The drama will be released on October 16, 2026 at ~9:30 pm according to the CCTV-8 schedule. The airing schedule for Youku does not specify the time, but it will likely follow suit officially and they may release the episodes earlier (e.g. 12:00 pm or 6:00 pm) as they have done for previous dramas.

The Chinese drama title 嫁金钗 can be translated as “marrying with a gold hairpin” – which can be interpreted as “to marry into a wealthy or noble family.”

About an hour ago, the production team released the previews for Episodes 3 and 4 for the drama's premiere today. They released the previews for Episodes 1 and 2 yesterday. I stitched the four clips together for this update. The episode numbers are marked at the bottom left hand corner of the clip.

The airing schedule is in the comments.

Clip descriptions:

Episode 1: A marriage contract on paper, mutual dislike in person. When the betrothed couple meet, will it be tenderness or confrontation?

Episode 2: A prison cart paraded through the streets, a chance to survive when all seems lost. Is this dreamlike, illusory change of fate a blessing or a curse?

Episode 3: A Chou takes another bride’s place and enters the household, surrounded by enemies on all sides. She must not only constantly contend with Lu Zhuo’s suspicions, but also endure the bullying of Madam Wu. How will she withstand one round of torment after another?

Episode 4: The person who was replaced is eager to reclaim their rightful place, while the person who arranged the substitute marriage secretly puts plans into motion. Both choose the day of the return visit to the bride’s parental home to make their moves. Yet, between what is real and what is false, it seems the cracks are already showing…

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname):

• 5️⃣ Tian Xiwei 田曦薇 as Wei Rao 魏娆 / Jun Dai 君黛 / A Chou 阿丑
• 6️⃣ Yan An 闫桉 as Lu Zhuo 陆濯

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Yinan 王一楠 as Guo Yufeng 郭虞凤 * Yin Wenxuan 尹文萱 as A Man 阿蛮 * Mao Linying 毛林颖 (stage name: Mao Linlin 毛林林) as Zhou Fu 周芙 * Kong Lin 孔琳 as Duchess of Ying 英国公夫人 * Dai Gaozheng 代高政 as Han Liao 韩辽 * Liu Donglin 刘东林 (stage name: Liu Xiaobei 刘小北) as Qi Zhongkai 戚仲恺 * Zhu Kaili 朱凯莉 (stage name: Tien Niu 恬妞) as Shou Anjun 寿安君 * Yang Qing 杨青 as Old Madam Wei 魏老夫人 * Li Zhengting 李政庭 (stage name: Li Youchuan 李佑川) as Huo Jue 霍玦 * Pan Junya 潘珺雅 as Bi Tao 碧桃 * Chen Shasha 陈莎莎 (stage name: Chen Zihan 陈紫函) as Wei Heng'e 魏恒娥 * Jin Tian Ru Yi 金天如意 as Hong Xian 红线

Appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Chen Sisi 陈思斯 as Zhuo Chengjun 卓成君 * Su Qi 苏棋 as Lu Changhui 陆长慧 * Yang Yutong 杨雨潼 as Xie Hualou 谢画楼 * Zheng Jiahui 郑佳慧 as Lu Changning 陆长宁 * Cui Yi 崔奕 as He Wanniang 贺婉娘 * Zeng Yixuan 曾一萱 as Kong Yingshu 孔瑛书 * Jiang Kai 蒋恺 as Duke of Ying 英国公 * Dai Chunrong 戴春荣 as Empress Dowager 太后 * Dai Jiaoqian 戴娇倩 as Ren Yuzhen 任玉蓁

The rest of the cast have not been updated for today's release.

Supporting actors:

• Zheng Hao 郑好 as Liu Shou 刘狩
• Wang Yizhou 王一舟 as Jie De 戒得

Special appearances: * Ivy Chen Yi-han 陈意涵 as Wei Shu 魏姝 * Zhou Lijie 周历杰 as Liu Shuo 刘朔

• Episodes: 30 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming and broadcasting platforms: Youku 👖, Netflix and CCTV-8 🐑
• Official female leading actor announcement: December 2, 2025
• Booting ceremony / official filming start: December 12, 2025
• Filming wrapped up: April 4, 2026
• Estimated filming time: 4 months
• Filming location: Hengdian World Studios

• 🎬 Director: Yang Long (Ashes to Crown, Glory, The Glory, Sword and Fairy 1, My Little Happiness, Darker Season 3, A Love So Beautiful)
• ✍️ Original creator: Xiao Jia Ren (Be My Princess, The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Zhou Mo (Glory, Perfect Match, Royal Feast, Story of Yanxi Palace, Untouchable Lovers, Untouchable Lovers)
• 📖 Novel: Jia Jin Chai 嫁金钗

🔗 Previous announcement, posters, clip, etc.

Synopsis from MDL:

Wei Rao [played by Tian Xiwei], a young woman raised far from her noble origins, has spent her life supporting her adoptive family through hardship. When a wounded general's fiancée refuses to marry him, Wei Rao steps in to secure funds for her adoptive mother's medical treatment, entering a marriage neither expected.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

As she wins over the Lu family with her kindness and intelligence, Wei Rao grows closer to Lu Zhuo [played by Yan An]. But when secrets from the past begin to surface, the pair must uncover the truth behind her identity while facing challenges that threaten both their future and the peace of those around them.

(Source: MyDramaList)

~~ Adapted from the web novel "Jia Jin Chai" ( 嫁金钗) by Xiao Jia Ren (笑佳人).

Synopsis translated from Baidu Baike:

A Chou (played by Tian Xiwei) was originally a lowly night-soil girl on the streets, someone anyone could trample and bully. Because her face happens to look exactly like Wei Rao, the noble daughter of the Marquis’ household, she is unexpectedly chosen to become the “fortune-invoking bride” (冲喜新娘) of Lu Zhuo, heir to the Duke’s manor.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Ambitious and eager to rise in status, A Chou sees this marriage as her chance. But her dying new husband suddenly wakes up, and her taking another woman’s place brings disaster after disaster.

Wei Rao hates her for taking her place and is desperate to get rid of her; Lu Zhuo is convinced she’s a scheming, venomous woman and guards against her at every turn. Outwardly, the Duke’s manor appears harmonious, but beneath the surface lies layer upon layer of traps and deadly intrigue.

Step by step, A Chou steadies herself and plans carefully. Through countless clever maneuvers, she earns her husband’s deep devotion and uncovers the truth of her own origins. In the end, she reunites with her long-lost family and rises from the very bottom, a night-soil girl, to live a brilliant, radiant life of her own making.

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

“冲喜新娘” can literally be translated as "the bride brought in to ward off misfortune."

“Chongxi 冲喜” (literally “warding off misfortune through joyous events”) was a traditional Chinese folk marriage custom intended to dispel illness or bad luck by holding a wedding ceremony.

Its core idea was that marriage could reverse a family’s fortunes. It was commonly practiced when a groom was critically ill, with the family arranging an early marriage to his fiancée in hopes of improving his condition. If the groom was unable to participate in the ceremony, a relative might perform the rites on his behalf. This custom often resulted in women becoming widows shortly after marriage. Variations also included immediate marriages or weddings held to “bring good fortune” to parents.

Source: Baidu Baike

📖 Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

《嫁金钗》 (which can be translated as “marrying with a gold hairpin”) is a costume romance novel written by author Xiao Jiaren 笑佳人 on Jinjiang Literature City. It began serialization in May 2021 and is approximately 560,000 Chinese characters long. Its tags include “prominent family,” “sweet romance,” and “feel-good (爽文).”

In November 2023, the novel was published in paperback by Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House. The physical edition consists of two volumes, uses 32mo perfect binding, and has a total of 396 pages. The print edition revised and restructured the content from the online serialization, consolidating the original 163 chapters into a four-chapter main framework and adding supplementary extra stories.

The novel tells the story of Wei Rao, the eldest daughter of the principal wife of the Cheng'an Count's Manor, and Lu Zhuo, the heir to the Duke of Ying's title, who marry under a marriage agreement containing special terms.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Their relationship gradually develops from one based on mutual interests into genuine affection. The plot includes Lu Zhuo's disappearance on the battlefield, after which Wei Rao returns to her family home with their daughter, intending to find another way forward, setting the stage for the subsequent developments.

Translated Synopses

Note: All translated synopses I share in the "trailers & posters" posts are based on the original Chinese sources (Douban, Baidu, Chinese Wikipedia, etc.) and were first published here. If you see them elsewhere, please know they originated from our sub. Thanks for reading!

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

Note: iQIYI may quietly release the episodes earlier than the officially announced time. We'll see.... 🤞

The Chinese drama title 小城良方 can be translated as “A Small Town’s Good Remedy.”

A couple of hours ago, the production team announced the release date and dropped a new trailer.

Filming wrapped up on February 22, 2026.

Clip description:

I heard that Liu Zhengliang (played by Xiao Zhan) is coming back???!!!

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actor: * 7️⃣ Xiao Zhan 肖战 as Liu Zhengliang

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Ding Jiali 丁嘉丽 as Lao Duan (Old Duan) * Wang Yanlin 王彦霖 as Chen Junnan * Shi Pengyuan 史彭元 as Liu Zhengguang * Ren Chengwei 任程伟 as Che Changhai * Liu Hua 刘桦 as Ai San * Zhang Guoqiang 张国强 as Huang Dongsheng * Chen Jin 陈谨 (stage name: Chen Jin 陈瑾) as Mi Si * Jiang Yan 姜妍 as Ai Chen * Ni Dahong 倪大红 as Long Dongdong * Jian Renzi 菅韧姿 (stage name: Jian Renzi 菅纫姿) as Che Mingming

The rest of the cast was not included in today's release.

Special appearances: * Jiang Hong Bo 姜宏波 as Li Zhongling * Fang Zibin 房子斌 as Chen Kai

“Friendship” guest appearances: * Chen Yongsheng 陈永胜 as Zhou Zheng

• Episodes: 28 (according to Baidu Baike and Douban – MDL states 30)
• Streaming and broadcasting platforms: iQIYI 🥝 and CCTV-8 🐑
• Official filming started: October 18, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: February 22, 2026

• 🎬 Director: Zhang Xiao Bo (director: In Between, Nothing but Thirty, To Be a Better Man, producer: The Heart; executive producer: Under the Skin)
• ✍️ Original creator: Liu San Shu 刘三叔
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Nie Cheng Shuai (Abyss, The Devil Between Us, The Heart of Genius, The Examination for Everyone)
• 📖 Novel: Fei Dao 飞刀
• 📽️ Produced by: Linmon Media Limited and iQIYI

🔗 Previous announcement, posters, trailer, etc.

Synopsis from MDL:

After losing his job at a top-tier hospital due to an unexpected incident, Liu Zheng Liang [played by Xiao Zhan] returns to his hometown and begins working in the emergency department of a local community hospital. While healing patients one after another, he finds himself continually healed by their resilience and humanity, creating a mutual journey of recovery and growth between caregiver and those in need.

(Source: TMDb)

~~ Adapted from the novel "Fei Dao" (飞刀) by Liu San Shu (刘三叔).

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

The Chinese drama title 小城春色 can be literally translated as “Spring Scenery of a Small Town” or “Small Town in Spring.”

The production team announced their main cast and that filming officially finished today, October 16, 2026.

They released a new wrap up special, character stills, CP clip, and wrap up photos (see comments).

📷 New character stills – posted on my profile.

The team also released a cast list for their “special appearances” and “appearances” actors (see the next section below).

Wang Yuwen, Daniel Zhou and their teams released character photos and wrap up character specials – they are in the comments below.

The earliest time we might see this drama is Q2 2027. We'll see….🤞

Clip description:

There are many stories in this little town. 👂

What Lin Shuang thought was love at first sight was actually Zhou Zheng having had a crush on her for years. 😮

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * 4️⃣ Wang Yuwen 王玉雯 as Lin Shuang 林霜 * 8️⃣ Daniel Zhou Keyu 周柯宇 as Zhou Zheng 周正

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Yinan 王一楠 as Fu Min 付敏 * Chen Yun 陈昀 (stage name: Chen Xiaoyun 陈小云) as Xie Xiaomeng 谢晓梦 * Shi Jingming 施京明 as Ding Yan 丁严 * Gao Tianchi 高天池 (stage name: Gao Zhiting 高至霆) as Zhang Fan 张凡 * Lai Liwei 赖力伟 (stage name: Lai Yi 赖艺) as Shen Fang 沈放

Appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Yu Yao 于垚 as Qi Ling 漆灵 * Wang Yiming 王一鸣 as Qiao Yang 乔洋 * Wang Ziwei 王梓㵟 (stage name: Wang Ziwei 王梓薇) as Miao Cai 苗彩 * Liu Yanchen 刘衍辰 as Zhao Feng 赵峰 * Zhang Xuzhen 张续振 as Shun Zai 顺仔 * Meng Xiu 孟秀 as Zhang Yuhua 张玉华 * Guan Shuchen 官姝辰 as Zhou Ning 周宁 * Pang Hongtao 庞洪涛 (stage name: Pang Hanchen 庞瀚辰) as Zuo Yuan 左源 * Zhao Hu 赵虎 as Lin Hai 林海 * Yuan Dasen 袁大森 as Yang He 杨赫 * Qin Xiaoxuan 秦晓轩 as Li Xiaoyi 李潇意 * Gao Zixuan 高梓轩 as Qi Shan 漆杉 * Luan Xi 栾熙 as Lan Ting 兰亭 * Cheng Yazhao 程雅昭 as Nana 娜娜 * Wei Jianlong 魏健隆 as Gu Cheng 顾诚

• Episodes: 24 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming platform: Tencent 🐧
• Official cast announcement: July 15, 2026
• Official filming started: July 15, 2026
• Official filming wrapped up: October 16, 2026
• Estimated filming time: ~90 days
• Filming location: Yunnan Province
• Genre: contemporary, urban (according to Baidu Baike)

• 🎬 Director: Liu Chang 刘畅 (Hidden Shadow, Burning Night, My Page in the 90s, Our Ordinary Days, GO into Your Heart)
• ✍️ Original creator: Xiu Tu Cheng 休屠城 (Love for You)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Wang Wen Tong 王文通 (Veil of Flames, Love Is Sweet, Men with Sword 1 and 2, Painting Heart Expert)
• 📖 Novel: Shi Jing Xing Xiong 恃靓行凶
• 📽️ Production companies: Tencent Video, Beijing Joy Jiaxing Film Culture

Synopsis from MDL:

Due to family misfortunes, Lin Shuang [played by Wang Yuwen] was forced to enter the workforce early and struggle. At 30, having paid off her debts, she grew tired of her nomadic lifestyle and decided to return to her hometown. Her aunt then arranged a blind date for her, where she met Zhou Zheng [played by Daniel Zhou Keyu]. Zhou Zheng was Lin Shuang's high school classmate and now worked as a math teacher at the school.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

At their first meeting, Lin Shuang showed no interest in Zhou Zheng. He appeared serious and aloof, just like his name, Zhou Zheng (meaning upright and principled), and Lin Shuang openly rejected him. This seemingly ordinary encounter was a rare surprise for Zhou Zheng. His tender gestures brought to light a ten-year-long secret crush, and Lin Shuang's long-closed heart slowly opened, allowing her to re-evaluate their relationship.

(Source: Chinese = Douban || Translation = MyDramaList)

~~ Adapted from the web novel "Shi Jing Xing Xiong" (恃靓行凶) by Xiu Tu Cheng (休屠城).

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📖 Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

The novel title《恃靓行凶》can be translated as “Getting Away with Murder By Being Beautiful” or “Using Beauty as a Weapon.” It describes someone who relies on their beauty to get away with anything or uses their attractiveness as a "weapon.”

⚠️ Major plot spoilers! ⚠️

Novel ending: HE

📖 Overview:

Shi Jing Xing Xiong 《恃靓行凶》 is an urban romance novel by Xiu Tu Cheng 休屠城, published by Beijing United Publishing Company in 2023. Set in the modern city of Beiquan, the story follows the aloof milk tea shop owner Lin Shuang and the reserved mathematics teacher Zhou Zheng. The two reunite on a blind date as former high school classmates, embarking on a romance that evolves from one-sided unrequited love into mutual devotion.

The novel consists of 21 main chapters along with several bonus stories, weaving together scenes of running a milk tea shop and living together while depicting the emotional adjustment between two protagonists with very different personalities. Through years of quiet, steadfast care, Zhou Zheng gradually wins over Lin Shuang and breaks through the emotional barriers she has built around herself.

Through its nuanced portrayal of everyday interactions, the novel explores the growth of modern men and women in love and marriage, blending realistic emotional conflicts with romantic storytelling. As a popular work on Jinjiang Literature City, it sparked discussion among readers after publication due to debate over its character portrayals and dramatic tension. The bonus stories continue the protagonists' journey as they pursue further studies together.

⚠️ Major plot spoilers! ⚠️

📖 Synopsis:

The story follows the romance between Lin Shuang, a stunning milk tea shop owner who drifts through life without taking relationships seriously, and Zhou Zheng, an ordinary, reserved high school mathematics teacher. After reuniting through a blind date, Zhou Zheng's long-held secret crush on Lin Shuang finally has a chance to blossom.

Lin Shuang's life fell apart before she could finish college. After her family lost its fortune, she was abandoned by her first love, her mother left, and her father was imprisoned. Once an innocent young woman, she became someone who treated life like a game and avoided emotional commitment.

Zhou Zheng, meanwhile, grew up in the countryside and lost both of his parents at a young age. He built a life for himself in the city and became a conscientious, meticulous high school math teacher. He had secretly been in love with Lin Shuang since their high school days.

At first, Lin Shuang agrees to the blind date only to satisfy her family, but after seeing her again, Zhou Zheng can no longer see anyone else. Thanks to his steady and sincere pursuit, the two decide to “give dating a try.”

Several months later, differing views on marriage lead Lin Shuang to break up with him. When she later falls on hard times, Zhou Zheng cares for her devotedly. After a heartfelt reconciliation, they decide to take their relationship seriously. Gradually, Lin Shuang is won over by Zhou Zheng's sincerity and abandons her carefree, commitment-averse outlook on life.

In the end, after discovering that Zhou Zheng had quietly loved and protected her for years, she impulsively decides to marry him.

Overall, the novel is a gentle, heartwarming romance that focuses on the quiet sweetness of everyday life.

Translated Synopses

Note: All translated synopses and information I share in the "trailers & posters" posts are based on the original Chinese sources (Douban, Baidu, Chinese Wikipedia, etc.) and were first published here. If you see them elsewhere, please know they originated from our sub. Thanks for reading!

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

This is actually supplemental from the actors. On his Weibo, LXY had been keeping a diary detailing Jinqi’s thoughts that he had been continually updating as he watched certain episodes. Other cast members responded, but never TSY. Finally, after the last episode, she responded back to all his entries at once as Lanxiang on her Weibo.  He didn’t name the actual episodes, but I think you can guess. I interspersed them for you in the slideshow. Lanxiang’s responses are in green.

I cried after reading the last ones and am so glad that they did this. I really needed it and wanted to share because I know a lot of you were in the same boat. It’s like we finally have both sides of a previously one-sided conversation.

Warning: There are ending spoilers!

\FYI, I used Google Translate. Both posts are from their Weibo pages.*

In withdrawal after watching the brilliant Nirvana in Fire, so I've started The Disguiser. What a joy to watch so many of the same talented actors from NIF and also the direction, production values and music are just as strong as NIF. The quality of this drama just shines! I have searched this sub and hardly see any mention of this drama. I know it's old but why isn't this more popular???

I keep getting recommended Chinese mini-dramas that actually look interesting. The title catches my attention, the synopsis sounds good, and I’m thinking I’ve finally found something I want to watch.

Then I click and realize it’s AI-generated.

It’s getting really frustrating because some of these stories genuinely sound like something I would watch, but the AI visuals and voices completely ruin it for me. I don’t mind over-the-top plots or low-budget mini-dramas, I just want actual actors.

I really wish YouTube had a way to filter out AI-generated videos. I’m getting tired of having to figure it out after clicking on something that looked interesting.

Anyone else dealing with this?

Spoilers: Please use spoiler tags when discussing significant plot points from the source material or future episodes.

Links: Masterpost | Discussion Posts | Eps 1-3 | Eps 4-5 | Eps 6-7 | Eps 8-9 | Eps 10-11

New Characters: Fang Haoyu, i.e. Harry's chinese name.

Ep 12:

Harry tried to run away from Lu Hui but stopped after she threatened to cut off his credit cards. Harry tried to pretend that he wanted to surprise his parents but Lu Hui knew he was back on the 5th because she checked his steps daily. When Harry asked what she was doing at the hospital, she said she worked there. Technically true.

Yu Meng wanted to transfer her dad to a Shanghai hospital for better outcomes, but Di Liren hired a Beijing specialist directly to assess his condition. The Beijing specialist Doctor Du said Yu Jianguo's outlook was not optimistic. There was some brain damage and he was unlikely to wake up soon. The Beijing specialist would do the paperwork declaring Yu Jianguo medically unfit to be the authorized signatory, so the shareholders can appoint an interim one.

Since Harry moved back home with Lu Hui, Lu Hui had taken sick leave. Jiao Xu verified that Di Liren did not have any overseas assets or offshore bank accounts, so all the money must be with Lu Hui, so her going on break was weird. Di Liren needed to rely on Lu Hui still loving him so he could continue to access that money. However, they needed to focus on the upcoming shareholder meeting.

As Yu Jianguo and Tian Dong held 45% and 35% of Jia Li shares respectively, Yu Meng decided that gaining 20% support from all the small shareholders would not be sufficient so she wanted to focus on convincing Tian Dong. Liu Bai suggested falsifying a document that showed Yu Jianguo appointed Yu Meng as the interim signer and got scolded for his terrible suggestion.

Lu Hui has been practicing her English in preparation to leave for UK. Her 'just now' came out of nowhere and was kinda cute. Having Harry home put her in great mood. She talked about which items to buy in China and which to buy in UK, but Di Liren was not interested. He told Lu Hui he wanted to focus on the upcoming shareholders' meeting so he can get rid of any evidence of wrongdoing after he gets the signing authority.

Yu Meng tried visiting Tian Dong but was declined multiple times. Di Liren had told Tian Dong not to see anyone from Jia Li, including him and Yu Meng before the shareholders' meeting in order to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest. Liu Zi was once again amazed at Di Liren's shamelessness in coming up with justified excuses to attain his goals.

Jiao Xu analyzed that Di Liren was getting nervous and Yu Meng should do the opposite and continue to seek out Tian Dong in a public manner, so that others may think that Di Liren had to rely on the Yu family's connection to get the signing authority. Fortune tellers calculate fates and lawyers calculate human hearts, which Jiao Xu was really good at.

Some time later, Liu Zi, Liu Bai and Kang Long finished up a planning meeting and needed to rush to meet Yu Meng and Harry at a boat for a video shoot. Kang Long was hungry but there was no time to grab lunch, so Liu Zi offered him her lunch box. He proceeded to critique the rice ball and rated it a 6/10. Liu Zi got mad and they had a little banter before Kang Long declared that it was all his because he took a bite.

On the way to the boat, Harry accidentally brushed Yu Meng's hand. He got excited initially but was disappointed to find out that she was married. Back home, he told Lu Hui about a pretty older sister. He denied having a crush on her, but continued to text her frequently, including sending her a picture of his dinner. Lu Hui, not knowing it was Yu Meng, was just happy to see her son potentially being interested in someone.

Meanwhile, Jiao Xu managed to find out about Lu Hui and Di Liren's son through Lu Hui's ex-colleague. Despite their best efforts to borrow money, they could not afford his expensive surgeries as a new born and they left the hospital before treatment was complete. Yu Meng was shocked to learn that Di Liren had a 20-year-old son.

Di Liren wasn't just waiting for Yu Meng to act against him. It would be revealed only later in the same episode, but he purchased the social media account of a fortune teller Xiu Yuan. He then got Lu Hui to introduce Lu Lizhen to his content. Being desperate to try anything to help her husband, Lu Lizhen got into contact with Xiu Yuan, who was able to "see into her past" and know everything about her and her family. That was how Lu Lizhen got sucked into the superstitious stuff and she became infuriately trusting of what this fortune teller said.

When Yu Meng and Di Liren visited, Lu Lizhen was copying some scriptures as part of a meditative process and a medical prayer for Yu Jianguo. Tian Dong's wife also got interested in the fortune-teller stuff and was asking Lu Lizhen for more information. Yu Meng realized she could get her mum to reach out to Tian Dong through his wife, to put in a good word for her getting the interim signing authority. Unfortunately, due to the fortune teller's advice to avoid all humanly desires and conflict, Lu Lizhen had no intention to follow through.

Di Liren also tried to get Yu Meng out of the company by hiring a media company to take over her advertisement work for Kang Long. He once again tried to infantilize her by saying that he wanted her pampered and free of stress. Yu Meng fought back by pretending that a fortune teller predicted this conversation, and that the fortune teller also mentioned Di Liren having a 20+ year-old son. Not wanting her to go on further on this topic, Di Liren finally relented and dropped the issue of her quitting her job. He called Lu Hui once he got the chance to tell her to avoid getting their son involved and to do him a favor.

Soon after, the fortune teller Xiu Yuan told Lu Lizhen that Yu Meng would have bad luck if she went to the company, so she called to tell Yu Meng to stay away. However, Yu Meng was back at the office to pick up wine that she wanted to give Tian Dong. When she got back out, Lu Hui had already put up an 'elevator-in-repair' sign so she took the stairs down.

Di Liren walked down the stairs behind her and made ominous sounds with golf clubs hitting the railing. It was unclear if he only wanted to scare her or if he would be willing to do more to hurt her that evening. Yu Meng was panicking and ready to call the cops. She intentionally broke the wine bottle to signal that she was prepared to fight back, so Di Liren showed up as if nothing was wrong. When trying to clean up the broken glass, he intentionally cut himself.

Next day, he showed Lu Lizhen his cut. Any drop of blood was a metaphor for an impending mortal danger, so Lu Lizhen faked a fever to lure Yu Meng home. Now that she grabbed onto every prediction and advice of Xiu Yuan, Lu Lizhen really thought that Yu Meng would be in danger if she went to work and she didn't want to lose even her daughter. Yu Meng got a recording from a fortune teller (was it also Xiu Yuan or someone else?) to say that the broken glass had warded off the bad luck.

Lu Lizhen still didn't feel comfortable. Yu Meng was given the option to be a business person like her dad or be a pampered like her mum, and she previously chose her mum's life path. Lu Lizhen did not understand why she was working so hard now that she had Di Liren who would let her be a princess forever. Yu Meng eventually relented and chose to take the day off.

Harry was sad that he would not get to see Yu Meng that day. During a sound check, Kang Long asked Liu Zi out again, but she did not react. Before the video shoot, Kang Long was very apprehensive about having make up on. For someone so passionate about developing his own line of cosmetic products, I thought it was very strange that he disliked having make up on that much.

After the shoot was done, Kang Long approached Liu Zi with the bento box. Little Chestnut showed up and asked why Kang Long had her lunch box. They left soon after and that night, Liu Zi moved the music album to a different shelf. Elsewhere, Kang Long was still shocked to find out that Liu Zi had a daughter and for some reason he was still holding on to the lunch box.

Yu Meng came up with a new idea to prevent Di Liren from getting the interim signing authority. She recalled that Tian Dong brought up potentially changing the authorized signatory when Di Liren was appointed Di Liren so that Jia Li was not controlled solely by the Yu family. However, Tian Dong was not in the position to recommend himself so someone else had to do it. At a dinner with Tian Dong, his wife, Lu Lizhen and Yu Meng, Yu Meng suggested that someone with more experience would be a better foundation for Jia Li and that person was Tian Dong. Later the night, Zhang Tao called Di Liren that someone had asked to push back the shareholder meeting.

Yu Meng visited Jiao Xu's office to update him when he told her that she forgot to bring the chair cushion back. She said it was a gift because a comfortable chair needed something to match with it. I guess Yu Meng was already slowly decorating his office. Yu Meng shared that she was anxious about Tian Dong pushing back the shareholder's meeting, and Jiao Xu assured her that Di Liren was the one who was panicking and it would be a good opportunity to catch him off guard. Yu Meng thanked him for his emotional support and he said it's part of his job. Not sure how many lawyers agree with this.

Soon after, Yu Meng visited her mum at a mountain resort. Lu Lizhen said that the fortune teller told her of a vision that implied the family visiting Yu Jianguo at his grave on a mountain. Di Liren also faked a nightmare to Lu Lizhen about seeing Yu Jianguo move to a mountain, so Lu Lizhen panicked and called the fortune teller for advice. He told her to check into a mountain resort with Yu Meng, to stay away from all affairs, and to focus only on praying, including eating vegan meals.

Lu Lizhen believed that their visit to a mountain resort would fulfill the fortune teller's vision of them visiting Yu Jianguo's grave, so she tricked Yu Meng into a room and locked her in. Yu Meng tried explaining that superstitions are not real, but Lu Lizhen retorted that the doctors had been useless so she wanted to exhaust all options. She said that if they were sincere in their beliefs, miracles could happen. Yu Meng faked a fire to get Lu Lizhen to unlock the door, but Lu Lizhen promptly tossed out her (car keys?).

Ep 13:

Yu Meng finally decided to tell her mum the truth. However, like Di Liren predicted, she would be useless even if she knew the truth. Lu Lizhen was not ready to believe Yu Meng and refused to look at Yu Meng's evidence, claiming that the internet was filled with lies. How ironic.

Jiao Xu was on his way to pick up Yu Meng when he was intercepted by Di Liren. Where was this? But Jiao Xu mentioned that he promised Liu Zi to pick Yu Meng up, so somehow he got past Di Liren.

Back at Liu Zi's place, Yu Meng shared that her mum had already told Tian Dong that she would not be involved in the signing authority decision and left everything to Tian to decide. Yu Meng decided to let her mum stay at the resort for a few more days to calm down. Their discussion got cut short when Harry showed up at the apartment to pass them the USB.

Harry noticed Yu Meng was off and showed his concern immediately. It almost seemed like Jiao Xu could be jealous and he immediately pulled Harry out of the apartment to send him home. Harry asked Jiao Xu how he knew Yu Meng because he doubt that Yu Meng was his client. Jiao Xu merely mentioned that Harry had not met Yu Meng's husband.

Just then, Harry's alarm to remind him to take his medications rang. Jiao Xu asked about his medications but Harry did not feel comfortable sharing so he said those were multi-vitamins, such as lutein supplements. When Jiao Xu asked for a lutein supplement too, Harry lied that he just ran out. Sensing that he was hiding something, Jiao Xu slammed his brakes so Harry dropped his pills, leaving a few behind for Jiao Xu to investigate further.

At the shareholder's meeting, Tian decided to abstain because he did not want Yu Meng's mum to worry that he was stealing authority from Yu Jianguo at his lowest. There were 6 contenders for the signing authority. Di Liren won 7 votes, 2nd place won 4 votes and Yu Meng got 2 votes. Just before Di Liren got the signing authority, Lawyer Li showed up. Yu Jianguo had already appointed Yu Meng as the interim authorized signatory before his coma. He was told to reveal it at the shareholder's meeting so that no one could sabotage the process. Yu Meng gave a brief acceptance speech that she would do her best to help Jia Li thrive.

Yu Meng got to work immediately and signed many documents. However, she declined to sign documents relating to the Jing Hua product series, including the one to expand his production capacity. Tian Dong was angry that she overrode internal company decisions without discussing it with anyone. Di Liren once again pretended to defend Yu Meng, but saying that she had always did as she liked but would be more prudent when it came to the company. Tian Dong said she was being willful and they visited Yu Meng at the hospital for a chat.

Yu Meng told them that her dad had told her to audit the Jinghua product series before he went into coma. He found out about someone who tried to use the new product launch to embezzle money and wanted to use the audit as a way to catch the culprit. Tian Dong pushed back, but gave in when he heard that Yu Jianguo had already hired an external audit team (Yu Meng did but she knew her dad's name would hold more weight with Tian Dong). Di Liren tried to say he was more suited for the job, but Yu Meng said that it was a job that tended to offend people and she was willing to be a bad cop. Di Liren could not push back further when Yu Meng said that anyone who objected to the audit would be very suspicious.

Jiao Xu was impressed that Yu Meng came up with all of that idea. Yu Meng also had an inkling that her dad may have left her the signing rights because she realized through the 70-year-insurance that her dad was always thinking about how best to protect her even decades after his passing.

With the audit, Han Guang's factory would not get paid in time. He likely embezzled some money and needed 6 million rmb to fill the gap before his father-in-law got suspicious. He was mad at Yu Meng but acknowledged that she was not as simple or stupid as she looked. Di Liren admitted that he underestimated Yu Meng but he would get the signing authority back.

Di Liren then met up with Lu Hui to tell her to transfer 6 million to Han Guang through her personal account. Lu Hui seemed slightly hesitant but did as she was told. It seemed like they have embezzled way more than 6 million for them to comfortably just transfer that amount to Han Guang.

It did not take long for Han Guang and Di Liren to meet up again. Di Liren had figured out how to discredit Yu Meng. He recalled that Yu Meng suspected Wen Yue as his affair partner, so he would spread rumors that the audit was her misusing company resources to take revenge on Wen Yue who was involved in the Jinghua product series. He would get Chen Chen to write a post within the company's forum pretending to be a whistleblower.

At Harry's friend's coffeeshop, Liu Zi was worried for Yu Meng because she knew Di Liren would act soon. While they were there, they overheard Harry's friend making lots of criticism and demands on Harry's design to renovate the coffeeshop. Yu Meng stood up for Harry and said that she could recommend a pro she knew at 20% discount. When she found out that Harry was not paid and only treated to cup noodles to do design work for his 'friend', she took him away to treat him to a real meal.

Liu Bai and Jiao Xu joined the three of them for dinner at a nice restaurant. Harry did not realize he was being taken advantaged of and still thought of the coffeeshop owner as a friend. He shared that he did not have many friends growing up because they avoided playing with him due to his heart condition. When his heart condition improved and he moved abroad, he still did not know how to be friends so he overcompensated by putting too much effort too soon. Yu Meng reminded him that he needed to be good to himself before he did the same for others.

When Liu Bai said they're friends, Harry immediately gave him his switch and all his games. Liu Bai declined and hinted that this was not the way to make friends. Just then, Yu Meng noticed Harry's bag accessory. Di Liren had wanted one for a 'client', but could not do so until Yu Meng used her connections to find one. When Harry said that was a gift from his dad, Jiao Xu was probably 100% sure he was Lu Hui and Di Liren's son.

When Yu Meng went to get drinks for the table, Harry tried to help. Yu Meng said that he should avoid holding heavy items. Harry admitted that his condition was not minor, but he was recovering well and did not want to be a burden to her. He revealed that he had tetralogy of fallot, but did not want special treatment. He wanted Yu Meng to treat him as a mature man.

Jiao Xu pulled Yu Meng aside and they both realized that they were too many coincidences with Harry.

To confirm their suspicions, Yu Meng gave Harry a lot of gifts from a supplier. Jiao Xu helped carry it back into Harry's home, where he heard Harry call Lu Hui mum. Jiao Xu also found a picture of Harry with Di Liren from his elementary school's social media account. Yu Meng already anticipated what kind of fake story Di Liren would come up with so there was no point in confronting him.

Next, they needed to figure out if Harry's meeting with Yu Meng was planned or fate. If it was intentional, would Harry be helping Lu Hui and Di Liren, or would he try to stop them? Yu Meng could not figure out if Harry was just ridiculously good at acting or if he just really liked to chat with her. She felt that he seemed very naive and kind and unlikely to be acting, but they couldn't completely remove their suspicions due to Di Liren's genes.

Back at Jia Li, Chen Chen had made the post accusing Yu Meng for bullying her in her investigation of Di Liren's tryst. She also accused Yu Meng about using the audit to do the same towards Wen Yue. Given Di Liren's image as a good husband, the employees quickly believed the story and said lots of nasty things about Yu Meng. They bought into the lie that Yu Meng was just a bored princess making trouble for everyone due to her willful whims. When Yu Meng went to the finance department to get some documents for the report, the employees were all very disrespectful and uncooperative towards her.

Harry went to the lobby to bring Yu Meng lunch when he overheard some employees badmouth her. One guy said that she was nothing but trouble since she came to Jia Li, and that her brain was under-developed. When he made a misogynistic remark about Yu Meng, Harry fought back saying that he was ugly and no one would want him even in a zoo. The guy got angry and punched Harry and bystanders recorded their fight until security pulled them off.

Yu Meng saw the video of him fighting to defend her so she went to the police station to pick him up. He got off with a warning since neither side wanted to press charges. Yu Meng told him that it was not worth it to get hurt over gossipers. She called him her younger brother whom she would praise in front of his future girlfriend.

She asked if he was about to go back to school, but Harry said he rather stay in China to study architecture. His parents wanted him to stay in academia so he had not tell them his plans yet. Yu Meng wondered if he would be happier abroad, to which he replied that he was happy now.

Lu Hui just arrived at police station and saw Yu Meng together with her son, realizing that the pretty jie-jie he was enamored with was Yu Meng. After Harry left to go to the hospital for a check up, Yu Meng was driving off when she almost got into her 3rd car accident.

Thoughts:

Although Yu Meng got the signing authority, it didn't feel like a win she earned. In the end, she still relied on her dad. If she had decided to court the small shareholders, she could have won fair and square. Di Liren only won the plurality of the votes. Although Yu Meng could not anticipate Tian Dong abstaining, it still wouldn't hurt her to be on good terms with the rest of the shareholders since she wanted to take over the company eventually.

Maybe it is just a plothole or continuity issue, but Yu Meng previously mentioned that both her parents were busy with the business, so her mum was not always a pampered wife. Perhaps she took a backseat when the company took off? But even then, I would expect her to be more rational than how she behaved. =/

I like that we saw a glimpse of Harry's childhood. His medical treatment was delayed and it prevented him from being able to play with other kids. He didn't learn to socialize and grew up to be naive and kind due to protective parents, just like Yu Meng except that he lacks self-preservation skills. I feel that Harry will play a crucial role in helping Lu Hui open her eyes about Di Liren. Harry is the only person she loves more than Di Liren, and I suspect she may finally realize that Di Liren would hurt even Harry if Harry gets in the way of his goals.

Romance wise, both couples are making slow and steady progress! I kinda like it this way. Hope to see more Jiao Xu and Yu Meng in coming episodes though!

The Chinese drama title 醉梦 can be translated as “Drunken Dream.”

About an hour ago, the production team released a new trailer for the drama's premiere today. Yesterday, they released an OST music video 《醉中罪》 （which can be translated as “Drunken Crime”) performed by Hu Ming 胡明. I stitched the two clips together for this update. The transition point is at 1:25.

The airing schedule is in the comments.

Clip description:

“Behind the Lens” Trailer

Activate magnifying glass mode now! Which stories about the “Malt Kingdom” are true, and which are false? Who is good and who is evil among the faces captured on camera?

.

The MV for 《醉中罪》 （which can be translated as “Drunken Crime”) is finally here, with plenty to enjoy! If the footage could be rewound, would everything change? Follow the melody and join us tomorrow as we step into Lacheng to unlock the love, hatred, and choices of this group of people.

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * 6️⃣ Liu Shishi 刘诗施 (stage name: Liu Shishi 刘诗诗) as Shen Leshui 沈乐水 * 7️⃣ Li Naiwen 李乃文 as Zhao Haipeng 赵海鹏 * 9️⃣ Hu Xianxu 胡先煦 as Gao Xuelin 高雪林 * 1️⃣1️⃣ Huang Xiaolei 黄小蕾 as Tu Chunyan 屠春艳

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Chen Yongsheng 陈永胜 as Liu Tieping 刘铁平 * Li Qin 李沁 as Liu Xuemei 刘雪梅 * Lin Jiachuan 林家川 as Han Chuang 韩闯 * Liu Xiaohai 柳小海 as Qian Yichuan 钱义川 * Hao Ping 郝平 as Zheng Aimin 郑爱珉 * Yao Anlian 姚安廉 as Chen Qingchun 陈庆春 * Hu Ming 胡明 as Ma Guowen 马国文 * Jiang Chao 姜超 as Cao Jun 曹军 * Jiao Gang 焦刚 as Cheng Youtian 程有田 * Guan Yunpeng 管云鹏 as Li Mingyang 李名扬

The rest of the cast was not included in today's release.

“Friendship” guest appearance: * Liu Ying 刘颖 (stage name: Ying Er 颖儿) as Zheng Xiaoqin 郑小琴

Supporting actors: * Zhang Xiang 张翔 as Chen Yuan 陈远 * Hu Yuxuan 胡宇轩 as Shun Zi 顺子 * Su Yujie 宿宇杰 as Brother Lei / Lei Ge 雷哥 * Yu Menghan 余梦寒 as Cai Wenxiu 蔡文秀 * Chen Zhen 陈震 as Gao Wusong 高雾凇 * Zhao Ruicheng 赵瑞承 as Liu Xiaosheng 刘小胜 * Chu Xu 楚煦 as Wu Ming 吴铭

Starring: * A Li Ya 艾丽娅 as Mother Shen 沈母

• Episodes: 16 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming platform: Tencent 🐧
• Official filming started: January 3, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: March 9, 2025
• Filming time: ~66 days
• Filming location: Harbin, Heilongjiang Province
• Genre: suspense (according to Douban)
• Distribution license obtained: March 5, 2026

• Director: Yang Yang (The Way You Come Back, Vanished Name, Imperfect Victim, The Immortal Ascension, Our Times, A Dream of Splendor, Medal of the Republic, With You, Ever Night 1 and 2)
• Screenwriter: Jia Dong Yan (Extreme Punishment Suit, Justifiable Defense, The Immortal Ascension, Under the Skin, Siege in Fog)

🔗 Previous teaser, wrap up special, trailer, posters, etc.

Synopsis from MDL:

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Many years ago, reporter Shen [Le] Shui recorded the working life of the old Songjiang Brewery with a camera. Like a glass of beer stored for a long time, brewing complex emotions and the mystery of the death of a woman named Liu Xue Mei. The brewery was once the pride of the city, but after many years of decline, it became the stage for many murders. Liu Xue Mei's life and death are closely entangled in a conspiracy driven by ambition and greed.

Everyone is like a pawn, ruthlessly manipulated and sacrificed. The truth is always hidden in the most inconspicuous way. A ghost that has been lurking for many years is planning a bloody revenge. Her anger and despair turned into the shadow of a serial murder case, covering Songjiang. The reincarnation of fate finally ended in a sudden and seemingly fateful accident.

Journalist Shen [Le] Shui revisits the abandoned Songjiang Brewery, uncovering dark secrets of ambition, betrayal, and tragedy. As a shadow of vengeance looms, she captures the human struggles buried in the brewery’s haunting past.

(Source: Chinese = Baidu || Translation = MyDramaList)

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

I just started Coroner’s Diary and it feels like a combo of The Double Woman undercover in the identity of a daughter coming home after being away for years at an institution type place and Melody of Golden Age Female lead investigating crimes/science

Any other shows like that for you?

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Overview from the iQIYI app:

In the 1990s, when the oil industry boomed rapidly, some soared to success by riding the trend, while others fell into obscurity. The fates, joys, and sorrows of small figures in the roaring great era reflect each of us.

Driven by reforms to generate more revenue and pursue high-speed business expansion, factional struggles within the oil system grew increasingly fierce, with undercurrents surging in the family courtyard of this small town. The temptation of power and money amplified the hidden desires deep in ordinary people's hearts. The wrong paths a generation took would eventually require corresponding prices to be paid.

Synopsis from MDL:

In 1997, in the small southwestern Chinese town of Wugang, Chen Shan's [played by Chen Zheyuan] family lived in a residential building provided by the local petroleum unit. His father, Chen Fu [played by Han Qing], was the top leader of a pipeline construction project, his mother, Zhang Wen Ying [played by Jiang Hongbo], was a key designer at the petroleum design institute, and his older sister, Chen Ying [played by Jiang Xin], worked in the archive room of the supply station. The family lived in harmony, and Chen Shan was set to follow in his parents’ footsteps and join the petroleum system.

⚠️ Major plot spoilers! ⚠️

But an unexpected accident – a gas pipeline explosion – changed the course of all their lives. Chen Fu died in the explosion, and Zhang Wen Ying became a casualty of the internal power struggles within the petroleum system. Unable to cope with the trauma, Chen Shan left home and took a job on an emergency repair crew to make a living.

By 2001, the southwestern petroleum system had boarded the fast train of economic growth, and families across the region were enjoying a middle-class lifestyle. Chen Shan had become the head of a construction crew, known as "Brother Shan", but lived like a ghost, stuck in the past.

Then, another gas explosion occurred. Geng Jian [played by Zhang Guoqiang], the former director of the design institute who had lost out in the earlier factional battles, was once again implicated. Chen Shan decides to follow the current clues and reopen the investigation into the past accident – unaware of just how many people and hidden truths would come to light.

(Source: Chinese = Baidu || Translation = MyDramaList)

Trailer and cast list

MyDramaList link

Airing on iQIYI and iQIYI's YouTube

Episodes: 12

Discussions

🗨️ All discussions on the drama

🗨️ Episodic drama discussions (please see the earliest comment)

🗓️ Airing schedule

🗣️ The leads dubbed themselves.

What does r/CDrama think about the show?

Look out for the wrap up post where we ask the sub to rate the drama a few weeks after the final airing date.

🗳️ It's a wrap! What's your final review? (post only appears a few weeks after the drama ends)

Wiki

2024 Drama Index | 2025 Drama Index | 2026 Drama Index

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Sometimes you just need a cute, realxing slice-of-life drama.

I don't watch the 'realistic' (as in no exaggerated melodrama, hyper-sweet romance, insanely good-looking/glamourous cast) cdramas that often, but when I do, they can be very rewarding.

I've taken a while to get through 'Xiao Fang', mainly because I watch between more intense, highly dramatic stuff. But now I'm almost at the end (2 episodes to go) and I have to share my love for this drama.

It both feels very grounded and relatable and at the same times teaches me new things about Chinese contemporary culture.

The drama takes place in (I think?) one of the southern provinces and deals mostly with modern life in a rural area as then main character, Yang Xiao Fang, return home for the holidays with her boyfriend Qi Xiao Wei. The two are childhood sweethearts and have lived together in Shenzhen (the nearest big city, Guangdong province) unbeknownst to their respective families, who have no kind feelings toward each other. Xiao Fang is pregnant, and she and Xiao Wei are planning a life together and determined to be married. But family feuds and the complex traditions of Chinese wedding culture threathens to break them apart...

Xiao Fang is a feisty, independent young woman and the heart of the drama, but 'Xiao Fang' is an ensemble show centered around the two families of the young couple, respectively the Yangs and the Qis.

It explores traditional customs as they clash with modern (and especially modern feminist) ideas, as well as portraying a rural society that's about to change.

A lot of issues get addressed that I as a non-Chinese viewer found particularly interesting, such as:

- women's role past and present and the importance of female agency and control over their own life, regardless of what tradition dictates - I was pleasantly surprised that at least in Chinese pop culture, this type of overt feminism is now celebrated as something basic and just. I did not expect that

- the reversed importance of male vs female in recent years. The drama addresses the fact that in the younger generations, there are simply fewer men than women, at least in the rural areas. Suddenly young, marriagable women are highly sought after and girls become more valuable than boys (because they can bring lots of money in bride price when they marry) - I was already aware of this from speaking to some Chinese people, but it was still interesting to see it spelled out. Plus I wonder if the lack of rural young women is only due to selective births during the one-child policy, or is China is also experiencing more women seeking education and careers in the big cities as in other developed countries, leaving the young rural men behind.

- Men's role in relationship and in regards to fatherhood - again the show is very forward-thinking in this aspect, showing the difference between the caring, involved fathers (the FL's father and Xiao Wei) vs. the distant, patriarchal fathers (Xiao Wei's greedy dad and the husbands of Xiao Fang's friends)

- the meaning of family. The Yangs are a family as most - full of complicated emotions, love and at times resentment, sacrifices and demands, conflicting views, but always loyal to their own.

Generally this is a well-made, heart-warming drama. It's funny in that way which makes you chuckle yet also feel warm inside. The characters are wonderfully flawed yet most are lovable (even Xiao Wei's dad probably has some good sides deep down, though he needs a lot of growing up), and the cast is perfect.

The show is filmed on location (I forget where, someone mentioned it in another post) and everything looks lush and green and almost a tourist commercial, but it's not portrayed as some picture-perfect place (I laughed at the hotel room scene because I can believe there are plenty of 'hotels' like that still around). No ugly, fake-looking AI-rendered settings.

It's not a show to watch for something intense, super exciting plot, but it's sweet and feels fairly realistic and has a well-written script so it never gets boring.

I hope it sticks the ending, but even if it doesn't, I would say the journey through this drama is worth it.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3V-UC_Vlik

MDL: https://mydramalist.com/772771-xiao-fang-chu-jia

Welcome to the discussion posts for The Lament of Autumn 玉簟秋! This drama will be hosted by u/a_HerculePoirot_fan and moi-même. A big thank you to the most wonderful u/EasygoingEnigma for the excellent GIFs in today's post! I know I'm saving some of them... for research.

🗓️ Discussion Schedule: We are following the VIP schedule: from October 16-18, we will shift to releasing one episode per day (meaning only Episode 10 will drop tomorrow). Click here for the airing schedule.

📋 Reminder: Use spoiler tags for anything beyond the episodes discussed. Text goes between the greater-than (>) + exclamation (!) symbols (>!) and the exclamation (!) + lesser-than (<) symbols.

🔗 Helpful Links: Masterpost | Character Flashcards | All Discussions | Episodes 1-3 | Episodes 4-5 | Episode 6-7

Episode 8

Kuang Bingwen & Yu Jinxuan 

Bingwen and Jinxuan’s marriage is frosty, or in her words, “withered”. Later, a conversation with Zhao Baoru reveals a deeper cause of her detachment: Jinxuan is still mourning a past lover whom she was forbidden to be with, and who has since died. Sympathetic but pragmatic, Baoru advises her to let go of the past and give Bingwen a real chance. Hmm... don't do it, girl.

Ye Pingjun & Jiang Xueting

Xueting unexpectedly returns home unannounced. Framing it as a surprise for Pingjun, he explains that he intends to look for a job back home given the country’s current political turmoil. The episode also sheds light on some family history: Xueting’s mother was Ye Shuwan’s sworn sister, and Xueting and Pingjun grew up together. During an evening stroll, Xueting confesses his feelings and proposes. Pingjun playfully rejects him, but her reaction suggests she is very much on board. Oh no, both of our CPs are engaged, but not to each other…

And you know who’s definitely not on board with this development? Changxuan, who at this point, is utterly consumed by thoughts of her. 

Elsewhere, Zhongquan, Baoru, and Qixuan discuss the latest news: Pingjun is practically famous following Chungfeng Troupe’s success in raising funds for the refugees. Zhongquan is far less impressed by the city’s new heroine than his wife and daughter are. 

For those of you on Team Xueting, Episode 8 was made for you. Not only does he swoop in later to save Pingjun from Ziyi’s attempted assault, but she also brings him soup on his first day on the job. (Not me, booing...) 

Chen Wanqiao & Kuang Bingwen 

Meeting secretly at Li’s Preserved Fruits, Wanqiao and Bingwen confirm they are siblings (but not biologically, because Bingwen’s parents rescued and adopted her off the streets as a child). Together, they are secretly plotting revenge against Zhongquan and the entire Yu family, whom they blame for their parents’ deaths. The plot thickens. 

Yu Changxuan & Ye Pingjun

Losing what little grip he has left on some self-imposed boundaries, Changxuan visits the Charity Union’s refugee shelter, where volunteers are helping the refugees become more self-sufficient. As expected, he finds Pingjun there, but not knowing how to approach her, gives her the cold shoulder by default. Pingjun, naturally, refuses to let him get away with it and provokes him further. The encounter unfortunately ends much like their recent interactions… poorly.

Yu Changxuan & Jiang Xueting

Changxuan hires Xueting as a Secretary-Translator for the Yu Army, which concerns Pingjun given her history with Changxuan. It doesn't seem like Changxuan plans to give them a hard time (yet). If anything, he's using this as an opportunity to study and keep an eye on him. Unfortunately for him though, seeing them together only makes him more aware of his own feelings. Which leads to...

THE BATHTUB SCENE!!

As expected from the God of Bath, but somehow still beyond expectations. We not only get a very attractive Cheng Lei taking a bath… we get Changxuan surrendering to a rather telling reverie. 

And by “reverie”, I don’t mean casually staring into the distance. The man is literally imagining an intimate moment with Pingjun, making it abundantly clear that she has occupied far more space in his mind than he’s willing to admit. 

Be honest, how many times did you rewind this scene?

My question is: how long are we going to have to wait before this happens for real?

Episode 9

Annoyed by Xueting on behalf of his friend, Boren challenges him to a shooting contest. The plan backfires when Xueting leaves him thoroughly humiliated. He claims shooting is just a hobby, but Changxuan clearly sees through the act.

While impressed, he's also eager to knock Xueting down a peg or two and follows up with a sparring challenge.

Is it just me, or is it suspicious that Xueting spent all those years in Japan and somehow happens to be this skilled with firearms and hand-to-hand combat?

After their match, Changxuan calls it a draw and praises him as both a scholar and a fighter.

Meanwhile, the Yu women are enjoying themselves when Qixuan takes the opportunity to provoke Ziyi by bringing up Pingjun's goodwill. She can't stand the snobbery that oozes out of Ziyi (and honestly, neither can I).

Pingjun learns about Xueting's injuries from the sparring match and immediately marches over to confront Changxuan. Her determination and boldness drive Changxuan insane as he struggles to keep his feelings for her in check.

As an apology for Xueting's injuries and an attempt to "clear up any misunderstandings," he offers them a ride home. What an awkward car ride that was.

I knew Xueting was suspicious! He sneaks into the archives and steals some intel that I unfortunately can't read. I have no idea what he's really after, but I'm willing to bet it's nothing good. What exactly is his agenda? What are his hidden motives? He nearly gets caught by Changxuan but manages to make a clever escape.

Changxuan later brings the Yu women to the refugee settlement to assist with the relief efforts. Minru pulls Lanqing aside to lament the loss of her child and her relationship with Mingxuan, all while subtly warning her to stay away from Changxuan. Lanqing, however, fires back that perhaps she should be directing that lecture at Changxuan instead.

Later, Jinxuan witnesses Changxuan completely lose his composure when he hears that a woman has been injured by a falling crate. He immediately sprints off without a second thought. The relief on his face when he discovers it isn't Pingjun is impossible to miss, and even he seems startled by the intensity of his own reaction.

JInxuan sees everything and urges Changxuan to follow his heart:

One loveless political marriage is enough for this family. Lose the right person once, and you lose them forever.

Question: We know Changxuan has fallen hard for Pingjun, but does Pingjun have any romantic feelings for him at all? Did her heart flutter even a little when she saw him helping the refugees? Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I feel like there's something in the way she looks at him that suggests she cares more than she's willing to admit. The problem is that both of them are far too stubborn to lower their guards around each other. Or perhaps I've got it completely wrong and she really does hate him with every fibre of her being...

And that's a wrap! Thanks for joining in!

Bonus GIF for my fellow Cheng Lei fans! Again, massive thanks to u/EasygoingEnigma for these!!!

​

Rising Justice is a fascinating Chinese legal drama—not the typical one you’d expect. I thought it would go one way, but it surprised me at every turn.

Male lead Li Xin is a cold corporate lawyer—if you've watched the drama Suits, he's as suave as Harvey Specter, but minus the charm and warmth 😆. Female lead Xiao Long Nv is his opposite: passionate, idealistic, fighting for the poor. Her clients usually can’t pay; his are corporations and tycoons, so they throw money at him so they can win.

I didn’t like Li Xin at first. (I can say even up to episode 9 I want to throttle him.)

As an idealist, I couldn’t stomach him defending the rich. But in one scene he argues that even they need defense, and after a few cases, I grudgingly come to see his point, though like XLN I would rather cut off my tongue than admit it out loud 😆

Coldly, logically, he’s right most of the time. But his flaw is thhat he sees the law as something strictly to be enforced; he is so by-the-book that he refuses to acknowledge the humans that are hurt due to his cold logic.

When his intern asks how he manages to be so cold (after a particularly awful case where she felt that they were the bad guys he replies that maybe she’s not suited to be a lawyer. Well, at least he said it nicely. 🙃

Frankly, I am not sure how many episodes of "Li Xin is right, so accept it" I could take. I am not sure if I can watch 20+ episodes of insurance companies and tycoons winning—and Li Xin is a very good lawyer so he gets his way a lot.

At one point his father, angry that he’s defending a shady tycoon against some poor farmers, says he’s ashamed of him. You see the hurt in Li Xin’s eyes. He repeats that even people like the tycoon need legal defense. (Me: No they do not 🗡️) Sometimes I wonder if he’s reassuring himself more than explaining to others.

Meanwhile, Xiao Long Nv has a ragtag team: a bathhouse owner’s son and a guy who can quote laws from memory but can’t apply them. Li Xin has an entire corporation behind him.

Despite this, I keep watching because Li Xin can still be likable—he's playful, more human around Xiao Long Nv. They grew up together, went to the same firm, studied under the same mentor, then diverged. He clearly likes her as more than a childhood friend; she can’t see him that way. (Elvis Han is a hottie but like XLN I do like my men with blood in their veins, not ice lol)

Their fathers are the sweetest part and the anchor that keeps these natural enemies in a relationship.

Their dads live in humble flats, and Li Xin and Xiao Long Nv visit them often. Xiao Long Nv’s dad is a former convict who was once caught by Li Xin’s dad, a policeman! Yet the two old men are frenemies who secretly want their kids together. Watching them matchmak their kids and bicker is hilarious. That dynamic keeps me watching. (The uncle actors are so good hehe 😁.)

There seems to be more to Li Xin than we’re shown.

Episode 9 is a breakthrough: after winning a case for an insurance company, Li Xin breaks down, tears in his eyes. So, the ice monster is thawing? Who would've thunk.

It makes me wonder why he is the way he is.

The cases are touching, and the dynamic between lawyers for corporations and lawyers for the little people is interesting.

While Li Xin is cold and rational, Xiao Long Nv is often blinded by emotion—every sob story gets to her, and her empathy sometimes blinds her to reality. She needs to balance idealism with Li Xin’s realism.

I hope Li Xin's journey moves him toward gaining a heart. Otherwise, I’m not sure how many cold, rational Li Xin court moves I can watch.

Still, I appreciate that the drama doesn’t automatically label corporations, insurance companies, and tycoons as bad guys. Real life isn’t that clear-cut or black and white. Several times, Li Xin grudgingly helped me see his point of view—and I’m usually someone who wants the little guy to win.

So yes, watch Rising Justice! Not just for Xiao Long Nv and Li Xin and their fathers, but for a grayer view of how the law works.

Airing on iqiyi 🥝

The Chinese drama title 三分之一的我们 can be translated as “One-third of us.”

The production team announced their cast today, October 15, 2026. The booting ceremony (start of filming) was held on October 13, 2026.

They released a set of new character posters and clips (see comments).

Poster description:

Blindfolded, they embark on an entanglement where truth and falsehood are hard to distinguish. What lies before their eyes may not be real. Beneath desire, attraction becomes a bargaining chip, and even drawing closer is a form of hunting.

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname):

• 6️⃣ Xing Fei 邢菲 as Song Ning 宋宁
• 6️⃣ Jiang Shuying 江疏影 as Zou Man 左曼
• 7️⃣ Yang Chaoyue 杨超越 as Xiang Xingchen 向星辰
• 1️⃣2️⃣ Peng Guanying 彭冠英 as Peng Yan彭衍

Note: The team released character posters in the reverse order of the cast list for today's announcement.

• Episodes: 12 (according to Baidu Baike and Douban)
• Streaming platform: Youku 👖
• Booting ceremony held and filming started: October 13, 2026
• Official cast announcement: October 15, 2026
• Estimated filming time: ~60 days
• Filming location: Ningbo, Zhejiang Province
• Genre: 🍉 urban suspense

• 🎬 Director: Wang Ying 王迎 (The Vanishing Beauty; The Epoch of Miyu; Incomparable Beauty; Stand or Fall; Beloved Life; Dearest, Where Are You; Les Interprètes; Beijing Youths)
• ✒️ Screenwriters:
  • Liu Ziwei 刘紫薇 (Screenwriter and director: My Heart Leaps Up. Director: Reborn; Hello My Love; Goodbye, My Love)
  • Yang Yunlin 阳韵琳 (Love Song in Winter, A Fangirl's Romance)
• 📽️ Production companies: Youku, Damai Entertainment, Le Flower Film & TV

Synopsis translated from Baidu Baike:

A priceless painting has vanished into thin air – and with it, the "perfect" man who had been weaving his way through the lives of three different women. Behind the masks of an elegant social network, they secretly observe one another and harbour jealousy. They are romantic rivals, yet one midnight, they find themselves seated at the same gambling table.

When the vault woven from lies is pried open ever so slightly, the identities of hunter and prey begin to quietly switch. They exchange information, as well as each other’s incriminating evidence and vulnerabilities.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

It turns out that inside the tender cage the man has so carefully constructed, the most inconspicuous captive has long since sharpened her claws.

Is this meticulously orchestrated disappearance a long-planned counterattack, or an emotional whirlpool from which no one can escape? The perfect accomplices he so carefully selected may be the very strangers who know him best.

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

Translated Synopses

Note: All translated synopses and information I share in the "trailers & posters" posts are based on the original Chinese sources (Douban, Baidu Baike, Chinese Wikipedia, etc.) and were first published here. If you see them elsewhere, please know they originated from our sub. Thanks for reading!

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

Welcome to the thirteenth instalment of the Shadow Punisher 魅影神捕 discussion posts.

🗓️ Discussion Schedule:

We follow the VIP schedule. Here is a link to the official airing schedule: Airing Schedule.

📋 Some Notes:

• Please use spoiler tags for anything beyond the episodes discussed. Text goes between the greater-than (>) + exclamation (!) symbols (>!) and the exclamation (!) + lesser-than (<) symbols.

🔗 Helpful Links: 

Masterpost & Episode 1-6 discussion | Ep. 7-8 | Ep. 9-10 | Ep. 11-12 | Ep. 13-14 | Ep. 15-16 | Ep. 17 | Ep. 18 | Ep. 19 | Ep. 20-21 | Ep. 22 | Ep. 23 | Ep. 24-25

✒️ General Stuff:

Express is available, so please take extra care of spoilers.

/u/roxylal is going to cover episodes 27-28 by Friday. I will most likely cover episodes 29-30 a bit later the same day.

This episode recap is a bit rushed to put it out before I dive into the express episodes myself. No pictures and gifs, due to writing this all on my phone. I most likely will have to edit quite a bit after posting too. It's hard to do a nice layout on this small screen.

New Characters

No new characters this episode.

Episode 26

Mechanical Horror

The constable squad and Prince Ping storm the Golden Dragon Hall only for everyone not already in the know to discover the fact that Zhou has been dead for a long time.

• One of the accompanying Eunuchs (who tried to stab the already dead boy moments before) accuses the Crown Prince of only holding the title due to his son. Now that the son is dead Prince Ding, the 1st Prince, will surely become the heir to the throne.
• Li Si wants to know his connection to Liluo. But the Eunuch choses death. Huo Daozhang focuses on that assassination attempt, but Li Si is sure that he was ordered by the Crown Prince to escort Zhou Ye’s body to the Golden Dragon Pavilion for exactly that purpose: Using the boy as bait for the 1st Prince’s assassins to end his attempts to get the throne with this scandal.
• Huo Daozhang’s connection to Tang Yiming comes back into play: He used mechanical devices in Zhou Ye’s corpse to make him seem alive.
  
• He asks Yun Hai, the abbot, to help him destroy the body so that no one will have evidence to present to the Emperor.

Returning Shadow

The abbot refuses to help with that, which makes sense considering his connection to Liluo. They most certainly prefer the 1st Prince or chaos. Also, he is not the real Yun Hai that made a pact with the Crown Prince but a disguised Yin Jie.

• Not disguised by the face swapping method but aged due to having one of the Frost Moth in his body. While they keep corpses intact the steal strength and essence from living bodies.
• The crime against his family and being hunted for his revenge made him insane and wanting revenge against the Shi Empire.
• He activates the dragon statue which spreads water vapor over the surrounding area. And water vapor is what “activates” the Chiying bug in all of those people that drank the water at the Pavilion.
• This will affect most of Gutan County and make it a living hell.

Huo Daozhang dies trying to attack Yin Jie. Yan Cheng and Meng Rui go after him next, but Li Si warns that Yin Jie’s martial arts are very bizarre.

• where did he get those powers in the last six years? Is this also an effect of the Frost Moth? Most likely something Liluo related. Li Si finds his inner power quite similar to Meng Rui’s swords aura.
• Prince Ping literally jumps in and runs his spear through Yin Jie. Li Si brings up Yin Jie’s son that is still alive. Hong’er most likely already drunk from the water as well.
• First Yin Jie doesn’t believe them, but remembering his son he destroys the bowl of water his son was about to drink in that moment from afar, before dying. That was timely.

Saving and Failing

Li Si destroys the mechanism that powers the vapor emitting dragon statue, while Meng Rui and Yan Cheng attack the head. But before Li Si can do anything Prince Ping jumps into the heart of the mechanism and stops it.

• Li Si saves his brother from being crushed by the big gears. They stop the mechanism.

Li Si tries to console Zhou Zhu in his grief but also reminds him that all of this is the Crown Prince’s fault.

• Bai Zhenzhu thinks Zhou Ye might have been poisoned, but to actually prove that she would need to do an autopsy.
• Around 1,759 people in Gutan County died from the Chiying bugs, with still increasing numbers.
• Zhou Zhu swears that he will not rest in life until the Liluo remnants are eradicated. The Prince’s men and the constable squad help to take care of the survivors.
• watching Li Si Zhou Zhu remembers the former calling him “San-ge” (third brother) when jumping down to stop the mechanism. He is not sure if he misheard, but obviously suspicious about Li Si’s identity now. (I’m really happy that little detail has actual repercussions).

An Ode to Self-Sacrifice

Li Si investigates the abbot’s meditation chambers. The real Yun Hai is dead, leaving behind a scripture called “Ode to Canglang” so related to the last of the Five Wonders of Liluo.

• He learns from that, that the martial arts Yin Jie practices was the “Ode to Canglan”
• It’s either related or the same as the method Meng Rui was taught by his master.
• When someone practicing that method exhausts all their lifelong powers the venom can be neutralised.
• So, Meng Rui could probably save Li Si though at a great cost. That’s why Li Si doesn’t even want to think about asking him. And he burns the book.

Self-sacrificing ML in full swing! Of course, we don’t even talk about the solution with anyone.

Back to the Capital of Lies

In the capital the stone stele for the God of Calamaty, Qiuyi, crumbles while the Chief watches. Only the God of Death, Hanluo, remains. Peachy.

The last chapter of the story gets the title “Liluo’s Scheme exposed – The final battle” and seeing Li Si wandering towards that giant hand doesn’t really feel good.

The blame for the Chiying bugs incident was put on Prince Ding, who was said to have an agreement with Liluo. Which is true, just not exactly related to this specific scheme.

• The Emperor’s health worsened learning about all things that happened through the DCB’s report.
• He has to think about his fourth son and still keeps a woven grasshopper around.
• The 3rd Prince has a mother from the Southern barbarian tribes, something that disqualifies him from the throne in the Emperor’s opinion. So, he is stuck choosing between the 1st and Crown Prince and can’t despose of them.

The Crown Prince starts to get a bit crazy due to guilt and fear related to his son’s death. Meanwhile Prince Ding learns that the assassin’s accused him before dying and that Lou Tianming isn’t exactly the reliable ally he though he would find.

Bai Zhenzhu shares a meal with her father, who has some problems with his legs, at the Star-Gathering Pavilion.

• She feels a lot of pity for Zhou Ye and his mother.

The Big Revelation

The Emperor decrees that the Grand Heir Apparent died of illness in the Eastern Palace, burying the truth again. Li Si toasts his deceased nephew while pondering the situation.

• The Emperor refuses to see his ministers (and sons).
• Li Si appears on scene, helping a minister that smashed his own head against the ground.
• He hands Eunuch Guo a box to give to the Emperor. That’s the box he stores his grasshopper in. The Eunuch seems to recognise the box as well and brings it to the Emperor.
• The Eunuch declares Zhou Ye has returned after handing over the box. Eunuch Guo returns to the waiting men only to summon the Fourth Prince, Zhou Yan, for an audience. What a great reveal (including adequately swishing long sleeves), I’m so delighted we don’t get it only in the last episode.
• 1st and Crown Prince don’t believe the decree, but Eunuch Guo doesn’t care for their opinion.
• Li Si plays up the family reunion aspect in front of those two, but actually cares more for the short meeting with his third brother before ordering Eunuch Guo to follow him into the Emperor’s chambers.

Thoughts

We had some crazy revelations and connections in this episode.

Zhou Ye used like a mechanical puppet due to Tang Yiming’s teaching for example. The Liluo remnants playing both princes to spread more chaos. The grasshopper acting as proof for Li Si’s true identity.

And of course, the latter actually returning to his family.

I’m really excited to see his constable colleagues react to that.

Qingchuan's Veil of Vengeance 青川入梦

Before I say anything else, I need to disclaim a disclaimer:

Qingchuan's Veil of Vengeance is not a mini drama. 30 Minutes is too long of an episode duration and MDL does not use the "short length series" tag for it.

We now continue with my regularly scheduled rambings.

I woke up and felt the immediate need to be immersed in a story - in a good Cdrama. I put on Chef Hua 人间烟火花小厨 and realised that these characters and their domestic life, while sweet, is just not what I need right now.

I've seen the question "How do people decide which drama to watch next and personally, I have no idea what my brain does but whatever criteria it set, Qingchuan's Veil of Vengeance apparently fit the bill.

The Opening Scene

Wow, just, wow.

I was immediately invested.

When I wanted to share this scene, I edited the clip so that the English subtitles would fit over the original Chinese ones and it gave me ample time to analyse why this scene hit so hard.

First: I find the growth of greenery beautiful, symbolic, and an indication of a super awesome and powerful lead.

Second:

The Music

It is so epic and heroic. It makes you feel like in this scene specifically, even though this character is clearly not the one in power, she is still the most powerful one in the room.

Anyway, that's me 🐢

PS: I'm still on episode 3, so please be mindful of spoilers.

DRAMA NAME: EARLY SPRING

EPISODES : 24

Personally I found Luke as the red flag,

Flora had her issues but she was young initially and still growing and understanding world.

1. ⁠The age difference entering the corporate is she is 21-23 and he is late 28- early 30’s. And he is her boss, the whole dynamic is problematic. Even their start of relationship is very weird to me, because she looked really unsure with her face in beginning but lost to attraction towards him.
2. ⁠He was a seasoned professional, and she was just new to establishing her career , he can leave job, be chill etc, she cannot. So i never understood the whole argument of him leaving his job for her, he could because he could afford to.
3. ⁠He never gave her security, was always rude, even when he was being nice he was mean and sarcastic, for example when zhitao was harrased by dony, on call he said “you’re easiest to push around“ instead of if there is anything like this i am there or any reassurance that he will support her.
4. ⁠All praises he did was with other people never to her directly, she practically had to beg him to be nice to her or say something nice, rarely he ever praised or said something nice to her without asking.
5. ⁠There was barely any trust between them, I agree with the dating app thing being wrong, but her friend in following scene says that they both were unaware they were using zhitao’s profile to analyse app. Rest all her male interactions were pretty decent and normal, but he was a hypocrite and insecure man. He hugged his best friend who confessed feelings to him, met her again alone, while zhitao was out of town but didn’t like when she did and told him it’s her ex.
6. He never saw her as his equal, even if he said it, she was never given the assurance, he was pretty controlling and narcissistic and everyone around him constantly reminds him of that but he doesn’t care because he gets away with it always. He can give all gifts he wants but if there’s no verbal communication or respect there’s no point.
7. Honestly their last breakup was so valid, He didn't even tell her why she didn't win after working like crazy then taunted her about yuanzhu without knowing he passed away and called her a gold digger using, ofcourse it was a pent up frustration of 6 years that finally broke her
8. Even the last line felt a bit weird when he said "if i didn't want to win you back, i'll make you pay".....pay for what?? he was barging in her home in name of Luke and stayed without her acceptance, it was pushy and entitled behaviour.

He can do this and that, but if you can’t communicate it, no actions matter Both had communication issues. Zhitao’s problem was she was immature and insecure compared to him in beginning and instead of dealing with it maturely he always tried to one up her by doing something worse. All the time as someone her age and just in corporate world , I feel she wanted to be Luke not be with him, because that’s how I saw Luke throughout show, I wanted to be like him in professional environment. The only thing I loved about show was how much Zhitao was focused on her career, it’s refreshing to see a woman choosing her career first than running after men So If you meet a guy like Luke please run away or you’ll be stuck in a loop and it’s not always a happy ending.

But as a series I really liked the ost and the end was obviously cute if we ignore all the red carpets. And I liked both actors alot.
My fav part of show was Flora's ambition and dedication for her work

The 35th China TV Drama Flying Apsaras Awards 中国电视剧飞天奖 ceremony was held on October 9, 2026. Below is a little background on the awards, along with a list of the winners and nominees.

The nominees for the individual awards were announced during the ceremony. The 48 nominated dramas were announced on September 30, 2026.

The list of posters is at the end of the post.

📺 Video replay of the award ceremony on YueTV (粤TV)\ – unfortunately, there are no English subs.

• Outstanding Screenwriter presentation starts at ~1:11:20
• Outstanding Director presentation starts at ~1:20:40
• Outstanding Actress presentation starts at ~1:31:25
• Outstanding Actor presentation starts at ~1:47:05
• Outstanding Television Series presentation starts at ~2:11:35

China TV Drama Flying Apsaras Awards 中国电视剧飞天奖 – translated from Baidu Baike:

The China TV Drama Flying Apsaras Awards 中国电视剧飞天奖, originally known as the National Outstanding TV Drama Award 全国优秀电视剧奖, is China’s highest “government award 政府奖” for television dramas. The award was proposed in 1980, and the first awards were presented in 1981. Held biennially, the awards are organized by the National Radio and Television Administration.

Eligible dramas are those broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV), provincial satellite TV channels, or premiered on major national online video platforms during the two years preceding the current awards [in this case, 2024 to 2025].

Outstanding Screenwriter

🏆 Winner: * Lu Min 卢敏 (chief screenwriter), Zhang Yu 张玉, Wang Haotian 王昊天, Liu Jingyun 刘菁芸 – Silent Honor 《沉默的荣耀》

🗳️ Nominees: * Lu Min 卢敏 (chief screenwriter), Zhang Yu 张玉, Wang Haotian 王昊天, Liu Jingyun 刘菁芸 – Silent Honor 《沉默的荣耀》 * Yuan Zidan 袁子弹, Ding Han 丁涵, Huang Shiyang 黄诗洋, Li Xiwei 李玺威 – She and Her Girls 《山花烂漫时》 * Xu Meng 徐萌 – We Are Criminal Police 《我是刑警》 * Gao Mantang 高满堂, Li Zhou 李洲 – Always on the Move 《南来北往》 * Teng Congcong 滕丛丛, Peng Yining 彭奕宁 – To the Wonder 《我的阿勒泰》

Outstanding Director

🏆 Winner: * Liu Jiacheng 刘家成 – This Thriving Land 《生万物》, Wings of the Nation 《海天雄鹰》

🗳️ Nominees: * Liu Jiacheng 刘家成 – This Thriving Land 《生万物》, Wings of the Nation 《海天雄鹰》 * Yang Yazhou 杨亚洲 – Silent Honor 《沉默的荣耀》 * Chen Li 陈力 – Yu Xue Rong Guang / Blood-Soaked Glory 《浴血荣光》 * Dong Yachun 董亚春 – Northwest Years 《西北岁月》 * Teng Congcong 滕丛丛 – To the Wonder 《我的阿勒泰》

Outstanding Actress

🏆 Winner: * Song Jia 宋佳 – She and Her Girls 《山花烂漫时》

🗳️ Nominees: * Ma Yili 马伊琍 – To the Wonder 《我的阿勒泰》 * Yan Ni 闫妮 – Romance in the Alley 《小巷人家》 * Wu Yue 吴越 – Silent Honor 《沉默的荣耀》 * Song Jia 宋佳 – She and Her Girls 《山花烂漫时》 * Chi Peng 迟蓬 – This Thriving Land 《生万物》

Outstanding Actor

🏆 Winner: * Wang Renjun 王仁君 – Yu Xue Rong Guang / Blood-Soaked Glory 《浴血荣光》

🗳️ Nominees: * Yu Shi 于适 – To the Wonder 《我的阿勒泰》 * Yu Hewei 于和伟 – Silent Honor 《沉默的荣耀》 * Wang Renjun 王仁君 – Yu Xue Rong Guang / Blood-Soaked Glory 《浴血荣光》 * Zhu Yawen 朱亚文 – Wings of the Nation 《海天雄鹰》 * Hu Jun 胡军 – The Long Way Back 《归队》

Outstanding Television Series

🏆 Winners:

• Silent Honor 《沉默的荣耀》 – masterpost, review
• To the Wonder 《我的阿勒泰》 – masterpost, discussions in the sub
• Northwest Years 《西北岁月》 – trailer
• This Thriving Land 《生万物》 – hosted discussions
• She and Her Girls 《山花烂漫时》 – discussions in the sub
• We Are Criminal Police 《我是刑警》 – hosted discussions
• The Long Way Back 《归队》 – masterpost
• Always on the Move 《南来北往》 – news post
• Yu Xue Rong Guang / Blood-Soaked Glory 《浴血荣光》 – trailer
• Man's Inhumanity to Man 《反人类暴行》 – hosted discussions
• Romance in the Alley 《小巷人家》 – discussions in the sub
• The City of Sunlight 《日光之城》 – discussions in the sub
• Wings of the Nation 《海天雄鹰》 – trailer
• Our Homeland 《我们的河山》 – trailer
• Sowers of Hope 《春风化雨》 – trailer
• Flourished Peony 《国色芳华》 – masterpost, discussions in the sub

🗳️ Nominees: * A Love Never Lost 《人生若如初见》 * Legend of the Magnate 《大生意人》 * Like a Flowing River Season 3 《大江大河之岁月如歌》 * Battle of Shangganling 《上甘岭》 * Romance in the Alley 《小巷人家》 * She and Her Girls 《山花烂漫时》 * Tian Xia Tong Xin 《天下同心》 * Endless Protection 《无尽的尽头》 * The City of Sunlight 《日光之城》 * Man's Inhumanity to Man 《反人类暴行》

• Silent Tides 《风与潮》
• The Depths of Wumeng / Tales of Wumeng 《乌蒙深处》
• Six Sisters 《六姊妹》
• In the Name of Justice 《以法之名》
• Northward 《北上》
• The Long Way Back 《归队》
• This Thriving Land 《生万物》
• Escape from the Trilateral Slopes 《边水往事》
• Uncle 《老舅》

• The Narcotic Operation 《扫毒风暴》

• Northwest Years 《西北岁月》

• Joy of Life Season 2 《庆余年(第二季)》

• Above the Rivers 《江河之上》

• Zhen Di / Position 《阵地》

• Fragrance of the Pomegranates 《红石榴餐厅》

• Zou Xiang Da Xi Nan / Heading Towards the Southwest 《走向大西南》

• Wo Men De Dui Wu Xiang Tai Yang 《我们的队伍向太阳》

• Our Homeland 《我们的河山》

• Love Again 《我的后半生》

• To the Wonder 《我的阿勒泰》

• We Are Criminal Police 《我是刑警》

• Silent Honor 《沉默的荣耀》

• The Tale of Rose 《玫瑰的故事》

• Happiness Jun Cao 《幸福草》

• Flourished Peony 《国色芳华》

• Small Police Station 《驻站》

• Sowers of Hope 《春风化雨》

• City of the City 《城中之城》

• Always on the Move 《南来北往》

• War of Faith 《追风者》

• The Secret Path 《绝密较量》

• Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty II To the West 《唐朝诡事录之西行》

• Wings of the Nation 《海天雄鹰》

• Yu Xue Rong Guang / Blood-Soaked Glory 《浴血荣光》

• Watch Your Back 《黄雀》

• A Better Life 《蛮好的人生》

• Dark Night and Dawn 《暗夜与黎明》

• Legend of Zang Hai 《藏海传》

📚 Three Major Awards for Chinese TV Dramas 中国电视剧三大奖 – translated from Baidu Baike:

The three major Chinese television awards are the China TV Drama Flying Apsaras (Feitian Awards), the China TV Golden Eagle Awards, and the Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards.

The China TV Drama Flying Apsaras (Feitian Awards) 中国电视剧飞天奖, established in 1980, are hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration.

The China TV Golden Eagle Awards 中国电视金鹰奖 are hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Television Artists Association; their predecessor was the Popular Television Golden Eagle Awards 大众电视金鹰奖, established in 1983.

The Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards 上海电视节白玉兰奖, established in 1988, are jointly hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration, China Media Group, and the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Wikipedia references:

• China TV Drama Flying Apsaras Awards
• China TV Drama Golden Eagle Awards
• Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award

The other two major drama awards for this year were posted in the sub:

• 31st Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards 2026
• 33rd Golden Eagle Awards 2026

Grand Slam of Chinese TV Drama Awards\ – Winners of the three major Chinese TV drama awards

Here are the artistes who have won all three major Chinese TV drama awards: the China TV Drama Flying Apsaras Award, the China TV Golden Eagle Award, and the Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Award.

The year(s) in parentheses indicate when each person completed a grand slam.

★ indicates that all three award wins were for the same work.

Actor:

• Wang Zhiwen 王志文 (2000)
• Zhang Guoli 张国立 (2009)
• Sun Honglei 孙红雷 ★ (2010) – Lurk 《潜伏》
• Zhang Jiayi 张嘉益 (2014)
• Chen Baoguo 陈宝国 (2015, 2020)
• Lei Jiayin 雷佳音 ★ (2024) – A Lifelong Journey 《人世间》

Actress:

• Jiang Wenli 蒋雯丽 (2008, 2019)
• Sa Ri Na 萨日娜 (2009)
• Yin Tao 殷桃 (2017)
• Sun Li 孙俪 (2018)
• Yan Ni 闫妮 (2020)
• Song Jia 宋佳 ★ (2026) – She and Her Girls 《山花烂漫时》

Director:

• Zheng Xiaolong 郑晓龙 (2016)
• Liu Jiang 刘江 (2020)
• Kong Sheng 孔笙 (2020)
• Li Lu 李路 ★ (2024) – A Lifelong Journey 《人世间》

Screenwriter:

• Jiang Wei 姜伟 ★ (2010) – Lurk 《潜伏》
• Liu Heping 刘和平 (2015)
• Gao Mantang 高满堂 (2019)

Note: Two-time Grand Slam winner Chen Baoguo (2015, 2020) was the Jury President for the 30th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards that was held in June 2025.

Source: Chinese Wikipedia: Grand Slam of Chinese TV Drama Awards (accessed October 2026)

List of posters:

1. Compilation of the 16 Outstanding Television Series
2. Silent Honor 《沉默的荣耀》
3. To the Wonder 《我的阿勒泰》
4. Northwest Years 《西北岁月》
5. This Thriving Land 《生万物》
6. She and Her Girls 《山花烂漫时》
7. We Are Criminal Police 《我是刑警》
8. The Long Way Back 《归队》
9. Always on the Move 《南来北往》
10. Yu Xue Rong Guang / Blood-Soaked Glory 《浴血荣光》
11. Man's Inhumanity to Man 《反人类暴行》
12. Romance in the Alley 《小巷人家》
13. The City of Sunlight 《日光之城》
14. Wings of the Nation 《海天雄鹰》
15. Our Homeland 《我们的河山》
16. Sowers of Hope 《春风化雨》
17. Flourished Peony 《国色芳华》
18. Outstanding Actor: Wang Renjun 王仁君 – Yu Xue Rong Guang / Blood-Soaked Glory 《浴血荣光》
19. Outstanding Actress: Song Jia 宋佳 – She and Her Girls 《山花烂漫时》
20. List of Winners of the 35th China TV Flying Apsaras Awards (Feitian Awards) 2026

🗨️ Which of these dramas have you watched? How were they?

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

The Chinese drama title 把黑夜点燃 can be translated as “light up the dark night.”

About ten minutes ago, the production team announced the release date and dropped a new trailer.

The airing schedule will be posted in the comments when it is available.

Filming officially finished on June 17, 2025.

Clip description:

1997 – the long night descends, and the truth is buried.

The world is not simply black and white. But when a conviction takes root in the heart, one must tear open the lies and bring the truth to light.

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * 7️⃣ Chen Zheyuan 陈哲远 as Chen Shan 陈善 * 1️⃣2️⃣ Jiang Xin 蒋欣 as Chen Ying 陈英

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Hui 王晖 (stage name: Wang Tonghui 王同辉) as Team Leader Pan 潘组长 * Ren Zhong 任重 as Qi Mo 齐墨 * Wu Gang 巫刚 as Wan Yang 万阳 * Chen Gang 陈刚 (stage name: Chen Chuhan 陈楚翰) as Sun Jie 孙杰 * Zhang Guoqiang 张国强 as Geng Jian 耿剑 * Jiang Yihong 姜易宏 (stage name: Jiang Hongbo 姜宏波) as Zhang Wenying 张文英 * Guo Cheng 郭丞 as Ma Yiming 马一鸣 * Kang Keren 康可人 as Sun Yi 孙怡 * Han Qing 韩青 as Chen Fu 陈富 * Peng Bo 彭博 as He Jianchuan 贺建川

The rest of the cast was not included in today's release.

Starring: * Zhang Ningning 张宁柠 as Secretary Hu 胡秘书

Character biographies:

Chen Ying, female, 27 years old. An accountant at a petrochemical plant. She is calm, intelligent, beautiful, strong, and able to see through people's hearts through the smallest details.

Chen Shan, male, 22 years old. Chen Shan was born in a petrochemical industry family. He is brave, smart, and has strong professional skills and analytical ability.

• Episodes: 12 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming platform: iQIYI 🥝
• Official filming started: May 8, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: June 17, 2025
• Filming location: Chongqing, China
• Genre:

• 🎬 Director: Liu Xin (Tell No One, The Dance of the Storm, Hunting, Mr. Fighting, The King's Woman, Burning Iron)
• ✒️ Screenwriters:
  • Dai Zheng Yang (The Seven Relics of Ill Omen, Be Reborn, I'm So Pretty, The Gang Leader, Deep Well Canteen)
  • Liu Jing 刘晶 (Lady Revenger Returns from the Fire)
  • Zhang Xueli 张雪丽
  • Zhao Shihui
• 🎞️ Production companies: iQIYI and Zhejiang Dongyang Fosun Film Co., Ltd.

🔗 Previous announcement, posters, trailer, etc.

Synopsis from MDL:

In 1997, in the small southwestern Chinese town of Wugang, Chen Shan's [played by Chen Zheyuan] family lived in a residential building provided by the local petroleum unit. His father, Chen Fu, was the top leader of a pipeline construction project, his mother, Zhang Wen Ying, was a key designer at the petroleum design institute, and his older sister, Chen Ying [played by Jiang Xin], worked in the archive room of the supply station. The family lived in harmony, and Chen Shan was set to follow in his parents’ footsteps and join the petroleum system.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

But an unexpected accident – a gas pipeline explosion – changed the course of all their lives. Chen Fu died in the explosion, and Zhang Wen Ying became a casualty of the internal power struggles within the petroleum system. Unable to cope with the trauma, Chen Shan left home and took a job on an emergency repair crew to make a living. By 2001, the southwestern petroleum system had boarded the fast train of economic growth, and families across the region were enjoying a middle-class lifestyle. Chen Shan had become the head of a construction crew, known as "Brother Shan", but lived like a ghost, stuck in the past.

Then, another gas explosion occurred. Geng Jian, the former director of the design institute who had lost out in the earlier factional battles, was once again implicated. Chen Shan decides to follow the current clues and reopen the investigation into the past accident – unaware of just how many people and hidden truths would come to light.

(Source: Chinese = Baidu || Translation = MyDramaList)

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

Welcome to our weekly Thirsty Thursdays thread! 🎉

Spotted a gorgeous photo of your favorite CDrama celebrity? Whether it’s the elegant hanfu, modern streetwear, historical costumes or cough, little at all, we want to see it all!

How to participate:

1. Comment below: Share a photo or describe the iconic looks of your beloved Cdrama celebrities. Don’t forget to mention the show or movie they appeared in!
2. Discuss: What trends, fashion tips, or style inspirations did you get?
3. Keep it fun, civil and PG-13: No bashing actors etc. This thread is all about sharing beautiful photos and red carpet looks. No sharing of inappropriate pictures please!

Let’s turn this thread into a virtual red carpet. Ready, set, fashion! 💃🕺

Airing schedule for October 16-21 is out: We'll get 2 episodes per day from 16-17th, then 1 episode per day till 21st.

Spoilers: Please use spoiler tags when discussing significant plot points from the source material or future episodes.

Links: Masterpost | Discussion Posts | Eps 1-3 | Eps 4-5 | Eps 6-7 | Eps 8-9

New Characters: None

Ep 10:

Kang Long was very excited to see Liu Zi, but she pretended to not recognize him. Disappointed, Kang Long reintroduced himself but Liu Zi walked away using Yu Meng as an excuse.

That night, Yu Meng stayed over at Liu Zi's place after getting drunk at the dinner. She was drinking because she knew from the beginning that she was not pregnant. Liu Zi spent the night listening to an album that was a gift from Kang Long, and she had no idea if she wanted to or should tell Kang Long about little Chestnut.

As Yu Meng didn't return home for dinner, Lu Hui warmed up some soup for Di Liren when he returned home late after settling some production issues with uncle Tian. Di Liren was impatient with Lu Hui and rejected her soup because he said he did not eat leftovers.

Triggered, Lu Hui tossed all of the perfectly good leftovers in the kitchen, together with the plates. "Who would willing eat leftovers?! Aren't all humans the same? They all love fresh food, fresh games, fresh lovers. When they are done with the existing ones, they'll just discard the old ones for new ones", Lu Hui erupted in anger and frustration. She asked Di Liren if he was disgusted by her presence and what she meant to him. Di Liren hugged her and slept with her that night in Yu Meng's bed, right in front of Yu Meng and Di Liren's wedding photo.

Lu Hui was too easily placated. She woke up the next day and greeted Di Liren with breakfast like a new couple. When she was tidying up Yu Meng's jacket, she noticed a menstruation pad so she pushed Di Liren to get Yu Meng to the hospital for a hospital test. It is unclear why a pee test would not suffice. Di Liren also asked Lu Hui to bring soup to Yu Jianguo's ward to hide a voice recorder to spy on his conversations.

At Liu Zi's place, Yu Meng woke up to the good news that Kang Long wanted to hire her to join his marketing team. Given that Kang Long's team shared resources with Zhang Yu's department, Yu Meng would gain access to suppliers regarding the new product series Jinghua (Mirror Flower), allowing her to investigate further.

Liu Zi then decided to come clean to Yu Meng that Kang Long was little Chestnut's manufacturer whom she attempted to search for a few months (soon after pregnancy) to no avail. Liu Zi did not want her relationship with Kang Long to complicate work and she was still undecided, but Yu Meng expressed her support no matter what because she would have little Chestnut's best interest at heart.

Yu Meng met up with Kang Long at a cafe to film an interview with him. However, Liu Zi was caught up by other work and failed to show up on time. Harry happened to bump into Yu Meng and offered to film in Liu Zi's stead.

Liu Zi finally showed up when the shooting just ended, and Kang Long clarified that he was only shaking Yu Meng's hand. Liu Zi once again brushed off his enthusiasm. Harry did a decent job so they decided to hire him as Liu Zi's assistant since her workload had increased. He would be helping out with Liu Zi at Rong Mei rather than Jia Li. Harry was in need of a part-time job because he sneaked back to China for a visit and his parents would find out if he tried to spend anything through his usual account.

Yu Meng took the opportunity to get Kang Long's feedback about the factories Jia Li had been working with to manufacture their products. Kang Long mentioned that they were all bad and the product quality of those factories were low. Because all the money must have been embezzled by Di Liren. One of the factory only opened 8 months ago and already had a huge contract with Jia Li. Totally not suspicious that this was owned by Han Guang.

Suddenly, Yu Meng's mum interrupted her by feigning an emergency to get her to go to the hospital. Not wanting to lie to her parents about her pregnancy status, she came clean immediately. Lu Hui overheard that and was overjoyed. But she immediately frowned when Yu Meng followed up that she would work hard on trying to conceive. Yu Meng knew that she had pushed enough buttons that Lu Hui wouldn't feel comfortable about leaving Di Liren alone with her.

At the hospital, Yu Meng happened to witness Wen Xin, Han Guang's wife and Wen Yue's older sister, acting up and trying to run away from a team of medical staff. Before she was sedated, she called out "save me". Wen Yue seemed shaken and sadden by her sister's condition. She shared with Yu Meng that Wen Xin's illness started suddenly 3 years ago and their parents kept her home except for attending doctor's appointment.

Yu Meng empathized with Wen Yue and understood why she endured disrepectful behavior at the previous work function with Boss Wu. As the only Wen still left in her family's company, Wen Yue wanted to hold strong. We saw a flashback of how Yu Meng was a great ally. Boss Wu was using palm reading as an excuse to grope Wen Yue's hand, and Yu Meng was the only person who intervened. She came up with an excuse to change seats with Wen Yue to create some distance between from Boss Wu.

Afterwards, Yu Meng went to visit her dad who complained about being unable to sleep because of a constant headache, not even with the help of medication. He complained about hearing a constant noise but Yu Meng could not find the source. Why didn't you look under the bed? =(

Yu Meng massaged her dad's head and reported her progress about work to him and he praised her for always being smart and a fast learner. Better late than never for her to start putting effort into the company!

When Yu Meng returned to her home, she found it suspicious that Lu Hui washed all the bed sheets and blanket. She immediately went to check and found that a previously sealed condom box had two missing condoms. Disgusted, Yu Meng tossed out all the bed, including the frame and purchased a new one. She used the opportunity to tell Di Liren how disgusting he was and there were 2 dirty rats in her bed.

Jiao Xu recognized that Di Liren was too good at placating Lu Hui and they should shift their focus towards Jia Li. Yu Meng approached Zhang Yu to ask for her recommendation for a factory to produce some samples for Kang Long's product line, and she immediately recommended Han Guang's company. She praised their high quality, flexibility and good technique, seemingly unaware that there were quality issues as pointed out by Kang Long. Yu Meng took the opportunity to ask why they were increasing production volume with Han Guang's company when the Jinghua series had not launched yet. Zhang Yu explained that Di Liren did market research that somehow justified that.

When editing the interview footage with Kang Long, Yu Meng recognized that it was too technical and boring. She thought that providing some visual aide would make it more engaging and thought about using it as an excuse to get some video footage from Han Guang's factory to investigate further. When Yu Meng proposed the idea to Wen Yue, she declined. Every visitor required Han Guang's approval to enter the factory premises due to 'confidentiality' and it was too much paperwork for Wen Yue.

Wen Yue seemed exasperated when she explained that there was nothing she could do, that Han Guang controlled the company fully even though the business belonged to the Wen family. Yu Meng realized that Wen Yue and Han Guang were not as close as she thought and perhaps Wen Yue would be an ally in the future to take down the two jerks.

Back at the office, Kang Long asked to meet Liu Zi at the parking lot. He passed her a usb of information she'll need for the video and once again tried to see if she would recognize him. She continued to feign ignorance. When she allowed him to add him on wechat, she immediately blocked him from seeing any of her social media posts.

Knowing that Wen Yue couldn't help, Yu Meng tried approaching Gao Shan of the marketing department to get to Han Guang, but Wen Xiaoxiao told her that it was useless. Di Liren lavish his female employees with gifts, such as a 1 million rmb car for Zhang Yu and a new fancy phone for Gao Shan. While they were not his affair partners, Di Liren blurred the boundaries between employer and employee.

To Zhang Yu, he told her that she could find him anytime and he would be responsible for her forever. To Gao Shan, he told her that she was special and that he found a bag that suited her very well, that she was the only one who could look good with it and to remember to use it. No wonder so many of his employees were young attractive women.

Yu Meng was so mad that her money had been used to bribe and court other women. That was when Wen Xiaoxiao revealed that she got laid off after she refused to resign. She recalled that Di Liren started distancing himself from her after the hot spring hotel incident, and that he continued to ignore her after giving her the lamp as a present. That was when they finally realized that the lamp was a trap.

Ep 11:

Yu Meng and Wen Xiaoxiao finally found the camera and realized Di Liren had heard everything all their conversations since then. No wonder he was a step ahead each time. Wen Xiaoxiao lamented that all Di Liren gave her were empty promises and treatment as a pawn that he gladly abandoned. Yu Meng came up with an idea to fight back.

Back at the hospital, Yu Jianguo's temper got increasingly worse due to sleep deprivation. He wanted to discharge but only calmed down after Lu Hui coaxed him, angering Lu Lizhen. Both Uncle Dong and Uncle Tian had been visiting Yu Jianguo more frequently and Di Liren wanted Lu Hui to move out of Yu Meng's place to take care of Yu Jianguo to keep tab on those conversations.

Lu Hui got mad saying that he just wanted to chase her out to enjoy private couple moments with Yu Meng. But Di Liren was shameless enough to say that he only had to pretend to love Yu Meng when Lu Hui was around to ease Yu Meng's suspicions. When Lu Hui wasn't around, he did not need to pretend and all he did was work, pinky swear. And Lu Hui was stupid enough to believe him.

Yu Meng shared her dad's situation with Liu Bai, Liu Zi and Jiao Xu. Jiao Xu thought it was strange that he was getting so many visits from shareholders so he advised Yu Meng to get the new aide Xiao Duan to pay attention to those conversations. He told Liu Bai that it was not eavesdropping because you cannot close your ears. XD

When Yu Meng visited her dad again, she tried asking about uncle Tian and uncle Dong's visits but Yu Jianguo was still mad and did not want to talk to them. He then gave Yu Meng the insurance policy he bought for her as an infant that would only pay out when she was 70. He told her he won't be around by then for her to beg him for gifts, so she should use that money then to buy whatever she wanted.

Yu Meng realized how much her parents have sheltered and loved her, she decided that she wanted to fight this war with Di Liren alone, so that they would not be burdened by it. She deduced that Di Liren was after the authorized signatory rights that her dad currently had and vowed to get it for herself.

After Di Liren left the hospital, he saw Wen Xiaoxiao and entered her car. He pretended that laying her off was not his idea and he could help her find another job. Wen Xiaoxiao declined and said she wanted to break up. She wanted to delete his number but he stopped her from doing so in case she needed anything from him in the future. As they hugged each other good bye, Wen Xiaoxiao kissed him and they made out in the car. As Yu Meng predicted, he did not like having the ability to make decisions taken away from him and his possessiveness and horniness meant he would reciprocate Wen Xiaoxiao's advances. Lu Hui saw it all because she always looked out at him as he leaves the hospital.

Now that her final task is done, Wen Xiaoxiao decided to switch lanes for a while and work on getting a MBA. Yu Meng's offer to hire her as a CFO still stands and she would wait for Wen Xiaoxiao to return from her studies.

That evening, Lu Hui asked Di Liren out urgently. He showed up thinking she might had heard something about the transfer of signatory authority. However, she told him she brought his passport and had flight tickets to leave the country that night. She wanted to leave right at that moment because she would be crazy if she let him stay any longer.

Unfortunately, Di Liren knew Lu Hui too well. He pretended to go along with her plans and drove them to the airport, acting as if he was doing her a HUGE favor. In the end, Lu Hui asked him to stop the car and admitted that she did not buy any tickets. She only wanted to test him, especially seeing him and Wen Xiaoxiao. Di Liren managed to say he only 'cheated' with Wen Xiaoxiao because of the card she sent Yu Meng. That he created a third party for Yu Meng to catch so she would initiate a divorce.

Di Liren said he would not give up the chance to push Yu Meng out and that his cheating would not impact how much money he could get from the divorce. He had the audacity to ask where Lu Hui's trust for him was. Lu Hui's low self-esteem showed when she said she was not sure she would leave for a woman like herself. Di Liren reminded her that both of them have lost their humanity (nope, only you) and that he was just a parasite. However, he was glad that he still had Lu Hui because she was the brightness in his dark world. He had already sold the art gallery and he promised that he would leave when the time was up. (Just like he promised countless times before).

Meanwhile, Yu Meng learnt that Lu Hui had not returned to the hospital as planned. When she could not contact either Lu Hui nor Di Liren (even through his employees), she called Jiao Xu in a panic. Jiao Xu calmly guided her to check her home security camera. When Yu Meng realized Di Liren's passport was gone, she was worried that he had took off. A divorce could be granted after 2 years of separation and Yu Meng would lose the money he siphoned off.

Jiao Xu doubted that Di Liren would leave in a rush like that because he recognized that Di Liren enjoyed the power and would not bear to leave. He comforted her, "it's ok, don't hang up. I'm always here."

Just then, Di Liren returned home and Yu Meng abruptly hang up. He came up with the excuse that he left his phone and passport in the office.

Yu Jianguo wanted to chat with Di Liren the next morning, however he suffered a stroke before it happened. As the doctors were operating on him, Di Liren recalled the acts he endured to gain Yu Jianguo's trust.

4 years ago, Di Liren went through trash to find Yu Jianguo's passport. When he was driving Yu Jianguo out of the company's carpark, they were stopped by protestors claiming that one of their wives got hospitalized after using their product and demanded compensation. They would not listen to Yu Jianguo's explaination. Di Liren looked at the protestor's wife's medical report and explained that she had a genetic illness that had nothing to do with Jia Li. He proceeded to eat lipstick after lipstick to show that the ingredients were safe.

Yu Jianguo's condition had stabilized but the doctor was not optimistic. He might be comatose for a while. Even if he woke up , he would have difficulty communication as there was some mental damage. Di Liren secretly rejoiced while Lu Hui looked worried.

Uncle Tian and Uncle Dong came to the hospital and said that they needed to elect a new authorized signatory for Jia Li if Yu Jianguo remained comatose. Tian shared that hey would need to hold a shareholder's meeting and he would ensure that Di Liren got the votes. Yu Meng cut in that he could not be the authorized signatory.

We then cut to Harry chatting with his friend at the coffee shop. He finally got paid for his part-time work with Liu Zi and could pay for his coffee. His parents did not agree with his choice to study architectural design and would not be happy about him sneaking back to study the Chinese architecture. He told his friend about how lucky he was to always meet good people and appeared to have a crush on Yu Meng. His friend told him that it was good manners to visit your boss' dad if he was hospitalized, so Harry decided to visit the same night.

Back at the hospital, Yu Meng mentioned that there would be a conflict of interest if Di Liren was both CEO and the authorized signatory. He could easily become a live target for criticism and gossip. She learnt from her dad that business management 101 required a power balance between a good and bad cop. Yu Meng suggested that she could be the bad cop to help Di Liren.

While Tian acknowledged that she had good points, he still felt that Di Liren was the best candidate and could be a temporary measure until they figure something better for the future.

Jiao Xu and Yu Meng went to visit Yu Jianguo's lawyer to query if he left a will that could potentially sway that decision. Lawyer Li refused to reveal anything, including if a will exists or not. Di Liren also showed up to ask the same question. Lawyer Li told them to follow company procedures and remained tight-lipped. As they left the office, Yu Meng told Di Liren that she was moving to her parents' place for the time-being to take care of her mum. After Di Liren left, Jiao Xu mentioned that their only strategy right now was to delay the hospital from declaring Yu Jianguo medically unfit, so they could buy more time before the shareholder's meeting to determine the next authorized signatory.

Harry just arrived at the hospital and bumped into Lu Hui and they were shocked to see each other. Turns out Harry was Lu Hui's and Di Liren's son, hence his character was only listed as "Harry" in the credits to avoid this spoiler.

Thoughts:

At this point, Lu Hui is allowing herself to be deceived by Di Liren. There must be alarm bells ringing every now and then, hence her outbursts. But each time, she turned those off when Di Liren pretends to love her. Can't believe that she let the Wen Xiaoxiao incident go so easily! I wonder what it would take for her to finally open her eyes?

Di Liren had not been honest with her for a long time and even use her to do his dirty work. I'm fairly certain the 'recorder' he passed Lu Hui was not a voice recorder or he would not need to ask Lu Hui to pay attention to Yu Jianguo's visitors. It likely was the source of Yu Jianguo's poor rest that eventually led to his stroke, although I'm not sure what kind of technology can make him hear sounds when others could not. He could have also orchestrated those incidents four years ago to gain Yu Jianguo's trust.

At this point, I'm not sure if Di Liren even knows how not to lie anymore. He knows that he no longer needs to act in front of Yu Meng to fool her, but he still keeps up the act because that is part of his public image. Acting is his default now and he doesn't know that Yu Meng knows about the lamp camera. As for Yu Meng, I think she is still maintaining the act because she doesn't want Di Liren to know that she knows he knows. And she also knows that it will take time for her to turn the employees on her side, so provoking Di Liren now could backfire on her.

Romance wise, I don't really care about Kang Long and Liu Zi. I understand not telling him about little Chestnut when she had no way of contacting him. But now that she has found him, how can she not tell him and continue to pretend to not know him?! Little Chestnut has the right to know about her father, even if it's only for his medical history.

Meanwhile, I really wish we will see more of Jiao Xu. Jiao Xu is listed as a main character while Di Liren is a supporting character. When will the screentime reflect that? We see Jiao Xu shows more and more concern towards Yu Meng, like noticing her crying or telling her that he will be there for her when she was panicking. It doesn't seem like a regular lawyer-client interaction to me.