For those who want to discuss the differences between the Book and Drama?

 Jun-Mo-Xiao:

It's supposed be he but I think its xiu ming playing with her. Immortal sun n red thread said they gave him special thread n tied it to best one so I felt like they let him reincarnated to look like chu Kong.  

At sa.me time I feel like it's xiangyun imagination that he's back that's y he just smiles. It's like sa.e ending as longest promise or mirror twin cities. It's open ending bc we aren't sure if he's alive or not since he didn't say anything.

But at same time I was thinking she time travel back to there animal life n let them reborn as human so that's y on tree it shows pig n tiger?

the xiuming part is too far fetched... immortal sun and red thread master won't do her that dirty just to give her chukong.. they care for her enough to just let her be and keep her longing and hoping for chukong's return, they also know she knows chukong too well and xiuming & chukong has different personalities, she will know immediately whose chukong and also xiuming also believes maybe one day canghai will really comeback with chukong tagging along with her.. they believe in her stubbornness to make impossible possible.. 

him being imagination is also not it as she did went to the mortal realm (not sure if past or future though and that's the main question) one most applicable is the time travel theory.. cause she did jump on the mortal realm portal again but this time using the compass but she did say whether he's on the past or future she will find him.. 

one circulating as a very sad ending is that he's really gone and that she is travelling time on every lifetime he's alive so she can be with him, igniting again an everlasting loop for her and him minus the villain this time around i guess.. 

but I believe he can be reincarnated, I mean what's the difference between him and zihui and also jinlian? didn't zihui perished too but is now reincarnated as mortal... jinlian almost perished but a little trace of his primordial spirit went to mortal world to recover and also Chukong may still have a little part of his spirit and that's inside Canghai itself the part that saves her primordial spirit and keeps her alive.. or that one strand that was in the fate/love thread which after was severed is now released from it.. well this is xianxia drama so I think everything is possible as long as there is a part of him still alive on something, haha ? oh and also before he disappear totally he kinda hinted that maybe someday they will meet again, his dear wife, it kinda ignited the hope that he too feels that they can be together someday.. ?

lastly there's a rumor of 2 special episodes so we'll see if that's true and what would they include there.. 

 Liz:

I don't like open-ended endings. In that respect, I would have preferred the ending in the novel. That would have been a much more satisfying ending for us. 

Anyway, let's come to the topic of how CK is back again. I think in my theory they tried to reconcile this part with the book. When I first saw CK and in that emotional moment with him, my thought was this. CK died immortal, but was reincarnated as his soul. (Maybe 1000 years, maybe 10000 years later, that's why XY jumped with a compass. I think in order to go to the future where CK was born) CK somehow remembered his past lives, but since he no longer had immortal development, his only hope was to improve himself and wait. So when they met, CK actually missed him, but he couldn't do anything because he development wasn't enough. So I think it's a happy ending. If there was one more chapter, the event would have continued as CK completed his immortal development and rose again as a god.

I agree--the novel ending was much better and I thought made much more sense overall. I also didn't like the ending for Xiu Ming. I'm not sure why the screenwriter was so deadset on trying to redeem incel stalkers in this drama. I thought the original book ending of the fact that she was being stalked across lifetimes for all that time was really good, actually and the final baddy from the book actually came together and made sense towards their goal. I also disliked the fact that we couldn't see a Heavenly Emperor as a fanboy. I wanted to see that and I thought originally that the CCP would approve of it 'cause they could use it as commentary about the low marriage/baby rates.

Overall, I felt as if the screenwriter lacked the confidence to execute the book's original storyline, which disappointed me.

Despite this, and not saying this as a fan or anything, but Ryan Ding was the best part of this drama and performed as I hoped he would, though I felt as if the director cut off him acting mischievous a few times which TT Please let him act his full range.

*If* they were to make a movie that followed the book 1 for 1, and on the premise Ryan Ding doesn't come back or whatever, my picks are:

Hidden Love Director, Lee Ching Jung. She might want to try a xianxia? She has a good open style that's really good for humor and lets the actors experiment more.

Chen Zhe Yuan for male lead?

Guan Xiao Tong for female lead (and might also bring in a decent production budget?)

Screenwriters,  Shen Fei Xian, Nan Zhen (Romance of the Tiger and Rose, really good at bickering dialogue), and maybe the original book writer... since the dialogue is tight.

My justification is that Lee Ching Jung could bring in Chen Zhe Yuan, and Shen Fei Xian fairly easily. Guan Xiao Tong has act the range and knows what to do, so can challenge Chen Zhe Yuan and push his limits more and he can also push her. Then the screen writers are in order--more faithful to the original material, is really good at dialogue needed and can add embellishments easily while adhering to the story, and lastly to make sure things get fleshed out on track, the original bookwriter.

I'd like to see more Chen Zhe Yuan in general being challenged more by his FLs.

BTW, I wouldn't mind Ryan Ding and Guan Xiao Tong acting on a good script together. I'd like that pairing.

 AzhireKook:

Honestly I'm still enjoying the drama ver. a lot.. Chukong in this ver. is so gentle and I'm kinda fond of that than the novel ver. I'm liking the back story stuff too... one thing that I really don't like and its actually annoying me so much is the constant appearance and meddling of the second male lead which we don't really have this problem in the novel since there is no second male lead there... I don't see the reason why they need to create and put a 2nd male lead on this adaptation..  they really be doing the classic cliche toxic obsessive 2nd male lead elements again which bothers me a lot... the story is complicated enough why need a second male lead to create more complications? the drama can actually stand alone without the need of second male lead... 

oh did anyone also notice they changed the names for the 1st lifetime too, well its the 2nd lifetime in the drama ver. from Lu Hai Kong & Song Yunxiang to Lu Changkong & Song Xiangyun.. 

But actually in one trailer, they used his name as Lu Haikong.

 Daxiao lanqiang:

Can you please tell me where can I read the English translated version of this novel? If possible please send me the link. I badly want to read the novel!!

https://www.volarenovels.com/novel/seven-unfortunate-lifetimes/7ul-chapter-1

 bitcoolKat:

I clicked the link above for volarenovels, but only chapters 19-54 seem to be available. How to locate the missing initial chapters?

https://www.volarenovels.com/novel/seven-unfortunate-lifetimes

Late response, but the book got taken off volare so the only place you can find it on wattpad, at least as far as I could find.
https://www.wattpad.com/story/320939595-seven-unfortunate-lifetimes-love-you-seven-times

I personally like the drama better than the book.   I just finished reading the book last week and I liked Chu Kong a lot and I liked the story premise, but couldn't get into the storytelling very well because it's all from Xiangyun's perspective, and most of the time her narrative (while funny) lacked strong emotional punch.  I know it's supposed to be a comedy, but even when Chu Kong actually died and his soul dispersed, I didn't emotionally connect to that moment.  Xiangyun (of the novel) is incredibly self-centered and selfish, and even expresses love selfishly, so maybe that's why I couldn't like her in the book.

Meanwhile, watching the drama, I cried three times during the Lu Changkong/So Xiangyun human lifetime.  I was able to connect to the characters so much better in the drama.  They felt more real, I guess.