IpohBanana

@liddi What a wonderfully well-written and organised description of each male lead. I agree with what you have written, and I believe each of them had choices that led them down different paths. Interestingly, I had a discussion with someone much older than me today, and we both concurred that we are likely to have a long-lasting romantic relationship with someone who complements us, meaning different in the key aspects. For example, where XY was unforgiving, TSJ was forgiving; where XY was distrustful, TSJ was trusting. Too much similarity ends up causing conflict in the long run. IMHO, their (XY and XL) similarity is great for friendship, but not as long-term partners. In fact, when XY was Wen Xiao Liu, I often thought of her relationship with XL as bordering on a case of the 'Stockholm syndrome'. I can see why there are aspects about TSJ that irritated her - she called him out for being indecisive and not assertive enough, but later she told Cang Xuan that those were qualities she lacked (forbearance and kindliness) and she came to realise, could be seen as his strengths. As for Cang Xuan, what can I say? He had the most opportunity and access to her. But the belief that more and more power would allow him to protect XY, to the extent of using her as a pawn to win alliances, is just something I cannot come to terms with. There's what he thinks is love, and then, there's love. And I think XY best summarised it: in her heart, Cang Xuan was the closest to her, and whatever he wanted, she would give her life to help him achieve it. She thought he felt the same way; whatever she wanted, he would get it for her. Anything she treasured, he would treasure it too. But clearly, this was her wishful thinking. Btw, can you place in spoilers what you have heard from the melons about changes made in S2? Even Zhang Wan Yi in his interview, said there were changes. And I am really curious as to what these were. @Mouse the link I gave you seems to be acting up. Best you use the link Liddi gave.

@Mouse https://www.novelupdates.com/series/lost-you-forever/ You can find everything translated here. I read the novel twice. Though its translated and the purists will tell you that some essence will be lost, but beggars can't be choosers. I've read tons of comments and seen the wars between the two camps (Camp XL and Camp TSJ). IMHO, the cousin brother is out of the game, and the main contributor to the title of the novel, he truly lost her forever. [Though in Chinese, that's not quite what it means.] For me, Jing is more husband material, XL is someone to have a good time with [I cannot condone a woman marrying a guy who throws her off the bird and makes her swim all night to reach land, treats her like a blood bank and is harsh towards her]. I am not doubting his sincerity towards her, to the extent that he saves her time and again, never asking for anything in return and hiding all evidence of what he did. It's foolish yet noble at the same time. To me, just as he got to experience a mother's love by masquerading as her son, Xiao Yao allowed him to experience romantic love (even if somewhat one-sided of sorts) and live a life of 'been there, done that'. She did give him an opportunity once and told him she would follow him if he could give everything up but he chose not to do so because of his allegiance to his adopted father. And for this reason, he can never be Xiao Yao's choice as she wants someone who puts her first above everything else. I also found an audio-book version (in Chinese) and because I have read the English translation, surprisingly I could follow the audio-book. If anyone wants a link to the audio book, let me know, you have to download an app but it's free. And I think the author must have paid some voice actors to play the characters. I know this because I was also following the My Journey to You audio book which was read by an AI-bot. So it's one voice for all characters as compared with this one which has different voices. It's quite a fun experience having someone read the book to me (my listening skills are better than my reading, LOL).

@40somethingahjumma Haha, a copy of the typical Korean mother who gives a wad of money to her son's girlfriend. After watching My Journey to You, the way this drama is shot and edited is so jarring in contrast. Certainly, a different genre but it's like having Godiva soft-serve ice cream, and then the next day, having McD's version. Sigh, I will have to lower my bar for CY's sake. My memory could be flawed, it's been so long, but I feel like the relationship they had in Stand By Me was more intense/ emotional than this one.

@OsmanthusTea yes I saw his reply to the question about what he saw. I guess it has no bearing on the ending the director had in mind. It was merely an idea to get him to depict the right emotion on his face. Douban rating is out, only 6 - people must have purposely weighed it down because they hated the ending. Oh well.... I just had a dejavu thought to myself, you know what? When things go too well, for the first 75% of the last episode, s*** has to hit the ceiling at the end. GUARANTEED. @NiteWalker, he was asked if he would collaborate with Esther a 3rd time. He said he won't mind but it has to be a modern drama, I think he mentioned that he wants to get the he** out of Heng Dian studios. He must be sick and tired of it, as every drama he is cast in is a costume drama. Only had a short guest role in the current Bright Eyes about firemen (again). And then the person who asked him if it's ok if they don't have any relationship in the drama, he replied "then what's the point of starring with her??" I think he must be thinking, the 3rd time has to be a charm, and he gets to keep the girl. If you watch this, hoh, just stop watching 4-5 mins before ending. Then all is good. Truth be told, it's a very enjoyable drama and beautiful to watch. On a separate note, Esther Yu seems to be very affectionate with the 2nd FL in real life. In a bTS, saw her kissing her, touching her hair and face. LOL, it's a tad bit unnerving - if I choose to see it from the POV of sisterly love, oklah. But anything more than that...hhmmm... Esther and Zhao Lu Si are ending Milan Fashion Week, then I saw a photo of Zhang Ling He in Paris, wonder if he also went there to kay-poh... or he was invited by a brand (prolly).

haha, you watch till it's 4 mins left to ending in E24. Then you stop. And that's the ending for you. @OsmanthusTea I heard Zhang Ling He's interview that was released today, this one. [20230919 張凌赫 《雲之羽》新浪掃樓直播] Sina House Sweeping Live Broadcast He says he prefers BE, and I realise I have often heard actors say they prefer BE. Because their rationale is that BE's tend to linger in people's minds longer and there are more conversations around the show. Therefore, their names will also remain in the minds of viewers longer, increasing their 'popularity' or traffic. This isn't what he said, but I recall hearing some other high traffic actor explain it before. On another note, I agree with a point he made: he said a thought crossed his mind as he watched the ending, and if it were him, he would get guards to accompany YWS. And he asked the host, "That's the logical thing to do, right?" And a few seconds later, someone posed him the question of what he would change about the ending, and he again said "I would definitely send Jin Fang or some other guards to protect my wife as it's dangerous for her to go home alone. Even if I can't leave the mansion, I would definitely send someone with her." [my thoughts exactly, good for you ZLH for speaking my/our minds!] Also, he mentioned that if she doesn't show up, he would send people to look for her.

@SilverMoonTea I watched E15. You are right; the editing is weird. They probably were so poor that they got some amateurs to edit it. She got up to get coffee while he was waiting and in the blink of an eye, she was back - it was like they didn't cut it properly. Plus a few other scenes that make me feel something is off. Haha, I was watching an interview between Esther Yu and Zhang Ling He, and they were interacting with fans' questions. So they were asked what they could wish each other - EY asked him to wish her, that her face would never look bloated again. I say this because CY's face looks puffed up in this drama. Or maybe that's his normal appearance, and the face we saw in MLC was after losing tons of weight plus the hair-do/make-up.

Actually, I prefer the ones in the back hill - all the three of them in fact. Joseph Zeng was cool to guest star but I cannot relate to him being the grown-up version of the kid, I'd much prefer the kid. Elder Yue reminds me of Legolas, off by a few marks but there's something about his styling that really made me think of the elf. And his story was heart-wrenching, sigh, that forlorn look on his face reminds me of Cheng Yi (muahahaha). The ones in the front, sorry-lah I don't have a thing for #3's Joker-looking face, neither do I have a thing for arrogance and that contemptuous look on #2, even if his heart is somewhat in the right place. Though I think our Sword Wielder has a heart of gold, I can't take the character too seriously because the actor lost too much weight and his face is too sharp for a guy - meaning he looks too feminine. And the innocence he portrays reminds me too much of the students I teach at Uni, which if you think about it is right. I think the character is at that age, when the adolescent boy becomes a man. I prefer his face and demeanor in LBFAD and Maiden Holmes, tbh. [If you ask whose face caught my attention, I'd much prefer Jin Fang , ooh the dimples when he smiles.]

haha, I am thinking where to start watching right now...I am sure the beginning parts are typical...and since I signed up for miserable looking CY, I should start where you mentioned it. I watched a bit of tonight's episode and someone was getting on my nerves. Such a stubborn prick. sigh. There's only so much of noble idiocy that I can stand before I wanna get up and slap him. But luckily they released the trailer for E15-16 and it seems that he has come to his senses and isn't being that stubborn prick anymore. So, after tomorrow the going should get easier, until they meet the next hurdle.

Lots of melons and speculation. Zhang Ling He was in a video explaining how he perceived his role, in relation to the last 7 express episodes. His words were "Yesterday was the finale, but can't say it was the ending." [make what we want out of that] Apparently his friends had bugged him for an explanation and that was all he could say, in addition to how he had become resolute about protecting Ah Yun in the cave. As for S2, let's see, time will tell. Joy of Life took 4 years to produce part 2, same goes for Young Blood (featuring lesser known cast who then became popular, likely motivating S2). I would say, it's about the potential for traffic and money. If the promise of both is big enough and provided most of the cast agree to come back, (provided the director and cast don't get into any other trouble, be it plagiarism, tax evasion or sex scandals), then who knows? I rewatched the episodes again after ff-ing and marathoning 7 eps, so I have been slowly savouring it. Also, I've been following the novel to try and get insights into what the characters were thinking or feeling. Most of the novel closely follows the drama but sometimes we get some gems :P

I have been waiting for this to air since Stand By Me...so it feels a bit anti-climax now that it is out. Reading your description of suffering and looking good, I burst out laughing. I can see those two words going very well with his name. I finished Mysterious Lotus Casebook and the only two reasons I could tell my friend for watching it (besides the fast-paced storyline) was: (a) he looks elegant performing the wire work and martial arts stance; (b) where there is any suffering, lots of coughing up blood, pained looks, and it's him? Sign me up for it.

I watched the trailer - oh my gawd.... I have never thought of LYN as hot, but in the trailer, I did. sigh.... can they just replace her with someone else and reshoot?

Sorry I was busy with my thesis - am finally done with it!!!! Submitted and waiting for results. I have watched it too, just so you know you are not the only one in this universe. I threw a rage for about 1 hour after watching close to 7 episodes at 1.5X speed (combined with many ff-s), then calmed myself down with hopeful thoughts of a part 2. muahahahah I kept telling myself, if something like Young Blood could get a part 2, years later, then this surely can. @Tofu do watch and if you can't stand OEs, stop just 5mins before it ends, in E24, then all is well. There is lots of eye candy, including someone whose facial expressions look like The Joker (I am quoting what I have read), Jolin Jin who is a comedienne and such a flirt, in real life and here, and humour despite things looking bleak.

He is doing his own dubbing!!!

@Yana @OsmanthusTea @NiteWalker @Larva strong rumours that this will air in November, as early as 1st. But I saw on YT that it hasn't obtained airing license (dunno if this is true). But in iQiyi under the coming soon list, it's gone right up to Number 2 in Malaysia, and Number 1 in Singapore (according to my fren who is fangirling the show).

@NiteWalker tbh the chemistry btwn the leads from the other show is much, much better. Then again, in that story, they are husband and wife who really fell in love and got married. This one is erh...face swapped. hahaha

@Tofu @OsmanthusTea wah....she can really kiss. muah hah hah. And what nerves of steel to resist her advances, alas, but all in vain.

@Tofu finished in one day, thoroughly enjoyed it! Will look out for works from this director, particularly the costume drama ones. The modern one was so-so. Btw, Light Chaser Rescue with Leo Luo and Janice Wu premieres tomorrow. @Tofu @NiteWalker @OsmanthusTea @SilverMoonTea Trailer here.

@OsmanthusTea the guy in a blue shirt is so emo and the one in white is like me. lol. I would love to sit and watch a drama with them, we would have so much to say, laugh and critique loudly about, especially the one in white. [it's hilarious to watch a bunch of guys enjoying this drama in this manner but it has to be this age. I can't imagine my hubs reacting in that manner - he would say, so unrealistic.] are they drama critics? @Tofu @NiteWalker @OsmanthusTea @SilverMoonTea This is from the same director who produced The Killer Is Also Romantic, a quick watch, about 10 mins per episode, 18 altogether. [so, should be a good watch] Subs I think are auto-translated but ok-lah. Sypnosis (courtesy of MDL) Shi Qi is a talented and good-natured artist who, during one of her painting assignments, learns of an affair between the chancellor’s cruel and exploitative daughter, Shen Qin, and the ruler of the realm, King Ning. Shen Qin, however, is engaged to marry the powerful general Xiao Han Sheng. But when Shi Qi accidentally witnesses deadly and nefarious goings-on at the court, she finds herself drawn into trouble. Shen Qin devises a way to enlist a magician to swap her face with that of Shi Qi – so that she and the painter can “switch” identities. As such, Shi Qi ends up “engaged” to Xiao Han Sheng, while Shen Qin takes up the painter’s identity. But the “real” Shi Qi has already crossed paths with Xiao Han Sheng many years ago – even though he has no idea who she truly “is” now. King Ning, meanwhile, is still keen to continue his relationship with the woman he believes to be Shen Qin. As the two women begin to live each others’ lives, though, both King Ning and Xiao Han Sheng begin to suspect that the women they are with have undergone enormous personality changes. Could something be amiss, they ask themselves. Will the truth come out? And will Shi Qi and Shen Qin ever regain their “true” faces?

@Tofu I skipped all the middle parts and watched the last episode, I felt uninspired watching the earlier parts and I think the reason it did well on Douban is because of the ML, he must have lots of fangirls. The storyline isn't exciting and as you put it I was wondering why they had to have the ending pan out that way. But I have seen it being done like this before, so it's no big surprise. If they didn't, he might have to return somewhere and she would meet a guy who looks like him and THE END. It's the main issue they have with time or space travelling stories.

@OsmanthusTea farmers??? well, for sure the CCP will have no issue with this kinda theme. Very patriotic and for the common good - producing food or showing how food is produced, better still if they cook it.

@OsmanthusTea I think Esther's idea was more for fun, don't know if it would be that appealing. But a school drama, tbh would be kinda insulting to their acting ability IMO. Unless it involves ghosts, mystery etc...if it's like the typical school type, i would be really skeptical.

@NiteWalker has Esther acted together with Bai Lu ever before? I think they would laugh too much on set, it would be fun though, the BTS, not the drama! @OsmanthusTea it's ok Esther can afford it.

@OsmanthusTea sorry I must have been half-asleep when I replied you. Oh Yes! I can see Dylan as Yoo Deok Hwa, he does have that side to him, though tbh it would be a minor-ish kinda role in this drama then, wonder if he would even consider doing it. Liu YuNing will have great chemistry with DD. Let them be the CP then. I cannot imagine Esther being the FL...lol! wah Esther and Bai Lu! The whole place will come tumbling down. Plus Di Di when he is on set. utter chaos

neither do I, I googled up and coming actresses But Kim Go Eun has the not-so-typical beauty look...so I was trying to find someone less pretty, haha. @OsmanthusTea I did consider Song Zhu Er but something isn't quite right about her looks for that role (too young and don't think it can be dolled up to look older when there is the time skip part), Though, it's young enough to pass off for the school girl role it's supposed to take on. Dylan looks too 霸道, overbearing. Gong Yoo had that goofy look at times which contributed to the comedic scenes. Btw, I saw the supposed ML and FL for W-Two Worlds, Chinese remake. They settled on two lesser known stars. https://38jiejie.com/2022/09/02/k-drama-w-two-worlds-gets-chinese-remake-starring-zhao-yaoke-and-brian-chang-bin/ I can buy the ML (he does look like he came out of a man-hwa), but not sure about the FL, though there is a picture in that article where she does remind me a little of Han Hyo Joo.

@NiteWalker I saw the shirt, it appeared towards the end of tonite's episode. It looks like those designer shirt from some French / Italian designer brand, yellow and black. But it really doesn't look good on him - thug is the right word indeed (with a few days' worth of unshaved facial hair). If she brought her own clothes on set, then his? Don't tell me that is his shirt???? I saw a trailer, after this, he ends up in hospital, arm in a sling. And she feels bad, takes care of him, must have fought with the real thugs; eh, he can fight ah in this drama? There's this scene where she leaves his bedside and he does the typical hand-grabbing scene. This will probably be Ep 29-30. They have changed their schedule, it doesn't match the calendar, at least not the one I saw online. Tonight supposed to be 23-24 but I have seen 25-26 already.