nycvibes

huai en betrays xiao qi and is the cause of a rebellion. he dies in front of awu. awu gives him a honorable death by stabbing him to death (giving him a final blow on top of many injuries). if she didn't stab him, he would have a disgraceful death

also, i love huai en but don't get too attached to him

huai en and awu scene:
- huai en asks her why she's all alone, why yu xiu isn't with her
- awu says that yu xiu risked her life to save her at the palace
- huai en is shocked that awu was in danger while at the palace
- awu says she left yu xiu in the palace with the imperial doctor to receive treatment. she tells him that the imperial doctor doesn't think yu xiu will make it
- huai en reassures her saying that yu xiu will make it

Any recommendations of other dramas or movies with Zhou Yi Wei? So many days to wait until new episodes wahhhh

I know! So sad he doesn’t have that many scenes. Have you watched the preview for episode 20? It’s maddening. There’s like half a second of him at the very end. Idk how you feel about spoilers but if you’re curious, check out the preview. Episode 20 is going to be good!!!

Yes!! I saw on baidu the list of songs for this drama - there are so many! I think 8 or 9 in total. Can’t wait for the OST to be online

Good question, now that I think of it, I don’t think it was brought up. If it was, missed it too! Maybe this is part of the motivating force for his scheming. He feels injustice since he didn’t have a mother championing him in front of the emperor

Ooo have you read the novel? I’m debating whether to read it or not! I hate waiting for episodes and want to know what happens, but I’m super slow at reading Chinese lol

The 1st 8ish episodes are a bit slow. It gets good around episodes 8-10ish

Don’t know details but he dies. I skipped to the last few paragraphs of the novel LOL

@bibi-bibi thank you so much for all this info and background context - really appreciate it! I thought I was going crazy for a bit because I think this drama has the potential to be on the level of Nirvana on Fire (assuming they don't drop the ball in upcoming episodes). I just feel like there's so much injustice towards this drama's ratings. There are so many idol dramas with higher ratings that really aren't that good. Hopefully more people will give this drama a chance!

Is the huge drop in ratings due to the fact that Zhang Zi Yi is playing a 16 year old character? Or does she have a lot of haters in general?? Douban won’t load for me, so I can’t read the reviews :/

I’m so surprised at the rating drop. It’s such a good drama from multiple dimensions - acting, production, story, music, etc. Agree that Zhang Zi Yi looks old for a 16 year old character, but if viewers don’t overrotate on the character’s age, I don’t think it’s a catastrophic issue...

Totally agree! He reminds me of Chang Chen. Well, more like Chang Chen meet Wallace Huo lol

Thanks for the clarification about the female student! I didn’t think she was the daughter’s mother, but at the same time, there’s no mention about the mother at all. I feel like there are quite a few loose ends related to Ding’s story, and they got away with it by saying he’s crazy.

How is Detective L? It’s popped up here and there, but the synopsis didn’t seem too compelling. Oh gosh, My Roommate is a Detective...I have such qualms with that show. I like Zhang Yun Long, so I did get through it. But the female lead and male lead’s bickering drove me nuts, almost dropped it. So immature. I like how the cases were all related but that grand unraveling was too much. It was like a 10 min monologue (yes, I’m exaggerating, but still lol). If that’s getting a second season, I really hope Miss S does as well. Agree with you, I think the actors is My Roommate is a Detective have a more powerful/ vocal fan base, hence higher ratings. So sad though, I feel like Miss S is SO MUCH better. I may need to rewatch it bc I’m in a drama lull right now. Any recs?

So sorry to respond to your question after you finished the drama! Agree though that it does seem a bit like Indiana Jones at the end - both a bit supernatural and the scenes. Yes, the ending does feel rushed. I feel like there needed to be a little bit more backstory with Ding and his students...I’m still a little confused as to whether Ding’s female student is the mother of his deceased daughter. If so, she seems so nonchalant about her daughter’s death. If not, then how did she figure out the stuff about the jade pendant?

I’m so glad you finished and like the drama! I was really quite impressed with this, and to be honest, a bit surprised that it’s ratings are low (e.g., 豆瓣).

Apologies if the comparisons with When a Snail Falls In Love made your nervous. I feel like the two dramas have the same overall vibe - more serious and less focused on romance. The cases are also pretty interesting. I probably should have added the overarching storylines are a little different. Yea, the ending for When a Snail Falls in Love is a big stretch, especially with the friend’s MIA/ undercover dad...like whaaat?

Yes! Similar vibes to My Roommate is a Detective but I think it’s a better. This is fun and lighthearted with a more mature tone. I felt that My Roommate is a Detective was too childish, esp the FL there. Albeit, that was a good drama.

The cases here are a bit long and drawn out though. I did skip some parts (though probably skipped more in My Roommate...). Cases are interesting and you can’t exactly guess who the criminals are (unlike in My Roommate...where once you figure out the pattern, you can basically figure out who the criminal is very early on).

Ma Yi Li is wonderful, as always. Loves how she throws in Shanghainese. Gao Wei Guang’s acting has improved a lot, and he balances out FL’s personality well. Outfits are stunning. Not a huge fan of Republican era aside from the mix of traditional Chinese outfits and formal Western attire.

Overall, fun and entertaining drama. Can’t wait for the last episode tomorrow. Hope there’s a season 2!