#they both care about each other lots. the world is cruel but that can be ignored when youre in the same area as your person

[puppy-phum]

thinking about how in the past, wen xiao and zhuo yichen helped each other through grief that struck them on the same day, even if they didn't know about it then. how fate brought them together so that they could heal each other, could save each other. zhuo yichen was there to take care of wen xiao when she was sick and felt useless and scared, while wen xiao was there to pull zhuo yichen out of his gray grief to let colors back into his life again.

and i know that in the middle, the show kind of tries to paint them as childhood sweethearts, or as a story of one sided love from zhuo yichen's side. and maybe it has been like that, maybe it still is sometimes, but no matter what, they love each other and that's all that matters.

they rely on each other a lot too when they're suddenly faced with the force that is zhao yuanzhou. when, bc the world is cruel, it is revealed that he is the reason they ever created this bond between them and needed each other so much. zhao yuanzhou killed zhao wan'er, wen xiao's beloved master. he also killed zhuo yichen's father and brother. he is the reason wen xiao has been sickly and fragile for so long and he is the reason why zhuo yichen's world ever turned gray.

zhao yuanzhou is also fortunately the reason why wen xiao becomes strong again, as well as the reason why zhuo yichen is able to let go of his hate and find his true self.

and so, in the end, wen xiao and zhuo yichen are together again. but this time, they share a common grief. this time the other's grief does not feel so distant bc they mourn the same losses. they mourn ying lei, mourn bai jiu. but above all else, they mourn zhao yuanzhou.

they heal each other from the loss of the one that once caused them indescribable pain. they understand what it's like. they know how deep the grief goes, how cold it feels. wen xiao was always powerless to stop zhao yuanzhou from dying and zhuo yichen was always powerless to stop himself from being the one to kill him.

which is why i find it so fascinating how the main trio are tied together by this very closely shared grief and loss. but especially fascinating i find wen xiao and zhuo yichen bc they're placed on different sides of zhao yuanzhou. they've made into these two different paths that zhao yuanzhou walks at the same time as he also shares grief and loss with both of them. his relationship with wen xiao starts from shared grief over zhao wan'er and his relationship with zhuo yichen finally solidifies as they share mutual grief over their loss of control. there is also the horrid experience of zhao yuanzhou wondering if he needs to share his grief over wen xiao with zhuo yichen as they fear she will die (several times), or his grief over zhuo yichen with wen xiao as they fear he will die (once again, several times).

also, as an ending note, it's fun how zhao yuanzhou is able to save both wen xiao and zhuo yichen while the other is powerless to do anything. zhao yuanzhou gives wen xiao the baize token that zhuo yichen has been looking for so long and later takes the poison away from wen xiao while zhuo yichen has only thought about doing it himself. zhao yuanzhou is the one to get zhuo yichen both his inner core and his sword fixed while wen xiao doesn't really even know where to begin with them and is powerless to do anything against ying long. so, yeah, zhao yuanzhou keeps them from grieving each other – so that they can eventually grieve zhao yuanzhou.