geechoo

the douban discussion board posts regular updates on the streaming views. I can't link tho

yeah it's gotten a lot of attention but unfortunately, there's antis popping up now too. I can see the douban rating dropping

I think that's old news. It's at 1.7 bil views now. daily views were averaging at over 100 mil daily until yesterday (because there's no new episodes). I can see this ending at around 4~5 bil if the plot doesn't go terribly south lol

yes, this drama is much more popular in China than with international fans. there are currently 426,000 user ratings on douban. that is pretty huge for a drama like this. for comparisons sake, 2022 dramas with popular idol actors:
- WRTW has 92,000 user ratings
- Blue Whisper has 167,000 user ratings

the communication between FL & ML is underrated, like he was reluctant to share his work with her initially but little by little, he opens up to her more. All the scenes of them just strolling through her backyard chatting are so underrated. I also like how their arguments never last for more than 1 episode.

he passed his exam at 18 and in episode 20 he mentioned that he amassed 3 land properties from his 12 years of work so I think that would make him 30 years old. I think he's supposed to be older than Ouyang because that guy finally passed his exam after 3 tries so he should be around Pan Er's age

I don't think he's ever shown anywhere aside from his work dungeon lol but we do know from last week that he owns 3 lands

Youtube is up to Episode 11 the last time I checked.

ML's background is a bit underdeveloped. this week is supposed to be a big show down between the two old guys and Gu is going to get injured protecting his dad but so far the relationship isn't fleshed out enough for me to understand why he'd feel the need to risk his life for him when he spent the last 20 episodes hating his existence lol maybe something will get shown in the coming episodes idk

they kiss so naturally *___* I'm so used to cdramas where kisses are so dramatic with slo-mo, from 10 camera angles, with the leads lips barely moving. their quick pecks are so natural omg

I think Gu has some kind of daddy issues based on the flashbacks they keep showing of his dad leaving him. idk I feel like this subplot is one of the weaker aspects of the drama so far. I'm not understanding the ML's motive so far.

I think Ouyang is weak and selfish initially. He is easily swayed by his helper (that old man) to the point where he starts questioning the character of a girl he was in a relationship with for 3 years. However, I think he does fully become a villain later on.

Shen is creepy to me. He's too pushy and Zhang Haohao and the imperial guard guy were discussing how he's a playboy so I think he's definitely a bad character.

Can someone explain the issue with the two old guys like the Qi guy ML talks to and then the Xiao guy (who's his father? I think). I didn't skip any scenes but I'm constantly confused about the political subplot and I feel like I need to understand it better because this week's episodes seem to be focused on some assassination attempt on ML's dad.

I feel like the political subplot could be better but maybe it'll pick up from episode 21 onwards. The last 6 episodes was a bit slow compared to the first 14 episodes.

no, it's all his own voice. the difference you're hearing is probably when they switch between live recording to studio recording. the studio recording is a lot more crisp.

I don't think it is ever anything more than a crush on her side. the actress kind of spoiler her plot and said she doesn't become "evil" and remains single at the end.

yes! I saw people mention it on weibo too. his eye acting is very similar to Tony Leung.

lol who cares about ZLY fans. they are known to be one of the worst fandoms and is the reason the chinese government cracked down on fandoms.

why can't they air this every day ;__; I feel like this week's episodes moved a lot slower plot wise. I can't wait for next week!!

I just hate the incessant spamming that contributes nothing to the discussion. their only purpose is to brag about their favs achievements. it's so annoying.