I’ve been waiting for months for a kiss that would move me.
The kiss in “Fluttering Alert” Episode 9 beach hut scene was too short and clean (if you know what I mean….)
The kiss in the rain in “Memories of the Alhambra” left me cold. It was a well-executed kiss but for the wrong reason. I didn’t like that he asked for a kiss as proof of her trust in him.
So I was thrilled with this first kiss in Love O2O. (I haven’t seen the kiss in the rain yet and there’s a big chance that’ll like THAT even better, too. lol) I know some of you won’t agree with me but here are my reasons for liking this first kiss better than the one in MotA.
First, the background. We need context:
Weiwei booked her ticket before they started dating. She had scheduled her return home right after exams.
Xiao Nai didn’t like that she had to leave right away to go home for the summer. He didn’t say it outright but she could tell by his silence that he was sulking. He wanted her to delay her departure and stay with him for a few more days. However, if she missed this train, there were no available seats on the train for another five days. So it was now or never for her. And her parents were expecting her home anyway.
She didn’t want him buying her the airfare.
Separated, they continued to stay in touch by internet. When she finally bought her new cellphone, she thought of pulling a prank on him. Pretending that he won a prize, she texted him to transfer money to her bank account to receive the prize. She knew that he wouldn’t fall for that advance-fee scam. She anticipated him to delete the text right away. After he’d done that, she would scold him for deleting her text.
But her plan backfired. He recognized the bank account as her and he wired her the money. He told her to buy an airplane ticket with it.
With the money for her ticket, she quickly returned to the city without apprising him. She intended to surprise him at his office.
Unfortunately, however, her surprise arrival coincided with an unannounced visit of an important investor. When Xiao Nai saw her standing in the corridor, he didn’t greet her enthusiastically as she had expected. She was naturally disappointed. He took her rolling luggage and said, “Follow me” and quickly went to his office. She grumbled silently, “Xiao Nai is so calm. I didn’t shock him at all. He’s walking so fast as if he’s in a hurry to settle me down so he can go to his guest. While attending to the investor may be the right thing to do, he should at least welcome me, even if just with words.”
Those were her last thoughts because as soon as he closed his office door on them, he moved her against the wall and started kissing her.
Now that we’ve the background, here are the objections, and my response.
I know people pointed out that — oh boy! — she didn’t even kiss him back. But to me, there were two reasons. One, she was virginal. Although she was Xiao Nai’s first girlfriend, and he’s her first boyfriend, he was still older by two years and more ready for the skinship.
Two, her stated excuse was valid. 
She explained that the airplane food was bad. If you read between the lines, that meant she had stinky breath and she didn’t want to gross him out. This wasn’t the first time she was embarrassed about her stinky breath. The morning when Xiao Nai picked her and her roommates from the hospital, they were all mortified that they didn’t brush their teeth before he arrived. Remember?
I also know that people questioned the place and the timing. (glancing at @agdr03 
)
To me, however, the fact that it was the WRONG place and time made the kiss more romantic. The incongruity of Xiao Nai kissing Weiwei at the particular time and place actually revealed how much he loved her that he was willing to throw caution to the wind.
You see, if Xiao Nai had truly been calm and collected as he appeared to Weiwei, then he would NOT have kissed her there and then. Anybody with prudent mind could tell that the place was inappropriate and the time was inconvenient. And we’re talking about Xiao Nai here. Of all characters in this drama, he was the most logical, judicious and self-possessed. He should have known better than to kiss her in that moment.
However…
1. He didn’t want to wait for a better opportunity to kiss her because he missed her terribly. He rushed her to his office so he could greet her, not with words, but with a kiss, away from the prying eyes of his colleagues.
2. He gave her his undivided attention because she finally came back. It’s all about quality, not quantity. He didn’t have enough time, but this shared moment was very intimate for them.
3. He didn’t care if the president of the investment company was waiting for him; Weiwei was far more important to him than that VIP.
To me, then the kiss showed a combination of his feelings.
First, it was a sign of HOMECOMING; he couldn’t leave her without showing how happy and relieved he was that she was back home. He had to kiss her before he went off to meet the investor. Next, it showed his DESPERATION. He had kept his feelings in check and worked diligently on their project while she was gone. But he always missed her desperately. He ignored his friend’s call because he was swept up in the moment with Weiwei in his arms. Finally, there was GRATITUDE. When he kissed her hand, he was showing how grateful he was, not only because she was back, but also because he was allowed the moment to kiss her passionately. It’s a gentle gesture to make sure she wasn’t uncomfortable or frightened by him kissing her.
Xiao Nai had felt longing and desperation for Weiwei which the kiss satisfied.
Oooh..dissection of kiss scenes are my favourite kind of posts 😉😉
I too felt that kiss showed how much he had missed her. Like @packmule3, I noticed how he threw caution to the winds in a very non-Xiao Nai manner, especially when someone kept calling him from outside to see off the guest but he leaned in for another last kiss.
I noticed how Weiwei didn’t kiss him back in that first kiss scene, probably because she was inexperienced and didn’t know how to. I think that was one more reason for her mentioming the airline food (as she may have said that to cover up that she wasn’t an enthusiastic enough participant in the kiss😛) In subsequent kiss scenes,she does kiss him back.
I would like to contrast this with Nai’s expertise without experience too here, because she calls him out on that after the post-bite kiss in his flat. She asks him something like “How can you be so smooth when you haven’t had a girlfriend ever before?” He replies “Being around you makes me so”..Rawrrr!!
By the way, there’s another kiss which I like – where he is trying off her hair with a towel after they have been out in the rain, and he pushes the tower up over her head and leans in for a kiss.
Ouch..these typos!! I meant **drying off her hair** and he **pushes the towel up above her head**
Oooooohhhhhhh! Those gifs are soooo 😍😍😍
I see it now, the longing and desperation of XN. I did say that he missed her so much and he was already holding back too at it is because at the airport he gave her a forehead kiss which for me is the most loving type of kiss but he looked like he wanted more. So no wonder the desperation set in too all the time that she’s gone.
Yes it was out of place and time but that’s love! Agree! ☺️👍🏻
Agree too that he is very much always in control but I guess he’s slowly letting it go because that kiss while holding WW’s head with a towel is HOT! 😍😍😍 I just watched it now. That one gave me a spazz! I might even dream about it. 😂
And he even gave her a hickie on her neck! XN is learning very quickly 😂
Oh this drama is filling me up with all the feels! I love it! 😉
Thanks for the insight! 😘
Yah! I was going to take a screenshot of the hickie! 😈😂 I just finished watching that episode on Netflix.
I just finished watching all the episodes on Netflix and am so dazed. 😖😖😖 I think I’m in danger of fangirling..how did this happen..he’s so cool🤩
I enjoyed your analysis and to be honest, I was a little surprised at how much you liked this kiss scene. I didn’t like it- I felt like I was watching a sexual assault rather than 2 people in love. I blame the director first, and a little bit to actress Zheng Shuang(which I explain later.) I watched the kiss scene again on the Croton Mega Hit You Tube channel. (They have the old Dramafever subs which I like a little better than Netflix subs) I think the clip you have slowed the speed just a bit for the kiss scene. I agree with your analysis that Xiao Nai missed Weiwei, and couldn’t wait to see her and because he’d been anxiously awaiting her return he threw caution to the wind and rushed her into his office for a kiss. I also agree that Weiwei was inexperienced and nervous because of that. I’ll have to disagree with you that the kiss is executed well since as a viewer I did not get any “feels” except a feeling of discomfort at watching a girl being kissed against her will. Actress ZS did a nice job portraying a young woman who does not want to be kissed. WW body is stiff, not relaxed. WW flinches and scrunches up her face more than once thoughout the scene. When she’s not flinching, she’s standing there like a block of wood and not responding to XN-she never kisses him back, and she never looks like she is enjoying this kiss. The whole scene is one of rejection by WW. For me, this was not fun to watch.
To the director I say there are better ways to execute a kiss scene where one of the parties is nervous/inexperienced, and it can be done without making the entire scene look like a sexual assault.
Example would be kiss scene in Cheese In the Trap-much better done, in my opinion.
After a second view, I will give this director a tiny benefit of the doubt because I think, possibly, that toward the end WW character is supposed to respond to XN in the kiss. But I don’t feel that because:
To actress Zheng Shuang-sorry but I do not like the actress in her kiss scenes and her lack of kiss skills. She just comes across to me as awkward and bad at it. For this scene, if she tried to convey consent at a later point then fail. In the later kiss scenes in other episodes, I can see she is trying but she’s just not that good in my opinion. I felt bad for YY cause he has to do all the heavy lifting.
Go ahead. Fangirl all you want. Write what you like in each episode and share with us. 😂
Thank you, @packmule 3
After the ban on the deadly dimples in MOA, I thought fangirling over Yang Yang would be inadvisable too 😛 But I guess we all know this is fluff, straight and simple, with no twists or hidden meanings or unspoken angst, and I can safely allow my mind to go into hibernation mode, while my heart goes into squealy mode at how shiningly perfect Yang Yang looks from every angle!!
I think what hooked me was how exceptionally clever Xiao Nai’s character is – he is outwardly aloof but always mentally ten steps ahead of everyone else. He used his aloof aura and inscrutable exterior to ward off people (much like Mr. Darcy), but when he set his heart on something (or someone), he broke all his self-imposed barriers. I really liked the scene in Episode 10 in the basketball court where he openly comes up to Weiwei, talks to her, and sits next to Weiwei, much to everyone’s surprise. This is a daring public declaration of relationship status, with no holding back. He is basically so sure of his charisma that he knows he won’t be turned down (of course, him being Yang Yang, I completely get this ;).
By the way, did anyone else think Yang Yang looked so yummy in that dark red business suit attending that business conference in episode 14? **nods head in disbelief-can’t imagine falling for a guy who wears red suits!** The visuals of him wearing pristine white shirts were also so visually appealing that I got distracted multiple times and missed the English subs on lots of scenes (ha!) and had to stop the scene and rewind to read them.
Also, did anyone else find it super cute when he has to clean up the kitchen in Weiwei’s friend’s flat and he does it without complaining? I also liked how every time, he defends Weiwei by deleting online posts defaming her, and never stops trusting her, in spite of people telling him that they have evidence to the contrary. I loved that scene in Episode 22 where he comes to the gamer’s reunion in the rain, holding an umbrella to pick up Weiwei. That was so like a true gentleman.
The Chinese version has the alternate name: “Just an alluring smile” (and it’s adapted from a book of the same name, I think), and the casting of Yang Yang is just perfect. Xiao Nai smiles rarely in the first 10 episodes, but once he starts getting deeper into a relationship with Weiwei, there are scenes where he has this cheeky grin, especially when he is teasing Weiwei. For example, in Episode 27, when Weiwei almost calls his mother her “mother-in-law” when they come to meet Xiao Nai in his flat, he wiggles his eyebrows and gives her a cheeky smile saying “Go serve your mother-in-law tea” **swoon**.
It is all fluff but it is highly addictive, and I had a super refreshing time watching this drama. May even re-watch this on days when I feel out of charity with my job, my boss and the world in general, because, of course, watching eye candy like Yang Yang is a guaranteed mood-lifter on any given crappy day**wondering if that makes me very shallow** 🙂
Gosh! I didn’t realize what a super long post that was!!! Me in full fangirl mode, it seems **hides face in disbelief**
Please fangirl away, Phoenix!
I’m attending my nephew’s wedding so I can’t post much right now. Will probably catch up (if I’m not tipsy) when I get back later.
Wait…I’ll post your comment on the blog to allow readers that it’s “open season” for fangirling right now. hahaha.
“Wait…I’ll post your comment on the blog to allow readers that it’s “open season” for fangirling right now. hahaha.”
You’re almost making me feel like watching this. If only to join in the conversations. 😂😂
What are you waiting for? Come on, join us, @nrllee. Please?
Besides, you’re the expert on fettering information from Youtube and random sites.
Just join the dark side. I’m still on Ep 20.
@PM3. Not sure real life is going to allow me to indulge. I haven’t even kept up with Crowned Clown. I finished off Sky Castle and stopped at Ep 4 of Crowned Clown and can’t seem to sneak in time to sit down properly to watch. I keep getting interrupted. 😂
I dropped CC. 🙂
– delete this if it’s a double post, my iPad froze after I hit send so I don’t know if it sent or not –
Unfortunately real life is just hectic right now. I still haven’t caught up with Crowned Clown and chances are I doubt I will. I keep getting interrupted. 🙄 I will not be able to eke out the time to watch O2O so I will just content myself to read the posts. Keep them coming. 😂