Reviews

Reality or dream?

Quite heartbreaking to watch how Hailou carried Haixia's body all over the city from one place to another, only to learn that everything he knew might never have even been real. 😢 And then to learn it actually was, but his recklessness forced the Southern Archives to disappear entirely, and Haixia once again took the responsibility for his actions... even leading to his death now. 🥺💔I hope Miss Dong reveals she is Haiqi, but I'm not sure if she can trust Hailou enough yet, since he might expose their secrets once again. 🤨 And for goodness' sake, how long has Haixia been dead? Has it been a week already? It was definitely multiple days on the ship... Shouldn't the body have a noticeable smell by now? 🫣

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One Mistake After Another

I really liked the Grand Emperor. He's far wiser than almost anyone else in this drama. He always loved his family, especially his sons, and in the end he died repaying his debt to the Empress. His story was moving.I feel terrible for Ying Ying and, something I never thought I'd say, for the Lu family as well. At least she'll become the main consort, but the circumstances are still heartbreaking.As for Chu Mu... I can't bring myself to feel sorry for him. He put himself in this situation, and hopefully once he matures and learns from his mistakes, he'll be able to move forward.Who is Xiong Rui again? I can't quite remember. Was he part of the acting troupe that died alongside Chen Ji?What frustrates me the most is the Crown Prince. He just can't seem to stop making mistakes, bad relationships, bad allies, bad decisions, and terrible judgment. I really hope he becomes more cunning and politically savvy as the story progresses.

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Secrets well hidden

The story of the imperial decree and Ye Li's mother is way more twisted than I imagined. And who is the body in the pond? The maid who was accidentally killed during the struggle for the decree, or Ye Li's mother? 🫣🤔Prince Li looked like Zorro there, all in black and masked, lol. 😂 I don't think Prince Ding's men will catch him just yet. We'll have to wait a while for that to happen. 😔Loved how A'Li said all the right things to her sister. 👏 I really hope she'll start to reconsider her choices regarding her husband very soon. I am still anticipating the start of her self-growth arc. 🥺P.S. Why do I get the feeling Prince Li will use A'Li's handkerchief to stir up some trouble later? 🤨😔

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Bits of truth and consequences of lies

Him telling her his nickname is A'Yao and allowing her to call him that was so sweet! 🤗 The look and the tears in his eyes when A'Li said she wants to help him stand up and live his life happily—she makes him so happy already by that thought alone and warms his heart immensely! 🥰 And I do love that they always zoom the camera in to show us two pairs of shoes when she's with him. Is that a way to prove to us that it's real, and not her imagination playing tricks again? 🤭And that's why he got so angry when Feng presented him with evidence that she had hired the bandits herself. And he's right to be—are there really any liars who tell only one lie? We know everything she says is a half-truth mixed with her imagination, but he doesn't, nor does he know the reason for it. That fact alone hurt him, and even more so because he is already living with the consequences of misplaced trust from his past. 🥺 I bet he will question her past activities on the mountain even more now—her martial arts skills, her weiqi skills, the amount of chores. Her answers already felt a bit suspicious to him. 🤨But it is interesting info that her mother and father were involved with the decree, which was the one piece missing to prove Mo Xiuwen's return wasn't treason. I wonder if it is destroyed or just hidden somewhere? If it's the latter, then A'Li can help find it to prove Prince Ding's innocence and clear his name. 🧐☝️And what is with the rivalry for favouritism in Marquis Muyang's house? Is his son jealous of the guard, or does the guard just know the son is spoiled? I couldn't read which of the two guys could be considered "good" and is worth my support, if any. The one who declined the fish, or the other? 🤔

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KORN IS DISGUSTING but is a necessary evil

ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS Ep 8 - There's so much I wanna say, but for now I'm speechless. Allow me some time to collect my thoughts and calm my feelings first.... ...Ok, now let's talk. If we haven't watched episodes 1-7, we'd say ep 8 is a transposed episode of SHADES that's existing in some adults-acting-like teenagers alternate universe! Because Lal and Wine are acting like teenagers who can't understand and can't control their hormones-gone-berserk-driven emotions. But wait - These are intelligent career women in their late 20s or early 30s, holding leadership positions, having feelings so overwhelming, that it's driving them cuckoo! First, there's Lal - the smitten, head-over-heels-in-love sweet devoted puppy who thinks matching pajamas equals matching worldviews and mindsets that are in sync. Lal, you're in Sales, goodness gracious, you must know that communication is key and assuming won't get you anywhere. Stop speculating that you know what Wine thinks and feels - Talk to her, like have long, meaningful let's-expose-our-souls conversations with the woman you love and find out what makes her tick, what pushes her buttons, other than great --x. And then there's the gorgeously sexy on the outside all knotted up and repressed on the inside Wine. Insecure, self-effacing, self-demeaning defeatist Wine. Wine's hang-ups and traumas could trigger dissertations on mental health and we'd still never comprehend why she's scaredy-cat acquiescent with Korn and tiger-fierce with Lal! There's something seething inside Wine that we'd never really get, that Lal would never really figure out, because Wine herself hasn't seriously dealt with the ghosts inside her shell.... Except that itty-bitty sliver of vulnerability she reveals when she said, "I'm afraid there's no one else who'd care for me as much as you do, so what do I do with my life without you?" And then there's Tangkwa mirroring all the insecurities of her boss, jumping to conclusions prematurely, also wrestling with so many hang-ups that you'd think trauma-bonding is what makes her and Wine work so well.... And Proud, oh dear reckless Proud! Girl, it hasn't dawned on you yet that great bed partners don't necessarily make great relationship partners, right? Do your feelings with Tangkwa have the same breadth and depth of what Lal feels for Wine? Or is it just convenient attachment that stems from nothing more than physical attraction? Let's not talk about Korn. He's a disgusting blackmailer, among everything else that's despicable and vile. But then again, he's a necessary tool to move the females' stories forward.... Otherwise, everyone would be parked in a rut, or circling in dizzying orbs around the elephant-disguised-as-a-copier in the room: Should falling in love with a colleague be sufficient enough grounds to lose your job over?Wine's "No" at the end was her admission that she cares for Lal - The Lal who takes care of a mother and a sibling, as much as she fondly cares for Wine.... The Wine who'd rather move elsewhere than risk Lal losing her job. I'm glad we've still got episodes 9 and 10 to make sense of all this....But even before we overthink Episode 9, YOU MUST WATCH Episode 8! Enemies with Benefits just took every adult professional woman in that office, stripped them of their PowerPoint decks and quarterly targets, and replaced their brains with pure, ungoverned, feral teenage chaos — and I mean that as the highest compliment a GL series can receive.I have not been this delightfully unwell since watching SHADES (iykyk). Ep 8 is essentially a corporate drama that woke up one morning and decided it would rather be a hormonal fever dream, and honestly? Same. These are intelligent, ambitious women in their late 20s or early 30s holding leadership positions, yet somehow they're out there navigating soul-deep longing the way most people navigate a high school cafeteria. And you can't look away.Let's talk about Lal — Sales Division's chief negotiator, absolute puppy. This woman is so far gone she thinks matching pajamas are a legally binding pre-nup. Lal, sweetheart, you're in Sales: you know assumptions kill deals! Stop trying to read Wine's mind via interpretive body language and try using your words — you know, the ones that come out of your mouth, in sentences, preferably over a long, soul-baring conversation that doesn't involve a bed. I'm begging.And then there's Wine. Gorgeous, repressed, complicated Wine, who is equal parts steel magnolia with Lal and terrified dormouse with Korn. The cognitive dissonance is staggering. The woman has enough unexamined ghosts inside her to populate a gothic novel, and watching her swing between ferocity and silent acquiescence is like watching someone try to defuse a bomb while blindfolded. You'll want to shake her, then hug her, then enroll her in therapy immediately.Tangkwa mirrors her boss's insecurities so perfectly it's almost a duet. The two of them trauma-bonded into a feedback loop of jumping to conclusions and wrestling inner hang-ups, creating a workplace dynamic held together by mutual emotional knots. It's messy, it's real, and it's painfully relatable.Then there's Proud, and oh, reckless Proud. Sweetheart, I need you to have a very quiet moment with yourself and ask: do your feelings for Tangkwa have the weight and depth of a Lal-and-Wine-level earthquake, or are you just mistaking mind-blowing physical chemistry for a relationship foundation? Great bed partners do not a great life partner make, and someone needs to staple that memo to your forehead before you hurtle Tangkwa into disaster.As for Korn — let's not. He's a narrative tool in human form, a necessary obstacle to force these women out of their emotional holding patterns. Without him they'd all be circling the elephant in the room so fast they'd generate a tornado: Is falling in love with a colleague reason enough to risk your career, your stability, your whole carefully constructed identity?This episode is a pressure cooker of miscommunication, yearning, and "JUST TALK TO HER" energy that will have you gripping your device and scream-texting the group chat. It's what happens when a top-tier workplace drama gets hijacked by messy, sincere, overwhelming queer longing. I laughed, I cringed, I yelled at the screen, and I wanted to lock all of them in a conference room with a whiteboard and a feelings chart until they sorted themselves out.Go watch Episode 8. If you've been following this series, this is the pay-off and the detonation all at once. If you haven't started yet, what are you doing with your life? Cancel your plans, embrace the beautiful chaos, and join me in the wreckage.

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am glad August got someone interested in him…

am glad August got someone interested in him (i hope that wasn't a case of mistaken identity - where he got someone else note) cause his brother & bff r already set up & he doesn't deserve to be turned into a wall flower. *******************************with the Ko's it easy to see that they r both feeling some kind of way about the other & it isn't just close friendship, it's more & it's sweet & innocent. with Achi & Augar on the other hand i don't get a romantic vibe more like building a close friendship base. it's like Augar has taken Achi under his wing - like an older brother. maybe the vibe will change as time passes - i for sure am enjoying the journey it's very pure & organic

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Judgment coming for Ye household

999 cranes were supposed to buy freedom for Ye Li’s father. He wrote down what she valued most and the seer swapped envelopes. Either the father lacked courage to write anything or the seer did not give same envelope. With all the treachery, there is no way to know. Ye Li identified the maid via her mom’s gifted bracelet. The uncle did a lot of blustering and denial. He did assume authority to lock down the house and make sure the news did not leave to the authorities. There is the Lishan song playing and the instrument is supposedly haunted. What I am curious about is if it actually is or the wife playing along to get the truth about Ye family. Jingli is getting patched up and hiding out with the green eyed bandit. I like him much more as a capable villain than the libertine prince. He wants a show down with the Empress Dowager and his plans have yet to be revealed. The biggest surprise was the Gma’s role in everything. She hid or destroyed the Imperial decree under the guise of keeping her family honor. She killed Ye Li’s mom and wanted to kill Ye li. Ya gotta love mom’s wrath coming down on her murderer via lightning and the tree planted to protect Ye Li. Xiu Yao made a great deal of effort to keep Ye Li from murdering the gma. He used the one thing that would break through the spell of her mind, his pain needed her attention. 🥰 Jingli and bandit are in the Ye house and Xiu Yao is aware. He chooses to take his wife home and be rid of the lot of them for the night. He and guard are rather shocked when she gets up the next day like nothing had happened. She is running extra laps and starting her day off as usual. When she is told her gma has passed she wants to go to the funeral. The Prince and guard are shocked but she gave all the appropriate reasons, even tho nothing equated to the scene he saw the evening prior. Ms Wen accompanied her and after an onslaught of verbal abuse from the uncle she basically told him to shut the hell up, stand down and take it up with the court providing evidence. 👏🏻 This was a wonderful change from the distraught out of touch woman that was overcome with grief. Ye Li wants backup from her cowardly father but it isn’t coming. I wonder if the uncle we like is aware of the decree being with his family and the role his ‘dear’ mother played in Ye Li’s life. The episode ends with Ye Li having some words by her Gma’s memorial and next episode hints that Xiu Yao will be able to stand. It will be a long wait til next episode. 😭 The pacing of story keeps you on your toes figuring out fact from fiction, who is guilty of what, how intricately the web of collusion and deceit is woven, and how broad an area the net seems to go. I am hoping the old deceiver kept the edict as leverage for Ye ‘s rather than destroying it. I think this is why Ye Li showed up at the mourning ceremony. All these plans within plans keeps things very interesting.

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