Living Tribunal

That's just a excuse. She could have asked for some time off instead of saying break up. And even if she did break up, did she and her parents ever apologize to the ML for how they treated him? It wasn't even his fault but I guess you can say kids carry their parents karma. But even after the truth was revealed, it was ML again who apologized rather than them.

Your review is so good. It perfectly captures exactly how I felt about the drama. Most others didn’t even find any fault with FL or her parents, and everything was just glossed over.

Yeah the costume and everything is good for the VR games but I feel they could have added more thrill by really making it about a murder game just like the name suggested where players had to solve the case instead of doing casual strolling.

Where did you see me criticizing the actress? I have not said a single word about her. Everything I said was about the FL and the script, so let’s keep the discussion focused on the writing and the character.
As for Hu Xiu “not doing anything wrong,” I disagree. Being friendly is not an issue on its own, but context matters. She knew there was bad blood between Pei and Zhiyu and was aware of what Pei had already done to Zhiyu in the past, even if it was under the excuse of business. That history makes Pei’s intentions questionable from the start.
Yes, she rejected Pei early on and told him not to use her to provoke Zhiyu, but when someone ignores rejection repeatedly, polite refusal stops being enough. After eight or nine rejections, continuing to engage without firmer boundaries is bound to hurt the ML, especially when she is already in a relationship.
About the food, returning the lunch box through Zhiyu was a good decision, but it does not change the fact that she accepted it despite knowing how sensitive the situation was. More importantly, when Zhiyu was clearly hurt, she glossed over his feelings instead of trying to understand or comfort him. That is where my main issue lies.
I do acknowledge that she eventually called Pei out and cut him off when he tried to ruin Zhiyu by exposing his background, but that only happened after things escalated too far. The problem is not that she never did the right thing, but that she waited too long to do it.
Not everyone takes the hint, that is true. But that is exactly why, at some point, hints are no longer enough. Being direct and firm is not the same as being cruel, and respecting your partner’s feelings should take priority over avoiding discomfort with someone who has already crossed multiple boundaries.

Yes, but she still knows there is bad blood between them and what the SML did to the ML, even if it was for business reasons. Just because he follows safety procedures properly does not make him a good person. What really defines him is how he pushed the ML into a corner purely for a project. That says a lot about the kind of person he is.
You said, “If she makes him lose face, knowing his shady character from past actions, he might do something petty.” To be honest, that sounds like an excuse. Let him do petty things. Where does this line of tolerance end? If he forcefully kisses her one day, is she supposed to tolerate that too?
You can tolerate an annoying person once or twice, but if someone still refuses to take the hint after eight or nine clear rejections, then there are only two possibilities. Either you do not truly want to reject him and are unintentionally stringing him along, or you need to be direct and firm, even if it damages or completely ends that relationship.

1. Yes mostly lighthearted.
2. Both have annoying parents but the SML and the jealousy scenes because of him are more annoying. There are almost 8-9 of them.
3. One breakup but I heard it only for 1 episode.

Yeah, I really only have two problems with this drama. The first is the SML and the constant jealousy scenes. I have seen almost eight or nine of them already, and all of them are from the ML’s side. The second issue is the VR game scenes, which are pretty boring for me.
The ML did not need so many jealousy scenes. They are honestly annoying to watch, to the point where I end up watching them at two times speed. I would have preferred the ML to be written as a more confident character, someone who knows his worth and understands that whether Hu Xiu leaves him or chooses him is ultimately her decision.

No worries, it was only a minor spoiler. I completely agree that the SML is annoying, but my main issue is why there are so many jealousy scenes for no real reason. Even in Episode 21, we are getting the same repetitive situation again.
I might have tolerated it better if I did not already know, through spoilers, what will happen to the SML and how his character will be whitewashed. That just makes these scenes feel even more unnecessary.
I think Shine On Me handled this much better. Even though I disliked the SML there as well and he had many scenes with the FL at the start, those scenes were not annoying because the ML was confident in himself.

To be honest, in my opinion she did not comfort him that much. That is just how I see it, and you are free to have your own opinion as well. She knows he keeps coming on to her despite being rejected multiple times, so how long is she going to tolerate it? It has been almost seven or eight times that she has rejected him, and he keeps ignoring her refusal.
At this point, should she not be more firm and direct to show that she is truly not interested? She could also reveal that she is in a relationship instead of keeping it a secret for some unknown reason.

I have not finished the drama yet. I am still on Episode 21. It is just my habit to give ratings while I am watching and adjust them depending on how the story develops. Thanks for the explanation, I think I understand her a bit better now. Still, I feel there are too many unnecessary scenes focused on the SML, added only to make the ML jealous and nothing more.

I watched the entire Episode 20 before commenting. Yes, she refused him before, but after she started dating Zhiyu, Pei Zhen did not use his work connections to pressure her. Just because she did not eat the lunch herself does not mean it was right for her to accept it. She knew that her boyfriend and the second male lead had bad blood between them, so she could have tried harder to reject it.
Even if she had already accepted it, she should have comforted her boyfriend first instead of glossing over the issue. His jealousy and insecurity are his own problems, but the least I expect from a girlfriend is to understand why he feels that way and try to comfort him a little. That was something Hu Xiu did not do.

Hu Xiu only ever gets strict with Zhiyu. Even after they start dating, she still accepts lunch boxes from other men, and somehow we are supposed to applaud her as an independent career woman. As if Zhiyu’s feelings do not matter at all. She does not even try to comfort him. What a perfect fantasy for women, apparently.

I don't mean to sound rude but if it's such a major part of the drama then the makers could have tried to make it more interesting.

Yeah I understand but they should have made it more interesting like adding levels and or making it about a real detective-murder plot where players have to find the killer. It could have increased my ratings for the drama.

There is a major issue with the drama. The VR game scenes are boring, and I feel sleepy whenever they appear on screen. The main problem is that they are not engaging or thrilling enough for a murder game.

It is confirmed for Jan 22nd premiere now. https://x.com/i/status/2013484033267613894

Also this drama should have good OSTs just like other Hong Sister's dramas which made the experience less enjoyable for me.

Anyone else hated SML? Like I can understand him not liking FL but the least he could do was be professional about it and do his job that he was supposed to do instead of wasting everyone's time.

Thank You

This is the most interesting Emperor I have seen for a while. His acting is so so good that even his nonsensical reasons for doing what he did to everyone makes sense.