pear

Whatever works for you.

The Early Spring fever is real, even my mom is watching it.

I am in U.S. and company doesn't have much gossips in surfaces and personal differences like Luke and Donny, therefore behind the scenes I did experienced something similar but much more low keys. Women workers tend to gossip about personal life and men worker do have competitive attitudes toward promotions. And any type of harassments are totally controlled by training by taking video training every two yrs. Even so we did have two harassment law suites and we lost. It was due to weak HR, so we hired top money to get qualified manger. This drama set up seems to be very healthy and I like the ppl work there. It's always up to management who run the office. So Luke is a great manager.

BTW I married to my boss 😆 I can relate to main CP. It was secret and when we made announcement for marriage, everyone fell from chairs bcoz they had zero knowledge about us 😂 We fooled them 4 yrs.

Definitely more realistic than every other colleagues out to get you as portrayed in so many cdramas. That usually not the case.

My company was recently brought over by a bigger company and there were many layoffs but i was luckily able to keep my position but need to learn their systems and way of doing things. All the people i have encountered were very helpful and nice. My new manager was super nice as well. So it's usually not true that they will bully 'new' employees.

My colleagues are nice but they are all a lot older than me and have kids so we are not really interested in the same topics. There are also a few colleagues who are a bit pushy and straighforward.

> because almost everyone kept calling Flora a red flag
It is interesting, but I’ve found that very often in life or and when reading through drama analyses, people excuse men way more than they excuse women. A man with a baby who is barely scraping by is seen as cute, while a woman in the same situation is judged as bad. A man with red flags is adored for every green-flag action, whereas a woman with green flags is criticized for every red-flag moment. A man is excused for saying terrible things, while a woman is punished for it. The standards that many societies set for women are so high, it is exhausting. Because of this, I just made a rule for myself that I automatically take the woman's side in life, even if I am friends with the man. Men simply have it easier, whether they acknowledge it or not.

I haven't read the novel, but in the drama, I don't think they show just how many internal thoughts and struggles it takes for Flora to navigate her situation. I am assuming this based on what I know about her character. I am pretty sure that Luke doesn't second-guess or overthink things, and it feels like almost every thought he has about Flora is shown to us. Meanwhile, Flora's motivations, thoughts, and struggles are hidden. In my opinion, this creates a disconnect that is not bridged for some viewers.

i have great colleagues and we support each other at work but i dont think we are at that bestie level, just friends with nice vibes but different goals, job descs, workloads, and interests.

and for HR well… they work for the company so … well they are nice to you but they definitely are nicer to the company hahaha

That slap was so crisp😭🤣

I enjoyed the romance in this drama until about episode 22.
Once all the main characters discovered that the female lead is a woman, it remained enjoyable but lost some of its spark. After that, the drama focused primarily on the political plot, which, for me, was the less entertaining part.

Some of the fight scenes were executed very well.
The final episode felt somewhat rushed.

Do not expect much realism in this story.
The female lead does not appear athletic enough to wield a sword, let alone fight effectively with one.
If anyone in the past had spoken about women's rights in the way the FL did, they would have been laughed at or imprisoned for spreading blasphemy and contradicting the teachings of Confucianism.
But this drama is a fantasy, so just ignore it 😉

Sloppy writing.
They focused too much on showing females are equal to male...that it started looking artifical and weird (idk how to word that properly). I have watched other dramas do this efficiently. (Almost all of Bai Lu's drama)
Its about a general...and war tactics etc. So naturally i was hoping for good plays. Till 27 ep...I only see flawed tactics and it made an impression that whoever wrote this just wanted to get things done. No layering.

People watching this drama and always fighting over who does xiaoyao truly love ? I was also one of them I realized I never actually care about xiaoyao feeling or life at all . She is the victim of her parents decision and the victim of the war between people who seeking the power. She doesn’t choose it but she’s the one who bears all the consequences . She’s truly living a very miserable life. She is a princess of both countries but she ends up lost in a world and no one could find and save her in time . She was huant and hurt by the people who once hurt by her parents which is not her fault . she is a princess but she can’t live a glorious life . Living and believing she is abandoned by everyone she loves . She’s only has herself . She’s so miserable yet all I cared about that time was who does she truly love ? I even hated xiaoyao. Is it that important? Love is only part of her life but freedoms , stability, safety and having control over her own life are also part of her life . Now, I sum up my understanding . Xiaoyao doe need love but she also needs stability and a peaceful life and stay away from the war and the conflict between any country. She just wants to live a very simple life . She is happy to be wen xiaoliu forever if there is nothing happens and push her to change back to her original form . That time love is not even in the conversation . She loves and hate some people in different stages of her life . it means xiaoyao changes as she experiences different things . At the end she loves and chooses Tu shanjing. Finally, she’s truly happy . This is her happy ending and it’s simply not because she ends up with jing but it’s xiaoyao finally gets to live a life that belong to xiaoyao . For audiences you might be sad or happy despite the character you’re emphasizes with and that has nothing to do with xiaoyao. In the end, Xiaoyao choosing the person and life that allow her to feel genuinely safe and happy matters more than whether the audience’s favorite character “won.” xiaoyao is the definition of the strong female lead in my opinion who has every reason to consume by revenge, politics and family obligations instead she chooses to have a peaceful life where she can choose for herself .

I miss them both so much. The chemistry between them was incredible, and both characters were so charming.

Sheng Yi is such a frustrating character but she’s also one of the most realistic portrayal of women in that time. But fr, she’s testing my patience.

Just started this and excellent use of lighting right at the beginning. None of those they only have one candle but the room is brighter than my future, haha. Love the ambient glow and use of colors.

I loved seeing the main leads together again after so long since Go Go Squid. I was pretty young when I first watched it, and it was one of my earliest dramas, so I remember adoring this couple back then. Watching them now feels so nostalgic, especially since their chemistry is still as strong as ever. They’re incredible actors who feel like completely different characters in this drama. The focus on women’s empowerment is inspiring, though also heartbreaking at times, especially when portraying their early struggles. It’s a sobering reminder that these challenges still exist for women today, making it even harder to imagine what women in the past endured. It’s such an enjoyable eye candy drama, and I’m contemplating whether to watch season 2 xD.