littlecotton

Are you accusing me of using AI? Because I definitely did NOT.

[RE: SOME OF MY INSIGHTS ON SHEN XIEZHI AND QIN RUI'S CHARACTERS]

Now, can I do a little dive into Shen Xiezhi and Qin Rui's characters? No? YES! (If you don't want to read this part, you can skip!)

For Shen Xiezhi, I saw some people on Chinese social media saying before that it would be a shame if someone like him stays in a place such as the Family Court, when he has the capability (we all know he's highly intelligent, it was implied in one of his conversations with Jiang Feng that he has aced every exam he has taken in his life, and he even passed the exam for the High Court in one take; even in his initial character design, it mas mentioned that he ranked first every year in the elite law school he came from, which is the best in the country) and background (it's implied that he came from a family of judges). From this alone, society's expectation was for him to aim higher (and that was his original plan). But I think it all boils down to the fact that people have different dreams. It may seem to us, as audience, that it's a shame if he stays where he currently is. But from his personality, it seems like he doesn't really mind helping people the way he does in the Family Court. In fact, he's enjoying it. What may be gratifying and fulfilling for us, might not be as gratifying and fulfilling for others.

Although seemingly rational (he is), at his core, Shen Xiezhi is a quite emotional, sentimental, and he wears his heart on his sleeves. Growing up privileged, he can remain headstrong and stubborn about his own principles because he didn't have to face severe consequences for it. Being transferred to the Family Court was just a setback for him and he has all the time in the world to reach his goal. He can afford it if he takes it slow. He can afford it if things don't go his way as of the moment. Yes, he will sulk and be adverse with his father for pulling strings to make him learn a lesson in the Family Court, but there wasn't anything detrimental about it. He could just get by in the Family Court for a while and find the best time to finally transfer to the High Court. That was true until that case where the elderly guy died and he realized the importance of mediation, and the importance of the Family Court altogether.

There was a line that he said in one of the episodes: "It turns out that while helping others find their way, I also found my own way home." When I heard him say that in his internal monologue, I was like: YEP. He's 100% staying in the Family Court in the end.

As for Qin Rui, I feel strongly for her. She is very dear to me. Although I have seen some people call her "incompetent for a lawyer", "annoying", "hypocritical", and the like, I don't think these words suit her at all.

From the start Qin Rui never had a good educational background. She wasn't like Shen Xiezhi or Jiang Feng or Lou Yue who graduated from an elite law school. But she compensates for such disadvantage by her willingness to learn. She is very much a hardworker. She doesn't slack off. And she also has the street-smarts to make up for whatever else that she lacks. This is even recognized by Lou Yue when she explained why she invited her to work at Ronghe Law Firm. This is affirmed by the fact that those elite lawyers in big law firms—despite all the good resources and extensive training they had back in law school—still used in their cases the approach a "small lawyer" like her shared in her little legal video account. Qin Rui thinks in a way that none of those elite law graduates would usually do, but it works. Moreover, it is also worth commending how she has the grit to hold on to opportunities, because these opportunities don't often come her way. What I'm coming at is that what appears to be her being "incompetent" or "unprofessional" is just the fact that she's basically a diamond in the rough. Her edges are yet to be polished. But it's clear that when she started to work in Ronghe and be mentored by Lou Yue, she began to look more like the lawyer that people are expecting her to be. But this does not mean that she will lose her spirit and heart.

That being said, Qin Rui's kind of like a walking contradiction, maybe that's why people find her "annoying" or "hypocritical". But I don't think that's a flaw. It makes her all the more real. What do they usually say? Those who have the brightest smiles hide the deepest pain. Qin Rui had to grow up too soon, and she knew that to survive in this world, she had to be personable and agreeable. I believe that she truly is a cheerful girl and has the highest spirits in doing her job, but this fact is not mutually exclusive with the fact that the way she presents herself to others is also some sort of armor and weapon to have a better life for herself and her Grandma. She didn't need to care about being a little bit shameless by using some petty tricks if that is what will put food on the table and if that is what can buy her Grandma medicine. But at the end of the day, she still has a bottomline that can't be crossed. That's not hypocritical. That's called having conscience. Qin Rui dares to dream big, but she would never compromise her morals for it. And this exactly aligns with the career path that she chose to take by the end of the show.

Ultimately, from my understanding of their characters, despite the difference in backgrounds and childhood, at their core, Shen Xiezhi and Qin Rui are very gentle people with a heart for others and I really think that's why they are so well-matched.

[RE: SOME OF MY INSIGHTS ON SHEN XIEZHI AND QIN RUI'S RELATIONSHIP]

Some might find the development of their relationship abrupt because they never shied away in expressing their dislike for each other in the earlier episodes, but the hints were all there! (If you don't want to read this part, you can skip!)

From my understanding of Shen Xiezhi's character, Qin Rui piqued his interest the first time he heard her opinions about the judges in the Influencer Case. And he was impressed when he opinion proved to be right. From then on, she just kept surprising him. In every interaction that they have, he finds out something new about her—to the point thst deep in his heart, she became someone he's grown fond of. (Chinese netizens often joked that because Shen Xiezhi has to write a report to the disciplinary committee every time he has interactions with Qin Rui related to a case he's presiding over, he probably had a lot of moments where he can revisit their moments and fall in love LOL.)

Anyway, I digress. It's obvious in Shen Xiezhi's actions (and even body language) that he has—indeed—grown fond of her. But he still keeps on denying it because he's rational enough to remember the recusal rule on judges and lawyers. He even projects it on her, like that time when he got suspended and he told her something along the lines of "Judges don't drink a lawyer's water." IJBOL I just know the poor guy's heart fluttered when she said that she believes in him and that he's not the corrupt judge the public are accusing him to be. But he reeled himself in by lashing out on her like that—which he drunkenly apologized for the same night, because somewhere in his subconscious, he knew it was his own issue. Not hers.

And then, those series of heart-fluttering events keep on happening—the Feng Shengli's case, Feifei's kidnapping, overhearing her troubles—and from then on, he just can't help himself. "I want to be the one who takes care of you." That's the amalgamation of everything he feels about her. He doesn't want her to get hurt. He doesn't want her to feel sad. If he can do something to stop these from happening, he will. So he blocked the scissors and the knife for her. So he bought her those unlimited flight tickets. And with her Grandma's birthday wish being for Qin Rui to find someone who will genuinely love her and take care of her, Shen Xiezhi lets her know it could be him. He wants it to be him. But the problem is their professions, and the fact that he's aware that pursuing a relationship at that point will only hinder her. And it might not end well.

As for Qin Rui, from my understanding of her character, she knows Shen Xiezhi is an outstanding man. But like what she said in that Old Lady Scammer Case, "Those who can't put bread on the table has no business talking about love." Thus, even when the moment arrives where she finds Shen Xiezhi even remotely attractive or appealing, she would never associate it with love. Like I have said before in one of my comments, she's the type to accept things as it is, especially things that are beyond her. In the early stages of their relationship—before he confessed to her—she probably saw Shen Xiezhi as one of those things that are beyond her. So even if there might have been thoughts about him in her head, she would never fully entertain it—even more so, act on it. I'm going to bring back that scene where they went to the expensive restaurant and had sashimi. She initially didn't want to try the sashimi because someone had told her before that raw food would damage her brain. She didn't even spare a glance at it and only focused on what she knows to eat. The sashimi was beyond her. For Qin Rui, that is what Shen Xiezhi was initially. So she never fully glanced his way and only focused on her work. But in that scene, Shen Xiezhi urged her to give it a try, so she did. She ended up enjoying it a lot, but ended up sick for days. She concluded that it's because her stomach is not accustomed to expensive food. But days later, she tells her friend that they should try the cheap raw food being sold near their apartment. This showed her yearning for it.

This is exactly why I think Shen Xiezhi's confession was the turning point for Qin Rui to finally entertain the idea of him. When Shen Xiezhi admitted his feelings for her, that was the moment Qin Rui understood that he was not beyond her. Although they never ended up pursuing it at that moment, it was the catalyst for her to finally consider him, and ultimately, give it a try. Sure, it did make her sad for quite a long time, but she yearned for it. She yearned for him.

The lines when they were choosing the dessert being a metaphor to how they feel about the whole thing T^T

"I don't know how to make a choice." — Shen Xiezhi still doesn't know if he's going to the High Court or not. He's hesitating between love and career.

"Since it's limited, why not? I want this." — Qin Rui already made the decision for them. She's resolute about choosing her career, doesn't make her less sad about it, though. Because it was so obvious while she was eating that she was about to cry.

Also: I don't want to make this a class or background thing, but it's so in character for them to react this way. While Shen Xiezhi has all the time in the world to slow down and make a decision—maybe even postpone the promotion while he's still not sure of what weighs more in his heart, Qin Rui can't afford postponing her decision because she needs the "hustle"—this once in a lifetime opportunity that is not usually given to people like her. And I think it all comes down to the fact that Shen Xiezhi had everything in his life growing up, so he still has the luxury to hesitate (even if it's related to his dream); but for Qin Rui, she didn't really have access to good opportunities growing up, so when they arrive, she's resolute in taking them (especially if it's related to her dream).

Like Shen Xiezhi said before regarding Jiang Feng and Lou Yue's relationship, they have to cut their losses soon enough. And it ended up being a prophecy of HIS own relationship.

I don't think Qin Rui is ridiculous at all. If you worry about putting food on the table and paying your bills, you wouldn't think about whether you're being "shameless" or not. And the only time she "intruded into ML's life shamelessly" was when her clients' demands required her to (not approving the divorce case; getting the hearing date pushed up). It's mostly to bypass procedural stuff that may tend to be bureaucratic. But even when she had some petty tricks up her sleeves, her actions never crossed her bottomline. She has too much of an empathy that when she knows that her actions might affect the lives of others to the point of being detrimental, she knows when to stop, even if it means not being able to get money.

As for "kicking the car of a judge", he promised to take her to her office that morning and ended up leaving her due to his misunderstanding about her. God forbid she lets out some of her irritation on his tires, which wouldn't be broken by her petty little kicks. It's harmless. Her breaking his side mirror was an accident.

I think the pacing of the story simulates how cases are actually handled in real life. It's not all over the place at all. The reality is that these judges and lawyers handle several cases in a single day. They don't just focus on one before moving on to another. It's simultaneous. So it's not surprising if one case we see begin in one episode appears again in future ones. This is because a single case may not necessarily be resolved with a single hearing. It's also worth noting that the show is trying to promote the concept of mediation, instead of going straight to trial. So the development of the cases up to their resolution cannot be done in a single episode. The show is actually linear if we follow the development of core characters' personal lives.

The fact that Shen Xiezhi can be just like Jiang Feng who is expecting for his partner to concede in the long run, but no. He recognizes Qin Rui's potential to be a great lawyer, understands her desires and plans for the future, and he respects that. And that's what ultimately hindered him from initially admitting his feelings. But he just can't contain it anymore the more he got to know her. The last straw was meeting her grandmother and living that simple life in the countryside for a short while.

"I want to be the one who takes care of you, but I don't want us to make the same mistakes as Jiang Feng and Lou Yue." Isn't that such a great declaration of love? Shen Xiezhi wants to be IT for Qin Rui, but if fulfilling what he wants is at the cost of her dreams, it won't be worth it at all.

The writer did such a great job in this scene. It's so heartbreaking. But it stays true to the core of their characters. Shen Xiezhi is rational, but he's also the type to have his heart in his sleeves. Even if they call him "Machine Judge Shen", he's actually quite the emotional and sentimental type when it comes to personal matters. (As seen with how he interacted with his dad early on. It was obvious he was sulking that his dad pulled strings to get him transferred to the Family Court.) As for Qin Rui, what matters the most for her is her Grandma and giving her a better life. Her response to Xiezhi's confession aligns with that. She's also the type to accept things as it is, especially things that are beyond her. Since Xiezhi had already laid it out like that, then there's nothing they can do. But it doesn't mean she doesn't yearn for it. (Just think of that expensive restaurant and sashimi scene in the earlier episodes. She initially didn't want to give it a try because someone said raw food would damage her brain. But Xiezhi urged her to try, so she did. She ended up enjoying it a lot, but ended up getting diarrhea for three days. She concluded that it's because her stomach is not accustomed to expensive food. But days later, she tells her friend to try those cheap raw food being sold in an eatery near their apartment, which showed her yearning for it.)

The laws on recusal is different for every country. For some countries, judges can just inhibit themselves from the case itself to avoid conflict of interest. But for others, as in this case, their rule on recusal is that if the judge works in a specific district, the lawyer must not take any cases in said district. If the judge decides to go to higher courts, the scope of places where the lawyer can take cases would be even more limited. That's why in his friends' case, when Jiang Feng got promoted to the High Court, Lou Yue was so mad because where does that leave her? She can only do international law at that point. Shen Xiezhi knows well that Qin Rui would strive for high places. Similarly, Qin Rui knows that Shen Xiezhi wouldn't stay in the family court forever. Like Jiang Feng and Lou Yue, they know that their careers will eventually take off and the rule on recusal will be a big obstacle to their relationship, so they basically nipped it in the bud and didn't start a relationship altogether.

Oh, you're right. I didn't catch the episode count on WeTV. Thank you!

How many episodes does this show have? It's written here that there's 30 episodes but I've seen comments on XHS that it's only 26 😭 Such a good show, what a shame if it's only 26 episodes...

Can I just say: I love how Zou Yue writes her female leads... like, she might have written some questionable lines and dialogues here and there, but her FLs (Cheng Shaoshang from Love Like The Galaxy, Shen Wan from Coroner's Diary, and now here with Fan Changyu in Pursuit of Jade) are all headstrong and they know what they want and they go for it. No one can stop them once they've made up their minds. Sure, they become in love with some boy along the way, but they remain true to themselves and who they are at their core until the end. And for me, that's what a "strong FL" has to be—they don't need to be good at fighting to be considered "strong", having a strong core is more than enough.

I find it weird when people say that Xie Zheng doesn't love Changyu as much as she loves him. Are we watching the same show? His declaration alone where he said he'd go back to Lin'an with her when everything's over shows how much he loves her. Bro just wants to be her matrilocal husband at this point and is clocking in as a Marquis like it's a 9-5 job.

Also, even before such declaration, there were already certain actions and words from him that hint at how much he's into her. The side eyes when she interacts with other men, putting his foot in his mouth whenever she brings up divorce or the mere idea of parting ways, rerouting his war plans when Lin'an was attacked and Changning was kidnapped, and many more. What else do some viewers want him to do? Bro was even coughing blood at the thought of divorce.

Can we talk about how good of a storyteller Zeng Qingjie is?

The exposition (Lin'an County Arc) truly established the plot and the characters because now that we've reached the rising action (the beginnings of war), it's just so devastating to see the people we've seen in the past episodes—the very same people who made Lin'an County feel alive and very much lived in—experience the horrors of war. We've lived the simple life with them in the first couple of episodes, so seeing them suffer makes us feel for them, like we're part of it, too.

The opportunistic pawnshop owner, Qianqian's maid, Chef Li, the owner of the small eatery next to Changyu's meat shop, the kind tailor, Constable Wang, the puppeteers that Changning loved to watch, and even the annoying neighbor who loved to gossip and backstab Changyu and the daughter of the County Magistrate—war does not discriminate, and it can affect everyone, even more so the ordinary people who are simply trying to get by.

All of a sudden, all the petty fights in the neighborhood pale and have become nothing in the face of the bigger danger that is the war, and it's devastating.

It's horrifying to see that a place as lived in as Lin'an County, as Xigu Lane, would be reduced into nothing but destroyed houses and a trail of dead bodies everywhere.

Also: The scene where the County Magistrate was hung up on the city gates was so haunting, it gave me goosebumps. I thought it was just a shaky camera angle, but of course, every shot that Zeng Qingjie puts in his shows have a purpose, and it was really effective in showing how horrifying it all is.

This show is so underrated, I'm a little bit upset seeing the score. The production quality is good, the atmosphere and tone is immaculate, all the actors were perfect for their roles and delivered great performances. Sure, the writing fell a little off and it feels like they've cut a lot of important action scenes (probably a censorship thing), but this at least deserves an 8.

After watching the recent episodes, Xiao Zhiyu is so Afterglow-coded, it hurts my heart so bad. The angst is just so good.

But you know what? I'd rather he reject affection from Hu Xiu now and eventually realize that being with her is greater than his self-hate, than he accept it and kiss her back and then eventually hurt her by having these conflicting feelings about "loving her and being loved by her" vs. "believing he doesn't deserve to pursue happiness".

I am an advocate of characters figuring out what they actually want first before directly pursuing a relationship than pursuing a relationship first and being wishy washy in the end. It saves everyone time. It also gives an avenue for the writers to do delicious jealousy scenes. So, yeah.

The only thing Xiao Zhiyu did wrong (in my opinion) is the way he went about rejecting her. Because, bro? Seriously? Going silent on her and then announcing you're moving out? But yeah, the angst of him looking away is delicious. The scenes where he's obviously jealous but can't directly express it because he knows himself that he has no right is also delicious. He made his bed so he has to lie in it. The moment he explodes and just lets it all go and lets himself free fall is going to be PEAK.

As for Xiao Rou's husband—I hate him. I don't care that he "technically didn't cheat" on her. People don't deserve to be in a relationship where their partner doesn't know how to set boundaries with other people, especially with the ones they know well is interested in them. And the fact that he was so secretive about it goes to show that he himself knows that he's doing something wrong. No matter what grand excuse he makes, you can't leave out the idea that he's just being overly affectionate and trying to be a good husband to Xiao Rou to mask the fact that he's done something wrong and to overcompensate.

I was contemplating between a review or a comment but the ending pissed me off so bad, I couldn't even gather the energy to write a full review. So, a comment it is.

I'm glad Ahjin didn't die, by the way. I'm just pissed at how Junseo was pathetic until the end. He was already annoying in the webtoon, I'm surprised they managed to make him more annoying in the drama. His love for Ahjin came at a condition that she will be this good person who conforms to his moral standards; and since she didn't do that, might as well ruin the life she built for herself. I mean, sure, she's stepped on a lot of people to get to where she is. But, bro? You tolerated that. And now that things are not going YOUR way, you're making the executive decision to just die with her? He never considered what Ahjin truly wanted and I guess it boils down to the fact that even if he sees the real her, he never truly understood her. Not the same way Jaeo and Ingang's grandma did.

Also want to point out that Ahjin never had a good day. Every time she thinks that things are looking up (ex. getting a new mother, getting tuition for law school, being a stable actress, being happy with Ingang and his grandma, finally getting the recognition as an actress), she always gets fucked over. And you're asking how she ended up like this? It's not just about being evil. She's obviously trying to micromanage her life so that nothing could fuck her up because she's lost all hope that things would be good for her unless she acts on it herself. But unfortunately, things never completely go her way.

Anyway: I would like to interpret the image of Ahjin crawling out of the car all bloodied as a symbolism for her rebirth. She's finally free of the last shackle that holds her down, and I think that's the best revenge she could ever get against Junseo. In my head, Jaeo is alive and is waiting with a motorcycle for her. A getaway car of some sorts. And maybe they'll finally live a normal life that is completely different from the cards they were both dealt with as children. (From the webtoon until here in the drama, I've always believed that Ahjin saw Jaeo as a mirror. They were two sides of the same coin. And maybe that's why Jaeo was able to understand her despite living life differently from her, even when they basically had the same circumstances growing up.)

Am I the only one shipping Zhuang Hanyan and Chai Jing here? 😻

Also: It's nice to see Chen Duling as a scheming character. She always had the "intelligent beauty who won't take bad things lying down" kind of face for me. I'm excited to see how this one will go.

I posted this in annoyance after seeing his "sad puppy eyes" when Wei Zhi and Shan Chong just returned from the Lone Tree, but I finally finished the recent episodes and I have to admit he really acted mature after those few scenes of giving "sad puppy eyes". I thought he was going to be insufferable again. I'm actually quite happy to see I was wrong. It's also quite nice that he offered to help with Shan Shan's issue. I guess the impression from his first few appearances really stuck with me that I'm just 🙄 whenever he appears on screen. Hopefully, he would no longer be a problem until the end tho 🥲

I have to express how much I don't like Jiang Yiming. He's so insufferable with all his mansplaining and not listening to other people at all. Now, he's having his little pity party because Wei Zhi got together with Shan Chong—when it's clear as day that Wei Zhi was never interested in him. He should've moved on a long time ago. What an annoying character.

Also: People are complaining about Wei Zhi acting like a child and being "cringe".

Pretty sure she only acts (for the lack of better term) "childish" with people she's close with. She's pretty professional with other people. And even when she's "baby girl" coded and what people would usually think is a "weak FL", she holds her ground pretty well—as evidenced by her throwing water over her publisher when he did the same to her and also her resolve in pursuing her dreams of becoming a manhua artist despite her mother having different plans for her. If anything, she's mostly just sheltered because she's from a pretty wealthy family. But she's not as one-dimensional as other commenters make her seem to be.

And, please take into consideration that you're watching an idol romance drama. If you wanted something that is not "cringe", you should've tuned in to a serious non-idol drama. This is a light, sweet, and quite fluffy show. Don't go around crying when you go into it expecting something else.

We should consider the fact that the System has a big role in the plot of YYXH and it's evident in the earlier episodes. But after Miaomiao got the "Apocal Power", the System not only took a step back from communicating with her, but also sent her straight to basically the Ending Arc of "Catching Demons". (We don't even know what exactly the consequences are of getting that power, and we probably will never know until Miaomiao recovers her memory—which will probably be revealed towards the end.)

I think it's only natural that things are becoming "all over the place" or "too overwhelming" or "there's too much happening" because they weren't supposed to be in the Ending Arc yet in the first place. And yet, here they are. So, the System—which is having an error—is placing the NPCs (including Miaomiao, who is almost devoid of her agency at this point, save for her personality still being the same) in scenarios that will ultimately lead to "The Catastrophe of Heaven".

Anyway, my point here is that since Miaomiao lost her memories and basically her agency as the player of the game, the plot is basically moving on auto-pilot based on "Catching Demons" or the System's version of it—which, from the start, Miaomiao already pointed out as bad. (Also want to point out that the bad things happening to our two CPs are caused by this fact too, considering that the original plot of "Catching Demons" is BE, based on the narration at the start of the drama.)

At this point, Miaomiao can't change the plot into a direction that an outsider would normally want (just like she did before) because she can't—she doesn't even remember she's an outsider.

I don't know how they'll bring OUR Miaomiao back, but once they do, I think the plot of "Catching Demons" would stray further, but YYXH? Definitely not.

I'll be giving a benefit of the doubt on the production team for this one, considering that they've really done well in the first half and also considering the details they've put in every episode.

Just my thoughts, but I feel like the reason why some people find the pacing bad and the story going down after the Imperial Capital Arc is because they've been posting one episode a day since then. I think YYXH works better bingewatched OR if you can consider the bigger picture even while watching one episode a day. I'll be writing more about this "bigger picture" in the comment so I can tag it as a spoiler.