Excerpts from TSY and XK interview - Part 2 XK

From a Douban article:

2024.2.14 New Sight Wonderland Tan Songyun Xu Kai's interpretation of "You Are More Beautiful than Starlight". (douban.com) 

Love Reveals the True Heart.
The character of HT attracted XK at first because of his personality.  He has a unique personality charm.  He is ambitious, flexible, cautious, and insightful.  Although he is decisive and ruthless in the business world, he also has a warm side in his heart.  XK believes that HT has a big picture view and is a results-oriented person.  He has a relatively stable spiritual core, is rational and reasonable, and he hopes he can also move closer to these advantages.  HT has extremely high business and management talents.  He was exiled to Germany by the Han family.  He founded the German medical base of Dongyang Technology single-handedly, becoming the pride of Chinese in Germany.  When his grandfather fell ill, he was called back to Germany but was thrown into the lice-ridden Dongyang Medical of his cousin.  HT quietly defeated them one by one and planned to use Dongyang Medical to expand the domestic AI and technology medical business.  

HT was the first (CEO) role XK had played, and it was also a new challenge for him.  In order to better reflect HT's maturity and stability, XK did some fitness training before filming.  He also did his homework in advance.  Faced with a large number of AI medical professional terms in the lines, he required himself to present them accurately.

In XK's view, HT is not a "domineering CEO" in the traditional sense.  He has his own code of conduct, and his color is "pattern."   He appears to be ruthless and hard to figure out, but he is actually soft and delicate inside.  He has multiple layers of protective color and in each confrontation with JX, he takes off his armor layer by layer, revealing his true inner side.  HT is a three-dimensional and multi-faceted character.  XK did not interpret him as just a domineering CEO.  For example, HT has lived abroad for many years and what he misses most is a bowl of "wild wontons."  Every time, he meets with friends privately, they will go straight to this restaurant.  All kinds of details show that HT has this lovely side.  Under the wrapping of a suit and leather shoes, he adds a bit of firework (down-to-earth feel), and his performance is vivid and free.

Before meeting JX, HT's business philosophy or values in the business world was "There are only friends and enemies" in the business world.  If you are not my friend, then you are my enemy.  However, after meeting JX, the two of them influenced and accomplished each other.  In the world of "ambitious people", HT was used to controlling everything but when faced with a sincere "weed" like JX, HT's inner was stimulated or inspired to be soft.  Because HT himself is not an extremely cold person, his original intention of "Robot Xiaobai" was to make up for the regret of his parent's deaths.  

XK explained that the two people with different personalities gradually had a focus, and their careers and emotions began to heat up.  As their careers progressed, HT and JX's relationship also encountered a crisis of trust.  XK believes that the two people had different definitions of love at that time, and THERE WAS NO RIGHT OR WRONG.  JX's view of love requires two people to be completely honest with each other, while HT prefers to protect each other with practical actions.  He is not keen on publicizing it vigorously or making a grand announcement but hides every love in the details of ordinary days.  The time part of the quarrel between the two was inevitably affected by career factors. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up in the future and they reconciled.  "My love for you can only be explained at the end of my life.  When I look back, I will make a final judgement."  This is HT's deepest confession to JX.  A famous scene in the original novel is that HT was attacked by a bad character with a sharp weapon in order to save JX.  This plot is also restored in the TV series version.  XK believes that this plot is the exact presentation of HT's character.  There is a kind of love that is not vigorous (in other words, not grand nor passionate), and not reflected in every "I love you", but it must be hidden in every detail of ordinary life.  Two people met and grew up with each other and go through the test of trivial matters and the tempering of time and still accompanied each other for a lifetime.  When they look back, they can make the final conclusion that such a relationship is rare, romantic, and desirable.    XK himself also agrees with this kind of way of expressing emotions. He said that there is a song called "Love Reveals the Heart", which has the same meaning as this classic line in "As Beautiful As You."  There are different ways to express love.  Some people choose earth shattering while others choose a long-lasting love.  No matter which way you choose, there is no right or wrong.  The most important thing is that both lovers can accept it.

W: What is the biggest change that HT has experienced through love?

XK: I think even after they fell in love, HT is still HT, and JX is still JX.  I can only say that in the friction between the two, HT released more tenderness which may be the feeling of the "i" person getting closer to the "e" person.  JX also gradually grew up and began to face reality.  I think this kind of mutual influence is good, learning from each other's strengths, and making up for each other's weaknesses.  HT has also released more tenderness or softness in love.  At first, he had his own mature set of ideas about career and love, and he had an absolute desire to control himself.  His later changes may be reflected in his external appearance.  At the beginning, if he wants to maintain the image of a decisive leader, he had to arm himself very strong.  Outsiders even thought he was cruel and unkind, but as he got along with JX, he began to show more of his emotions.  The audience may find that there is always a soft corner in his heart which was just hidden in the early stage.

W: How do you view the process of two people in love going from strangers to close lovers?  How did they finally get back together?

XK: The process from strangers to close friends is quite magical.  It is not only about love but also about making friends. It is a process of mutual trust.  It should be very beautiful to recall it many years later.  The two people resolve the misunderstanding, accepted each other's values, slowly let of go of their guard, and treated each other completely frank.

W: Please share some of the most memorable lines from the show.

XK: "What I believe in love is something that is formed slowly over the years, day by day, over time."  This sentence left a deep impression on me.  HT said this after a quarrel over a conflict of values between two people in the play.  Everything turned out well.  The two people truly reconciled and walked on hand-in-hand.