Sorry for the long post. I know many fans tend compare the male leads, but what are your thoughts on the female lead in terms of romance? Objectively speaking, she also has her flaws. and at some point, was unfair to each one of the guys. Yes, all the guys have hurt her, but no one really talks about how she has hurt them too - whether it’s CX/TSJ/XL/FL. I guess this is the beauty of the authors writing and the fact that it shows the complexities of the imperfect characters, and their relationships.
I’m just reading excerpts from the novel translations and sharing examples below:
Ch 18 (her using Jing to distract herself from thinking of XL?)
“Xiao Yao thought about Xiang Liu and buried her face in her arms and went silent. She didn’t know if he was Xiang Liu or Fang Feng Bei right now. Suddenly she grabbed Jing’s arm and pulled him into the water “Go to the bottom with me.”…..
She pointed to her lips indicating for him to get another breath of air but he didn’t. Jing used his one breath and made it to the surface but he was in pain and gasping on the rock.
Xiao Yao asked angrily “Why?”
Jing stared in the distance and said in a low voice “Because you didn’t have me in your eyes back there.””
ch 19 (her using FFB/XL because of Jing)
“Yi Yang glanced at the weapons and suggested “Jing, please pay for the bow and arrow for my second brother!”
That suggestion made Xiao Yao completely uncomfortable and Xiao Yao didn’t know why but in that moment any man could pay for that bow and arrow for her except for Jing!
Xiao Yao took the bow and arrow from the sales clerk and put it in Bei’s hands and said with a smiling pout to Bei “If Master Jing were to pay for it, then wouldn’t it become a gift from Master Jing to me?”
Bei stared at Xiao Yao and his gaze was icy cold.
Xiao Yao bit her lip and lowered her head, Xiang Liu was not just any man. She just made a huge huge mistake!”
Basically, XY was selfish at times and guarded her heart (survival instinct) but it ended up making her seem wishy washy with all the guys and hurting them in turn. I do ship her with Jing, and tbh, he has no right to question her close relationship with XL as an engaged man. But I give him grace because his unwavering heart, understanding and patience paid off in the end, and is exactly what XY needed as someone who was always in fight or flight mode. Curious about your thoughts! This can explain the constant shipping wars but XY is partly to blame for her unhealthy ways of handling things, which she does acknowledge later on