Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

I found this quote from Anna Karenina and it suits YaoLiu's love so well.  IIRC, TH even named Tolstoi as one of her favorite writers. 

"The saddest kind of love is the love that is never realized, the love that exists only in dreams and quiet hopes. It is the love that lingers in stolen glances, in unspoken words, in the spaces between what is and what could be. And as time passes, that love becomes a bittersweet memory, a tender ache that never fully goes away, a reminder of what was lost before it even had a chance to be found."
— Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

 Snowcup:

Although the drama seems to suggest a shorter stay, the novel indicates that their stay was longer than a month. This means XY and XL spent more than 30 days together after XL declared FFB was “dead.” There are a lot of blank spaces in their time there. Do you think they had any continued discussions about it? Why didn't she try to convince him otherwise? Why aren't there more arguments? Why is she so passive with XL? Could her anger be self-directed as well?

I find these four weeks in Qingshui Town to be such a pivotal moment in their relationship, yet so much is hidden behind closed doors.

XY prefers to chatter, but after asking XL, "Where is Fang Feng Bei?" and getting XL's answer ("He's dead."), XY did not speak at all and ignored XL for pretty much the entirety of their month + spent in one house in QS town (with XL leaving daily, but XY not leaving at all). XY remained silent right up until the night before she left. 

A few important things happened that night. 

XL pushed XY so that she finally reached her limit and could no longer keep her cool / could no longer nonchalantly pretend like XL didn't exist. He reminded her of what he wanted her to believe: that he was a cold-hearted person with no special feelings for her, that she always knew what kind of person he was, and that she always should have been prepared to face harsh consequences for the deal she made with him. 

XY accepted XL's words and the sentiment behind them. 

XY finally spoke and asked if she could leave.

XL gave XY some of the very strong wine he was drinking and warned her how strong it was. 

XY chose to drink the wine, and XL drank with her. 

XL asked his Questions and received confirmation from XY that she still wanted to marry some version of TSJ (YSQ). 

So the next day he took the last steps of his plan to push XY away from himself and back to TSJ so that XY and TSJ would begin to reconcile. 

 Snowcup:

This interpretation might lean towards the surface level. The text has built-in ambiguity that requires closer examination. Also keep in mind that TH mentioned the novel was primarily written (70-80 percent) from XY’s perspective. It’s essential for the reader to stay objective and draw reasonable inferences.

Your view is that there are indications in the text that XL and XY had other conversations (where XY spoke to XL) at some point between the moment when XL told XY that FFB was “dead” and XY’s last night in QS town?

 AH :

Your view is that there are indications in the text that XL and XY had other conversations (where XY spoke to XL) at some point between the moment when XL told XY that FFB was “dead” and XY’s last night in QS town?

 Snowcup:

I'm not sure where you're getting that. The questions I posed actually referred to the lack of communication and passivity from XY. I was asking for the "why" behind this behavior, or the psychology of her excessively passive state during their stay.

Ah. I thought, in your previous post, that one of the things you were asking was if windiaaa or others in this thread thought XY and XL might have had other discussions during their more-than-a-month stay in QS town that happened "off screen" (sometime between the time when XL told XY that FFB was "dead" and XY's last night in QS town). 

 Snowcup:

Thanks for sharing this post. I agree that XY had some pent-up resentment against XL for FFB’s death after the runaway wedding. This may have fueled her behavior afterward in “seducing” Hou and flaunting her reputation.

But looking back at YaoLiu’s time together in Qingshui Town, what do you think about the time they spent there? Although the drama seems to suggest a shorter stay, the novel indicates that their stay was longer than a month. This means XY and XL spent more than 30 days together after XL declared FFB was “dead.” There are a lot of blank spaces in their time there. Do you think they had any continued discussions about it? Why didn't she try to convince him otherwise? Why aren't there more arguments? Why is she so passive with XL? Could her anger be self-directed as well?

I find these four weeks in Qingshui Town to be such a pivotal moment in their relationship, yet so much is hidden behind closed doors.

So my comment was intended to respond to that with my interpretation: that the novel seems to indicate that XY and XL did not have any discussions during their time in QS town in chapter 32 that occurred "off screen". 

With the context I mentioned above, I didn't really understand your response.

 Snowcup:

This interpretation might lean towards the surface level. The text has built-in ambiguity that requires closer examination. Also keep in mind that TH mentioned the novel was primarily written (70-80 percent) from XY’s perspective. It’s essential for the reader to stay objective and draw reasonable inferences.

It sounded like maybe you were saying you disagreed with my response. That a closer reading of chapter 32 would actually indicate that XL and XY did have discussions or arguments "off screen" during that time before XY's last night there.

But I wasn't sure. The points you were making (e.g., about the main POV) didn't seem to match up with that. That's why I asked for clarification. 

 AH :

Your view is that there are indications in the text that XL and XY had other conversations (where XY spoke to XL) at some point between the moment when XL told XY that FFB was “dead” and XY’s last night in QS town?

 Snowcup:

In my view, there might be more to what happened during those four weeks than what is described in the novel or shown in the drama. The description of their stay constitutes only a small fraction of the total time. I find it peculiar that there’s such a long gap between their arrival and when XL finally questions XY and pushes her away the next day. Why did the author choose to make their time in Qingshui Town more than a month long, instead of just several days or a week or two, with virtually nothing happening? “Xiang Liu would often stare at Xiao Yao for a long time. Sometimes Xiao Yao didn't notice, and sometimes she did, but she didn't care; she just let him stare.”

The choice to make this time period more than a month long didn't seem odd to me. 

There was so much for XY to digest... She seemed deeply shaken by the wedding interruption, which had so many impacts and implications. And she was upset after confirming that XL received her ice crystal ball message and ignored it for two months (instead of doing something about it sooner and in a different way, as she clearly hoped he would), before interrupting the wedding the way he did. And she was reeling from XL's statement that FFB was "dead", a shock that was reinforced by XL's own coldness and constant reminders to her that their relationship was only transactional. Shock. Hurt. Denial / disassociation. Sorrow / sadness / grief. Anger. Resignation. I'm not surprised that XY took a month to process all of those intense emotions. Especially since she seemed to spend a significant portion of that time disassociating and avoiding processing those emotions. 

I also don't think that XY would be in a rush to go back to the capital to face the consequences of XL's actions (and her own actions). And I can't help but think that even though she was upset with XL and steadfastly acted like he didn't exist... part of her maybe also didn't want to leave him. Especially as she might have realized or sensed that this was probably the last time she would be near him for any significant length of time... That leaving QS town would mean going back to a life where she wouldn't see FFB anymore and would also be very unlikely to see XL anymore either.

And XY is often extremely passive, especially when she she is sad or hurting. Sitting around doing nothing for a long time isn't out of character for her. In chapter 30, XY spent several months on Five Gods Mountain doing just that (nothing) before she finally opened her own medical clinic and her behaviour improved. In those months, she didn't sleep well and got out of bed after noon each day. Every day she would go to the garden to swim, but ended up staring in a daze at the water, deep in thought, without swimming. So the fact that she stayed in QS town for over one month doing nothing (except staring out the window in a daze)... doesn't seem out of character for her at all. 

For XL... he would also be aware that this might be the last occasion when he and XY would spend an extended period of time together. Even with XY ignoring him, I don't think XL would be in a rush to chase XY away sooner. 

And, IMO, XL needed to accomplish two things before the end of XY's time in QS town. He needed to confirm that XY still wanted to marry some version of TSJ. And, once that was confirmed, he needed to push XY to go visit and start reconciling with TSJ, but without allowing XY to realize what he was doing. To do that, he had to be patient. 

And I don't think it's odd that Tong Hua skimmed over a month of almost zero activity. I would think it much more strange if she decided that something important happened between XY and XL in that time (like an important conversation) and yet didn't at least give readers (even ones paying close attention to the details) a hint / trace of it. That wouldn't be subtle writing. That would just be... not writing.

Tong Hua does tell us that XY didn't sleep well during this time, and that when XY was awake she was generally in a daze. She tells us that XL left each day while XY was still asleep. When he was present, XL often handled letters and documents in the courtyard. At times, he stared at XY. Sometimes she didn't notice. Other times she did notice but continued to ignore him. If Tong Hua described every minute, dull, repetitive detail of this time beyond those general descriptions... I imagine it would make for horribly dull reading. 

 Snowcup:

If you're asking specifically whether I think it's possible there was any verbal interaction during those two points, then I would agree it’s possible, given TH's literary style of elliptical writing (omitting information) and ambiguous phrasing.

I take a different view. While I can't go so far as to say that I think it's impossible that a conversation might have happened during this time between XY and XL "off screen", I think it's highly, highly improbable. I agree that Tong Hua's writing style often involves vagueness and omitting things so that they can only be understood to have happened thanks to subtler hints and traces, especially when it comes to YaoLiu. But Tong Hua's subtle writing generally feels intentional and well-crafted. The idea that she would have XY ignore and not speak to XL, then change her behaviour and mood so that she did speak to XL and have an important conversation with him "off screen", and then change her behaviour and mood again so that she went back to ignoring and not speaking to XL... and not have any hint of that "off screen" conversation come up elsewhere in the story... that seems illogical, like bad writing (or just... a failure to actually write), and not like Tong Hua's style.  

 Snowcup:

A conversation could have taken place before her quiet, passive-aggressive state. For instance, the drama adds dialogue (not included in the novel) when XL tells XY that FFB is dead. In the novel, she falls asleep outside in the sun, wakes up to children’s laughter, and then the exposition says that YaoLiu stayed in the courtyard for more than a month. After the initial shock of the news wore off, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a conversation to have happened at that point, perhaps during dinner.

I also take a different view to this. 

To me, the novel seems pretty clear about the sequence of events. 

XL tells XY that FFB is dead. 

XY stares at XL and tears form in her eyes. 

Xiao Yao grabs a pail of well water and splashes the water on her face. 

XY grabs a biscuit from the kitchen and then returns to the courtyard to bask in the sun, where she munched on the biscuit. 

XL asked XY two questions, and XY ignored him both times. So XL spoke no further and focused on his documents. 

XY continued to nibble on the biscuit until she fell asleep. 

Children's laughter roused XY from her sleep. She glanced over to where YSQ should have been, but only saw XL's white robes. XY covered her eyes, but didn't know what she was covering them from.

XY and XL stayed there for over a month. 

During that over-a-month period, XL would leave each day while XY was still asleep. XY never left. She slept restlessly, and when she was awake she was in a daze as if she were dreaming. 

Also during that over-a-month period, XY never spoke to XL and treated him as though he didn't exist. 

From the moment XY left Chishui, she remained calm... until the window confrontation on the last night, when she finally lost her temper and stopped ignoring XL. 

XL then spoke coldly to XY, and XY "finally" spoke to XL... for the first time since she asked XL about FFB over a month earlier.  

IMO, "她却从不和相柳说话，视相柳不存在。" describes how XY behaved during "相柳和小夭在清水镇的小院里一住就是一个多月。" And her behaviour is a continuation of how XY behaved after XL told XY that FFB was "dead" and before she fell asleep in the courtyard. Before XY fell asleep, XY did not speak to XL and ignored him. After XY woke up, XY continued to not speak to XL and ignored him for over a month. 

The novel jumps to the window confrontation over a month after XY's nap because that is when XY's behaviour changes and she finally speaks to XL again. 

So, XY's silence is continuous. Based on how the novel describes it, it seems to me that there was no gap in XY's silence where she might have had an "off screen" discussion with XL during that time. 

 Snowcup:

Snowcup 2 hours ago
 AH :
IMO, "她却从不和相柳说话，视相柳不存在。" describes how XY behaved during "相柳和小夭在清水镇的小院里一住就是一个多月。" And her behaviour is a continuation of how XY behaved after XL told XY that FFB was "dead" and before she fell asleep in the courtyard. Before XY fell asleep, XY did not speak to XL and ignored him. After XY woke up, XY continued to not speak to XL and ignored him for over a month.
Let's examine the text together.

It seems you're focusing on a small fragment of a sentence (她却从不和相柳说话,视相柳不存在) and overlooking the paradoxical qualifiers within the context. Drawing conclusions from a fragment leads to a flawed, overly simplistic interpretation.

I make a point of not disregarding context. Which is why I often include long excerpts in my comments in this thread, including my first comment above (where I quoted the full scene in the original Mandarin and both human and AI translations into English). Since the context was already provided in my first comment, I didn't think it needed to be provided again in my second comment. Which is why I only quoted the operative phrases (in the original Mandarin) that I was specifically referring to and connecting in my second comment. 

 AH :

Kanunu8

 AH :

相柳和小夭在清水镇的小院里一住就是一个多月。

清晨到晌午之间，小夭还在睡觉时，相柳会出去一趟，小夭却从不出去。她睡着时，翻来覆去，像仿醒着；醒着时，恍恍惚惚，像是在做梦。说她恨相柳，她并不反抗，也没有企图逃跑；说她不恨相柳，她却从不和相柳说话，视相柳不存在。

 AH :

已经是初冬，天气冷了下来，相柳依旧一袭简单的白衣，常在院子里处理函件文书，小夭灵力低微，在院子里再坐不住，常常裹着被子，坐在窗口。

 AH :

Chat GPT

 AH :

Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao stayed in the small courtyard in Qingshui Town for over a month.

In the time between dawn and noon, while Xiao Yao was still sleeping, Xiang Liu would go out, but Xiao Yao never did. When she was asleep, she tossed and turned, as if she were awake; when she was awake, she seemed to be in a daze, as if she were dreaming. If one were to say she hated Xiang Liu, she didn’t resist nor did she try to escape; if one were to say she didn’t hate Xiang Liu, she never spoke to him, treating him as if he didn’t exist.

 AH :

It was already early winter, and the weather had turned cold. Xiang Liu, still dressed in his simple white robe, often handled letters and documents in the courtyard. Xiao Yao, with her weak spiritual power, couldn't sit still in the courtyard and often wrapped herself in a blanket, sitting by the window.

 Snowcup:

(chatGpt)
Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao stayed in the small courtyard in Qingshui Town for over a month.

In the time between dawn and noon, while Xiao Yao was still sleeping, Xiang Liu would go out, but Xiao Yao never did. When she was asleep, she tossed and turned, as if she were awake; when she was awake, she seemed to be in a daze, as if she were dreaming. If one were to say she hated Xiang Liu, she didn’t resist nor did she try to escape; if one were to say she didn’t hate Xiang Liu, she never spoke to him, treating him as if he didn’t exist.

It was already early winter, and the weather had turned cold. Xiang Liu, still dressed in his simple white robe, often handled letters and documents in the courtyard. Xiao Yao, with her weak spiritual power, couldn't sit still in the courtyard and often wrapped herself in a blanket, sitting by the window.

 AH :

Koala

 AH :

Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao lived in Qing Shui Town for over a month just like that.

In the morning when Xiao Yao was still sleeping, Xiang Liu would go out. Xiao Yao never went out and when she slept she would toss and turn like she was still awake. When she was awake it was like a daze and she was dreaming. To say she hated Xiang Liu… but she never resisted and never tried to run away. To say she didn’t hate Xiang Liu… she never spoke to him and acted like he didn’t exist.

 AH :

It was now early Winter and the temperature was dropping. Xiang Liu still wore a simple all-white robe and often did work in the courtyard. Xiao Yao had weak powers and couldn’t stay in the courtyard anymore so she often wrapped herself in a blanket and sat by the window.

 Snowcup:

The described emotions in the sentence contradict the listed behaviors, creating the ambiguity. The qualifier here is the lack of resistance and the absence of escape attempts as evidence against her supposed hatred. However, hatred doesn't lead to active resistance or escape, making the reasoning flawed. The lack of communication and ignoring someone as if they don’t exist are used as evidence against her not hating him, making this qualifier illogical as well. The ambiguity is likely intended to illustrate the complexity of XY's emotions. The sentence should be interpreted metaphorically rather than literally.

I read that sentence as conveying the narrator's observation that although one might think that XY hated XL at this point, she didn't try to run away from him. Based on that behaviour, one might think that XY did not hate XL at this point. And yet XY chose not to speak to him and acted like he didn't exist. Based on that behaviour, one might think that XY did hate XL at that point. The narrator makes a point of highlighting the fact that XY's behaviour sends mixed signals. The reader is meant to infer that this behaviour reflects XY's complex and mixed emotions. 

While we have somewhat different interpretations of the sentence (I view it as coming from the objective narrator, not XY's subjective POV, and my view is that the description of XY never speaking to XL during this time is a reliable, factual statement), I think we at least agree that it conveys XY's complex emotions during this time to the reader. 

 Snowcup:

What you perceived as straightforward exposition is actually not the case. This particular paragraph is written from XY's subjective perspective, which is why it's intentionally separated from the neutral exposition sections. A key indicator is the use of "never" twice, which suggests hyperbole. "Never" is too emphatic to be used twice in neutral narration.

 Snowcup:

In the time between dawn and noon, while Xiao Yao was still sleeping, Xiang Liu would go out, but Xiao Yao never did. When she was asleep, she tossed and turned, as if she were awake; when she was awake, she seemed to be in a daze, as if she were dreaming. If one were to say she hated Xiang Liu, she didn’t resist nor did she try to escape; if one were to say she didn’t hate Xiang Liu, she never spoke to him, treating him as if he didn’t exist.

I disagree with this interpretation. If the statement were true (as it would be, if XY never left and never spoke to XL during this time) the use of "never" twice in one paragraph would not be hyperbole and it would not be too emphatic for a neutral narrator to state it that way. We know that the statement that XY never went out (like XL did ) during this time was true. Hence why XY did not realize, until the last day, that the house and courtyard were right next to Hui Chun Clinic, that Tian Er was still alive and living there, and that the children she heard included Tian Er's grandchildren or great-grandchildren. I see no reason to conclude that the statement that she never spoke to XL during this time was not also true. 

 Snowcup:

Additionally, the phrases "when she was asleep, she tossed and turned as if she were awake" and "when she was awake, she was in a daze as if she were dreaming" blur the line between XY’s reality and dreams. This suggests a mental state where she struggles to distinguish between the two. In this state, XY is not a reliable narrator.

Again, I don't view this sentence as XY's narration. I view it as objective and factual. The same as the sentences preceding it and the sentence following it. 

Even if it were XY's narration, I am struggling to picture a version of events where XY actually did have a conversation with XL during that time but then, due to her dazed state, somehow forgot that the conversation happened and thought that she had actually "never" spoken to XL during this time. If such a conversation somehow did happen, it can't have been much of a conversation. 

Or are you thinking that when XL asked The Questions on the last night and then made XY forget that he did so, that he actually had more than one conversation with XY like that during their time in QS town but he made her forget each of them after the fact? Tbh, if that's your interpretation, it seems rather sinister to me. One memory wipe with a justifiable reason is one thing. Multiple memory wipes quickly becomes... creepy. 

 Snowcup:

The early stages of loss – Shock, Denial, and Bargaining – are typically characterized by “loud” expressions of emotion, often involving a lot of talking and outward emotional display. However, XY appears to have bypassed these stages entirely, moving straight to the later stages of Sorrow and Resignation, reflected in her passive demeanor. This progression doesn’t seem logical from a psychological perspective.

 AH :

Shock. Hurt. Denial / disassociation. Sorrow / sadness / grief. Anger. Resignation. I'm not surprised that XY took a month to process all of those intense emotions. Especially since she seemed to spend a significant portion of that time disassociating and avoiding processing those emotions. 

IMO, a person experiencing shock will be quiet just as often, if not more often, than they would express that emotion in a loud way.

And the denial I was referring to was specifically XY's disassociation, escaping into actual dreams, and escaping into a dream-like dazed and dissociative state. None of which would be characterized by lots of talking or "loud" outward displays of emotion. 

I did not mention bargaining in my comment. That was intentional, as it did not seem that XY went through a stage of bargaining. 

If you are thinking of the stages that are commonly referred to as the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance / DABDA), I would point out that the researcher who originally conceptualized those stages did so in the context of terminally ill patients learning that they were going to die and coming to terms with their impending death. The same stages later came to be seen as also applying to their loved ones, who would go through a similar process. XY's situation (where XL flatly tells XY that FFB is already metaphorically dead) is not a typical DABDA scenario. Even if it were, not everyone goes through all of the DABDA stages in such scenarios. 

I can speak from recent experience on this, as I lost a family member earlier this year and spoke at his funeral last month. And I can say with certainty that I did not go through all of the DABDA stages before or after his death, and also that I did not process any of my emotions about it loudly. Everyone has their own way of processing things, and that is not my way. I process intense, serious emotions quietly and internally, and preferably privately. So when XY did not go through every DABDA stage and did not process her emotions "loudly", I didn't think that was unnatural or illogical. Tbh, I often find the way that grief and the DABDA stages are portrayed on screen to (understandably) come across as very showy/performative, unnatural, and difficult to relate to. 

 Snowcup:

 AH :
And XY is often extremely passive, especially when she she is sad or hurting. Sitting around doing nothing for a long time isn't out of character for her. In chapter 30, XY spent several months on Five Gods Mountain doing just that (nothing) before she finally opened her own medical clinic and her behaviour improved. In those months, she didn't sleep well and got out of bed after noon each day. Every day she would go to the garden to swim, but ended up staring in a daze at the water, deep in thought, without swimming. So the fact that she stayed in QS town for over one month doing nothing (except staring out the window in a daze)... doesn't seem out of character for her at all. 
XY was listless at times but functional and still made poisons for XL the whole time. She had deep discussions with Ah Nian and Shao Hao. She wasn’t rendered mute.

IMO, the fact that XY was shown to have had one conversation with Ah Nian (where XY told Ah Nian how sad she was), was shown to have had one conversation with Shao Hao (where she told him about how she was thinking of her mother abandoning her), and made poison for XL on one or two occasions (as this was something she did once every three months, not something she would do constantly / "the whole time") during the "几个月" (several months) that she spent on Five Gods Mountain in chapter 30, doesn't negate the comparison with her behaviour during the month in QS town in chapter 32. 

XY had no reason to ignore Ah Nian and Shao Hao, or to not speak to them, in chapter 30. They hadn't done anything to upset her. And XY was not rendered mute in chapter 32. She chose not to speak to XL during that time, for a reason. He had done something to upset her. 

In both circumstances, XY woke up (late) every day but still got out of bed, presumably ate, presumably drank, presumably took care of her own bodily functions and personal hygiene, spent a significant portion of her time awake staring in a daze, went back to bed, and slept poorly. She didn't practice her archery. She didn't study poisons or medicine. She didn't go out. Her behaviour in the two situations was not absolutely exactly the same of course, because the context was different. The period on Five Gods Mountain was longer, XY was with family members who weren't the ones that upset her, and the circumstances that led to XY being upset were different. But for the most part XY's behaviour in the two situations was, IMO, remarkably similar.  To the point where I thought that Tong Hua likely intentionally created parallels between them for readers to observe. 

 Snowcup:

It's strange that XL mentioned a short stay upon their arrival. XL told XY, "Let's stay here for a few days," taking her to the house. However, nothing was said about it afterwards, and they ended up staying for over a month. This is a TH maneuver.

It didn't seem that strange to me, and the subject was sort of brought up again later on. 

XL's comment upon their arrival was vague and noncommittal. In "我们在这里住几日" ("We will stay here for a few days"), "几日" suggests a small but uncertain number of days. Then, after XL's comment about FFB being "dead", XY spends the next month not speaking to XL and acting like he doesn't exist. The pair of them were at an impasse, each seemingly prepared (in XL's case) or determined (in XY's case) to wait for the other to break first. Then, after over a month like that, the window confrontation happens and breaks XY's longstanding control. She finally speaks to XL. And when she speaks, the very first thing that XY says to XL is, "我什么时候可以离开？" ("When can I leave?"). 

 AH :

I make a point of not disregarding context. Which is why I often include long excerpts in my comments in this thread, including my first comment above (where I quoted the full scene in the original Mandarin and both human and AI translations into English). Since the context was already provided in my first comment, I didn't think it needed to be provided again in my second comment. Which is why I only quoted the operative phrases (in the original Mandarin) that I was specifically referring to and connecting in my second comment. 

Attaching long excerpts doesn’t actually confirm that. You were right to avoid it the first time, as it wasn’t needed. Your interpretation, however, is based on a fragment from an ambiguously-written sentence. Clearly, you were focusing on the fragment for its literal meaning.

Btw, I’m only sharing my approach to interpretation. I do think that every reader’s interpretation should feel natural for them, and ultimately, there’s no right or wrong with any reader’s interpretation.

Well, it appears I'm not getting notifications for this thread again.  sigh.  Need to clean out my notifications, I think.

 solarlunareclipse:

I just read an interpretation of the drama's version of the crystal ball that I quite liked. According to this interpretation, there is no continuity error with XL placing a third merman in the ball and having it disappear before he inscribed it and sealed it in the big-bellied doll. The third merman was XL's imagination.

Who knew XL had such a vivid imagination?  First the scroll of XY's parents turning into him and XY and now the crystal ball.  lol

 solarlunareclipse:

The ball showed the two merpeople running towards and reaching out to each other. However, XL imagined replacing himself with Jing as a substitute (original merman) and retreating from the relationship with XY (imagined merman lurking beside the shell). This is why the next scene is of him saving Jing.

Yeah, I'm going to disagree with that.  Jing is not a merfolk nor does he have any affiliation with the sea.  And I don't think XL thought of Jing as a substitute for himself.  Jing has nothing to do with XL.  Jing was the person XY had convinced herself would be a lifelong companion.

 solarlunareclipse:

So why wasn't a third (mer)man added to the crystal ball? A crystal ball is an instrument used to predict the future. In both the novel and the drama, the crystal ball that XY made for XL predicts YaoLiu’s future. Having a third (mer)man, representing Jing, to the ball would mean that XY, XL, and Jing would continue to be entangled with each other in the future. However, TH's hidden ending is that XY and XL will eventually be able to stay together with no involvement from Jing. Thus, the logic of the original ice crystal ball in the novel predicting YaoLiu's ultimate future seemed flawed with the addition of the 3rd (mer)man.

Right.  In the novel, this theory of the crystal ball predicting the future is invalid, if you believe that the third figure (the man) was Jing.  I've always maintained, that the third figure, the man, was not Jing.  I didn't think of the crystal ball as predicting the future, so much as showing a future that both of them wanted.  So, XY wanted the merman (XL) to join her in their clam shell home.  XL wanted to be the man who could remain and join XY in their clam shell home.  He repeatedly tried to bridge the gap between the merman and the mermaid with his finger when he looked at that crystal ball, which showed what he wanted, even if he couldn't do so.  It never made sense to me, for XL to add Jing into this shared fantasy between the two of them, especially given no one was going to see it.

 solarlunareclipse:

So in the drama, TH made the decision to leave the crystal ball unaltered and for the original two merpeople representing YaoLiu to continue running towards and reaching out to each other, foreshadowing YaoLiu's eventual reunion.

I agree, though I don't think of it as a sign of their eventual reunion, but of what they wanted, that is to be together, i.e. YaoLiu.

I really think the third disappearing merman was just a cinematic transition device.  An odd one, to be sure, but I can't think of another reason why he's there and then not.

 Kokuto:

Well, it appears I'm not getting notifications for this thread again.  sigh.  Need to clean out my notifications, I think.

Notifications not working for me at all either. How do you clean out notifications? All mine are marked as read. Will try to unfollow and refollow the threads again I guess?