The two are talking about the cat but HT is really thinking of JX: JX: Without me, Dahuang would have been dead HT looking down at the cat: It's been ten years. I just didn't know I could see you again. It's all good. JX: It is. Look, it's nice and plump.
This exchange was funny too: HT: Why didn't I see the cat last time? JX: Last time?
HT misses his parents on New Year's Eve. In the novel, ZD has known HT for only four years but in the drama, they're childhood family friends, she also has a crush on him even though they both know they won't ever marry because he doesn't have those kinds of feelings for her but she still hangs around him, both for business reasons and personal reasons, hoping he'd come around to her one day, and he's okay with her hanging around him since he has no girlfriend yet and they've been together like that for years, that seems to be their relationship. Grandpa is good friend of ZD's father and HT's family think highly of Zeng Di and hope they can be a couple. Perhaps, when they first started out, he liked Zeng Di and thought they could marry one day as Grandpa suggested, but she fell out of favor with him. Hang Ting could marry someone for benefits and not love, until he met Ji Xing. The drama portrays HT as a loner, reclusive, and introverted in his personal life, yet adept at navigating business and social interactions. His skillfulness doesn’t stem from extroversion but rather from his understanding of human dynamics. He is a multifaceted and complex person given his loss of parents at an early age, raised by a hard but very loving grandfather and brought up in a wealthy competitive family business environment. He has become even more competitive and aggressive in business than his grandfather who mentored him.
LL and XYX chemistry are really good. HRX portrayal of LL makes her character fascinating to watch. Her demeanor and mannerisms convey a lot about her character. These two should do a drama together but the actor doesn't do much acting. When I first watched Royal Feast, this actor stood out to me.
HT pours tea for JX, so she doesn't drink. He notices she needs a napkin. He leverages his reputation to raise her up and helps her to gain networks for her project. The way JX looks at HT speaks volumes about how she feels. Seven Tan is so expressive in her acting.
ZD dynamics with HT have changed in the drama. She's a family friend of many years (Grandpa is good friend with ZD's father) and I think she also study abroad in Germany with HT, someone that Grandpa selected for HT. She tends to things for him. For example, she picked out the furniture for his office. She's always using the "Grandpa" line on him. But he doesn't want to marry her, and she knows it, even Grandpa knows it, but won't give up hope. So that's why she is comfortable to pop up around him, do things for him, go on dates, and he's used to it and okay with it. In fact, in ep 1, he asked his assistant was about Zeng Di. They've been like this for years, a relationship that has benefits to them both. But HT has never loved another woman and never forgot Ji Xing. That's why he asked his assistant how long it takes to fall out of love. HT does not approve ZD's ways and when he saw how she was using JX that night she brought her to the poker game, he lost respect for her. When ZD learned that JX was using her affiliation with HT to gain benefits to obtain a 3D printer from HT supplier, ZD tried to discredit JX by taking HT to the same restaurant so they can eavesdrop. Again, HT does not like ZD's dirty tactics, and he knows JX better than her. The drama has done a superb job of still keeping the essence of the characters intact even when the background or dynamics of the relationships have changed for its characters. This novel is amazing but so is the adaptation version, two different works but the original essence is intact.
ABAY is really Fighting quite a battle now. competing with a Costume Drama more to add which is a Big budget sequel…
I read on twitter someone said that neither Xu Kai agency nor production company will allocate money to promote his character, yet it is still #1 popularity.
I really like the sarcastic exchanges between HT and JX in the novel. Their witty bantering was what made it fun to read. Hope there will be more of it in the drama later.
2 
1 
JX: Without me, Dahuang would have been dead
HT looking down at the cat: It's been ten years. I just didn't know I could see you again. It's all good.
JX: It is. Look, it's nice and plump.
This exchange was funny too:
HT: Why didn't I see the cat last time?
JX: Last time?
But he doesn't want to marry her, and she knows it, even Grandpa knows it, but won't give up hope. So that's why she is comfortable to pop up around him, do things for him, go on dates, and he's used to it and okay with it. In fact, in ep 1, he asked his assistant was about Zeng Di. They've been like this for years, a relationship that has benefits to them both. But HT has never loved another woman and never forgot Ji Xing. That's why he asked his assistant how long it takes to fall out of love. HT does not approve ZD's ways and when he saw how she was using JX that night she brought her to the poker game, he lost respect for her. When ZD learned that JX was using her affiliation with HT to gain benefits to obtain a 3D printer from HT supplier, ZD tried to discredit JX by taking HT to the same restaurant so they can eavesdrop. Again, HT does not like ZD's dirty tactics, and he knows JX better than her. The drama has done a superb job of still keeping the essence of the characters intact even when the background or dynamics of the relationships have changed for its characters. This novel is amazing but so is the adaptation version, two different works but the original essence is intact.