moonandsunrise 39

This might be a little shallow, but I really don’t like it whenever Luke calls Flora “stupid.” 😭 I know some of them are probably just jokes, and that’s just how blunt and harsh he can be sometimes, but it’s not nice and it really bothers me

I will watch this for sure.
Xu Ruohan is someone I admire. She is elegance and kindness personified. I like her acting, not overacting but not bland also, just natural. Her kisses, as a bonus point also in her dramas are always on point and not awkward. She has this natural elegance and earthy vibes that I like so much.
Cheng Lei is one of the actors that has good acting skills. Real acting skills. He shows depth in his characters. His presence on screen is strong.
Both leads do not have a lot of fans compared with other popular actors/actress in China. But their projects always speak for themselves. Also, it is so fun that both of them have background related to arts. Animation design for Xu Ruohan and of course architectural design for Cheng Lei.
With both of them as cast, I am expecting a lot. It is hard to like Republican-era dramas, but with this two main lead, I am on board.

I also don’t think Luke is a playboy, and I don’t think the story is trying to portray him as one. From what we've been shown, when he has a girlfriend, he is exclusive. The issue isn't fidelity. The issue is the depth of commitment he is willing to give to a relationship.
There’s a difference between being exclusive and being fully emotionally committed.
Luke can date one woman at a time, be faithful to her, enjoy her company, and treat her well while still approaching relationships casually. He doesn't necessarily enter them thinking, This is the person I want to build my life around. And that distinction matters because in the beginning, he himself tells Flora that he isn't looking for a relationship.
So from Flora's perspective, why should she assume that she will somehow be different?
We as viewers can already see that she is different to him. 😂 He wants her around. He wants her in his space. He's jealous even when he won't admit it. He's gradually behaving less like a man in a casual arrangement and more like a boyfriend.
But we have information Flora doesn't have. She can't hear his thoughts. And Luke hasn't necessarily articulated, “What I told you before no longer applies. I want something serious with you.”

I think people are overlooking the power imbalance between FL and ML, especially at this point in the story.
Flora is new. She’s a young employee just starting her career, still trying to prove that she even belongs in that company. Luke, on the other hand, is already established, respected, professionally powerful, and—most importantly—her superior. In the novel, this imbalance is even more pronounced: from the beginning, Luan Nian doubts whether she belongs there at all, while Flora enters the company feeling that she was simply lucky to have been hired.
So when people say, “But Luke obviously wants her! Why won’t she just admit they’re together?” I think we're looking at it from Luke’s position rather than Flora’s.
Luke has far less to lose. Flora has everything to lose.
She’s the newcomer. She has no established reputation yet. If people discover she's involved with her boss, how easily could everything she accomplishes afterward be attributed to him? A promotion? Because she's sleeping with Luke. A good assignment? Luke gave it to her. Special treatment? Of course—she's his girlfriend.
And Flora desperately wants to know that whatever she achieves, she earned it herself.
That becomes one of the most important parts of her character in the novel. She eventually becomes determined to have her own professional standing, her own home, and her own independence because she wants to love Luan Nian as an equal, not from a position where his power or money makes his love feel like charity.
So yes, her rules can look ridiculous from the outside. 😂 “We can sleep together, but I'm sleeping in the guest room.” “We're dating secretly, but nobody can know.” Girl, please.
But underneath all that contradiction is actually a very consistent fear:
She doesn't want being “Luke's woman” to become her identity before Flora has even had the chance to establish who Flora is.
And remember—Luke was the one who initially said he wasn't looking for a relationship. She listened to him. Now he's behaving more and more like a boyfriend, and we as viewers can clearly see that this man is gone for her 😂, but Flora is still protecting herself according to the terms and power dynamics that existed when this started.
If Luke has changed his mind, that's wonderful. But Flora shouldn't have to infer a life-changing change in his intentions from lingering looks, jealousy, sneaky kisses, or him wanting her to stay in his bed. He needs to tell her.
That's why I don't see this as “Flora keeps rejecting a man who obviously wants to love her.”
I see it as a very inexperienced young woman, at the bottom of the professional hierarchy, falling for a much more established man who is also her boss, after that same man already told her he wasn't looking for a relationship.
Of course she's scared.
Of course she's putting up walls.
And yes, sometimes those walls are irrational and frustrating. But that's very different from them being inexplicable.
Plus, drama Luke has been significantly softened compared with novel Luan Nian. If you soften the powerful male lead but retain the female lead's caution and defenses from the original story, naturally the audience starts asking, “What is HER problem?” The original dynamic gives those defenses much more context.
For me, Flora isn't playing games with Luke. She's attracted to a man who holds considerably more power than she does, while trying desperately not to lose herself—or her career—inside that attraction.
And that's precisely why her insistence on boundaries makes sense to me, even when the boundaries themselves make me want to yell at the screen. 😂

This drama is not for everyone. Because this is a slow-burn and healing drama. Like a day to day feeling.
But for me, I really love this drama. Whenever I feel occupied, I just go back to this drama. Something about this drama makes me want to come back again. Also, I really like the chemistry of the main leads.

Xu Ruohan will always be one of my favorite Cdrama actress with Lu Yu Xiao. Ruohan does not exaggerate her acting. She probably needs a stronger character to have a breakthrough though. But for me, I like her.
Her acting even in the movie Almost Love, is moving. I can feel her elegance also.

Zhang Linghe's acting here is good. I feel like his expression here is better than any of his drama, even better than Pursuit of Jade that is also a hit.

I really like this. Probably gonna rewatch again another time.

I think in the novel, he is 22-24 years old, but I think it's 24. In this drama, Lu Si Cheng is like 26-28.
In the novel, Tong Yao is supposed to be 19 years old. But in this drama, she's 22.
So I guess they changed their age so that it will be culturally accepted? Because there are lots of kisses and steamy scenes in the novel. I'm sure that they are going to keep the kissing scenes because the drama trailers showed it. But the other steamy scenes, I'm sure they will not. Otherwise, their fans especially Xu Kai's will wage war! Kidding! 😁

How did she get an injury? I have read the novel up to the translated chapters which is 169. I am assuming that her injury will be somewhere between 170 to 180? This is sad. Will her injury be healed for a short time? Thank you so much.