Dishonour. Dishonour on Huai’en, on his ancestors and his stupid arse adorable smile. Matter of fact, dishonour on his family goat. Darn red flag out there making me angry but also feeling sorry and sad for him.

So like, are we all gonna need to explain to our therapists why we’re normal for feeling bad for a psychopath with the cutest smile ever, or? Cuz, like… u tripping if you say you didn’t at one point feel bad for Huai’en and his stupid arse adorable face. But no, really, Huai’en is so broken he’s pitiful and painfully sad.

Finding out the same author who wrote My Stand-In also wrote this one made so much sense. Of course, Haui’en is a red flag, he’s Ming’s ancestor! XD

Listen, bls have been trying to out-do themselves when it comes to red flag characters. But Haui’en, oh Haui’en, homeboy is waay past red flags and turning into a whole arse red sea. Which brings me to this week’s ranking of red flags.

BLs Red Flags HOT 100

#1 Huai’en [NEW]
This guy might as well has invented the color red.

#2 Ming, My Stand-In [-1]
Y’all remember when he hit Joe upside the head with a bat? Good times.

#3 Vegas, KinnPorsche [RE]
Vegas apologists be like: Sure, he kidnapped and tortured Pete, but like, did Pete die? hmm?

#4 Boston, Only Friends [=]
He’s the only good thing about that drama. I said what I said, bite me. Mew should be on this list instead, if not for anything, for that stupid arse silver chain.

#9 Vee, Love Mechanics [+1]
I still think Mark would have been better off as a creepy stalker following Bar into his 80s, and dying alone with 5 cats, cuz ending up with Vee’s two-timing, hypocrite arse was just tragic.

#15 Khai, Theory of Love [-1]
Meh, they should have left him at the train station.

And so on and so forth. I didn’t put Haui’en on top of this list for decoration. I know most of us can and will explain why he did the things he did, and even understand him. Yes, his upbringing was terrible, and he didn’t even know what love was until Xiaobao. When I heard his backstory, it remained me of Dr. Doofenshmirtz, (you know, when even his parents didn’t show up for this birth) #realsad. But he still did the things he did, and he was grown/sane enough to know right from wrong.

So, although I did understand him, and felt sorry for him. His character was a hard one to cheer for most of the time, cuz look at his track record:

1. His love language is threats and physical abuse
2. Kidnapped Xiaobao’s sister and threatened the poor child
3. Turned Xiaobao’s family in, causing them to lose everything (which the parents deserved btw) and Xiaobao to lose his home.
4. Indirectly being the cause of Xiaobao’s poisoning and pain
5. SA’d Xiaobao multiple times, and even in one did it while choking him until he was unconscious.
6. Causing Xiaobao to lose his smile.

No really, Haui’en was something else. This guy comes to ask for a second chance and his apology is like ‘I want to take you away to a place where there is nobody and lock you up, and you’d never see your parents again. would you love that?’ Boy what? LOL, how is that what we going with??

Yeah, he did all the above and more, and got my blood pressure off the roof, so much that, more than once I went, ‘nah, yeah, I literally don’t care about him anymore, he can go hug a tree’. But then he turned around and..

1. Falls in love so deeply, he’s willing to destroy the entire empire to be with Xiaobao and protect him.
2. Gives up his royal title so Xiaobao’s family can be free.
3. Knowingly walk into danger and got poisoned to find a cure for Xiaobao
4. Going back to his sect to get the last flower and rescue Xiaobao’s sister
5. Not giving up on Xiaobao even after he constantly said mean things to get him to leave.
6. Standing up to his crazy arse uncle/dad and going through torture cuz he refused to give up his for love Xiaobao.
7. Agreeing to be Xiaobao’s good wife.

Why, why they out there trying to kill me with tears?? It was so sad listening to Haui’en talking about how he was never loved, although everyone says he looks like his mother. And Xiaobao thinking he must have done something bad for loving him, all because of how he was suffering.

Yes, we can all argue but agree that most of the good things he did was just him undoing the bad things he did, but still, that's growth, that he saw they were bad and he needed to fix them. So, good for him.

This series tested my morals. On one hand, I wanted to hate Haui’en with the passion of the sun. On the other hand, I wanted to do one of those side-ways, I don’t really care, take the blanket if you want things and protect him. But even with that, I will not excuse his behaviour, cuz his own actions brought him most of the pain he got into. If he hadn’t want to control Xiaobao and make himself Xiaobao’s whole world by betraying him, he wouldn’t have had to suffer heartbreak.

Which brings us to poor heartbroken Xiaobao who I want to protect and slap with a rubber chicken at the same time. Cuz really, he picked up a beauty, mind you, he found Huai’en while he was in the middle of slaughtering a whole bunch of assassins. Then he mistook him for a woman, and immediately decided to make him his wife. Literally, he went 'It's Mine' and just ran with it, not caring at all the consequences.

LOL, that concept got me, it was so funny, then homeboy was like ‘Hey, you, why are you a man?’ sksksks, why you think child??

Anyway, yeah, we can argue that his naivety and horny arse brought him all that misfortune, which it did, and he suffered for it. But damn, to still be in love after all that, and end up with him… yeah. But love am I right? The magic logic to solve everything.

Watching Xaiobao hardened his heart and living in pain was so hard to watch. It broke my heart so much to see the smile leave his face. At one point I wanted to put down my wine and hug my tv to console him… but then, you know, wine.

Hearing Xiaobao’s parents joke that he grew up overnight made me weep, cuz we all saw the pain and heartbreak he had to endure for that growth. This drama pulled on my heart. Started off all sweet, Xiaobao mistaking a beautiful murdering dude for his future wife… all warm and fizzy, then bam, sadness overload. And when Haui’en was left dying and he was thinking he didn’t deserve any happiness… water works :((((.

Rationally, I did not want those two to end up together. And when Xiaobao tried to let Huai’en go, I was like good for you, you’re not like those blind leads, you can actually see red flags. But of course, that did not last. That episode when he literally put his life on the line and went up the mountain to warn him, I was like: ‘Child, child, let that man go and go home and find something to eat.’ Obviously he did not listen to me, and almost died, so what do I know? Love, am I right?

I liked Xaiobao’s character, although he went back to his red flag with a big smile, I still liked him. I don’t know, both him and Haui’en were so sad and pitiful that I couldn’t bring myself to fully dislike them for their horrible decisions.

Not gonna lie. I do not hate that they ended up together. They both suffered, and now they both have an understanding of what to do to move forward, which is the growth they both needed. I’m glad they have each other, and they both found their smiles again.

EVERYTHING ELSE
Everyone played their roles well, even that annoying crown prince. every time he showed up, I was like. ‘child, will you keep quiet?’ out there acting like he licks postal stamps in his free time. Also, Haui’en’s whole family tree was crazy, cuz why was this crown prince in love with his cousin??

Su Yin had me in the first half. All caring and there for Xiaobao and his family, only to find out this whole time the mfer was trying to play match-maker! Out there acting like Xiaobao’s main father. At first, I thought he wanted to be more than childhood friends, turns out he wanted Xiaobao to grow up real nice and marry his sister, and have tons of children. HUH??? what? im— like?? Life in that time period was wild! Cuz, no one even raised an eyebrows when he said that.

That being said, I guess I understand Su Yin, yes he came to annoy me when he did things no one asked him to, watching him leave Huai’en to die was brutal. But I understand where he was coming from, wanting the protect Xaiobao, although he did too much at times. So yeah, as it stand, I ended the series feeling Wednesday about his character. I don’t hate him, I don’t love him. He's whatever. meh.

As for the bad father/uncle, so glad he ended up getting his neck separated from his head. Was so happy when Xiaobao said he won't allow Haui'en to visit him. He deserved to die alone with no one after how he treated the woman he loves' child.

SSKSKSK, my reaction was exactly like Xiaobao and Zhaocai’s when Jinbao was like, ‘I like the doctor’ what??? didn’t you like ran away or something to get away from him? Zhaocai was so done with them, lol! My man rolled his eyes so hard he saw the back of his head. Also that doctor was such a vibe, just out there saying whatever the hell he wanted.

PLOT
This had dark themes that they didn't shy away from. Plotwise, the concept was interesting, Xiaobao mistaking a man for a woman, and going whatever, love is love and deciding to court him anyway, got my interest. The royal background, and who is who of the brothers got confusing at times, but all in all, interesting concept. I really enjoyed watching this.

Omg, I was so happy when the guy who gave Xiaobao the poison died. Didn’t suffer enough in my opinion.

Also, we’ve come a long way since Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s long distant ‘subjective’ glances in The Untamed, to finally get a kiss from a Chinese bl, even if it was a collaboration with other countries, I’m still counting it as a win. Now, we wait and pray for 2ha's adaptation.

Anyway, all in all, a good drama that didn’t hold back in it’s dark theme. There’ are some triggers, so anyone who wants to watch it should be warned. I’m looking forward to more future work from the two leads, they had great chemistry. I'll recommend it to all bl lovers.
This is going on the list of my best watch of 2024, along with Unknown, My Stand-In, and Century of Love.