any_anka

Shi Ni Ai Le Wo is definitely my most listened to song on the entire OST (I also ended up having a playlist dedicated only to Changxi after watching this drama with SCD songs plus some of his previous songs, collabs, etc. So there's that...)
That scene with a bouquet is so adorable it hurts. Liuyi protecting the flowers while kicking ass is beyond cute. But generally this entire ep is overflowing with cuteness. Starting with Liuyi wanting to find the dean to get the graduation ceremony repeated 😅

Since you mentioned the OST, it might interest you that Changxi and Yanzhao actually dropped an EP a few days ago. It has one duet song and two solos for each of them, 5 songs total. Personally I like the SCD OST better, but that EP is not bad either, has a cute, gentle vibe to it. Maybe you will enjoy it (you can find it under Changxi's artist page, since you already saved Shi Ni Ai Le Wo).

Honestly, there are a lot of shows I personally don't vibe with and quite a few that I consider good, but didn't blow up properly. It is what it is, sadly I can't decide what people like 😋
Having said that, I do think that with SCD the case has to do more with... its positioning (for the lack of a better word) that I mentioned. Plus some people might be put off originally by the dubbing. And the cliffhanger ending, which I feel is discouraging those who only start a drama when it's complete or when it's a happy ending.
Also, the current promotions, while they're quite heavy, they're mostly focusing on the ship marketing and in my impression are mostly directed at people who have already watched the drama and are willing to spend money 😉(I might underestimate the power that comes with exposure to the ship, as some people might see Xizhao and get interested who these guys are and what's their work.)

Well, for what it's worth, every now and then the bts footage of their rooftop kiss scene blows up on X. That's one way of exposure for the drama I suppose 😅

So some people still come across it organically and by accident. That's good, that's good. Personally, I wish this drama got way more exposure than now (it's that good), hence why my question.

Happy you're enjoying it. I think I was hooked after first two eps and totally in love with it around episode 4 already ;)

I actually have a (maybe weird) question. But seeing you just starting the drama, how did you find out about it? I'm curious because in my impression it is so difficult to come across it without actually specifically looking for it.
My algorithm is of course pushing SCD-related stuff on me all the time, but I'm obsessed with the show 😉
However, I kinda feel like it's been buried on Viki under the Hong Kong category that has no exposure on the app (like the show has been stuck at around 6K, which is crazy for me, considering it really seemed to have a good momentum when it was airing), Gaga is pushing new dramas on their main page and I don't even know how anyone would stumble upon it on YouTube without specifically looking for it. I am subscribed to both of their channels there, and barely get any notifs anymore 🙃

Probably... Or at the very least not any time soon...

Good decision, keep watching. It's a really good drama with fantastic leads.

How many more Fridays before we at least get the s2 announcement?! 😭

well, get ready for that heartbreak...

I could kind of tell he was *probably not bad* from the trailer alone, but someone's exceeding my expectations... :)

👀
Well, I do have a weekend ahead so... with this type of encouragement I guess I know what I'd be doing.

Four episodes in. I am really impressed with Ryan Cheng and his acting. I knew I could expect a lot from Bai Lu, she got my attention in Till The End of The Moon already and I kept her on my radar since then. But it's the first time I see him in any drama.

The conversation between them in ep 4 after she set the fire inside his study was perfection! So intense, so well-acted, so satisfactory to watch... 😌

Of course, judging by the story alone, we should get s2 for sure, since they not only left a few plot points open, but even set up the entire finale to be an obvious cliffhanger (not just the Liuyi part, but the entire plot of second couple).
Aside from that, actors themselves mentioned s2 so many times on different occasions I actually lost count 😋

The thing is, I think we're all collectively traumatised 😅 For some of us it is what happened with The On1y One (me, I am very much so still bitter about it), for others it's Stay With Me. And I happen to even remember how History2: Crossing The Line was rumoured to have a movie (when did that happen, cause I must've missed it 😋)
In general, there's not much encouraging precedence when it comes to continuations of Chinese/Taiwanese BLs.
Which is why getting an official confirmation/announcement would be *that much* reassuring.

The entire drama with subs is available on Linmon's official YouTube channel.

It's probably your brain mixing two things.
Apparently, according to some people who saw the news back then, when the casting for s1 started they were talking about 12 eps (and it later got cut down to 9). Maybe you read that one and your brain adjusted the story to fit your liking? My brain does that all the time 😅

Let's hope we get at least 12 additional eps once (if) s2 drops.

Let me join you in shared pain...

Our Youth. It has beautiful cinematography, incredible chemistry between characters and captivating story.

What am I even watching? 😂 The plot makes very little sense, and yet the emotional intensity is so real and so well executed...

It's a bit difficult for me to completely isolate my opinion from all I got to know about them from novel spoilers I came across...

But in general, no. I didn't get the vibe.
My original impression in the first two episodes was that there *might* possibly be something there also on Liuyi's part. However, it wasn't really strong and that vibe completely disappeared in the following episodes.

I think that the drama left a possibility there to expand on their relationship into romantic areas if there was a continuation and they felt like that was the right direction to head to (I personally kinda don't want them to do it though, but that's just me), while at the same time making Liuyi's behaviour platonic enough for Qinglong and him to have only this found-family/mentor-disciple/ge-didi type of thing.
That possibility of sth romantic coming solely from one scene in episode 1 (if I'm remembering it correctly), when Liuyi collapses drunk against the wall after the whole drama with Fei Qi and Qinglong appears there to hand him a handkerchief. The way this scene was filmed gave it a semi-romantic vibe, with Liuyi being drunk/vulnerable and him in that state looking up at Qinglong.
Having said that, that was like the most romantic interaction they ever had as far as I'm concerned 😋 Everything that followed didn't really cross the line of "we're close like family" by my standards. And even that scene I mentioned earlier didn't cross any lines either when it comes to Liuyi's behaviour. It was all in the filming alone (and Qinglong's actions/eye-acting).

Then, after Qinglong's death, that moment when Liuyi made Chusan drive him to the crime scene and had his talk to Qinglong, telling him about a new "friend" he made only solidified the nature of Liuyi's feelings for Qinglong in my eyes. That monologue felt totally like something you'd tell your parents, not your love interest.

Me? Wow, thank you, that's such a nice compliment to get ;)
But, but... I haven't read the novel and I saw you guys discussing in-depth some aspects of the novel there (I already spoilt myself because I originally expected spoilers from the drama and then my eyes just couldn't stop reading... 🙃) and I'm trying to stay as spoiler-free as possible...
Is it safe to go there? Will I get spoilt more? 😋
Which part would you like me to address?