whoissilmoy

so the ML (the stray cat) will adopt an owner (FL) and eventually the FL will decide to keep the stray cat (ML) but not sure how the mother daughter will fit into this plot. I guess the mother may not like the stray cat and throw him out?

I think grandma had an awful first marriage but the second marriage was blissful and it changed her too

That is one possibility. It could also be that it triggers him to remember the reason he became a stray cat was that she didn't handle her son, and so when she said don't be a stray cat and worried others, he thought, how do you think I became that way, who was there for me let alone worried about me? so, he left. but I'm sure then sitting under the tree, frozen in his thoughts, slowly his heart softens as he recalled the past 2 months, he got to know grandma and then he started to recall how she flew down to offer money to help him get an education, gave him advice to work hard, and that led him to better future. Then at that point, he realized his grandmother really did love him, and then he couldn't hold back, and he cried because a person like him doesn't cry easily. He cried because of all the regrets.

Why did YZM walk away when grandma cried that he wanders around like a stray cat makes other worry? What happened in his past that triggered him to walk away from funeral at that point? That's not normal unless its' something tragic so you want to get away. Did he remember all his resentments toward grandma? There is no bond between them except for what little past 2 months, but prior to his return, even though the two acted so cordial and friendly, actually he had a heavy heart toward her all those years, but did she know?
She said she knew her grandson very well, but she didn't' know that he resented her all those years and didn't want to see her again? She said she's best at bringing people together, but she never reconciled with her only grandson.

When YZM and MCH were choosing cheongsam for grandma, I don't think it was that she knew her better but the grandma he knew had changed after she remarried.
Maybe it was the influence of her second husband.

in the funeral, she told Zao that she took care of him the most, no? I assumed that was those 6 yrs. his parents had to work? It would make sense since the mother family is so poor.

actually, I thought grandma was perfect, but after the inheritance, she has every right to give it to MCH but I still see her as partial because she was close to MCH , her favorite.
in a way he was not totally honest either, because in a scene, YZM hinted she was partial to MCH and she said no, I like you both, but her actions speak otherwise. she has every right to do what she wants with her property but she's partial. nothing wrong with that either, she is allowed to be partial. But that makes her not perfect grandma I thought.

MCH basically been trained by grandma for her whole life. It's like grandma was raising her successor past 20 yrs. MCH shares her values and vision. Poor YZ M never had a chance. Women stick together.

can you tell how much of the mother will be in second half? I feel like we've been there done that with her

FL dad is grandma step son.. step means no blood relations

Grandma said that YZM is just like his grandfather and she and her first husband had very bad times plus he cheated on her. No wonder grandma cannot trust YZM.

must be grandma's first husband he was bad to his son.

she also said in her letter to YZM that MCH needs her help more than he does because he has education and experience abroad so that was big factor to give it to her.
MCH was her favorite. I do believe she was partial. But she also felt MCH shared her values and vision and spending nights with her, she saw MCH has ambitions for hotel industry and MCH shared with her why, just like in a job interview, grandma saw her passion.

but I do believe grandma was partial, nothing wrong with that. it's up to her. in a scene, we see MCH looking over grandma table and there is only one picture of her and grandma.
Grandma never kept a picture of her grandson in front of her desk which means she been with the Mai family for decades taking care of their kids and raising them, well... time goes by.

Xu Kai always gives credit where credit is due. He has always been this way, even in interviews for Yanxi Palace, he always praises the senior actors and always say how much he appreciates their experience and that he can learn from them. He is modest and humble about himself. I read on Douban that "soso doesn't really market himself."

Grandma basically took care of all her grandkids due to no good son of hers and incapable stepson.
She had to pay for all of their educational costs, medical bills, etc.
She even had to take care of her stepson's kids full time for years. while he and his wife worked.
YZM turned out the most successful despite he had no parents, no home, or running from place to place, i supposed until grandma showed up with some money for them. Also, education abroad is better than in China and grandma pointed that out to him in her letter that he has a better education being abroad, so she's not worried about him getting a job., but MCH needs her help more to succeed so she gets everything. But still for someone like YZM who was motherless and no father around, practically homeless to get as far as he did shows real determination. Why didn't the writer give us a ML character with a normal life, so his story is uninteresting.

grandma said she read the proposal and approved, just make sure my staff is taken care of, he says ok have MCH oversee me

Grandma is partial to girl. She must have also paid for all her grandkids education.
She thinks the girl needs her help more than the boy.

aren't we all about money?

YZM actually understood the hotel was losing money and needed a lot of reforms and wanted to 1) pay his debt to Zhang 2) make grandma hotel successful, 3) side, Zhang said he will help him get promoted.
but the main thing was he needed to repay Zhang for saving his life and had promised her. YZM said he resented grandma for being the root cause of all his childhood problems since she never disciplined or straightened out her son (YZM's father) so he ended homeless. He doesn't like Zhang but at least she saved him when no one else was there for him. YZM never told his grandma he had to repay a debt. She almost died thinking the hotel was more important to him than her., but they got a chance to clear it up.
In the two months he has return, I think his attitude toward grandma changed. He was grateful she advised him to study hard and she paid for his college expenses. Grandma read the proposal and said she's good with it, but worried about her staff who are family to her. YZM assured her but she didn't trust him. He even offered to let MCH oversee him. But she changed the will and then she died.

actually, grandma hotel was like old money passed down through generations

there is a difference, this is legally hers due to inheritance, not a hand out

in real life, he would sue, well, i guess he would lose, she is her step granddaughter still related.
dramas are not real life; this drama is still just a fairytale. I thought it would be more realistic about struggles of Chinese family life but that ended already, this family is now rich.

ok edit my comment