themarchioness

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/rock-sugar-and-pear-stew/

The schedule in China is Sunday-Friday, 2 episodes and Saturday, 1 episode. If you're watching on Viki, however, since they didn't premiere until a day later (on 3/20 instead of 3/19), that schedule is shifted by a day - meaning the one episode airs on Sunday while the other days get two episodes. It also means on any given day, Viki will be "behind" raw episodes by 2.

No, the OTP remain together in the end.

Yes, I am also watching through an iQiyi app with subs.

There's nothing wrong with YouTube. iQiyi is simply uploading their official channel on a delayed schedule, which is their normal practice for a lot of their dramas. This drama is also being released through their app, which follows their regular airing schedule (and has subs).

As for why some Chinese dramas don't air soon after they are completed, reasons are multi-factorial but revolve a lot around the approval process and guidelines that the government puts in place.

He did see her (a blurry vision of her when he finally came to after having passed out), but I think it's a red herring - where we (and he) are supposed to think one of them (FMW or YQL) did it, but in the end, it'll end up being neither. I just can't see it being FMW. As betrayed as she might have felt, I don't think she'd hurt Jing Ci in that way (and that's the belief he's clinging onto as well). YQL doesn't really have reason to harm him either given that he was helping her marry the person she loved.

Spoiler of spoiler, I vaguely recall reading somewhere (maybe further below?) that in the end, it'll be revealed that it was Jing Ci's adopted father who did it and FMW was protecting Jing Ci from realizing the truth of that matter. I'm pretty sure the adopted father is also the one who's been slow poisoning him and keeping him in poor health, as a method of control. Just my guesses. :)

There's so much backstory packed into the first couple of episodes that I don't think the impact of revelations were properly felt. But, basically, FMW felt betrayed by what she felt was Jing Ci's willingness to let her be married off to another. She doesn't know that it's not something he wanted and was actively working to find a way around. Just as she's reeling from that sense of betrayal, she discovers the truth of how she was supposed to have been killed as a baby.

Having said all that, I'm at episode 18 and the actual truth of that incident has yet to be revealed. Everyone assumes it was FMW, but I think in the end it will prove not to be her (I don't think it'll be YQL either). Jing Ci doesn't want to believe it's FMW, and is for the most part giving her a pass because he understand how upset she was over the betrothal and feels bad about how she was stolen as a baby. And, of course, because he loves her. :)

Anyway that's my understanding of how things are...

Not a coincidence, but not really gossip-worthy either. Guo Zi Qian belongs to Hans Zhang's studio, so naturally she gets a lot of roles in dramas that Hans Zhang is a part of (particularly if his studio is involved in the production). Zhang Ya Mei is also signed to his studio, so you'll see some overlap there as well.

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the fics. :)
(Tip: Despite my having stated previously that I was done, check back in a few days. I'll be posting another....)

Youku's website says 28.

I believe the schedule is 5 raw episodes every Wednesday for VIPs, 2 raw episodes every Wednesday & Thursday for non-VIPs, and 2 subbed episodes every Saturday & Sunday. (Note: Often, people rip the VIP episodes and make them available online. But if you were watching officially the episode would be available as indicated.)

The special has never been subbed, as far as I know, but if you follow my link below and read the recap, you'll be able to watch and understand without any problems. Promise. :)

As far as I know there is no subbed version anywhere, that’s why I provided the recap. If you read it, you’ll be able to follow the videos no problem.

https://youtu.be/yI2AJLYRM0o

To find it on Viki, use it’s alternative title: The World Owes Me a First Love. It’s also available on the iQiyi app under Lucky’s First Love.

Not just you. She did have two.

Recap for the Special (and link for the video) can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y5mptb9w

Recap for the Special (and link to the video) can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y5mptb9w

The production team has said they modeled the game played in GYH after LoL and Dota2. ;)

He's not seen as a marketable player. Although Xiang Kong is the commander for the Legends team (the one who comes up with the strategies and directs the team when they're playing), in the game, he plays more of a support role, i.e., not the mid-solo position, which would be the one to make most of the kills and pull off all the fancy footwork that audiences love to see and get behind. In addition, Xiang Kong's game tactics are more of the sneak attack kind. Therefore, his actions while effective are not obvious to the lay audience, who just see him as a hand klutz. They don't realize that sometimes when he sacrifices himself in the game, he's actually setting things up for a bigger attack or that he's trying to trick the other side into falling into a trap. Since the lay audience can't understand that, they misunderstand and criticize him online as a terrible player, so Zhao Yang doesn't want to use Xiang Kong as the "face" of the Legends team. That's why he prefers someone like Pei Xi, who's got strong skills, is a mid-solo player, and has a lot of online popularity. (But, on the other hand, for all that PX is a highly skilled player, he lacks creativity in playing the game which is why even he knows he needs someone like XK and his strategies in order to win.)

The other reason why Zhao Yang doesn't like Xiang Kong is because he's not a very biddable player. As we see, one of the first things he does as the temporary team captain is to announce that they won't have time to participate in any of the sponsorship and fan events that Zhao Yang has arranged because they need to train. Zhao Yang's focused only on making money, rather than the game, and that's why he would've preferred someone like Huo Yao, for the team captain position (prior to thinking up the PX idea) because he knew he'd be able to get Huo Yao to do what he wants whereas he knows Xiang Kong will go directly against him - which is exactly what happened.

In reality, you need both the game and the money (funding to keep the team going) to make things work, which is what Gu Fang gently tried to remind Xiang Kong prior to his departure, and that's why Xiang Kong conceded as much to participate in that variety show.

Hope that helps...