lilili

I'm not surprised, it seemed like way too much plot to resolve in 26 episodes. I'll finish it this week, I don't like to watch more than 2 eps a day.

I understand why, the drama is about cheating and almost every single character does morally questionable things plus the main ship is problematic. These are not complaints, I'm eating it up, but your average drama watchers will hate it, especially if they are fans of Liu Yuning.

This is a drama about cheating, almost every single character is morally questionable, including the two leads, this is not a true romance, yes there's some good skinship but you may not enjoy it because of how awful some of the characters are.

No not a three day break noooooooo 😭😭 the only positive is I can be more relaxed about spoilers

Yes, both women are beautiful, intelligent and accomplished in their fields, what the hell are they doing pulling on that crusty carcass? They need to love themselves more.

LYN is technically the ML but has relatively little screen time, especially in the early episodes. You do see more of him later on. And yes, almost every character in the drama is unlikeable.

Not the main ML/Liu Yuning's character but almost everyone else yes, men and women

The director has nothing to do with it, it's the author of the original manhua

I actually think the behavior of the friends group is quite immature for people in their 30s. You see more of this in people who are in their early 20s, technically adults but don't have a lot of relationship experience and are kind of struggling to figure it out. In the manhua, Xiaoxi is in her early 20s and Bei is older than her so their relationship feels different and her behavior is more forgivable. Casting Olivia Wang, who is in her late 30s and older than Liu Yuning, really throws off the dynamic. Just by age alone her behavior feels more calculating and I think that's reinforced with her portrayal, which is kind of harsh and cold. Manhua Xiaoxi is more vulnerable.

Yu behaved poorly but it was because she was shouldering all of the financial responsibility for the marriage and feeling angry because Xiu is so passive and behaves like a child.

Xiu deserves a beating and to be thrown in the bin by both women. What a pathetic man for two women to fight over.

Luanluan was wayyyyyy out of line as Gong and Bei said. She took intimate conversations with Xiu and blasted them to the world to humiliate Yu even though LL is the one in the wrong for becoming involved with a married man. She's just as shitty a person as Xiu is.

Even though Xiu is the most culpable in this situation, he won't ever commit to LL even if Yu divorces him because he doesn't want to be in a relationship that requires him to shoulder more responsibility.

I've seen this dynamic play out in real life and the depiction in the drama is painfully accurate (minus the play of course, that's high melodrama)

I agree with you and based on the director's statement that I linked to, he wants to make the point that people don't have the right to judge others in matters of the heart. I can't 100% agree with him but I do think it's deliberate.

Yeah there seems to be way too much plot to wrap up in four episodes. But we'll see.

FYI, you can copy text using Google Lens and then use a translation app to read it. The connection between the therapist and the ex says 双向奔赴. There's different translations depending on which app you use:

Google translate: Two-way journey
DeepL: Mutual pursuit or two-way pursuit
Baidu Translate: Reaching Out to Each Other/Two-Way Efforts

I finally just googled it and found this explanation: http://www.szdaily.com/content/2023-12/22/content_30660511.htm

The Chinese term “running toward each other” encapsulates a relationship characterized by mutual affection and dedicated effort. The phrase gained widespread usage following its mention in the Taiwanese romcom “Someday or One Day,” in which a character expressed the sentiment: “I yearn to see you, yet please bear in mind that I won’t request it. Not out of pride, for I have none before you, but because our meeting holds meaning only if you desire it as I do.” It is also employed more broadly to describe the joint endeavor of two parties toward a common objective.

Someone wrote a scathing review of the drama on Douban and even though I'm thoroughly enjoying watching it I can't say this person is wrong:

**They don't lack roses; what they lack is basic logical education.**

In the spring of 2026, the domestic drama market was still keen on creating artificial flowers in a vacuum. In the 13th episode of "Rose Grove" directed by Yang Lei, what I saw was not an "urban emotional game", but a moral masquerade ball held in front of a set with a constant temperature, sterile environment and the smell of expensive paint.

This drama is touted as an adaptation of the comic "Cicada Girl." While the original work is controversial, it was at least like a rusty scalpel, clumsily cutting open the festering sore of human nature concerning desire and betrayal. But in the TV series, this scalpel was carefully put away, melted down, and cast into a shiny sterling silver ornament—it looks quite valuable, but is actually so hollow that it doesn't even make a sound.

The characters live in spotless houses, have meticulously planned their relationships, and engage in undignified tests of affection. It precisely avoids all the mundane realities of life, leaving only a bunch of memorable quotes and witty posters perfect for short videos.

I. Emotional Experts: "Moral Arsonists" in the World of Emotions

The female lead, Li Xiaoxi (played by Wang Ziwen), is a "relationship expert." In the screenwriter's writing, this profession is given a compassionate sense of mission, as if she were a righteous knight-errant wandering in a jungle of scumbags.

But we must expose this sophisticated logical treachery: testing loyalty through inducement is like setting fire to your neighbor's house to test the effectiveness of fire safety equipment. If the fire starts, you lament the decline of morality; if it doesn't, you regret that your lighter wasn't strong enough. Li Xiaoxi, using the pseudonym "Lucy," observes coldly from behind those deliberately created ambiguous shadows, waiting for the original wife to rush in and tear her apart before quietly leaving like a saintly figure who has seen through the world.

This isn't a workplace; it's a trap set in the barren soil of humanity. A script that lacks even basic contractual spirit and a foundation of trust, yet insists on talking about "healing and growth," is tantamount to painting white paint on ruins. Li Xiaoxi's "predestined script" theory is essentially an extremely narcissistic class fantasy, a form of house arrest for the independent personalities of modern women—she simplifies the complexities of human nature into a black-and-white multiple-choice question, then sits in the examiner's seat, enjoying the thrill of controlling others.

II. Xiao Bei: A "Vacuum Specimen" Existing in Algorithms

Liu Yuning's portrayal of Xiao Bei, a financial elite, is the most absurd human figure I've ever seen on screen.

This character lacks any human warmth; he's more like a "perfect lover" model sifted out by big data. An elite battling in the capital markets, his behavior is more programmed than a robot vacuum cleaner. When Li Xiaoxi's shoe breaks, he can precisely pull a brand-new, perfectly fitting pair of slippers from his car. This kind of probability only occurs when the screenwriter forcibly takes over the logic of the universe. This kind of man isn't "deeply affectionate," he's "logically flawed."

What's even more insidious is that, faced with various deliberately arranged, childish temptations, Xiao Bei not only remains unmoved but even calmly assigns chores to the tempters. This "unwavering composure" isn't due to high moral character, but rather because the screenwriters didn't install the "desire" plugin in his character's code. He's not Li Xiaoxi's lover; he's a "soothing agent" tailored to appease the audience's anxieties. As long as the capital outside the screen demands it, he can produce standardized loyalty. The very existence of this character is a blatant insult to the concept of "the complexity of human nature."

III. The so-called game is nothing more than a giant baby's muddy game.

The supporting characters' storylines are even more of a mess, like a diluted paste.

The cartoonist Lao Gong, who writes under the pen name "Mud Bodhisattva," is indeed made of clay; his mind is full of muddy ideas softened by the plot. He pursues artistic purity while simultaneously developing genuine feelings for Li Xiaoxi, who hides behind a mask. This self-indulgent drama reeks of stale, sentimental intellectualism. In episode 8, the inexplicable "Breakup Adventure" scene turns the group into a bunch of mindless puppets, discussing the soul one moment and then engaging in a public "breakup" farce over a phone call the next.

The plot twists, forced to create conflict, lack coherence even compared to a crumpled piece of newspaper. The director seems to believe that as long as the lighting is hazy enough and the dialogue pretentious enough, the audience can overlook the deep-seated plot holes. They attempt to mask the barrenness of the content with a sense of "sophistication," unaware that true life grows from the earth, not sprayed from a high-end perfume bottle.

IV. A censored visual feast of reality and falsehood

In pursuit of so-called "audience acceptance," the production team drastically cut back on the truly impactful conflicts from the original work. This scissoring cut not only removed flaws but also the very structure of the work.

The current "Rose Grove" has become a moral performance show dressed in haute couture. It precisely avoids all the mundane realities of life, leaving only a bunch of artificial, coldly glowing quotes that can be edited into short videos. Li Xiaoxi pursues a unique love while being torn between her false identity. This performative sense of morality is not only pale but also exudes a self-righteous arrogance.

Conclusion

"Rose Grove" has no shortage of roses, no shortage of exquisite compositions, and no shortage of popular celebrities. What it lacks only is a basic respect for the audience's intelligence. After watching these 13 episodes, what I saw was not the blossoming of love, but the withering of logic.

If this is the "most anticipated drama series" of 2026, then I suggest that the producers just film a PowerPoint presentation next time, add expensive background music, and there's no need to trouble the actors to perform in a showroom. After all, in this era where even basic logic has become a luxury, we don't need more plastic roses; what we need is basic common sense education.

The intelligence of domestically produced dramas needs to be addressed.

Someone shared a quote from the director on Douban: https://www.douban.com/group/topic/478959055/?_spm_id=Mjg0MjY0MDI0&_i=2918827Vq3Tgeb

>There are no definitive answers, no right or wrong, to the viewpoints presented in this story. I think we can't just focus on the sweetness of love, or even demand that love stories only be sweet. Instead, we need the courage to step into the shadows of intimate relationships and see what lies hidden there. To learn how to love, we must first face the full picture of love: love is not just sweetness, but also a challenge of reality. Li Xiaoxi and Xiao Bei's relationship is a tug-of-war between "testing" and "trust." Li Xiaoxi is used to using tests to verify sincerity, but after meeting Xiao Bei, she begins to waver. Can using lies to verify sincerity yield love? Yu and A Xiu's marriage confronts the mundane daily grind after the passion fades. When dreams clash with reality, when communication turns into mutual blame, Luan Luan's appearance is like a mirror, reflecting A Xiu's self-avoidance and Yu's struggles in the marriage. How can we find the courage to stay together amidst the wear and tear? Every character has their own dilemmas, and every dilemma has no standard answer. Judging right and wrong from anyone's perspective is inappropriate, because we cannot use simple moral standards to measure the emotions that happen to us in life.

(My take on this: I understand what he's saying but some behavior is just outright wrong even if human emotions are messy and hard to rein in)

Predictions:

* Yu and Xiu divorce but Xiu and Luanluan won't get back together (but I could be wrong about this given the censorship issues in China.

* Bei and Xiaxi finally confess everything and get married but first they have to deal with her stalker who I suspect in the psychologist because why not, this show is bonkers

* Sen won't be able to stop being jealous and Mingming will break up with him but they will get back together (unfortunately)

* Cherry and her boy toy will have an open ending that implies a long term relationship

* Gong will stay single, greasy and funny

* I will not have good feelings about any of the "happy endings" in the show because ain't no way all of these issues are getting resolved satisfactorily with how few episodes we have left.

Ep. 16 thoughts:

This entire episode made me want to murder Xiu. He's a man baby with no spine or integrity, completely incapable of being honest with the two women he's stringing along or himself. I cannot f*cking believe he met with Luanluan after giving the ring to Yu. I hate him more than anyone else in the drama and believe me, that's saying A LOT.

I know Yu is being very nasty to him but she's been carrying the burden of financial responsibility for ten years and the pain of his infidelity more recently. I'm surprised she doesn't murder him in his sleep (tho did she really pay 10k RMB for serum? no wonder they have financial problems) .

I really like Hua but is he married?? Yiiiiiikes. Too bad he and Yu didn't get married but I think choosing Xiu was her way of rebelling against her mother. Sometimes moms really do know best even if it's a toxic tiger mom.

This episode reminded me again how much I like the director. The off-duty clown contrasting with the flashback clown was a nice touch. And all of the scenes at the bridge were beautifully filmed.

The shaving scene between Liu Yuning and Olivia Wang was hella sexy and I finally saw chemistry between them. Too bad it isn't present in any other scene. I sure did appreciate all the closeups of Ning's face tho.

For once I agree 100% with Xiaoxi. I can't imagine anything more excruciatingly uncomfortable than spending time with the wife, mistress and cheating husband. It bugs the hell out of me that Bei is so laid back about it, I continue to side eye his passivity and willingness to turn a blind eye to morally questionable behavior.

The recent episodes have been absolutely riveting and I'm so into this drama that I struggled with the first three episodes of Pursuit of Jade because it's too sweet 😅

I think her feelings are real but she's incapable of being fully honest and also I don't think Bei is exactly a real person to her, just the perfect boyfriend she must have.

That's why the cast for this is so good (even though I think Wang Zi Wen is miscast, but she was in Three Body so I think the director likes working with her)

Just watched ep 15, here's my random thoughts:

People on Xiaohongshu are complaining that Olivia Wang didn't hit the right emotional notes in the confession scene and I agree. She came across as harsh and cold which has been a problem throughout the series. This was a scene that required her to look emotionally naked and vulnerable and she just didn't pull it off. I'm really curious why the director thought she was the right person for this role.

I was struck that Bei said that he didn't tell Xiaoxi about An Miu because he hoped they would just become friends. It's another example of his passivity. It was also super weird that he said that he's not in love with Jiang Yifan, he's in love with the woman he met at the club. But she was testing someone at the club so that wasn't the real her either! Maybe he meant when she confronted the man who slapped his girlfriend. But it's still such an odd thing to say. Why not say he's in love with the woman who made him dumplings and wanted to be honest with him? I'm still struggling so hard with some of the writing.

At least Bei finally told Xiaoxi about An Miu's confession and why he and Zhen broke up. He also took the initiative to stop Xiaoxi from leaving. But I'm still not invested in Bei and Xiaoxi as a couple. Something is missing there. Maybe it's that they fell in love so quickly and that there's no obvious glue to keep them together other than Xiaoxi seeing him as someone who is an aspirational object of desire.

The big surprise for me was Sen. I loved his conversation with the woman he worked with and I wish she was a bigger character because she's smart and self aware even though she seems as messy as everyone else. But at least she takes responsibility for her own actions. Sen needed a reality check and he got one that didn't involve shaming him or coddling him the way his friends do. I really hope he and Mingming can have a healthier relationship moving forward because she's one of the only sane people in the drama and deserves better.