Damn

me when i hear cheng lei

on my knees rn

the tension is palpable, the acting incredible, the directing tight, the costumes lush, the sets immaculate

this is Cinema™

adopted bro is unhinged, goading his political rival into killing him

the politician, usually grinning, simpering, and bribing his way to victory, is uncharacteristically grim and more than happy to oblige him

meanwhile, cheng ao is cool as a cucumber, calling his bluff to protect his lil bro

YESSSSSSSSS this is the moment i knew this was going to be a hilariously campy ride 😂

~dark romance~ baby girl

#cdrama #chenglei #shadowlove

I see cheng lei, I click

two beautiful character arcs entwining as star-crossed lovers

and in the end, they choose to shed their identities as general li and prince annan, respectively, and live a simple life on their own terms

together ❤️

romance-writing at it's finest... just don't think abt the plot too hard 😆

so it feels earned that after being so physically tough for her whole life, we see that it's when she's heartbroken, beaten down, and the softest/girliest we've ever seen her, that she's also the toughest and more mentally resilient she's ever been, running circles around DAD

similarly, li shuang's arc of being the historical version of the perfect strong career woman, and then gradually letting herself be flawed (esp with her lil bro), and a little girly feels relatable

seeing her finally be selfish and accept that her dad's love was without strings was incredible

so it's fitting that once all of his jin'an memories return, DAD chooses to shed all of his royal, violent trappings and follow his heart

we see it also in DAD's undying love and loyalty for his older brother, the emperor.

DAD's diva antics were also foreshadowed with jin'an's high food and clothing standards and the fact that DAD invaded lucheng bc he was impressed by those yummy grapes 😂

meanwhile, jin'an is DAD's soft center, his true self beneath that protective exterior. we see it in the way he sneaks honey into li shuang's medicine and makes sure she eats, in the way he plays the qin and sneaks her candy and falls through the roof for her (LMAO)

this show's strength is in the character arcs and relationships

i love what they did with jin'an/duan aodeng. in hindsight, jin'an and the man in black are just different sides of duan aodeng. man in black is the protective, ruthless, hyperviolent shell that DAD developed from growing up as a royal

and one last excellent kiss for good measure. god, fanservice is so good when I'M the one being personally serviced 😂