#yang yuxi

[dreamingsnowflake2013]

In the middle of the drought that has swept across the entire Asian dramaland in the last few months comes the utterly awesome, gorgeous and addictive Republican era cdrama Be Your Knight and it's got everything I crave in my shows and have been missing recently.

The show is visually stunning in every single shot.

This is the intro to the female lead, whose semi-ahistorical shoes I love and who almost killed her opium-addicted fiancé/adopted "brother" when he assaulted her while being high. When we first meet her, she's on her way to visit his grandmother in a hospital with his blood still on her amazing shoes.

FL is not your typical heroine: she is kind enough, well-off young lady but not your typical cdrama goody two shoes, she has her own revenge agenda but she isn't hellbent so much she would sacrifice everything for it. I love how despite clearly being scared shitless and rattled by the traumatic altercation, she keeps up the facade and hides her fiancé in a private sanatorium, while lying to the grandmother through her teeth, and later drowning her nerves and trauma in booze. You don't get a FL with a trusty flask every day.

Cheng Che's parents were murdered in front of her and to find their murderer she needs the clue only her now comatic fiancé has access to, so she needs to marry him to get into his bank deposit box, but how, you ask, when he is unconscious? Well, lucky her, he has an identical secret Triad-like brother who imprisoned her a year ago.

The world is small, isn't it?

[heymeowmao]

他似火 | Be Your Knight E4 ° I'm fine. This won't kill me.

[shijiujun]

This is the male lead of the novel guys, THE MALE LEAD

When your $200 makeup and $1000 outfit go unappreciated and you get Chinese New Year compliments instead

— Love Game in Eastern Fantasy 永夜星河 (2024) | EP. 04

[xiaolanhua]

LOVE GAME IN EASTERN FANTASY 永夜星河 (2024) Dir. Zhao Yi Long – Ep. 22

[harocat]

Sorry to care about the relationship of real life celebs because they play an OTP, but wow they really did ring in the new year together. I’m so glad they’re friends and enjoy each other so much and can do so publicly. I’m crossing my fingers for that third collab someday.

Also after the NYE event, the four bamboo masters met up and all got dinner together. 🥹♥️♥️

[chineseredcarpet]

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy costars Esther Yu, Ding Yuxi, Zhu Xudan and Yang Shize reunite at Tencent Video All Star Night 2024

[dramashii]

Can you promise me you'll be safe and happy? If you can, why are you crying?

LOVE YOU SEVEN TIMES (2023) | Ep 12

[smittenskitten]

#catboi chukong and his owner xiangyun

[dreamingsnowflake2013]

OMG! SHE REALLY SHOT AT HIM! So the gang and her trusty flask haven't been the only things she's come armoured with, she is also carrying a gun in her handbag. It's like a payback for his putting a razor to her face. Seriously, I adore her more and more.

AND NOW IT'S HIS TURN, HE DISARMS HER AND PUTS THE BARREL OF HER GUN UNDER HER CHIN! Should I call them a tit-for-tat couple or what? The show is insane for this. They are something else entirely. Together with The Secret of the Shadow Sect couple, the OTP of the year for me.

That sounds strangely like a compliment.

GUSHINGTON CENTRAL!!! Kabedon!

Now he puts it to her temple. First the razor, now the gun, he really enjoys shoving his weapons right to her face, doesn't he? I don't regret anything.

The moment she realises both the brothers are lunatics and she pestered into marrying her the crazier of the two and now she will pay for it.

The way they look at each other! No words said but the myriad of emotions utterly palpable.

Definitely a compliment laced with genuine admiration and respect.

It's clear the memories of his brother's assault came to her mind, but despite the similarities and uncanny appearance, Ye Ran is in complete control of himself and his emotions, maybe he is even too much sane, and even though she keeps provoking him, he never actually physically hurts her. Threatens her, definitely, but he never so much as touches a hair on her head. So far, he's the one thrown into jail by her for 6 months and being beaten by an entire gang, ergo 2:0 Cheng Che.

She breaks down, her legs can barely hold her. I like how women in Asian dramas are still allowed to break down, unlike what you see in Western shows nowadays. You can see how brave they are in their fear.

[heymeowmao]

他似火 | Be Your Knight E7 ° sure, ran. 😏

[fiddleyoumust]

I've been thinking about my taste in historical c-dramas and realized I always lean toward political/palace intrigue over xanxia or wuxia fantasy dramas. So, without further ado, my list of favorite historical c-dramas (with a happy ending) that ground the romance in political power struggles.

1. The Double

Cast: Wang Xing Yue, Wu Jin Yan

Synopsis: After being framed for adultery by her husband and his family, Xue Fang Fei takes on the identity of the deceased daughter of a high-ranking court official in order to clear her family's name and take revenge on the people who wronged her.

This drama is flawless. Both the FL and the ML are two of my favorite characters of all time. They're both smart, funny, and badass in their own way. Their relationship is one of mutual respect and admiration, and the way they fight for and support one another is beautiful and romantic. The villains are fleshed out and great at making you hate everything about them while also understanding their motivations. Wang Xingyue gives an INCREDIBLE performance as Duke Su, and while I think Wu Jin Yan is too old to believably play a teenager, she is a fantastic actress who does a complicated character justice. I really have nothing negative to say about this drama. It's perfect to me.

2. Blossom

Cast: Li Yun Rui, Meng Zi Yi

Synopsis: A chance meeting between a woman leaving her cheating husband and a general helping a second prince overthrow the crown results in both of their deaths, intertwining their fates. When the woman wakes up reborn in her 10 year old body with all her memories intact, she has the opportunity to change her fate, the fate of the general, and maybe the entire country.

Dou Zhao and Song Mo are my parents, full stop. This couple is so good - both smart and capable in their own right, but damn near unstoppable together. Their chemistry is great. Their love and devotion for each other is crazy, and they're both just so, so pretty 🩷. I never found this drama boring, but I have seen some people say they thought the back half drags a bit. I think if you're not fully enamored with the couple, that might be the case since the back half focuses more on palace power struggles, but I'm a political intrigue girlie, so I was hooked the whole time.

3. Are You The One

Cast: Zhang Wan Yi, Wang Chu Ran

Synopsis: An anti-heroine bandit and a vassal Prince army general find their lives entwined when he saves her from near death and uses her resulting amnesia to trick her into thinking they're a married merchant couple in order to use her to catch the mastermind behind her bandit stronghold. As he sinks deeper into his own lies, he desperately tries to cling to their made-up life, fearing the day she regains her memories...

THIS SHOW!!!! My beautiful power couple who outsmart everyone but each other and wield death with knives and swords. This show does so many things right. The palace politics are interesting. The second male lead is compelling and complicated in a way that makes you seriously consider him as a contender. Both of our protagonists are smart, capable fighters who slowly realize they want the same things but have chosen different paths to achieve their goals. Also, the ML is a SIMP, which I am always here for.

4. New Life Begins

Cast: Bai Jing Ting, Tian Xi Wei

Synopsis: Ignored by his Emperor father and neglected by his concubine mother, the 6th prince of Xin Chuan marries the daughter of a farming family from a neighboring country as part of an annual marriage selection. Together, they face the challenges of court politics, royal etiquette, treatment of women, and international relations as the prince's reputation rises in the court of Xin Chuan and he begins to earn the respect of his father.

The ML and FL are great, and their relationship is solid, lovely, and heartwarming. But the real delight of this show is the women and their friendships. The unwavering support and love all the female characters have for one another is the true heart of this show. If you love women supporting women and women fighting for change and equal access to power while a few great men support them, I can not recommend this one enough.

5. The Princess Royal

Cast: Zhang Ling He, Zhao Jin Mai

Synopsis: After 20 years in an arranged marriage, Princess Li Rong has her Prince Consort, Pei Wenxuan, assassinated after she believes he's been slowly poisoning her. She dies from the poison soon after his death and wakes up to find she's gone back 20 years, memories intact, to before she and Pei Wenxuan got married. She quickly realizes that Pei Wenxuan is also back, and the two of them must decide what parts of their past they'll repeat and what parts they can change to avoid their fate.

Li Rong is one of my favorite female characters. She's cold, closed-off, analytical, and so repressed it's painful. She's tries so hard to protect herself, that she ends up missing out on the most important thing in her life the first time around and her bravery in trying to change herself enough to not miss it a second time is breathtaking. Watching fiery and charismatic Pei Wenxuan try to properly win her heart in their second life is one of the most swoonworthy romances I've watched. The politics in the show are engaging, and there is interesting meta to be had around how our desires and how we prioritize those desires affect the course of our lives.

6. The Story of Kunning Palace

Cast: Zhang Ling He, Bai Lu

Synopsis: A wicked Empress is pushed to her death after a coup overthrows the Emperor. She wakes up in her 18 year old body and vows to make different choices this time around. But changing her course is more difficult than she imagined, and things become more complicated when she gets entangled with the man responsible for the coup and her death in her first life.

I thoroughly enjoyed the politics and court drama of this show, but ultimately, it's the performances of Bai Lu, Wang Xingyue, and especially Zhang Linghe as the intense and unhinged Xie Wei, that really make this drama worth watching. Bai Lu's chemistry with both MLs is fantastic, and her scenes with Zhang Linghe are so charged that you'll be holding your breath. They both chew their way through this drama immaculately. Watch it for the simple joy of watching two actors ACT.

7. Melody of Golden Age

Cast: Ding Yu Xi, Ancy Deng

Synopsis: In order to protect her family, the 6th daughter of a low-level court official marries the favored general of the queen dowager in place of her older sister. Neither party wants the marriage, but neither can afford to anger the queen. They decide to bide their time and divorce in a year, but in the meantime, they help one another achieve various goals... and, of course, fall in love for real.

I can't be rational about Ding Yu Xi. If he's in it, I'm tuned in. His chemistry with Ancy Dang is fantastic, and watching his character, Shen Du, slowly melt and fall for his wife, Yan Xing, is so, so enjoyable. I was less interested in the mystery/court politics of this one, but I still liked it a lot. The romance is very good and Shen Du and Yan Xing are dreamy protagonists.

8. Blossoms In Adversity

Cast: Hu Yi Tian, Zhang Jing Yi

Synopsis: The feisty and brilliant daughter of a noble family must find a way to keep all the women and children in her family alive when her grandfather offends the king and gets their family's wealth, property, and status stripped away, as well as all the men banished to a labor camp.

This show is all about the FL, Hua Zhi, for me. She is a fantastic character - strong, sensible, smart, and fearless - while still managing to hold on to her heart and see the good in the people around her. Her love story with the prince/commander lacked something for me. I think I wanted it to be more intense than it was and might have worked better if a different actor played him. But, Hua Zhi, her family dynamics, the court politics, and all of the side characters were beyond enjoyable.

9. Flourished Peony

Cast: Li Xian, Yang Zi

Synopsis: A woman in a terrible marriage makes an escape with only the clothes on her back and a rare potted peony her mother left her. She ends up pawning the peony to the king's flower envoy in order to start a business, and the two become entangled as a result.

The FL, Mu Dan, is a badass. She tackles villain after villain with just her wits and the sheer determination to live her life freely. The ML, Cheng Yang, realizes early on that he's found a kindred spirit, but neither of them are interested in romance at first. I loved that they are genuinely friends for the majority of the show and that the ML trusts Mu Dan to solve her own problems, rarely stepping in to help her because he knows she's strong enough to solve it herself. This show, much like New Life Begins, highlights the horrors of being a woman in this time period. And like New Life Begins, one of the best things about this show is the women Mu Dan collects throughout her journey, building her own little found family. Flourished Peony has a 2nd season on the way that will air some time in the back half of 2025, but the end of S1 is solid and won't leave you hanging if you decide to watch it before S2 comes out.

10. The Rise of Ning

Cast: Zhang Wan Yi, Ren Min

Synopsis: After spending most of her childhood in the country away from her scholarly family, Yi Ning, the black sheep daughter, returns home for her grandmother's birthday. Rivalry between her and her other siblings and cousins cause tension, but she finds an ally in her father's illegitimate son, Shen Yuan, another black sheep who has cultivated a life for himself in the shadows of a family that doesn't acknowledge him. Together, they try to solve the mystery of Yi Ning's mother's death and decades old case involving Shen Yuan's master. A case that puts them in contact with a dangerous man from Ning's past.

Full warning, the romance in this is between Yi Ning and Shen Yuan. Spoiler: No, they're not really siblings. He knows they're not very early on. She finds out much later, and the romance starts after that, but he's very clearly already fallen for her while she still considers him a brother. If the trope bothers you, skip this one.

If you're like me and don't care 😂, this show is great. Yi Ning is a sweetheart with a spine. The second male lead is a combination of incredibly handsome and scarily unhinged, which makes him all the more sinister. Shen Yuan is smart, calm, and deadly - my male lead kryptonite!!!, and his devotion to Ning is so wonderful. I also have a Zhang Wan Yi bias. His face is just very, very good to me. The mystery plot is engaging, and I didn't ever find myself bored with this show.

[xiaolanhua]

Love You Seven Times 七时吉祥 (2023) Dir. by Li Nan – Episode 1

[harocat]

Four Bamboo Masters walking the Video All Star Night red carpet together!! Esther and DYX arm in arm!! They all four sang the dumb little theme song they made up together. Shut uuuuppppp.

[zhoufeis]

timestamp roulette ❖ 七时吉祥 LOVE YOU SEVEN TIMES, episode 21.

[factorygirlsstuff]

Variety show The Shining Stars shares new snaps with Love Game In Eastern Fantasy cast Esther Yu Shuxin, Ding Yuxi, Zhu Xudan & Yang Shize as they began filming