ep 1 was interesting enough to keep me hooked. major props to wu jin yan for her incredible acting! i've never seen her works before but she's soo good even in just the first ep. she plays the role of a woman who lost everything so wonderfully. her eyes have no light in them at all.
to anyone watching, how is it so far? honest opinions and minor spoilers are welcome
i'm currently experiencing a drama drought cuz my fav actor and actress haven't released any of their dramas yet, and it's been tough finding a good drama to watch lately 😭 i was excited for fox spirit matchmaker but just from the first 30 minutes i knew i wouldn't enjoy it
unfortunately i'm gonna have to drop this, after seeing that ML and FL first met when ML was a lil kid. doesn't help that FL is much more mature and older. this dynamic feels like an older sister and her little brother, or even mother and son, rather than romantic lovers.
it wouldn't be that bad if they met when ML was at least a teenager but a literal CHILD?? sorry but im out 😭 the CGI was great though. songs seemed pretty nice too
omg yang mi and cristy guo??? we got miss tang xuejian and her lil potato hua ying together again 🥰🥳 chinese paladin 3 fans know... there's also longkui and chong lou AHHHHH
how much did they budget for this drama? what an exquisite cast
Also worth mentioning is the official description of volume 2, "how should one choose between the right person…
XY says she is willing to marry 17/Ye Shiqi, not Tushan Jing. Yes they are the same person, but they are different in terms of identity. 17 doesn't have responsibilities and family issues like Tushan Jing. It is a peaceful life.
XY was engaged to both Fenglong and Jing at different points of the story.
Shown in S1 of the drama: 1. She dates Jing. 2. She breaks up with him after finding out that Fangfeng Yiying is pregnant with his child, allegedly. 3. She agrees to get engaged with Fenglong.
Not shown in the drama (yet), may be in S2: 4. XY sends a crystal ball to XL, basically pleading him to come take her away. She waited for him but he never came or responded. 5. Her and Fenglong's wedding gets crashed so they end up not getting married. 6. She and Jing make up and are later engaged. 7. After a long list of events, XY and Jing eventually get married. No wedding night.
Also worth mentioning is the official description of volume 2, "how should one choose between the right person…
Plus the fact that she kept telling XL she was in pain ☹️ I felt so bad for her in this scene. To love and want to be with someone so much, but you're too afraid of the consequences...
"Xiao Yao opened her mouth to answer but her expression showed her internal struggle as her mind refused to let her say what her heart felt."
- from ch 32 -
Another question was right at the tip of Xiang Liu's lips but he was actually torn until a moment later he asked "Who do you most want to spend your entire life with?"
Xiao Yao opened her mouth to answer but her expression showed her internal struggle as her mind refused to let her say what her heart felt. After multiple struggles she became more and more pained and her body began to shake as she clutched her head "Hurt....hurt..."
Xiang Liu had used his power to try and see into Xiao Yao's heart but Xiao Yao's mind was too strong willed. If she encountered something that even she refused to think about, then she would unexpectedly oppose answering it and the headache was the result of her refusal to answer the question.
Xiang Liu was afraid that she would injure her soul essence so he didn't dare push her and quickly pulled back his probe and said "If your head hurts, rest!"
Xiao Yao wearily rested on the pillow with her forehead furrowed in pain. Xiang Liu covered her with a blanket and Xiao Yao suddenly opened her eyes "Why?"
Xiang Liu stared at Xiao Yao and didn't know exactly what she was asking why about. Was it why he forced her to become a runaway bride? Or was it why he used his powers to probe the true feelings inside her heart?
Xiao Yao gave up asking and closed her eyes to murmur "I'm so hurting...Xiang Liu, I hurt...."
I've been rewatching LYF recently and I'm a bit curious on Xiaoyao's scene in episode 32. When she woke up but…
First off... I have to say that it's so refreshing to see you question why Xiaoyao would do all that when she already has Jing. You have no idea just how many people have blatantly ignored those details.
Secondly, the topic of who Xiaoyao truly loves (Jing or Xiangliu) has been debatable for a long time. It's basically up to your own interpretation.
In my opinion, XL is the one who XY truly loved and wanted to be with, while Jing is the one who she settled for. As Kokuto said, the number one proof that XY loves XL is the Lovers Bug. The bugs never died, even when Xiaoyao got into a relationship with Jing.
Notes worth mentioning: -- XY is afraid of loneliness. -- She said her ideal person must (1) never abandon her and (2) always choose her, no matter the situation. -- She and XL are on opposite sides (Haoling and Xiyan vs Chenrong). -- Jing is from the wealthy Tushan family. The Tushans are neutral. -- To repay his adoptive father's kindness, XL has already chosen to stick with the Chenrong army. This was long before he met XY. -- Although Jing has his own issues, he was the only one who actively chose XY and was willing to be with her forever, life or death. -- XY is someone who will not go for what she wants. Instead, she'll sit around and wait until someone chooses her. Her actress Yang Zi even said the decision of who XY ends up with is not her own choice.
This movie was good. It could’ve been soo much better, but I enjoyed it enough overall to give it an 8.5/10. Tan Jianci and Zhang Jingyi did a wonderful job.
I cried 3 times 1. the hallway argument 2. that phone call break up (when the music started playing ugh 😭) 3. the final scene of course
That scene where WJJ hugged her mom made me a lil teary-eyed too :(
Some things I disliked / thought could've been improved:
Some scenes had bgm that weren't suitable or sounded like random non copyright music, or didn’t even have bgm at all, so it felt off-putting to watch. Ex: the comedy vibe when WJJ’s mom lectured her about men being unfaithful and the jazz music during emotional scenes.
I wished we saw BXY and WJJ sit down and have an honest conversation with each other for once. It feels like they reunited them simply for the sake of a happy ending. The last scene was gorgeous and I'm so glad they're together again, but where's the conversation? BXY accepted her back too easily.
This is minor but I wished the very last scene was of BXY and WJJ, not that childhood photo. I was waiting to see their adult selves again so I was very disappointed when the ending credits rolled. 😭
NOW THE BIGGEST ISSUE. A lot of scenes were rushed or didn’t transition well into the next scene. Ex: (1) we didn't see enough of their high school interactions and therefore didn’t clearly understand how/why BXY fell in love with WJJ and (2) they shoved their happiest moments into an extremely short montage 23:25 - 24:12, when the whole point of this movie was for us viewers to compare and contrast them with their later bittersweet moments. Yes it’s only a movie, but condensing scenes makes it difficult for us viewers to fully and emotionally connect with the story and characters. To fix this, they should omit minor scenes completely to allow room for more relevant scenes to have longer screentime.
(Guys, please watch Tan Jianci’s deleted scene of BXY drinking alone at that bar if you haven’t yet. It’s a gazillion times better than the small tidbit shown in the movie. You can truly feel BXY’s deep love for WJJ here https://youtu.be/G-g94tcwSb8?si=DgDZweQrzRkc2KxM)
I also forgot to add... reduce the number of voiceovers. It's more poetic to let viewers watch and interpret scenes on their own, rather than telling them straight up. Ex: the voiceovers when they re-enacted the murder mystery story.
So, since today seems to be Xiang Liu Appreciation Day for some reason, let me add a little something to this…
this is so creative i love it 🤣❤️
“Wow, you really decided to xiangliu everyone today”. * to hold the attention of (someone) to the exclusion of all else or to transfix them. “She was xiangliued by the red eyes that stared so intently into her own”. To mesmerize, to captivate.
im going start using this as an actual verb now lolol
1 
2 
ep 1 was interesting enough to keep me hooked. major props to wu jin yan for her incredible acting! i've never seen her works before but she's soo good even in just the first ep. she plays the role of a woman who lost everything so wonderfully. her eyes have no light in them at all.
i also already love the ost!
i'm currently experiencing a drama drought cuz my fav actor and actress haven't released any of their dramas yet, and it's been tough finding a good drama to watch lately 😭 i was excited for fox spirit matchmaker but just from the first 30 minutes i knew i wouldn't enjoy it
it wouldn't be that bad if they met when ML was at least a teenager but a literal CHILD?? sorry but im out 😭 the CGI was great though. songs seemed pretty nice too
we got miss tang xuejian and her lil potato hua ying together again 🥰🥳 chinese paladin 3 fans know...
there's also longkui and chong lou AHHHHH
how much did they budget for this drama? what an exquisite cast
XY was engaged to both Fenglong and Jing at different points of the story.
Shown in S1 of the drama:
1. She dates Jing.
2. She breaks up with him after finding out that Fangfeng Yiying is pregnant with his child, allegedly.
3. She agrees to get engaged with Fenglong.
Not shown in the drama (yet), may be in S2:
4. XY sends a crystal ball to XL, basically pleading him to come take her away. She waited for him but he never came or responded.
5. Her and Fenglong's wedding gets crashed so they end up not getting married.
6. She and Jing make up and are later engaged.
7. After a long list of events, XY and Jing eventually get married. No wedding night.
"Xiao Yao opened her mouth to answer but her expression showed her internal struggle as her mind refused to let her say what her heart felt."
- from ch 32 -
Another question was right at the tip of Xiang Liu's lips but he was actually torn until a moment later he asked "Who do you most want to spend your entire life with?"
Xiao Yao opened her mouth to answer but her expression showed her internal struggle as her mind refused to let her say what her heart felt. After multiple struggles she became more and more pained and her body began to shake as she clutched her head "Hurt....hurt..."
Xiang Liu had used his power to try and see into Xiao Yao's heart but Xiao Yao's mind was too strong willed. If she encountered something that even she refused to think about, then she would unexpectedly oppose answering it and the headache was the result of her refusal to answer the question.
Xiang Liu was afraid that she would injure her soul essence so he didn't dare push her and quickly pulled back his probe and said "If your head hurts, rest!"
Xiao Yao wearily rested on the pillow with her forehead furrowed in pain. Xiang Liu covered her with a blanket and Xiao Yao suddenly opened her eyes "Why?"
Xiang Liu stared at Xiao Yao and didn't know exactly what she was asking why about. Was it why he forced her to become a runaway bride? Or was it why he used his powers to probe the true feelings inside her heart?
Xiao Yao gave up asking and closed her eyes to murmur "I'm so hurting...Xiang Liu, I hurt...."
Secondly, the topic of who Xiaoyao truly loves (Jing or Xiangliu) has been debatable for a long time. It's basically up to your own interpretation.
In my opinion, XL is the one who XY truly loved and wanted to be with, while Jing is the one who she settled for. As Kokuto said, the number one proof that XY loves XL is the Lovers Bug. The bugs never died, even when Xiaoyao got into a relationship with Jing.
Notes worth mentioning:
-- XY is afraid of loneliness.
-- She said her ideal person must (1) never abandon her and (2) always choose her, no matter the situation.
-- She and XL are on opposite sides (Haoling and Xiyan vs Chenrong).
-- Jing is from the wealthy Tushan family. The Tushans are neutral.
-- To repay his adoptive father's kindness, XL has already chosen to stick with the Chenrong army. This was long before he met XY.
-- Although Jing has his own issues, he was the only one who actively chose XY and was willing to be with her forever, life or death.
-- XY is someone who will not go for what she wants. Instead, she'll sit around and wait until someone chooses her. Her actress Yang Zi even said the decision of who XY ends up with is not her own choice.
Some scenes from the drama that might be helpful to rewatch (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMX26aiIvX5qVDpt6FurJi729fe30wdXz&si=WrSFueyvlFUcP4UL)
Ep 19 / 02:10 - 04:50, 35:50 - 39:20
Ep 23 / 22:20 - 26:50, 36:17 - 37:38
Ep 32 / 06:42 - 09:40
Ep 33 / 20:35 - 23:30, 35:57 - 36:25
Ep 34 / 26:45 - 29:20
I cried 3 times
1. the hallway argument
2. that phone call break up (when the music started playing ugh 😭)
3. the final scene of course
That scene where WJJ hugged her mom made me a lil teary-eyed too :(
Some things I disliked / thought could've been improved:
Some scenes had bgm that weren't suitable or sounded like random non copyright music, or didn’t even have bgm at all, so it felt off-putting to watch. Ex: the comedy vibe when WJJ’s mom lectured her about men being unfaithful and the jazz music during emotional scenes.
I wished we saw BXY and WJJ sit down and have an honest conversation with each other for once. It feels like they reunited them simply for the sake of a happy ending. The last scene was gorgeous and I'm so glad they're together again, but where's the conversation? BXY accepted her back too easily.
This is minor but I wished the very last scene was of BXY and WJJ, not that childhood photo. I was waiting to see their adult selves again so I was very disappointed when the ending credits rolled. 😭
NOW THE BIGGEST ISSUE. A lot of scenes were rushed or didn’t transition well into the next scene. Ex: (1) we didn't see enough of their high school interactions and therefore didn’t clearly understand how/why BXY fell in love with WJJ and (2) they shoved their happiest moments into an extremely short montage 23:25 - 24:12, when the whole point of this movie was for us viewers to compare and contrast them with their later bittersweet moments. Yes it’s only a movie, but condensing scenes makes it difficult for us viewers to fully and emotionally connect with the story and characters. To fix this, they should omit minor scenes completely to allow room for more relevant scenes to have longer screentime.
(Guys, please watch Tan Jianci’s deleted scene of BXY drinking alone at that bar if you haven’t yet. It’s a gazillion times better than the small tidbit shown in the movie. You can truly feel BXY’s deep love for WJJ here https://youtu.be/G-g94tcwSb8?si=DgDZweQrzRkc2KxM)
I also forgot to add... reduce the number of voiceovers. It's more poetic to let viewers watch and interpret scenes on their own, rather than telling them straight up. Ex: the voiceovers when they re-enacted the murder mystery story.
“Wow, you really decided to xiangliu everyone today”.
* to hold the attention of (someone) to the exclusion of all else or to transfix them. “She was xiangliued by the red eyes that stared so intently into her own”. To mesmerize, to captivate.
im going start using this as an actual verb now lolol