#these are my thoughts on what what make YQY most miserable not what's most tragic from an outsider perspective

[gaywarcriminals]

I have thought FAR too much about this particular topic (YQY is my soggy little babygirl after all), and though both options present a unique tragedy, I'm personally of the opinion that it's sadder if he knows SJ was replaced.

The deciding factor for me is closure. If Yue Qingyuan thinks that SY!SQQ is still SJ, he was able to help ensure SQQ's safety (even if he failed at times, SQQ is alive and well now), he confessed about Ling Xi Caves and got some, albeit unsatisfying, closure on the matter, and he got to see SQQ off to a happy life with Luo Binghe. Even if it aches for YQY to not have the depth of friendship he craves from SQQ, even if it hurts to be relegated to the sidelines of the other man's life, from YQY's perspective, SQQ is healthy, happy, and doesn't hate him. That's more than YQY had been able to wish for for years.

If YQY does know, that means that YQY lives with the constant knowledge that SJ was replaced somehow. There's no way he wouldn't feel responsible for not preventing whatever happened to the original SQQ. To YQY, SJ died alone, miserable, and hating YQY. Yue Qingyuan never gets closure. YQY drowns in guilt. YQY lives forever wondering if there something he could have done to make things turn out differently. I personally believe that YQY cares for SY!SQQ in his own right, not just because he's in SJ's body inheriting old ties, and I don't think he would hold the body-hijacking against SY especially once he's told or intuits that SY didn't do it on purpose, but that could hardly stop the crushing weight of his guilt every time he sees SQQ.

SQQ might as well be a walking corpse, for all that he serves as a reminder of someone long since lost. (Side note: a friend of mine's personal theory is that YQY realized at Maigu Ridge that SQQ was no longer SJ because of SQQ's deflection of YQY's confession. This has always torn my heart into little bite sized pieces because I can only imagine that YQY would feel like he was yet again far too late to save SJ.)

Daily poll: do you guys think it's sadder if yqy realized that sy!sqq isn't actually Shen Jiu as soon as the peak lords had their meeting, or if he still believes that sy!sqq is Shen Jiu and he's finally found happiness without him