Michelle Topham

Oh interesting. I did not know that but it makes sense. Thanks for the info :)

I work around 15 hours a day, 7 days a week and, let's just say, my work has suffered over the last three days. LOL

And it's crazy addictive, isn't it? I rarely become this obsessed with a C-drama, but this grabbed me from the opening scenes with the lantern and the ML striding towards her :)

Yep, Exactly. I'm originally British, and that has been the case in Britain for most of our history.

And I think that's been the case throughout most of the world for most of humanity. It's only in the last 200 and odd years or so, during and after the Industrial Revolution, that people have started to admire those who make huge amounts of money off their own work, and have disdain for people who live off their family's money while not contributing much.

BTW, I have no problem with people who grow up wealthy if, when they become an adult, they work hard and contribute to society just like the rest of us. Some do, and some don't.

Yep. I've watched all 28 episodes in the last 3 days. Regretting it slightly as the other drama I'm watching is nowhere near as good :)

I always realize I wouldn't be that attracted to most Chinese male leads in real life (well, I've seen a couple and I wasn't :) when I watch them in BTS videos without the robes.

I like my men well-built and with some muscle (Chi Sha looked perfect bare-chested :) . And then you watch Liu Xue Yi (another skinny one), tall and all muscular and heft in his flowing robes, and then he gets on his horse and his legs are like matchsticks :) (And no, not "body shaming" anyone, I just think it's cute and funny but, for me, not remotely sexy :)

1,000 percent :)

So funny too, as the Gu Grandmother's high and mighty-ness belies the fact that her family is broke while Gu Jing Zhao has more money than almost anyone else in the capital :)

But, according to them, GJZ is "lower" than them. You know, lower than the people who steal other people's dowries, don't pay back loans and then lie about it. Those people :)

Hahaha, me neither :)

Was it before her mother died? I couldn't remember.

I did think it was interesting showing the Gu grandmother and aunts getting the wrong end of the stick when it comes to Chen Yan Yun possibly "calling off the wedding" because of idiot Ye Xian the night before.

Shows none of them understand anything about men, as any man who has managed to get a woman who has been pursued by other men and turned them down in order to marry HIM is the HAPPIEST and PROUDEST man alive. :) And Chen Yan Yun definitely is that.

Apparently, my mother was very popular when she was young (she was blonde, thin and gorgeous), and my father went to all kinds of lengths to woo her away from other men.

Even bought her a string of pearls on his working-class salary because he thought she was going to break up with him (my mother wanted to keep the pearls but still break up with him, and my grandmother said "Absolutely NOT. You return those pearls if you're breaking up with him". So she kept the pearls. And him :)

They've now been very happily married for 65 years - hahahahaha. And my Dad is still proud that he "won her" over all the other men :)

Men love to chase and they love to win. The granny and the aunties should probably have learned that :)

I think a lot of people who talk about Chinese actors being "too thin" (and many of them are actually underweight for their height - men and women) don't realize that not only does the camera add the proverbial 10lbs, but many of the costumes they wear are three, four and five layers thick. If they were heavier along with all that fabric they're carrying around, many of them would look too chunky on screen.

Just look at the older actors, most of whom look quite heavy on screen when, in real life when you see them, they're average sized. Those costumes and camera really do add heft :)

Hahahaha, I know. That pathetic look on his face as he's sitting there feeling sorry for himself over a woman who hasn't given him the time of day in about a year made me want to smack that look right off him :)

Don't forget too, she'd just had a sword held to her throat right after he'd smashed her room and pushed her relatives around. I'd be a bit emotional if that happened as well :)

EDIT: And she's crying because she feels sorry for him. You don't have to be in love with someone to cry over them.

He's another one who all he thinks about is "me, me, me". Meanwhile, he has left his actual fiancée hanging while he wanders off somewhere else for six months, and then when he hears JZ is getting married, tries to dissuade her from doing so as that's obviously what that letter was about.

Unfortunately for him, she has already realized her feelings for him weren't love but only a crush, whereas what she feels for CYY is definitely love. I have a feeling HE is about to get his ass kicked by CYY next as well. :)

She doesn't like him. Never has. She explains this when she talks to him in Episode 27.

I've always thought it was strange that women seem to have the reputation for being the most distraught and devastated when it comes to not being chosen by the person they loved. In my experience, it has always been the men I've known who have taken it the worst, and I think that's partly because they're taught to hide their feelings whereas women generally talk about theirs to friends, family etc.

That this is the case in this drama with several men IMO, is very true to life, and nicely done by the author and the screenwriter.

He's incredibly well-written, as is just about every other character in this, and also beautifully acted by Winwin. I've never thought he was much of an actor before this (only seen him in a few scenes in dramas I've scanned), but he's outdone himself here.

Have not watched a drama since The Prisoner of Beauty and A Dream Within a Dream where I have not been bored for one second. Love, love, love this.

Just watched Episode 27, and what a lovely episode. Especially how she handled "the letter" :) Now on to the wedding :)

Sadly, for some of us, that will mean it's a no watch. I have a cut off nowadays at 34-38 as, with how busy my life is, I just don't have time to watch 4-6 dramas a week that are over that amount. (might have just squeezed it in at 40 as it looks amazing, but 42, no, just don't have time)

Hopefully it hasn't been dragged out to more episodes just to earn more advertising revenue, which was the problem when the NRTA first capped dramas at 40 episodes.

A shame for me, as I was looking forward to this, but it's one that will go on the backburner as a "maybe someday if my life ever slows down" :)

EDIT: Oh and I did read a statistic about Chinese viewers recently that showed only 20% of Chinese drama viewers actually finish a series ( a surprisingly low number, would have thought it would be higher), with 50% of viewers stopping watching after the 5th episode. The reason? a) they just don't like the drama b) it's just too long with stretched out dialogue and flashbacks just to make it longer.

This is the article btw -- https://finance.sina.com.cn/tob/2025-04-29/doc-ineuuwac5921036.shtml
run it thru Google Translate, but it's a shame, as directors, cast, staff, crew put so much effort into their dramas only to have such a small percentage of people actually watch beyond Episode 5.

The same English title as the drama. The Japanese title is 'Koi wa Tsuzuku yo doko made mo' or (恋はつづくよどこまでも.

It's very good! Even better than the drama, IMO.