Fireworks of My Heart 我的人间烟火 [2023]

[Tofu]

I'm on episode 26 now and they are so cute! I don't watch too many YY dramas so it's nice to see him be this playful. 

[Tofu]

Binbin made another appearance in episode 29! 

 

I want to see the brother break free from the parents and live the life he's always wanted for himself without any burden. I am hoping ZM's friend is a good girl who genuinely likes him. 

 

@themarchioness, does the brother end up with anyone in the novel? 

 

[Phikyl]

2 hours ago, Tofu said:

I want to see the brother break free from the parents and live the life he's always wanted for himself without any burden. I am hoping ZM's friend is a good girl who genuinely likes him. 

 

Honestly, I'm over the brother and ZM's friend. I know that the writers/producers are wanting to push a happy ending for everyone but everything they did together these two episodes just feels so contrived. I may be alone in this but nothing about their relationship, past the art gallery scenes, has felt organic to me. 

 

I do think the friend could be a good foil for bro but it's not to the point that I want entire episodes to focus on them; I'd rather see more of XQ standing up to her family or bro figuring out how he wants to live his life and whether or not he's willing to do what XQ has done and give up the safety of money for a life; a true life, not this cage his parents have put the siblings in. 

 

All the things that SY was buying to spoil XQ this episode made me so happy! I have to wonder how long he's been saving up to do these things and spoil her! Treating his wifey like a princess is 100% the way to make her not miss anything about her conniving mother's gifts. 

 

 

 

 

[Tofu]

1 hour ago, Phikyl said:

I may be alone in this but nothing about their relationship, past the art gallery scenes, has felt organic to me.

I think ever since it was suggested that she approached him on purpose, their interactions no longer feel sincere to me. I still enjoy their scenes because I just want to see the brother be that butterfly he is obsessed with instead of being stuck in his cocoon. 

 

 

[themarchioness]

4 hours ago, Tofu said:

@themarchioness, does the brother end up with anyone in the novel? 

 

Mega Spoilers below so I've broken it down and you can choose how far you want to read.  

 

 

Spoiler

Short Answer: No.

 

 

Long Answer: MYC is accused of sexual assault by Yezi in the novel.  Once his name is cleared, he ends up leaving to participate in some peacekeeping mission overseas (in the book, the adopted family is a high-ranking military family so MYC is also in the military).  

 

 

Even Longer Answer: Yezi doesn't have a huge presence in the book.  Without fully rereading the book, she mainly stands out in my memory for three scenes.  The first being the one where she and MYC first meet at XYX's bar.  She's introduced to him as one of the bar girls who can keep him company/entertained, but he declines (or something like that). 

 

The second scene where she plays a pivotal part is when SY's cousin is caught selling counterfeit goods.  In the book, she's actually at the police station with the cousin and SY figures out pretty quickly that his cousin doesn't want to name her source because Yezi is both present and her friend.  In the end, just as in the drama, XQ convinces her to reveal what she knows but what's different in the book, is MYC is not present.  Rather, shortly after the cousin reveals what she knows, the chief comes walking in and everyone is let go.  At that point, XQ figures out what must have happened and this is confirmed when they step out of the police station and she sees Yezi getting into a car that her brother sent. 

 

The third scene where Yezi plays a large role is the one where MYC is accused of sexual assault.  By this point in the book, XQ has learned what her adopted mother did to SY in the past so they are on the outs and she's cut things off from her family.  But when this incident happens to MYC, he clams up at the police station and so the Meng family calls XQ and asks for her assistance.  SY goes with her and when he sees who's involved at the police station, he figures his cousin must also be around.  He ends up finding her in the stairwell and she admits she has photos of what really happened, which would clear MYC's name, but she doesn't want to hand it over because of what the Meng family once did to SY.  He tells her that she should share what she knows because it's the right thing to do and not worry about him because he'll never forgive the Mengs nor does he want them to ask him for forgiveness (as he wouldn't be able to forgive them anyway).  But he also tells her that he doesn't seek vengeance - he just kind of puts them aside and wants to keep moving forward.  As a result, the cousin approaches the parents and tells them she has evidence that will save MYC.  They ask her what she wants and she says she wants them to get down their knees, similar to what they'd once done to her family.  The father was going to do it, but the mother stopped him and said she'd do it.  Just as she's bending down, the cousin calls it off out of consideration of her "sao zi" (sister-in-law, aka XQ).  

 

As you can see, from the book, there's not a lot of Yezi (or MYC beyond some key scenes).  The whole purpose of the sexual assault incident is really to make the point that the tables have turned and the Meng family now needs something from SY's family.  It's not actually about Yezi or MYC.  And while it worked in the book, if you didn't pay too much attention on it, it doesn't work if you consider that that moment reeeeeally comes out of nowhere -- because you do spend some time wondering, "How did the brother get so involved with this girl from the bar who he'd even dismissed during their first meeting?"  Yet clearly they do.  It just happened "off screen."  In that way, as much as I know everyone else begrudges the screen time that these two characters get, I like the changes that the drama has made in this regard because it's building the foundation for what's to come.  (Because I'm assuming the drama will either follow the same arc as in the book in this regard, or do something similar.)  

 

You had to have paid attention in the drama to notice but Yezi is not a good character -- we saw that most prevalently after the cousin was caught selling fake goods.  When the girls talked afterwards in the dorm room, Yezi wasn't being truthful when she apologized and said she was also scammed.  I also feel like the scriptwriters do a lot of foreshadowing -- you just don't realize it until you already know the story -- and one of those was when SY asked his cousin how she could trust her friend/roommate so much with their new online business and then the cousin agreed that maybe she should consider formalizing their business relationship with a contract.  

 

Also, if you're wondering what happened to Yezi in the book, after the sexual assault incident she was arrested for spreading falsehoods online and the last mention of her is that she is awaiting sentencing.

 

3 hours ago, Phikyl said:

All the things that SY was buying to spoil XQ this episode made me so happy! I have to wonder how long he's been saving up to do these things and spoil her! Treating his wifey like a princess is 100% the way to make her not miss anything about her conniving mother's gifts. 

 

Did you notice when he was on the rooftop garden?  Any guesses as to what's going on there?!  ;)  

 

Also, here are two fun facts about that scene where XQ and her adopted mom are out shopping and they're greeted by someone who's come to pick them up. 

 

1) In the book, this was actually the catalyst to XQ moving out (the drama played with the timeline of events). 

 

2) In the drama, the person who picked them up was named Han Yan.  In the book, he is named Han Ting (the characters for Yan and Ting look very similar!) and he is the male lead of the author's other book, "As Beautiful as Beijing."  That book has been adapted into the pending drama that stars Xu Kai (as Han Ting) and Tan Song Yun!  In the book, "As Beautiful as Beijing," MYC and XQ are also mentioned in a passing conversation towards the end of that book -- if I remember correctly, the male lead meets with someone who also knows the Meng family and says both he (Han Ting) and MYC should consider settling down, pointing out that XQ already has.  

[Phikyl]

16 minutes ago, themarchioness said:

Did you notice when he was on the rooftop garden?  Any guesses as to what's going on there?!  ;)  

A. He bought them a house. 100%. Their current place isn't soundproof enough. 

B. Wedding venue?

 

That's all the guesses I have right now!

 

 

[themarchioness]

@Phikyl, if they follow the book…

 

Spoiler

…and it looks like it will. He bought a house several years earlier with her in mind because she’d once said she liked the courtyard style house that his aunt/uncle had. I won’t spoil anymore, including how the house is revealed to her. 😉

 

[Phikyl]

@themarchioness 

Spoiler

A few years ago?!?!?! I'm melting in my seat. THAT IS SO FREAKING SWEET! I do remember a flashback scene in the drama where she mentions wanting to live in a house with a garden though so it makes sense that he would create a rooftop garden for her.

 

I've gleaned from talking with you about book tidbits that he's basically been preparing to marry her since they separated but there's some scenes at the beginning that had me questioning whether or not he was actually interested in still being with her. I don't know if that's just bad direction (because lets be real, Yang Yang can pull off the whole angsty 'I love you to pieces but need to know you're serious') or if it's just something that they purposefully left ambiguous to create more drama. 

 

 

I need an 8th day in the week so I can smoosh together all of the scenes that pertain to their relationship and just watch it over and over.

[NiteWalker]

okie so there is only 1 person however 2 guys aftering the same girl......???

 

1 is Song Yan the other is YanQen who happen to be XuQin / MengQin foster brother....hmmmm....

 

right right?

[themarchioness]

1 hour ago, NiteWalker said:

okie so there is only 1 person however 2 guys aftering the same girl......???

 

1 is Song Yan the other is YanQen who happen to be XuQin / MengQin foster brother....hmmmm....

 

right right?

Yep. 
 

Although, to be honest, I think for the brother it’s really less about being in love with her versus he he thinks he is but it’s more a codependency… he’s feeling a sense of abandonment because for so long she’s been his only companion and source of lifeline in that terrible place they call

hole. 

[Tofu]

@themarchioness You spoil us so much with lots of goodies. 

[Tofu]

I think they just dropped all the episodes?! 

 

@themarchioness That is unfortunate that she turns out to be that way. I was really hoping that she would become a good person but like @Phikyl and I talked about, her actions are not sincere -- rather that's to ZM or MYC. That is so like ZM to ask the mother to kneel down, haha! I really like her character and how much she supports SY. I had this moment where I thought how funny would it be if YY and YCY meet up again as leads in another drama. 

[themarchioness]

2 hours ago, Tofu said:

I think they just dropped all the episodes?! 

 

Yep!!  I'm about to start 38.  It's taking me longer to watch them because I've been recapping the eps on MDL, hahaha.

 

I really like the cousins in this drama, too. YY and YCY are a delight to watch!  Love them as sibs.

[themarchioness]

To promote this drama, WCR/XQ and YY/SY guested on this week's episode of "Hello, Saturday," along with the actors playing MYC, Jiang Yu, and Yang Chi.  It's a fun watch.  A lot of sweetness between YY and WCR during the charades game and for the best YY expressions, the game where he has to swing himself over a wall that's hurtling towards him is pretty priceless.  

 

 

[Tofu]

@themarchioness The charades game....LOL!!! I'll have to watch this in full after work today. Tagging @mademoiselle and @SilverMoonTea to also come watch the geges they like. 

[mademoiselle]

Thanks @Tofu ! I just finished watching. It's so scripted that they deliberately pair YY with WCR. But the funniest had to be YY in jumping the wall and getting splashed on and fell while chasing Yang Di .  Also, he should never ever cut his hair as short as his current hair now! He looks the best with the fringe.

[Phikyl]

I watched to the end when the raws dropped this past weekend but I'm only up to 38 with subs right now. Some things are just way better with the subs!

 

Spoiler

I'm kind of glad that I picked up on YZ not being the best person before that whole rape allegation arc dropped though. Even having known that, I was still blown away by that; it definitely blindsided me. Cdramas have me convinced that they were going for a happy ending for everyone! 

 

[themarchioness]

@Phikyl I'm glad you picked up on it too!  I fear the drama may have been too clever and subtle in painting Yezi's character because she has had a surprising number of supporters.  Comments I've read range from being outright shocked to disappointed in the "story's direction" as they felt she and MYC had true potential, and I'm like, "...."  LOL.  She was never quite kosher so there's no change in the direction there.  And MYC was clear on more than one occasion that he was not interested in her in that way and only helped her because he didn't want to see someone (particularly, someone who reminded him of XQ) go down a crooked path.  I think people must simply have been desperate to find a happy ending for MYC who was not XQ!  But Yezi... I mean, I can see where she might have felt led on and thus hurt by his rejection, but you know what?  For normal people, they take that disappointment and walk away to nurse it.  They don't then do what she did!!!!  And yet, I've also read comments from people who were like, "Well, yeah, that makes sense. She was hated on from the beginning so it's no surprise she reacted that way."  (And yet, nobody seems to understand why XQ behaves the way that she does... oh gosh, I should stop this post before I go on another venting session!  Haha.)