casie:
My heart's between Xiao Lin and Tushan Jing ??

Let's just take them both. Hahahahaha...


 casie:
That doesn't sound good, dry season ?

Weiwei dry season for me indeed. Sighs...LOL


 casie:
He is being killed slowly and no one knew the pain of that torture??

True! This is a form of mental torture! 


 casie:
I'm rather glad she lost him because Xiao Lin deserves so much better but he loves her, what can we do ?

I like how Chen Du Ling carried that scene; when Xiao Lin appeared before her the last time, I felt sadder and cried more for him

They tried to give her a redemption arc via Mo Nv...but it is just strange right? Sighs...Come baby prince, we will give you a hug. Stay away from strange girls wandering in the forest next time ok? LOL

Yeah, her reading XiaoLin's farewell letter in the prison cell was just heart breaking. And in her case, she (the villain) realised her mistake and cried too. I think many of us cried along.  Sighs....

Hou was unrepentant till the end. Argh...that one I want to shred. LOL

Yah BOTH is the solution ?

Ikrr ?

Pitiful Tushan Jing going through all those; he truly deserved the h.e. with her ♥️♥️

It still didn't work for me because she still had memories of BC and I still see her as BC and I still get pissed off every time

Hahahaha he should've never been to the forest but they were destined to meet, I hate it

I like the similarities of Xiao Lin and Tushan Jing ♥️

Ye Bing Chang vs Tushan Hou: I hate then both but you're right, Hou remained the pathetic loser that he is, died with his psychological issue unresolved because he chose to close that door

FFYY lost more than Tushan Hou did, unfair don't u think?

 casie:
It still didn't work for me because she still had memories of BC and I still see her as BC and I still get pissed off every time

Hahahaha...yes, agreed. Chen DuLing did a good job in getting everyone pissed at BC.

 casie:
Ye Bing Chang vs Tushan Hou: I hate then both but you're right, Hou remained the pathetic loser that he is, died with his psychological issue unresolved because he chose to close that door

FFYY lost more than Tushan Hou did, unfair don't u think?

But between Hou and BC, Hou is indeed the worst! In his delulu mind, he thought he was the wronged one all the way till the end. Wake up!! *rolls eyes at Hou* If Hou suffered more punishment, at least I would feel pacified. But the author just let him off with an arrow. Come on! INJUSTICE!! Urgh! LOL 

And yes, FFYY lost more than Hou did! So Hou should at least get back the same torture he put on Jing for 100 years right? Make that 1000 years!! Right? LOL

Looks like passionate ChunTian has been unleashed. LOL

 casie:
I like the similarities of Xiao Lin and Tushan Jing ♥️

I like to say that Xiao Lin is the prototype of Jing. LOL

Xiao Lin also could not do a lot of things because he was the crown prince and had so much responsibilities. He had the loyalty to King and Country card hanging over him. Sighs...

Jing's one was the filial piety and loyalty to clan card. 

Chen Du Ling did a good job as BC and Mo Nv hahaha and she's a very pretty face, she's like a doll

IT IS INJUSTICE!

FFYY suffered more, he looked as good as dead when she removed her veil looking so weak but Hou who got away so easily was still on his revenge on Tushan Jing, come on dude ? 

I can't get over how he died, how is that an ending for him? I want a fanfic with him suffering more than he did in the drama

Unleash it all the way girl ??

Hahaha I agree with u ChunTian

Tushan Jing is the improved version of Xiao Lin because of his happy ending; however he suffered more physical and longer mental torture

Both were born with already a list responsibilities, what a cruel fate for those born as royals and nobles

I agree with the cards that trapped them, cruel, cruel life

They're 2 awesome charas of Deng Wei and I can't wait for the other charas he will unlock ♥️♥️

 casie:
Tushan Jing is the improved version of Xiao Lin because of his happy ending; however he suffered more physical and longer mental torture

Hahahaha...yeah, improved version can take on a lot more crap I guess. But poor baby. 


 casie:
Both were born with already a list responsibilities, what a cruel fate for those born as royals and nobles

I agree with the cards that trapped them, cruel, cruel life

Anyone from the 21st century who thinks the ancient royal or noble life is a good life has not watched enough palace dramas. ?

Their marriages are not for love. It is for alliance, so what can one say if the husband is asked to take on more concubines? Even if all was peaceful between CX and XinYue, her role as Emperess is not easy also. And when the kids come, it's competition to see who gets the throne. More politics. 

If I was born back then, just merchant class is good enough. Maybe scholar? LOL I am staying away from the palace and the nobles. Unless it's Jing. ?

 casie:
They're 2 awesome charas of Deng Wei and I can't wait for the other charas he will unlock ♥️♥️

Level UP!!! Characters unlocked! LOL

 casie:
I couldn't bring myself to rewatch it, I liked them so much that it still hurts but it is one of the finest Cdramas

I totally understand. It took a while for me to move on from TROP back in the day.

 casie:
Tushan Jing is the improved version of Xiao Lin because of his happy ending; however he suffered more physical and longer mental torture

I sped through TTEOTM and I liked the mortal arc stuff the best (Xiao Lin of course). The other stuff...not so much. I think even between that drama and LYF, you can see how much DW improved in his performance as well. There's much more for him to work with in the character of TSJ (until the second half of S2 lol).

I think the drama failed to deliver just how much the old Tushan Madam did for her family and how good she treated her two grandsons.... we as audience didn't like her for what she did, but as a woman of her times, she really deserved respect and her grandchildren's love. When she passed away, the entire Tushan clan willingly paid her the highest respect for a woman who was not a clan leader ( apparently they were quite ahead of the times because a woman could have been clan leader back then? hehe )

Even someone as ruthless as Tushan Hou, he would rather struggle with her over the 30 over years during Jing's coma rather than kill her off to take over the clan leader position. He really loved his grandmother as well because she was sincerely good to him too.

When the drama left out all these, they created the 'weak' Jing who cannot 'go against' his grandmother image. But they painted the idea that Xiangliu was not 'weak' but 'loyal' to his foster father, even if he didn't really want to die but he would follow him down that road...  

After rewatching Season 1 and re-reading the novel slowly, I could see they already removed a few important lines just to reinforce this image since long ago. Sometimes the lines is short but they still removed it... that's why I feel the drama production team is really devious lol

 soTreeD:
After rewatching Season 1 and re-reading the novel slowly, I could see they already removed a few important lines just to reinforce this image since long ago. Sometimes the lines is short but they still removed it

I don't have the grasp of all the details in the novel like AH does haha, but I can sense that by S2, much of the layered nuance in the novel is lost in the drama, replaced by unfortunately (for me at least) a tendency for over-the-top melodrama. In my opinion the stuff between CX and XY went too far, and then there was no satisfying consequence (it was all a dream). Also, XL's stuff was also too out in the open - I liked how in the novel you couldn't really grasp his full intentions (until maybe that epilogue - and then it hits you really hard).

I know I know, it was always going to need to be changed because a lot of the audience for the drama had already read the novel (so everyone knew already where CX and XL were headed). I just wished it could have been less over-the-top and with more depth added to some characters.

 Sunbath12:
I know I know, it was always going to need to be changed because a lot of the audience for the drama had already read the novel (so everyone knew already where CX and XL were headed). I just wished it could have been less over-the-top and with more depth added to some characters.

Actually it is ok that the novel audience knew what is going to happen. As long as the story was told well and any changes made aligned with the flow of the story. S2 was a hot mess. Changes made did not flow well and made characters look bad. Sighs....

If I was a billionaire, I would go back and ask them to reshoot S2. Let me pay for everything. Then I would make Jing more winter costumes (he is always in that one with the fur trim, he needs more!!)  and let him flash his 9 tails more (so pretty). And not forgetting Jing's crane and XY's ride too!!  Then I guess the other camp will call me biased. AHAHAHAHA  (>‿◠)

 ChunTian:
Actually it is ok that the novel audience knew what is going to happen. As long as the story was told well and any changes made aligned with the flow of the story. S2 was a hot mess. Changes made did not flow well and made characters look bad.

Exactly, as long as the story made sense, I think it would have worked out just fine, even with the ultimate change to CX's character.  It was very choppy and ultimately unsatisfying like a sandwich missing the main part in the middle. I think the opening and ending of the second season were ok. It's the middle that got weird for me.

Hi hi soTreeD, how have you been? Watching any new dramas after dropping gege's AYTO? LOL

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

 soTreeD:
I think the drama failed to deliver just how much the old Tushan Madam did for her family and how good she treated her two grandsons

I see where you are coming from. But from my POV,  grandma was the only senior Tushan left who has experience in running the clan. And from what I know would be the "normal" during those olden times, she would be the best person to be the regent till Jing came of age to take over the chief position.

In the 21st century, when they make a period drama, they like to show that boys and girls are equal. This is a good thing but during the olden days, we all know that most families treasured their boys over girls. Grandma is very shrewd, capable and is loyal to the clan. By bringing up 2 boys well, especially Jing, in case anything happened to Jing who is the heir, Hou was the spare, the last resort. (-‿-") I guess that is why she held on for dear life when Jing went missing courtesy of Hou. 


 soTreeD:
Even someone as ruthless as Tushan Hou, he would rather struggle with her over the 30 over years during Jing's coma rather than kill her off to take over the clan leader position. He really loved his grandmother as well because she was sincerely good to him too.

To me, Hou has showed time and time again he cannot be bothered to kill if he figures his target does not have long to live. Remember FFYY kept wanting to expedite Jing's death by assassinating him but Hou just wanted Jing's illness to kill him "naturally" instead? Jing was so sick at that point in time, I think if XY had not showed up to heal him, Jing would have died. So same for grandma, Hou figured that she was old and sickly and did not have long to live anyways and with Jing out of the picture at that point in time, the chief position was his sooner or later. So why kill grandma and be unfilial? Typical crappy Hou isn't it?
(ㆆ_ㆆ)

 soTreeD:
I think the drama failed to deliver just how much the old Tushan Madam did for her family and how good she treated her two grandsons.... we as audience didn't like her for what she did, but as a woman of her times, she really deserved respect and her grandchildren's love. When she passed away, the entire Tushan clan willingly paid her the highest respect for a woman who was not a clan leader ( apparently they were quite ahead of the times because a woman could have been clan leader back then? hehe )

Even someone as ruthless as Tushan Hou, he would rather struggle with her over the 30 over years during Jing's coma rather than kill her off to take over the clan leader position. He really loved his grandmother as well because she was sincerely good to him too.

I personally loathed TSJ's grandmother in the novel just as much as I loathed her in the drama. Yes, she dedicated most of her life to protecting the continued existence and success of the Tushan Clan, which was arguably a selfless cause, and she was apparently a loving grandmother to TSJ and TSH when they were children... 

But she allowed TSJ's mother to mistreat TSH from the day TSH was born to the day TSJ's mother died, which created the inferiority / superiority complex and most of the pent-up anger that TSH later unleashed on TSJ. And she perpetuated that mistreatment when she insisted that TSJ must become clan leader even though TSH (the older grandson) desperately wanted the position and (after making his promise to XY) TSJ desperately did not want it. She hurt TSH and didn't care that she was making the animosity that TSH felt towards TSJ worse. 

She also forced TSJ to maintain his engagement with FFYY and when he persisted in trying to end the engagement she heartlessly tricked him into thinking that she would consider breaking the engagement and told him to accompany FFYY and treat FFYY like a sister - even though she had zero intention of following through. When TSJ finally declared that he would leave the Tushan Clan if his grandmother would not agree to end the engagement, she used her own pain and suffering and TSJ's love for her to blackmail him into staying and agreeing to become the next clan leader. In doing so, she ignored both TSJ and TSH's wants and feelings and again stoked the animosity that TSH felt for TSJ. 

And worst of all she conspired with FFYY and gave TSJ the love potion / drug that made him think that he had slept with FFYY and gotten her pregnant. She thought that she had helped FFYY date rape her grandson and then celebrated when those actions seemed to result in a pregnancy that forced FFYY and TSJ's marriage to proceed. Which is utterly sickening. 

She thought she was doing right by her clan, but by putting the clan first she was completely willing to condemn both of her grandsons (her only living family) to misery, despair and animosity. It's understandable that the clans would honour her as a devoted former clan leader, but I wouldn't wish a grandmother like that on anyone.


 soTreeD:
When the drama left out all these, they created the 'weak' Jing who cannot 'go against' his grandmother image. But they painted the idea that Xiangliu was not 'weak' but 'loyal' to his foster father, even if he didn't really want to die but he would follow him down that road...

IMO, this dynamic in the drama is pretty much the same as it was in the novel. 

Many fans do not view XL's loyalty to Gong Gong and unwillingness to desert the remnant army as problematic in the same way as TSJ's filial piety to his grandmother and his unwillingness to desert the Tushan Clan at certain points in the story because XL made no promises to XY and intentionally prevented her from forming any expectations that he would be by her side long-term (e.g., by telling XY that she had to erase the memories she saved of him in her mirror in chapter 22 / by telling XY that she and FFB were only temporary companions, as XY recalled in chapter 32 / by never confessing his feelings or asking her to wait for him). 


月儿已经快圆,周围浮着丝丝缕缕的云彩,乍一看像是给月儿镶了花边,相柳说道:“今晚的月亮有点像你的狌狌镜,你偷偷记忆在狌狌镜子里的往事……

小夭简直全身冒冷汗。

相柳停顿了好一会儿,淡淡说:“等你醒来后,必须消除。”

The moon was almost full, surrounded by wisps of clouds, which at first glance looked like delicate lace trimming the moon. Xiang Liu said, "Tonight's moon somewhat resembles your Jingwei Mirror, where you secretly stored memories of the past..."

Xiao Yao felt cold sweat break out all over her body.

After a long pause, Xiang Liu said calmly, "You must erase them when you wake up."

小夭预感到什么,却不死心地问:“防风邶呢?”

相柳淡淡说:“他死了。”

小夭定定地看着相柳,眼睛被那如云如雪的白色刺得酸痛,眼中浮起了一层泪花,防风邶带走了她,但防风邶死了,永不会再出现,从今往后只有相柳。那个浪荡不羁、随心所欲、教她射箭、带她在浮世中寻一点琐碎快乐的男子死了。

他曾说,他和她只是无常人生中的短暂相伴寻欢作乐,他没有骗她!

相柳静静地看着小夭,表情是万年雪山,冰冷无情。

小夭猛然扭身,去井旁提了冷水,把冰冷的井水泼在脸上,抬头时,满脸水珠,连她自己都不知道那些将要坠下的泪是被逼了回去,还是已经坠落。

Xiao Yao had a premonition, but still asked without giving up, "What about Fangfeng Bei?"

Xiang Liu replied indifferently, "He’s dead."

Xiao Yao stared at Xiang Liu, her eyes stinging from the piercing whiteness, like clouds and snow, that filled her vision. Tears welled up in her eyes. Fangfeng Bei had taken her away, but now he was dead, never to appear again. From this moment on, there would only be Xiang Liu. The carefree, reckless man who had taught her archery, who had brought her fleeting moments of happiness in this transient world, was gone.

He had once said that they were merely temporary companions in the impermanent journey of life, seeking joy and pleasure. He hadn't lied to her!

Xiang Liu quietly watched Xiao Yao, his expression like an eternal snowy mountain, cold and emotionless.

Xiao Yao suddenly turned away, went to the well, and lifted a bucket of cold water. She splashed the icy well water on her face. When she looked up, her face was covered in water droplets. Even she didn’t know if the tears that were about to fall had been forced back or had already fallen.


Whereas TSJ asked XY to wait for him, asked her not to let another man into her heart for 15 years, and promised to break his engagement with FFYY and return YSQ to her within 15 years. And TSJ wasn't able to keep that promise because he was unable to convince his grandmother to agree to let him break the engagement and decline the clan leader role, he was unwilling to leave the Tushan Clan at certain points due to his sense of responsibility to the clan / due to filial piety / due to his grandmother blackmailing him with her own suffering, and he did not anticipate and protect himself against FFYY and his grandmother's schemes... so he was caught in their trap. 

If TSJ was the only person who suffered as a result of these things, I don't think TSJ would be criticized nearly as much. But these things, including TSJ's response to them and his concurrent actions towards XY, ended up hurting XY deeply. A bit like how TSJ's unwillingness to hurt FFYY led to TSJ unintentionally allowing XY to be hurt instead.

小夭说:“防风意映是卑劣,但也是你给了她机会。最开始的几年,我嘴里说着没有关系,我不在乎,可我心里是恨你怨你的。所以,每次你在的场合,我明明能回避,却偏偏不回避,我故意谈笑正常,做出丝毫不在意你的样子,实际上一直暗暗留意你的反应。”

璟道:“我知道,是我错了。”当年,总觉得防风意映无辜,是涂山氏和他对不起防风意映,不想伤害防风意映,可他忘记了,他不伤害防风意映就会伤害小夭。

Xiao Yao said, "Fangfeng Yiying is despicable, but you were the one who gave her the opportunity. In the first few years, I kept saying that it didn't matter, that I didn't care, but in my heart, I resented and blamed you. So, every time you were around, even though I could have avoided you, I deliberately didn't. I intentionally acted as if I was normal, laughing and talking as if I didn't care about you at all, but in reality, I was always secretly paying attention to your reactions."

Jing replied, "I know, it was my fault." Back then, he always felt that Fangfeng Yiying was innocent, that it was the Tushan clan and he who had wronged her, and he didn't want to hurt her. But he [forgot] that by not hurting Fangfeng Yiying, he was hurting Xiao Yao.


"忘记了" can be translated as "forgot" and that is how Koala and most AI-powered translation functions translate that phrase. But it can also be translated as "failed to remember", "overlooked", or "neglected to consider". I feel like those options are probably a more appropriate translations in this context, which, IMO, reflect a bit better on TSJ than "forgot". 


 liddi:
liddi Oct 29, 2023 09:51 pm
 AH :
I agree that line is pretty insane. My guess is that the translation is slightly off and a more accurate translation would be more like "He didn’t want to hurt Fang Feng Yi Yang but then he didn't consider that by doing so then he ended up hurting Xiao Yao."

Your interpretation is correct. The text 忘记 literally means "forgot", but can also be translated as "neglected to consider":

当年,总觉得防风意映无辜,是涂山氏和他对不起防风意映,不想伤害防风意映,可他忘记了,他不伤害防风意映就会伤害小夭。
Back then, he kept feeling that Fangfeng Yi Ying was innocent, and it was both he and the Tushan clan who wronged her, so he did not wish to hurt her, but he neglected to consider that by not hurting Fangfeng Yi Ying, Xiao Yao would be the one who was hurt instead.


On top of that, TSJ did not tell XY what happened between him and FFYY in chapter 25. He was aware that his grandmother and FFYY had conspired to drug him. He thought that he had slept with FFYY and he knew that XY would view that as a grievous betrayal. But when he saw XY again he did not warn her of what had happened or explain his grandmother and FFYY's involvement, even though he and XY had a long carriage ride together that gave him plenty of time to tell XY what happened before XY arrived at the Tushan Clan residence - where she interacted with his grandmother and FFYY. 

In the novel, TSJ had the opportunity to tell XY. When XY noticed TSJ's unusual demeanour, she asked him what was wrong, but he didn't answer her question or ask to speak with her before they got in the carriage. In the carriage, he tried to tell XY what happened three times. No one interrupted him or stopped him. But each time he wasn't able to bring himself to tell XY what happened. 

静夜领着小夭走进屋子:“公子,王姬来了。”

璟站在案前,静静地看着小夭,目光沉静克制。

小夭心内咯噔一下,竟得他好似有点异样,笑问道:“怎么了?不欢迎我来吗?太夫人的药丸应该要吃完了,我们去青丘吧!”

璟好似这才清醒过来,几步走过来,想拥小夭入怀,可又好似有所犹豫,只拉住了小夭的手。

小夭笑说:“走吧!”

“嗯。” 璟拉着小夭,出了门。

两人上了云辇,璟依旧异常沉静。

小夭以为是因为她不辞而别去了高辛的事,说道:“我独自去高辛。只是觉得自从我苏醒,我们一直被形势逼着往前走,你需要静下心来仔细想一想,我也需要去陪陪父王。”

璟低声叫:“小夭。”

[]

“小夭。”

“嗯,我在这里。”

“小夭……”

小夭疑惑地看着璟,璟却什么都没说。


日影西斜时,到了青丘。

Jing Ye led Xiao Yao into the room, "My lord, the princess has arrived."

Jing stood in front of the desk, quietly looking at Xiao Yao, his gaze calm and restrained.

Xiao Yao's heart skipped a beat, sensing that something was unusual. She smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me? The matron's medicine must be almost finished, so let's go to Qingqiu!"

Jing seemed to snap out of it and took a few steps toward her, as if wanting to embrace Xiao Yao, but hesitated and only held her hand.

Xiao Yao laughed and said, "Let's go!"

"Mm." Jing held Xiao Yao's hand and led her out.

They boarded the cloud carriage, and Jing remained unusually quiet.

Xiao Yao thought it might be because she had left for Gao Xin without telling him. She said, "I went to Gao Xin alone because ever since I woke up, we've been forced to keep moving forward by the circumstances. You needed to take a moment to think things through, and I needed to spend some time with my father."

Jing softly called, "Xiao Yao."

["Yes?"]

"Xiao Yao."

"Mm, I'm here."

"Xiao Yao..."

Xiao Yao looked at Jing in confusion, but Jing said nothing more.

As the sun was setting, they arrived at Qingqiu.

第二日清晨,睡醒后,检查了所有的药材和器具,看所有东西都完备,她打发侍女叫了蛇莓儿和胡珍来,让胡珍用玉碗取了蛇莓儿的一碗血。

和上次一样,小夭用了七日七夜,炼制了一百粒药丸。不过,这一次,她把胡珍带在身边,让他跟着学。胡珍医术精湛,人又聪慧,在小夭的悉心教导下,七日下来,已经完全学会,下一次胡珍可以独自为太夫人做药。

The next morning, after waking up, she checked all the medicinal materials and equipment, ensuring everything was complete. She sent her maid to call for She Mei’er and Hu Zhen, and had Hu Zhen draw a bowl of blood from She Mei’er using a jade bowl.

As before, Xiao Yao spent seven days and nights preparing a hundred pills. However, this time she had Hu Zhen by her side, allowing him to learn alongside her. Hu Zhen was skilled in medicine and very intelligent. Under Xiao Yao’s careful instruction, he had completely mastered the process by the end of the seven days, and next time he would be able to prepare medicine for the matron on his own.


Instead, TSJ allowed XY to spend the next week in the dark while working hard to help create medicine for his grandmother - one of the key people who had a hand in creating this apparent devastating betrayal. If one were really to assume the worst of TSJ (as some fans do), one could even frame this as TSJ keeping XY ignorant of what happened at least long enough so that her skills could be used to create his grandmother's medicine and to teach Hu Zhen how to make it in the future. But let's assume that TSJ was not intentionally keeping XY ignorant for that reason (as I personally think assuming the worst of TSJ like that goes too far). Even so, it's undeniable that TSJ's failure to tell XY what happened when he had the chance led to XY being put in the position of finding out that TSJ had apparently slept with FFYY (and gotten FFYY pregnant) when XY herself had to diagnose FFYY. And then XY had to hear TSJ's grandmother congratulate FFYY and start talking about the wedding, and to see the confirmation of it all on TSJ's face. Which all seems like perhaps the absolute most painful / worst possible way that XY could have found out about what happened. 

All of that said, I think some fans do not give TSJ enough grace in this situation. He thought his grandmother and the fiancee he had spent years trying not to hurt (even though she treated him terribly and was repulsed by him) had conspired against him and tricked him so that FFYY could date rape him. And he thought that this situation might lead to him losing the woman he loved forever. A woman he felt that he could not live without. Only three months had passed since the incident. That's not a lot of time to process such a horrific experience. And TSJ had no real support in that situation. So although his failure to warn XY when he had the chance led to XY being hurt worse than she would have been hurt if he had warned her, I do think that his hesitation to speak about what had happened was understandable.

Also, I felt that the drama made TSJ look better for this part of the story than the novel did, since the drama made changes so that drama!TSJ repeatedly tried to tell XY what happened, but he kept getting interrupted by XY or others before he finally dropped the subject. And the drama didn't have XY ask TSJ what was wrong and then have TSJ not answer. And it didn't show the long carriage ride that TSJ had with XY (or the fact that XY stayed in the Tushan Clan residence for more than a week while she was treating TSJ's grandmother), so the audience didn't see how many opportunities TSJ had to tell XY about what happened before the pregnancy reveal scene.

 Sunbath12:
I don't have the grasp of all the details in the novel like AH does haha

Aw, thanks for the nice shout out! ^^


 Sunbath12:
but I can sense that by S2, much of the layered nuance in the novel is lost in the drama, replaced by unfortunately (for me at least) a tendency for over-the-top melodrama. In my opinion the stuff between CX and XY went too far, and then there was no satisfying consequence (it was all a dream). Also, XL's stuff was also too out in the open - I liked how in the novel you couldn't really grasp his full intentions (until maybe that epilogue - and then it hits you really hard).

I know I know, it was always going to need to be changed because a lot of the audience for the drama had already read the novel (so everyone knew already where CX and XL were headed). I just wished it could have been less over-the-top and with more depth added to some characters.

 ChunTian:
S2 was a hot mess. Changes made did not flow well and made characters look bad. Sighs....

I agree with this.