Blue Orchid Blossom

That would actually be a hella awesome plot twist

You’re on spot about the novel, it’s sick to the point where you’re unsettled in the scenes where the leads consider it to be normal. It was a very unpleasant feeling but I can see why you’d want to see it on screen.

A drama that captures this essence of the novel is the story of kunning palace to me. reading the novel made me realize how twisted they are but made for each other in a sick way and the drama adds to this feeling if you’ve read the novel

Unstable and toxic is an apt way to put it. They both hold a lot of trauma that only they understand, to the point they are bonded but it’s awfully toxic. everything that happened to them messed them up so bad in the novel. The FL in the novel would look like any other accomplished woman but she’s genuinely putting up a front which she doesn’t seem to realize either. Her guards are way up, she is unstable but you can only see it in the cracks of few scenes. The ML is absolutely outright toxic, he’s crazy but is more affected. They both are losing it, gravitating towards each other because only they look at each other’s awfully repulsive sides as normal

It’s worse than that, I know crying won’t make ML take her back but the novel is truly worse than that. Did you read the entire novel?

The drama ML is more like tanghulu lol, he’s still tough but totally sweet in and out, either way. the novel ML is crazy, I don’t know how else to put it. If I saw any of those traits in the drama, would’ve dropped this like a hot pan. FL in the novel is crazy too but she masks it well in front of others. novel was sickening reality but that’s not what I’m watching the drama for

There’s no way any of the novel ML’s unhinged scenes would be accepted in a main stream cdrama nor will it pass the censorship

True, the novel ML and drama ML are not the same Chen Yi to me. I’m so glad the drama made it so much better

He’s too brazen in the book, to the point it’s unpleasant to read

Literally, I’m so grateful for how the drama is until now because the novel made me sick. Unpleasantly raw realities with messed up characters

The novel FL was another level of unhinged under the mask of a normal office going girl. I don’t know if I’d call it having a backbone

The novel ML is not the drama ML at all. They are not the same Chen Yi to me, which is for the best. In ep 11, when FL goes in for a kiss during the thunderstorm, ML stops her which basically implies that he’s far more responsible than the novel ML who took the chance.

The novel ML basically took advantage of FL the moment she comes of age and abandons her with no explanation. I’m not implying there was no consent, they were two young adults being racy but the novel ML did her so dirty. he was also a huge flirt with other women, which he didn’t like the FL to see but would do some crazy things when FL’s not in the scene. He’s just sick in the head. they’re both sickening but FL hides it better

I know how abrupt the editing in ep 11 feels but this lowkey captures the style in which the novel was written in some ways. I could be wrong but I got this feeling when reading the novel and the same feeling when the scenes jumped from one to the other. this is miao jing’s pov. one night she’s hopeful about their future holding on to his promise, suddenly there’s an incident that leads to him sending her away with a huge change in his attitude, and going no contact. she’s shown in that dorm looking numb because there was no time to process all that, she knows nothing of what actually happened.

Also, in the present day parts of the novel, one of the reasons she’s back is to find out what Chen yi was doing and how he’s involved in what seems to be a huge underground mess. Novel Chen yi disappeared for 2 years after sending Miao Jing away to college. even his two close friends don’t know what happened apart from the fact that he came back with some suspicious amount of money, wanted to start over, and bought the billiards hall. So, everyone is in the dark about what actually happened. it’s just assumed that Chen yi drifted far from his original dreams and the life he wanted and a part of him at least wishes for Miao Jing to have a normal life faraway from the place that cost them so much. I wonder if drama will take the same route

I don’t know how to tell you expect for the fact that he’s sick in the head and too brazen for a ‘normal’ life. he’s a huge womanizer, basically brazen in all aspects. I genuinely wish I could erase most of the novel from my mind. miao jing in the novel is lowk crazy too but she hides it well in front of others. the characters in the novel are messed up because of the past and things that happened to them. it’s raw to the point you’d hate it.

The drama is so much better, I have dissociated the drama ML from the novel one. They’re not the same Chen Yi to me

Chen yi is so soft with Miao jing, I don’t think i can handle them being cold to each other in the present day scenes. (I’m throwing the novel away, the drama is top tier for me)

I just want their eyes to soften for each other, not hurt each other with words and actions. not the hurtful angst please, just not for them, they’ve been through a lot

Can I say this is the best first kiss I’ve seen? there’s no smoothening filter on their skin. the initiative, the kiss, breaking away and leaning on each other’s face. him hugging immediately after. Then asserting how much they mean to each other. They’re so vulnerable in that scene, exactly how I’d imagine a first kiss to be

I have that feeling too. Even if zhou said I’ll protect you both and we know things didn’t end well, what could’ve made zhou not protect Chen yi. I sense something bad happening to them, wen especially

That’s not a selfish ask at all 😭

In the novel, Chen yi was miao jing’s first in everything. literally everything. but in the drama, they are each other’s first kiss. so, it’s giving me hope. also, the novel is too brazen and novel Chen yi is a big red flag. drama Chen yi seems to be a huge huge green flag, hope they keep it that way

I think that watch is like loyalty for the boss he’s working for. Removing it seems to symbolize he’s putting miao jing and their future above the job he’s currently in. that’s why, in the end when he mentions that he wants to accompany his “sister” to Haicheng to his boss, the boss notices and asks why he’s not wearing the watch. it’s basically a trap where you get favored more so you can be the biggest scapegoat in the end

2-3 years is the age gap. 2 years if you go by the novel. FL is a student going to a studying focused hs, ML finished vocational high school and has been working money through clubs/ liquor sales/ gambles/ billiards. It’s implied that FL is growing how a common teen will grow albeit the struggles while ML has matured and settled into his “adult” role due to the lack of a guardian amongst them. The novel ML is awfully grey but drama ML is genuinely considering the FL as his family, FL looks at him as her home so is usually more naive with her guard down around him at this stage. Not always though, they go through drastic changes in their behavior