A little late joining this party. I had recently come across posts about this drama on IG and in reading the raving reviews, I decided to give it a try. My goodness, I watch all episodes in 2 days. Needless to say, I am very sleep-deprived.
I am so very glad I decided to give this a try because IT. IS. SO. GOOD!
I have not read the novels (I want to but don't know where to find them! And are they available in English?) so I didn't know what to expect. The first few episodes sets the stage for Xiao Yao and Cang Xuan but as you watch the drama, it makes it impossible to tell who Xiao Yao is supposed to end up with!
Personally, I do not see Cang Xuan being a match for Xiao Yao. At most, he is her big brother who loves and protects her.
I did not even consider Ye Shiqi. The way his character was introduced was so subtle that without having read the novel, I thought he was just a side character. A person that enters her life who is going to likely be her right-hand man or something like that.
The person I thought most suited for her is Xiang Liu. I loved their chemistry right from the beginning. So I was really surprised to learn (through Google) that the main CP is Xiao Yao and Tushan Jing.
Like everyone here, I also felt frustrated at how indecisive and passive Jing is, especially when it came to dealing with his family. But I think I understand why. His gentleness, loyalty and warmth is what made Xiao Yao love him so it is both his greatest strength and weakness. I agree that his character in the drama falls short of the magnificence everyone talked about prior to his disappearance and I want to read the novel to better understand his character.
The scene where he finds Xiao Yao's body hanging from the trees and how he breaks down as he gently holds her while the fire around the burns.. that scene was done beautifully.
I love, too, how Jing always knows how to find her. Every time she has gone missing, he is always the first to find her. I would say that the only inkling I see of his supposed brilliance is in the way he deals with situations. He is always calm and always seems to know the best way to handle situations to keep Xiao Yao safe and also help the people she cares about (Cang Xuan). It was him who gave Feng Long the advice about moving Cang Xuan to the Central Plains. Jing is highly intelligent but I love that despite everything he has to offer, he never uses Xiao Yao as a bargaining chip. Although he feels jealous and intimated by the men around Xiao Yao, he never gets upset with her and instead tries to sincerely win her heart. I think this is the problem - he feels the need to earn her but this has led to his downfall.
My heart hurts for Xiang Liu/Feng feng Bei. Ugh, every time he is with her, I ache for him. You can clearly see how much he loves her but he holds himself back because of the debt of gratitude he has toward his adoptive father. The constant push and pull between them drives me crazy! I find myself screaming, "just be with each other already! Just run away together and be happy!"
I cannot wait to see how Season 2 unfolds!!