Alysha Johnson

I watch Rise of Ning, but really speed forward most of it tbh. I found a youtube clips with just scenes of Cisha and Renmin and watch that. I'm watching their clips on Youtube short everyday now. I'm so obsessed. I already reread the novel for the 3rd time, their part only ofc.

I’m so surprised some people here find GJZ and Sanye liking each other too sudden. They literally has spark on their very first meeting. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him and he kept looking at her when her cousin drag her off. They literally has chemistry from the beginning. First - Sanye save her from drowning. From his POV frankly she should have die because she witness one of his biggest crime (murdering a prince). But he freaking save her. Secondly, he indulged her when she used him to scare off her dad. He literally has a soft spot for her from the beginning. And then the back and forth mind game they have with her sending letters out assuming him to intercept. This already establish they are on the same mental wavelength despite being very different people. Sanye was lowkey jealous when she send gifts to congratulate CXQ and his brother passing the exams. He literally told his friend/ advisor early on that seeing her so wary of being misunderstood makes his heart ache. Whenever he look at her he always have an amuse/ intrigue face. All of that happened before his realization of his feelings in episode 9. And in the same episode she realized he have save her so many times. It makes her ponder but she didn’t indulge in the feelings because they have a big social gap, and by then she already experience the disappointment with CXQ so she not as naive anymore. I think with these two, their feelings are like ice berg under the sea. With GJZ never actually allowing herself to realize it. Instead she just accept the fact that this powerful person just somehow is very caring and considerate of her because he is just THAT nice. So nice he fall off a cliff with her just because. Like girl come
on.

I finish this two weeks ago and I’m still so obsessed with GJZ and Sanye. I’ve rewatch the series and reread the novel. I need an intervention.

15 and he’s late 20s or 30. There’s a 3 years time jump so she’s 18-19 and he’s maybe 32-33?

frankly yes and no. I read the novel after watching the drama and couldn't get over the two leads. So I speed run the novel to get the gist of what's going on. I really read it more carefully after the two leads got marry. But this is coming from a person who generally don't like to read so take it as you may. I think the drama is better than the novel, when it come to a lot of the family and political conflicts. Drama merge several storyline together and build a better foundation for the main two leads. In the novel the leads learn to love each other after they got marry, but a lot of that is from the lead's own thinking and you can't really make a drama with just voice over. A lot of their interactions in the novel can't really go on screen if you know what I mean. So I understand the change. Also the novel carry more of the patriarchal context and the ages of the leads really make me uncomfortable when I read it, especially when it talks about how the ML met her when she was younger. The drama make the FL older and the ML younger so it easier to stomach.

to be frank I skipped a lot while reading the novel. But regarding her brother the gist I got was that she blamed her stepmom for leading her brother down the wrong road. Her brother is much younger than her. So when she return, he is barely 10-11. This time she determined to get involved way earlier so he would not turn out that way.

The novel is about rebirth. In her first life, the FL did not care or remember ML at all. In her second life, because she knew they would get marry, she pay attention to him and notice how handsome/ attractive he is. It's also when she realize that this man has always been protective and caring to her in her first but she just didn't notice. When they first got marry, she decide she own him to at least have an open mind. Eventually she really fell in love with him and realize she cannot live without him. She said to herself, it's really hard NOT to fall for him.

mydramanovel, you can also just google the show name + Novel

that's the least icky thing about him.

The last 5 episodes were too rushed but the slow burn romance was done right. I felt so discontent that I start reading the novel. I would say there’s a lot of sexy time in the novel that couldn’t make it to the screen but a lot of the cute time on the screen wasn’t in the novel. I’m content now and will rewatch this again. The chemistry is off the chart. I’m not a fan of age gap but these two pull it off so well. This drama was not on my radar neither are these two leads but I saw short videos of them on my YouTube. At first I did not like the ML look because he just look too old. But as I watch the series he looks just right. Not old, not young, but mature and sexy but not sleazy. Yes maturity is very sexy. Im glad to know the two leads are only 2 years apart in real life. The two energies are like yin and yang. Beside their looks their demeanors are so fitting. I especially love how the actress play the FL. She has that unrestrained spunk but not stupid. She has a firecracker personality and spark but know when to show restrain. I especially love her facial mannerism. How she can be childish/ bratty to the ML after marriage but also emotional and supportive. ML is almost too perfect 😂 so I’m glad he had a jealous arc. If he didn’t I would feel a bit discontent. I like when ML is a little jealous as long as they not toxic about it. I also like the 2nd ML. Is he a red flag? Yes. But as a character I like him. He’s the yin to our ML yang. I really like his relationship to both leads, how he support ML in his scheme, how even in his brattiest moment when the ML call him out during important time, he put aside his jealousy and he listen. His “domestic violence” tendency is a no-no though so I’m glad he didn’t get the girl. You can’t be violent and get the girl no matter how cute you are. But as a character I like what he added to the story. The politics are decent enough to create momentum to push things forward but not too draggy and too twisted to understand. I also like how they changed the stepsister story, and give her a growth arc. In the novel she was just too one dimensional. I’m glad the two sisters have each other back in the end. Overall I feel this is the “lite” version to Ming Lan, but I love the ML here more than ML simply because I like the actor here more.

Actually I understand why they gloss over him being a widow part because usually audience don’t like when the ML already have had partners. But because of the big age gap and historical set up they have to say he’s a “widow”. Otherwise it would make no sense for him to not get marry by 30. It’s actually a negative social point for the men to be too old (never married), because it implied there’s something wrong with the man. In the drama, they glossed over it because they want the audience to conveniently forget. ML only married his ex wife for two years before she passed. And he didn’t want to get “remarry” is conveniently implied as him not seeing anyone else fitted to marry until our FL. But to satisfy your curiosity the novel did address the ex wife a little bit, and has a side story on his life with the ex wife. She’s one year younger and it was an arranged married when he was 16 and she was 15. He don’t have any feeling for her but they were cordial. She even gifted him 3 concubines and he didn’t like that because he didn’t like the temperament of any of them. In the novel they were married for 10 years. He “mourn” for her for 2 years because it’s socially required to mourn for your wife for at least a year. In the novel he did it for 2 years so his mom could back off trying to get him remarry too soon. And he wasn’t interested in romance or women. He found them burdensome. In the novel the nephew is actually his own son. In the novel FL had a rebirth. In her first life when he found out he wasn’t outright mad, but understood her and even try to win her affection. He was patient and give her space, very protective of her but she didn’t care for him. He put a lot of effort in throwing a lantern festival at home because he thought she love festivities (although he prefer quiet) but realized she still love her son. During the festival her son create a flowing river of paper lantern for his wife, the our FL picked up one to keep for herself. ML saw the lantern on her desk, wet and dirty, and realized his whole effort didn’t even amount to one dirty lantern. So he gave up trying to win her over. In her second life, she was way more affectionate and love the ML when he found out. And they had angry make up sex then she told him everything from her perspective. He understand her and sent the son away. He sometimes was jealous when he saw the son/nephew around her. But she called him out saying she felt the same way about his ex wife, how he lived with her and what he did with her. He was glad she’s just as jealous as he is. So he told her about his past and they both got over it.

I do agree with you that with Jin Zhao personality she would not choose someone who repeatedly physically harm her. But I feel that it goes farther than that. I wonder or rather I feel that even if he wasn’t so violent and immature she wouldn’t have chosen him. I don’t know how to describe it. I agree people who are alike can heal each other but I don’t think it’s the case for them both. No matter what they give me the platonic soulmate vibe. I think that despite caring for him I don’t think she can ever love him romantically. It’s just how I see the two of them.

I find it so ironically funny that in typical Cdrama that it’s the women in the in law family that give FL a hard time. But in this drama it’s the men. They are all green eyed losers. How the hell Third Lord even grew up so fine surrounding by all that? And the nephew subplot is so stupid. They didn’t build up enough reason for him to be acting like this. I heard in the novel he and FL are much more involved.

For the upcoming episode I can relate to both FL and ML. They are both so stubborn and think they are right (which I think is realistically relatable because that’s how couples are in real life). Jin Zhao think she did nothing wrong because the nephew is so insignificant to her she didn’t think it’s worth it to tell Third Lord. But third lord is probably very jealous against his better judgement. He’s a very logical guy. I can really relate to him. But even the most logical person has a storm of emotions their logics cannot control. And instead of staying and losing control by saying or doing anything we might regret, we remove ourself from the situation momentarily so that our feeling can have space to vent and subside before our logics reign in again.

I think this nephew issues (on an emotional aspect) is difficult to digest for them both. For Jin Zhao she thought even if she say nothing, third lord must have understand she feel nothing for the nephew now. And that she love him dearly. So she find it ridiculous why third lord even feel angry at her, and she probably feel it beneath her to explain something so insignificant. For the third lord, this issue is MORE than what Jin Zhao can explain away. He has full trust that she love him and this is just the past, but he’s being hit twice in the face regardless. First unlike Ye Xian, he is absolutely blind sighted by the nephew. Second, emotionally he must have felt really jealous as well as regrets. He was married before, so he has no right to be mad at Jin Zhao. But Jin Zhao is the first person he love and he thought she is his as well. Now to find out that she love someone before him, and to have put effort to chase that person, something even he didn’t receive, I can’t blame him for being jealous. And he also know it’s illogical to be jealous - but he can’t help feeling so, and he also know he can’t take it out on her, but the jealousy probably it’s overwhelming so all he can do is to have some space.

I think this is one of those things that ultimately will blow over, but in the moment the emotions are very charged despite both knowing it’s not that serious. It’s just my personal opinion. As a calm outsider I think it’s easy for us as audience to know exactly what each character should do. But if I step inside their mind, and have their personality and feel their emotions I can understand why they both lash out against their better judgement.

That lady is from Mu family, probably the mom. 3+ years ago, the eldest son Mu something met Lan at the gathering at the Chen house where they all did the riddle. He fall for her and propose marriage but she didn't like him because he was ugly. And then she spiraled and scheme which led to all the heartache later on. At the time, Mu family went to the ML's mother to ask about Lan, but didn't want her because she's born of a concubine and ask for Jin Zhao instead. Chen mom discuss with Chen Yen Yan about this and he was visibly annoyed. I think his annoyance was what led the Mu to propose marriage to Lan, but not Jin Zhao. This was when he started to notice how he feel about Jin Zhao. Mu family will propose again now that Jin Zhao has higher position. So Lan although a concubine daughter is much more valuable than before. And the Mu guy still pine for Lan.

I don’t quite understand what you mean by “talking him down”. Do you mean she trying to calm him down or do you mean she’s talking down to him?

Secondly I think she didn’t tell him about his violence because it’s not the primary reason. At the core they are incompatible. So it’s unnecessary for her to bring it up. She don’t want him to think that if he wasn’t violent she would have chose him. I think Jin Zhao care deeply about Ye Xian like he’s her flesh and blood. And her explanation make sense. And despite him being violent and put a sword to her neck, she’s not afraid of him. She step toward the sword because she knows he won’t hurt her. Their relationship and intensity is platonic. But it’s not nothing. Even if he’s not violent I don’t think she would have chose him. Like she said they are too alike. They need partner who can heal them, not partner that allow each other to wallow in their own self pity.

In such conversations I think it was wise Jin Zhao chose to focus on what really matters the most, and not air out everything Ye Xian did wrong. He’s a flawed person, but not a bad person. Jin Zhao knows that so continues to keep him by her side. He’s like a wild cat that bite and scratch people who just trying to help.

Not all men are evil. But obviously if we going to have romance story, the man in it must be of exceptional quality and above the rest for the character to be worth fawning over. I don’t think audience knowing the history or not matter. What matter is the storytelling. And audience can and do always prefer to suspend reality because it’s reality that they are escaping while watching a show like this.

Men who are product of their time, whether historical or modern, isn't worth making and watching in a romance production ever. So no need to make one like that. The demand isn't there. This is romance. It's entertainment, not documentary.

Found this last night and just finished binging.

I really love how they ended Ye Xian's loveline in episode 28. I think it's the best I've seen in a while. This Ye Xian character and storyline is quite interesting to me. And I really appreciated the dialogue Jin Zhao had with him in episode 28. It shows a lot of maturity and mutual respect, to each other, but also to us audience too. It's quite obvious that the two of them share a special bond. Although Jin Zhao don't owe Ye Xian an explanation, she owed it herself to speak her truth. Why despite everything, Ye Xian is not the man she choose. But although he's not the romantic interest, it doesn't mean she can't ache for him and the end of their relationship, nor does it mean Ye Xian doesn't deserve closure. The both of them did. And us audience too. I thought that scene is so well done. Ye Xian is what I would call the platonic soulmate. They gravitated toward each other due to trauma, but trauma is NOT love. I appreciated how the drama made it clear.

Another thing I like about this Ye Xian's character is that he acts as the Yin to ML's Yang. He's fire while ML is ice. He's the erupting volcano, while ML is undercurrent in deep water. Both disruptive, changing force, but in direct opposite way. Ye Xian is impulsive, explosive, and ML is calculative, protective. They are two very different men, with different kind of love. But what matter is they are both sincere toward the FL. They are those who love explosive all consuming love like Ye Xian, then there are those who love the calm, gentle love like Chen Yan Yun. The contrast make the story very interesting and dynamic to watch. And it's the best when they put their smart together and work with the FL. The main couple love line is so slow burn, and yet I was not impatient at all due to Ye Xian.

I was surprised at why MZY looks "guilty" toward the FL instead of being mad. If I was MZY I would have been mad after the revelation. I think that even from his perspective, he knew that trying to break into the demon world was wrong, like breaking into someone's house? And if FL is the demon, and he's the demon hunter, he's more in the wrong for lying to her? If ML doesn't have the tragic background, I think he is in the wrong. But because he did, I thought it should have been equal.

Personally, I think FL shouldn't have been so angry with ML. I don't think he deserve it. Both lied to each other, they both responsible. From FL perspective, I think she felt like his "hiding" was an attack toward her. From ML perspective, I wonder how he truly feel about FL being a demon? I think for him, he have had 2-3 episodes to process the idea that she might be, but for FL it all came too sudden while both her friend and her world were being ATTACK at the same time? For ML even when he found out about her being a demon, nothing was really harming him. Instead it was his friends that attack their city.

I truly don't think I can take either side here although I really love the FL. It's really not right for only ML to feel guilty here. They are both responsible. Although I understand FL have the responsibility of taking care of her people. She didn't know about his past, and now suddenly she feel guilty for harboring what killed his parents. I truly think they both really nice people that love each other a lot and just need some healing. In a sense, the FL already died when she was a child, so she feel extra responsible for the demons as to repay her second at life? And the ML is still chasing toward the injustice of his parent's death.

BTW, I don't really feel annoy with SML because I skipped all his scenes and I still understand what's going on.

Okay I'm kinda loving the intensity of the second half and the identity misunderstanding here. I love how they have built up the relationship to have each other's character and inner strength as the "foundation" and not their supposedly "identity".
I am most excited to see the ML's reaction as he will be the one most tortured by the revelation due to his misguided vengeance. And the FL has been way too naive. I don't believe they can just "talk" because I don't think this ML would have accept her and see her character before her identity if she had revealed it sooner. He does seem quite a stubborn and steadfast person. So I can't wait to see how the series depict his change. Please don't disappoint me.

As for people focusing on the FL's going out at night, and ML not saying anything, I don't think ML really care about her "behavior" as so far he's more concern if there's insidious secret lying underneath. This ML is not dumb, nor he's someone who focus on normal conventions. He knew she was always acting out but knew she has a righteous heart, so he's not worry she's out there cheating or behaving "inappropriately". To him that's surface level. AND he also smart enough to know that the SML "Shu" is purposely antagonizing because if it was worth anything, she could have picked Shu, not him. He knew it was about Shu vs Him, not his wife. He's more worried about her "secret" that it's not something as shallow as having an affair. ML is a smart person so give him some credit. But even smart person can be blind-sided by love.