Wenxia

I see it the other way around:) I don’t think they gradually develop feelings. I think the school flashbacks are meant to show us the feelings are already there on day one when they meet again in the office. That's why they can't let go and just become normal coworkers, but they don't know how/if to move forward either, which makes them default back into that comfortable old rivalry. All the lies they tell while their eyes and body language say another thing is what made the story so engaging and enjoyable to me.

This is a really good thriller - very high-tension. I had to skip forward a bit to see what's coming and release some of it. Definitely a drama where you want to check out the trigger warnings before watching. Taiwanese productions have this distinct way of mixing tragedy with comedy that always appealed to me. …or maybe it’s just that I dislike heavy melodrama so this mix of heavy themes sprinkled with light comedy and romance works for me really well. It makes the story easier to digest and somehow more relatable. I liked the tone it ended on as well, even if I didn’t like everything about the resolution. Some of the subplots definitely needed more screen time. Still, one of the better dramas I’ve seen this year.

So much fun! I started this randomly today and ended up binging 6 eps. I was afraid it's going to be cringy, but it's genuinely funny and also a good story. The conflict between employees doing their utmost not to disappoint such a wonderful boss and him crying and raging inside with every success is so well done. Give it a try:)

Left, right, left... That game sequence in ep1 was ridiculously funny 😂😂😂 I hope I stumbled upon a gem because this looks like my type of absurd humour!

It's so interesting to read your comment because I had the exact same thought at the beginning. He knew her full name and looked teary-eyed and unwilling when they discussed the Zhang agency plan, so I thought they must've had a past together. Then, when they met for the first time, I was purposely watching for signs of previous acquaintance but couldn't see any, so I decided it was because that other girl was there. After 9eps I'm not so sure anymore - I think it's too late in the story for such a reveal or it would feel like a cop out. But if I take away the lens of shared past, then that first conversation does feel very intimate...
So now I'm leaning towards him looking into her eyes and revealing how he's spiralling internally and her trying to use this to subtly influence him - for what purpose I don't know yet:) So in that case she'd let him go because either he hasn't 'become evil' yet and she was unwilling to kill him or he somehow still features in her plans.
Btw I think she knows he was following orders when it came to her family, so I don't think she's burning with revenge towards him especially.

I guess I got too used to Luyao having everything under control in the early eps, so now I'm always waiting for her to pull an ace out of her sleeve;) That last pill in the box shown in ep9 got me thinking that maybe she's running out of time, so then throwing her life in a last desperate fight would maybe make sense. But Ping Ping:/

Right! Chen Kun really brought intensity to this role. Such an interesting character!

I think he meant specifically from the well to the place where the gold is buried out west. Ganzhou was a major military outpost and trade hub.

As I understood it he only killed those who could find the gold, not everyone looking for it.

Ep8: I don’t understand why she didn’t retreat with Ping Ping or bide her time and poison him when the antidote stopped working. I mean it was obvious after their first encounter that she can’t beat Futu in a fight. That scene was hard to watch because it seemed so pointless:/ Unless she’s running out of time and that was her last stand…

‘If they find it, we kill them. If they don't, we drink.’ I love Bancha’s pragmatic way of looking at things:D What a contrast with Yu Hou who’s so tangled up inside, he gives me second-hand stress.

You were right ep7 was the best so far! I feel like the parts at the well have the best camerawork. I think they made the douche too stupid honestly - he should've guessed already about the soldiers and bandits working together, not need to have it spelled out.
It helped that I went hiking over the weekend with no internet access, so no temptation:D

Good to know! I finished ep5 and it definitely felt like a breakthrough was coming. I decided to skip 2-3 days because I think I'm going to enjoy it more if I binge it. Now I have twice as much motivation to get to ep7 xD I guess he was supposed to bring some comic relief with that poison controlling him, but I just don't find him funny at all...

Me neither. I think he could go either way. The mystery of the general that wasn't much of a mystery got cleared in ep5 so I'm really curious what he does next.

I thought they perfectly suited his identity crisis;D
I don't see him as a villain. He's kind of like a ticking time bomb and I'm curious if he's going to go off or fizzle out.

I agree it's pretentious, some of these dialogues really heighten it. I saw it described as gritty but for me it’s the opposite of that. I’m not bored though, kind of dig the mood, but the pace is slower than I'd prefer.

It's different than I expected - kind of slow-burn intrigue but nicely atmospheric. Photography and sound are the instant highlights. I like this setup of old men scheming about Luyao and biting more than they can chew (or so it seems).
Last time I watched a drama with Yin Fang his character was mildly irritating and it's the same here, so I guess it's the actor I don't vibe with.
Mid-ep3 I'm kind of watching the scenery and waiting for the pace to pick up...

The calendar's just been added to the photos - 3/4 eps today🏜️

I think it's just a placeholder because the drama airs at 6pm CST not 12pm and usually 3 or 4 eps air on the first day. Also, on douban it says 13 episodes in total, so it got me wondering. I guess we'll know later today:)

I'm really excited for this one! Does anyone know the airing calendar? Is it one ep/day at 6pm CST?

How I love those moments when something I play randomly with zero expectations completely sucks me in, steals my night and my thoughts the next day.
I want to applaud the team for turning what seemed like a typical trope-filled story into a genuinely heartfelt one. That goes double for the two leads for fully committing to their characters and keeping the story grounded through all the rivalry and miscommunication. The young actors who replaced them in school flashbacks were equally great, managing to capture the emerging feelings that sparked this crazy bond. It’s the first drama this year that I couldn’t get enough of. I’m charmed<3

Plot-driven show with good acting and great visuals. The story engaged my brain but to a much lesser degree my emotions. The characters were not likeable, the mood sad/heavy and the romances kind of forced. The ending was rushed and it all left me with a big whatever. So overall disappointing.

Just reembered something. In the last stabby scene Hailou says 'thank you' that came kind of out of nowhere. Was there a cut too??