accepted Mu." It was such a great, quiet moment that said so many things about their relationship.

And even the little smiles between Mu and her little sister in the same ep. We haven't seen a ton of interaction between them, but the little that is there hints at what's happening in the background. We can see Mu becoming a real part of this family.

Seriously! My gosh. My screen has almost combusted a few times.

I LOVED that whole sequence! I got teary when Zhao came to him, troubled, and his Dad intuited what was wrong and told him exactly what he needed to hear. Despite being an alcoholic, despite everything, at the core they still love each other; he's still the man who took in his best friend's son and raised him as his own. Then he controlled his drinking long enough to actually teach him what he needed. My heart!

This is why I am loving this drama so much. The layers of relationships, flawed, imperfect, but still so real and human.

This drama is a 10/10 for me in every possible way. I love it. I love everything about it. All of the characters, but especially the leads, (and I'm SO over the Esther hate, so if you don't like her scroll on by please.) And the CHEMISTRY. Off the charts. These last few eps, basically since ep 9 through today, holy MOLY. I could write a novel in detail about everything I love about this drama, but trying to keep it short-ish, so: for the ML, just the quiet way he loves her and literally cannot stop himself from taking care of her in a thousand ways even when he's trying really hard (and fooling no one) to pretend that he's indifferent. The way his mouth smiles even when he's trying to frown when it comes to her. For the FL: I love how even though she's young and sheltered, she's actually really perceptive and wise in some ways, and I love how open she is with her feelings. She's just there, saying and showing how much she loves him every day in every way. Also, IMO Esther really works in this role. Her "cute" brand really shines as Jiang Mu without going overboard. It's so cute how flustered she gets every time he puts himself in her personal space and things get just a little too intense for her. Girl, if you can't handle him staring at you from inches away, what are you going to do when he kisses you for real? It's honestly such a charming mix of this bold, brave girl, who gets shy when confronted with her inexperience.

I even love the....SML? Antagonist? Our rich racer who is so obsessed with Jin Zhao. And I'm gonna say....he and Mu had some chemistry! No SML syndrome here, because I'm SOOOOOOO in love with our lead couple, but the two of them had some real natural chemistry, and I actually really love that he's not truly pursuing her and she totally clocked it, lol. Like...they could be friends. He and Zhao could be at least respected colleagues. So glad they aren't making him in love with her.

Side note: Wan Qing should just get over herself and take a good look at Casper right in front of her. I get that you can't always choose who you love, but dude is so in love with her, wants to be there for her, and all she does is coldly shove him away at every opportunity, while comparing him unfavorably to his rival. Like, lady, you had to know in your heart well before FL showed up that Zhao was just not into you. You chose to keep pining for him anyway, even after your father ruined his life. I have a feeling they'll never have her go for him, and just keep her in this space of focusing on Zhao and how he doesn't love her.

Okay, but I've seen the trailers for tomorrow and novel readers, I HAVE QUESTIONS. We haven't even gotten to our "being together" era (apparently tomorrow, though I still have about 30 min of today's final ep to go), and then she sees him in his undercover gig with another girl. TELL ME this is going to be a quick storyline and not disrupt our couple too much and for too long, because my heart was breaking for them both just in that tiny clip.

Oh, interesting! I'm still on ep 3.