sekai

I've seen it work before. Rebirth for You and New Life Begins are good examples. So it's not the trope, it's the writing. And this one just didn't deliver.

I get your point, and I don't disagree that writers often use marriage as an excuse to skip the build-up. But here's the thing, I've seen dramas where the leads start off married and still have great romance and a genuinely lovable progression of their relationship. So it's not the "married from the start" setup that's the problem. It's this writer. The characters are written in a way that makes them act like this in their marriage, and that's a choice, not an inevitable consequence of the premise. Other shows have proven it can be done well.

I actually agree with you. That's exactly what I'm expecting too, probably a rushed montage at the end with them and a kid, and that's it. I'm not holding my breath either. I just meant that if the writer wanted to go the "respect-first, love-later" route, she technically still have time to wrap it up, but realistically? With everything else the show needs to cover? Yeah, it's not happening. So we're on the same page.

I actually agree with you. But since this is a historical cdrama, they can always save everything for the last few episodes. Especially because I've already experienced something similar with Cheng Lei's The Legend of the Female General—and that one was even worse.

That's one way to look at it. But honestly, the show hasn't given us enough to confirm whether this is intentional pacing or just weak writing. If the writer really meant to build a "respect-first, love-later" marriage, she should have shown that development more clearly, not leave the audience to fill in the blanks. The problem is, we don't know if they're holding back for a reason, or if they simply didn't know how to write the in-between. So while I choose to see it as a deliberate choice, I can't blame anyone for seeing it as a flaw. Because honestly? It might be both.

It's not about chemistry at all. The issue is that the romance isn't the kind that a lot of people were expecting and waiting for from this couple. I know most viewers were hoping for passionate love stories and plenty of lovey-dovey scenes, but they never really had the chance for that—it wasn't in their situation, and it wasn't in the story's space either.
The truth is, the characters are actually behaving appropriately. This marriage wasn't built on love, so what we see from both sides is nothing but respect. Honestly, their behavior is exactly like people who are in a logical, respectful marital bond—they respond to each other's needs, they don't unnecessarily cross personal boundaries, but they're there when it matters.
This isn't what a lot of people were hoping to see, especially from this couple. But does that mean their chemistry is weak? No. It just means the kind of chemistry is different.

thank you for making me fall in love with him even more than before.

sameeee

instagram is blocked in china. celebrities have instagram because they reflect a global image of china. they use rednote (xiaohongshu) within China.

i'm currently watching the end of episode 8 of Veil of Shadows, and i had to stop and write this.
i've seen all three of Jia Rui's dramas with Guo, and i have to say, this character shows his acting potential more than any other so far. i absolutely love actors who can cry naturally. like, yes, i actually preferred Fangs of Fortune over Veil of Shadows, but Veil of Shadows has more plot twists, and i love most of them. however, the characters here, especially Jia Rui's—i truly fell for them. he easily entered my list of favorite actors just because of this role. i love Ji Ling. he's so adorable. of course, right now we're in a really sad scene, and i don't even know if we'll see Ji Ling again, but he's genuinely become one of my all-time favorite cdrama characters. i wish i had one of those wooden puppets like he is.
you see, anyone can cry on cue if you give them time, let them prepare, start the scene, wait seconds for a single tear. but an actor who can cry like spring rain, tear after tear, while delivering lines, that's real acting.
Jia Rui is acting so well in this scene. i'm genuinely enjoying it, even though it's heartbreaking, and I completely understand his emotions.
i wish i could tell Jia Rui directly how much i admire his acting and how incredibly good he is.

this is the series which i never skip the intro.

Both TLOTFG that i just finished and How Dare You that i've started watching recently, Cheng Lei really does have the longest eyelashes! Every time i see those long lashes of his, i pause and think, "Oh my god, how can this chinese man have such good genes?" He really is pure gold in every way!

I decided to start this series before "How Dare You" because I hadn't seen any of Cheng Lei's dramas before, and I wanted my first experience with his work to be one of his older series. However, I have to say, this show really didn't meet my expectations!
General Xiao Jue's character was incredibly strong, but I was hoping to see more smiles from him. The show was at a point where I could actually count his smiles, which is such a shame because a smile really suits his face. I absolutely loved his acting though. especially the scene where he's handing his wife over to someone else with both hands; that was so impactful that it made me cry. Even the earlier scenes, like when He Yan was searching for Xiao Jue among the corpses, screaming and crying, were heartbreaking, even though I knew he was alive.
Zhou Ye's character reminded me a lot of Gu Xiang in some ways. partly because they shared the same voice actor and partly because they both fought with whips. I initially thought that once again, she wouldn't have luck in her wedding dress, but thankfully, she did! However, I'm not too hopeful about the couple's future. I just pray that The Great Wei always remains at peace so that nothing separates them.
As for Chu Zhao, I never really understood his presence in the drama from start to finish. Just when I felt satisfied seeing the villains get their comeuppance, he suddenly went crazy and started chasing after someone else's wife! It felt so unnecessary. why did they have to ruin his character?
Overall, I couldn't grasp the purpose behind some of the events in the series. The battle sequences were absolutely amazing, but they went overboard with them, which ended up wasting the potential of the main couple, who had incredible chemistry. In the end, I didn't get a satisfying romantic payoff from them, and I genuinely feel that this couple was wasted potential.

COMEDY??? are you serious?? 😭 he yu??? the man who plays the most restrained, emotionally intense characters with just his eyes?? i literally cannot picture it. you're telling me this man has comedic timing?! okay, now i HAVE to watch his older dramas because i need to see this transformation with my own eyes. that’s actually insane range.
also, i saw that clip 😭 where he said “i’m not someone who laughs a lot” and then kept laughing?? that was so him-coded. i do the same thing “I don’t smile much” and then i’m giggling five seconds later. it was so endearing i actually rewatched it multiple times.
and YES, two-faced and sick characters are literally my favorite archetype. there’s something so compelling about characters who aren’t what they seem on the surface. so blossom of power is already on my radar and i’m counting down. honestly, i didn’t think i could be more excited but here we are 😭
and yes, i’ll definitely check out his older dramas when i have time. if he’s this good in serious roles and also great at comedy? that’s not acting, that’s witchcraft.

honestly yes, everything you said is spot on. it's actually kind of refreshing to see someone put into words what i’ve been feeling but couldn’t articulate. he yu doesn’t just act, he becomes the character in a way that feels almost invisible, and that’s exactly why it hits so hard. you don’t see the effort, you just feel jin zhao. that’s not easy to do, especially with a role that’s so restrained. it would’ve been so easy to overplay it or to fade into the background, but he made every second count without ever shouting for attention.
and same. i’m completely invested now too. it’s not about the usual stuff, it’s just... i genuinely want to see more of his work because he’s proven he’s that good. he’s already shot up to one of my favorite actors and i’m definitely going to check out his other dramas. this kind of talent doesn’t come around often.

completely agree! honestly, i can't even imagine anyone playing this role better than he yu. his acting was so natural and emotional. it really doesn't feel like the china scenes were filmed first. there was no need to shoot thailand first because he yu and esther already nailed it perfectly.

yes i heard about blossom of power! i’m definitely going to check it out. after this performance, i really want to see him in a different kind of role and see how he transforms again.

right?? it’s actually wild that some people tried to downplay his impact. JZ is such a subtle character that if you’re not paying attention, you might miss how much he’s doing with just his eyes and micro-expressions. but once you see it, you can’t unsee it. he yu added so much depth to the role without needing big dramatic lines.

hi sweetie, let’s be friends~

exactly!! that’s what i meant. it really feels like he can’t believe she’s actually there, like he’s been deprived of love for so long and now it’s finally in front of him. and because JZ is such a quiet character, all of that had to come through his eyes and small gestures. the way he looks at her, the hesitation, the softness… it’s so subtle but so intense at the same time. he yu really carried that with his body language. you can feel that hunger and disbelief without him even saying much.