soTreeD

Here is the official clip from LYF douyin where Xiangliu/FFB is defined as her best friend..挚友

https://v.douyin.com/i6EeaNjV/

It appears in the script too since you have access to it..

挚亲 is the closest relative
挚爱 is the love of her life

You probably won't like this anyway...

That was calculated on Xiangliu's part because he already understood how Xiaoyao will react. He knew that once he brought up Tushan Jing's name she will definitely can't help herself and go running to him.
I was really feeling badly for him here while I am happy for my yaojing..

Also Xiaoyao always makes up excuses to Cangxuan about TSJ lol
In S1 she ran to look for him first because XL told her Jing is dying... and now she ran to look for him because XL told her Jing hired him to stop her wedding...

Whenever XL brings up TSJ, Xiaoyao just can't stop herself..

I know some people have suggested if XL showed himself to her after she woke up, she won't go to TSJ but I really doubt it.
In the novel, Xiaoyao thought to herself that she wasn't sad when she was dying herself but she was very sad when she thought about Jing dying. So even if XL showed himself to her for an awkward 'thank you for saving my life' meeting, XL will have to deal with her leaving him after that to go to save Jing... which is why I guessed he avoided seeing her at all...

I love this one for yaoliu
Eric周兴哲 - 挚友

the lyrics are really really fitting and its sooo beautiful

One of the lines says
我们不讨论的关系 很接近却不是爱情，拥有无数交集 要丢弃太可惜。

This relationship that we don't talk about, is very close but its not love,
we share countless connections, it would be a pity to abandon it

为什么太熟悉 反而变成距离
Why is the familiarity become a great distance

This is like their bug connection... it should have linked them closer... but all it did was to make XL give up trying since he could feel for too long that she got Jing in her heart...

This term has been used to define yaoliu as well in official LYF posts...
xiangliu is 挚友
cangxuan is 挚亲
Jing is 挚爱

Tonghua's writing for her female lead's three different types of relationships in her life...

Xiangliu calculated the maximum benefits for his every action so I think his motives are never just limited to one only... The reasons everyone mentioned before might all be possible... ie he wants Chishui clan to hate Xiyan royalty for this humiliation, weakening their alliance ... or maybe he just likes to do things with a bang lol
He just underestimated Fenglong's 'love' for Cangxuan and didn't realize Fenglong had no love for Xiaoyao at all... hehehe

In the novel it was clear that he had two months to go to Xiaoyao to ask her to not wed Fenglong.
Who knows maybe he also plotted for FFB's grand exit from the world by doing this move too... like he indulged his own dream for crashing her wedding, got paid... and also does not have to commit to her since his commitments laid elsewhere...

When Jing was gone XY would still commit to his memory and refuse to spend her life with him even when Cangxuan offered his hand... I thought that was clear enough who she loved the most...

" If you read the novel, as you said you did, you would know that the only person XY felt she could go on with for an eternity is FB/XL. "
There is no place that showed this at all...if it was so convincing, yaolius would have won their argument ten years ago...

Its one thing to be 'too obvious' but its also another to purposely ignore what is right in front of you?

Xiaoyao's every action is there, even if she lies all the time to the people she loves, but its true that only Tushan Jing realized she was unhappy about marrying Fenglong.

Even with the bug connection, Xiangliu needed to use his demon powers on her to confirm. He also didn't understand her.

I also think its obvious that the bug have now become 'endless trouble' for Xiangliu. From what it looks to me, the bug on XY is ok because XL loves her, but the one on XL is not ok because XY doesn't love him back the same way.
Why would XL's heart be aching otherwise. Even if you suggest its self-inflicted when he thinks he is losing XY.. but if its so obvious to him that XY loves him just because they have those bugs, then why does he even think XY is so in love with TSJ? 心心念念 are the words he used in the novel.

Actually, even during he was a hostage in Haoling, he already suffered many assassination attempts. CX is in line for the throne and that was enough for him to get killed over.
XL is was going to kill him not for Chenrong army initially but because he was under a killer contract for Cangxuan's uncles. Looks like Fangfeng family has a side business of being assassins.
However as the capability of CX started to become obvious ( the same traits that Tushan Jing saw in him, that he could become a good king ), XL already told Xiaoyao that he had to kill him that day, otherwise CX would be the one to kill him one day.

The pre-production started few years back but they filmed for 6 months in 2022... from Mar to Sep... They have big stars like Yangzi and 6 months was already considered a very long filming time, they couldn't possibly ask her for 9 months of her year just to do one drama since she will have other projects.

Most 40 ep dramas we see these days are shot within 3-4 months.. and short web dramas finish in a few weeks... Post production can happen later, and for some cases, celebs could be asked back to do reshoots for unforeseen issues...

The whole issue here is some fans is insisting Xiaoyao's 'true love' to be Xiangliu, but Xiangliu is not someone who needs to be defined by Xiaoyao's love in the first place.

Looking beyond this controversial scene, just compare the ranking of the men in Xiaoyao's heart for your answer.

We can all agree:
Cangxuan >>> Xiangliu : Xiaoyao will never consider harming CX for XL

from the trailer,
Jing >>>> Cangxuan : Xiaoyao could kill CX over what he did to TSJ

lol yes... Chinese have many different terms for all relatives but for westerners.. its all Auntie lol

So happy Jing has a good friend like him during his down period...

OMG ROFL

Many people keep saying Xiangliu did so much for Xiaoyao, but actually so did Tushan Jing.
He did so much legwork to help stabilize CX's political standing and that in turn keeps the two of them safer during CX's quest for the throne. But TSJ never claimed any credit. So it really goes unsung.
Talk about reel life to real life... He gets no credit in the drama and non outside either. The drama chose not to show it and so people just forget it happened lol

I would say Xiaoyao doesn't have a savior complex but she is just a very kind deity who can't help but extend help to others, be it a beggar slave woman from Baili, a dying beggar or sickened rebel soldiers.
In fact XY is the one who is desperately looking for someone to save her.

Jing is not within her arm's reach. When they broke up, that was what made her so broken, because she thought she lost him for good. Even after they resolved their misunderstanding, Jing was still hardly considered available. Xiaoyao was willing to see where their relationship would go and fight for him.

Seriously can people stop cheapening Xiaoyao's love? Just because she didn't choose to fight for Xiangliu instead?

Exactly! I really wonder why those people don't see Xiangliu appearing to her all the time as stalking but Jing is stalking... *eyerolls*
That guy has been creeping about in S1 often too. Talk about double-standards.

He has a very brief introduction back in S1 when Jing introduced him to Cangxuan after he became Tushan Chief. He looked so serious swearing his allegiance to CX I had no idea he was such a hilarious doggy.

Incidentally, I have a feeling that Tonghua meant for Jing to suffer from these limitations.
Other than 'nerfing' this genius and all-round Dahuang bachelor... she could show Xiaoyao could still love him even if he was 'damaged'.

Also he lost an important skill he practiced. I don't think the drama will ever mention this so its not a spoiler right? Don't laugh but Jing's fighting style is musical HAHAHAH
Apparently he uses his voice to charm the enemy or bewitch them. That was why Hou damaged his throat and now his voice is broken and raspy. He probably used to sing like those sirens...

But thanks to this defect, nobody can claim Jing bewitched XY into loving him. hehehehe its all through other parts of his foxy charm.

As you also have seen, the love bugs did not glow in this case. I think the final version they realized it made no sense.

In my opinion she just struggled more and more about her answer when she thought of TSJ.

As far as I have read in novel and now seen the drama, about how XY suffered during her breakup. She also said a few times that the first person she liked and lost is TSJ. This 喜欢 is a big deal for that time period. Its similar to korean's 'joahae' or japanese 'suki desu', In case people start asking me why didn't Xiaoyao say 'love'. People tend to be more reserved and they don't use that word love easily.

I just don't understand why you overlook everything yaojing has together but insist on something that did not even get to develop into something life-changing.

Please don't tell me love bugs anymore.
I think we have discussed that point to death.

At this point, I think we really have to agree to that we will probably not see eye to eye about this.

Actually it was really common for cousins to marry in China in the past, not only in imperial families.
As ladies tend to live in very close circles as they are not allowed to go out and socialize in public, many girls tend to fall for their cousins because those maybe the only males they might get to meet until they are ready to get married. Especially in chinese dramas, 表哥s used to be a very common love interest. Take 天龙八部 Demi gods and semi devils, one of the female leads was in love with her cousin.