themarchioness

Just the one earthquake.

Correct. She actually won’t find out the full extent of what her mom did until after she and the ML decide to get back together, though. So that won’t be the reason for their reunification. Rather she will decide it’s right to follow her heart. But certainly after she learns the truth she will also take a stand and ream out the parents.

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/waiting-for-you-in-a-city/

Personally, I think watching them work through their hurdles and overcome their challenges leads to a better appreciation of what they have when they reunite and start dating. As the saying goes -- no pain, no gain! ;-)

For those wondering why Xu Qin hasn't thrown her adoptive family to the side already, many of us have written essays on this point already. There's the fact that they took her into their home when she was an orphan, that they provided for her and gave her an education, that her mother groomed her and continues to control her. In Episode 11, Xu Qin even describes herself as a beast raised by a trainer.

But there is another factor that I don't think has been underscored enough and that's the concept of filial piety -- it may be difficult for those outside the culture to understand but this attitude of needing to give respect for parents/elders regardless of what they say/do and never going against what they say, is a deeply rooted sentiment in many Asian cultures and especially the Chinese one (since it stems from Confucianism) and it can have resonating consequences.

Namely, filial piety makes it r-e-a-l-l-y hard to go against one's parents. It leads to a lot of guilt even over the simplest thing. For example, if an Asian mother asks their child to do a simple task and they don't do it even though they know she really wants them to do it, and that alone results in them feeling guilty for at least a week, imagine the kind of rock and hard place Xu Qin must be finding herself in right now.

The good news is Xu Qin will take a stand for herself eventually, but we must allow her this time to process her emotions and work through these very real hurdles in her heart.

Exactly this! It’s also ironic given that the drama gave us a scene with this very lesson. Specifically, after ZBB saved the girl who’d been egged on towards suicide by the bystanders’ criticisms, he said: “That is a life! A life! Who among you has never felt lost? Who among you has never faced difficulties? If the person standing up there was your family member, loved one, or child, would you still be able to look at it as a joke? Could you?”

I really feel like these people who are unwilling to place themselves in the FL’s shoes, to see things from her experience and perspective, are no better than those bystanders.

On iQiyi, it’s only available in TH, MY, and TW.

It’s ironic that you “love the firefighters cases” when you so obviously learned nothing from the one where ZBB saved the girl from suicide. As he said, “That is a life! A life! Who among you has never felt lost? Who among you has never faced difficulties? If the person standing up there was your family member, loved on, or child, would you still be able to look at it as a joke? Could you?”

How are any of the viewers who dismiss the FL’s issues and criticize her better than those bystanders in that scene?

I don’t understand viewers who are unable to put themselves in the FL’s shoes, to feel the loss she experienced as a child, or the oppression she was raised under and continues to live under. It’s not realistic to expect someone like that to start out a story all happy and bubbly. She has real issues and we will see her work through them, but the constant hatred towards her and the blaming is disappointing to read.

If you’re looking for something similar in tone to those two, you won’t find that here - there was more humor in those dramas. This is drama, romance, and angst. But oh what a beautiful story that makes!

I like all three dramas (and YAMH is also a fave of mine) but they’re really quite different. I’m loving this one a lot so far but it’s subjective tastes - you can see whether you like it, just don’t expect it to be like the other two.

Well we can disagree on that one. As far as I can recall it’s told in the same order in the book so it’s not a production problem but a deliberate choice in the storytelling. I think it adds impact - we fully appreciate SY’s sacrifice in holding back as he does. As for her, my heart aches because of how she’s feeling and because we know she doesn’t know the full story. And we can also then anticipate how she’ll feel once she does learn the truth - she will feel wrecked and guilty for what she said. There are so many emotions, I find it beautiful! But I like angst - when it is done well. ;-)

That’s the whole point though. You think she’s overly dramatic because you know his side of the story. As you noted — she doesn’t. So from her perspective she feels she has been trying to find a way for them to be together while he has not. Given that she doesn’t know what he did or what he’s been through that makes her “complaint” valid.

The cousin would’ve revealed the truth but Song Yan stops her. In choosing not to expose what her family has done, I think it’s also a form of protection towards her.

He is in love with her so not only is he protective but defensive against the person he knows is competition. That he is giving off those vibes means the actor is doing his job well! :-)

I'm assuming it's actually a moment of great meaning and honor for them, but for those of us who are unfamiliar with the process it just felt like they were taking everything away from him. But maybe that's how it is in China, that you have to take off all the medals and decorations before moving on versus getting to take them with you. I don't know. For his sake, I'm really hoping it was a meaningful thing to be shared with his colleagues -- even though his departure/retirement resulted from circumstances not of his choosing, it was from a good deed.

Right? I felt the same. It was like do you need to strip him before you send him on his way? But then they gave him a sash. Kinda felt like a consolation prize. ;-P

Hard to say because the drama is already expanding on his character from the book, so I don't know how his character will be incorporated ultimately into the drama.

If the drama were to go strictly by the book, however, he doesn't have an appreciable presence there. Basically, the FL goes out with her mom one day and in the end, her mom takes her to a cafe to meet Jiang Yu. And then it's explained in a brief paragraph that they chatted, texted a few times after, and then naturally things kind of died off. FL then runs into him again at Xiao Yi Xiao's bar and learns that Jiang Yu is friends with XYX and her brother. Because of that their paths cross on a handful of more occasions.

On one of those occasions, he expresses a willingness to marry her even though he's not necessarily in love with her because he needs to get married and she tells him she can't do that because she has to be in love with the person she marries and admits she does have someone she already loves.

In terms of his relationship with the ML, towards the end of the book, ML goes to a different police department to meet with an official there - I'm sure there's a proper name for that office/department, just as there's a proper title for the person he met (I just can't remember them). The gist of that meeting though is that the ML wants to transition up his career ladder as a firefighter and they make plans (for 2-3 years from now). As he leaves that building, he and Jiang Yu walk past each other as Jiang Yu is going into the building.

Later, the FL's brother is preparing to leave the country and so the FL is called to XYX's bar for the gathering. She feels she ought to go to say good-bye to her brother, but is also willing to not attend if the ML doesn't want them to go, but he asks why they wouldn't go and so they do. It's not until that meeting that the ML and Jiang Yu are introduced to each other. Jiang Yu mentions having seen ML at that police building before and ML explains why he'd been there, and Jiang Yu holds out his hand for a handshake saying that in a few years they may be working together and so ML takes his hand.

And then that's pretty much it for Jiang Yu in the book -- as you can see, not a lot of scenes, never a threat to the main couple, and way less interactions with the ML compared to the FL. But again, who knows what changes the drama will make -- we will all find out together! :)

Episode 9 - what the FL says to the female burn victim: that she doesn't have to accept what happened to her or even smile over it, but she can still continue moving forward and one day she'll realize that even those past experiences still remain in a corner [of her memory] they're no longer important because she's already started a new life.

That could also be said of herself and ML. It's like foreshadowing and advice to herself all rolled in one because the experiences that the FL and ML have gone through together and separately, those aren't things either of them will be able to forget (and maybe not even forgive). But they will be able to move past it to be happy together and that's what most important. <3

You are allowed to state the obvious and express your reactions - I acknowledged that. Just as I acknowledged (and agreed) that for where we are in the drama, you made valid observations and have valid reactions to those observations. I was actually trying to give credit to you my reply - because you're absolutely correct, she is depressed and weak at the moment. My point was more that novel readers are not reacting strongly in reply to your types of observations/comments because you seem to recognize this is only the FL's starting point. There is a whole story to unfold (almost 30 more episodes, to be exact).

What novel readers are reacting to are those who are only expressing hatred and disgust towards the FL without recognizing (as they should be from the drama already) that there is more to the story, and/or without giving her the chance to grow and develop.

I have read the book, just going to state that upfront, and certainly those of us who have read the book have a deeper understanding of the FL's character. However, I would also say that even for those who haven't read the book, from what we've seen so far in the drama, it should be clear that - yes, the FL is depressed; yes, she lacks a spine when it comes to her family/mom; and yes, she is oppressed. But it should also be clear (even from without reading the book) that there are reasons for that. The only difference novel readers have compared to people who are only watching the drama is that we already know the reasons for why she is the way she is - and that's because we've read to the end of the book. BUT, as we were reading the book, we also had to wait for information to be shared and it's no different from those who are only watching the drama -- you have to keep watching to see the story unfold.

You seem to recognize that. As you note, you're excited for the FL's character development and that's exactly how it should be, and I think you've picked up on the crucial details already - such as noting how she crunches her fingers as a symptomatic sign. These are all hints that there is more to the FL's story and we should wait patiently for that story to be told to us. Already the drama has shown us how she entered her adoptive family -- with the mom throwing away her stuffed animal just because she found it 'dirty' without any thought or consideration that it might be this little girl's lone source of familiarity and comfort in a time of chaos. And again, that clues viewers in to the fact that she may be entering a family of means, but not necessarily one of love and understanding. It doesn't take reading the novel to see that. We just have to watch the drama! :-)

In any event, I'm just pointing out that I think when novel readers are responding to drama-only watchers, it's in response to those who are writing off the FL as callous, depressed, spineless, etc., without really giving her a proper chance. But in the ordinary course of business, I think your interpretation is exactly what the drama production was expecting and hoping for and I'm glad you are enjoying your experience so far!

How many eps each day depends on the individual day - sometimes there will be 2, sometimes 1. Best to reference the airing calendar to follow: https://kisskh.at/photos/d0O5Ng_3

To add to your point, it's also only the beginning. Character development and growth are what add to the interest of their story - otherwise would what we watch for 40 episodes? ;-)