Eleison

Point taken! 😆

My guess would be protecting those dear to him?

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking, too. It seems naive of him to think XQA would help him. And you'd think the sorcerer would realize XQA is no pawn (after how closely he's observed him all this time!). Easier to herd cats than control XQA! 😅

So, basically, daddy dearest saved him? 😅 But didn't Dad also kill a bunch of people to help him move up in rank so he could erase everyone's memories? I doubt XQA will go for that sort of help. Unless I misinterpreted that part, which is very possible.

There are bad schools in the U.S., obviously, but this sort of stuff (at this level) is not normal in the U.S., either, unless maybe it's a super, super rough area. Charters are a good option! Still free like district public schools, but usually smaller, have better discipline and such, so students get away with less.

Preach! 😅

So many people demand Kdramas (especially romances) become something "other"--but then they wouldn't be Kdramas, folks!

And some of those dramas you're listing are NETFLIX dramas which DO experiment with tropes. They take the template from the Kdrama then try to "Netflix" it, and some people prefer those kinds of "dramas" and some prefer the traditional more "gimmicky" ones (I'm one of those). @Ivy is right, Kdramas are beloved for these very reasons you list, and changing them makes them something else entirely.

Yeah! The worst chemistry/connection I've seen in a Cdrama up to this point.

These were the answers I needed. 😂 Thank you!

While I enjoyed this greatly, I have more questions after watching Episode 40 than I had throughout the whole series combined. 😅

*sigh*

I guess I won't get them answered anytime soon!

My main question: is everything Xi An did meaningless due to how it ended (besides all the people he personally affected in small ways, as shown in the last 20 minutes)? I couldn't belp but wonder, and I have no idea what the guy we meet at the end was trying to do. It's all a muddle for me. 😅

I thought for sure there's no way this drama (once/if they do a Season 2) could have a sad ending, but after watching the last 5 or 6 episodes of this, now I'm not so sure... the show really took a pivot from lighthearted comedy to heartbreaking and heavy. Phew. Honestly, the ending felt reminiscent of JoL Season 1. Overall it definitely has a lot of similarities, but this is much sillier and lighthearted overall until the last 5 episodes and then, "Wham!" It makes JoL feel fluffy. 😅

That said, loved Wei, all the Guardians, Lin'an, the Xu family, Cai Wei and Song Qing, Shenshu, and the "phone" friends of XQA.

P.S. Also, loved the "Avengers Assemble!" moment there at the end. Pretty sweet.

A good assessment! It's so unrealistic it's almost laughable. But it can be enjoyed on it's own terms, because in these sorts of dramas the MLs do almost always grow in some capacity and that at least redeems it somewhat. But definitely not for everyone!

Princess Hours, King2Hearts, Secret Garden and any Boys Over Flowers adaptation are the shows that immediately come to mind. Not many shows with toxic male leads anymore. 😂 Probably a good thing. 😉 That said, I enjoyed all of the above, even if I know they are not promoting healthy romantic interactions. 😂

I suppose you're right, but it never really came through clearly, and he bounced back so quickly (as opposed to his wound in Season 2), but maybe it was the subtitles and translation that weren't clear. Sometimes the Chinese dramas really don't translate properly and I am so lost. 😅 It must be harder to translate into English than Korean. 🤷‍♀️

I thought the romance and their chemistry improved as the show progressed, but I don't feel like I ever saw the transition from two schemers misunderstanding each other and building their interactions on lies to lovers that trust and truly know each other. It just kind of happened. But they're cute together once they're clearly smitten. 😉

Exactly!

Was it not available anywhere else (legally streamed) besides Netflix (asking from the U.S.)?

They also forgot Xinnian! He went to the wrong house, still thought XQA was dead AND they didn't have a bedroom for him at the new house. 😂😂😂 And then when XQA thought Xinnian was giving him the cold shoulder Xinnian just said, "I'm glad you're alive." (Awwww) 🥹

And the Little One squeaks as much as she talks and it's ADORABLE. Dylan Wang must have built some rapport with her because she seems to genuinely like him. Most kids can't fake familiarity at that age. 😅 Needless to say, she was squeezably cute.

It's also not romantic at all; when guys have multiple partners they have romantic connections with they just feel like creeps. 😅

This is something I'm grateful to censorship for. I'd never watch this drama if Qi An had a harem. 😅

MAYBE if they were painted as political marriages done out of duty or something and they didn't try to make it romantic, but if they tried to make him "love" all of them in "unique" ways. Nope, nope.

Nice, thank you! I mean, originally I wondered if the arm wasn't evil because the more I watch the more I see them emperor is not the greatest human, and it seemed like the arm was unfairly imprisoned, since Qi An kept hearing "Help!" at the Lake when no one else heard anything. I feel better now.

Yeah, cause he did terrible things when he merged with Heng Hui. But thank you! That calms some of my fears. :)