sulkytofu

That was one of my one frustrations. I think it makes a lot more sense now that you've mentioned the changes from the novel to the web series (it makes a huge difference if Du Lei was her boss previously, instead of Yuan Shuai.) Again, it makes me think about how the drama muddles the "SML" and "ML" idea, in that it was absolutely possible for someone like Du Lei to be the ML and Yuan Shuai to be the SML if this drama was filmed another way.

I really hope that this doesn't sour the relationship between him and Jiang Jun, I think it would honestly break him (although given the clip in the ending and closing scenes where he's crying I don't know). I agree though that he seems like he's really there to drive plot, especially in the second stretch, but I hope he finds his happiness too!

Agree! I really want Du Lei to have an arc that focuses on him eventually becoming a part of a "team" or close friends with the other characters; I remember there was this one scene where both Yuan Shuai and Du Lei were analyzing Xiaochuan's app, and they both made the same comments and had the same ideas. In a way, both are equals in terms of their competence and their field, and if it weren't for the fact that they were from different companies in the first place I feel as if they could have definitely been great friends. Again, why I would have much preferred this drama have three different couples instead; but since this isn't a thing I really hope his own subplot does justice to his complex character, and his relation to Jiang Jun's story.

Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu really have very natural chemistry, and it's really surprising to me how grounded their interactions feel. A lot of their expressions seem like extensions of their own actual personalities, and I think that's a combination of both their great acting but also just how well done the pacing of the relationship development is (and also the fact that they're good friends in real life). I love how each also support each other and are honest to one another about their flaws, and I really think the trend of a kind and doting ML in Chinese dramas recently is quite refreshing.

That being said, does anyone think it's interesting how the drama plays with the idea of a ML and a SML? Yuan Shuai feels more like the typical second male lead to me, because of how well-adjusted he is, while Du Lei feels more like the male lead with his tragic backstory. I will admit, however, that Gao Hanyu really impressed me with his acting in the most recent episodes, especially the scenes involving his anger and frustration, which gave me goosebumps. I found some of his expressions in the beginning to be somewhat unnatural and I found Du Lei as a character to be quite confusing sometimes, so I think he did quite a great job acting the more heavier scenes. It's also interesting because while Yuan Shuai and Jiang Jun's story is quite fluffy together, Du Lei's is really dark, and I honestly can't help but just feel terrible for him every time I see him on screen.

If there's one complaint I have, I'm not really sure why Du Lei grew attached to Jiang Jun or liked her in the first place, and I would have much preferred that he have his own love interest instead. I think Gao Hanyu was right when he said in an interview that he really was a "light bulb," and that he as a second male lead never really posed any challenge to Yuan Shuai. I have a feeling that he may be a character that's mostly there to drive plot, and in a way I can't help but want more for him given his tragic past and the suffering that he's faced.

His real life personality is sooooo different, I'm still not used to it, but it shows just how great his acting is. They're both so comfortable and friendly with each other, and they really look at ease whenever they talk together!

I think what really works is that technically FL and ML are on the same financial standing; in some ways the FL's own family is even bigger of a backer than the ML. Most of all, FL actually has her own dreams and her goals that she wants to achieve, and I think it's very cute how this combines the childhood lovers and contract marriage tropes. This is a pretty low-key, stress-free, comedic watch so far, and the fact that you can tell how much the ML loves the FL from the first episode makes it a very sweet and romantic watch.

I'm not sure how the drama will go as it progresses (I see it potentially having the same issues as dramas like Well Dominated Love where at one point because it's so fluffy a lot of the ovreall plot loses steam, or there is contrived angst added in for the sake of ending the story). I hope it keeps up the overall sweet and light tone of the series!

Also, I can't believe Ming Ren is 36, he looks 30 at the oldest!

How is this Xia Ningjun's first ML role? He does such an incredible job acting as the black-bellied Li Hongbin, and his subtle smiles every time he's with Xiruo are so cute. There have been so many great shorter-length Chinese dramas starring a variety of rookies that have done an amazing job, and it really goes to show just how much talents have yet to have their "big break" yet.

Honestly, this has been such an adorable and fluffy watch so far, and the marriage scene in Episode 9 was absolutely gorgeous (I can't really tell whether this is a lower-budget or a higher-budget production, because they did an amazing job with the props and costumes so far). From some of the ending and beginning credits though it seems this one might slowly become more angsty, so I'm a little wary, but so far this has been such a cute watch.

Honestly, this is a really interesting casting position for Luo Yunxi. His background as a ballet dancer and how ethereal and beautiful his demeanour is works REALLY well for historicals, and he's had a lot of experience taking on characters that are very complex, multifaceted, and sometimes even morally gray.

I'm kind of excited because this is very different from any of his other performances that I've seen of his, and also it's rare to see him in a modern drama. His acting is also top notch, and I think he and Bai Lu have tons of chemistry together (especially given that Bai Lu herself sometimes has a more "boyish" appeal, especially in that she has a huskier voice and her personality is very down to earth).

Completely understand your thoughts, and it's because of this reason that it's often really difficult to pair with Luo Yunxi since he has so much presence and beauty. But I think he and Bai Lu make a really great pair and they are good friends in real life, so I'm excited for this one.

I think my best advice would be to go into this one with low expectations in order to maximize your enjoyment of the series. I'm a little surprised at the drama, because I thought it would be a little more introspective and reflective, but so far it is a very light slice-of-life.

In terms of the acting, I think Zhao Lusi and Lin Shen have done an incredible job as their characters and have amazing chemistry; which is definitely the highlight for me. If there's one complaint, it's that I'm very interested to see Zhao Lusi take on a very different role in the future, as her brand of "wacky and funny romcom heroine" has meant that recently many of the roles that she's taken on recently have felt quite similar. I don't believe this is a fault of her acting, but instead part of the type of roles that she's been in. Lin Shen, however, has so much presence as an actor, and in a way while I feel like this drama is a great change up for him in terms of the works he's taken on in the past, I did wish that the story was a little meatier so that even more of his acting range could be demonstrated.

There's no real "plot" in the drama, i.e. I'm not really addicted or feel the urge to watch this for the story line. I also admit I have skipped through all of the scenes that basically don't have our main ship. But if you want something that's fluffy and cute, and has a CP with amazing chemistry, I think that this would definitely suit your tastes.

I know it's a little early, but how's the romance in this one? I remember when watching Secret even though I generally avoid angst, I loved it because Ji Sung and Hwang Jungeum had amazing chemistry together.

Kido Gao is the second lead! He's mentioned in the interviews however that he's practically a "light bulb," in other words the chemistry between Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu is so strong that he won't really impact the relationship between the main couple. I think we won't have SLS in this one, even though I'm a huge fan of Kido!

I actually really ship Cheng Minjun and Coach Ma (maybe I'm biased as well for being a fan of Vivian Sung!) But I really like their relationship dynamic, where she has a cool and aloof personality, while he's from a background of wealth (almost a CEO) who is in fact very klutzy, comedic, and considered "foolish" affectionately by his peers.

What else is everyone watching while waiting for L&R updates? I'm so stressed thinking about the angst in the upcoming stretch, and would love to hear what others are watching to tide themselves over as we go through this together!

Truthfully, I'm having the same problem. I haven't been able to watch a single one of Daddi Tang's works, and even though I absolutely love Sun Qian, I found their chemistry in the trailer to be mediocre for me/not yet enough to convince me to pick this one up. I may go into this one with low expectations; and am hoping that it'll be a good watch to tide me over as I wait for some of my other ongoing shows to update.

Reporting to the tofu corner again today ~ I just finished episodes 27 to 29, and have been slowly savouring the fluff. I’d like to think that Episode 28 is the ending I want to see for this drama, but am scared that the whole chunk of angst following this is what I’m going to recieve!

Your own thesis sounds really awesome; I can definitely see how many of the threads and ideas that you’ve brought up stem from your own personal background in literature. Truthfully, with CQL I still feel there is much to explore. I personally focused my thesis on the politics of the series (media censorship, soft power, etc.) as opposed to the literary value it held in itself as a cyberliterature work that eventually was adapted (not that these are always mutually exclusive however!) In other words, I’d love to hear the thoughts you had about that series, although I agree that for this conversation we may need to migrate to another platform! And thank you so much for your interest in my thesis, it’s always very sweet to hear! I’m actually presenting it at a conference in January and it’s in the process of being revised for publication, so at the moment I’m only able to share verbally/summarize the thesis (admittedly, its current state is a little sad with all of the edits it’s going through.) Again, this only further emphasizes that we need to have a separate discussion on CQL itself, haha!

A lot of the elements we were discussing about Hao Chen really showed up in these past couple episodes to me. It was interesting to see how it feels as if he’s ironically experiencing his own “mortal tribulation,” especially in the challenges that are being brought to his fundamental beliefs and desires, even though he voluntarily went to the mortal realm himself. I like the way you voiced this, when you said that even he doesn’t realize that he’s fallen quite far from his godhood (which is especially ironic since his first approach was to try to bring Xuanji on this path, even though by the time he decided to do so, he had already had feelings deviating from asceticism).

And I further extend what I raised before about the “protagonist’s halo,” because in Episode 27 I think they began to discuss the history between Hao Chen and Xuanji, and I felt that had the story been written another way, Hao Chen easily could have been the protagonist of a just as “tragic love” as what exists between Sifeng and Xuanji. I find it quite satisfying in a way, however, that the drama is doing everything it can to show us that the perfect match in the cultivation world (i.e. via the marriage stone, the blessing of their relationship, etc.) is Hao Chen and Xuanji, while leading the viewers as outsiders to favour the fate between Xuanji and Sifeng.

There are so many translations that you’ve caught on to as well, and I’m both envious of your sensitivity and your contextual knowledge on the words that are chosen and their intentions. It would be so fun to see the different nuances and implications from the way in which things are conveyed (which I know was a HUGE issue in CQL when the romantic relationship has to be depicted through subtext and other non-explicit means). Thanks for sharing that with me, and I also agree that I definitely am very grateful for the incredible work that’s being done for the international community by Alice and AVV. There is a lot of dedication and hard work put into this, and I can’t stress enough just how appreciated this fan labour is, especially in expanding the accessibility of the series. The fact that this is done out of one’s own personal schedule is incredibly humbling to me, and I’m glad to see how lively the comments section is solely because of how many of us are watching this show together right now as it airs!

I’m off to watching Episode 30 now, it’s been a real treat to have an episode a day so that I can slowly enjoy each minute. I know that you’re much further ahead, and I can’t wait until we finally both reach the ending and review this series in its entirety!

Thanks so much for sending this link! I actually just saw your post, and I'm pretty excited to read the article.

I agree with some of your comments, because if there's one thing I think this drama has done really well it's with pacing. There really isn't a boring moment at all, and I think I agree that if the drama stayed with its original episode length, perhaps the quality of the drama itself may be lessened (even if there are some logical issues still unaddressed).

Interesting that the novel is less angsty! I honestly had no idea that the whole "nine lives" situation was going to be part of the story until I saw the posters on kisskh, but I'll have to reach that point first before I can comment on it!

I like the idea of being tofu relatives! And your comments about Hao Chen in particular have made me rethink a lot about the way that he's characterized in the drama. What you mentioned about the "God being evil" trope is particularly interesting to me, because of the questions that it raises. For example, are the moral consequences of "playing" God relevant, if the person is God himself? It's really interesting seeing the ways in which Sifeng and Xuanji in their mortal forms challenge both Hao Chen's abilities and his mindset on shaping parts of their futures, and I'll be sure to keep paying attention to this thread as I continue watching. I'll warn that I'm someone who requires English subtitles, so it will probably take me some time to catch up to the same point as you are at!

And no worries! It's great seeing such a lively conversation in this comment thread, and I'm sure that there are others who may have the same thoughts. If anything, the amount of time that we have spent breaking down the characters in the drama is evidence of how well-fleshed and complex they both are, even if at points in time they all also embody aspects of conventional tropes (i.e. the protagonist, the villain, etc.) while subverting them as well.

And no problem! Reading these essays are really fun, and I'm glad that there's someone else to discuss these themes with. Drama watching is my hobby, but it's also a personal interest of mine, as I wrote my undergraduate thesis on The Untamed (LOL). I can definitely assure you that there are scholars and academics particularly of Chinese popular culture who are also picking at these questions, with xianxia being a particularly interesting genre to analyze, because of how it consists of elements often ripe for censorship (taboo, the supernatural, etc.) while upholding ideologically and morally congruent values (i.e. having to adhere to drama or novel censorship restrictions and policies).

I'll keep my eye on Hao Chen and am very glad for the warning! Personally I think it will be very satisfying to see how far Hao Chen will surpass the boundaries we associate with human morality (although, as I raised before, does this really qualify if he's technically not human?) Ironically, the more villainous he becomes, I suspect the more "human" he also becomes as well, with feelings of avarice, greed, jealousy, and fear, and I think that this will be really interesting to see in the future!

Perhaps this is from my own experience reading "transmigration into a villainess/the cannon fodder/etc" stories, but there are some really unique things about this drama that I was surprised to see. I did not expect at all that ML + FL are from the same world, and that the main world has the interesting business conflict between He Tianxing and He Mingli. This makes the stakes higher for returning back to the main world, but also makes me interested in how they're going to resolve the conflict between loving Tianxing and Si Tu Ao Ran (are they two different people? Or are they the same person?)

I personally also think that Vivian Sung has a lot more chemistry with Simon Lian/Qingfeng. I don't really feel the chemistry between her and Marcus Chang (although it's interesting they were in Vivian Sung's debut movie together? and this is their second time working together). I also expected a lot more face-slapping in the novel world, but I suppose it's being saved in the main world. I see a lot of comments about theories, and so I'm guessing that the plot gets meatier after the beginning set up, which I think will be super interesting.

As for now, I'm really watching this as I wait on other dramas to update. I would say it's not my favourite show because the humour doesn't work for me (which is surprising, because I've been a fan of Taiwanese dramas for a while and love the more comedic/slapstick humour characteristic to the genre). I also find some of the acting to not work that well for me, which I wasn't expecting (sometimes it feels like the actors are all doing a good job individually, but when put together it comes off as rather unnatural?). So far I'm enjoying the ride though, and can't wait to see what happens in future episodes.

I loved your comments about Hao Chen! Truthfully, I think the main difference is that Hao Chen would also make an interesting protagonist, it's just that Sifeng clearly has the "protagonist's halo" here, and the way the drama frames, edits, and films the show definitely is meant to create a disconnect between their mentalities and beliefs. I neither blame nor hate Hao Chen for his beliefs, because they are a product of his own experiences and background, but seeing how his growing feelings for Xuanji increasingly break down and challenge his nature as a deity is a really interesting thread.

And I really agree with you that Xuanji may be the spark of confrontation, but the rationale behind their conflict is not always necessarily solely focused on her. Although I do admit it's interesting the way they both treat her differently, with Hao Chen clearly taking a more protective and stable mentality, while Sifeng is willing to weather through hardship and tribulation with her because of her decisions.

Reminds me a lot of one of my all time favourite MLs, Li Chengyin from Goodbye My Princess (I think it's one of the few dramas where the ML truly surpasses the boundaries of humanity morality). The morally grey and complicated characters are often my favourite, and it's probably why I'm always quite appreciative of actors such as Luo Yunxi's taste, since he generally chooses scripts and characters that have this complex dynamic. It's probably why one of my favourite tropes is "villain is the ML," and I hope that going forward we'll have more shows that have these characteristics (I can already think of the high-profile BL adaptations coming next year as certainly fitting into the category of complex and dynamic characters, if significant changes aren't made to the plot and underlying story).

It would be really interesting to see the main novel differences from the show. I often hear that this is a point of contention amongst fans (especially when novel adaptations are rising in popularity b/c of existing fanbases, and cheaper to produce compared to original scripts). I can understand disappointment when a novel adaptation does not do justice to the story itself, but I agree that so far I think the drama as a standalone entity has still done quite a solid job with the production!

I think you've really nailed down the problem with Xuanji's characterization, in that it's a tough balance to keep especially in relation to pacing and audience reaction. Even though I'm only on Episode 26 so far, I appreciate how gradual and natural Xuan Ji is developing, and as I've mentioned in my previous comments if there's one thing I think this drama has done a great job with so far, it's keeping the viewer interested in watching the show.

I honestly can't wait until I get to the part about the past lives. From your comments, I personally think their different lives are interesting enough for stand-alone plots (I remember clearly that in Ten Miles, I absolutely loved the whole "three lives" situation and the mortal tribulation Bai Qian faced). But I think I also see what you mean because it heightens the attachment of the viewer to the last life that both Sifeng and Xuan Ji are currently in. I won't lie though, when Xuan Ji panics at her identity when they're in the Bahuang mirror, and Xu Feng yells steadfastly "you are Chu Xuan Ji," I was very touched. At the end of the day, while they may be in different lives, their essence is still the same. Hopefully we get some extras on this, but I think if they really tried to shove nine different lives with substantial time in the drama, it would venture into some of the problems of quick-wear/quick-transmigration novels (which sometimes suffers from lack of emotional investment because of just how many "lives" exist).