#Gif: Ding Yu Xi

[mostlyfate]

Ding Yu Xi as Mu Sheng Love Game in Eastern Fantasy 永夜星河 · 2024

[nunafilms]

Chen Du Ling as Jing Yao Love Game in Eastern Fantasy (2024)

[oppalus]

♡ FREE CONTENT. by clicking the source link you’ll find a gif pack with a total of 215 gifs of ding yuxi in LOVE GAME IN EASTERN GALAXY (2024), first 6 eps. ding yuxi is a chinese actor born in 1995 so cast him correctly. DO NOT edit these gifs. remember to reblog if you find them useful.

[labyrinth25]

[salt-gifs]

[starcrossed591]

CDrama Year in Review 2023

I'm still very much a CDrama beginner--I just started watching them in the summer of 2022--but since this is the first year I got into them in earnest, I figured I might as well do a year in review a la @dangermousie (whose lists I have found incredibly helpful in deciding which CDramas I really, really need to go back and watch as part of my CDrama education--so thank you!). So, without further adieu, here is my ranking of 2023 CDramas, in order of least enjoyed to most enjoyed*.

(See also: KDrama Year in Review 2023)

*Disclaimer: *not* a measure of objective quality

10. Royal Rumours: This drama was not great? Meng Zi Yi and Jeremy Tsui were fun, but the story started out messy and got messier. For some reason I still finished it, I think because I had a lingering cold and it was all my brain could handle at the time *shrug*

9. Gone with the Rain: I actually really enjoyed this one! The pacing was inconsistent, but Zhang Nan was fun as the irreverent Mo Xi, and we love a grizzled general. Special shout to the teacher who was not actually evil, just a sad lesbian whose gf disappeared on her

8. Love You Seven Times: Intriguing concept, not a strong enough FL to carry it through. The reincarnation stuff really worked for me at first, especially in their first mortal tribulation (as people, not CGI animals), but I got tired of it pretty quickly. I admit, the gifs of Ding Yu Xi as a sexy cat demon *did* pull me back in, but not enough for me to actually finish the thing, alas

7. Destined/Chang Feng Du: Started out really strong, and then stalled out on me. I think I only got up to about episode 22 or so, after their epic desert crossing and new start in a new state--they lost all narrative momentum for me there. I stopped watching and then just...didn't start again. I do, however, remain a big Bai Jing Ting fan, and will be keeping on eye out for whatever he does next

6. Hidden Love: (Contemporary) Age gap romances are hit or miss for me, but Zhao Lu Si absolutely stole/carried the show for me in this one. Although more fun imo when the main couple are in the the will-they-won't-they phase than in the family melodrama after they get together, still the only contemporary CDrama to get me to give it a go this year--and I'm glad I did

5. My Journey to You: Featuring my favorite murder girlies Esther Yu as Yun Wei Shan and Lu Yu Xiao as Shanguan Qian! Gorgeous costumes and sets, sweeping cinematography, and plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Full disclosure, I have not actually watched the last two episodes because I got busy and then saw weird chatter about them, so I have no comment on the allegedly weird ending

4. Till the End of the Moon: Look, I know the ending wasn't ideal, but for the majority of its run, this drama owned my entire soul. It also introduced me to Bai Lu as Li Su Su, who inspired my first actual tumblr post (that wasn't a reblog) because I was so obsessed with her. And everyone knows that Tantai Jin is the CDrama ML of the year. 10/10, no regrets at letting it take over my life (and the OST my Spotify) from April to May of this year

3. The Story of Kunning Palace: More Bai Lu is always a good thing, and she's extra fun here as the transmigrated former evil empress and totally-over-your-nonsense Xiang Xue Ning here. The reverse haremness of it all totally shows why Bai Lu is the chemistry queen, especially with the princess (Liu Xie Ning) and cranky, morally grey, would-fail-gym-class strategist Xie Wie (Zhang Ling He). So glad this drama made it out of the CDrama vault and didn't languish indefinitely in censorship hell

2. A Journey to Love: Finished this one two days ago as of this writing and am still not normal about it. Ren Ruyi (Liu Shi Shi) and Ning Yuan Zhou (Liu Yu Ning) lead an exceptionally strong ensemble cast in this wuxia that explores the complicated relationships between love, duty, loyalty, loneliness, and companionship. Ruyi and Yuan Zhou are far and away one of my fave OTPs of the year, but just as compelling are the relationships between friends/brothers/fellow assassins Yu Shisan, Yuan Lu (ugh my heart), Qian Zhou, and Sun Lang. This drama definitely has one of the strongest ensemble casts of the year. And the character growth of Yang Ying from little princess abandoned in the cold palace to who she becomes by the end will stick with me for a long time. Plus another 10/10 OST!

1. Lost You Forever S1: I'm not normally a reverse harem girl, but the longing, loss, and hard resolve portrayed to perfection by Yang Zi as Xiao Yao really did it for me here. This whole drama struck an emotional chord for me, and where TTEOTM consumed my soul, LYF took over my heart. Xiao Yao's relationships with her power hungry, overprotective cousin Cang Xuan; hot snake demon Xiang Liu/playboy archery shufu Feng Feng Bei; and perfectly devoted Tushan Jing are all equally compelling to me, and while I may know who she ends up with in the end, who I *think* she should be with changes based on who's on screen at any given time. And A'Nian, my favorite bratty princess who really just needs some strong parenting, holds a special place in my heart. I know we may never get S2, and even if we do, censorship means it probably won't be what the drama makers are capable of, but I'm so glad for this little piece of absolute perfection. And, again, a top notch OST!

Fave Drama: Lost You Forever, by just a hair over A Journey to Love. See above.

Least Fave Drama: Royal Rumours--truly why did I finish this, what was past me thinking

Biggest Disappointment: 2023 is also the year I read Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir, my very first CNovel! But then I didn't even bother checking out its adaptation, Romance of a Twin Flower, because it got rid of everything that made the novel such an addicting read, including a brilliant, strategic, ice cold FL and an ML who actually kind of sucked at the beginning, only to grow on you very, very slowly over time. I'm grateful that the chatter around the drama is what brought the novel to my attention, but other than that, hard pass.

Favorite Male Character: Lots of good ones this year, but I'm gonna go with Cang Xuan (Zhang Wan Yi) from Lost You Forever. The conflict he faces between getting enough power to protect the people he loves the most and that power making him incompatible with those loved ones is so compelling, and his yearning for Xiao Yao even when she's right in front of him is wrenching. Full disclosure, I also just really love the sound of his voice

Favorite Female Character: This could easily have gone to Li Susu (TTEOTM), Xiao Yao (LYF), or Ren Ruyi (AJTL), but I'm gonna go with Bai Lu's Xiang Xue Ning in The Story of Kunning Palace. Something I really loved about this character was just how jaded Xue Ning really was, even in her second go round at life. Yeah, she wants to make amends for the harm done in her previous rise to power, but that has hardly turned her into a good--or even pleasant--person. Instead, she's incredibly skeptical and still plays most things ice cold, especially with her family. As a bonus, we got plenty of Bai Lu's fantastic side eye as she basically had to do high school all over again when she gets called into the palace despite her very best efforts not to be.

Favorite Ship: Ren Ruyi and Yuan Zhao from A Journey to Love have got to be it. They balance each other out so well, and over the course of the drama, learn to communicate effectively with each other whenever they have a problem. They also recognize that not all problems can be solved by ~love~, which makes their relationship even more compelling when they decide to prioritize each other in a way that respects what the other wants from life.

Favorite Secondary Ship: Little princess Yang Ying and Yuan Lu absolutely broke stole my heart in A Journey to Love. Doomed love even more than the main OTP, these two's youthful romance was such much fun to watch, especially as they egged their respective mentors on in their own romance. Yang Ying's recognition that her first love did not have to be her only love is also something I always love to see, even as it broke my heart that (spoiler) she and Yuan Lu never really had a chance at an HEA. Their relationship really exemplified a key theme of this drama: that you should love the people you love while they're still with you because tomorrow is never promised.

Non-2023 Dramas that I Watched: Two non-2023 dramas I watched that deserve a special shout out are Love and Redemption and The Sword and the Brocade. Love and Redemption prepared me to really appreciate the big swings that Till the End of the Moon took, and The Sword and the Brocade went a little way to filling the Story of Ming Lan shaped hole in my heart. The Sword and the Brocade also had absolutely searing critique of the concubine system, even as it featured one of the most genuinely good-hearted FLs I've seen. Would recommend both!

Most Looking Forward To: Yes, I'm a sucker and the censors (not to mention the characters) will probably break my heart, but I'm still crossing my fingers that Lost You Forever S2 will live up to the promise of part one. See above: still a CDrama beginner, have not yet had all the optimism knocked out of me. Sue me.

[solitaryromantic]

Melody of Golden Age is fire!!! C dramas have been where it’s at this summer. Between this one, Are You the One?, Legend of Shenli, Will Love In Spring, and You Are My Secret, it’s going to be a battle for the top spot! There are some others that are supposedly releasing this year that are also going to slay, so I have the feeling my Top Ten Dramas List might be a Top Twenty List this year.

Anyway, here’s a gif of Ding Yu Xi blessing us all as Shen Du in Melody of Golden Age.

[alloveydovey]

Okay dramas watched these past months... (i actually have more like no gain no love and mr. plankton but I'll put them up later he)

Hometown Cha Cha Cha, 2021 (kdrama) (rewatch!) 10 ⭐️

(Yes this is here in one of this posts, once again) A city girl moves to a coastal town and clashes with the local do-it-all whose views on life are the complete opposite from hers. Despite it all, love is born lol.

Literally never show me an edit or a gif or anything of homecha cause even if I watched it a week prior I’m going to be like ‘I want to watch it again 😭’ This is how serious I am about this drama. This time I rewatched it because my grandma was watching it for the first time and I HAD TO join. Obligatory. It means so much to me, it’s my favorite ever and literally a hug for the heart.

A Romance of The Little Forest, 2022 (cdrama) What I was expecting: 8.5 / What I gave: 7.5

A smart beauty blogger (I think?) clashes with a former brainiac classmate from school and college who apparently rejected her, saying he wouldn't date someone as dumb as her. She decides to make him fall in love with the dumb version of herself to prove a point

I don't really know how to explain this drama, but the premise and Esther Yu and Zhang Binbin together seemed enough for me to watch. For a moment, it was good, but then it just turned zZzzZZZ. It was a bit of a letdown and a waste of actors.

Melody of Golden Age, 2024 (cdrama) What I was expecting: 7.5 / What I gave: 8

The Empress Dowager bestows a marriage between the third daughter of a family and the head of the imperial guard. When the third daughter runs away, the sixth daughter (the daughter of a concubine) takes her place as the bride.

Enemies to lovers with this premise? Chef kiss. Ding Yu Xi nails roles like this, and even at her young age, Ancy Deng is an incredibly charming female lead. I admit the drama might get a bit tiresome with the cases they have to solve (some of which confused me a bit lol), but the characters are interesting enough, and in general, it's a good drama to watch when there's nothing else.

Love Next Door, 2024 (kdrama) What I was expecting: 10 / What I gave: 8.5 :(

Two friends meet again after one of them comes back from the US.

This will be long because this was my most anticipated drama of the year. So, yeah, friends-to-lovers is not my thing at all. I never get into it. I went in with good expectations, though, because it had Jung Hae In (forever favorite K-actor), Jung So Min (one of my favorite K-actresses), and the same writer of Hometown Cha Cha Cha (like I said before, my favorite drama) This had everything to become a 10 in my books and a favorite drama. That being said, it disappointed me big time.

So yeah, I'm not a big fan of childhood-friends-to-lovers, but even less, when it's the type of friendship they portrayed here. The charm of their initial relationship is supposed to be that they don't want to admit they're friends and spend the whole time bickering. If they didn't know each other, I'd call it flirting, but it's kinda meh when this is just their entire thing. I'm not really into that type of relationship in dramas. Generally speaking, I can handle loud characters well in kdramas, no matter the age they are. I know they tend to be childish, and that's usually fine, but for some reason, here, it just bothered me big time. I just couldn't find the appeal of the leads dynamic.

Hae In and So Min were extremely cute together, and I loved that. But the writing?... I guess that was what disappointed me the most. The cancer trope was a huge eye-rolling moment for me, and I didn't like how they dealt with it at all. They ended up using it for Seok Ryu's family to finally be decent to her when they should have been like that without her medical condition. They presented a good problem (her parents expectations being way higher on her, the older sister and a woman, than on her younger brother) and dealt with it rather poorly. On another note, Making Seung Hyo's mother have symptoms of something but then not following through? Making Seun Hyo suddenly move back in with his parents without any reason (I assume it was because he wanted to live next to Seok Ryu, still...) The mothers and their dramas. Oh my god. I loved all the actresses, but I can't even compliment their friendship because it was low-key annoying how they'd constantly fight as well.

I don't know, I feel like they were a lot of little things accumulating that just made me question everything.

Things to rescue: I was really happy to see Jung Hae In in such a comedic role, and the second leads were absolutely everything to me.

Miss Day and Night, 2024 (kdrama) What I was expecting: Honestly, I don't know. What I gave: 8

FL keeps failing at public servant exams, but mostly, just life. At her most desperate moment, a mystic cat curses her (or does he?) and makes FL turn into an elderly lady as soon as the sun is up. Aside from all this, she meets ML, a cold prosecutor who she gets tangled up within a case that could connect both his dead mother and her missing aunt.

I started obsessed with this. Premise? Fun! Lee Jung Eun is the best! Chemistry? 100% there! Jung Eun Ji and Choi Jin Hyunk had such a sweet and tender dynamic, I absolutely loved it. My problem with this, as usuaaaaal, is the murder mystery. The mix of this premise with the FL turning into an old lady is a bit weird. They make up for it with fun moments, but ultimately, as the story progresses, they discard them in favor of more serious issues. It took me months to finish it, and I skipped a bit. The ending is cute, but, generally speaking, it was those kinds of endings where the drama should've been twelve episodes, and still, somehow, the ending felt rushed.

Didn't finish oops ⬇️

Serendipity's Embrace, 2024 (kdrama) What8.5

FL and ML meet again by accident. Both were classmates. Her best friend was in love with him, and he obviously was in love with FL. FL, on the other hand, was in love with a famous writer whom she then got to meet, date, and tragically break up with. Now, in the present, ML is not willing to let his first love get away.

Like I said before, I'm not the biggest fan of the (childhood) friends-to-lovers trope, but this one got me in the feels a bit (maybe because it's not so much a friendship but more of a high school crush). There's good chemistry here, cute moments, and a great OST. I don't know why I stopped watching, but I might return to it at some point.

My Sweet Mobster, 2024 (kdrama) 8

A kid’s content creator and an ex-mobster get entangled. But wait... did they know each other when they were kids? Duh, this is a kdrama.

This was one of the dramas I had been waiting for since I saw the amazing posters and the interesting premise. It was overall okay, though? I wouldn’t say it blew my mind, but I enjoyed watching most of it. It’s both cute and really funny. I didn't finish it because aside from the cute characters and the romance, the story was a bit meh. And even the romance, once they got together, it felt a bit flat.

[simply-whump]

Romance of a Twin Flower (春闺梦里人) - Whump List

Whumpee : Ning Yu Xuan played by Ding Yu Xi and Gui Bai played by He Chang Xi

Synopsis : A quirky genius girl named Ji Man loses her memory through an accident, and inexplicably replaced her twin sister and entered the Hou Manor. With her outstanding wits and business acumen, she managed to resolve numerous crises, eventually winning the favor of Ning Yu Xuan, the cold and arrogant young master of Hou manor. (MDL)

Genres : Historical, Business, Romance

Warning! Possible spoilers below!

Ning Yu Xuan

Ep 1 : Ready to enter a burning house even though he is afraid of fire, someone falls on him, helped up, seems to be unwell, concern for him — Revealed he has a disease, in an ice bath, gasping in pain, agitated, submerges himself into water — Found unconscious in his bath (Gif Set)

Ep 2 : Found unconscious in his bath, concern for him, put in bed, looked after, revealed he was just asleep

Ep 3 : None

Ep 4 : Stabbed, collapses on one knee, concern for him, bleeding, helped to sit — Stumbling, can hardly walk, leaves a trail of blood, heavy breathing, collapses, concern for him, refuses to call for a doctor, gasping in pain (Gif Set) — Dragged, refuses to be treated by someone else than himself, slightly manhandled, medicine applied on his wound, groaning in pain, on the verge of passing out — In bed, refuses to take the medicine, tied to the bed, face grabbed, still refuses to take the medicine (Gif Set) — Wakes up in bed, hand still tied to the bed

Ep 5 : In bed, wincing in pain, someone tries to carry him, cries out in pain — Recovering in bed — Has a nightmare about some traumatic memories, agitated, concern for him, pinched to wake him up, wincing in pain (Gif Set) — Refusing to apply some medicine (comical)

Ep 6 : Visibly in pain from his wound, holding his side, concern for him — Forced to compete in a sword fight while still injured, hit on his wound, thrown to the ground, concern for him, hiding the blood from his wound — Injury treated

Ep 7 : None

Ep 8 : Arrested, in prison — Sentenced to exile

Ep 9 : None

Ep 10 : Fighting, a bit out of breath, worried for someone, recalling painful memories, forced to put down his sword, stabbed, bleeding from the mouth, concern for him, running away while injured, shot at, jumps into the water — Unconscious in bed, wakes up wincing in pain, helped to sit — (Flashback) Dragged on a handmade stretcher, unconscious — (Flashback) Coughing up water on a river bank, injured (Gif Set) — (Present) Wincing in pain, holding his side, leaning (or more like forced to lean) on the female lead’s shoulder, nodding off (Gif Set)

Ep 11 : Bitten, crying out in pain (comedic)

Ep 12-15 : None

Ep 16 : Teary-eyed, sad

Ep 17 : Fighting, hit by a poisoned dart, leaning on his sword, vision blurry, hit, thrown to the ground through a table, thrown against a statue, spiting blood, concern for him, shielding someone, bleeding from the mouth, collapses, passes out — Unconscious in bed, looked after — Wakes up, wincing in pain, holding his shoulder

Ep 19 : Afraid of fire du to past trauma, still helps to put out a fire — Unconscious in bed after inhaling too much smoke, wakes up, coughing — Pretending to be in pain. Concern for him

Ep 20 : Hurts himself while doing manual labor, concern for him — Encouraged to overcome his trauma, touched

Ep 21 : None

Ep 22 : Fighting, hit, falls to the ground, sword at his neck — Jumps into the sea to save someone — Worried for someone

Ep 23-25 : None

Ep 26 : Has a nightmare, concern for him, wakes up, talking about his traumatic past, emotional

Ep 27 : Does a lot of manual work, hands a bit injured, concern for him, medicine applied

Ep 28 : None

Ep 29 : Worried for someone — Heartbroken, depressed

Ep 30 : Worried for someone, shocked, sliding to the floor , getting drenched in the rain, passes out — Unconscious in bed, wakes up, holding his shoulder — Crying — (Flashback from the beginning of the episode) Found unconscious in the rain, concern for him, half carried

Ep 31-33 : None

Ep 34 : Crying — Emotional, crying

Ep 35 : None

Ep 36 : Worried for someone

Ep 37 : Worried for someone — Very worried, desperate, emotional — Sad, blaming himself, slapping himself, sobbing

Ep 38 : Depressed, crying

Gui Bai

Ep 4 : Falls down from his horse, caught in a net

Ep 14 : Hit by a dart in the shoulder, treated, heavy breathing, was poisoned, passes out, concern for him — Wakes up in bed, wincing in pain

Ep 16 : Really drunk, sprawled on the floor, helped to sit up, given water — Fighting, cut — Injury treated

Ep 33 : Shot by a poisoned arrow, vision blurry, unsteady, bleeding from the mouth, collapses, unconscious — Treated in bed, unconscious, shivering, feverish, concern for him, in pain, delirious

Ep 34 : Recovering in bed

>> More Whump Lists

>> Another Whump List with Ding Yuxi

[mostlyfate]

Ding Yu Xi as Mu Sheng Love Game in Eastern Fantasy 永夜星河 · 2024

[nunafilms]

Should I give up just because I may fail? You may fail, yet you bet with your life. You're either foolish, or undervaluing yourself.

MELODY OF GOLDEN AGE 长乐曲 (2024)

[01432853]

moonlight🌙 : episode 10

[xiaolanhua]

Love You Seven Times 七时吉祥 (2023) Dir. by Li Nan – Episode 16

[leehakjoos]

“First come, first served. This is the rule of the bookstore.”

[salt-gifs]

[fallentamashii]

↳ The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020) -- Cake Kiss 🍰💋