Shu Yi shouted 「大大大大好き。世界で一番大好き。」 (dai dai dai daisuki. sekai de ichi ban daisuki.) which translate to ‘i love you’ 'i love you the most in the world’
he mcfckn confessed his love by shouting「大好き」 (daisuki) at the top of his lung for the world to hear
ik im making a big fuss about 「大好き」 but the thing is… 「大好き」 is quite a serious confession of love.
you see, in japanese, they usually say 「好き」 (suki) which translates to 'like/love’. ive heard people it used a LOT… to talk about their gf/bf as well as their favorite things.
the simple 「好き」 already implies romantic interest when used for people and it’s more than enough to use when confessing love.
「大好き」, on the other hand, is not as used often, especially not so early in a relationship. it translates to 'big like/love, great love’ and it’s the 'casual’ way of saying 'i love you’
ive never heard anyone use it in real life to talk about anything other than their favorite things (game, food, anime). if they ever use it with the people they love, it’s probably done in private and probably only used by committed partners that are very close and have been together for a while.
「大好き」 is THAT serious.
and yet… here is Shu Yi, shouting 「大好き」at the top of his motherfckn lungs for everyone to hear until he’s fckn crying and shaking.
when i first saw the scene, i was like 'might as well ask Shi De to marry you’, which is a bit of an exaggeration on my part but that’s what i felt lol
on another note… Shu Yi also wrote Shi De’s name repeatedly and wrote 「好き」and 「大好き」and 「なんで…」 (nande) which means ‘why’
the other declarations of love in the japanese language are
「愛している」 (aishiteiru)
which is kinda on a whole other level entirely. it translates to 'i love you’. married couples rarely say it to each other. family members don’t even say it to each other. 「愛している」from what i understand, is super intimate and super duper profund and used when the words are meant to be felt, not just spoken. ive seen it used in anime & movies extremely rarely and only in a very private setting.
「恋している」 (koishiteiru)
is strictly romantic in nature and it has even MORE gravity. it translates to 'im in love’ and from my understanding, saying 「恋している」is basically saying you want to spend the rest of eternity with them or sth equally dramatic. i legit never heard it being said anywhere, not even in anime.
for spanish speakers, think of it on the scale of ‘te quiero’ to ‘te amo’
also, disclaimer!
im not japanese, im also not that fluent in it but ive been living in japan for quite a while now and consumed japanese media for even longer. i think ive come to understand the different connotations between 「好き」, 「大好き」, 「愛している」 and 「恋している」
the interpretations of these phrases are largely influenced by my own value and understanding of the japanese language. if there are native speakers, or just people who speak japanese, and see something wrong with what i wrote, please tell me!! im always happy to learn more!
over-analyzing once again but a post by @tipsyjaehyun got me fired up sO
the subtitles in this scene!!!
in English, Shu Yi says “don’t go” which doesn’t really make sense but! the Japanese subtitle reads 「来ないで」(read as ‘ko nai de’) which means “don’t come (over/closer)” and i think it fits the situation better
Shi De walks toward them and that makes Shu Yi jumps up, despite his twisted ankle, and grabs onto Shi De’s arm, preventing him from getting closer to Shou Yi and effectively inserting himself between Shi De and Shou Yi.
when Shou Yi gets up to leave, Shu Yi glares at him and puts his hand on Shou Yi’s chest to push him away, as if to keep Shou Yi away from Shi De. Shu Yi even glares at him until he’s out the door.
he was like 'u (Shi De) are not getting close to this bih and u (Shou Yi)! don't even think about getting close to my man'
Shu Yi is jealous AND possessive.
here’s another thing to note: Shu Yi’s conversation with Shou Yi. in English, Shu Yi says ‘forget it’ but in Japanses, Shu Yi says 「諦めろう」 (read as ‘akiramerou’) which is basically Shu Yi “ordering” Shou Yi to give up on Shi De.
and then he reveals, quite smugly i might add, that the person Shi De likes is him.
so yes, Shu Yi is definitely jealous AND possessive
also also, something i only noticed while editing,,, SHU YI’S HAND ON SHI DE’S STOMACH ! ! ! ASFGHJKLDI I AM DEADED
P.S the inconsistencies between subtitles make me wish there’s a Chinese-speaker i can talk to or they can just add in French subtitle so i can over-analyze in French as well lol
edit: a chinese-speaking anon kindly explained to me what Shu Yi said in these scenes! please check out this link for a more accurate meta
loving Shu Yi is Shi De’s identity so Shi De’s willing to give up everything just to be w/ Shu Yi
okay, first, we have to talk about the intricacies of marriage in asian culture… so, there are 3 things u should know about marriage in asia: betrothal present/money, dowry, and the concept of ‘marrying into a family’.
betrothal present/money
traditionally called ‘bride price’, betrothal present/money is money, property, and/or heirlooms that the groom and/or his family pay/give to the bride or the bride’s family. this is not purchasing the bride, this is a symbolic gesture to the bride’s parents that the groom is paying homage to how the parents raised and took care of the bride. think of it as the groom ‘paying off the debt’ to the bride’s parents, his debt being his bride.
dowry
dowry is money and/or property that the bride’s family gives to the groom and/or his family. that money can be used to establish a marital household for the newlywed. also, the dowry doesn’t always have to be money or property… it can be other things, like furniture and fittings that can be used by the newlywed.
these are still practiced today and, in low-income and middle-income families, the betrothal present/money will be used to pay for the wedding ceremony while the dowry is usually always used to establish the marital household (in Cambodia at least lol).
sometimes, on top of the betrothal present/money, there are also demands of jewelry (usually wedding rings for bride & groom), a house, a car, a piece of land etc. in a rich and upstanding family, the betrothal present/money is very high… this due to the social status of the bride and her family, their reputation, their wealth, the bride’s education and career, etc. ofc not all rich family demands a high betrothal present/money but it’s expected that they do. the bride’s family is also expected to match the betrothal present/money… like, they will have to ‘pay’ as much money or give properties that measure up to the same price.
these practices actually ensure that the newlywed won’t go bankrupt from paying for their wedding and that they have some financial support at the beginning of their married life.
marrying into a family
in asia, marriage is a big deal because marriage gives offspring and offspring mean continuing the family. it is our duty to our parents and our family and our society for us to marry... to provide continuity. literally, marriage is considered as one of the most important things in life… i’m not joking. also, marriage isn’t just an individual affair… marriage is a family affair: it’s the union of two families. that’s why we don’t just look at lover’s compatibility but also at the compatibilities between the families’ social status and relationships, compatibilities between the prospective bride and groom with their partner’s parents and siblings, etc.
also, by offering the betrothal present/money, it means that the groom isn’t marrying into the bride family’s. this means that the bride may take the groom’s family name as her own, if she wants, we don’t have the practice of taking our husband’s surname, and that their children will bear the groom’s family name, continuing the groom’s family line. (there are rare instances of the groom marrying into the bride’s family, taking the bride’s family, their kids continuing the bride’s family line)
meanwhile, the dowry is offered to the groom and his family because the bride is marrying into the groom’s family… this is like a goodwill gift, requesting the groom’s family to be kind and loving to the bride and treat her like their own flesh and blood. also, she will be the one giving birth to children who will continue the groom’s family line, so, of course, they have to treat her well.
continuing the family line is very important in asia
family is a huge part of our identity. we are our family and our family is us: our family is our collective identity and reputation, what we do reflect on our family and vice versa. the interests/needs of the family outweigh the interests/needs of the individual (it’s just how we roll lol)… our family is our most central institution, our family is literally our very first relationship and they serve as the stepping stone to all of our future connections and relationships in society. our family is literally everything.
(i think the ‘marrying into a family’ and ‘continuing the family line’ are taken even more seriously by chinese people but i can’t say much as i’m not in touch with my chinese roots and don’t fully understand the complexities of chinese philosophy surrounding family and marriage)
the hidden meaning in the convo between Shi De & Zhou tou-san
so, when Shi De offers everything in his name to Zhou tou-san, he knew that what he’s offering for Shu Yi’s hand in marriage is definitely not enough to measure up to Shu Yi and his family (Shi De said he know all his assets are not up to par). he’s aware of the gap between their wealth and social standing… he understands that he and Shu Yi are from two different worlds… (x)
(the scene at the beginning of this clip is so, so heartbreaking for me ngl)
Zhou tou-san also refers to what Shi De’s offers as ‘betrothal present’ (「結納金」(yui no kin) in the jpn sub)… which is understandable because Shi De’s offering… usually, only the groom does the offering. so, here, it’s understandable that Zhou tou-san frames Shu Yi as the ‘bride’. he thought his son will be marrying into Shi De’s family, effectively killing the Zhou’s family line (from his branch of the family at least) also, Shu Yi threatened to leave him, and the family too, so, i think, ever since then, Zhou tou-san always thought that Shu Yi’s gonna marry out of the Zhou family and into the Gao family… this is kinda supported by the fact that, in S2EP3, Zhou tou-san lamented, ‘i thought only married daughter leaves their parents but sons are the same’
then Shi De corrects him by saying that what he’s offering is his ‘dowry’. in the jpn sub, he says, 「嫁入り道具」(yome iri dou gu)… the phrase literally contains the kanji for ‘bride’ 「嫁」(yome) and ‘enter’ 「入り」(iri). Shi De’s literally offering himself as the bride in this situation; he’s ready to give up his name, his family, a central part of his identity, and willingly marry into Shu Yi’s family for Shu Yi.
i wanna point out that before offering himself up as the ‘bride’ Shi De reassured Zhou tou-san by saying ‘that’s alright’ as if he understands Zhou tou-san’s concern of not having anyone continue his family line. Shi De’s like, ‘i don’t mind not continuing the Gao line, im fine with being a Zhou’, do u know how blasphemous that is?
Shi De offering to marry into the Zhou family is why Zhou tou-san reacts with, ‘There’s no way you’re getting into my family.’
and then Shi De pulls the uno reverse by saying ‘he’ll ask Shu Yi to enter his family’ asfghjkldi that was such a power move! Shi De oh so graciously offered to keep Shu Yi where he is but Zhou tou-san won’t accept his offer so he’ll take Shu Yi away… and Shu Yi will follow because Shu Yi chose Shi De before (when he threatened that he’ll leave his dad) and Shu Yi chose Shi De again (when he gave Shi De another chance) and he will choose Shi De again (bcs they’re in love, bcs Shu Yi has always, always chosen Shi De, he’s not gonna stop choosing Shi De)
that’s also why Shu Yi’s dad was so mad he stops eating haha like, Shi De was literally just offering to marry into his family a second ago and now he’s saying he’s going to take Shu Yi away??? rip lol
i also want to point out that it’s very significant that Shi De was willing to marry into Shu Yi’s family… Shi De isn’t only male (he has the duty to continue the family line by default by virtue of being born a dude) but also the eldest son… it’s “always” the eldest son’s duty to carry the family line, maintain the family business (if the family has no sons then it’s the duty of the eldest daughter)… and yet, here is Shi De, giving everything he has to Shu Yi, from his properties to his name to his family to his identity. Shi De loves Shu Yi so much he was willing to marry into Shu Yi’s family without an ounce of hesitation… do u know how important that is to an asian family? i was screaming when Shi De tells Zhou tou-san not to worry and immediately offers himself as the ‘bride’ asfghjkldi
also also, wanna bring attention to the fact that Shu Yi’s also willing to leave his family for Shi De asfghjkldi (S2EP3, from what Zhou tou-san said)… these two are such simps for one another, i can’t stand them!
another thing i wanna point out is that Shi De’s basically living in Shu Yi’s house at this point lol (we’ve yet to see Shu Yi in Shi De’s house since S2 began)… this is basically saying that Shi De is married into Shu Yi’s family, to a certain degree lol
the jpn sub
there’s a wording difference i want to address… in the english sub, Zhou you-san calls Shi De ‘an ungrateful creature’
in the jpn sub provided by RakutenTV, he said, 「親不孝な奴め」 which i translated as ‘ungrateful child’. actually, 「親不孝」means ‘lack of filial piety’… filial piety is something one must have for their parents and elderly relatives. so, it’s totally understandable that Shi De gets all excited and asks if Zhou tou-san finally approves of him (and, in the jpn sub, approve of his & Shu Yi’s marriage lol)
disclaimer
i am a southeast asian woman writing from one perspective of asian culture! although asia as a whole has similar practices when it comes to marriage, our culture and tradition are not monolithic! here’s a twt thread that explains the betrothal present vs dowry from the perspective of a chinese person
also, feel free to correct me if im wrong; although i don’t think i am as i’m speaking from my own experience
im basically splitting hair at this point but whatever
i watched We Best Love with English subtitle and then with Japanese subtitle later and i find the difference in subtitles in this scene interesting.
in the English subtitle, Shi De said ‘he’s cute. some people think he’s arrogant and narcissistic. but in my eyes, he’s just cute.’
just cute… as if he doesn’t really register Shu Yi’s arrogance and narcissism
meanwhile, the Japanese subtitle reads 「あの子は可愛い。傲慢で自惚れだと思う人もいるが、僕から見れば やはり可愛い。」
read as ‘ano ko wa kawaii. gouman de unubore dato omou hito mo iru ga, boku kara mireba yahari kawaii.’
this can be translated to「that child is cute. there are people who think that they’re haughty/arrogant/overbearing and pretentious/vain/conceited but from how i see it, that’s also cute/they’re still cute.」
they used やはり（矢張り, yahari）which means 「also, still, even so, either way, nonetheless」
the Japanese subtitle implies that Shi De is very aware of Shu Yi’s flaws and he loves Shu Yi anyway. the arrogance and pretentiousness, they’re all parts of Shu Yi and that’s also cute to Shi De because that’s just who Shu Yi is and Shi De loves Shu Yi regardless.
bye, im gonna go back to crying now. Shi De loves Shu Yi so much, uRGH.
edit:
a chinese speaking anon explained the original wordings in this scene for me, please check this link for a much more accurate info on the original dialogue!
i want to address the discrepancy between the eng sub and the jpn sub… like, im glad we get to have eng sub but the eng sub has no taste lol
so, in the eng sub provided by WeTV, Shi De says, ‘But you'll have me as your man.’. cool, cool, cool. but do u know what the jpn sub says? ‘You can have the #1 as your subordinate’ (「1位の部下ができるぞ」(1 i no buka ga dekiru zo)).
Shi De was offering himself to Shu Yi, a complete opposite of S1 where Shu Yi was the one who offered himself up (when they were kids, Shu Yi literally said ‘i’ll give myself to u’, and, in the infirmary, Shu Yi offered Shi De his friendship and to be his confidant)... Shu Yi demanded Shi De’s submission once and Shi De delivers.
he continues to put his life in Shu Yi’s hands even when Shu Yi wasn’t there… he literally offered to be the ‘bride’ and marry into Shu Yi’s family, for god’s sake! he was so ready to give up his name, his family, his identity, and take up Shu Yi’s name and integrate himself into Shu Yi’s family and support Shu Yi for the rest of his life, and support Shu Yi’s family through the lives of any of their descendants!
(also, a fun thought that i had while reading one of @soundsaboutrighttumblr 's meta posts… Shi De is more than prepared when it comes to living in Shu Yi’s ‘world’ and supporting Shu Yi… he’s always been #1 in everything that Shu Yi is in so ofc he’ll be good at businesses and navigating the rich people politics as well… in a sense, Shi De’s always been preparing himself to support Shu Yi in his world)
AND!!! when Shu Yi gets off the couch thing, he doesn’t say, ‘i don’t want to hold u up’, Shu Yi says ‘i don’t want to tie you down’ (「お前を縛りたくない」(omae wo shibaritakunai))
he loves Shi De so much he’s willing to let go of Shi De... just like how Shi De was willing to let go of Shu Yi (the reconciliation at the beginning of S2EP4 where Shi De said he doesn’t want to tie Shu Yi down) asfghjkldi
jes00s these kids love each other so much i can’t stand them.
don’t selfishly come and go as you please, don’t ignore me
once again a jpn sub vs eng sub thing... i feel like the eng sub lack nuance and meaning bcs of its simple ‘what are you doing here?’ & ‘answer me’
勝手に入るな
when Shi De appeared at his door step, the jpn sub reads 「 勝手に入るな 」 （かってにはいるな, katte ni hairuna). again, when Shi De was walking toward the kitchen, Shu Yi literally said 「 勝手に入るな 」 （かってにはいるな, katte ni hairuna) in japanese. even when stopping Shi De from opening the fridge, Shu Yi said 「 勝手に開けるな 」 （かってにあけるな, katte ni akeruna)
the phrase could simply be translated as ‘don’t enter w/o permission’ but im very taken by the fact that Shu Yi used the word 「勝手」 （かって, katte). it essentially translates to ‘selfishness, at one’s convenience, as one pleases, one’s way’ (which is why i translated it as ‘don’t enter as you please’ in the vid)
i think it’s so fitting for their relationship as a whole bcs Shi De has always done as he pleased. their rivalry? Shi De started it by following Shu Yi his whole damn life and joining every competition took part in. their friendship? Shi De started it, through blackmail. ending their friendship? sure, with just a text, and then just avoided Shu Yi. their romantic relationship? Shi De only accepted Shu Yi’s feelings & started it after Shu Yi confessed his feelings to the entire world. their separation? Shi De started it by leaving for America and essentially ghosting Shu Yi. reunion? oh look, how convenient, he just happened to be the president of the company... they should talk now since he’s here
everything has always been on Shi De’s terms (x)
Shi De loves Shu Yi but he’s cruel and selfish; he takes and takes and takes and Shu Yi lets him
(it’s practically canon that Shu Yi was begging Shi De to please think about him and his broken heart)
無視するな
another thing is that, in the kitchen, as Shu Yi demanded for Shi De to talk to him, Shu Yi said 「 無視するな 」 （むしするな, mushi suruna). this phrase translates to ‘don’t ignore me’/’don’t disregard me’ and it makes the entire scene by the fridge 3000% more heartbreaking
Shu Yi was literally in front of Shi De, existing in the same space, breathing in the same goddamn air; he was close enough to touch, close enough to kiss, close enough to love, and yet Shi De was still fucking ignoring him
i think Shu Yi finally found his equal… Shu Yi has always been a teasing little shit who keeps on deflecting & running away from his feelings (x) (x) but Zhe Yu is here to call him out on his bullshit
his friends are always pampering him and comforting him and following his whims (pranking Shi De (EP1), Zheng Wen not fully dating Yu Xin bcs he was being considerate of Shu Yi (Ep1 &2), Zheng Wen consoling a pouting Shu Yi (EP2), literally Yu Xin & Zheng Wen confirming that Shu Yi is difficult but still asking Shi De to not mind him and take care of him) (x)
not Zhe Yu tho, Zhe Yu says what needs to be said and he’s not gonna cut Shu Yi any slack. he cares of Shu Yi too ofc (as can be seen when he wanted to follow Shi De into his office and the way he called out to Shu Yi when Shu Yi dragged Shi De away) but he’s not waiting on Shu Yi hand and foot like everyone else in Shu Yi’s life, Zhe Yu is here to make sure that Shu Yi keeps a clear head and succeeds his father
but Zhe Yu’s revelation that Shu Yi needs the stakeholder’s approval/endorsement to succeed his father explains why Shu Yi is so tense and bossy and feels the need to be authoritative and controlling; he needs to be perfect, he needs to be in control, and yet here’s Shi De is… chipping away at Shu Yi’s composure and dominating his life
also, i need to know what kind of sorcery Shu Yi practices to inspire this much loyalty and devotion from an ex-love-rival
プレーボーイ
also... Zhe Yu refers to Shi De as 「プレーボーイ」 (playboy) in the jpn sub so this means that, from Shu Yi’s POV, Shi De really did cheat on him and have a happy little family in the States. this also means that Shu Yi confided in his friends about his falling out with Shi De. (but like, i still dk what Zhe Yu referred to Shi De as in the real Taiwanese language so this is just speculation)
the sub is an eng trans of the jpn sub provided by RakutenTv (rougly translated by me)
