Q: I don’t really understand the original novel setup, regarding who the actual main characters were supposed…
There’s a lot going on and some of the biggest plot details are explained through info that is scattered across multiple episodes or are only explained indirectly, so it’s very easy to miss some of the key details or to not put all the provided info together in just the right way to make it possible to figure out the things that aren’t ever explained directly.
The drama doesn’t show Xie Yong Er returning to her original world after she died. If she did transmigrate back…
Short answer: No. The FL knew that the character of Xie Yong Er was taken over by a transmigrator (the protagonist of the transmigration novel) in the transmigration novel. That information was very clear to her.
However, after the FL transmigrated into the historical story world, took over the character of Yu Wanyin, met Xiahou Dan, and confirmed that his character had also been taken over by a transmigrator (the ML), it was very clear that the version of events that they were experiencing in the historical story world was different from the version of events that was depicted in the transmigration novel (where Yu Wanyin and Xiahou Dan’s characters were NOT taken over by transmigrators). So the FL and ML initially couldn’t be sure of which other characters (if any) had been taken over by transmigrators in the changed version of events that they were experiencing.
Long answer below.
~~~
There are two key concepts that need to be clarified to properly answer your question.
(1) There are TWO novels.
The first novel is a historical novel titled “A Thousand Trees Blossoming at Night in the East”.
The second novel is a transmigration novel titled “Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort”.
The historical novel only exists inside the transmigration novel, and the only person who ever reads the historical novel is the protagonist of the transmigration novel.
(2) There are THREE versions of the events that take place in the historical story world.
The FIRST version of events in the historical story world is the version of events that is described in the historical novel. In that version of events, there were ZERO transmigrators and Xie Yong Er was just a minor canon-fodder character who died very quickly.
The SECOND version of events in the historical story world is described in part of the transmigration novel. The transmigration novel begins in a fictional version of the modern world, where the fictional protagonist of that novel reads the historical novel from beginning to end. Then the protagonist transmigrates from her original fictional modern world into the historical story world and takes over the character of Xie Yong Er. She takes over the character of Xie Yong Er near the beginning of the events that were depicted in the historical novel that she previously read, and since she knew how events originally unfolded in the historical novel (i.e., the first version of those events), she was able to use her knowledge to change those events so that Xie Yong Er became the main character in the the new / second version of events. In the transmigration novel, there was only ONE transmigrator - the fictional protagonist of the transmigration novel who took over the character of Xie Yong Er.
The THIRD version of events in the historical story world is the version that we see in the drama. After the FL reads the transmigration novel in the real world, she transmigrates into the historical story world. She takes over the character of Yu Wanyin near the beginning of the story. Note that the character of Yu Wanyin was NOT taken over by a transmigrator in the transmigration novel. Then the FL meets Xiahou Dan and confirms that his character was also taken over by a transmigrator, even though that character was also NOT taken over by a transmigrator in the transmigration novel. So, at that point, the FL knew that a new / third version of events had been created and therefore she didn’t know which characters were taken over by transmigrators and which characters were not taken over by transmigrators in this new / third version of events.
So the FL and ML came up with tests to try to figure out which characters were taken over by transmigrators in the third version of events. It turned out that only the characters of Yu Wanyin and Xiahou Dan were taken over by transmigrators from the real world in the third version of events. Whereas, in both the second version of events and the third version of events, Xie Yong Er’s character was taken over by the same transmigrator in both cases - the fictional protagonist of the transmigration novel who transmigrated from a fictional version of the modern world.
Note that a person’s awareness of a previous version of events in the historical story world depends on whether they lived those events as a character within the novel or if they read about those events in a novel while existing on a “higher level” (i.e., the difference between only living inside the novel from its beginning vs. being able to physically pick up the novel and read the events it describes by flipping its pages before transmigrating into it).
For example, in the SECOND version of events, the only person in the historical story world who was aware of the first version of events was the SFL, because she read the historical novel that described those events, instead of living them as a character that only existed inside the historical novel. For every other character who experienced the second version of events in the historical story world, it was like their reality just re-set and they had no memory of having lived through the first version of events.
Whereas in the THIRD version of events, the only person in the historical story world who was aware of the second version of events was the FL, because she read about those events in the transmigration novel. Since the SFL was a character inside the transmigration novel (i.e., she did not read the transmigration novel - she lived it), her reality re-set in the third version of events and she had no memory of the second version of events. However, since the SFL read the historical novel, she knew about the first version of events when she lived through both the second version of events and the third version of events. So, to her, in the third version of events it seemed like she was transmigrating into the historical story world for the first time and like she was only changing the first version of events, even though it was actually her second time doing so.
~~~
A bit more about the FL’s knowledge…
The FL’s company acquired the rights to adapt the transmigration novel into a drama, and the FL was tasked with creating a detailed pitch for that adaptation within one day, so she had to read the transmigration novel very quickly. Consequently, the FL skimmed some parts and skipped some parts of the transmigration novel, but she did get to the end. And she was definitely, 100% aware that the protagonist of that novel was a transmigrator in that novel because: (1) that was one of the most fundamental aspects of the novel (you really could not read the transmigration novel, or even just skim it, and not know that the protagonist of that novel was a transmigrator); (2) the fact that the protagonist of the novel is a transmigrator is referenced in the title of the transmigration novel (“Transmigrated: The Devil’s Beloved Consort); (3) the fact that Xie Yong Er’s character was taken over by a transmigrator was even covered in the very brief synopsis of the transmigration novel (or rather how that novel would get adapted into a drama) that her colleague presented to the FL and her co-workers in the first episode of the drama; and (4) the FL explained the fact that Xie Yong Er’s character was taken over by a transmigrator in the transmigration novel to the ML in the first episode of the drama.
So - to recap - the issue wasn’t that the FL didn’t know that the character of Xie Yong Er was taken over by a transmigrator in the transmigration novel. The issue was that the circumstances of events in the transmigration novel (where there was only one transmigrator who took over Xie Yong Er’s character) were different from the circumstances that the FL experienced in the historical story world when she transmigrated into it (where there were at least two transmigrators who took over Yu Wanyin and Xiahou Dan’s characters), so the FL did not know (at first) which characters had been taken over by transmigrators in the third version of events / in the version of events that she experienced in the historical story world when she transmigrated into it.
Does Yong'er transmigrate back to the future when she dies? do we see?
The drama doesn’t show Xie Yong Er returning to her original world after she died.
If she did transmigrate back to her original world, then she wouldn’t transmigrate to the real world like the ML and FL, who were real people in the real world before they transmigrated into the historical story world.
The SFL was a fictional character who transmigrated into the historical story world from a fictional version of the modern world that only existed in the transmigration novel, so that’s the world that she would return to. And she would return there with the knowledge that she was a fictional character that only existed inside a book and with no one in that world to share that knowledge or her recollection of the historical story world. That would be a pretty bleak outcome for her IMO, so honestly I hope she didn’t transmigrate back to her original world after she died.
Or if she did, I hope she woke up with only a hazy memory of the historical world, a belief that her transmigration experience was all just a dream, a new sense of wariness about not being manipulated and deceived in love by someone like Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan), and a new appreciation for her life and her family in that world.
Even ml fell for fl too quickly. I mean, he’s calling her his lifeline while she’s still unsure whether she…
I felt like episode 10 provided clear enough insight into his reasons for lying (both initially and later on), but that's just my personal opinion. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Even ml fell for fl too quickly. I mean, he’s calling her his lifeline while she’s still unsure whether she…
We get some insight into the ML's thoughts on the ML’s reasons for not telling the FL the truth about when he transmigrated into the historical story world in episode 10. The FL realized that the ML’s knowledge of business and economics was just at a basic level and not greater than her own knowledge of those subjects, and that someone who was a big-shot CEO should have a much deeper knowledge of those subjects. So she quizzes him about the details of the company that he was CEO of before he transmigrated into the historical story world. Then the audience is given direct insight into the ML’s thoughts.
The subtitles for the ML's thoughts in that moment read as follows: "I should just tell her everything... But if I tell her the whole truth, that fragile bit of trust and closeness she has with me will probably vanish. Between letting her doubt me and breaking her heart, I would rather let her keep doubting."
At first (immediately after the FL confronts him with those questions about his company), the ML chooses to let the FL “keep doubting”. He lies and tells the FL he cannot remember the answers to her questions. But the FL is obviously hurt and upset by this response, which she correctly guesses is a lie.
Later, the ML comes up with a better lie. He admits that he was not a CEO in the real world, but then he tells her that he was an unsuccessful actor in the real world before he transmigrated into the historical story world. There are several reasons why the ML would choose this new lie over the truth.
First, this lie doesn’t reveal how much the ML suffered in the historical story world, so the FL’s heart is not broken by the truth.
Second, this lie makes it seem like the ML’s initial lie to the FL was not very big (at least compared to the scale of his actual lies to her). Which, based on what we saw of the ML’s thoughts, he probably hoped would mean that the FL’s willingness to be close to the ML and to trust him as an ally would not completely vanish in the way that he thought it would vanish if she understood the magnitude of the lies that the ML had actually told her.
Third, this lie doesn’t reveal the full extent of the ML’s lack of education and life / professional experience in the real world before he transmigrated into the story world. Again, based on the ML’s thoughts, I’m guessing that he hoped that this would also mean that the FL’s willingness to put her faith in the ML as an ally would not completely vanish in the way that he thought it would vanish if she understood that he was just a school kid who hadn’t even graduated from high school (let alone graduated from university, had a professional career, and become a successful CEO) before he transmigrated into the historical story world.
There are probably more reasons (e.g., avoiding having to explain the existence of his son and the rape he endured + policies enacted by the tyrant king / not wanting to have to re-live previous trauma in order to provide explanations / etc. ), but I think the three ones noted above are the biggest reasons.
- - -
I'm not sure if the subtitles for the ML’s thoughts are completely accurate. If they are, they are a bit hard to follow, but I think what the ML's thought process boils down to is:
(1) Telling the FL the truth would make the FL distance herself from the ML and stop trusting him as an ally, because he told her such a massive lie (and constantly continued lying in order to keep up the ruse) and because she would doubt his capabilities as an ally if she knew that he was just a kid when he transmigrated into the historical story world.
(2) Telling the FL the truth would also break the FL’s heart, because the truth of what the ML endured is horrifying and heartbreaking.
(3) The ML would rather tell the FL a lie that was easy for the FL to recognize as a lie (i.e., that he couldn’t remember the details relating to his company that she asked about) and have her continue to doubt him than break the FL’s heart with the horrifying truth.
Then he comes up with a different lie that can alleviate the FL’s doubts without breaking the FL’s heart and also minimize the damage to her trust in him (a lie that he was an unsuccessful actor in the real world before he transmigrated into the historical story world), and he chooses to tell that lie instead of telling the truth.
- - -
We get a little bit more insight into the ML’s thoughts in episode 27. In that episode, the ML tells the FL via a letter that he became more afraid of telling the FL the truth after he fell in love with her, and he also tells her that the one thing he begs of her is to delay the moment when he has to face seeing fear and wariness in her eyes (after she learned the truth from his letter).
I have just started this drama but 1st episode is way to fast pace like things are happening without any pre development?!…
I loved that the story got moving so quickly and there wasn't a boring, draggy lead-up to the leads meeting and interesting things starting to happen (I nearly dropped Shine on Me for starting like that). But the downside is that it is a lot to follow and keep track of from the get-go, and there are certain things that initially seem off or confusing because the drama doesn't provide the explanation behind them until later in the story.
I'd say that the pace doesn't remain at that level through the whole story. It varies, and also as more information and background is revealed throughout the drama the things that initially seemed off or confusing start to make complete sense (which I found very satisfying). And for anything that doesn't click (some aspects of the plot are complex and it's easy to miss some of the details that help explain certain things), you can always come back to this comment section to ask questions.
Even ml fell for fl too quickly. I mean, he’s calling her his lifeline while she’s still unsure whether she…
You're welcome!
The drama doesn't outright specify exactly when the transmigration novel was published, but it must have been published in 2016 or sooner (in order for the ML to receive a notification about it in 2016) and we can infer that it was probably published in 2016 shortly before the ML received a notification about it on his phone in 2016 (since that kind of promotion would probably occur around the time that the novel was published).
The FL didn't read the transmigration novel (or click on any notifications about it on her phone) when it was published. Instead, the FL's company acquired the rights to adapt the transmigration novel into a drama in 2025 (several years after the novel was published), and since the FL was tasked with quickly creating a pitch for her company to adapt the novel into a drama she had to quickly skim the transmigration novel at that time.
Even ml fell for fl too quickly. I mean, he’s calling her his lifeline while she’s still unsure whether she…
This reply contains spoilers for things that occur after episode 10, including details about the ending.
Short answer: They were both in their mid-twenties when they reunited in the real world in 2025.
Long answer:
The ML was 14 or 15 when he transmigrated from 2016 into the historical story world. He then spent 16 years and 8 months in the historical story world before he wrote the letter to the FL that she reads in episode 27. So his true / mental age was 30+ before episode 27 (which takes place several months - by historical story world time - after the FL transmigrated into the historical story world in episode 1). The ML also mentioned that he spent more time living in the historical story world before the FL arrived than he had spent living in the real world, which fits with him spending 14 or 15 years in the real world before transmigrating and a little over 16 years in the historical story world before the FL arrived. After episode 27, the ML and the FL continued to live in the historical story world for an unknown amount of time. If we assume that the drama timeline is similar to the web novel that the drama is based on (note: I have not read the web novel, I am basing this off of comments from other viewers who did read the web novel) then the ML and FL both lived full lives in the historical story world, but the ML died first and the FL ruled as regent for years after the ML died / until their son was old / experienced enough to rule on his own.
After dying in the historical story world, the ML returned to 2016 in the real world where his physical body was 14 or 15 but his mental age was much older because he had already lived a full life in the historical story world. His physical body then aged 9 years while he waited to meet the FL in the real world, because he had to wait for her to transmigrate into the historical story world, meet him there, and then return to the real world. That occurred in 2025 in the real world, when the ML was physically 23, 24 or 25 years old (it depends on factors like whether he was 14 or 15 when he transmigrated into the historical story, what month he transmigrated in 2016, what month the FL transmigrated in 2025, etc.).
The FL worked in her industry for a few years after graduating university before her birthday in episode 1 / before she transmigrated into the historical story in episode 1. On average, a student would typically be 22 when they graduate from a bachelor's degree program at a Chinese university. If the FL then went on to work for a few years after graduating and then had a birthday, I think we can safely assume she was 24+ when she transmigrated into the historical story.
So the ML would physically be 23 - 25 and the FL would be physically 24+ when they reunited in the real world in 2025, when the FL returned to the exact time and place that she transmigrated from in the real world (12:01 am on a train in Beijing in 2025 on her birthday). Notably, both of them would mentally be much older than their physical age because they both remembered the full lives that they each lived in the historical story world.
Q: I don’t really understand the original novel setup, regarding who the actual main characters were supposed…
You’re welcome!
Definitely don’t feel stupid! Getting 90% of the details just from watching the drama once without any input from other viewers is a lot.
I was very lucky with my viewing experience. I watched the drama while it was airing and saw a comment from someone who read the web novel (the web novel that this drama is based on) about the novel-within-a-novel set-up, which helped me pick up on / understand a lot of details as they were presented in the drama. Then I started answering questions about the set-up in this comment section, and the process of writing out explanations also helped really clarify some of the details for me.
And now that I’ve re-watched the drama a few times I’ve also picked up on some details that I missed the first time (like Xie Yong Er mentioning the title of the historical novel - A Thousand Trees Blossoming at Night in the East - in episode 1).
So I’m happy to continue answering questions about those kinds of details in the comment section because it feels like paying it forward (since reading another person’s comment really helped improve my viewing experience) and because I really enjoyed this drama and the way that all the details fit together and sharing that with other viewers is fun.
Just my two cents here. This drama is still my #1 favourite drama from 2026 (loved the acting, loved the chemistry, loved the music, loved the plot details), but the details are complicated (multiple worlds, multiple timelines / versions of events) and the drama doesn't spoon-feed them to the audience. The details required to understand how everything works are scattered throughout the drama (which means patience is required from the viewer for some things that will just not make sense from the beginning when you don't have all the info yet), and you have to pay attention to catch them all and then figure out how it all fits together.
I personally loved that aspect of the drama (and it has made rewatching very fun and satisfying every time), but if you're in the mood for something that you can half-watch or fast forward through any scenes that aren't action-packed then this probably isn't the right drama to get you out of your slump.
I don’t really understand the original novel setup, regarding who the actual main characters were supposed to…
Q: I don’t really understand the original novel setup, regarding who the actual main characters were supposed to be. Were Prince Duan and Wanyin meant to be the leads? But wasn’t Wanyin always destined to become the demon consort?
-
A: It's a complicated setup. There are two novels, one inside the other (a historical novel that only exists inside a transmigration novel) and there are three versions of the events that take place inside the historical world depicted in those novels and the drama.
The historical novel is titled "A Thousand Trees Blossoming at Night in the East".
The transmigration novel is titled "Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort."
The first version of events in that historical story world is described in the historical novel. In that version of events: (1) there are NO transmigrators; (2) Xiahou Dan is a tyrant / villain; (3) Yu Wanyin meets Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) by the pond; and (4) Xie Yong Er is only a minor cannon-fodder character who dies very quickly.
In the transmigration novel, the protagonist of the transmigration novel (who initially lives in a fictional version of the modern world in fictional "City A" in a fictional country) reads the historical novel from beginning to end. Then she transmigrates from her fictional modern world into the historical story world, but arrives near the beginning of the historical story, and she takes over the character of Xie Yong Er. Since she knows how events originally unfolded in the historical novel that she read (the first version of events), she is able to use her knowledge to change those events so that Xie Yong Er is no longer just a minor cannon-fodder character and instead becomes the main female character alongside Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan). When the FL described the events of the transmigration novel to the ML in episode 1 of the drama, she describes Xie Yong Er and Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) as the chosen ones.
As an example of a change that the protagonist of the transmigration novel made so that the second version of events (the version in the transmigration novel) differed from the first version of events (the version in the historical novel): she made sure that she (as the character Xie Yong Er) was the one who met Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) at the pond where he met Yu Wanyin in the historical novel, instead of him meeting Yu Wanyin. She makes that same change in the third version of events (the version we see in the drama), which is shown in episode 1 of the drama. Ultimately she helps Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) take the throne, while the villains (Xiahou Dan and Yu Wanyin, who were not taken over by transmigrators in this version of events) both die and are buried together (even though Yu Wanyin loved Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) not Xiahou Dan (her husband / the tyrant Emperor)). This second version of events is all described in the transmigration novel that the FL skimmed in the first episode. There is only ONE transmigrator in this version of events.
The third version of events in the historical story world is the one we see in the drama. That version of events is created as a result of changes made by THREE transmigrators. The first transmigrator was the ML (Zhang San) who transmigrated from 2016 in the real world to an early part of events in the historical story world where he took over the character of Xiahou Dan when that character was still just a kid / the Crown Prince. He did not read the historical novel or the transmigration novel before he transmigrated. He only read a notification on his phone that mentioned the title of the transmigration novel ("Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort") before he transmigrated into the historical story.
The next two transmigrators were: (1) the FL (Wang Cuihua) - who transmigrated from 2025 in the real world into a part of the historical story that was 16+ years after the point when the ML transmigrated into the story, and she took over the character of Yu Wanyin; and (2) the SFL - who transmigrated from a fictional version of the modern world into the same point of the historical story, and she took over the character of Xie Yong Er.
While the FL had skimmed the transmigration novel and had a general understanding of how the protagonist of that novel changed the events of the historical novel (the first version of events) in order to make Xie Yong Er the main female character in the second version of events, the SFL had only read the historical novel and was not aware that she was the fictional protagonist of another novel. The SFL thought her original world was the real world and that she was a real person. The characters (including the SFL) who existed in the first or second version of events as characters (i.e., not as someone on a "higher level" reading those events in a novel) did not retain any memories of those previous versions of events when the lived through subsequent changed versions of the same events.
--- --- ---
Q: And why was Dan so certain that someone would transmigrate for him? In the story, he was introduced as a tyrant, not as the male lead.
-
A: The ML (Zhang San, the transmigrator who took over the character of Xiahou Dan in the third version of events in the historical story world) did not read the historical novel or the transmigration novel. He only read a notification on his phone that mentioned the title of the transmigration novel ("Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort") before he transmigrated into the historical story. As he only had that title to work with, he guessed that one of the consorts of the "devil" in that world would also be a transmigrator from the real world, like him. And, as he desperately wanted to find another transmigrator / real person from the real world, he desperately looked for that person who was, or who would become, the consort referenced in the title of the transmigration novel. He didn't think that someone would transmigrate *for* him. He just assumed, because of the title, that there would be a female transmigrator who was, or who would become, a consort. And he was right.
Of course that consort (the one referenced in the title of the transmigration novel) turned out to be Xie Yong Er, who was a transmigrator (the ONLY transmigrator in the transmigration novel / in the second version of events) but who was NOT a real person from the real world. Luckily he met Yu Wanyin first, and in that third version of events (the only version that the ML (Zhang San, who transmigrated and took over the character of Xiahou Dan only in the third version of events) experienced) the character of Yu Wanyin had been taken over by a transmigrator (the FL / Wang Cuihua) who WAS a real person from the real world.
Since the ML (Zhang San) had not read either novel, he did not know any of the specific details of those novels (e.g., who the main characters were in either one) before he transmigrated into the historical story world and he did not know that the original character Xiahou Dan (with no transmigrator taking over that character) was portrayed as an evil tyrant in the novels / the first and second version of events in the historical story world or that Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) and Xie Yong Er were the main characters of the transmigration novel, until the FL (who had skimmed the transmigration novel) explained those details to him in episode 1.
3 
1 
1 
However, after the FL transmigrated into the historical story world, took over the character of Yu Wanyin, met Xiahou Dan, and confirmed that his character had also been taken over by a transmigrator (the ML), it was very clear that the version of events that they were experiencing in the historical story world was different from the version of events that was depicted in the transmigration novel (where Yu Wanyin and Xiahou Dan’s characters were NOT taken over by transmigrators). So the FL and ML initially couldn’t be sure of which other characters (if any) had been taken over by transmigrators in the changed version of events that they were experiencing.
Long answer below.
~~~
There are two key concepts that need to be clarified to properly answer your question.
(1) There are TWO novels.
The first novel is a historical novel titled “A Thousand Trees Blossoming at Night in the East”.
The second novel is a transmigration novel titled “Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort”.
The historical novel only exists inside the transmigration novel, and the only person who ever reads the historical novel is the protagonist of the transmigration novel.
(2) There are THREE versions of the events that take place in the historical story world.
The FIRST version of events in the historical story world is the version of events that is described in the historical novel. In that version of events, there were ZERO transmigrators and Xie Yong Er was just a minor canon-fodder character who died very quickly.
The SECOND version of events in the historical story world is described in part of the transmigration novel. The transmigration novel begins in a fictional version of the modern world, where the fictional protagonist of that novel reads the historical novel from beginning to end. Then the protagonist transmigrates from her original fictional modern world into the historical story world and takes over the character of Xie Yong Er. She takes over the character of Xie Yong Er near the beginning of the events that were depicted in the historical novel that she previously read, and since she knew how events originally unfolded in the historical novel (i.e., the first version of those events), she was able to use her knowledge to change those events so that Xie Yong Er became the main character in the the new / second version of events. In the transmigration novel, there was only ONE transmigrator - the fictional protagonist of the transmigration novel who took over the character of Xie Yong Er.
The THIRD version of events in the historical story world is the version that we see in the drama. After the FL reads the transmigration novel in the real world, she transmigrates into the historical story world. She takes over the character of Yu Wanyin near the beginning of the story. Note that the character of Yu Wanyin was NOT taken over by a transmigrator in the transmigration novel. Then the FL meets Xiahou Dan and confirms that his character was also taken over by a transmigrator, even though that character was also NOT taken over by a transmigrator in the transmigration novel. So, at that point, the FL knew that a new / third version of events had been created and therefore she didn’t know which characters were taken over by transmigrators and which characters were not taken over by transmigrators in this new / third version of events.
So the FL and ML came up with tests to try to figure out which characters were taken over by transmigrators in the third version of events. It turned out that only the characters of Yu Wanyin and Xiahou Dan were taken over by transmigrators from the real world in the third version of events. Whereas, in both the second version of events and the third version of events, Xie Yong Er’s character was taken over by the same transmigrator in both cases - the fictional protagonist of the transmigration novel who transmigrated from a fictional version of the modern world.
Note that a person’s awareness of a previous version of events in the historical story world depends on whether they lived those events as a character within the novel or if they read about those events in a novel while existing on a “higher level” (i.e., the difference between only living inside the novel from its beginning vs. being able to physically pick up the novel and read the events it describes by flipping its pages before transmigrating into it).
For example, in the SECOND version of events, the only person in the historical story world who was aware of the first version of events was the SFL, because she read the historical novel that described those events, instead of living them as a character that only existed inside the historical novel. For every other character who experienced the second version of events in the historical story world, it was like their reality just re-set and they had no memory of having lived through the first version of events.
Whereas in the THIRD version of events, the only person in the historical story world who was aware of the second version of events was the FL, because she read about those events in the transmigration novel. Since the SFL was a character inside the transmigration novel (i.e., she did not read the transmigration novel - she lived it), her reality re-set in the third version of events and she had no memory of the second version of events. However, since the SFL read the historical novel, she knew about the first version of events when she lived through both the second version of events and the third version of events. So, to her, in the third version of events it seemed like she was transmigrating into the historical story world for the first time and like she was only changing the first version of events, even though it was actually her second time doing so.
~~~
A bit more about the FL’s knowledge…
The FL’s company acquired the rights to adapt the transmigration novel into a drama, and the FL was tasked with creating a detailed pitch for that adaptation within one day, so she had to read the transmigration novel very quickly. Consequently, the FL skimmed some parts and skipped some parts of the transmigration novel, but she did get to the end. And she was definitely, 100% aware that the protagonist of that novel was a transmigrator in that novel because: (1) that was one of the most fundamental aspects of the novel (you really could not read the transmigration novel, or even just skim it, and not know that the protagonist of that novel was a transmigrator); (2) the fact that the protagonist of the novel is a transmigrator is referenced in the title of the transmigration novel (“Transmigrated: The Devil’s Beloved Consort); (3) the fact that Xie Yong Er’s character was taken over by a transmigrator was even covered in the very brief synopsis of the transmigration novel (or rather how that novel would get adapted into a drama) that her colleague presented to the FL and her co-workers in the first episode of the drama; and (4) the FL explained the fact that Xie Yong Er’s character was taken over by a transmigrator in the transmigration novel to the ML in the first episode of the drama.
So - to recap - the issue wasn’t that the FL didn’t know that the character of Xie Yong Er was taken over by a transmigrator in the transmigration novel. The issue was that the circumstances of events in the transmigration novel (where there was only one transmigrator who took over Xie Yong Er’s character) were different from the circumstances that the FL experienced in the historical story world when she transmigrated into it (where there were at least two transmigrators who took over Yu Wanyin and Xiahou Dan’s characters), so the FL did not know (at first) which characters had been taken over by transmigrators in the third version of events / in the version of events that she experienced in the historical story world when she transmigrated into it.
If she did transmigrate back to her original world, then she wouldn’t transmigrate to the real world like the ML and FL, who were real people in the real world before they transmigrated into the historical story world.
The SFL was a fictional character who transmigrated into the historical story world from a fictional version of the modern world that only existed in the transmigration novel, so that’s the world that she would return to. And she would return there with the knowledge that she was a fictional character that only existed inside a book and with no one in that world to share that knowledge or her recollection of the historical story world. That would be a pretty bleak outcome for her IMO, so honestly I hope she didn’t transmigrate back to her original world after she died.
Or if she did, I hope she woke up with only a hazy memory of the historical world, a belief that her transmigration experience was all just a dream, a new sense of wariness about not being manipulated and deceived in love by someone like Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan), and a new appreciation for her life and her family in that world.
The subtitles for the ML's thoughts in that moment read as follows: "I should just tell her everything... But if I tell her the whole truth, that fragile bit of trust and closeness she has with me will probably vanish. Between letting her doubt me and breaking her heart, I would rather let her keep doubting."
At first (immediately after the FL confronts him with those questions about his company), the ML chooses to let the FL “keep doubting”. He lies and tells the FL he cannot remember the answers to her questions. But the FL is obviously hurt and upset by this response, which she correctly guesses is a lie.
Later, the ML comes up with a better lie. He admits that he was not a CEO in the real world, but then he tells her that he was an unsuccessful actor in the real world before he transmigrated into the historical story world. There are several reasons why the ML would choose this new lie over the truth.
First, this lie doesn’t reveal how much the ML suffered in the historical story world, so the FL’s heart is not broken by the truth.
Second, this lie makes it seem like the ML’s initial lie to the FL was not very big (at least compared to the scale of his actual lies to her). Which, based on what we saw of the ML’s thoughts, he probably hoped would mean that the FL’s willingness to be close to the ML and to trust him as an ally would not completely vanish in the way that he thought it would vanish if she understood the magnitude of the lies that the ML had actually told her.
Third, this lie doesn’t reveal the full extent of the ML’s lack of education and life / professional experience in the real world before he transmigrated into the story world. Again, based on the ML’s thoughts, I’m guessing that he hoped that this would also mean that the FL’s willingness to put her faith in the ML as an ally would not completely vanish in the way that he thought it would vanish if she understood that he was just a school kid who hadn’t even graduated from high school (let alone graduated from university, had a professional career, and become a successful CEO) before he transmigrated into the historical story world.
There are probably more reasons (e.g., avoiding having to explain the existence of his son and the rape he endured + policies enacted by the tyrant king / not wanting to have to re-live previous trauma in order to provide explanations / etc. ), but I think the three ones noted above are the biggest reasons.
- - -
I'm not sure if the subtitles for the ML’s thoughts are completely accurate. If they are, they are a bit hard to follow, but I think what the ML's thought process boils down to is:
(1) Telling the FL the truth would make the FL distance herself from the ML and stop trusting him as an ally, because he told her such a massive lie (and constantly continued lying in order to keep up the ruse) and because she would doubt his capabilities as an ally if she knew that he was just a kid when he transmigrated into the historical story world.
(2) Telling the FL the truth would also break the FL’s heart, because the truth of what the ML endured is horrifying and heartbreaking.
(3) The ML would rather tell the FL a lie that was easy for the FL to recognize as a lie (i.e., that he couldn’t remember the details relating to his company that she asked about) and have her continue to doubt him than break the FL’s heart with the horrifying truth.
Then he comes up with a different lie that can alleviate the FL’s doubts without breaking the FL’s heart and also minimize the damage to her trust in him (a lie that he was an unsuccessful actor in the real world before he transmigrated into the historical story world), and he chooses to tell that lie instead of telling the truth.
- - -
We get a little bit more insight into the ML’s thoughts in episode 27. In that episode, the ML tells the FL via a letter that he became more afraid of telling the FL the truth after he fell in love with her, and he also tells her that the one thing he begs of her is to delay the moment when he has to face seeing fear and wariness in her eyes (after she learned the truth from his letter).
I'd say that the pace doesn't remain at that level through the whole story. It varies, and also as more information and background is revealed throughout the drama the things that initially seemed off or confusing start to make complete sense (which I found very satisfying). And for anything that doesn't click (some aspects of the plot are complex and it's easy to miss some of the details that help explain certain things), you can always come back to this comment section to ask questions.
The drama doesn't outright specify exactly when the transmigration novel was published, but it must have been published in 2016 or sooner (in order for the ML to receive a notification about it in 2016) and we can infer that it was probably published in 2016 shortly before the ML received a notification about it on his phone in 2016 (since that kind of promotion would probably occur around the time that the novel was published).
The FL didn't read the transmigration novel (or click on any notifications about it on her phone) when it was published. Instead, the FL's company acquired the rights to adapt the transmigration novel into a drama in 2025 (several years after the novel was published), and since the FL was tasked with quickly creating a pitch for her company to adapt the novel into a drama she had to quickly skim the transmigration novel at that time.
Short answer: They were both in their mid-twenties when they reunited in the real world in 2025.
Long answer:
The ML was 14 or 15 when he transmigrated from 2016 into the historical story world. He then spent 16 years and 8 months in the historical story world before he wrote the letter to the FL that she reads in episode 27. So his true / mental age was 30+ before episode 27 (which takes place several months - by historical story world time - after the FL transmigrated into the historical story world in episode 1). The ML also mentioned that he spent more time living in the historical story world before the FL arrived than he had spent living in the real world, which fits with him spending 14 or 15 years in the real world before transmigrating and a little over 16 years in the historical story world before the FL arrived. After episode 27, the ML and the FL continued to live in the historical story world for an unknown amount of time. If we assume that the drama timeline is similar to the web novel that the drama is based on (note: I have not read the web novel, I am basing this off of comments from other viewers who did read the web novel) then the ML and FL both lived full lives in the historical story world, but the ML died first and the FL ruled as regent for years after the ML died / until their son was old / experienced enough to rule on his own.
After dying in the historical story world, the ML returned to 2016 in the real world where his physical body was 14 or 15 but his mental age was much older because he had already lived a full life in the historical story world. His physical body then aged 9 years while he waited to meet the FL in the real world, because he had to wait for her to transmigrate into the historical story world, meet him there, and then return to the real world. That occurred in 2025 in the real world, when the ML was physically 23, 24 or 25 years old (it depends on factors like whether he was 14 or 15 when he transmigrated into the historical story, what month he transmigrated in 2016, what month the FL transmigrated in 2025, etc.).
The FL worked in her industry for a few years after graduating university before her birthday in episode 1 / before she transmigrated into the historical story in episode 1. On average, a student would typically be 22 when they graduate from a bachelor's degree program at a Chinese university. If the FL then went on to work for a few years after graduating and then had a birthday, I think we can safely assume she was 24+ when she transmigrated into the historical story.
So the ML would physically be 23 - 25 and the FL would be physically 24+ when they reunited in the real world in 2025, when the FL returned to the exact time and place that she transmigrated from in the real world (12:01 am on a train in Beijing in 2025 on her birthday). Notably, both of them would mentally be much older than their physical age because they both remembered the full lives that they each lived in the historical story world.
That character is just a fictional / 2D character in all three versions of the events in the historical story world. I created a discussion topic for this with a detailed explanation here: https://kisskh.at/778182-this-is-ridiculous/discussions/148208-higher-level-lower-level-explained
Definitely don’t feel stupid! Getting 90% of the details just from watching the drama once without any input from other viewers is a lot.
I was very lucky with my viewing experience. I watched the drama while it was airing and saw a comment from someone who read the web novel (the web novel that this drama is based on) about the novel-within-a-novel set-up, which helped me pick up on / understand a lot of details as they were presented in the drama. Then I started answering questions about the set-up in this comment section, and the process of writing out explanations also helped really clarify some of the details for me.
And now that I’ve re-watched the drama a few times I’ve also picked up on some details that I missed the first time (like Xie Yong Er mentioning the title of the historical novel - A Thousand Trees Blossoming at Night in the East - in episode 1).
So I’m happy to continue answering questions about those kinds of details in the comment section because it feels like paying it forward (since reading another person’s comment really helped improve my viewing experience) and because I really enjoyed this drama and the way that all the details fit together and sharing that with other viewers is fun.
Just my two cents here. This drama is still my #1 favourite drama from 2026 (loved the acting, loved the chemistry, loved the music, loved the plot details), but the details are complicated (multiple worlds, multiple timelines / versions of events) and the drama doesn't spoon-feed them to the audience. The details required to understand how everything works are scattered throughout the drama (which means patience is required from the viewer for some things that will just not make sense from the beginning when you don't have all the info yet), and you have to pay attention to catch them all and then figure out how it all fits together.
I personally loved that aspect of the drama (and it has made rewatching very fun and satisfying every time), but if you're in the mood for something that you can half-watch or fast forward through any scenes that aren't action-packed then this probably isn't the right drama to get you out of your slump.
-
A: It's a complicated setup. There are two novels, one inside the other (a historical novel that only exists inside a transmigration novel) and there are three versions of the events that take place inside the historical world depicted in those novels and the drama.
The historical novel is titled "A Thousand Trees Blossoming at Night in the East".
The transmigration novel is titled "Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort."
The first version of events in that historical story world is described in the historical novel. In that version of events: (1) there are NO transmigrators; (2) Xiahou Dan is a tyrant / villain; (3) Yu Wanyin meets Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) by the pond; and (4) Xie Yong Er is only a minor cannon-fodder character who dies very quickly.
In the transmigration novel, the protagonist of the transmigration novel (who initially lives in a fictional version of the modern world in fictional "City A" in a fictional country) reads the historical novel from beginning to end. Then she transmigrates from her fictional modern world into the historical story world, but arrives near the beginning of the historical story, and she takes over the character of Xie Yong Er. Since she knows how events originally unfolded in the historical novel that she read (the first version of events), she is able to use her knowledge to change those events so that Xie Yong Er is no longer just a minor cannon-fodder character and instead becomes the main female character alongside Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan). When the FL described the events of the transmigration novel to the ML in episode 1 of the drama, she describes Xie Yong Er and Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) as the chosen ones.
As an example of a change that the protagonist of the transmigration novel made so that the second version of events (the version in the transmigration novel) differed from the first version of events (the version in the historical novel): she made sure that she (as the character Xie Yong Er) was the one who met Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) at the pond where he met Yu Wanyin in the historical novel, instead of him meeting Yu Wanyin. She makes that same change in the third version of events (the version we see in the drama), which is shown in episode 1 of the drama. Ultimately she helps Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) take the throne, while the villains (Xiahou Dan and Yu Wanyin, who were not taken over by transmigrators in this version of events) both die and are buried together (even though Yu Wanyin loved Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) not Xiahou Dan (her husband / the tyrant Emperor)). This second version of events is all described in the transmigration novel that the FL skimmed in the first episode. There is only ONE transmigrator in this version of events.
The third version of events in the historical story world is the one we see in the drama. That version of events is created as a result of changes made by THREE transmigrators. The first transmigrator was the ML (Zhang San) who transmigrated from 2016 in the real world to an early part of events in the historical story world where he took over the character of Xiahou Dan when that character was still just a kid / the Crown Prince. He did not read the historical novel or the transmigration novel before he transmigrated. He only read a notification on his phone that mentioned the title of the transmigration novel ("Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort") before he transmigrated into the historical story.
The next two transmigrators were: (1) the FL (Wang Cuihua) - who transmigrated from 2025 in the real world into a part of the historical story that was 16+ years after the point when the ML transmigrated into the story, and she took over the character of Yu Wanyin; and (2) the SFL - who transmigrated from a fictional version of the modern world into the same point of the historical story, and she took over the character of Xie Yong Er.
While the FL had skimmed the transmigration novel and had a general understanding of how the protagonist of that novel changed the events of the historical novel (the first version of events) in order to make Xie Yong Er the main female character in the second version of events, the SFL had only read the historical novel and was not aware that she was the fictional protagonist of another novel. The SFL thought her original world was the real world and that she was a real person. The characters (including the SFL) who existed in the first or second version of events as characters (i.e., not as someone on a "higher level" reading those events in a novel) did not retain any memories of those previous versions of events when the lived through subsequent changed versions of the same events.
---
---
---
Q: And why was Dan so certain that someone would transmigrate for him? In the story, he was introduced as a tyrant, not as the male lead.
-
A: The ML (Zhang San, the transmigrator who took over the character of Xiahou Dan in the third version of events in the historical story world) did not read the historical novel or the transmigration novel. He only read a notification on his phone that mentioned the title of the transmigration novel ("Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort") before he transmigrated into the historical story. As he only had that title to work with, he guessed that one of the consorts of the "devil" in that world would also be a transmigrator from the real world, like him. And, as he desperately wanted to find another transmigrator / real person from the real world, he desperately looked for that person who was, or who would become, the consort referenced in the title of the transmigration novel. He didn't think that someone would transmigrate *for* him. He just assumed, because of the title, that there would be a female transmigrator who was, or who would become, a consort. And he was right.
Of course that consort (the one referenced in the title of the transmigration novel) turned out to be Xie Yong Er, who was a transmigrator (the ONLY transmigrator in the transmigration novel / in the second version of events) but who was NOT a real person from the real world. Luckily he met Yu Wanyin first, and in that third version of events (the only version that the ML (Zhang San, who transmigrated and took over the character of Xiahou Dan only in the third version of events) experienced) the character of Yu Wanyin had been taken over by a transmigrator (the FL / Wang Cuihua) who WAS a real person from the real world.
Since the ML (Zhang San) had not read either novel, he did not know any of the specific details of those novels (e.g., who the main characters were in either one) before he transmigrated into the historical story world and he did not know that the original character Xiahou Dan (with no transmigrator taking over that character) was portrayed as an evil tyrant in the novels / the first and second version of events in the historical story world or that Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) and Xie Yong Er were the main characters of the transmigration novel, until the FL (who had skimmed the transmigration novel) explained those details to him in episode 1.