AH

The lamp was added for the drama, it did not exist in the novel.

In the novel, TSJ tried to regain his memories from that night by getting a fox demon to hypnotize him, but it didn't work. Nevertheless, he concluded that the type of potion that FFYY and his grandmother used on him would not have been strong enough to override his principles and that he would not have slept with XY under the circumstances (e.g., in FFYY's bed) simply because of such a potion. Also, TSH's wife was murdered under suspicious circumstances after trying to arrange a meeting with TSJ to tell him something. By the time of XY's wedding with Feng Long, TSJ felt strongly that TSZ was not his son, but he only had suspicions about FFYY and TSH and didn't have any solid evidence to prove their affair and the fact that TSZ was their son.

After XL/FFB interrupts the wedding, he takes XY away to QS town for a little over a month. Throughout that time XL is very cold and harsh towards XY and tells her that FFB is "dead" (he will not use that identity any more). He also confirms that XY is still willing to marry YSQ (basically a version of TSJ with different variables) even though actual TSJ is still married and has a child at this point. At the end of that time, XL tells XY that he made a deal with TSJ to interrupt her wedding in exchange for supplies for his army. Then he is extremely harsh towards XY and leaves her behind. That prompts XY to go to TSJ to ask him why he made such a deal with XL. In that meeting, TSJ reveals his suspicions and the two have a heart-to-heart. XY agrees to work with TSJ to help find out the truth, and that marks the beginning of their reconciliation.

XY then spends several months seducing TSH, which drives a wedge between him and FFYY. XY then lends her ape spirit mirror (which can record memories) to TSJ so that he can record TSH and FFYY when they meet and argue. That provides him with solid evidence that FFYY had an affair with TSH and that TSZ is their son, not TSJ's son.

Pretty much all of the main characters frustrated me at some point in the novel, but I think CX ended up frustrating me the most. So much of XY's pain and unhappiness can be traced back to him.

Thank you, Mich. I appreciate it!

Keeping track of all the various names and characters can be tricky, but the King of Haoling (the man that XY believes is her father) is not XL's enemy. The King of Xiyan (first
XY's "grandfather" and then CX) is XL's enemy.

The King of Haoling doesn't want XY to have any relationship with XL because he worries that having a relationship with her family's enemy (i.e., her "grandfather"* and CX's enemy) will lead to the same kind of tragedy that XY's mother experienced when she fell in love with Chi Chen, who was also the King of Xiyan's enemy.

Exposing the fact that XY's real father is Chi Chen would not negate the fact that she is related to CX (the current King of Xiyan) by blood through her mother (in the novel, as his cousin and in the drama it seems that they are more distantly related - like second cousins). So exposing that information would not suddenly make it possible for XY to be with XL.

Spoiler ahead. In the novel, CX intentionally exposes XY's true parentage so that her official family ties with the King of Haoling are cut before he leads the Xiyan army to attack and conquor Haoling. When the truth about XY's parentage is exposed, XY and XL remain on opposite sides of the conflict between Xiyan and the Chenrong remnant army.

* Edited to add: In the novel, the former King of Xiyan is the biological grandfather of both XY and CX. In the drama, it seems they have changed things so that XY still calls the King of Xiyan her grandfather, but she is not related to him by blood. She is only indirectly related to his Queen (CX's grandmother) by blood.

Thanks for sharing the link!

@Kaka Do you remember where you came across this by any chance? And do you know if it's fan made or from an official source?

People will likely comment on just about everthing in the new episodes as they air, but hopefully everyone will be considerate and use spoiler covers on those comments... Same for comments with any other type of spoiler.

This drama involves a lot of suffering (both physical and emotional) for its main characters, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. But it also involves a lot of love, protection, selflessness and sacrifice. Between those things (love, protection, selflessness and sacrifice on the one hand and suffering on the other), it makes for a very moving and memorable drama.

You're welcome!

This is specific to the drama.

However, the novel includes an epilogue that depicts XL on the night before the final battle began when he created a gift for XY that included a hidden message: "The ability to take care of yourself, someone to rely on, a place to go – wishing you a lifetime of worry free happiness!"

Lan Zhan from the Untamed?

LZ and TSJ were both master zither players from a young age and they did both channel their spiritual power through their zither, so I guess they are alike in that sense. But LZ was able to use his zither playing to calm / agitate / control spirits, to calm / agitate / control people, and to channel his spiritual power into a physical attack. Based on the novel (particularly chapter 42), I'm not sure TSJ was able to do all of that. Attacks don't really seem like his style. It seemed more like he only used zither playing (and voice) to mystify / enchant his listeners - which would allow him to escape from an attacker. They also both had terrible scars on their torsos.

In other ways (cold, serious demeanor, loyalty and rigid adherance to principles, and all-white attire), I'd say LWJ is more like XL.

This scene?

https://youtu.be/CSlc1QcVHPI?si=JR8G-u62ebdG-Ut6&t=1729

Yes, Tushan Jing has water-based spiritual powers. But before Tushan Hou captured and tortured him, Tushan Jing also used zither playing and singing as a way to cast enchantments / to mystify his listeners. After Tushan Hou damaged his vocal chords and hands, Tushan Jing's ability to use his voice and zither playing that way was impeded, but he still had some ability to use his spiritual power in other ways (e.g., converting liquids into mist to provide cover / alleviating pain).

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In chapter 20 (the part of the novel that matches up with that scene in episode 28), Xing Yue only said:

Xing Yue sighed, “You have never heard Jing gege play. Years ago the Young Master of Qing Qiu’s one tune would enchant countless listeners! My mom found me two great masters but it really was due to Jing gege’s pointers that I became an accomplished zither playing. But after his horrific ordeal, he said his fingers were injured so doesn’t play anymore.”

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But much later in the novel (in chapter 42), Tushan Hou reflects on the fact that he was relieved that he had diminished Tushan Jing's strength by damaging his voice and hands:

Hou was relieved that he injured Jing’s hand and throat so long ago, so Jing could never sing or play the melodious tunes again. The world only knew that the Young Master of Qing Qiu’s musical talent was unparallel, no one knew it was actually an enchanting skill that Jing developed since childhood. If he used the mystifying music now, Hou would need to close off his ears, and a tiger without sight or hearing would find it impossible to kill the fox.

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Tushan Jing's mystifying power is referenced in a few places, including in chapter 26:

Jing anxiously put one hand on Xiao Yao’s wrist while his other clutched the wine cup and transformed the wine into a fog. Everyone knew the Tu Shan clan had the power to mystify which was very useful for taking away pain. No one thought it weird what Jing was doing.

There has been quite a lot of evidence that suggests that the leaked script is legitimate.

For example, the leaked script (which has been available since last year) includes a scene that was not in the novel that depicts TSJ using a "Lamp of Time". That scene matches up pretty much exactly with one of the scenes that was eventually included in the S2 trailer that recently came out.

https://mydramalist.com/discussions/lost-you-forever/110123-xl-and-xy-story-and-romance-warning-spoilers?pid=3076851&page=620#p3076851

liddi (a fellow fan and MDL user) has also provided a general comparison of the trailer and leaked script.

https://mydramalist.com/discussions/lost-you-forever/110123-xl-and-xy-story-and-romance-warning-spoilers?pid=3076845&page=620#p3076845

It's still possible that the leaked script isn't real of course, but right now the evidence seems to suggest that it is legitimate.

Even if it is legitimate, there will inevitably be differences between the script and what ends up being depicted in the final version of S2 that airs. Even scenes that were in the trailer could end up being edited or re-dubbed (as was the case with scenes from the S1 trailer last year). So we won't know for sure how all the details will be handled until we see them on screen.

There are a few fanfics that have been written that resolve this point by having XY discover the ice crystal ball (and XL's final message) hidden inside the big-bellied laughing doll at the right time / under the right circumstances. ^^

Thank you for saying that. Lol, yes we did have some of our own discussions. Good ones that I enjoyed having. ^^

Aww, that was nice of you to say HeadInTheClouds! ^^

Thank you plor20, that's kind. Yes, sometimes having an interpretation that isn't totally YaoLiu or totally YaoJing makes it easier to chat about details from the story with fans from both groups. No patience required for this one. I felt like soTreeD and I were having a civil discussion. Even though the comment section as a whole here is getting a little overheated.

"Xiaoliu lying to Xiangliu was evidence that she didn't truly trust him yet, so this only shows to me there is no 'love' at this moment."

At that point in the story, Wen Xiao Liu wasn't honest with anyone about her identity or the fact that she had memorized the Chenrong Poison Manual. That included both TSJ and CX.

I personally also think it is very possible to develop feelings for someone before getting to a point where you are 100% honest with them or ready to trust them with your #1 deepest, darkest secret. Especially if revealling that secret would risk irrevocably damaging your relationship with that person.

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"And what was she supposed to do? Xiaoliu actually had no intention of ever returning to Haoling. Why would she go around telling others, especially someone she just met for a few years about her true identity?

If she had to explain her mother had given her the manual about how to raise poisonous bugs, won't she worry about Xiangliu taking her hostage to get Xiyan to do his bidding?"

Please don't get me wrong here. I don't think WXL should have revealed her true identity to XL or told him about the poison manual at that point. I don't blame her for lying in those circumstances at all.

I merely point out that she was lying (and that XL knew she was lying) because it provides important context for how XL responds to her. If she was perfectly forthcoming and honest with him, then it would be fair to expect him to be perfectly forthcoming and honest with her in return. But she wasn't and he knew it. So it seems rather unfair to expect that Xiang Liu should be fully forthcoming and honest when WXL wasn't first.

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"My post just pointed out how Xiangliu got into Xiaoyao's heart.
The novel and drama made it such a big deal that it was not easy to get in because of the hard shell around her heart etc, and that was my observation about how he got in."

The bug transfer in chapter 7 allowed Xiang Liu to feel WXL's feelings, but there were instances where the hard shell around WXL's heart softened when she was with Xiang Liu before the bug transfer occurred.

For example, when Xiang Liu took WXL to watch the moon rise over the ocean in chapter 4, that scene included the following line: "After some time, a moon rose from the edge of the ocean and the quiet beauty was so powerful that Xiao Liu felt the hard shell around his heart soften."

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"Basically my argument is that something was installed and it was not stated to Xiaoliu in the terms and conditions. Even if we normally don't read everything in the TnCs, I am sure there will be outrage if something was deliberately left out without our knowledge."

This concern would make sense if Xiang Liu was the one who asked WXL to carry out the bug transfer for Xiang Liu's benefit. If that was the case, then he should be clear with the person he was asking about what the deal would entail.

But WXL was the one who asked Xiang Liu to allow her to transfer the bug from CX to Xiang Liu for CX and WXL's benefit. Xiang Liu had no obligation to explain the details of WXL's own bugs to her or the implications of the deal that she was asking him to agree to.

In chapter 7, WXL was aware that XL knew the name of the bugs and the required criteria for transferring them to another person, while she did not. She was also aware that XL was unwilling to answer her when she asked about the transfer criteria, and she was satisfied with just confirming that XL met the required criteria.

WXL was even clearly willing to take the risk of making a totally open-ended promise to Xiang Liu (as long as it didn't involve harming CX, the King of Xiyan or the King of Haoling) in exchange for him agreeing to her request. Demonstrating that she was willing to accept not knowing all the details and implications of what she was agreeing to at the time that she made the promise.

And her trust was well placed, as Xiang Liu ended up using that promise later on for XY's benefit - to save her from condemning herself to a lifetime of unhappiness in a marriage to Feng Long that she didn't want.

"My big problem is, Xiangliu knows exactly what bug it was, but he chose not to tell her. She might have thought of another way if she knew what kind of bug it was."

Wen Xiao Liu planted the bug in CX and transferred it to Xiang Liu without fully understanding it. She chose to take that risk on both occasions. She also lied to Xiang Liu about how she learned to raise the bugs, and she lied about her true identity. And Xiang Liu knew she was lying about both of those things and still agreed to help her anyway, even though it meant risking his own life.

It's true that Xiang Liu fully understood what the bugs were and how they worked and didn't explain those details to Wen Xiao Liu. But after Wen Xiao Liu lied to him, why should he be obligated to give her full disclosure? Especially when the ommission allowed him to save her life on at least two occasions. Plus, he didn't impose any decisions on her (like forceibly planting a bug in her - as she had done to CX and as she originally planned to do to him). She asked him for help and he agreed to give it.

There were no alternatives. Wen Xiao Liu clearly wasn't willing to transfer the bug from CX to TSJ when she thought it only transferred pain (you mentioned some of the possible reasons why). Given Wen Xiao Liu's personality, the chances that she would change her mind about that if she knew the bugs were Lovers Bugs that tied two peoples' lives together seems, to me, to be pretty much zero. And if the bug had stayed in CX or she had continued to try to remove the bug from him forcibly without transferring it to a willing host, she might have gotten herself killed.

"Xiangliu withheld information and got a cheat hack into her heart and got to know all her feelings without her consent."

Wen Xiao Liu was the one who raised the bugs. She was originally planning to plant one bug in Xiang Liu without his consent, but ended up planting it in CX instead, which forced CX to feel all of Wen Xiao Liu's pain and other sensations... without his consent.

Later on, Wen Xiao Liu asked Xiang Liu to help her by letting her transfer the bug from CX to him, and Xiang Liu agreed - knowing that doing so would mean putting his life (or rather, all nine of his lives) at risk. By accepting the bug transfer whole-heartedly, he allowed the bug to be planted successfully, which led to their lives being tied together and enabled him to save XY's life in chapter 22 and chapter 48.

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"She didn't even realize that until much later on after he told her not to stay heartbroken over TSJ because it was bothering him."

In chapter 25, XY started to wonder if Xiang Liu could feel her heartache as much as her pain from physical injuries, and if he might feel 100% of her heartache instead of just a fraction of it.

In chapter 26, Xiang Liu used the bug connection to speed up her heartrate in order to snap her out of the intense heartache she felt after seeing TSJ. When XY encountered Xiang Liu later that day, she directly asked him if he could feel 100% of her heartache. He confirmed that when XY's heart hurts, his heart hurts just as much. So if she would stop tormeting herself, she would be better off and so would he. Then he spends the next night and day on an excursion to the sea with her, all designed to cheer her up without leading her on.

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"Meanwhile he got a free GPS tracking on her so he could track Cangxuan"

Xiang Liu had no idea, at the time that the bug was transferred, that Wen Xiao Liu was Xiao Yao or any other person who would constantly be close enough to CX to enable the bug connection to act as a means for Xiang Liu to track CX.