Am I blind or do only Xiaoyao and XiangLiu have chemistry.

Oh you're not alone. 

Also, for whatever irrational reason I also get mother & son vibe from XY & TJ.

 Karina:

Agree. It makes the show hard to watch. I never get second lead syndrome but in this case, I think there's a huge gap in chemistry. 

agree! When they are saying romantic phrase, I cant help but feel awkward and also weird. 

In the books the chemistry between the two of them is even deeper, especially the part where Xiang Lu compells Xio yao and sks if she wants to marry Feng long she says no, when he asks if she wants to marry Jing she says yes, and later he asks who does she want to spend the rest of her life  most with she refuses to answer, here she closes of fher mind, Xiang Lu goes deeper into her mind, trying to pry into her she closes off totally despite being compelled, so much such that he had to stop or risks harming her, Her hesitating to reply means that the person she wants to spend her life with is not Jing nor Fenglong, it someone else but she refuses to acknowldege it, to even consider the possibility, despite understanding her feelings. And when she finally considers the possibility thats the part where 7 days before the wedding in the books she stands on the sea for seven days with wedding attire, waiting for him , asking him to come take her away,  any time the water would have a small distrurbance she would ran there thinking he came yet end up being dissapointed, Xiang Lu knows that shes waiting for him yet refuses to show up only watching from a far for the entire 7 days. In the novel we are told this was the most depressed shes been , compared to even when she had to cut off her relationship with Jing after the FangFang Yiying scandal, so deppressed she is  that Anian  is worried she wont last long that this may be a last stroke, but to their shock after the 7 days she goes  back to being herself willing to go through with her marriage with Fenglong, they are all shocked at her change in attitude assuring her she doesnt have to, if she doesnt want to which she says shes willing.Later, XiangLu kidnaps her from the wedding and here she tries again, asking him continously in the books, who does he think she should spend her life with, he refuses to answer, she keeps on asking, he says what do you expect me to say and here she stops, probably acknowledging that he would never choose her over the promise he made to his godfather. Later when  the battle between Chnegrong army and Cang Xuan starts Xiaoyao is so worried , she sneaks off  to beg him to surrender  he refuses,  she begs again, he refuses saying mean words to throw her off, she gets angry says  very mean words telling him he can go die then , and she leaves . Later when she hears of his death its on the night of her wedding to Jing, she breaks down , she regrets the last words she told him, wishing shed had said sth nicer to him since it was the last time she saw him, she breaks down worrried that shell forget him,  she starts grasping for memories of him and looks at the ones she had stored in the mirror only to find them totally erased nothing left, she remembers he had told her to clear off the things in the mirror to which she sort of ignored every time,. When she seems them erased she knows its him , she gets angry keeps shouting, breaks down in anger saying you wont even let me remember you, what do you take me for. Jing notices her sadness comes to comfort her (she had left and gone outside when he fell asleep), she apologises for crying about another man yet its on their wedding night ,  Jing comforts her telling her hes not such a petty man, they have a lifetime and she finally breaks down in his arms.  She had  received a wedding gift from him, ( she was not aware its from him though) a doll, she somehow likes the doll, takes it and when she holds it her sadness is relieved and her moods improved. She stays sad for a long while and finally when her and Jing decide to travel all over Dahuang Jing carries the doll with them noting that the doll seems to always make her feel better.I think the two were soulmates, and she loved them both Jing or Xiang Lu as to what extent its difficult to gauge, i think she herself did not even want to gauge. We can say Jing was her lover, Xiang Lu her soulmate,. If circumstnaces had been right for Xiang Lu, perharps him and Xiayao would be endgame,  as she had hinted to him multiple times if he was willing to come to her, she would come to him. They both just miss each othjer due to circusmtances,. ITs honestly a pit and yet a joy taht those two Xiao yao and Xiang Lu were similar,  its a joy because they were similar they got along well, enjoyed each others company and both even considered spending their lives together at some points, its a pity that also because they were so similar they refuse to openly confront their feelings, they refuse to choose the other over duty ( In  the novel Xiaoyao makes it clear that she would never be with someone who is CangXuans enemy, he also tells her he would always choose his duty to CHengrong armyy to which they both laugh off ignore and continue with their usual fun routine) thats why its both a pity and a joy that they were so alike, none willing to sacrifice . Such two similar people im honestly conflicted of how their lovelines would be, they love each other but refuse each other, honestly im not so sure how they would fair. While im sad about them( I cried tears after reading the novels i remember being sad that entire week over a fiction) i think in the end Jing was what she needed someone who will keep her first above duty, because Jing was so different from her willing to always give , to put her first over anything in the end this makes her open her heart in fact when he goes missing we can see her changing, saying she will wait for him no matter how long he goes, she holds a wedding even though he's absent promising she will be his wife in life and in death ( this is for me the begining of her major change, of her finally letting go of her weakness and fears something even XiangLu  failed to do Its Jing that makes her a better person, because if you read the novel someone like Xiaoyao so selfish wanting someone who will put her first while she hersef refuses to do so, wanting someone who will trust her above all when she herself cant and making it clear to that person that even when he leaves she will be detremined to move on, a character like that whether in dramas, or real life is not really likeable, its JIng that changes her ),

Queenslay Jema, Thankyou for explaining what happen between them in the novel. I feel like this story is a masterpiece, cuz Life is indeed complicated. There is no vibrant white only or black only, there is also grey. I feel XY indeed care and love XL cuz in the movie, there is scene where FFB shows out in Chen Rong mansion  and XY shock and instantly say "what the heck youre doing here, if something happen to you, I cant help you.". That proves XY worries XL and wanting him to be safe. She shows romantic side ofher to TSJ, yet she is very comfortable with Bei. I feel like she love XL and TSJ, but XL cant give her what she wants, and TSJ can, therefore TSJ is the one, but that doesnt mean she doesnt love XL too. Life is indeed complex. 

There cant be chemistry without emotions, but honestly if were are talking just about chemistry i vote XiangLu man had me in love with him.

 RAllister:

I thought the discussion is about chemistry and how characters look on screen rather than the complicated emotions or who would be better with whom.

Haha once you get it you really can't unsee it.

Like pick any of their scenes you'll half expect her to take out a hankie and wipe his mouth.

 MyLovelyPanda:

and his eyes! I sometime can feel if an actor have dated or haven't dated based on their gaze in love scenes (Wulei in Long Ballad vs Wu Lei in Love Like The Galaxy). So, older actors definitely have more experience conveying those longing eyes. haha

Haha, yeah when they need to show affection the looks they do remind me of an overweight pug sitting on his arse with drool down the left side of the mouth.