- there is something incredibly sweet about LBY going around telling people (his mum, his uncle’s subordinate) that he’s getting married.
- LY’s wedding party was such a mess but LBY’s extreme protection of SS, rules of social conduct be damned, is kind of impressive. It was satisfying to watch him shut those awful girls up; trashman even better.
- LBY drinking from SS’s cup had my teenage self squeeing…
- SS being hypersensitive to the imbalance of power between them is rational, and something he’s having a hard time to understand because he has never been as powerless (not since being lost at war with his mother); but also because he is 100% secure in his forever love for her, which ‘evens the score’. Unfortunately for him, SS does not believe in forever anything and sees human relationships in general and romantic ones in particular as an exchange, in this instance security/protection being exchanged for freedom.
- it’s bad that they’re arguing already, but it is also good in that at least they are talking about things openly. he is bossy by nature, she hates being bossed around so they do need to figure it out.
- when she said that he asked for her hand in marriage without reason I think he was both surprised and hurt (I agree w her dad that she tends to use words to lash out when challenged or uncomfortable, even when she does not mean it).
- one sees the subtle effects of childhood starvation coming up in SS’s relationship to food as an adult (her liking Yao has a lot to do with him feeding her; then there’s the always having backup food in pockets and eating when stressed, picking up food from the floor to not waste it…)
- the machinations of the Ling family and deluded princess are as irritating as they are predictable. Was satisfying for LBY to just declare his family useless/irrelevant and getting the emperor to act as elder for the full proceedings
- lord ruyang (love him!) and SS’s interactions are fun (she looked so cheerful when hearing someone wants to mess up with the marriage, poor LBY would be in tears if he saw it)
-LBY’s minions are hilarious, and so are NN’s brothers
- LBY really likes the ‘i have a personal army so i’ll make a big entrance’ approach to wooing, but he’s again getting between NN and food so minus points. but the shamelessly (what else is new) inviting himself to their family table was cute. that was one cringeworthy meal but you do have to give him credit for trying (not that SS appreciates it at the moment)
- looking forward to the moment when she finally explodes at him. given the look she gave him after the i added some bodyguards to your door episode she’s very close to
- i find it all so realistic that their relationship status change is far from meaning a done deal but rather the beginning of a lot of effort needed to get themselves on the same page and to make it work.
PS: can someone explain to me what that supposed joke was about? i don’t get in which way what he said could be construed as funny. Some wordplay? or was it just lost in translation? i get that the delivery was not working because of LBY but i cannot imagine anyone making that story sound funny.
PPS: anyone who happily tolerates Cheng furen’s mortifying behavior can only be madly in love. the cringe factor was off the scales but as long as someone says he and SS make a good couple they get a free pass to anything in LBY’s book.
PPPS: LBY has always been my favorite character in this but these episodes showing him as clueless and bumbling, also giddy about the idea of spending his life with NN was the most endearing version of him yet.
PPPPS: about the meal again: LBY is so often alone… that was probably the closest he got to having a regular family meal in 20y. and with his number one favorite person at the table (NN) to boot! no wonder that he shines like a 200W bulb.
P^5S: when LY interrupts the trash-talk between LBY and trashman by interjecting an “In any case, CSS is the greatest!”, i found it very revealing that trashman replied by a ‘shut up’, while LBY said ‘Of course she is!’ When it comes to SS vs ego, he keeps making the right choice. And that is the millionth reason why trashman can never get the (or really any) girl.
P^6S: I am a little puzzled by SSs feelings towards LBY at the moment. Pre-engagement he has been nothing but nice to her and i would have said that their relationship, although not (consciously) romantic on her end, was pretty good. Post-engagement she is on the one side mad at him for his family showing disrespect, on the other super keen on breaking the engagement and back to systematically suspecting his motives. I get why she’d be mad at his attempt at controlling her eating, that was uncalled for even if he tried to use it as a starting point of conversation rather than plain managing her. I even get why the main take home from his way of protecting her at the party would be wow if you have power you can get away with all sorts of crazy shit whereas my family and I can only suffer through the indignity. But i am unsure what she most resents him for: for the inequality in power? forcing her hand? or for not doing a better job at reassuring her that he wants her for her and that he’ll not try to change her? time will tell
