Effie_Joon

The first one was the very first danmei I ever read and it will always have a special place in my heart. It's "Are You Addicted?" by Chai Jidan (I know, cliché choice and it's one of almost everyone's favorites 😅). The other one is "Silent Reading" by Priest. Those two, along with Chusan's Liuyi Children's Day, are the only danmei I've reread multiple times and enjoyed just as much every single time.
There have been many other danmei that completely pulled me in and kept me up all night because I couldn't stop reading until I finished them, but it's very rare for me to go back and reread them.

May I ask where you found this information? Is it from fans, or was it shared by someone from the production team? I haven't seen any official confirmation yet, and I haven't come across any news about filming starting either.

Oh, honey, don’t apologise.
It’s literally one of my best reads too. I can only think of two other danmeis that make me feel that way, and I read A LOT. Well, not in the same way, each story brings me different emotions, but I’ve definitely ranked it in my top 3 danmeis. So I completely share your love 💛

You're right, and those are actually some of the reasons why I'm curious and looking forward to seeing how they'll handle it in the series.
So far, the changes they've made haven't bothered me, so they might find a way to change this part as well without it bothering me either. But yeah, honestly, I really liked the whole plotline with Qin Hao.

Wow, I don't even know where to start!
I want to reply to everything you wrote and add even more 😅

I'll start by saying that I completely understand blaming TMS 🤣 Personally though, I live for angst and suffering. There is nothing I enjoy more than watching or reading characters torment themselves all the way to the end. Of course, there has to be catharsis, healing, and a happy ending afterwards. Otherwise, what was all that pain for? So yes, I might be a little bit of a masochist 😅

That particular confrontation scene in the novel might actually be my favorite scene in the entire novel. Not just the scene itself, but the whole buildup leading to it. I still cry every time I reach that part. And I agree with everything you said, but for me a big part of it is that Chusan spent so long feeling inferior within their relationship, and Liuyi definitely played a role in that. Chusan's outburst just makes me feel so many things. So when Liuyi basically begged him and said all those things to him, the emotional payoff was incredible. The intensity of that scene and everything that led up to it was just perfect.
That is why I really want to see it in the drama. And of course, for the reasons you mentioned too, because Yanzhao is unbearably beautiful in scenes like that 😩 As I've already said, I can practically see him acting out that scene in my head and it drives me insane.

As for the changes, this is actually the first time in my life that I genuinely cannot say which version I prefer. The novel or the drama. Maybe the novel, but that is probably because it is complete while the drama isn't.
I can confidently say that I think the novel is better structured, more raw, and therefore more in line with my personal tastes. It also has slightly stronger character development, although that's pretty normal and tends to be the case in most adaptations anyway. But the drama has won me over so completely that I honestly don't think any of the changes will bother me that much. I've never experienced an adaptation of a novel I loved making so many changes and still managing to win me over.

I think the drama stands extremely well on its own, assuming we get a second season.
What I mean is that I wasn't bothered by them not showing Liuyi's feelings for Qing Long. It just made me curious about how they plan to handle certain future plot points, like the one we were talking about. But if they handle it the way you suggested, I think I would still be completely satisfied.
The same goes for Qin Hao. Are they going to leave him out? I don't think so, because he plays such an important role in the story. They could easily remove the part about him looking like a replica of Qing Long, though, and maybe also remove Chusan's jealousy. Who knows. I'm mostly just thinking out loud here. It's not like any of the changes so far have actually bothered me. Quite the opposite, really. Like you, I enjoy both versions of the story and the way they have chosen to portray the characters.

In general, I think drama Liuyi is quite different from novel Liuyi. And yet I can still see the Liuyi from the novel in him. Honestly, I think that is entirely thanks to Yanzhao. That boy is unbelievably talented.
As for drama Chusan, I don't have nearly as much to say. I actually think the drama has preserved his character better than it has Liuyi's. There is only one scene that made me think, "That doesn't really feel like Chusan."
The scene in episode 5, the morning after the wet dream. When he started avoiding Liuyi and then told him, "Maybe we should keep our distance." That whole scene felt a little out of character to me. I feel like novel Chusan, if he had a dream like that, would not have been embarrassed at all. If anything, he would have been even more shameless the next day 🤭

And as for the whole cat versus dog comparison, I actually prefer the drama's version here. I absolutely love the way Chusan compares Liuyi to a dog. Though honestly, both comparisons work perfectly.
Novel Liuyi really does feel like a stray cat that Chusan somehow managed to tame, whereas drama Liuyi feels much more like a dog. He barks, but he doesn't bite, and above all else, he's loyal.

I got the same impression too. It never really felt like he had those kinds of feelings for Qing Long in the drama. To be honest, that part has been bothering me a little, because you know how important Liuyi's "past feelings" are to the development of his relationship with Chusan. I honestly don't know how they're going to handle that part of the story later on in the series.
At the same time, I can't wait to see what they do with it and whether they'll include some of my favorite scenes from the novel. I'm dying to see the entire Chapters 73 + 74 on screen. I really hope they don't leave them out. Just thinking about seeing Yanzhao perform that scene is enough to destroy me...

"His eyes glistened as he looked at He Chu San, trembling as he pleaded, 'A'San, I like you. I love you. I don't love him. I only love you. Please don't say we should separate. I can't bear it. I'm begging you...'"
😭😭😭

I wouldn't say I've found a particularly good translation. I read it on Wattpad a couple of years ago and it was okay. It had some mistakes here and there, but overall it was easy enough to read. I'll send you the link in a bit.

Maybe my opinion is influenced a little by how he's portrayed in the novel. In the series, they've kind of softened all the characters, but I still dislike him there too. I'm not saying he's a bad person, it's just that he's a huge hypocrite, and his actions don't really match the "love" he claims to have for his brother. Right from the start, instead of trying to understand his brother, he lied to him about Lu Feng. Then he pressured the man who liked him into dating his brother! How messed up is that?
Anyway, I think the main reason I dislike him is because he's such a hypocrite. Especially after accepting that he's gay himself, he should have shown a lot more understanding toward his brother's relationship with Lu Feng.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I like Lu Feng or excuse his behavior in any way. Honestly, as I already said, they're all pretty problematic. The only character in the series I actually find likable is Qin Lang 😅

See?! All the clues were there from the very first episode! Girl, you should trust your gut more! 🤣🤣🤣

Haha, you actually got the story with the second couple pretty well, for someone who didn't pay attention to them. There’s a lot more to their story than that, but yeah, season one basically just introduced them to us. That said, the "good" guy has a few other reasons for wanting to find out what happened to the "bad" guy's brother.

We all need a second season! Honestly, having read the novel, I'd say we actually need two more seasons with the show's current pacing 😅
Their chemistry feels so fresh compared to the usual dynamics we see. I'm completely obsessed with these two! As for who's the top and who's the bottom... I think it's pretty obvious 😁

Oh no, sweetie, he's a pain in the ass in the series too! I honestly don't know how you ended up defending him. His personality is the complete opposite of likable. He's a spoiled brat who, at the end of the day, only cares about himself. The only person I actually feel sorry for in this series is Qin Lang 😅

I haven't read that one yet. I've heard it's pretty toxic, so it might be right up my alley 😅
I just started Gold Glass Fighter by Pao Pao Xue Er. I picked it up right after finishing Chusan's Liuyi Children's Day, but honestly, I'm struggling to find another danmei that grabs me the way that one did.

Well, it was supposedly filmed with the intention of multiple seasons. Of course, if you don’t know that, it can easily seem like the second couple wasn’t developed properly. But the truth is you actually miss a lot of the main story if you don’t follow the second couple’s arc, since they play a really important role in the plot.
I think with the second season, when it eventually comes out (personally I loved the show so the word “if” feels a bit heavy for me, even if we still don't have an official confirmation 😅), a lot of your questions will probably get answered and you'll enjoy it much more 😊

I don’t really think the drama gets messy or "ridiculous" like you said as it shifts tone and leans harder into genre expectations in the second half, especially once it starts building toward a bigger arc and setup for later payoff.

A lot of the stuff mentioned can honestly just be read as pretty standard for this kind of crime melodrama. The knife vs guns thing for example is something you see all the time in action driven shows where choreography and tension matter more than strict realism. It’s not really unique to this drama, it’s usually there to keep fights more personal and visually intense.
On the 80s setting, I also think the show cares more about atmosphere than strict period accuracy. Even though it starts in the late 80s and moves into the early 90s, by the end it’s already around 1991-92. Still, things like slightly modern looking props or inconsistent fashion show up a lot in productions like Sammy’s Children’s Day, especially when the focus is more on character dynamics than historical detail. And with Kowloon being portrayed as this chaotic, lawless space, some of the “how did they get away with that” moments kind of come with the territory rather than being straight up plot holes.

And regarding the second couple, I actually think the bigger issue is not that you were not paying attention, but that the series does not integrate them cleanly into the main narrative. Even if you follow their scenes closely, they still feel structurally separate for long stretches, so the confusion is not only on the viewer side. It is also a pacing and editing choice that delays their payoff.

That’s such a great way to put it! Exactly that feeling of this version of Lu Feng “healing bits and pieces of the trauma” left by his version in the book. And like you said, the Yi Chen in the show is also a much stronger character, which personally makes him more likeable to me than the Yi Chen in the novel.
I’m a bit conflicted about the series for all these reasons, even though I’m enjoying it more than the book overall. I actually think I would have enjoyed it even more if I hadn’t read the novel first. I still don’t really know how I managed to get through it 😅 Well, actually I do. As disturbing as it was at times, I just couldn’t stop reading it. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure, I’d say 😁

Yeah, I really like it too. In fact, I like it more than anything else I'm watching right now.

Hahaha, sis, now the real fun begins. 🤣
To be honest, I've been waiting for the younger brother's scene forever. I just can't feel sorry for him at all. He was and still is one of the most insufferable characters I've ever watched/read 😅

I agree, I'm enjoying the series more than the novel. But once again, the way they're portraying Lu Feng in the series feels like they're getting a little too close to romanticizing him. That's the one thing that bothers me. I don't like that part of me actually ends up feeling sorry for him. At least in the novel, as raw and cruel as the story was, I couldn't stand any of them right up until the very end. 😅

I'm in for the ride, but I'm a little annoyed that they toned the story down so much. Then again, if they had stayed more faithful to the original, it would've been almost unbearable to watch.

Can't wait 🤭

Hahaha! True!