whoissilmoy

I'm Chinese speak some Cantonese but no Mandarin, but very westernized.
Being Chinese, the mother and father in this drama does not bother me. I don't have the I hate this mother reaction. I normally don't like this type of woman because they would be quite vicious, mean and evil like, but the actress portrays one who is likable, but I hope she can realize that what she has with her loving family is worth more than all the money and gold in this world. I like how fierce she is and how much she loves her daughter. But she needs to learn to back off like grandma told her to relax. Again, the greed and gossip I don't like but human nature, and when I watch, I laugh too because it's just a movie for entertainment and she injects humor into her character too. I like the mother and father's mannerisms, typical of lot of Chinese people.

the irony of skipping all the mother scenes is that this is a family drama

I instantly took a liking to him too.

grandma's son married and had ML
ML's grandfather had another woman while married to grandma
so grandma divorced ML's grandfather
decades later, grandma married FL's grandfather, it has been called "twilight love"
FL's father is grandma's stepson
FL is grandma's step grand daughter and grandma is FL's step grandma
but they call each other by grandma and granddaughter
and are like soul mates

step implies no blood relations

grandma is an incredible woman full of beauty and grace and wisdom
grandma said FL's grandfather was very charming
FL's grandfather had to have been an incredible man for grandma to fall in love late in life despite all the gossip about them since they are older couple. This caused FL's father embarrassment and so grandma never lived with her stepson and his family, and has lived in luxury retirement home next to her cherished family hotel.
Grandma's marriage to ML's grandfather were full of bad memories
but she had a loving marriage with FL's grandfather but people gossiped about them
(I'm not sure if grandma divorced FL's grandfather or took care of him until he died)

Grandma took care of all her grandkids. She paid for FL medical bills when she got sick as a kid and also paid for ML's educational expenses and living expenses as a kid. She is wealthy woman who owns property such an old but charming luxury hotel that is situated in a highly desirable location for development, and a beautiful villa where rich and famous people live

FL's family do not know that grandma is wealthy until FL's family needed a place to live, then grandma step in to help them, they discover she is wealthy. Her wealth is mostly tied up in properties but the properties are worth a lot.

Grandma and her grandson (ML) are the only ones who are related by blood.
ML's father is still alive but ML has disowned his father who just got out of jail recently.
On the ML's side, grandma's life was miserable and ML also had a horrible childhood abandoned by all the adults in his life and had to fend for himself very young age.
If not for grandma's help with his educational and living expenses, he would have become homeless, but his grandma's help came only at a dire time and not before. His father's business failed and the coward abandoned his wife and kid.
then ML's mother died in a car accident on her way to her boyfriends when ML was young
ML's grandfather took him and his father abroad when he was very young and he never saw grandma again. He may have visited her but on this return he said that he hadn't seen her in a few years.
ML considers grandma his only living kin (blood related)

at the funeral, grandma's farewell video to FL's mom was "Relax"

I can rewatch the grandmother scenes over and over again. Captivating actress

With XK, I don't think Chinese man, I only see a charming face and incredible grace, and now people hear his distinctive voice (if he spoke French, it would sound really good), it's a shame he has a slight accent and can't use it in costume dramas to give him more experience.
other Chinese actors, I see a familiar type of Chinese face.
XK has a rare appearance, his face, figure, movements, everything about him.
for some reason, his face can make a lot of different types of expressions
I also like the subtle, natural acting style he has developed that seems to suit him
(but he really shouldn't' lose so much weight)

cats adopt people.
a stray cat kept following me every time I 'm out for a walk, the cat popped out of nowhere and was walking in front of me. Once, it saw me from at least two blocks ahead and ran toward me. cats seem to know who will be nice to them.

The actress is very entertaining with her portrayal of a common type of Chinese woman. Her acting is a treat to watch. The character is annoying, but the actress also masterfully displays mother's love. You can see it in her face. She pretends to not care, but then you can see in face, she does care. The mother is portrayed as overbearing, but she is also loving, kind, though not intelligent and foolish person who does not seem to understand what she did is not right and does not know how to go about things the right way, but her intentions meant well. I don't like greedy, gossipy woman but usually they are mean and nasty, but the actress gives this mother warm personality that despite her shortcomings, she is likable to me. sometimes I watch her face, and I feel sorry for her. I know she doesn't mean what she says. I like that she's a fighter, but she doesn't know how to go about it. I do feel sorry for her, she really trying but she just not smart or wise like grandma was. The part of her personality that is so greedy and materialistic I don't like and wish they would eventually help this character understand like grandma tell her grandson to seek after what is meaningful in life.
Bottomline, she's not a mean, vicious, evil person, she's a kind, loving mother who is not smart, not wise, and is too loud, gossips and is materialistic and doesn't know how to deal with people, but she's a true fighter who loves her family and created a loving home for them, but as kids grow up, she needs to give them more space. She's not a bad lady, so I don't hate her.
Most of all, I love watching the acting by the mother and father, they come aross so real to me.

when you get to the scene after the funeral, YZM found MCH on grandma balcony and says I want to share something about grandma since you shared with me back at the cheongsam shop. Then he explained his past and why he blamed grandma all those years. She asked him if he still blames her, and he said no, if not for her, she paid for my education and living expense, so I'm grateful. MY QUESTION IS why do you think he felt the need to explain this to MCH? I don't think it was simply oh you shared so I want to share. There has to be a reason he felt she needed to know. Has the drama shown the two discussing their personal lives or that she has an interest in his past. Or maybe this is simply the scene to explain why he cried after grandma funeral video address to him? The scenes up to grandma's funeral, hadn't done a good job of revealing his past with grandma so they just decide to insert this scene, just like when he was at the hospital after the kidney stone incident, out of the blue, he tells her about his past in four sentences. something feels disconnected. Or maybe I'm just making too much out of it?

Twilight love

ancestor worship?

BCE will be #1 when it gets it full weeks of points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw-AHxQZRgE

he might have gotten it from Here's Marcus #6 for the week 4/7 - 4/13 (BCE aired on 4/9 so it's missing 2 days of points)
the data is provided by Vlinkage based on view counts from Youku, iQyi, Tencent, social media discussions, and Baidu searches.
BCE should jump to #1 for 4/14 - 4/20 when it gets full 7 days of points, and as the top dramas that have been airing full weeks start to drop off.
I can't imagine it not being #1 at least the first full week. Very hot dramas will garner over 600 points and stay in the top spot for several consecutive weeks.

there is no douban rating yet

Sounds like grandma setup a trust fund for her. Most likely the terms do not allow the trustees (law firm) to do anything to the property, but they will manage the accounts, perform fiduciary duties, legal, advisory, estate, and tax services for ten years. MCH has right to manage the property.
In an irrevocable trust for 10 yrs., it is permanent for 10 yrs. that no one can change the property other than the beneficiaries or under court order. MCH can both be the beneficiary and have management rights, then only she can make changes to the property as beneficiary. The trust fund will protect the assets and take advantage of tax benefits.

So I wonder how Yueda Group will be able to do anything to the property.

I like her

Sounds like grandma setup a trust fund for her. Most likely the terms do not allow the trustees (law firm) to do anything to the property, but they will manage the accounts, perform fiduciary duties, legal, advisory, estate, and tax services for ten years. MCH has right to manage the property.
In an irrevocable trust for 10 yrs., it is permanent for 10 yrs. that no one can change the property other than the beneficiaries or under court order. MCH can both be the beneficiary and have management rights, then only she can make changes to the property as beneficiary. The trust fund will protect the assets and take advantage of tax benefits.

So I wonder how Yueda Group will be able to do anything to the property.

When grandma watched Yao Zhiming say the words "human touch" from the hospital bed, his expression was shy and relieved. It's really not a shame to be seen through by a wise and thorough old man, and finally being able to discuss the belonging of Xing'anli frankly with his grandmother may make him feel that the way he gets along with each other from now on can be more calm. Yao Zhiming is not really cold-hearted, he is just floating alone on an island for too long, he has never really seen the love and warmth in this world, he has not been loved well, and he has not loved people well. In the past few months when he returned to China to accompany his grandmother, although he had the purpose of plotting to prosper in peace, how could he not want to know whether there would be anyone in the world who would give him unconditional care and find some family affection that had been estranged for a long time? These are the things that are missing in his life, and they are precisely the things he longs for the most in his heart.

Doubon , if you can follow the translation
Episodes 17 & 18:

When I read the novel "Cheng Huan Ji", I actually didn't like the old man who lived as a sculpture in a nursing home, she had nothing to do with Yao Zhiming in the original book, and she was not Mai Laitian's biological mother, but she has always controlled and concealed the inheritance of the Mai family's grandfather, indifferently allowing the Mai family to struggle to survive in the world, and in vain Mai Laitian has been respecting her for decades. Every time such a person who is about to die, he seems to carry all the weight and decay of the vast years, and he wants to overwhelm people.

Compared with the two, I really love the grandma in the drama version too much! The grandmother in the play is very different from the grandmother in the original book, and she can almost be regarded as the original character of the drama version. Although she is also shrewd and sophisticated, she is clear on all sides, and she has a plan for everything, but she also has the wisdom and wisdom of dealing with the world. She and Mai Chenghuan are not related by blood, but they can know Prime Minister Bai and love more than flesh and blood, and her insistence on Xing'anli shows that she is a person who attaches great importance to the old love. Grandma is a wise and wise, elegant and strong elder, and also a strong emotional, love-hate Ms. Chen Shuzhen, she has seen too much frost and snow in the world, after countless times of torture, she knows the bitterness and joy of life well, and it is rare to retain a kind of pure and transparent back to basics. Knowing the world but not the world, sleek and naïve, suffering but not afraid of suffering, a real life warrior, I think this is the kind of person I said!
Chinese often say that "there is an old man in the family, if there is a treasure", in fact, it means that if there is an old man with outstanding wisdom and rich experience in a family, their extensive knowledge and life experience are an intangible and valuable wealth, which can make the whole family full of cohesion and centripetal force, and become the well-being of the family. The reason for the transformation of the character of Yao Zhiming, the prodigal son who returned to China, in addition to the encounter with Mai Chenghuan, is actually due to the subtle teachings and influence of his grandmother.

When grandma watched Yao Zhiming say the words "human touch" from the hospital bed, his expression was shy and relieved. It's really not a shame to be seen through by a wise and thorough old man, and finally being able to discuss the belonging of Xing'anli frankly with his grandmother may make him feel that the way he gets along with each other from now on can be more calm. Yao Zhiming is not really cold-hearted, he is just floating alone on an island for too long, he has never really seen the love and warmth in this world, he has not been loved well, and he has not loved people well. In the past few months when he returned to China to accompany his grandmother, although he had the purpose of plotting to prosper in peace, how could he not want to know whether there would be anyone in the world who would give him unconditional care and find some family affection that had been estranged for a long time? These are the things that are missing in his life, and they are precisely the things he longs for the most in his heart.

The grandmother with her eyes like a torch has actually seen through the subtle changes in Yao Zhiming for several days. The sunflowers that were awkward and failed to send, the snorting and careful thinking when picking the cheongsam with Cheng Huan, what gradually recovered in Yao Zhiming was the temperature and emotions of an ordinary person. Two strangers who were originally strangers entering the same life journey because of a common relative is actually a precious and special experience for Mak Chenghuan and Yiu Zhiming.

Insisting on moving out of Mai's house is the first step for Mak Chenghuan to try to get rid of the mother-daughter symbiotic relationship. Her self-consciousness and individual state are gradually detached from the form of patience, concession, self-sacrifice and tolerance of others, and she is beginning to learn to recognize and experience her own inner emotions and wishes, and the focus of her self-concept is gradually changing from the reaction evaluation of others to the experience of self-feeling. When most people are young, most of their understanding of themselves comes from the influence of the people around them, especially their families, for example, Mai Chenghuan has lived in a controlling family since she was a child, and her life has been accustomed to the arrangement and manipulation of her mother Liu Wanyu.

However, at some point in life, as self-awareness awakens, we begin to see ourselves in our own way. Self-consciousness often plays a role in regulating, monitoring and correcting the formation and development of personality. Just as Mai Chenghuan gradually discovered that there was a big difference between her thinking, emotions, and will and the positioning given to her by the world around her in various differences and contradictions with her mother, after realizing this, her self-personality gradually changed from passive obedience and excessive self-control to the autonomy to pursue freedom and independence and grasp the autonomy to choose a lifestyle. Learning to listen to your own inner voice and respect your own feelings and needs, rather than suppressing yourself in order to cater to others, is the only way to grow spiritually.

In the matter of moving into the old house, the four members of the Mai family, except for Liu Wanyu, Chenghuan and Mai Laitian are actually very sober. Liu Wanyu is very confused, but her worldly state of being beaten out by the misery of life is actually understandable. Grandma told Cheng Huan that don't be reckless in front of her family, independence is not independent of everyone, and it is precisely because she clearly understands that the kinship relationship cannot be truly severed, and family affection is always an inseparable complex in life.

The novel of "The Story of Cheng Huan" vividly portrays the narrow-minded and paranoid Liu Wanyu and the accustomed tolerative and thoughtful Mai Chenghuan, a mother and daughter in secular life, and the TV series also shows the suffocating and unbearable dark side of the parent-child relationship. But the story of the drama version obviously does not stay at this level, but throws out questions, and tries to solve problems, invisibly exploring how to interact with the original family, how to deal with the relationship between parents and children, family and individuals, after all, escaping from the family is not the fundamental way to solve the problem. I hope that the next story can give us a satisfactory answer.