I have followed this drama since the day of its release and have been lurking in here almost just as long. After the final episode and going through some of the comments, I want to address a couple of opinions I saw repeatedly said.
1. The ending is overdramatic. They’re just changing classes
Age of the protagonists aside (everything is a drama when you’re a teenager), what happened in episode 12 wasn’t simply about Sheng Wang changing classes. It was about him deliberately creating distance between himself and Jiang Tian. Again.
If you guys go back to episodes 7 and 8, you’ll remember just how much of a big deal was Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian’s shared promise to be together. How much weight it carried for Jiang Tian. Even earlier, at the end of the episode 6 when Jiang Tian decided not to move to the dorm and was telling Sheng Wang not to have regrets later… What followed was him telling Sheng Wang not ever to treat him perfunctorily.
Fast-forward 6 episodes later Sheng Wang is avoiding Jiang Tian, lying to him and deliberately creating distance between them. The sentence “Thank you, Ge” stung especially hard – not even because of the use of “Ge”, but because thanks and polite gestures of gratitude are what people do towards others with whom they’re not close.
Sure, no one died. No one even moved to another city. But in terms of psychological closeness, all the walls that were meticulously, piece by piece broken in the previous episodes, were back. To me, it was heart-wrenching.
Plus. Being in two different classes is still a big deal, if you compare it to how much time Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian were spending together before. Studying together for exams, taking the exams and school competitions together, participating in the sport festival together, having lunch breaks together, sitting right next to one another in class. Huge part of their day and experiences were shared. From now on, they won’t be.
2. It’s just a bromance.
Throughout the entire series we have hints at both boys being attracted to another, feeling uncomfortable with the possibility of becoming step-siblings in the future (while at the same time loving spending time with each other, being super close), or even getting jealous. Ok, maybe up until episode 10, I could understand your point of view (even if for me, the tension between SW and JT was palpable since day one), but after what happened in episodes 10 and 11, I just simply don’t understand how anyone could call it a bromance.
Sheng Wang is literarily attempting to kiss Jiang Tian at the end of episode 10, only to stop himself at the very last moment. Then the beginning of episode 11 clearly shows he’s thirsting over Jiang Tian, and the later conversation with their roomie indicates clearly Sheng Wang likes Jiang Tian in a way that’s more than bros.
A bromance is basically a story about very close friendship. No amount of saying “no homo” could make Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian’s relationship a bromance.
3. There was no solid connection established between the characters
These boys were literarily each other’s salvation, a new found home, a turning point in life – that is way more than a lot of people can say even about their romantic partner. I strongly disagree with ignoring/dismissing it as “no solid connection”.
4. The drama started great, but since halfway through it, there was no development between the MLs
Strongly disagreed, again. Each episode showed Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian changing, opening up, discovering their feelings. Even episode 9, which was admittedly the worst one in the entire series, still served to show a huuuuge change in Jiang Tian’s behaviour – towards his classmates and his school life – all happening *because of* Sheng Wang.
In the end I will say that I agree with some complaints about side characters and their stories. The teacher’s romance or even fake triangle could be an ok break from the main protagonists here and there, if it was scattered more evenly throughout an entire duration of the show. Shoving it down our throats when the show was reaching its finale and everyone was anticipating with anxiety what kind of ending we’d get for Sheng Wand and Jiang Tian was a bad move on the creators’ part. Naturally a lot of viewers felt like we were wasting time. Me included. And that is despite generally liking most side characters.
That not really the case. Sure thing, it's obvious they wanted to make a season 2 but all of that will only happen…
Well, your optimism is somewhat rubbing off on me after reading your comment. Not that I think they filmed it, but that the guerrilla marketing tactics could maybe, *just maybe*, work (but I've had enough of heartbreaks watching the finale for one day, so I choose to remain carefully sceptical).
Eric doesn't get enough praise and he's perfect in the role of Sheng Wang. I see people gushing over Benjamin…
He's been there from the very beginning. People were getting distracted by his pouts, puppy eyes and goofy mannerisms ("babygirl Wang"), completely ignoring the multitude of expressions he was giving in each episode.
That not really the case. Sure thing, it's obvious they wanted to make a season 2 but all of that will only happen…
Director might be pretty bent on making the second season, but him having to ask fans for help since pretty much day one doesn't inspire much confidence in me, personally.
Besides, it's not really up to him, unless he'd be buying the copyright himself. And even then, he'd have to secure the same cast... cause in no way in hell am I watching the second season without LDQ as Sheng Wang.
Generally, I was never particularly hopeful for a second season, which is why I was hoping for some form of closure in the last episode.
And I got what I wanted (it's not a clifhanger, but an open ending). Be careful what you wish for, I guess... because the last episode broke my heart to pieces.
1 
1. The ending is overdramatic. They’re just changing classes
Age of the protagonists aside (everything is a drama when you’re a teenager), what happened in episode 12 wasn’t simply about Sheng Wang changing classes. It was about him deliberately creating distance between himself and Jiang Tian. Again.
If you guys go back to episodes 7 and 8, you’ll remember just how much of a big deal was Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian’s shared promise to be together. How much weight it carried for Jiang Tian. Even earlier, at the end of the episode 6 when Jiang Tian decided not to move to the dorm and was telling Sheng Wang not to have regrets later… What followed was him telling Sheng Wang not ever to treat him perfunctorily.
Fast-forward 6 episodes later Sheng Wang is avoiding Jiang Tian, lying to him and deliberately creating distance between them. The sentence “Thank you, Ge” stung especially hard – not even because of the use of “Ge”, but because thanks and polite gestures of gratitude are what people do towards others with whom they’re not close.
Sure, no one died. No one even moved to another city. But in terms of psychological closeness, all the walls that were meticulously, piece by piece broken in the previous episodes, were back. To me, it was heart-wrenching.
Plus. Being in two different classes is still a big deal, if you compare it to how much time Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian were spending together before. Studying together for exams, taking the exams and school competitions together, participating in the sport festival together, having lunch breaks together, sitting right next to one another in class. Huge part of their day and experiences were shared. From now on, they won’t be.
2. It’s just a bromance.
Throughout the entire series we have hints at both boys being attracted to another, feeling uncomfortable with the possibility of becoming step-siblings in the future (while at the same time loving spending time with each other, being super close), or even getting jealous. Ok, maybe up until episode 10, I could understand your point of view (even if for me, the tension between SW and JT was palpable since day one), but after what happened in episodes 10 and 11, I just simply don’t understand how anyone could call it a bromance.
Sheng Wang is literarily attempting to kiss Jiang Tian at the end of episode 10, only to stop himself at the very last moment. Then the beginning of episode 11 clearly shows he’s thirsting over Jiang Tian, and the later conversation with their roomie indicates clearly Sheng Wang likes Jiang Tian in a way that’s more than bros.
A bromance is basically a story about very close friendship. No amount of saying “no homo” could make Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian’s relationship a bromance.
3. There was no solid connection established between the characters
These boys were literarily each other’s salvation, a new found home, a turning point in life – that is way more than a lot of people can say even about their romantic partner. I strongly disagree with ignoring/dismissing it as “no solid connection”.
4. The drama started great, but since halfway through it, there was no development between the MLs
Strongly disagreed, again. Each episode showed Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian changing, opening up, discovering their feelings. Even episode 9, which was admittedly the worst one in the entire series, still served to show a huuuuge change in Jiang Tian’s behaviour – towards his classmates and his school life – all happening *because of* Sheng Wang.
In the end I will say that I agree with some complaints about side characters and their stories. The teacher’s romance or even fake triangle could be an ok break from the main protagonists here and there, if it was scattered more evenly throughout an entire duration of the show. Shoving it down our throats when the show was reaching its finale and everyone was anticipating with anxiety what kind of ending we’d get for Sheng Wand and Jiang Tian was a bad move on the creators’ part. Naturally a lot of viewers felt like we were wasting time. Me included. And that is despite generally liking most side characters.
Both did a spectacular job.
Besides, it's not really up to him, unless he'd be buying the copyright himself. And even then, he'd have to secure the same cast... cause in no way in hell am I watching the second season without LDQ as Sheng Wang.
Generally, I was never particularly hopeful for a second season, which is why I was hoping for some form of closure in the last episode.
And I got what I wanted (it's not a clifhanger, but an open ending). Be careful what you wish for, I guess... because the last episode broke my heart to pieces.