Tibbs

My theory is that in ep 19 XY declined to kiss XL when he demanded it, even at the risk of dying because there was a very real possibility that she would fall completely in love with him to the point of losing herself. She's very pragmatic and she knows the risk she will face if she falls completely through that rabbit hole. Considering XL's personality, he would be loyal to her, she knows that they have feelings for each other, they clearly like each other, share companionship and have deep heart to heart talks. They are special to each other. But there are also invisible boundaries in their friendship that she is careful never to cross. XL is also quick to punish her cruelly whenever he is displeased or for the slightest bit of infraction (good example of this is when he broke the branch causing her to fall and break her leg; how he left her on the island so she was forced to swim to shore and risk drowning) so on some level, while she is safe with him (he will protect her with his all), she is not safe from him.

Why she offered to kiss Jing even though he didn't ask for it is because Jing is safe and her feelings were not too engaged in the kiss. She was open to exploring more physically with Jing, but her feelings for him are not yet so deep, she can control how she feels about him, though she clearly likes him and knows that he will never actively hurt her. Jing recognized that while she has feelings for him, she is not completely in love with him. And he wants to wait until she is totally his before initiating a deeper physical intimacy with her. Again, XY is very pragmatic, she knows there is lesser risk to herself in this relationship, so there's a part of her, mentally calculating when her feelings are involved in keeping with her nature to protect herself based on her life experiences.

Because he’s petty and jealous like that.

Her coldness to 17 simply reveals how deeply his betrayal hurt her. You can’t feel that deeply betrayed by someone without first giving them your utmost trust. It’s a measure of how deeply she cared for him. She would probably have felt less betrayed by Mu, Skinny or Pimply, because while she cares for them as family, she never had the same level of trust and affection towards them as she had for 17.

It might be. I haven’t read the novel, so I’m watching the drama unfold with an open mind. One thing I appreciate is that the drama really takes the time to explain his background and lets the viewer understand why he’s the way he is, and why he is motivated to succeed. He has his flaws but he’s a very sympathetic, and admirable character. I love his intelligence and his complexity. He’s cruel after he has been provoked and he has rational reasons for making the decisions he does. As opposed to XL, who is a more romantically charismatic character but is dangerously cruel for no reason. His falling in love with WXL doesn’t negate the fact that he whipped her, pushed her off the tree and caused her broken leg, strangled her, feeds on her, and even tried to drown her. Many of these actions , unprovoked. Just because he was in a bad mood. All the while knowing that WXL is a woman. Something viewers are quick to ignore , excuse or rationalize away because he cuts a more dashing figure. But I think he is the more cruel character of the two. I can’t ignore his past abuse, just because he is now in love and sympathetic. It plays into the fallacy that a woman’s love can change a man’s nature. We all know that in real life that is far from the truth and a dangerous stereotype for young women perpetuated by idol dramas.

I think he was basking in his own feelings for her, and it was technically a date, so he was happy on their underwater date and intrigued by how mesmerized she was by her surroundings. He already knows that she cares for him. Prior to him accepting the bug she told him repeatedly that she made that bug for him, that he was the only one she was interested in scourging. That the only reason she enjoyed looking at the moon on the lake was because of his company. She’s told him repeatedly to stay alive, flirts and jokes with him. He’s neither blind nor dense, it’s quite obvious that she has feelings for him. He was fairly certain of that before he allowed himself to put the bug in him.

Actually, one reason why this drama tugs so much on my heartstrings is because it shows that a woman can love, and care for three different men at the same time. Which is something that happens in real life, but romance writers refuse to delve into it as it complicates the ‘monogamous’ relationship that is the staple of romance dramas. Here the writer explores it in depth, with all its richness and complexities and that’s what makes this drama so beautiful. It’s quite obvious to me that she has feelings for 17 and XL that are beyond that of friendship, although her feelings for CX maybe more familial than anything else. Time will tell which feelings will win out at the end of the story.

He has very fixed opinions about life. That’s why I called him a knucklehead. Instead of being so closed off and into his own ideas, he should open his heart and mind more so he can see the obvious things, he would naturally see, if he paid closer attention. There were so many clues that he ignored: The spirit tree focused on WXL for a long time, but he dismissed it, said he was looking for a woman not a man. WXL returned his fox feather to him as she saved his life, but that didn’t register to him. I thought he would know for sure when he told WXL about his sister and the reason why he spoils Nian. But he was too wrapped up in his memories to pay attention that WXL was crying and obviously much more affected than a normal sympathetic listener would be. He got poisoned by a Gu bug, other than finding out how to get the bug out of him, he didn’t investigate further. On the contrary, XL was able to find out that it’s a love bug which can only go from a female to a male. Did CX have the same resources as XL? I bet he did, but didn’t care to find out more since his thoughts mostly revolve around his planning and maneuvering for power and he cares for little else.

Good point!

Cause he’s a knucklehead.

Some antis really hate this drama! They’re even giving low ratings for episodes which haven’t been released yet! Instead of wasting your time on dramas you dislike why not use your energy and time more productively and go visit the webpages of dramas you actually like?

They are cousins through marriage, not blood related. Changjin and Changfeng share the same father, but Baozhu is related to Changfeng on his mother's side.

Romance is very well done, even if they are already married. They are able to portray a harmoniously married couple facing external challenges who are passionate about each other and have each other's back.

Honestly isn't' Changfeng being hypocritical?! He doesn't want his brother to sacrifice an innocent life to save his older sister when it relates to his cousin, but is perfectly fine using his unborn son as a sacrifice to ensure that his wife is safe!! What a hypocrite. He should at least understand that his brother is facing the same challenges he is, and his actions are not more ethical than his brother's.

BTW - wondering who is older? My guess is that his brother is older and that his brother and sister share the same mother, while he was born from the father's concubine and is the youngest of the three.

Anyone who knows more about the plot, please clarify. Thanks!

Honestly isn't' Changfeng being hypocritical?! He doesn't want his brother to sacrifice an innocent life to save his older sister when it relates to his cousin, but is perfectly fine using his unborn son as a sacrifice to ensure that his wife is safe!! What a hypocrite. He should at least understand that his brother is facing the same challenges he is, and his actions are not more ethical than his brother's.

BTW - wondering who is older? My guess is that his brother is older and that his brother and sister share the same mother, while he was born from the father's concubine and is the youngest of the three.

Anyone who knows more about the plot, please clarify. Thanks!

If you want the rating of this drama to climb higher on MDL, you'll need to rate each episode. MDL takes the aggregate of each episode rating's in their consideration when compiling the final rating.

If you want the rating of this drama to climb higher, you'll need to rate each episode. MDL takes the aggregate of each episode's rating in their consideration when compiling the final rating.

If you want the rating of this drama to climb higher, you'll need to rate each episode. MDL takes the aggregate of each episode rating's in their consideration when compiling the final rating.

And that could be said to be the first time he meets her, he didn't even know he had time travelled, he thought he was dreaming.

I think the word 'incestuous' is used too loosely imho. Incestuous relationships are dictionary restricted to those who are blood relatives. As far as I know Xu Qin and MYC are not related by blood, though they grew up together. At best, let's say that such a union offends modern day sensibilities. (Because in olden times, they often raised potential spouses in the same households but limited their contact until they were married). 'Incestuous' does not apply to their case, though the word 'icky' might serve. So the reference that XQ's adopted mother made when she was persuading XQ to be adopted "otherwise they would say I got a child bride for my son" is applicable to their case.

I know. But I’m looking at it from the perspective that he already had feelings for her before the mother forced the adoption. The adage that the forbidden fruit taste the sweetest, is true in this case. The mother’s action actually cemented her son’s feelings for Xu Qin, instead of dissipating it. He cannot magically wish his emotions away, just because of a legal procedure. If it were that easy then XQ and SY can wish their feelings away and we wouldn’t have a drama to watch. Prior to the adoption process, she was just someone living in his house, whom he loved and there was no law against it, or any indecency involved.

You are so right. XQ badly needs reassurance for someone so scared and indecisive. And that’s the very thing SY isn’t giving her. He keeps pushing her away and telling her that he’ll get over her. I wish he could be as rabid in opening up to her as he is when he’s defending her in front of others.