multislacking

Agreed! Not only has the script changed, but the characters are also clearly different from the originals in their traits and motivations. Putting aside Nan Heng, if SYM would only take a hard look at her sister or even Chu Gui Hong, you'd think she'd start to have some suspicions that the scripted world isn't as predetermined as she thinks. But it's like she has blinders on and refuses to acknowledge the possibility. The way her character is written is really frustrating and inconsistent so far, but fingers crossed for a turnaround.

I’ve been trying to analyze why I find Song Yi Meng to be so unlikable as the female lead so far, and I think one of the biggest reasons is that many of her emotions (especially toward Nan Heng) are contrived to manipulate — fake crying, fake coyness, fake coaxing. Like the boy who cried wolf, her insincerity (while understandable as a survival mechanism) makes me less inclined to sympathize with her when she does show some genuine feeling. On top of that, her words and actions often conflict with each other (see ep. 26), which can be confusing — if you can’t follow along with a character’s thinking, feelings, and motivations, it’s hard to feel invested. Compared to Nan Heng, who usually wears his emotions on his sleeve, perhaps it’s not surprising that many viewers find him to be a more sympathetic character.

That said, both leads are on pretty equal footing in terms of bad behavior. Both have been hypocritical, deceptive, and attempted to harm each other. They’ve both been through trauma and pain, which influences their actions and interactions. It will be interesting to see where the story goes and if/how they can get past this. Despite the frustrating character development (or lack thereof), I’ve come too far to quit now. I’m thinking something big will have to happen to jolt SYM out her stubborn conviction that the characters and script are unchangeable. Why she hasn’t gotten a clue up to this point is baffling.