Okay, okay, I have to give my two cents on the choking scene in LN5 because I’ve seen way too many different interpretations online.
I don’t believe it was a “kinky make-out” as many assumed from the Japanese translation, nor do I think he did it purely out of rage — even less out of jealousy.
Jinshi was trying to make a point.
At the banquet, Maomao wore his hairpin, and despite feigning ignorance, she was 100% aware of what she was doing. She was basically screaming to everyone there that she was “the prince’s favorite,” probably even implying that she was the one he had already chosen to be his wife. But then, she danced with Rikuson, making Jinshi look like a clown, and when Jinshi approached her, she denied everything all over again.
Jinshi was tired and running out of time, since the Emperor kept throwing women at him, women he didn’t want. He was nervous. Through her actions, Maomao was confirming her feelings for him — something Jinshi had always suspected, since he was perfectly aware of her emotional walls. And then what happened? She wounded him with her words, denying any possible interest and even suggesting he marry someone else. Jinshi wanted to break through her apathy by making her feel the pain he himself was feeling, and then kiss her, to finally make her realize her own emotions (which is why he felt like he had “won” right after the choking and the kiss).
But in the end, even though he managed to pull a reaction out of her, what he saw on her face wasn’t what he was hoping for. He even started to believe that she hadn’t enjoyed his kisses — or hadn’t liked them — and in fact, he never tried to kiss her again until volume 12! (And Maomao kind of had to ask him to kiss her properly, since he was still scared!)
The scene wasn't about truly chocking her in blind rage imo, but he definitely wanted to make her feel pain. The kiss was forced. Yet these dialogues aren't causal either:
“Sometimes, I want to hit you.”
[...]
“Not the face, please. Somewhere where it can’t be seen.”
“I won’t actually hit you.”
“I know.”
Jinshi was not the type to lay a hand on women or children.
“It hurts, sir.”
“Oh, it hurts?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t realize that you were one of the candidates. I can tell you’re trying to feign ignorance.”
I also read a lot of Maomao’s descriptions and especially the second kiss as very biased, since she was struggling with her own thoughts and fears about what a relationship with him would mean.
For instance, he wasn’t really crushing her against the bench, he was just being passionate. But for Maomao — who still wasn’t ready to accept his passionate love — that felt as suffocating as if he actually were.
Let’s just hope season 3 will manage to convey all of this clearly on screen.
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