Living Tribunal

I can confidently say that this drama has far surpassed the novel it was adapted from. To be honest, the novel felt quite bland. While the writer did include some frustrating elements in the drama, most of the additions actually enhanced its overall quality.

Thanks

How do you know that?

Yeah, I agree that he might not have faced any major traumas, but everyone goes through struggles while growing up. Showing that would have made Sang Yan feel less one-dimensional. As it stands, we don’t know much about him beyond his love for Wen Yifan and the struggles tied to their relationship.

Oh, that's how. Thanks

The main difference between this drama and The First Frost—which is making me like this one more—is that we get to see more of Su Ye’s struggles. In TFF, Sang Yan mostly feels like an accessory to Wen Yifan’s trauma healing. Both MLs are perfect green flags, but Su Ye has a more distinct personality, which makes him more relatable to me. His struggles with his father, in particular, hit close to home because it reflects the reality of many households where sons often have a distant relationship with their fathers which is the same for me too.

How did Xifan knew Suye's birthday?

This drama has one of the best SFLs of all time. Fang Kexin, hats off to you! I was really glad when she helped Shen Xifan think clearly—she really needed that. I also appreciated that she didn’t interfere in the ML and FL’s relationship or cause trouble; instead, she actually supported them. It’s great to see more dramas moving away from the typical "bitchy SFL" trope and giving us well-written, supportive second female leads.

I might have used strong words, but that's because I really dislike girls who behave like that. And it’s not like I said anything wrong—she did all those things.

I didn’t even bring up the whole misunderstanding where FL and her assumed that Suye was a father and how both she and the FL were clearly misbehaving with the ML because of it. But honestly, that part felt realistic to me. Don’t get me wrong, but I also wouldn’t advise a single friend to date a single mother—it comes with a lot of complications. So, in that sense, the situation felt pretty real.

Xu Xiang Ya was honestly the real trash in this drama. She can openly talk about her dates and using tricks on multiple guys, but the moment Li Yishen takes a picture or smiles at another girl, it’s suddenly a problem. Yep, that’s feminism for you, I guess.

They’re just friends, not lovers, yet in episode 9, after finding out he’s going back to his hometown, she starts acting like he cheated on her. As adults, we often have to make decisions that take us away from our friends, but that doesn’t mean we throw childish tantrums over it.

And after all this, the writers still expect us to root for their happy ending? I’ll say it again—she might be a good friend to Shen Xifan, but she’d make a terrible life partner for any guy, let alone Lin Yishen. She is for the streets and not a marriage material at all.

Which one?

What's KP?

How can you be sure she won’t leave him again if something even more traumatic happens in the future? To be honest, he’s already been abandoned twice, so I don’t think I could trust my partner not to do the same if things got tough again. In my opinion, while she does love him a lot, she has a tendency to run away, and that issue hasn’t been properly addressed yet—yet they’re already back together.

Yeah, I agree. Since WYF is a woman, her trauma is obviously more important than everyone else's. But Duan Jiaxu? Who even cares about his trauma? It doesn’t matter at all in the grand scheme of things.

I understand that WYF’s trauma is completely deep and painful, but that doesn’t mean Sang Yan’s pain should be dismissed as minor. Your argument frames their suffering as a competition where only the more “severe” pain matters, but that’s not how relationships work. You don’t get to say, "SY's heartbreak is nowhere near as pitiful as WYF's trauma," and use that to justify her actions. Pain isn’t a ranking system—both are valid and deserve acknowledgment.

You say "who really needs help? WYF." Yes, but that doesn't mean SY should be treated as an afterthought. He spent years supporting her, loving her, and being by her side. Yet, when she decided to leave, she made that choice for him instead of with him. That’s the issue—her lack of communication. You keep emphasizing that her decision made sense in her mind, but that doesn’t erase the hurt she caused. Trauma explains actions; it doesn’t excuse them.

Also, you argue that "SY still got his whole buddy system, work, and loving family," implying that his pain is somehow lesser because he has a support system. But support doesn’t erase emotional suffering. Just because someone has friends doesn’t mean abandonment doesn’t hurt. SY’s pain isn’t just about being left—it’s about the fact that he was willing to fight for her, and she didn’t let him.

Regarding therapy, you mention "you expect a person in survival mode to think 'I will go seek therapy'?" No, but that’s exactly why communication is important. If she wasn’t in the right state to seek help, SY could have encouraged her. Instead, she shut him out completely. You say "it’s up to the more normal people around her to help," yet when SY tries to be that person, people act like he was being overbearing. So which is it? Should he have stepped in more, or is he expected to back off and let her handle things alone?

Finally, your emergency room analogy doesn’t quite work. Treating a head injury first doesn’t mean ignoring a knee wound—it means both are addressed, just with priority. But that’s not what happened here. WYF left without giving SY the chance to be part of the healing process. If she had communicated and asked for time, it would be different. Instead, she decided for both of them, leaving SY blindsided.

At the end of the day, no one expects a trauma survivor to act perfectly. But expecting basic communication and mutual respect in a relationship isn’t being “illogical” or “lacking empathy.” It’s holding both people accountable for their actions—because love isn’t just about who suffered more; it’s about navigating pain together, not alone.

Didn’t you say "I didn't like how they made Sang Yan mad at her and how Sang Yan in the novel handled her traumas"? Isn’t that exactly what many of the so-called "hate comments" about WYF are pointing out—how they didn’t like that she left instead of fighting together? So why is it okay for you to dislike how SY handled things in the novel, but when people dislike how WYF handled things in the drama, they’re suddenly unsympathetic to SA and PTSD victims?

It’s not about invalidating WYF’s trauma—it’s about the double standard. You’re allowed to critique SY’s portrayal, but the moment someone critiques WYF’s actions, they’re accused of lacking empathy. Why the hypocrisy? Just like you prefer how the drama changed SY’s reaction, others might prefer how the novel handled WYF’s decision. People are simply expressing their preferences, just like you did. But instead of allowing that discussion, WYF’s supporters immediately shut it down by questioning people’s morality. That’s not fair.

At the end of the day, both characters are flawed, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion about how their struggles were portrayed. If you can dislike how SY was written in the novel without being accused of "not understanding his pain," then others should be able to dislike how WYF was written in the drama without being labeled as "lacking empathy for SA survivors."

I understand that you're not saying leaving was right, but extending grace to SA victims doesn’t mean their actions are above scrutiny, especially when they impact others. No one is denying WYF’s pain, but at the same time, Sang Yan’s pain shouldn’t be dismissed either. You mentioned that she took the 6 months to build up her courage, but does that justify leaving without a word? Would it not have been more effective to communicate with Sang Yan instead of disappearing? Trauma is complex, and healing is different for everyone, but isolating herself and hurting someone who supported her doesn’t automatically become the best choice just because she felt it was right at the time.

Also, grace should be extended to everyone involved, not just WYF. Sang Yan was also hurt deeply by her actions, yet the conversation keeps shifting to justify why she had to leave instead of acknowledging that he also deserves consideration. Healing is important, but so is accountability, and WYF choosing to disappear again without explanation is a valid reason for criticism.

I get that you guys liked WYF leaving for 6 months because it felt realistic, but then why are you against the novel's version where Sang Yan gets mad at her? Isn't that also realistic? You can't have it both ways—saying FL can make flawed, human choices but ML has to be some perfect, green-flag saint whose entire world revolves around her.

The drama made Sang Yan more patient, which is nice, but it also kind of strips away the rawness of his character. In real life, people get frustrated, hurt, and even angry when they’re abandoned by someone they love. That doesn’t mean they don’t care—it actually shows how deeply they do care. So if WYF gets to have her moments of realism, why is Sang Yan expected to just be endlessly understanding?

At this point, it feels like MLs in dramas are only allowed to exist to support FLs, no matter how much they have to endure. Meanwhile, FLs can make all the "realistic" choices, even if it hurts the ML, and we’re just supposed to accept it because of their struggles. If we're applying realism, it should go both ways.

I appreciate your response, but I think there's a misunderstanding. First, you mentioned that Sang Yan said her world felt like a cage and that it would’ve been better if she left him—not because of the past. But isn't that exactly the problem? WYF made that decision for him instead of communicating with him. Empathy is important, and yes, you don’t need firsthand experience to understand emotions, but understanding doesn't mean blindly accepting every decision someone makes as the right one.

You also said, "I think everyone will probably open up one day if they find someone trustworthy. It just takes time." I agree—healing is a process. But WYF already had someone trustworthy in Sang Yan, yet she still walked away without giving him a chance. Trauma takes time, but abandoning someone without a word isn't a necessary part of that process. If anything, isolating oneself can make things worse.

And finally, your last point—"Not every realistic choice is right." Exactly. WYF’s decision might be realistic, but that doesn’t automatically make it right. People are allowed to criticize her choices without invalidating her trauma. Recognizing someone's pain doesn't mean excusing the harm they cause to others.

Your point about many SA victims not admitting to it or even realizing what they went through is valid, but that’s not the issue being debated here. No one is denying the reality of SA and PTSD. The discussion is about whether WYF’s actions—specifically leaving Sang Yan without explanation—were justified.

You said, "If we conduct a poll here now asking how many of the commenters have been SAd, you would be so shocked." But that’s exactly the point—just because someone has experienced SA doesn’t mean every survivor will react the same way. People process trauma differently. Some might shut everyone out, some might seek support, and others might take years to confront it. WYF’s way of dealing with it—abandoning the person who loved her without a word—was one path, but not necessarily the only or most reasonable one.

And then you said, "How do you know I haven't gone through what Wen Yi Fan has?" But by that same logic, how do you know the people criticizing her haven’t also experienced trauma in their own way? You’re assuming that everyone who disagrees with WYF’s choices is speaking from ignorance, but what if they’ve been through something similar and handled it differently? Experience doesn’t automatically validate an argument—logic does.

Lastly, "At least she had the courage to speak up, but was ignored." That is heartbreaking, but it still doesn’t justify leaving Sang Yan. She had the courage to speak up, yet she still made a choice that deeply hurt someone who loved her. Acknowledging her pain and holding her accountable for her actions are two separate things. People aren’t upset about what happened to her—they’re upset about how she handled it in relation to Sang Yan.

At the end of the day, trauma explains actions, but it doesn’t necessarily justify them. That’s the difference.