NoirRoex

He said he had it coming in the episode. But if you are going to watch episode 12, I’d rather not spoil it for you. There is more explanation there.

A part of me also believes Fanfan also wanted to get Luqing’s friends too. They always made fun of him and never wanted him around. They were kinda right about the not wanting him around part. They paid for that. lol.

According to the friends in that scene, more than that. They owed money (I think like a million)and the guy lost his father’s money.

It not about sex. It’s about his indifference to his sisters suffering and willingness to go after Xiaofan’s mother even though he knows Xiaofan loves her. But I suppose this is the point. Choose me over your mother. Here is your chance to break away. Lucky at that point Xiaofan’s mother makes it a bit easier telling Fanfan she understands.

I’m of the camp that Luqing’s sister didn’t love Luqing but was obsessed with the status of his name knowing she was a bastard. Hence the speech early on to Xiaofan, “you and I are not true Bei’s.” Luqing doesn’t try at any point to foster a sisterly bond. But I suppose that’s the point. Not even for family only for Fanfan.

The reason I pointed to the woman comment by the mother is that there is just as much disregard for their feelings from men as their feeling is for Fanfan. Fanfan is the only one respectful of their feelings as well. I was pointed to Luqing letting Xiaofan suffer while he did his machinations like the other men did with the other women. But honestly, I watched the last episode and it doesn’t matter.

It’s not the not pursuing the sister part. I’m not even in the camp that she was in love with her brother. She was jealous of him being a rightful Bei and any woman who married him would be a true Lady Bei. Maybe part of the reason she was so chill about the situation afterwards was that “Hah…no lady Bei here.”

My problem with Luqing is his sister is miserable and starved of love. She felt that she wasn’t a bastard, she would have been loved. Luqing is part of the people who did not love her. It’s consistent whether he has a secret agenda or not. But to use her when she truly tries to reconcile and tries to figure out feelings is another level. It’s gross.

Xiaofan loves his mother. Mother loves her son but did betray him at the start of the drama (she knew Xiaofan’s wife was pregnant, not the father). This comment was defending Xiaofan’s love for his mother up until I knew Xiaofan actively and intentionally chose that break. Doesn’t show that he planned it until episode 12.

Honestly, I gave up on Xiaofan in episode 12. It really was about the marriage not Luqing being messy. So I was just like, y’all deserve each other. Y’all both messy. lol.

Or this. Lol

Which one?

So for the first part. The brother was playing with a simulator. Meaning the brother was buying the stocks based off Luqing’s simulated stocks. If Luqing needs extra cash, you can get the brother to buy stock Luqing’s stocks at an inflated price just before they are about to be worthless. Luqing can afford to write him a check for the value he put in because he made more money off of the brother’s money putting in actual lucrative stock.

Same would apply to the ex. Except the ex is trying to bankrupt him with knowing what trades he wants to make and when. Luqing makes money shorts a stock by borrowing shares and selling them to other people. When the stock falls low, he buys them back and returns what he borrows. But if someone knows your position, they can heavily buy up the stock and drive up the price. If the price per stock increases, the broker needs assurance that Luqing can cover the new value of the borrowed stock with an influx of cash. If he can’t the broker has to liquidate assets to cover the costs. Meaning the tons of money he infused before is gone. (similar thing happened with GameStop and bigger trading companies with more complications though)

Ex didn’t know real positions. Fanfan did.

Yes.

I re-watched and realized I misinterpreted what the friend was joking about at the end. Luqing needs to keep his friend far away from Xiaofan cause he keeps making very bad and consequential jokes.

I’m literally on the fence about this ending. Luqing emotionally tortured Xiaofan for about 2 years trying to get his stuff together because he flat out refused to assure his partner this was for them. Xiaofan embarrassed Luqing and took a jab at his family name but still…

Also why does Luqing say he wanted him to stay married if he was determined to marry Xioafan. Even overseas, you’re supposed to be single before getting married.

Maybe the wrap up happened very quickly and in one episode so it was very fast compared to the rest of the drama. I might be okay with the ending.

Naw. That makes no sense. It literally means that if Xiaofan did nothing, the ending would have been the same. It’s like Indiana Jones all over again. The main character we watch does not give significant purpose in the ending. And if he really trusted Xiaofan, he would not have made him anxious for no reason. He punished Xiaofan for 7 episodes for his own sister exposing them to his mother. Get outta here.

What it was literally as simple as him getting married? The disrespect of EVERYONE was ok as long as they got married. What?!

I think it’s a few logics active at the same time.

1. The Bei name is toxic. It makes the half sister miserable. Make FanFan miserable. And the more Luqing indulges in the Bei power, the more Luqing gets further from the person Xiaofan liked.

2. You want to destroy the Lu name and think there is no reprisal. No. Bei’s get destroyed too.

3. Our names are our burden, not us (our true selves). Fanfan destroyed both. Now realizing that, is Luqing ready to live together without that burden? Or will he latch on and try to recover the Bei name and marry this woman.

One thing I find interesting is the Mom’s quote: My son is being treated as a woman. Yes, she means sexually and figuratively because he’s being kept. But I also think about how women are treated in this drama. Except Xiaofan, none of the men have any trouble destroying the lives of the sister and the mother. Like Luqing was ok with the idea of his sister having to suffer with a gay husband who likes her brother. Like yeah it was selfish. But…does Luqing hate women because of his mother? Like she separated him from his first love but how brutal was that woman? I’ll probably read the novel to find out after this finishes.

It’s his bully from school and the stock trader near his brother. Xiaofan stopped Luqing from beating him to death in school then carried him back to the school. I think they may have also been roommates.

One of the 3 bullies was his roommate from the dorm when he has to return. This is really just my leap but it may be all 3 bullies were his roommates. And Xiaofan once saved this particular roommate from Luqing going too far and beating him to death (or cripple). Full circle moment, he saved Xiaofan from Luqing going too far.

Yes. Surprise us with an immediate ending tomorrow! Eekk. I saw this episode leaked last week. But it was nice to see it proper. I love where the Mom could fully recognize what she did to Xiaofan and told him to live his life. (Clarifying in case anyone takes it out of the implied context I think most of us share: used Xiaofan assuming he was living a good life without consequences because the Bei’s had money)

Who would have thought the father of the Bei’s then his wife would have been the most respectful. I dunno.

1. Bei Father
2. Bei Sister
3. XF Mother
4. Luqing
5. XF Father
6. XF Brother

I don’t include XF sister and Bei mother cause they don’t really show up enough. They are more plot devices more than fully formed characters. I dunno, what do you guys think?

Also, guys I want to repeat, I think his wife is a girls girl. She was starving for love thought being a full Bei would have given it to her and didn’t have sexual feelings for her brother. That scene with the gun was purely to degrade Fan fan and Luqing because she wants them to feel as low as her. I don’t think that scene at the coffee bar would have been that respectful if she liked Luqing. When she tells Fanfan not to wait, she recognizes his feeling for Luqing and seems to be sympathetic. After all Fanfan had the power to force her to live a miserable charade life because her father gave him the option. I think she has a level of respect for Fanfan for blowing things up when he couldn’t quietly walk away. Also, Luqing is still a diabolical jerk for the way he treats Fanfan and his sister.

I am used to it in Thai BLs. I think there is a healthy ratio of Thai BLs where their first kiss is also their first night. Plenty where the day they confirm their feelings and have their first night. Jack and Ten seem to be moving really slow as far as pacing with their plot to me.

OMG. Today’s episode was so cute. They are both so adorable eek!

Let em COOK!!

Yes. But note there is toxicity and you have to pay careful attention. Binging might be helpful in keeping track of conversations about characters and their motivations.

Aww nah. I hated Ming til the end in that one. lol.

You mean I died and after death I STILL have to deal with your ass. It was okay but they literally used the Cdrama short trope. “I abused you but I fell in love with the wrong person. You were the person I fell in love with all those years ago for this random reason. Give me another chance.”

Ming didn’t directly kill him but ruined his dream. I’m petty. My hope is that in the fictional universe that is Ming he gets the “you ruined my dream now I’m in this other body” speech. I mean, dude, it was a nice body too! That was a LOT of work. lol.

I'm re-reading it and you say you don't back down from him being a prostitute but also say he's a side chick. So it feels like he's holding two statuses (in the comment) at the same time. I get that, cause it's a complicated story and the character developes, so one definition won't necessarily hold.

My problem with calling him a prostitute or side chick is that it is the same vein of logic ironically as degrading as Luqing tries to make their relationship. Xiaofan gets attached emotionally. I think that is part of the irritating rollercoaster with Xiaofan, in that he wonders from love to hating him to loving him since episode 6.

I think, I defined it as degrading when someone tries to make your relationship financial and without emotion when both parties know the premise of your relationship was that it was not. THAT is the betrayal.

Xiaofan wasn't having sex with Luqing when initially was doing nice things for him. Luqing does that on his own (the motivation behind it starts out kinda pervy on Luqings side). Xiaofan seems to have been holding out hope that maybe that person who took care of him before was emotionally still there. All Xiaofan got in return is escalations of Luqing (and his friends) treating him like a "prostitute" or "side-chick." Xiaofan's position is the equivalent of "look dude. My family was greedy before this relationship started and you wooed me. That does not mean you get to hang out with your ex and I don't get pissed. I bought into the degrading moment once (when he pulls his pants down) didn't like it and tried to leave. Now your coming for me and my family. You can't call me a greedy and force the circumstances (brother) in which I have to stay and be with you. You can't use the toxcity of the Bei name to crush the Lu name and think I'm gonna 'sit still and look pretty.'"

I don't think we are saying disimilar things about Luqing. But Xiaofan is fighting against that degrading status as openly as their power dynamic will allow. And we anticipate that Xiaofan has been moving in the shadows as well (get him Fan Fan!). I don't think the initial comment reflects that.

As for "you'll see that I never said that the drama specifically mentioned the shares thing..." I never said you or the drama says that either. In the very next sentence I say the drama implies it (which we both might be wrong about btw...I think Luqing literally says he's getting away from his mother and his ex implies Xiaofan can't protect himself against his mother in Episode 5). I agree with the crowd and say that the end of this episode implies that Luqing is trying to protect Xiaofan. But I also agree he is a more than terrible person and partner for the way he is doing it.

About the marriage. Luqing's marriage is supposed to help hide his relationship with Xiaofan. That's where that grossly arrogant pageboy conversation between Luqing's friend and Xiaofan comes into play. He says something like in ancient China, there was the position of pageboy who had a position at the King's side to hide the affair. In there era, they could be close in-law's who are both married. The King (Luqing) takes a wife and presides over the kingdom but still has his love affair with the pageboy.

I think the readers are saying that Luqing started out wanting to build a life for Xiaofan the way he knew how. Xiaofan let s it play until it becomes clear that he only knows how to really do that as a TYRANT if we continue the friend metaphor. And for me, that's where I want Fanfan to exit stage left. No happy ending for people who change so much that they want to treat you like a modern day side chick. But...since the writing seems to be layered and very human, they might just let Fanfan be with the walking black flag. Ugh...frustrating but still good writing.

I really need to stay off this board. I’ve written essays in college with less analysis. lol.

I feel like you might need to take a second look at some of the episodes because it’s easy to miss the context.

The drama doesn’t say in words that Luqing is trying to get away from his mother. It implies it by the historical context of the characters and conversations by side characters. The change happens when Xiaofan’s wife tells Luqing’s mother at breakfast that he is not living at the dorms. You can see panic flash across Luqing and Xiaofan’s face. The context is, she knows Luqing is gay and has brutally went after and broken up one of Luqing’s relationships before. Luqing immediately puts distance between himself and Xiaofan.

Prostitute? That’s callous. Most relationships can be classified as prostitution if you’re implying one partner being a provider makes the whole relationship customer and servicer. There are a myriad of forms of degradation in between that and a healthy relationship. Which is why Xiaofan is also acting the way he’s acting, he has ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in exploring the many ways of degradation from a man he did love and still has feelings for.

Is it degrading to sleep with someone so the family gets money? Yes. Is it prostitution. No. Is of the same vein as prostitution because it’s degrading. Yes.

I’ve stated this before. I liken Xiaofan to a 1950s American housewife without the title. He’s not just there for sex. He takes care of the home as best he can but still has to bother the husband about the family because the wife has no income to provide. It’s a similar power imbalance and similar burdens if the family doesn’t appreciate the strain it has on the relationship. Similar ways the husband can be financially abusive and make the caring wife’s life hell if he isn’t pleased. Similar ways in which the housewife has to secretly plan to get away (and be able to stay away) because a wealthy husband has all the means and opportunity to sabotage any other life the wife tries to make.

But also, have you not heard the VERY annoying soup/congee conversation? I’ve never heard of a prostitute who care if you ate.

Side chick - to who? Luqing has no main chick. Xiaofan plain and simple refuses to be pushed to the side when he sees his ex come in the picture. That’s why Xiaofan tries to get away from the family.

The fact that no one knows about their relationship. I’m only addressing it because it was stated. I think every BL drama implies that there are elements of society that may not accept them. Mid 1990s China implies most of their society. If Luqing is out, that Bei name is gone. And all the privileges that go with it.

Let me make this clear, I have not read the novel. I think Luqing is a diabolical character. But I am WAY against demonizing the prey so the predator can look worse.

iQIYI is pretty good with what they put on there but their library isn’t that big. Once you get through, they only have about maybe 4-5 new shows a month. When I came from Viki, it just didn’t seem like that much for new content. It only feels worth it when I buy the Viki pass and the iQIYI pass when they are half off. I think it’s around November for iQIYI.

Or let them start messing up their own lives and ACTUALLY live with consequences.