The thread is now open for comments and discussions.
My previous posts are here:
Ep 1 Forever and Ever: Ep 1 First Impressions
Ep 2 Forever and Ever: Ep 2 Highlights
Ep 3 Forever and Ever: Ep 3 Highlights
I started talking about “Forever and Ever” in the Bulgasal thread.
🙂 I’m watching Bulgasal out of curiosity, @nrllee. I want to know the female lead really was, back in time.
When I want something soothing, I watched “Forever and Ever.” I’m liking the steady, calming, marital companionship of the two. The guy is a boring, nerdy, slow-reacting Chemist but when he gets it, he’s faster than Speedy Gonzales at getting the task done. To her everlasting surprise.
You’re so lucky you know Chinese! This drama should be an easy watch.
Good Twin chimed in,
I’m not watching Bulgasal – but enjoy reading the comments and posts. I couldn’t pass up the reference to Forever and Ever though which ended being my favorite drama (tied with You Are My Hero) of 2021. I have a watched a few of the episodes more than once and there is always something new to pick up. Both the actors do a beautiful job – like the scene in the bathtub when he is grieving his sister – 💔. I also really love the brilliant premise that a warrior would be reincarnated as introverted chemist. I’m done threadjacking. Thanks for the blog space @PM3
I replied to Good Twin,
Yes. Same here, @Good Twin.
“Forever and Ever” was my favorite Cdrama. “You Are My Hero” was great, too. What do my cdrama faves tell about my general disposition in 2021? I need calm, soothing dramas where couples can have a mature relationship without the misunderstandings and hyper-emotional responses. I like couples with a healthy work-life balance (lol. That’s why “Forever and Ever” rated higher than “You Are My Hero”) and sane approach to problem-solving. (I also like “Love Me If You Dare” but the hero is insane. 😂 The “Sherlock Holmes” men are borderline insane, anyway.)
Nrllee responded,
@packmule3 yes to mature relationships with no histrionics. I need calm right now as we ride the Omicron wave. I think that’s why I enjoyed You Are My Spring so much (I binged it in Dec2021). The serial killer story faded into the background and was swallowed up by the very tempered/composed nature of the OTP. I might give Forever and Ever a go – but O man…why 30 eps? 😂.
I told Nrllee,
@nrllee,
The 30 episodes of “Forever and Ever” went quickly for me. 😂 I can’t recall much filler maybe bec the episodes revolved around the lead characters OR maybe bec I was just fast-forwarding??
The beginning is a bit confusing bec of the passage of time and difference of locations. We weren’t told that after they met at the airport, they began communicating by email for months, and that he went back to Germany. I had thought she was emailing another guy, but nope it was the professor Zhousheng Cheng.
One thing I like about the show is the actor.
Not because of his appearance. I’ve seen handsomer Chinese actors. And I remember skipping one of his historical dramas bec I thought he looked ugly (yes. I’m shallow).
But because I was amused by his acting. I heard about his “No Kissing/Minimal Kissing/Chaste Kissing stipulation so I wondered how he could pull off a romantic lead without the usual physical affection. I was very skeptical.
I was wrong. He did it.
That he performed in a gentleman-like manner (even Mr Darcy would approve) was itself swoon-worthy. 👍👍
I added,
Good morning, @nrllee. I’ll open a thread for SiWan’s Tracer. I guess we’ll have to watch it on dramacool.
Yes. The lead in “Forever and Ever” was a surprise to me. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I skipped over one of his dramas because I couldn’t believe that such an average-looking man could be hero material. (I like Wallace Huo.)
Then, I was ready to drop “Forever and Ever” because I didn’t get the fuss about a this slow-moving, timid, boring, not flashy, celibate chemistry professor. But he grew on me.
I like the marital set-up, too. He was upfront with her that he wasn’t an easy person to live with (because he’s a dull man, a stickler for rules, and a total newbie at dating) but if she agreed to marry him, he’d do his best to do right by her.
Easier said than done. He had a messy family.
Or maybe that was the type of hero I was in the mood for.
Ask @Good Twin and @lovebangwon why they loved that Cdrama.
Good Twin responded,
@packmule3 and @nrllee – since you asked . . . First I agree that that Ren Jialun is not that handsome in historical drama. I tried to watch the prequel and he just doesn’t do the bun and robes well. But I thought he was pretty darn cute in this drama – I liked his voice, his smile, the cute way he said “oh” before he would say something to Shi-yi, and the way he wore his suits. (I liked that the tailors were part of the plot). There was also a great soundtrack and the settings were gorgeous. His family estate was stunning, but the whole drama could have been sponsored by Tourism China – it was so beautiful. I like that he was so shy (and the juxtaposition with his former life as a warrior) and that she was the instigator but then he took over. And it wasn’t like he fell for the first pretty woman who showed some interest – otherwise he would have ended up with his brother’s wife or another of the women his mother introduced him to. It was Shi-yi who drew him in. So it was a combination of beautiful leads, beautiful settings, great soundtrack, and watching two shy people fall in love that got me.
Nrllee said,
@packmule3 @GoodTwin. Okay, watched 10min and I am in love with the actor 😂. He reminds me of Do KyungSoo. Diminutive. Soft spoken. Reserved. Deliberate. Unflappable. 😂. At least that’s his character anyway.
I told Nrllee,
@nrllee, I think I should open a thread just for “Forever and Ever.” I intend to continue my analysis but I’m doing “Bulgasal” and “Our Beloved Summer” right now.
Wait a moment.
Good Twin shared a link.
@nrllee @packmule3 here is the trailer to Forever and Ever – it really distills what is so charming about this drama and the leads.
Gifs from itsme-miya’s tumblr:
Gifs from movielosophy’s tumblr:
I can’t pick my favorite scene because I’m spoiled for choice.
This is a 30-episode show.
ShiYi is an established voice-over artist in the film industry. Zhoucheng Zhao is a chemistry professor who’s also the oldest son, and the designated chairman of the family corporation. If you like a hero who’s a bit introverted and contemplative, and you like reading between the lines, then this drama is for you. He seldom does things for her overtly — or half-heartedly for that matter.
He chooses to marry her because he needs a wife to fulfil his father’s will.
She chooses to marry him because for one, she’s always been in love with him, and for another, she thinks this is the way they can redo their tragic lives in a previous reincarnation.
This drama is the sequel of “One and Only”
Let’s enjoy the show.
Time for a rewatch! Thanks for the open thread @packmule3!
Aww that gentlemanly gesture of his to lift the branch out the way so she doesn’t walk into it? Swoon…😂
This sounds like one I can get into right now. Many thanks, @packmule3 and @nrllee for leading on.
Actually he’s giving me Song Kang vibes? He looks like Song Kang from certain angles 😂. Anyway, his Chinese name sounds like “Allen”. Maybe that’s why he took on that name. The actress BaiLu? Literally translated her name is White Deer. Strange stage name but okay. 😂. I wonder if Ren JiaLun’s no kissing/chaste clause is because he’s a married man? With twin girls? But his wife is an actress? Does she have the same clause attached to her contracts? 🤔
I’m laughing because from @packmule’s description of the actor at the beginning, I was expecting someone ugly or at best average looking. The gifs show him as good looking, albeit no Yang Yang.
@Fern 😂. He’s not exactly stunning visually. I can’t work out if it’s the curly mop. I dislike curls on my actors. Anyway, the songs that get inserted mid ep (where the lyrics pop up on the side?)? So cringy/cheesy. 😂. I had forgotten how over the top CDramas can be. At least with KDramas because I don’t understand, I can just listen to the melody and stay in the moment. Here I understand everything so it’s a bit distracting because it’s so cheesy 😂. I don’t think the scenes need the rousing professions of eternal love/yearning put to song. 😂. Anyway I am onto Ep3. It’s moving at snail’s pace. Slower because of the stilted conversations. I find myself laughing at Zhou Sheng Chen. His name alone is something that you won’t forget because it’s so unusual. I know of no one with a surname like that. In Chinese (as in Korean), the first letter is usually your surname and your name is either the next 1 or 2 characters after that. So if he were to introduce himself as Zhou Sheng Chen I would immediately assume that his first name is Zhou and his given name is ShengChen. Anyway, this is an easy watch. I don’t have to think too hard. Except when they introduced his family in Ep2. I had to pause to figure out who was who. ZSC is the first born (hence referenced by DaGe – Big Brother). Brother 2 is the one about to marry the woman who professed to loving him (ZSC) in Ep1. Ponytail hunk (MX) is a close family friend and there’s sister3. Then there were those uncles talking about the investor meeting. Uncles on the father’s side. For some strange reason, the uncle who sat at the head is not the oldest uncle. He’s the younger brother (second) of ZSC’s dad. ZSC addressed him as Uncle2 (on Dad’s side of the family)
Anyway, yes @pcakmule3 to your analysis of her phone number (I just read the analysis in the other post). Spot on. 😂. I could hear it as she was reciting it. It’s word play. I cringed a little. But it was clever so I let it slide.
@nrllee, it’s funny that the songs (which go over my head) are so cringy. I was thinking that the soundtrack was pleasant, going by the tunes minus words. I know nothing. 😄 Also your description of ‘ponytail hunk’ MX is spot on. Ahem. I was wondering how those two could possibly be friends – it must be a long standing relationship.
@nrllee,
I found his extended family confusing too.
I remember Shi Yi tried to make sense of it after she realized that even the servants were related to them, e.g., “so your relatives are all Zhous, except for you, right? You’re ZhouCheng,” but he said, with a deadpan tone, “no, I’ve a younger cousin who’s also ZhouCheng.” I ended laughing bec I thought he was just messing with her brain.
I also remember that he said that to avoid confusion, some Zhou servants were called by their first names, e.g., Lee. And I thought it was funny because Lee sounded like a last name to me. But I can imagine him calling “Zhou! I need help!” and 5, 6, or. 7 people coming to his aid bec they’re all Zhous.
But that whole family name confusion is the problem because of the lineage. ZSC is the direct line, i.e., the son of his father. All the others aren’t. And he knew of it all along. He didn’t want ShiYi to know about his complicated family tree because ShiYi might back out.
Anyway, you guessed right. There’s another reason Uncle2 sits at the top of heap although he isn’t the “oldest” uncle there.
That’s why I like the special Chinese terms you have for uncles and cousins. They’re so orderly and specific. Our family tree is so confusing bec we don’t have birth-order designations. Relatives are just “once removed,” “twice removed” and so on. 😂
@Fern!!
Have you seen him in a historical drama?! 😂 That’s where I first saw him. He looked so unremarkable and his forehead was so wide a plane ✈️ could land on it (like an airstrip). 😂
I thought he could have passed off as an “extra”. And that annoyed me because then I would have to work harder to spot him in a crowd.
Yes. He is no Yang Yang. Yang Yang ruined my standards. Le sigh.
I like the second male lead in Forever and Ever, though. I like rugged men. Don’t you? 😎
But I think he’s only 19 years or something.
Yeah @packmule3 his family is confusing. Especially because their introduction was so brief. The youngest boy who handed him the envelope with all the background check (and pics of SY) is somehow related but not? He mentioned a dad. But he refers to their common mother. So I was wondering if she remarried. Thanks for letting me know that ZSC was the sole heir from the original father. His mom must’ve remarried and had the other children subsequently.
O my word, he’s slow. Painfully so. 😂. He just stands there and ponders his replies to her questions. His way of speaking is also very considered – laughably so. I almost want to finish his sentences for him! 😂. SY needs the patience of a saint. He’s like a plodding tortoise. Is that why he was interested in those terrapins outside her hotel after he dropped off his tour guide of XiAn book? 😂. I wanted to laugh at that too. It’s so quirky as a love gift.
I like that both of the leads are not very good at dating. SY takes more initiative, but only just. ZSC is very good at following up. I loved that after the heart-breaking interview with the elders/uncles, he sought out the person who, in the last several days, is the one who made him feel good. Even though it’s not very obvious – because he isn’t very open – he must have felt good and comfortable enough with her to seek her when he needed some comfort mentally.
When SY mentioned the library with wooden shelves, I wondered if it were a reference to a library in their shared past. Is she somehow very aware of their past? If so, was she fishing to see if he remembers? If he is aware, he deflected it to mention the wooden shelves in a lab and effectively changed the subject.
@packmule, is ponytail hunk only 18? Bother. But even ZSC’s assistant, the director at the dubbing and the photographer have more visual or charismatic appeal atm.
I had some suit premonition at the business meeting in episode 2. There was Uncle 2 who wore traditional clothes while all of the other men wore modern suits. What does that reveal about his mindset? To me it could mean an old-school, inflexible personality.
Then 2nd brother had a flashy, modern suit. I know from watching some other c-dramas that it doesn’t necessarily mean anything other than that he is stylish. However, personally I think it seems in poor taste – flamboyant and over done. I don’t feel like I would trust someone who feels comfortable wearing that to a business meeting. Probably this is just my personal prejudice. 🧐 Harrumph and all that.
I liked the gift of the guide. It is what he said he could do back at the temple in episode 1, so it’s not out of the blue. I think he knew that she would appreciate a book. It’s not uncomfortably personal, but he annotated it with post-its and showed his thoughtfulness. I think it was smart of him. Yes, they are certainly inching towards each other at tortoise pace, @nrllee! She takes one step and he another. The palm reading was surprisingly familiar given how it had been progressing. I liked it.
@packmule, did you prefer ‘You are my Hero’ to ‘You are my Glory’?
ZSC with the crabs and animals outside the hotel is so much like something my husband would do. Scientists! *sigh*
Did you know that a lot of labs (in places I have worked) have pets – fish or such? Because there is always someone around – even over holidays and long breaks when schools and businesses are shut. -Also helps with the atmosphere, as elsewhere.
@nrllee,
do you want spoilers about his family or do you want to figure it out yourself? 🙂 I think it’s more fun to unravel the family relationship yourself. It’s like those logic questions on a grid. But if you get frustrated, just holler.
Yes, ZSC exhibits two personalities.
When he’s around ShiYi, he deliberates and weighs his moves for the best possible outcome. He seems to fear offending her or putting the wrong foot with her.
But with the rest of the world, he’s decisive. He turns down his future sister-in-law. He doesn’t like his lab assistant being pushy and nosy. He lets his buddy, the guy with pony-tailed hair, that he’s the boss.
But when it comes to ShiYi, he handles her with kid gloves. I thought it was funny when he went to her family home. Not only did he remember to bring gifts, he meticulously chose the gifts. He brought his army of servants to give the moment the formality it needed. He dressed up nicely, complete with his eyeglasses. I laughed at that scene. He didn’t need glasses but he wanted to impress upon her parents that he was no thug. He was a safe bet as a future son-in-law because he was an intellectual.
He stepped up his game because he didn’t want them turning him down as prospect for their daughter.
If this was another girl, another person, he wouldn’t go the extra mile.
@packmule3 I will just figure it (family dynamics) out myself as the eps go by. It was already pretty clear in some of the interchanges that the family is “blended” somehow. I just wasn’t sure how. And if ZSC’s grandpa had multiple wives (not uncommon in richer families). But I do like this actor (Ren JiaLun). His insecurity around SY is dorky and adorable. So eager to please. I laughed when he stood outside her office for hours (?) without even bothering to ring her. And when he walked out into the courtyard with furrowed brow and ponytail hunk asked him what he was thinking about. His reply was, “is it too noisy here to make a phone call?” 😂. I did think it was sort of creepy that his youngest brother came with the envelope with SY’s background check and told him everyone (including mother) already knew about his interactions with her? Like he was constantly under surveillance and they (his family) were watching his every move. 😬
@Fern yes to Uncle2’s choice of garment. Not sure if it was meant to impress his nephew or a statement that he’s a head above the others. It was obvious when ZSC entered the room and addressed the “uncles” he referred to them with the collective term BoShu. Which meant some of the brothers there were older than his deceased dad and some were younger.
It’ll be fun too that when he returns to Germany and ShiYi follows him. His classmates and colleagues thought he was an indigent foreign exchange student because he rarely went out.
BTW, in the first episode, when he and the ponytailed dude were talking about money, the reason he didn’t want to spend money on a more expensive lodging was that his extra money went to funding the lab for supplies and materials not covered by the government.
When he and ShiYi get married, she’ll guilt-trip him about using an accommodation which another student/professor can use because he can easily stay with her in her condo. IIRC, he falls for her argument. Hahaha. (Sneaky. She just wants him around her.)
I like both of the leads very much. ZSC is amazingly dorky, but the actor makes it seem realistic and not over the top. I’m waiting to see him laugh.
I’m at Ep. 9. I really like the grandmother who although a bit befuddled (perhaps) about the present, completely understands and appreciates SY. It is odd that everyone in the family, even the grandmother, knows all about SY and ZSC. The surveillance is indeed creepy, as @nrllee says.
I’m waiting for ponytail hunk to finally meet SY. I wonder if that will change the relationship between him and ZSC?
You all are so funny describing their looks. Like @nrllee, I don’t like those curly bangs they do for male leads or actors. Honestly, among Asian people around me, curly hair, esp for men is rare really rare. Baldness is probably more common than curly hair…but I hardly see that in dramas 😅
You all got my interest and I will likely pick this up as my next drama. Stopped Cdramas for a while, esp after finishing 54episode 10 Miles of Peach Gardens.
The ponytail hunk’s meeting with ShiYi won’t come till the trip to Germany. And by then, he’ll realize it’s too late to interfere in his friend’s happiness.
I’m glad he’s harmless. From what somebody said here on the blog (was it @lovebangwon?), he was atoning for what he did to ShiYi and ZSC in the previous life.
Have you reached the episode when ZSC begged her to agree to a civil marriage?
Pressureeeee!
I thought that was chaste, too. Typically, the guy is in a rush to marry the girl because he wants the marital/conjugal/sexual relationship to begin. But ZSC wants to marry her right away because…?
Because he’s worried that she may change her mind (or something). lol.
He didn’t even sleep with her that night.
Oh! the negligee scene was hilarious, too.
@packmule3, I have just watched the civil marriage episode. He wanted to protect her from ‘something’ like the cancelled engagement party (in other words from his step-mother). He also thoughtfully had SY sign a marriage contract in the presence of witnesses and had it taken straight away to be notarised. I like that she said that she trusted him to not hurt her.
SY didn’t tell him that his step-mother said she won’t recognise the marriage. I think that SY wants to preserve the relationship as much as possible should it be redeemable in the future.
Does the S-M hate SY so much because of the marriage clause in ZSC’s will, which might give him financial power over his middle brother? But it would have been okay if it had been his ex- because the S-M was in control of it? Also, that jade beaded bracelet from the grandmother – I imagine seeing that was a huge shock to the S-M, that her own mother would bypass her to give it to Chen’s fiancee no matter how she felt about her personally.
The housemaid and Lin (Yue?) are the comic relief. Thank goodness because some of the meditative scenes with attached songs are very drawn out. I also think the three men who are often outside the house drinking tea are acting like narrators/Greek chorus.
I am enjoying this very much. I had been re-watching the dorama Love Lasts Forever for the umpteenth time because of its charm. Like that drama, this one has potential suitors popping up all over for the FL. Lambo-man being obliged to address ZSC as Great Uncle was so funny.
😂 Oh yes! Lamborghini man had to the annoyed ZSC as Great Uncle and SY, the girl he was harassing, as Great Aunt.
Did you watch the scene when he offered to carry her handbag for her and he put the strap over his head?
I saw the BTS of that scene. The actress didn’t expect him to do that and she burst out laughing and dropped to her knees bec he looked ungainly. The actor however continued moving, without breaking stride.
Yes. The S-M hates SY because of the will. She wanted her own son, Bro2, to have control, and she couldn’t control SY.
IIRC, ZSC signed his personal properties over to SY. Didn’t she end up owning a dye factory?
Btw I thought I would put this out there. ZSC’s name in Chinese. The SC characters mean “birth date (including time of birth)”. So you could read it as meaning Zhou (surname) Birthdate (origin). Quite literally the start (origin) of the Zhou clan? Because ZSC mentioned that only the firstborn were given the ZS surname. The others just had Zhou as their surname. Little brother’s name was also ZS-Ren. Which doesn’t have the same implications. His name means “kind”. So I guess it suits his nature.
Stuck on Ep4. Been busy. Will try to catch up. I liked that SY didn’t go all weepy or distraught when she was cold shouldered by the mother.
Also ZSC I has presbyopia. Not short sightedness (myopia). So he needed the glasses for reading or close ups. The joke that SY made was lost in translation. When she asked about his glasses, he told her he wasn’t short sighted. She then joked that he had “old person’s eyesight” (which is the term Chinese use to refer to long sightedness). It was her having a go at him for being old fashioned and stodgy. 😂
@nrllee, regarding the presbyopia from the reaction of the others, I wondered if it might be some teasing like that. Thanks! It’s great to have your knowledge here.
@packmule3, that handbag scene was funny. And afterwards in the car when he was still holding it, too. He seemed befuddled by the intricacies of handbag holding etiquette. -I am too. I don’t think I’ve ever made a man hold my handbag unless I needed my hands for something that he couldn’t do – ie, find passports or answer a phone. Then I get it straight back from him. 😆
There was also a play on words as she was narrating/dubbing the story about the Princess who took her own life? ShiYi also sounds like Eleven in Chinese. She mentioned something about being number 11 in the clan or something? There’s a prequel to this drama. I wonder if that’s significant.
@packmule3 the handbag scene was hilarious. Made even more so because the actor deadpans the whole scene.
Grandma is the grandma on the maternal side. His mother’s mother. She didn’t have a proper marriage? Grandma mentioned that when ZSC went to visit her. She was taken aback by his approach to marriage. Commitment first and then fall in love later. Reminds me of 100DMP. 😂.
I find it very strange that none of the eps finish on cliffhangers? 😂. I am almost surprised that the ep finishes where it does. I do like the fact that in spite of all the drama happening outside (power struggles and factions), ZSC and SY seem to just take it in their stride. They just plod along. He really is unflappable? One would’ve thought he’d be flustered and anxious because he was late to her award presentation. But there he was, slowly and carefully backing the car into the parking spot…then checking it to see if he parked well. Completely oblivious to the fact that he could be in big trouble for being late? I was trying to hurry him along to save him from himself 😂. I find that most of the time I am doing this with him. Thankfully SY accepts his tardiness without blame.
@nrllee, if ever they make a Korean remake of this drama, I can imagine Do Kyungsoo performing this role. He can do that blank face/”I’m ignoring you” face very well, too, and then change that face with an annoyed look in a flash.
Re. the Grandma. She isn’t his maternal grandma at all. 🙂 It’s more complicated.
And that’s why ZSC is really a nice person because he cares for her.
Hahaha. @nrllee, we’re both alike. The parking scene was funny in hindsight. If we were married to a man who’s slowly and carefully backing the car into an EMPTY parking garage, we’d be freaking out, screaming and probably cursing at him.
Like, “What are you doing??!! Just park the damn car. We’ll be late!”
He’s meticulous that way, and he wanted to park it exactly within the lines.
But to be honest, @nrllee, I’m like ZSC, too. I want my car parked exactly right. I’d back out and re-park whenever I sensed that the car was crooked or closer to one side of the line. That’s why a self-parking car is so convenient.
And yes, I like that SY is so chill and so relaxed, too. She can be a “role model” for people like us. She was just happy to see him there, and she didn’t berate him for missing her presentation. I guess that was the point. She didn’t need him there to clap for her or to admire her on stage. She wasn’t doing it to impress him anyway. She just wanted his company. The essential part was that he arrived.
I guess…it made sense, too, because this is supposed to be their reincarnation. In the previous life, they died apart. So, for her, this tardiness would hardly matter if she’d been waiting for him for ages.
She was jealous, though, wasn’t she? IIRC, she didn’t like her manager flirting with him or holding his hand too long.
Uncle Lin said that ZSC drove around the lake twice before getting on the right road. Busted. But he was very confident in giving the car keys to SY. I really like Uncle Lin. He understands the two characters and enables their relationship well.
Oh, when ZSC was in the car heading to the airport – both he and SY wishing that they could have said their goodbyes better! 💕
@Fern,
Uncle Lin is an enabler. He’s also a cheerleader and fan of the couple.
Regarding that Maybach. There’s a misconception here. The model of this vehicle is meant to be driven by a chauffeur. If the owner of the car drove it then he wouldn’t avail of the nice features especially designed for the riders in the back seat, like the fridge, the extra leg space, the reclining captain chairs, and so on.
It’s like Bill Gates were to drive his limo.
I somehow picture Bill Gates in a generic hatchback or SUV, looking like a nerdy dad. 🤓 Very inaccurate, I’m sure. I don’t believe he used a limo in Seattle when I lived there for local destinations. Too OTT back then. But what a lovely car the Maybach is… much prettier than any limo I’ve been near.
I wonder who Uncle Lin was in the shared past – if he were there.
@packmule3 I just assumed maternal grandma was who she was because that was how he addressed her. Their family is so terribly complicated. Thank goodness our OTP isn’t. Yes I actually find KyungSoo is actually very similar to ZSC in real life. Probably why I like ZSC as a character 🤣. I would probably park like he did but double speed? 😂. I park properly so as not to inhibit others from parking next to me. But I wouldn’t be as slow as he was. And I wouldn’t need someone to remind me to run because I was already late?
The other thing is that everyone was back in the ancestral hometown because it was “QingMing festival”. The one time in the year where they pay respects at the burial sites of the ancestors. Everyone is supposed to head to the gravesites and do a spruce up (spring clean). It’s the one time in the year when you’re allowed to “sweep their graves”. All other times, you are not supposed to because you would “disturb the dead”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingming_Festival
This drama really reminds me of Crazy Rich Asians. Except in China. And without the gawking. I am stunned that SY doesn’t even bat an eyelid at the ostentatious accommodation and pomp and ceremony being paraded before her? 😂. Which is kinda cool. I laughed when he closed the door to her room (which wasn’t exactly solid because she could see him through the panels). And then he knocked to come in again 😂. His awkwardness is cute.
https://youtu.be/N4qkZEHDSaM
Yes, compared to Crazy Rich Asians, SY is incredibly serene about the whole thing – even more than I would have imagined about the slights by the mother. She didn’t understand the wealth until she spoke to him after the grave-visiting date and he explained that he was there for the investment conference. It’s like she knew subconsciously or at least didn’t feel intimidated because of her previous experience.
I was thinking back to her reactions to various set-backs. She never weeps or blames. She recognises that ZSC is more upset than she is – or she at least pretends it. Even her relatives and best friend are more worked up than she is. The only times I remember her crying was during the voice dubbing about the original ZSC story.
Thank you for the video link, @nrllee. His pet crabs crack me up, too – along with his refusal to eat crab since adopting them.
Thanks for the link, @Nrllee. I like these mini clips. They’re the right length (not too short not too long)for me to remember the sweet moments.
I like how the costume director of this drama coordinates their clothes. They’re not wearing identical outfits but the colors or styling can be matching.
Yes. This actor plays the awkwardness so well. That’s amazing really because it requires him to tone down his gestures. I think it’s easier for actors to do big body gestures, like hand-waving, foot-stomping, arm-flailing, and face-palming, to indicate emotions. But if the actor has to show consistent subtle moves, and not break out of character during the adlibs, then I’m more impressed.
And the actress playing ShiYi is great, too. I don’t know it was possible to have so many different facial expressions to show amusement at ZSC’s dorkiness. I’m not tired of watching her facial reactions too.
And you know, @nrllee, although she’s cute, her aegyo doesn’t make me cringe in disgust like I did with Shin Mina 🙄 in HCCC. I thought her character acted her age: sweet but not babyish, smart but not smart-alecky, confident but not bossy, feminine but not whiny.
Yes, @Fern, his pet crabs 🦀.
The crab scene in the restaurant (was it Ep 2?) was funny. The waitress brought in crabs, compliments of the chef, and he protested that he didn’t order that. Of course, ShiYi didn’t understand the fuss. The crabs were a specialty, and the dish was free so why complain? If he didn’t like it, then she’d have more to eat. She started to eat with gusto.
Meanwhile he looked like he would throw up.
The funny thing is, in his previous reincarnation, wasn’t he a great warrior? He must have beheaded, slashed, and speared a lot of men in battle. But he’s worried about crabs in this life.
Yes, @packmule3, I was thinking the same thing. He would have had to be a Goblin-style general, right, and completely battle-ready. To see him being squeamish about eating crab is like kids not wanting fish and chips if they own a goldfish.
Having said that, I know someone who became a vegetarian after starting work in a laboratory that did animal research.
@packmule3, I agree about the cuteness comparison. I think the actress is deliberately being poised in a way that brings to mind a person with a royal upbringing.
She reminds me of Sarah, in the book ‘A Little Princess’ by F H Burnett. Sarah says, ““Whatever comes…cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.”
SY also keeps surprising me with unexpected skills – painting, being able to interpret names, understanding the financial goals (and pitfalls) of ZSC’s plan, palm reading — I anticipate there will be more as well, judging by the spoilers in the ending credits.
Because of his refusal to eat crabs they had to take them off the menu for the banquet. Someone said it will be the only wedding banquet in Yangtze delta that will not serve crabs. I like the scene where they are at the estate and they are circling each other in the separate rooms. The song I like “You Give Me” is playing. The scene really conveys a sense of longing between the two.
I agree about the actress’s cutesyness It isn’t annoying. When she is drunk in Germany and tells him never to remarry if anything happens to her and she will make it up to him in a future life. It was very cute and luckily not a foreshadowing.
I do find however a growing unease within me about her lackadaisical approach to her future married life. How realistic is it to go into it with implicit faith in him and not being the least bit curious about his family background? I am trying to work out if it’s just the writer’s way of portraying their past life except in the present. And throwing away all the angsty considerations about what “Palace life” would look like…with all the politics and restrictions. So she just trusts him to deal with it and protect her in the process. I have tried to put myself in her shoes and maybe I am just the suspicious/curious sort 😂, but there are so many red flags that have popped up which I would have probed him for explanations? Like why his mother only got married 25years ago when he was 28yo? Which would imply he was born out of wedlock? And what was his place in the dynasty right now and what part did the marriage play in the family dynamic going forward? My impatience is showing 😂. She just stores it as an interesting fact in the back of her mind and moves on. 😂. I guess that’s the advantage of 30eps. You can take your time to tease it out.
But yes @packmule3 I agree about her aegyo. It’s not cringy. 😂.
Good morning, @nrllee. I agree with SY’s seeming disinterest in the details about ZSC’s family life. I think it’s not that she doesn’t want to know, but is following his lead. One of the first things he said about his family was ‘it’s complicated’ and left it drop there. It seems old fashioned to me, but I think we’re supposed to both be reminded of their shared past and the modern day “palace life” as well as understand their relationship which is based on trust. (although we have seen that they both get jealous.) ZSC is no good at small talk. His curiosity about her life and family is more like an ongoing research investigation.
She also is no gossip – in another drama, she would have taken someone from his household aside and tried to get information. Instead, she gets information sometimes in unpleasant ways – about his relationship with his ex for example. If they have mutual trust, he absolutely should have made that clear because of the proximity of the character. It’s interesting that she mentioned the dubbing director’s interest to ZSC. It worked out well.
I didn’t realise about the aegyo until the drinking scenes in the old Water City, which I saw yesterday. Yes, even there, she is relatively dignified. One thing about SY – I think that she is increasingly shown as intellectually a better match than anyone else for ZSC. When she said to him – in her drunken truth state – that she will manage things so that he could keep science his priority, I thought, Yes, between her, her family (economist father, practical mother), his allies in his family and the hunk lawyer, they will succeed. She has more capability and knowledge about things that are important in the situation than we have yet seen.
I think I was correct about the suits in the first meeting. Sleaze suit on sleazy brother. 😂
I loved episode 15. The scenes in Wuzhen were so well filmed. ZSC appears at the apex of a bridge like an archangel as the tour boat approaches below. He has arrived to protect her from any number of threats.
https://www.pallasweb.com/deesisassets/p/ikons/5b58c92da73180.43142414.jpg
I loved his fixed glare at the dubbing director, until the director broke eye contact. It echoed the story SY was writing about the general ZSC standing above the thousands of warriors.
Later, ZSC grabbed SY’s hand when he perceived another encounter with the work group. But he let go once they were distant. He didn’t understand that SY simply enjoyed holding hands with him and that was a good enough reason. Finally, the scene back at the inn, when he asks her to repeat her words identifying him as her husband – and the very slow steps to intimacy- so well done.
I liked the scenes with young Ren as well. He takes his task of keeping an eye on SY very seriously. Like ZSC, he is very intelligent but seems to have few friends. I think he has similar but lesser difficulties with communication. I loved the scene in the tea processing and sorting factory. But I think he let the cat out of the bag by telling SY’s young cousin about the properties signed over to SY as part of the engagement and marriage contracts.
Wow you’re blitzing through this @Fern 😂. I am on Ep9. His family is SO complicated 🙄. Anyway here I am anticipating NO kissing because of his kissing contract…and…we get one in the back of the limo. 😂. Granted it was pretty chaste…and Uncle Lin (who always seems to be eating 😂 but is as thin as a rake) presses the wrong button…err…how? First he clears the glass screen and then lowers it? 😂. Which of course forces them apart. Everything is sort of plodding along at a snail’s pace but it’s therapeutic for some reason 😂. The biggest drama was when jealous brother2 (with the ridiculously large rimmed glasses) makes him wait at the factory for 3hrs. Kinda small of him but okay. That seemed to go nowhere. Youngest sis with heart condition is obviously keen on ponytail hunk. I hope he doesn’t break her heart. Then there’s that weird love rectangle (?) between leatherclad seamstress (tailor)/brother2/brother2’s wife/ZSC. Was I right to assume brother2 slept at hers (leatherclad seamstress’s) and was late to breakfast? 😮. Scandalous.
Yes, leather clad lady named Man. It’s my impression too that 2nd bro stayed over. Where’s a marriage counsellor when needed?
@nrllee, I’ll write spoiler alert until I know we’re at the same point. Apologies!
As to blitzing, I can only say that it’s slow but addicting. I do ff in some non-verbal, nearly catatonic scenes that mainly serve as vehicles for songs.
@Fern don’t worry about spoilers. Just write as you go. It’s not like the drama is going to have any major cliffhangers or “reveals”. 😂. It’s just a pleasant watch.
The drinking scene was in Wuhzen not Germany. This drama really is a travelogue. So many quaint streets and towns – even the street where SY’s uncle live is beautiful cobblestone. ZSC’s “you’re going to sweat later” line made me cringe but apparently not SY. Then their post coital conversation about password protecting the photo of their marriage certificate for security purposes 🤣. It’s amazing how mundane some of their conversations are but I guess that is what happens have 30 episodes to show case former warrior now nerdy scientist falling in love with his wife.
Little Ren is darling. That actor has quite a future ahead. And the actress play ZSC mother deserves a nod. She conveys so much just eating her porridge and not saying anything.
@Good Twin, I agree completely about the beautiful locations in this drama. I noticed the amazing locations but also the interiors of the buildings, whether the flat in Germany, SY’s flat in Shanghai, ZSC’s beautiful family house up in the mountains, the inn in Wuzhen or the old house his father left for him in Shanghai. I have interior design envy and may have to buy a lottery ticket. 😆
@Good Twin, I wondered why that line about the need to present a marriage cert. at a hotel was even included. It must be real, right? Maybe it’s to get past censorship? Perhaps someone who has travelled in China can tell us.
I have some work to do and then I’ll watch an episode or 2 tonight.
Haha, does your twin know that you call yourself Good Twin? 😅
Oh man….I am bingeing this today. I agree with @goodtwin that it is like a travelogue. Makes me want to visit XiAn for the beautiful historical places. Their home..or is it ancestral home is so grand.
@grace it certainly is beautiful. Although the bedroom she was sleeping in when she visited? The doors were “see through”? 😂. So when the servant girl came up to put those nuts/snacks on the marital bed, I was wondering how conscious they would be because anyone could just peek in? 😂. O by the way, the whole prep for the marital bed is a tradition. It also explains why ZSC placed the coin in SY’s hand after they spent the night together in the same bed at grandma’s house. The coin is 1Yen. Word play “Yuen” which means destined/destiny. So they were meant to be together.
https://www.herworld.com/weddings/ideas-advice/an-chuang-wedding-tradition-setting-up-matrimonial-bed/
😂😂 You’re making me cringe (or giddy? I really can’t tell), @nrllee. Thanks for explaining the coin. I didn’t get that.
Oh, the placement of the coin is so lovely. He was very thoughtful. @nrllee, thank you for the explanation and for the link to setting up a matrimonial bed.
I’ve been watching this so steadily. It goes quickly. I’m not far from being finished now – only skipping through some song scenes.
Spoiler alert:
The scenes at the hospital and afterwards were heartbreaking from many points of view. Afterwards, I couldn’t believe that the twin brother at first said he wouldn’t blame 2nd uncle for beating him to death – but then he tried to sweet-talk the uncle by saying how he had raised him and taught him as a child. Shameless!
@Fern Heartbreaking indeed! I thought the show really showed the depression of grief really well like in the bath tub or when he climbed into bed and stayed there. Pony tail hunk realizing he loved the sister romantically not just like a sister and saying good bye to her in the end 💔
Even though I have watched this before I have never been entirely clear on the Mom. Was she in love with second Uncle but married first Uncle (ZSC’s father)? Is Ren’s mother ever shown?
@Fern – my twin is not the Evil Twin – so I think she doesn’t mind. 🤣
Ok I answered my own question about mother and second Uncle by reading a detailed breakdown of Forever and Ever. Since it is the big secret to be revealed – I won’t spoil it. Second Uncle married Jiaren’s (second son’s wife who he divorced) older sister.
Spoiler alert:
Oh, I was yelling at pony tail hunk, “Kiss her, you fool! and tell her you love her” so she could die happy and he wouldn’t regret not telling her. Such a repressed group in many ways.
ZSC really made it look like he felt every bruise and broken bone. When he went to sit down or stand up it really seemed that his rib cage or internal organs were damaged. I thought that he wouldn’t be able to get up from his bow at the temple.
But a gorgeous story and an ending that was satisfying. Ren gets to take on the family business in 10 years time. Let’s hope that his father mentors him better than he mentored the twin brother. I like his friendship with Shi Yi’s cousin.
The loud horse-play proposed by Song reminds me of a custom I was told about in rural France where the young people make a racket with pans and noisemakers outside the newly-wed’s bridal chamber. It must be a world-wide thing.
I may have missed something – what ever happened to the comatose pregnant lady who got pushed into the water by Tong Jiaren?
@Good Twin, Ren’s mother died when he was only little. ZSC’s step-mother was questioned by the police about that and about other things, but nothing was ever proven. Then she adopted him and raised him (sort of.) I think he spent a lot of time at the Grandmother’s house, just like ZSC.
I think that the bad karma of the ancestral house was slipping away by the time the show ends, don’t you?
They do seemed to have all learned some lessons in this life. I may have to try to watch One and Only again to track some of the parallels. I wasn’t able to get through it before – mostly because I know it’s a sad ending.
@Fern you mean they never told us about what happened to the pregnant lady who was pushed? I was waiting for the big reveal. I thought it was really odd that there seemed to be no repercussions for that incident. And it was just the engagement that was postponed as a result?
@packmule3 maybe both? 😂.
IIRC the pregnant lady’s family called the police on the the pusher/sister-in-law, and decided to sue. I wasn’t really paying attention because all I wanted to know was whether the engagement party was on or not. 🙂
@nrllee and @packmule3, I was waiting for the big reveal as well. I thought it may have not been translated well? Deciding to sue doesn’t seem like enough and Tong Jiaren literally seemed to have gotten away with manslaughter. Every time I saw her after that, I thought, ‘At least you should have the decency to leave the scene of the crime.’ Later we hear that other similar incidences were hushed up as well.
I know that ZSC was trying to protect SY by not telling her what happened that night, but if I were his partner, I would be furious that I was left out of getting the facts on something so very crucial. Same with him not explaining his whole convoluted family tree, his previous engagement, etc. etc.
Spoiler below:
In the end, I think SY did the same by not discussing the phone message – she thought it would be too much bad news on top of bad news – but on a certain level I also think that ZSC came to suspect something like that.
I thought the acting in this drama was top-notch. Bai Lu’s grace and her little glances when she is perplexed or amused by something ZSC said were priceless. Doesn’t the actress have amazing posture? I thought that her Have any of you seen her in other dramas (besides One and Only)?
I don’t know when I’ve seen anxiety or grief portrayed as well as by Ren Jialun. The direction of the bath scene was outstanding. I loved the way he rubbed his knees whenever he was uncomfortable with a situation and you could see his mind churning.
I liked the growth shown by the main characters. We see SY getting over her extreme reticence and becoming more and more proactive. ZSC goes from being the never-smiling nerd who has no small talk to being a tender and accessible husband, even teasing back albeit in a nerdy sense. It’s true that neither of their characters would have been perfect to lead the family compound and business, even at their most outstretched interactions. The supporting actors were all good as well – so many memorable characters, good, bad and tragic.
@nrllee, yes, I could see Do Kyung-soo in the role. Once you wrote that, I kept picturing it in my mind. It would take someone special to bring the nerdy character realistically to life – especially in the shorter Korean format.
It took me a while to see how the crabs fit into the story. Gradually many people ended up taking care of them or developing an interest in them. In the end two out of the collection died.
Zou Wenchuan the baddy, was the only other person who interacted with a pet. He has a Shiba Inu. SY said that she wasn’t afraid of dogs but that they acted up around her. She said that a fortune teller said it meant that she wasn’t meant to be born, IIRC, which fits in with her interactions with him.
I looked up pet crabs on the internet here. I think that in the UK mainly they are used as just another interesting thing to put into an aquarium along with shrimp and fish. Also sold by the kilo, of course. 😋
@packmule3 thanks for the reminder about the repercussions. Did they tell us if the baby survived? Or how she fared? I am up to trip to Germany now. And yes I liked that ponytail hunk was mopey that he missed his chance with SY but he didn’t try to put a wedge between the 2. JiaRen (conniving ex sis-in-law) is enough. 🙄. I gather she took his wedding band? The one with the carved date on it? The reasons for Frank bringing her to ZSC’s rental apartment in her drunk state was…err…strange. But okay.
@Fern thing is. I see the real DKS in ZSC 😂. The way he’s just slow to pick up on things and gets flustered when put on the spot.
Right, @nrllee? Do Kyungsoo will make a great ZSC. I heard he’s doing a remake of the Taiwanese drama “Secrets”? Is that still on?
Are you in the Germany episodes? What episodes? Maybe I’ll do a rewatch.
Did you catch what that ponytail hunk said about the names? He and ShiYi were in the kitchen and I think he was making a pun or something.
Also, have you seen the scenes with the riddles? Ponytailed hunk had a word association game, and the only person who guessed all the right answers was ShiYi. The little sister didn’t get any word correct.
I just love how @Fern is on fire commenting on this thread. 🔥🔥
@Fern, is it because you can identify with ShiYi as your hubby is also a chemist like ZSC? Pray do tell.
Dear @packmule3 and @nrllee, yes, I think that Kyung Soo would be perfect to the role. Casting someone with model qualifications should not happen – the character needs to look convincingly like a nerd, but one with a princely heroic personality. I find Kyung Soo’s smile sort of dorky. Ren Jialun is similar in that regard, or at least that is the sort of smile he gave out while in his character.
I saw Hunk’s riddle. He was genuinely upset that she was the only person who got it right. Yet, she was not meant for him. He is ultimately a tragic figure. Thank goodness he wasn’t set up as a love rival.
My husband is a neurobiologist, not a chemist, but anyone who has a background in science has overlapped their study or research with other branches of science. The short scene of ZSC squatting down to look at the collection of pets is so familiar. I can’t tell you how many pets we’ve had since we got together – even stick insects. He can’t pass a rock pool without hunkering down just like that and turning rocks over. He told me that while in Ireland as a child he collected a group of tiny fish and some other invertebrates including a sea anenome. The next morning, when he went to look at them, only the sea anenome was in the container. Probably wearing an anenome smile.
What struck me as the oddest thing about this drama is the extended Zou family. There was the big house, but I’m guessing that there was pretty much a village nearby, totally inhabited by Zous. I believe it was mentioned that there was only one road out, which the police were monitoring at one point. Having relatives being your servants seems really uncomfortable to me and much about that family seems very retro, as though the cultural revolution never took place. What was the house motto? Family of Books and Rituals. Having watched the story, I could find the motto intimidating or off-putting. Yet, most close families have some rituals, and hopefully books.
@packmule3 are you asking about the “courtesy name” (style name)? Coz ponytail hunk asked if she was curious about ZSC’s courtesy name. Which literally translated means “long/high winds”. And then she started spouting poetry related to that name. And ponytail hunk finished it. It must be some famous poem (unfortunately my Chinese doesn’t go that far). I don’t think we use courtesy names anymore. But I guess with families that cling onto traditions like they do here, it’s still done. Ponytail hunk was impressed that she picked up the nuance of his style/courtesy name straight away.
http://kongming.net/novel/names/
Not at the riddles yet. Just starting Ep14. 😂
And yes I think DKS is filming Secret. Or maybe he’s finished. He’s coming back to dramaland but unfortunately his next drama is procedural? He’s playing a Prosecutor. So I guess you will give that a miss. I can’t picture him as a Prosecutor. 😂. I will see what he brings to the table.
This bit in Germany had me in stitches 😂. He gives her a peck and then they exchange meaningful glances. She closes her eyes expecting another kiss…and maybe more…only for him to lean in and tell her she needs to dry her hair 🤣
https://youtu.be/HUyUJtawHuc
Haha, @nrllee, he just couldn’t get past her hair being wet, eh? I love how she kept gently guiding him into more neuro-typical or at least traditional responses. He came to understand her style, too, so it took less and less work on her part to get those reactions from him.
Thank you for the style name information. I was surprised when ZSC immediately told SY Mei Xing’s courtesy name, upon introduction. It seems he was straight off putting her in an intimate rank. I didn’t hear about anyone else’s style name in the rest of the drama.
@nrllee, I could see Kyung Soo as a sort of nerdy person on the prosecution team, but not helming it. The sort of person who does the meticulous research or puts the facts together in a novel way. He could end up being the primary prosecutor only if the original becomes unable, for example. Or, as a young lawyer starting a business who gets sucked into a lawsuit where he is forced into the role because he is the only person who will take it on- that sort of thing. I wonder about the storyline.
Must get to work.
@Fern I just read that the DKS drama is only 12eps. Helmed by the same PD as Move To Heaven. Which was also a snappy 12eps. So it’s promising. I loved the way the PD presented the story in MTH. Hopefully he brings the same story telling style in this new drama too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY3KjokJJKy/?utm_medium=copy_link
Also, I feel so uncultured. Who would’ve known there were so many teas in the Tang Dynasty alone? I only know 4(?)…the YumCha varieties 😂. And I just finished with the conjugal scene. I guess that one kiss in the limo was it. The shadows? Was that him or a kiss double? Or maybe just clever camera angles and they didn’t kiss at all. 😂
I love the tag: DKS world domination? Ha.
That director is good with underdogs, so it may be the perfect vehicle for him after all. He sure looks good in robes.
You are ‘way ahead of me in knowledge about Chinese teas. I know only the most basic types. Oolong, Lapsang Souchong,Jasmine, Gunpowder, Keemun etc.
My husband is currently in a phase of liking the Japanese green tea with rice Genmai Cha. It’s nice in the winter somehow – maybe like oatmeal porridge is? He does like his green teas, but they are not easy to come by here. Even if they can be had from Amazon, they might not be fresh.
I remember serving tea to some visiting Chinese researchers years ago. They must have thought that Twinings English Breakfast was so odd. They politely said it was like a tea that would be served in the summer. I felt so bad for them that they had such a bad selection on offer while visiting. I think that they were very excellent scientists, but were staying in a scurvy boarding house near UW where I was a short-term house manager. One was studying ceramics, either in the chemistry or physics departments. Not the sort used for dishes, but the sort of thing used in space exploration.
@Fern 😂. I think that was just his fandom. They can get quite excessive with the whole world wide domination thing. As for tea, what you know is about the same as me. Throw in Chrysanthemum in that mix. I like Green Tea as well. When we were in Japan we had a lot of that. I think next time we visit we need to actually experience those tea ceremony rituals. We didn’t do that on our first trip. As for your guests, they sound so interesting 😮. Would’ve had insightful conversations over meals.
Back to the drama. Their trip to WuZhen was…spicy…😮😳. So much for “no kissing”. Still pretty chaste I guess. He was cute to go shopping on a pink scooter for her. Then taking all those pomegranate seeds out. Gotta admit though, drunk SY is cute. 😂. He sat there the whole time cradling her on the bench? His legs/arm must have been numb. I am enjoying their moments together but keep feeling it’s too good to be true and they will hit turbulence soon? 😬
I took the world domination thing as a tongue-in-cheek title. I would imagine it is the last thing DKS would want – he seems a quite modest and private person.
Ah, the trip to WuZhen – the slo-mo scene. Finally they are on the same page and ready to turn it together. The pink scooter and matching helmet. 😆🤓
@packmule3 mentioned him putting her handbag over his shoulder. You will notice that he continues to do this for the rest of the drama. It has just become his way of coping with holding her purse. I almost wouldn’t be surprised if he bought a pink scooter.
Yes, she is pretty cute when she is drunk, but not unrealistically so. In a BTS from the scene of their first kiss, Bai Lu was laughing wondering what person in their twenties would react that way about their first kiss. Ren Jialun said something about her not being at all like that in real life. The editors then drew devil horns on her head. I think SY’s behaviour following on becomes more and more close to her real personality.
In the quotes in @pm3’s intro, @Good Twin described the sets as “could have been sponsored by Tourism China.” I would add not only sets but the traditional crafts, the tea sorting house, the guqin factory, the dye house, the Wang family tailoring company, etc.
The current fashion industry plays a part as well. I absolutely adore SY’s wardrobe. Hunk’s style was nice, too. ZSC looked convincingly like a scientist who also liked traditional suits. Someone mentioned complementing outfits for the OTP. I like that the main and supporting characters also wore some of the same clothing in other scenes. It is realistic. That is something that we rarely get in K-dramas, even if the people are supposed to be poor. It is a plot hole, driven by sponsorships, that has always bothered me.
The person who got most of my attention, however, was the stepmother Qin Wan. Swathed in silk and adorned with pearls, right? And SUCH pearls – she was literally choking on her oversized pink long pearl necklace in some later scenes whilst twisting the unpolished silk with her fist.
@Fern I am still trying to wrap my mind around the convoluted Zhou family. Correct me if I am wrong…
Father of ZSC married his original mother (who was the adopted daughter of Grandma). She passed so his dad remarried Qin Wan (biological daughter of Grandma). And they had the twins – WenChuan (married JiaRen who is still clinging onto ZSC whilst he himself still has feelings for leatherclad seamstress) and WenXing (heart problem who likes Ponytail hunk). Second Uncle married I forget who and his son is ZhouShengRen (teenage boy who likes SY’s cousin). Did I get something wrong? Thank goodness SY’s family is less complicated and straightforward. 😂
Good point about the handbag. That’s the second time he’s slung it over his shoulder. Yes to step mom who is always impeccably dressed. Breakfast in their family is at 5am? Who eats at that time? I can only imagine the poor kitchen staff would’ve had to wake up even earlier to have it prepped and ready for a 5am start. 🙄
@nrllee,
I’m not sure because I fast-forwarded through the dramatic scene of the pony-tailed hunk and the dying WenXing. I couldn’t STAND Wenxing’s airy, breathy voice. But it was her letter that explained everything.
Father of ZSC was in love with his mom and married her against his family’s wishes.
IIRC, his family cast them out as punishment.
ZSC’s mom was the adopted daughter of Grandma.
Qin Wan, the meanie, is Grandma’s real daughter.
The Grandma felt guilty for the way she treated adopted daughter so she tried to make amends by showering ZSC with love.
After wife died, ZSC’s dad was forced to marry Qin Wan.
I’m not sure but I think he agreed so ZSC can have his birthright.
But Qin Wan was in love with Second Uncle.
The two siblings, WenChuan and WenXing, are hers and the Second Uncle’s children.
ZSC’s father didn’t have relationship with her but accepted her children as his.
That’s the dirty secret that WenXing would later reveal to Shiyi. It was part of her deathbed confession???
The teen ZOUSHOU Ren is not related to Qin Wan. His mom was the legal wife of the Second Uncle.
ZSC knew about this all along but treated them all as younger siblings anyway.
@nrllee, this may be a family tree spoiler – also there may be some things that weren’t translated in a way that I could understand. @packmule3, please correct me if I’m wrong:
I think that ZSC’s biological father remarried Qin Wan, but only in name because she needed to get married quick-like. I didn’t think that ZSC’s biological mother was blood related to Qin Wan, but lived in that household. Qin Wan and her mother, known here by all of the other close relatives as Grandmother, don’t get along and Qin Wan’s mother won’t speak to her in the first part of the drama. (When Grandmother finally visits the big house and speaks to QW, there is mention that she isn’t related to ZSC either.) The father and ZSC didn’t live with QW, but ZSC (and his dad while alive?) did live with Grandmother. The twins were fathered by someone else – my impression was that it was the 2nd uncle – but were acknowledged as the children of ZSC’s father. I don’t know if Qin Wan ever married 2nd uncle or whomever fathered the twins. She may have wanted to keep the wifely rights of ZSC’s father, who was the heir. IIRC, she adopted ZSC to ‘protect’ his rights in the family. Otherwise, he was without living relatives.
Ren seems to be in a similar situation. His mother (Tong Jiaren’s older sister) married one of the uncles and then died. I didn’t catch who his father was, but he is favoured among the family nonetheless. He is very lonely in the compound, however, and spends much time with Grandmother, like ZSC did at the same age.
ZSC is reluctant to give the entire family story to SY. He said he hadn’t wanted to create a bad impression.
5am breakfast – talk about a way to build resentment among relatives. That would be well before dawn in the winter, right? They must all go to sleep before the birds.
@packmule3, thank you for the corrections. I didn’t know that Ren’s mother was 2nd Uncle’s wife – only that she was Tong Jiaren’s sister. So many deaths related to that fortune, right? It also explains why they were trying to keep Tong Jiaren close in the family, especially since there seems to have been some query by the police about her sister’s death.
@Fern,
I don’t care if my in-laws blacklist me, @Fern, my vanity simply doesn’t allow me to have breakfast with them at 5 in the morning. I can’t show up with my bed head and my ghostly face 👻without my make-up!!
I’ll have to prep myself starting at 4:15 am to look decent at the breakfast table.
I think I must be very lucky with my in-laws – they are very relaxed and are glad to see me at 8am or later just as I am. It is all casual and I know my way around their kitchen to make my own cuppa and toast.
I was thinking about the servants as well, having to prep the night before or else get up SO early.
I tried to find a still of the mother and her pink pearls, but no luck. Oh, she’s
the classic example of ‘money can’t make everything perfect.’ Do you think that she was the one responsible for some of the deaths at the family compound? The actress did a really good job, I thought.
The family tree is complicated! Actually, the sister didn’t reveal that she was the daughter of second uncle in the voice message to SY. She opaquely referenced it only that there was a bigger secret she wouldn’t reveal. What she revealed in the phone message is that she had caused SY’s accident on the boat because she was trying to get ZSC and SY to leave the family because they were destined to be unhappy due to all the drama and it was unsafe.
It was in the temple after the sister died that it was revealed that second uncle was the father. The reveal happened when Wexchuan while kneeling is kicked by Uncle and Wexchuan blames the Uncle for being a bad father. I got the impression that second uncle being father of the twins was not well known and that most believed them to be the children ZSC’s father.
Speaking of kneeling. Early on, ZSC told SY he was an atheist. He shared later that his father refused to kneel in the memorial temple because the family refused to allow ZSC’s mother memorial tablet to be placed there. When SY was in a coma the first thing he did was go to the temple, kneel (with great difficulty given his injuries) and pray for SY.
I thought Ren’s crush on SY was super cute – how protective he was of her and how he asked her to have a daughter so he would always be special to them as the only boy. The only person Ren thought was worthy was ZSC.
@Fern @packmule3 @GoodTwin. Thanks for the clarifications. Yes I was wondering if there was something happening with Stepmom and Uncle2 because Grandma mentioned in passing (disgustedly) about her biological daughter (QinWan) and his (ZSC’s dad) brother. So their (Uncle2/Stepmom) tryst resulted in the twins (WenChuan and WenXing) then. It would explain why Stepmom doesn’t approve of ZSC’s choice of a wife. Hits too close to home. SY is an “outsider” just like ZSC’s mom was.
@packmule3 yes I am not particularly enthused about WenXing but her screen time is minimal so far, hence she doesn’t bother me much.
I am up to Ep17 when they return from WuZhen and are moving into her apartment. Not sure how much time I have in the rest of the week to get through more eps but no rush. I’ll just plod along. 😂
@nrllee – I think I gave up some major plot points – sorry. There are some charming upcoming scenes as they settle into married life
@GoodTwin no worries. I anticipate turbulence anyway and I don’t mind spoilers. 🙂
@Good Twin, I like the Ren character very much. What do you think about how ZSC treated him after Wen Xing’s death when he came and slept over? Was it just a reaction to how he interrupted the couple? Was ZSC truly angry at him? ZSC kept giving him restriction after restriction each time Ren said something. But Ren was really distressed and needing comfort, am I wrong? It seemed very cold at that moment. I know that Ren is important and beloved to ZSC, so it seemed surprising, but maybe there’s something in the subtitles that I missed.
I re-watched the scene with Ren. At first the music was giving me clues that it was supposed to be funny. Once Ren told ZSC that he was miserable and had no one to talk to, the music changed. But ZSC only told him to cry if he wanted to. 😕
@Fern I thought he was a little cool too – mostly from being interrupted (you could play a drinking game with all the kissing interruptions in these dramas). But I think him telling Ren he could cry was letting him know those feelings were ok.
😂😂😂. The negligee scene – draping herself against the study room door frame suggestively 😂 . After their talk in the car about kids…he was talking about having a flower girl at the wedding…she thought as I did 😳… thank goodness the penny finally dropped for ZSC.
He bought so many boxes of Honey Stars ⭐️ 😂😂😂.
Hahaha. I knew you’d love the negligee scene!!
Same! I thought he was talking about babies. And her “what-the-heck?!” face had me laughing. How could they be on different planets about this?
His clueless face is priceless.
What Honey Stars? I don’t remember that scene.
@packmule3 he went shopping for a power board (not enough sockets in the study) and came home with the power board and just boxes of Honey Stars (no other groceries). I guess the cereal had meaning for them as a couple so SY seemed amused (but also secretly happy). This was after she pulled him back to bed and had him close his eyes (when it was day time 😂 and from his responses, he had something else on his mind)…only to show him the gadget she bought which displayed the stars on the ceiling. I guess you could take it as a role reversal of sorts? 😂
Ah! The cereals! Yes. That had a significance. IIRC, she invited him over for breakfast, and all she had in the pantry was the box of cereals. It looked like it was his first time eating cereals?? Or at least Honey Stars.
(Also, did you see how the security guard thought ZSC was a stalker?)
It probably had something to do too with his fascination for astronomy. He gave her a watch made from meteorite. (lol I’d be worried if it was radioactive. I don’t want my wrist turning green or my hand growing an extra finger).
@packmule3 yes to the security guard. But why stalker? I must go back and see what he actually said in Chinese. Surely if he thought ZSC was a stalker (with all the negative connotations), he would be concerned? He’s security for the apartment complex? The meteorite watch was unusual. You’re thinking kryptonite. 😂. I thought meteorites are inert space rocks.
@nrllee, which episode are you on today?
@packmule3, I thought the same about the meteorite watch. ☢️🥵 I never would have imagined that such a thing existed. It actually looks rather heavy to wear and not exactly lovely, imo. It must have cost a lot to have made.
Haha. To me, the security guard seemed more obsessed with SY than his ‘stalker’.
@Fern just finished Ep17. I got distracted and started to watch Tracer (his fans have subbed Ep1). Dramacool subs are machine done so it reads weird. I like it so far. But that’s the only ep they subbed so I am coming back to this now.
Ah, is the machine subbing relatively new? I seem to recall seeing subber’s names in the past. That would explain why it’s sometimes cryptic. When the grandmother explained something about the family, the pronoun gender was incorrect, which I figured out, but only after puzzling about it a little while.
@Fern I think the subs for F&E are fine. I was referring to the drama Tracer (SiWan’s new drama). That one (on DramaCool) is machine subbed so it reads like Google translate.
Ah. That happened with a Chinese drama I tried to watch there. I wrote in the comments that it was unintelligible – made no sense in English. They changed it after a bit.