Hey drifters. Due to the lack of time and prioritizing sleep over everything else, I phoned our latest drama-crazed resident, Shimokuren, to lend a hand in writing a quick first impression for Gui Gui‘s ongoing drama, A Different Kind of Pretty Man, currently airing two episodes a week on Sundays. I can’t thank her enough for going through with this crazy plan, even innocently thinking that it was one long episode. Poor Shimo.

Without further ado, let us know your thoughts on the drama! 😀 – Kap

Enjoy the ending themesong: The More People Spend – Dong Dong

Episode 1 & 2 Recap:

We start with Gao Yuanshu (Zhang Han) proposing to Tong Yuchen (Emma Wu/ Gui Gui) on a boat with a small group of close friends watching. Yuanshu professes that in the 7 years they’ve been together, they’ve been through lots of things but his love for her has never changed. Yuchen happily accepts Yuanshu’s proposal and everyone rejoices, but then a speedboat crashes into their boat and the big explosion sends everyone flying into the sea…

Flashback to 12 hours prior: 20:30 last night. Prof. Wu Tianming does some hand-wavy stuff on the awesome touch-screens in his fancy hi-tech Bio pharmaceutical research lab (with walls so blindingly white they put Colgate ads to shame), frowns, then shuts himself in a smaller room and sits down in front of a microscope next to funky chemistry glassware filled with colorful chemicals. He has a heart attack and frantically grabs a bunch of pills to swallow while writhing on the floor, and ominous background music plays as the camera zooms in on his research reports about a drug called “X1”.

Elsewhere, Yuchen is napping on her overtime shift at Channel 7 when Yuanshu rings her.

Back at the lab, Prof. phones Yan Chaochen after recovering briefly and says to meet him tomorrow at the pier for something important.

Scene changes back to Yuanshu telling Yuchen over the phone to dress up prettily and meet him at the pier tomorrow with an excuse that their good friend An Yifei (Zhang Yun Long) desperately wants to photograph them with his new camera. In truth, Yuanshu is planning a surprise proposal and their close friends are all in on it.

Next morning, Yuchen is all dressed up in a pretty red dress and rushes off to meet Yuanshu. Meanwhile, Xiaoqi (Nikii Yi) successfully negotiates a good drama role for He Xiaoqian (Fan Shi Qi) and then they also rush off to the pier.

Then there’s a random car chase between Yan Chaochen (Edwin Gerard) and Yuanshu on their way to the pier. They don’t know each other, but Chaochen’s motorbike splashed some dirt on Yuanshu’s fancy sports car while speeding past, so with rock music blaring and testosterone surging, the guys have a high-speed road-rage fueled drag race on a twisty motorway. Of course there will be cops parked nearby, so Chaochen slows down and Yuanshu cuts in front to speed off, only to be stopped by a rather cranky cop for speeding while Chaochen gives him a thumbs-down and drives away behind the cops.

Xiaoqi and Xiaoqian are driving along the same motorway and stop when they see Yuanshu being booked by cops. Xiaoqian makes fun of Yuanshu (as guy friends often do) but the cranky cop gets annoyed with his antics and decides to check Xiaoqian’s driver’s license. Xiaoqi accidentally left it behind while washing clothes for Xiaoqian, so Xiaoqian’s car gets confiscated and they have to pick it up again tomorrow with his driver’s license.

Now at the pier, Chaochen sees Prof. Wu waiting for him and is about to go meet him when Yuchen runs into him in her haste to meet her friends on the boat. The music slows into a romantic beat and the two strangers have a meaningful stare at each other (Chaochen looks a bit smitten at the pretty girl while Yuchen looks apologetic). Yuchen apologizes and rushes off, leaving her reporter ID behind. Chaochen picks it up and tries to give it back to her but she’d already left.

Yuanshu, Xiaoqi, and Xiaoqian finally arrive at the pier where Yuchen and Yifei are waiting for them on the boat. Nearby, Prof. Wu starts his speedboat and tells Chaochen (who was Prof’s student and also the CEO of Biopharmaceutical that funds Prof’s research) that he cannot continue X1’s research anymore because of the severe and uncontrollable side effects, and that he’d destroyed all the data and prototypes of X1. Chaochen is shocked and devastated.

Then we flick back to Yuanshu’s romantic proposal (the scene we started the episode with). Yuchen says yes and the couple kisses.

Scene changes back to Prof and Chaochen on the boat (GDI why can’t they just finish a scene for once instead of flicking back and forth?!). Chaochen is very upset because he put the majority of his company funds on Prof’s research (motivated by his trust and respect for Prof.), and what Prof did will bankrupt his company. Prof. apologizes and admits that he’d deceived Chaochen, that the drug he’d been researching all this time is actually something totally different to the X1 he promised Chaochen in the beginning. This drug, instead of being the promised cancer drug, is actually something that affects a body’s genes.

Prof. then has a heart attack and the speedboat swerves wildly out of control, throwing Chaochen to the backseat. Chaochen climbs back to the front and tries to help Prof. Wu and get his pills for him, but Prof. didn’t have them anywhere on his person. Chaochen sees the impending crash with Yuanshu’s boat, grabs Prof. Wu, and abandons ship. Yuanshu & co. didn’t have time to escape so the dramatic slow-mo explosion sends shrapnel flying and hurls them all into the water. Xiaoqian gets badly burnt, Yifei has stuff blown in his eyes, and Yuanshu has a piece of boat stabbed through his heart. The coast guard rushes to the scene while dramatic music plays and there’s a dramatic close-up of Yuchen looking worriedly at Yuanshu while holding hands underwater.

Prof. Wu and Yuanshu & co. are quickly rushed to hospital. Chaochen is very distressed waiting outside while doctors madly try to resuscitate Prof. Wu and perform emergency surgery on the injured. Prof. flatlines and is pronounced dead, while Yuanshu’s parents rush to the hospital. Chaochen is crying by Prof’s body and the doctors ask if Prof. signed any organ donation agreement, because Yuanshu & co. desperately need organ transplants if they are to live. Chaochen knows Prof. previously agreed to be an organ donor so he nods and the doctors prepare for transplant surgery. Prof. has same blood type as Yuanshu so Yuanshu can receive his heart. Yifei receives Prof.’s corneas and Xiaoqian is too extensively burnt for autograft, so the doctors take a risk and try an allograft.

Back home, Chaochen is looking sadly at a photograph of Prof. Wu and a little girl when he gets a call from Li Yi (Prof’s student, actress: Tiffany Lu), asking why Prof. hasn’t come to the lab yet today. Chaochen tearfully explains that Prof. Wu died in an accident and his body is undergoing organ transplant surgery because there are several seriously injured people in the boat crash that need his organs. Li Yi is devastated at Prof’s death but frantically tells Chaochen that they mustn’t let Prof.’s organs be transplanted. She rushes to the hospital and Chaochen meets her there, where she explains that Prof. had been testing X1 on himself all this time, and had meant to revoke his organ donation agreement because of the severe side effects, but just didn’t have time to do it yet. If his organs are transplanted into other people, it’d be the same as those people having taken X1 themselves.

Li Yi wants to expose X1’s failure and stop the transplant surgery, but Chaochen stops her, saying that if she did that his company would go bankrupt. Li Yi angrily asks if he’s prepared to make innocent people (Yuanshu & co.) suffer X1’s side effects, but Chaochen tells her that if they stop the transplantation, those innocent people wouldn’t live to see tomorrow. Li Yi and Chaochen have no choice but to hope that those people would be OK. Li Yi decides to keep an eye out for Yuanshu from now on.

Yuchen wakes from a nightmare at her hospital bed. She only suffered minor injuries (minor burns) but is mad with worry for Yuanshu. Her mom takes her to the surgical theater where the nurse comes out and announces that Yuanshu’s surgery was successful. Yuanshu’s mom then harasses Yuchen and blames everything on her (because Yuanshu’s mom is a classist bitch who hated Yuchen from the beginning; Yuchen and her mom are working class who work hard to earn a living, unlike the rich upper-class that Yuanshu’s family is). The others’ surgeries are also successful.

Chaochen is having nightmares about the accident, except he dreams that he had an unconscious Yuchen in his arms instead of Prof. Wu. He wakes up, has a glass of wine to calm his nerves, and stares thoughtfully at Yuchen’s ID, apologizing to her.

Yuchen stays tearfully by Yuanshu’s bedside, waiting for him to wake up, and kisses his forehead, only to be flung back by an energy wave. The machines wail and Yuanshu flatlines, and doctors and nurses rush in. Yuanshu’s parents also rush in and Yuanshu’s mom blames everything on Yuchen again. The medics get Yuanshu’s parents and Yuchen out while they try to resuscitate Yuanshu, only to be flung back by another energy wave. Yuanshu’s heart restarts and he’s breathing, much to the doctor’s astonishment.

The doctor goes outside to speak to Yuanshu’s parents and Yuchen. Yuanshu’s mom pushes Yuchen away (FFS Yuchen is a patient too, so stop physically shoving her at every chance, you bitch). Yuchen’s mom catches her and the doctor says that Yuanshu is fine – it’s only the nurses who got injured. Yuanshu’s mom then yells at Yuchen again and Yuchen’s mom tries to stop her. Yuanshu’s mom shoves Yuchen again, tells her to get back to her own ward and not to come see Yuanshu, and threatens both Yuchen and her mom, before going into Yuanshu’s room. Yuchen wants to go in too but her mom stops her.

Left with no choice, Yuchen goes to visit Yifei, whose eyes are bandaged. His surgery was successful but his eyes need some time to fully recover. Yifei is worried about the others but Yuchen assures him that she only received minor injuries and Xiaoqi was relatively uninjured. She is now taking care of Xiaoqian, who was badly burnt but received a skin graft and is recovering well. Yuanshu was the most seriously injured of the group and received a heart transplant. Yifei’s dad died last year and his mom is in the U.S., and he doesn’t want to worry her so he asks Yuchen to keep quiet about his condition for the time being.

One of the American investors sends a representative (Ye Jiangfan) to check up on the progress of X1. Ye Jiangfan says they’re concerned that reports on X1’s progress seem to have stalled, but Chaochen assures him that it’s because they need to do some clinical testing which takes time. Chaochen explains that unlike current drugs on the market, X1 doesn’t just boost immunity but can actually repair a damaged immune system. Jiangfan says that’s all well and good, but reminds Chaochen that he only has half a year to produce a successful X1 before the American investor will cut off his funding.

Yuchen’s injuries are healing well and she’s good to be released from hospital, but she doesn’t really want to leave because of Yuanshu. Meanwhile, in Yuanshu’s room, Yuanshu’s mom is concerned that Yuanshu hasn’t woken up yet. Yuchen comes to visit Yuanshu and his mom gives her a hard time again, blaming her for the accident and saying that she shouldn’t have made Yuanshu go out to sea. Yuchen explains that it was Yuanshu’s idea to go out to sea, and his mom starts abusing her and accuses her of casting the blame on Yuanshu. Yuchen replies that she knows Yuanshu’s mom never liked her, but that doesn’t mean she can just blame her for everything. Yuanshu’s mom chucks a fit and yells at Yuchen to leave but Yuchen refuses because she loves Yuanshu and will stay with him no matter what. Yuanshu’s father tries to calm Yuanshu’s mom down and says that they shouldn’t blame Yuchen for the accident, and Yuanshu’s mom goes nuts, yelling and shoving Yuchen around, trying to physically push her out of the room. In the ruckus, objects in the rooms start vibrating and Yuchen protects Yuanshu with her own body from the saline stand that was about to fall on him. Yuchen winces with pain but then turns to see Yuanshu awake and looking at her.

Doctor comes in to check on Yuanshu and he’s fine. Yuanshu remembers the boating accident and is concerned about Yuchen, but his mom brushes Yuchen off and says Yuchen’s fine enough to leave the hospital. Yuchen grabs Yuanshu’s hand and says she’ll stay with him, which enrages Yuanshu’s mom, but his dad steers her away and tells Yuanshu to rest well.

Yuchen then tells Yuanshu that he was in a coma for 3 days and 3 nights and worried her to death, but Yuanshu just smiles and says he’s glad that she’s OK.

Elsewhere in a hospital corridor, Yifei is sitting with bandaged eyes and Ye Jiangfan comes to visit him. Yifei thought it was Yuchen until Jiangfan teases him for still holding a torch for her even though she’s about to marry Yuanshu. It turns out that Jiangfan is Yifei’s friend and his company sent him back from the U.S. to work here instead. Jiangfan tried to contact Yifei & co. after he took care of business, but then found out about the accident which is why he’s here now. Jiangfan asks if Yifei’s eyes will affect his piano playing, but Yifei answers that the doctors said his surgery was successful and after a month his eyes should be OK.

One month later, the doctor unravels the bandages around Yifei’s eyes. Yifei’s friends are all there while his eyes slowly open. They ask if he can see anything, but he says no and shakes his head. The doctor waves his hand in front of Yifei’s eyes but there was no response, and Yifei’s friends are teary-eyed (the guys) and crying (the girls). Yifei then smiles, says “Just kidding!”, and tries to run away. The guys catch him and start play-punching him for messing with them.

(He’s just so cute. – Kap)

Yuanshu, Yifei, Jiangfan, Yuchen, Xiaoqi, and Xiaoqian are sitting by a swimming pool, feeling lucky that they recovered from such serious injuries with no lasting disabilities and thankful to the person who donated his organs to them. Because of patient confidentiality they don’t know who their donor was, but they wish they knew so they could thank the generous person who gave them a second chance at life.

Yuanshu returns home with Yuchen. Yuanshu’s dad greets them and Yuanshu’s mom just sniffs and turns her head away. Yuanshu’s dad kindly tells Yuchen to help Yuanshu go upstairs to his room. Yuchen tells Yuanshu she wants to spend more time with him after the accident made her realize what was truly important, and the two kiss. Once again Yuanshu’s ability to affect magnetic fields causes objects to vibrate, and an alarm clock crashes to the floor. Yuanshu’s mom comes up to the room and tries to insinuate that he and Yuchen were doing something unseemly, but Yuanshu says they weren’t doing anything and tells her not to make a fuss about an alarm clock. Yuanshu’s mom says that Yuanshu should be resting and hints that Yuchen should leave. Yuchen takes the hint and excuses herself, but Yuanshu asks when she will come back to visit him again. His mom makes displeased faces and Yuchen awkwardly says that she won’t be visiting for the time being so that he can get more rest.

Yuchen returns home (I think her mom owns a café and that’s where she and Yuchen live too) and chats with her mom. Her mom asks about her and Yuanshu, and Yuchen tells her that his mom hates her no matter what she does. Yuchen’s mom is concerned but Yuchen is optimistic because after marrying they’ll be living away from the parents.

Elsewhere, Yifei is practicing piano in an auditorium. He is plagued by flashes of the accident as well as visions of paintings in a shop and a lady in white running along an alleyway with flower pots and houses on either side. Yifei feels disturbed and runs out along the streets, and keeps running till he collapses on a bench. He looks around him and sees the shop with the paintings. He walks in and the scenario is just like his vision.

Xiaoqi and Xiaoqian see Yifei walking into the shop and try to scare him, but Yifei doesn’t react and instead asks what they’re doing in the shop. Xiaoqian says that because of his injuries, he can’t take on any drama roles so he and Xiaoqi are bored and just hanging around. Xiaoqian tries to convince Yifei to hang out with them and Jiangfan and perhaps play some basketball, but Yifei declines and continues to browse the paintings.

Back at his mansion, Yuanshu tries to turn out the lights to sleep, but just touching the light switch shorts out all the lights in the mansion. Yuanshu is puzzled but just goes to sleep.

Next day, the guys (minus Yuanshu) are playing basketball while Xiaoqi takes pictures. Jiangfan remarks that Yifei’s eyes have recovered well, since he can shoot hoops with no problems.

Elsewhere, Yuanshu and Yuchen are hanging out at his mansion while his servants replace all the light bulbs. Yuchen wonders how all the bulbs could go out like that but Yuanshu reckons it’s probably because the light bulbs’ quality is declining. They sit down and chat, but Yuanshu’s heart suddenly starts beating fast and he says he can feel they’re being watched. Alarmed, Yuchen gets up and has a look around, but sees nothing. She helps Yuanshu inside to rest. The camera then reveals Li Yi, dressed and hooded in white, hidden behind a stone banister and watching Yuanshu.

Yifei & co. are walking around after shooting hoops. Xiaoqi suggests getting Yuchen to join them but the friends realize that she must be staying with Yuanshu again, which doesn’t surprise them since they’re engaged. Yifei remarks that Yuanshu and Yuchen may not be able to marry but the friends tease him for just saying that because he still has feelings for Yuchen. Yifei clarifies that yes, he did have feelings for Yuchen, but they were in the past and ever since she and Yuanshu got together, he thinks nothing except for wishing them well. Yifei then has flashes of a vision and he rushes off, saying he’s got something to do. The friends are baffled by his odd behavior.

Discordant piano music plays while Yifei stocks up on art supplies, feeling an urge to paint out his visions. Elsewhere, Yuanshu tells his parents that he wants to go back to work because he’s feeling bored and restless just sitting at home doing nothing. His mom refuses and wants him to rest more, but Yuanshu convinces his dad to let him return to work. He assures his mom that he’ll take it easy and that he can take care of himself, but thanks her for being so concerned about him. Yuanshu then goes off (in a flashy red Ferrari O_O) to pick Yuchen up from work.

Yuchen chides Yuanshu for coming to pick her up instead of resting, but Yuanshu tells her it’s because he’s in a good mood and so wants to see her. His parents have finally agreed to let him return to work, but Yuchen is worried if his health can handle the stresses of work. He assures her that he’ll be fine, but then his heart starts beating rapidly again and he feels that same sense of being watched like he did earlier in the day. Yuanshu and Yuchen see Li Yi watching them from behind a tree in the rearview mirror. Yuchen runs after the fleeing Li Yi, but eventually loses her in the crowd. Yuchen believes that Yuanshu is correct that they are being watched, but is puzzled by how he could sense it when he never used to be so sensitive to their surroundings before.

Li Yi returns home, where Chaochen has been waiting for her. They’ve known each other for so long now, so it’s obvious that she’s hiding something from him. Li Yi reveals that she’s been stalking Yuanshu because she’s concerned about X1’s side effects, but Chaochen points out that there were others who received Prof. Wu’s organs, so why does she only stalk Yuanshu? Could it be that she’s interested in him? Li Yi denies it and says she’s only interested for science, and that if there were to be side effects, the one who received the heart would be more obvious. Chaochen doesn’t believe her because he’s well-versed in psychology, but Li Yi gets mad and demands to know why he’s come to look for her, and Chaochen only says that he needs her help.

Yuanshu drives Yuchen home, where they are warmly greeted by Yuchen’s mom. They help her put some chairs away and Yuanshu goes to turn off the lights, only for the light bulbs in the café sign to blow out once again. Yuchen’s mom assures Yuanshu that it’s nothing and she’ll get the electrician to fix them tomorrow, but Yuanshu feels suspicious (about himself) and tries to send some energy waves with his hand at a nearby streetlight. He tries a few times but nothing happens, so he just laughs it off and bids Yuchen and her mom good night. He drives off and a moment later, the streetlight goes out.

Meanwhile, Yifei has set up a studio at his place and is frenetically painting the scenes from his visions, including the scene of the mysterious lady in white (Li Yi in her white getup).

Back at Li Yi’s place, Chaochen tells Li Yi that Prof. Wu told him that X1 isn’t a drug that boosts immunity, but a drug that alters a person’s genes. He asks if Li Yi knows of what Prof. Wu speaks, but Li Yi says it’s impossible that something like that exists. Chaochen then deduces that Prof. was either lying to them or getting confused in his old age. Li Yi is sure that Prof. wouldn’t lie, but then Chaochen asks if it’s true that all the X1 data and prototypes were destroyed. Li Yi confirms this, and Chaochen is distressed that his trust and respect in Prof. all these years will cause his downfall, but then Li Yi reveals that she secretly kept copies of Prof’s lab notes because she felt that he was hiding something from her while conducting the X1 experiments. Chaochen is overjoyed and praises her, saying that from now on his future is in her hands and she’ll be in charge of all the research labs.

Next day, Yuchen is feeling odd about recent events, and talks with Xiaoqi, who accidentally reveals that the other day, Yifei foretold that Yuanshu and Yuchen may not end up marrying. Yuchen wants to know why but Xiaoqi says it’s probably because Yifei still has feelings for Yuchen. Yuchen actually knows about Yifei’s feelings for her, but just pretends that she doesn’t because she doesn’t want it to affect their friendship. Xiaoqi also knows this, which is why she told Yifei that Yuchen doesn’t know about his feelings, but then says that Yifei genuinely seemed to have some foreboding feeling about Yuanshu and Yuchen’s impending marriage (rather than just saying that because of his feelings for Yuchen). Yuchen demands to know the truth about Yifei’s foreboding feeling and so goes off to ask him about it.

Yuchen finds Yifei at his studio and is surprised that he’s taken up painting. She confides that lately she’s feeling unsettled because a lady in white has been watching her and Yuanshu. Even stranger is the fact that Yuanshu can sense her presence. Yifei then shows her his finished painting of Yuanshu crouching down while the lady in white tends to him. Yuchen is shocked because this is the same lady she was chasing that night. Yifei says that he’s never seen her before, but lately he’s been having flashes of visions, and although he’d never learned painting before, whenever he sees those visions, all he needs to do is pick up a brush or a pen and then he’d have an uncontrollable urge (and skill) to paint or draw the scenes in his visions.

Next day, Yuanshu’s parents are hosting an expensive high-class party. Yuanshu’s mom drags him away to greet some uncles and Yuchen waits for Yuanshu, who assures her that he’ll come back ASAP. Some random sleaze starts harassing Yuchen and tries to drag her away with him. Yuanshu sees Yuchen struggling to get the sleazy guy’s hands off her and calling for help. (What sad state has society come to, when in the middle of a crowded room NOBODY tries to help a distressed young woman who is calling for help and struggling to get away from a pervert who is trying to drag her away with him?) Yuanshu is pissed and his heart starts beating quickly, and glass explodes everywhere. He marches up to the sleaze and tells him to unhand Yuchen, and when the sleaze doesn’t, Yuanshu touches him and the sleaze goes flying, pushed by a mysterious energy wave. Everyone is shocked and Yuchen tries to grab Yuanshu’s arm, only to be thrown back by another wave of energy. Yuchen tells Yuanshu that he must go back to the hospital to get checked up.

Yuanshu gets checked up but they find nothing wrong with him. Yuchen feels more and more disturbed by the strange events, and says that not only is Yuanshu becoming strange, Yifei is also acting oddly. Li Yi secretly follows them.

Yuanshu and Yuchen visit Yifei at his studio and Yuanshu sees Yifei’s painting. Yuanshu is wearing the same outfit he’s wearing in the painting, but he only bought the outfit recently and Yifei hadn’t seen it yet, so how could he have painted it? Yuanshu demands answers, but Yifei has none.

Yuanshu, Yifei, and Yuchen then take a walk outside along a street. Li Yi is following them but a biker accidentally bumps into her, causing her scarf to fly up. Yuanshu & co., hearing the noise, turn around and the four people see each other face to face for the first time. They all recognize her immediately as the lady in the painting. Li Yi flees but Yuanshu chases her, followed by Yuchen and Yifei. They run and run, and eventually reach the alleyway of Yifei’s visions. Yuanshu’s heart starts beating faster with his running, and surrounding loose objects and scrap metal fly up and follow Yuanshu and Li Yi. The objects rush at Li Yi, who suddenly stops, turns around, and stops them from attacking her with her own magnetic field manipulation powers, freezing all the objects in midair. Yuanshu and Li Yi stare dramatically at each other, and the objects fall to the ground.

Yuanshu demands to know who she is and what she’s after. Li Yi tries to approach him but he warns her to back off. He’s starting to get worked up and his heart is beating faster, and Li Yi tells him to calm down while objects start to fly up again. She smashes the objects away with her powers and tells Yuanshu not to chase her anymore. She’s about to walk off when Yuanshu’s chest pain brings him to his knees. Worried, Li Yi tries to see if Yuanshu is all right. Yifei and Yuchen finally catch up to them, and the scene is exactly like Yifei’s painting – Li Yi tending to a crouching Yuanshu with a bust water main spewing water and broken objects lying everywhere on the ground.

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Shimokuren: Pretty interesting start so far, although the true nature of X1 and the main characters’ powers remain unclear. Yifei’s powers remind me a lot of Isaac from Heroes – an artist who paints scenes from prophetic visions. Yuanshu’s powers are probably similar to Magneto’s from X-Men. Li Yi seems to have some sort of magnetic force-field powers similar to Yuanshu’s? Nothing about Chaochen, Xiaoqian, Jiangfan, or Yuchen having powers yet…

Yuanshu and Yuchen are a loving couple but I’m not feeling much onscreen chemistry between them. It feels like they’re just acting out what’s on the script instead of actually becoming their characters, but of course this may change in later episodes.

I like how warm and kind Yuchen’s mom is. It’s a nice contrast to Yuanshu’s mom who loves her son but is an unreasonable and manipulative classist bitch (to non-upper-class people). TBH I was gonna skip the scenes with Yuanshu’s mom in it because she really pisses me off with the way she bullies Yuchen (and Yuchen’s mom). OK I get that you don’t like Yuchen, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to verbally put her down at every opportunity and physically shove her around, especially when she was still injured. At least try to be civil like Yuanshu’s father, yeah?

That car chase scene was random but a fun distraction (although Chaochen ended up being a lot cooler than Yuanshu). Chaochen and Li Yi are probably the main antagonists, but I find them more interesting (and badass) than F4 + Yuchen. F4 + Yuchen are pretty and all, but so far there’s nothing that really draws my attention (except for Yifei whose mix of playfulness and seriousness is quite endearing), unlike Chaochen and Li Yi who have a more magnetic presence (no pun intended). It seems that Chaochen’s digging a hole for himself with all the cover-ups and dodgy activities, but how will his fascination with Yuchen play into all of this? How did Li Yi get her powers and what will become of her fascination with Yuanshu? What about Yifei’s feelings for Yuchen and what’s with his bad feeling about her impending marriage with Yuanshu? It should be interesting to see how X1 will affect the lives of our main characters as the story unfolds.