Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao, LYF Season 2

 Kokuto:

No, I'm not.  It's the grey area that makes CX interesting to me.  I was so looking forward to him going FULL Emperor.  lol

I was thinking about CX (because of you, thank you) and I think folks dismiss him, because they dismiss him as a love interest for XY.  But he's a protagonist in his own right, and when you view him outside of the love interest frame, he shines as a very interesting character.

yeah I totally agree, it defeats the whole essence of the character if they do a dream sequence. Then all of S1 is for naught!

 Sunbath12:

Yeah, he says somewhere in S1 that he does not want to lose himself...sadly, from what I see in the novel and probably in S2, he does lose himself as he finds out keeping his throne is much more difficult than getting it in the first place. A Nian is interesting in her growth in the story as well (however my memory of the novel is hazy, I'm still in the process of rereading the last part). She is willing to stay with him even after everything that happens.

And though I've never read Once Promised or watched the drama based on it, I can guess what good ol' Grandpa was like back then lol. No matter XY's faults, I definitely do not fault her for not wanting someone like her grandfather (and similarly, CX). I could not endure that kind of life with that kind of partner.

I kinda feel bad for Ah Nian because it feels like she was just a substitute. First, her name stems from her father’s yearning for XY’s mother, who the consort is a doppleganger of. CX’s doting  on her was mainly due to missing XY - which he even states in the drama. I actually wish that she could’ve fallen in love with another man. Actually if Wen Xiao Liu were really just an ordinary man, I could see the potential. Lol she is so fixated on CX because she has never seen anyone else but I actually saw her open up to WXL in the series. It’s sad that she remained attached to CX (I mean yes he is charismatic lol). From what I read in the novel, it doesn’t appear that she ever knew who CX really loved. Perhaps ignorance is a bliss, otherwise she and XY wouldn’t be able to remain close.

actually i shipped her with Ru Shuo hahaha.

i need another drama with YZ and ZWY because their chemsitry was so good and they need a happier genre hahaha. It’s sad that CX could never live according to his own free will (he was a child himself) but ofc the result is due to his choice, which was of pure intentions as a child in protecting his loved ones. The line in the novel that really broke me was in the end:

“That night he vowed that he would never ever lose the final family member he had left! He would become powerful, more powerful than anyone else so that no one could harm his final family member. He would go to Jade Mountain to pick up Xiao Yao and protect her!

But life is so ironic, he started the path to become Emperor to protect Xiao Yao, but when he overcame all obstacles and arrived at his goal he lost her along the way!”

hence the name of the book 😭 ok sorry got caught up in the feels again, will never get over it

Wow, keep it up guys. I love reading about XY and CX. 

 mparthur:

I would love to see the final scene between Xuan and XY.

Did you see the leaked script of their final scene together translated by Liddi in the other thread? I only learned about it recently and I was very disappointed when I read it. Totally ruined the depth of the characters and the deep love and attachment they have for each other. Even though the story for Yaoxuan was tragic, I much prefer the novel over what they filmed in S2

 nathsketch:

Cang Xuan deserves more love. Happy to know he also has his loyal fans!

Everyone talks about the other two so I am glad I have fellow CX fans here too! Continued watching because of him. I want another drama with YZ and ZWY!

 liddi:

Hi, just to share a translation I did of the Side Story for Once Promised 2019 revised edition on the Xiang Liu/Xiao Yao thread, which covers the time when little Xiao Yao went missing from Jade Mountain, and the frantic, desperate search for her by the Gao Xin king, the Xuan Yuan king and Cang Xuan personally. Here, we get a glimpse of the kind of man/youth Cang Xuan was even then, and the kind of king he would become one day from the way he handled the injustice at Zhi Yi City and Ze Province during his search for her.

Part 1:
https://mydramalist.com/discussions/lost-you-forever/110123-xl-and-xy-story-and-romance-warning-spoilers?pid=3064647&page=610#p3064647

Part 2:
https://mydramalist.com/discussions/lost-you-forever/110123-xl-and-xy-story-and-romance-warning-spoilers?pid=3064651&page=610#p3064651 

Omg I didn't know these side stories existed, I guess because I never read Once Promised. I didn't even know they mentioned about XY or CX in the prequel. More CX content <3 and him searching for his beloved XY. I could feel the desperation and love in the passages :'(

Anyone feel utterly robbed of what we were hoping to see in terms of the YaoXuan scenes in S2? The last YaoXuan scene in the leaked script made me want to flip a table. Totally diminished the significance of his love and the ruo mo flower pin 😤, saying that the kingdom/throne was more important than her, like a shallow power hungry man (when we all know he only wanted a simple life and not be a ruler). Still grieving over the leaked script.

Where is the complex, multi layered CX who was literally watered down to be a “good” male lead? Censorship is really cruel.

I started my LYF analyzing career writing about the romantic troupes between YaoXuan and YaoLiu. Hehe...I've only shared it in FB, but today in honor of season 2, here's a toast to the romantic tropes between Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao.

Childhood Love/Puppy Love is another age-old romantic trope. Unfortunately, this trope doesn't guarantee a happily ever after. Often, this kind of love leads to being friend-zoned or unreciprocated—sometimes, it evolves into intense unrequited love, resulting in drastic consequences. For CX and XY, their childhood love goes through all these stages.

Childhood Promise is another romantic trope that often accompanies childhood love. CX promises to pick up XY from the mountain so they can live together. XY and CX promise to have each other's backs, to ride and die together. In the novel, the promise to marry.

A Love Token is frequently seen in Chinese period dramas where the female lead gives something of value to her beloved. CX is the first to receive a love token from Xiao Yao. Other love tokens Xiao Yao bestows include carefully crafted poisons for XL (most notably the crystal ball) and a sachet of herbs for Jing.

Piggyback rides are not uncommon in 'Lost You Forever.' I believe CX is the only male lead who gives Xiao Yao piggyback rides when she is back in her female self.

The Ge Ge (哥哥) also known as Oppa in Korean dramas and Oni-chan in Japanese dramas, is a romantic trope where the main female lead has an older male (whether they are related to her or not) who simply spoils her, protects and cares for her, and lets her demand whatever her heart desires. CX is Xiao Yao's only Ge Ge.

What others did I miss?

On the plus side ... I just discovered these pics tell you the percentage of story that has been told for the character!

So, while CX's Qing Shui Town persona has completely finished his story, there's 90% of CX's story still to be told!  Season 2 should have plenty of CX content.