Reviews

After the Truth, Still You

First ImpressionThis episode felt like the emotional fallout we’d been waiting for, with confessions, misunderstandings, and just enough softness to calm the storm a little.Episode ThoughtsFresh off the battlefield, the male lead finally has to face the consequences of hiding who he really is. He rides off with the female lead and tries to explain why he lied, but honestly, it still doesn’t feel like a great excuse considering how long he kept her in the dark. What hits hardest is that her real pain is not just the lie itself, but the distance it creates between them. In her eyes, there is still a huge gap between a butcher’s girl and a marquis, and she believes the world would laugh at them. Meanwhile, the male lead makes it very clear that he does not care what anyone thinks — she is the only woman he wants, and that part was genuinely sweet.Their heart-to-heart gets interrupted when news comes that one of the thug boys has been badly injured and might not survive. Thankfully, that turns out to be a misunderstanding, and the ink plate from his sister ends up saving him. It was a tense moment, but also one with relief at the end.Elsewhere, Mr Sun continues to make questionable decisions, going into battle without armour and then trying to cry wolf to get the Royal Princess’ attention, only for it to backfire once the Grand Tutor arrives looking for the leads. I did laugh at that whole situation. There is also a nice moment when the male lead asks the Grand Tutor if he would take the female lead as his goddaughter, not realising at first that they are talking about the same person.We also get more strategy and consequences on the enemy’s side. Sui Yuanhuai is rescued during the chaos, and once he hears that their brute was killed in three hits, he immediately works out that it was the female lead. That definitely feels like something that will come back on her later.The episode closes with more emotional honesty between the leads. The male lead says the happiest time of his life was the simple life he had with her, and by the end, with them holding hands, it seems like she has more or less forgiven him. I’m still a little torn because after 26 episodes of secrecy, her anger feels resolved quite quickly, but this drama is moving so fast that maybe that was always going to be the case.Character NotesThe female lead still feels grounded and emotionally honest. Even when hurt, her reaction makes sense because the problem was never just romance, it was trust and the difference in status between them.The male lead is finally saying what he feels out loud, and his sincerity is clear, but I still think he waited far too long to tell her the truth.Mr Sun remains lovable but slightly ridiculous here, while the Royal Princess continues to have great presence even in smaller moments. The Grand Tutor also adds warmth and a little humour to the episode.And of course, Sui Yuanhuai connecting the dots about who defeated their brute feels like very bad news for later.Final ThoughtsThis was very much an aftermath episode, but it still had a lot packed into it: emotional fallout, sweet confessions, a little comedy, and future danger quietly building in the background. I do wish the female lead’s anger had lasted slightly longer, but I’m still very invested in where this goes next.Favourite MomentThe male lead saying that out of all the women in the world, she is the only one he wants.Trope CheckSecret identity fallout, class difference angst, interrupted heart-to-heart, battlefield aftermath, emotional confession, hand-holding reconciliation, looming revenge

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i really love how candid U Jin is about his…

i really love how candid U Jin is about his feelings, there is no beating around the bush, no playing mind games - he tells & show Hye Seong how much he likes him & it's really sweet & heartwarming to see the love in his eyes. *********************************but i really hate when a topic was brought up & then everything goes on as if it wasn't mentioned - in the previous ep U Jin asked Hye Seong about the color blindness & from then onwards there is no mention of this - so frustrating. i wanna know how & why it's such an important plot point - or is it. *************************************************************************************also i didn't get why Hye Seong need to postpone his studies abroad, usually this takes time - u don't just register & the sec u get accepted u go to that school the next week. the is a process & procedure to everything & it usually takes ages. but not in this BL. oh well -

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what a stressful ep - idk why i was on edge…

what a stressful ep - idk why i was on edge the whole time. but throughout felt that something was gonna happen. also i don't get why Hye Seong's color blindness is an issue, something he has to hide - also didn't get how color blindness is connected to the fact he couldn't differentiate between left & right. ******************************************************************************& i get Tae Jun animosity towards Hye Seong as he hurt his bff, U Jin. but now starting to wonder, does he feel more for U Jin, then platonic friendship?!? & why was his joining on the beatification project a problem? cause U Jin was trying to hide the fact that Hye Seong is suffering's from color blindness? again, why is this something that needed to be kept a secret?!?

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Drawing new company lines

YuCi lets Jiang know that she understands that he wants her distant from everyone at the company. That small smile he gives that she gets it. He will not allow company colleague loyalties where he is not in control. This is especially clear in upper management. That he chooses her office attire to his quality while her style preference shows the degree of control he expects. He goes right to the ‘friendships’ of her and LiangLiang and MuRan. He knows it’s complicated and he wanted a reaction from YuCi. When she described her ‘friendship’ with them as a tool to be utilized for the company, he seemed content with that response. She noted her original blindness to the B side of friendships. The A side is where you see the loyalty, support and even love from those close to you. The B side is the reality. It is the face and sentiment they don’t want you to see. Where you really stand in their hearts and minds. YuCi is much better equipped to see the whole picture of ‘friends’ now. I had noticed the last few episodes that LiangLiang had Lego on her desk. This must be a de stresser for her. It was very fitting that YuCi used that hobby to get her attention drawn back to her father. I am curious about why a wealthy man would let his daughter be taken with no further contact ever made. It is a layer of mystery that adds to LiangLiang’s fractured personality. I am both impressed and creeped out that she has a replica of her childhood home in Lego. She has been put in the same position as Ren. Her success at Lysen will depend on not catering to bf’s expectations. They will not be allowed to be allies within the company. MuRan is very like Yu in resenting the demotion. LiangLiang is trying to make things clear to him about the vote being a formality to what Jiang wanted to happen. MuRan is not taking the news well and there is now a definite rift between them. MuRan has ambition, but he’s lazy and self indulgent. This will always backfire on him. We are introduced to Han CongFei. He was the reporter on the scene when YuCi and her mom were taken by ambulance to their respective hospitals. She has him looking into the Beauty Pearl society and keeping LiangLiang delayed from getting the contact she wants to track down her father. He offers to investigate Chen Mo and she makes it clear they aren’t confidantes and are using each other for specific results. She warns him to keep to that arrangement. While he can’t stop the wheels churning with his questions about Chen Mo, he does realize his best interest is to toe the line. Ren is forthright and just flat out asks what YuCi’s intentions are with Yu. YuCi lets her know she will always see him as manager Yu and Ren is satisfied with that answer. After the ‘vote’, dept three was moved up to dept two. Yu is still being recalcitrant in his actions and makes dept three look bad with dept two. Chen Xi is being investigated and no longer with the company. YuCi sets the combined departments straight that good work is the bottom line. The old ways will no longer work for them. Here Jiang is getting some clap back for letting his lover run things when she was not that capable. I liked we were allowed to see the meal with YuCi and Yu. He is still pouting, but he has seen her in action and knows things are not simple. He is puzzled and annoyed when she tells him to listen to Ren. I don’t think he expected that advice. She laid it out for him that at the company they must be distant but that outside the company they are friends. He is accepting enough of it to have a drink with her and have his meal put on her tab. She lets him know that her stay will be short and that management will go as it should with her departure. Winds of change are coming to Lysen. This company was never her choice. But now that her ‘ friends’ got her here via ChuXia, she is making the best of it.

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