asphyxia

ooo you’re ESTand im PST so its 5:47 rn, i watched like two hours worth of behind the scenes and that little kid went against hundreds of other child actors 😭 truly talented

YES THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME TOO (i was running on 30 mins of sleep right before a huge exam bc i was so invested lol)

mu cheng's virtue is that her self-reliance came from her lack from parental figures (dad died, mom died, stepdad was a bitch, stepmom left her???) so she learned to swallow her problems.

this self-reliance helped her survive those difficult childhood years but also doubles as a flaw that made her develop a martyr complex (only caring about self sacrifice, blinded by their path so can't see the big picture)

guang xi is essentially the opposite; he'll chase answers to the end of time and doesn't tolerate prosocial lying. he's proactive to the point of marrying her despite their looong history of grudges while she shrinks back. the best way to compare them is a turtle vs rhino, a dodger and a charger 😅

still need to say even after the show I can't settle my hate for the parents lol, idgaf about backstories, they did terrible things and ruined a perfect love 💔

so glad you're still watching, I believe you'll enjoy the ending bc it isn't a constant downward slope, keep going !! 😻

OMG YOU GOT SO FAR DAMN 🎉🎉i was scared you dropped it lol, yea i understand your frustration but i'm (oddly) a fan of shows that tug my heartstrings and make me go ballistic 🙊I think I was just touched by the realistic portrayals of motherhood/illness; the two leads are just huge tsunderes (idk a better word but in chinese it's 口是心非, meaning the characters are never saying what their heart feels) from my perspective, mu cheng feels too much guilt for the way she left guang xi so she tries not to upset him with mentions of the past, but ironically guang xi wants her to mention the past as proof that she still loves him. mu cheng thinks guang xi is only feeling vengeance while guang xi believes mu cheng is miserable from his presence (a bit vexing isn't it 😅)

ep8 reveals everything, but basically it's his condition, obviously he won't die here when there's 34 eps so rest assureeed

and let me tell you maybe it's bc i'm stupid but every single twist caught me off guard 🙊literally gobsmacked

I also don't wanna force you so if you find that watching ep1-8 isn't your cup of tea then it's better to move on. Perhaps the reason I appreciate it sm is because it feels like a break from all the recent xianxias/historical dramas that have the same empty plots

I had the same experience but the 10/10 reviews above made me rethink lol, without spoiling the best I can say is: rich boy trope gets on my nerves, but unlike boys over flowers / the heirs, this ML actually gets better. He unjerkifies himself and unplayboyifies himself like clockwork. The "second leads" are not bitchy and more realistic (tuo ye & yi qian) bc they act like how people do in irl. They respect their crushes and don't try to murder their love rivals (like in those crazy kdramas). I would encourage you to at least reach ep8 (the dialogue is soooo earth-shattering for me) and then decide to drop or continue. Heads up that more of the show is focused on post-time skip, where the true angst takes place.

I persevered beyond the cliches and crazy rich people things and found myself a gem !! So happy someone else is in this 2009 drama’s comment section 😭 I had to watch a million BTS videos to calm down after the emotional rollercoaster

also the acting is phenomenal wtf, i cannot watch an episode without crying or dying

oh and since im late to the party, this is like speaking in a desert; no one to chat with here about the drama 🥲

HELLLOOO?? HOW DID I MISS THIS GEM!!!! I was scrolling on Netflix, lamenting that there was nothing to watch, then this caught my eye. I'm roughly halfway and can confidently say this made me scream and laugh and cry more than 90% of modern dramas. I guess I used to have a bias against pre-2015 dramas bc only a few were watchable for me. It's so cliche in the right way, not to the point of boredom, it makes you wanna watch episode after episode in an endless binge. I had to pause the episodes so many times just to breathe and sort my thoughts out, this is crazy 🤯

I think his character is terrible, but it’s true that she gets 10+ scripts to look at and choose from. The role of an agent in connecting an actor to variety shows/brand deals is undeniable, on top of one’s popularity. I don’t think he’s excellent, but saying she should leave the company due to mistreatment is basically fear mongering 😊

Tysm for the honest review! I was hesitant at first because the synopsis does not help the drama stand out (family dead, revenge under new identity trope), so it’s nice to see the schemes are appealing! will start when time allows 🫶

damn this was a failed attempt 😶 I just wanted first impressions before making a 40 episode commitment without hearing meatriding or blind hating, I guess I’ll search elsewhere

I hope I can get a review of the show from someone who’s not a fan or a hater bc I know bias goes crazy 😭

I was just commenting on how silly it was 😅 It’s difficult for c-actors to switch agencies bc of the low success rate, and her situation is comparably better than that of other actors. She has the opportunity to choose from many scripts, all yu zheng interfered with was choosing the side cast, and this “cycle of actors” is what helps actors rise to fame in the first place. Im not a fan of his eccentric character, but it’s quite nice for her to have a boss that gives her the best opportunities and cuts down rumors for her. She wouldn’t be able to act well if she was forced into scripts she disliked, same applies to all actors 🫶

Yes, I know. I'm criticizing the bickering fans on both sides. There were BL fans arguing WXY wasn't "good enough" for her, and there were WXY's fans saying that it was unfair for him to not get a bigger presence in the show. Both of these hurts the reputation of the drama 🥲

for some reason a lot of iQiyi shows haven't been hitting "high marks" this year, or at least I would argue less often than 2023/2024 even if they were high IP and S+ 😅

I don’t believe yu Zheng is a good person, but it’s true that both main leads were contacted by the script before deciding their next filming plan. They both ended up liking the script, which is why they started filming. What I’m criticizing is the chinese media’s fixation on “一番/二番/平番”. Sometimes being “secondary” gives you entry to better roles, yet fans act like it’s the end of the world. These fanwars always interrupt the drama’s success and don’t even benefit the actor/actress (ex. ZLH and TXW’s fan argument)

it's so funny how weibo fans beef about whether BL or WXY is the main lead of the show and smearing the other one in support of their fav, as if they aren't longtime colleagues/friends 😅