swagata

About divorce lets not forget about year this was set in. Divorce is generally considered as taboo in lot of asian countries. And in old times this was more believed. Plus giving divorce for both families bring shame and harm and Lu family why would they want that? They are getting profit here. No one cares about xiao fan. Lu qin treats him like ............

But lu qing already knew that xiao fan is using him for his family. Even in ep2 and 3. They share same telephone connection and lu qing helped him to fing brother's job and then later change it. So it is no hidden fact from him. But what u are saying could be true.

Just then I am curious. Why would xiao fan go elsewhere? And where he can go? It's so sad that he can't leave Lu family. He always got profited. He got educated, his brother got job, he got love and care with insult as free. He can't go back as no one will accept him. It's sad reality for him.

But yes that ex theory and past relationship does makes sense. I will watch further to get better understanding.

Afterall it's Friday night. Paradise day.

After watching ep3 i would say this drama actually is living up to its name. Bittersweet love. It's toxic but yet sweet.

Eg-First kiss often means confession of feelings yet xiao fan was feeling shame, guilt, fear, hatred towards himself as to why he is desiring his wife's brother but he knows that he is drugged yet he felt grateful, likeness, yet pitifulness towards whole thing that he can't control despite trying. It was a mix of all feelings.

Second eg is when after their intimacy, lu qing's friend said to xiao fan that lot of people admire him but he is not worth of everyone's love and he understood that he should not act towards lu qing regarding last night. But yet when his mom said to go to him for asking favour he can't do much except keeping his self respect at his foot and ask for lu qing's help and cry. He knew he shouldn't but he have to. It hurts him. Lu qing's love and care hurt him as his going to him always comes with favour. And lu qing understands that without saying..so he can't do anything but to embrace his love in his arms. Again hurting but comforting.

Then first hug should come with closeness towards each other and they did came close. But it didn't felt good as when lu qing asked xiao fan to move with him. He was proud that he is useful to lu qing. He didn't thought that I like him so I will be keeping him happy. It's always xiao fan's attempt to show that he is worth something and not to discard him like others. He is hurting himself by not respecting himself but comforting other by caring for him.

All these acts of service lu qing somewhere know that it's coming to seek help for his family so it's s trade off but he can't help to just love xiao fan caring for him same goes for lu qing. He knows that lu qing is showing sympathy but he liked that. It's comforting him as no one ever cared for him. Afterall there is no love realisation and love confessions.....

Lastly, their whole relationship is based on transaction with emotions that they need to figure it out.

Ig tom also one ep is coming. So u don't need to wait another week.

I also thought like that. But i am in ep3 and someone in the comment said that in ep5 it was disclosed why he did that. So even after ep5 if this behaviour is there it means he truly has made xiao fan co dependent on him.

I also think he never told his friends to not talk to xiao fan in that degrading or insulting way. It's not just about the reason told in ep5 and pretending to not care or showing off that he is just enjoying novelty. It's much more.

In short drama didn't explained well. Maybe later it will.

Hey!!! Just want to stop by and say whatever we conversed have really helped me a lot in understanding dramas better. The whole branching and main story plot it is helping me a lot. I am a huge cdrama lover and I always used to get lost in 40ep story but now it makes sense to me why and what story is telling rather than being scattered in my head. And now when I watch toxic dramas I still remember what u told me dark romance means its comforting u when I reality it should hurt u. And lot more. So thanks for ur insights.

I thought so. Here also they are not.

In ep3, does this xiao fan's wife has a brother complex? Why she cares so much why his gege is close to xiao fan? And did she spiked his drink in order to assault him and threaten her gege to come for him. And why would she say her gege to strip? She definitely knows that xiao fan means so much to lu qing. But is she aware that lu qing is gay? And what in world xiao fan has done sooo wrong that she despise him this much going as far as to assault him?

Omg. I never put this much thought. 😂 And here I was thinking he improved himself. I literally saw those as acts of service but at distance.Atleast lufeng in drama did tried to change and maybe got changed who knows! Story ends before their happy ending.

But i just say u have very diff pov on how u see drama. Very diff than mine. I like that.

Even after redemption psycho? How? What i missed here😅

Ig it was interestingly shown in drama as well. If u remember yichen was running in rain to go back to lufeng and in ep2 also he ran to go back to lufeng. Then after that they shared bed there was distance more than closeness but they were trying to come close to each other both emotionally and physically similar to when they first shared bed in ep1-2 where they were more close than having distance and they both took a step forward to tilt their head. Coming close emotionally and physically. Then u have yichen eating meat at same area when in school days. Then u have same fortune teller and same school gate where they met and where they end their story. Their love story was a complete round trip to love like a circle. Just circle is perfect but their love story isnt.

Not emotional damage. Ig when complex and layered characters come which u can't define and hard to understand, plus with SA happy ending. This was bound to happen. Not all can digest it.

The thing is that fan xiao is a well written character and To my shore is a well written story. But lufeng and ARTTL is diff. Also author of To my shore knew how much toxicity she should throw in order to still makeup for it. But in ARTTL the toxicity was thrown too much that it can't be handled. U can't walk away unscathed.Plus Fan xiao was psyhco at first. So u hated him and then u see his sufferings and redemption arc he became forgivable. But with lufeng he was a nice guy in school but he became worse. So u want to hate him but can't hate him because he was equally hurt. U want him to suffer but can't because he too suffered.

Plus you shulang was green flag so one feel more hatred towards fan xiao. It was pure victim perpetrator energy. But with yichen he was walking red flag. So he also gave toxicity to lufeng. It was never victim perpetrator story. It's more both loved and both hurted each other and both got hurt. It's easy to say fan xiao is less toxic because his redemption means audience are forgiving. But with lufeng no his redemption can't be possible. He is hard to define and put labels on so in audience pov he is more toxic as he is more complex and layered character.

Why no other toxic drama is hitting anymore when so many toxic bl are airing? Why after Double Helix every drama felt less painful, traumatic and tragic? When I am going to get over with this drama? 😶😶

Even before thermometer scene. When miao jing called chen yi in their scrap collection place and she ques him years ago when u told me to live my life well leaving past behind. Did u also left ur past behind? It was clear that she was demanding ans from him that why he let her have good life but he is stuck at the same dark past and why can't he let go of that. I guess that was the time when they started to get closer.

Before that there was always push pull energy. But that day after he fell sick he was still saying whether u hate me or not just don't hurt urself. After 6 year gap that was the first time chen yi showed his care to her explicitly. Then this thermometer scene.

As u said, this drama doesn't straight up tell u that they are getting closer because there is no grand gesture to tell that. But these small moments do contribute and they make them closer. That's the reason I am loving this drama.

True. Nanyang mystery has captured my heart. Hailou and Haixia chemistry was offcharts even when they were not with each other. Moving on from them is hard.

But here is the thing. That drama set the standard high for bromance. But yes like u i am also able to watch this drama so ig it's a plus point of this drama.

Btw have u tried sword rose? It was good. Not bromance but was good.

Actually I am missing the chemistry and the level of care they show to each other like in nanyang mystery. There even if zhang hailu was not working with shrimpie. They were thinking about each other and still making sacrifices for each other. Just that sometimes it gave me a strong soap opera vibes. Plus cases were actually mysterious. The time when someone was hurting shrimpie in front of salty, he wanted to act like he didn't care but he was literally biting his own hand so that he can not show that. But that was the scene that has etched in my heart including other scenes.

Here, since they are strangers and things are building up. Their connection is building up. But i still don't see a strong chemistry between leads like in Nanyang Mystery. The scene where shao shang first met with yuan hong should be electricified but I didn't felt that. Their bickering made me remember the dynamics of lan zhan and wei wuxian. Just here i am feeling nothing. Plus cases are mediocre here for me. I am not feeling high stakes like in Nanyang Mystery. Maybe the comparison itself is wrong. But yeah. Let's see. But 19-20 mins length is definitely helping me here.

And it's opposite for me 😅😂. Proof how diff person has diff taste.

Hmm i liked how u explained if miao jing would have told tuli it could have come accross as a deed done in bad faith rather than good faith.

I also get that miao jing getting close to chen yi was human nature of old feelings being resurfaced. Just that this whole fake relationship thing was not handled well.