[Mainland Chinese Drama 2019] Gank Your Heart 陪你到世界之巅

[owlstar]

 

10 hours ago, raziela said:

LMAO! I love Shu Wen. She is such a boss!

 

Love her too!  She's assertive without being annoyingly brash/loud like some of these types of characters can be.  She and Sun Ge complement each other perfectly.  I absolutely love the two of them together!  

 

7 hours ago, themarchioness said:

There was a head pat too!   

 

@lynne22 and I were just discussing the other day how these characters have become so real to us that we can't help but think of them as part of our worlds and want the best for them, even if we're really just imagining what their lives would be like beyond the drama. 

 

Haha.  Somehow I can still see them head-patting and fist-bumping even when they're old and gray.  

 

7 hours ago, themarchioness said:

I thought Story #9 would be my last, but what an uneven number to end on...

 

I'm taking that as a teaser for story #10!  

[skibbies]

This is only very tangently related, but ahhhhhh. I mentioned awhile ago there's a chinese team named fpx (fun plus phoenix) who pulled off swapping mid and jungle in august so it feels like the drama is playing live (a lot of lol players were snarking how unrealistic it was when drama first aired in may? june? , granted fpx was sure in for afterseason due to ranking so it could be bit more playful style but still!) . The book was published in 2017, the team was created the same year so it's a very new team and faced lot of skepticsm and criticisms. But they won China's LPL in summer, and just won world champions! It was 3-1 and 3-0 respectively in both book and rl match! fpx is actually fun to watch since they really like fighting haahahha. 

[themarchioness]

6 minutes ago, skibbies said:

the team was created the same year so it's a very new team and faced lot of skepticsm and criticisms.

 

That sounds very familiar...  Congrats to FPX!  

[themarchioness]

12 hours ago, owlstar said:

Haha.  Somehow I can still see them head-patting and fist-bumping even when they're old and gray.  

 

With their kids rolling their eyes at them (and their grandkids clapping their hands) each time. 

 

12 hours ago, owlstar said:

I'm taking that as a teaser for story #10!  

 

You may... but be careful what you wish for.   

 

 

@skibbies thank you for sharing the FMV for "You're My Glory," I finally had a chance to watch it and it was cute (and really well made)!!  Made me wish that was a real teaser for an drama based on that web novel! 

 

[raziela]

On 11/10/2019 at 6:08 AM, themarchioness said:

She is my hero!  And that is why I felt strongly she and Sun Ge they must have a daughter so that she can one day grow up to be like her mother.   

 

I love your line of thinking  That's what i was thinking too: that I was so glad they had a girl to continue her mother's awesomeness!

 

On 11/10/2019 at 6:08 AM, themarchioness said:

and I were just discussing the other day how these characters have become so real to us that we can't help but think of them as part of our worlds and want the best for them, even if we're really just imagining what their lives would be like beyond the drama.  Maybe it's delusional, but I prefer to think of it as harmless fun.    In any event, what I'm trying to say is, I totally get both your sentiments -- we did watch QY grow and develop throughout the drama, so it's only natural that we would hope for her career to continue trending upwards even once the drama ended.   

 

I thought Story #9 would be my last, but what an uneven number to end on...

Totally agree!  The characters are really the strength of this drama. I really value that they gave the female lead's career growth and progression.  I have seen too many dramas where the woman's career becomes almost non-existent in the plot as soon as the love interest comes along.

 

23 hours ago, owlstar said:

Love her too!  She's assertive without being annoyingly brash/loud like some of these types of characters can be.  She and Sun Ge complement each other perfectly.  I absolutely love the two of them together!  

 

I so agree with this.  Many dramas equate assertive with being loud and brash and, frankly, annoying or they just make them ice cold witches.  I love that Shu Wen is cool, calm, capable but also warm, sensible and funny.  She is well-developed and rounded character eand, yes, I LOVE her with Sun Ge.

 

19 hours ago, skibbies said:

This is only very tangently related, but ahhhhhh. I mentioned awhile ago there's a chinese team named fpx (fun plus phoenix) who pulled off swapping mid and jungle in august so it feels like the drama is playing live (a lot of lol players were snarking how unrealistic it was when drama first aired in may? june? , granted fpx was sure in for afterseason due to ranking so it could be bit more playful style but still!) . The book was published in 2017, the team was created the same year so it's a very new team and faced lot of skepticsm and criticisms. But they won China's LPL in summer, and just won world champions! It was 3-1 and 3-0 respectively in both book and rl match! fpx is actually fun to watch since they really like fighting haahahha. 

So the author was very forward thinking with her tactics and turns out it's very plausible in real gaming? That is cool! 

[skibbies]

On 11/7/2019 at 10:05 PM, owlstar said:

@skibbies Wow thanks for explaining about the web novel system, this kind of insight is hard to come by since I can barely read Chinese.  Tbh most of my reading is done on devices just because of convenience/ease of access, but I still love bookstores and physical books so I hope those won't go away any time soon.

 

On 11/8/2019 at 5:05 AM, raziela said:

Thanks so much for explaining all of this.  I know nothing about how Chinese webnovels work so this was eye opening!  That is sad about the decline in non-web novel fiction and I can only imagine the negative effect it must be having on book shops.

Glad my webnovel reading and offhand trivia knowledge is interesting and insightful  I've gotten used to reading on my smartphone, and Chinese is well suited for it, English not so much though, I use kindle for that (when I remember I have a kindle). I think most people that consume web novel aren't necessarily big serious fiction reader either, they might read young adult/chick lit/airport reads but not much else. For book stores, I think a lot of people actually use it for buying all kinds of academic related materials. Come to think of it, I think the convenience of online shopping have far more effects on physical stores.

 

On 11/11/2019 at 12:49 AM, themarchioness said:

That sounds very familiar...  Congrats to FPX!  

Ahh, I looked further into the team, I believe none expect one have been to international competition. All of them had to go through a lot to end up where they are (though that's common in the esport world I suppose). Their mid laner doinb who's also their strategist was actually on the verge on retirement, but his wife encouraged him to try for one more year so he did. He thanked her on stage, she was at every major competition and always leading what little fans they have to cheer for the team. She briefly participated in Dungeons and FIghter (mmo, the one that King's Avatar is partially based on) competitions, though I can't tell if they are pro or amateur ones, then she became a DNF commentator and host, later she was briefly a LOL host I think? Anyways, reportedly she phased out of that after she got together with doinb, so she's now a vlogger/streamer and do a lot of things related to doinb. 

 

So, everyone is calling this drama/writer a prophet XD The official FPX account actually interacted with the drama account back when they won LPL in august, also made a joke video when they swapped mid and jungling, Umi (doinb's wife) actually showed up and said she's the female protag XD Because of all these conincidences, the drama trended again after FPX won, and I actually saw a few five star ratings on douban due to the whole prophet thing which is hilarious and pretty nice.

 

On 11/11/2019 at 10:06 AM, themarchioness said:

@skibbies thank you for sharing the FMV for "You're My Glory," I finally had a chance to watch it and it was cute (and really well made)!!  Made me wish that was a real teaser for an drama based on that web novel! 

IKR! They fit surprisingly well, people who make MVs on bilibili are crazy good.

 

On 11/11/2019 at 11:06 PM, raziela said:

So the author was very forward thinking with her tactics and turns out it's very plausible in real gaming? That is cool! 

There have been players who swapped before, like mid with top laner. Mid and Jungling is far riskier and more implausible since they perform very different roles in the game. All players know how to play different position, but they aren't necessarily pro-level at it, and they pulled out the tactic in World Championship, can't remember if it was just finals mhm. I found it reasonably plausible since Pei Xi is genius at learning and he was the best Mid before, it's more XIa Ling that's bit tricky. Anyways, I do think the author plays or at least watch some MoBA games, and did fair amount of research. Even the outrageous dynamite stick trick have a real life basis in a DoTA game from 2016. She also did mention in the book afterwords that certain characters/instances have real life base.

[themarchioness]

10 hours ago, skibbies said:

So, everyone is calling this drama/writer a prophet XD The official FPX account actually interacted with the drama account back when they won LPL in august, also made a joke video when they swapped mid and jungling, Umi (doinb's wife) actually showed up and said she's the female protag XD Because of all these conincidences, the drama trended again after FPX won, and I actually saw a few five star ratings on douban due to the whole prophet thing which is hilarious and pretty nice.

 

Oh, I remember those interactions that you mentioned!  I just didn't know how relatable FPX's experience was to the GYH experience.  Haha.  That's both sweet and awesome.  And very cool that GYH has been trending because of it as well.  

 

Thanks for sharing this information with us!

[raziela]

19 hours ago, skibbies said:

Ahh, I looked further into the team, I believe none expect one have been to international competition. All of them had to go through a lot to end up where they are (though that's common in the esport world I suppose). Their mid laner doinb who's also their strategist was actually on the verge on retirement, but his wife encouraged him to try for one more year so he did. He thanked her on stage, she was at every major competition and always leading what little fans they have to cheer for the team. She was briefly participated in Dungeons and FIghter (mmo, the one that King's Avatar is partially based on) competitions, though I can't tell if they are pro or amateur ones, then she became a DNF commentator and host, later she was briefly a LOL host I think? Anyways, reportedly she phased out of that after she got together with doinb, so she's now a vlogger/streamer and do a lot of things related to doinb. 

 

So, everyone is calling this drama/writer a prophet XD The official FPX account actually interacted with the drama account back when they won LPL in august, also made a joke video when they swapped mid and jungling, Umi (doinb's wife) actually showed up and said she's the female protag XD Because of all these conincidences, the drama trended again after FPX won, and I actually saw a few five star ratings on douban due to the whole prophet thing which is hilarious and pretty nice.

Thanks for sharing!  Glad it's had a positive effect on the drama rating.  Does the drama have a  good rating on douban?

The story of doinb and his wife is super sweet. It would make a good drama too!

 

19 hours ago, skibbies said:

I found it reasonably plausible since Pei Xi is genius at learning and he was the best Mid before, it's more XIa Ling that's bit tricky.

Speaking of Xia Ling, I always wish the drama had introduced his interest in e-sports earlier in the storyline-even if it was just something minor like seeing him playing a few games or talking about it with friends.  We only see him playing after his injury and it seemed unrealistic that he is  suddenly revealed as some kind of hidden rookie genius player.

[themarchioness]

This is hilariously awesome.  It's an "interview" of Ji Xiang Kong by Wang Yibo.  LOL.  Although I'm pretty sure Yibo broke down the fourth wall and answered the interview questions as himself.  Hahaha. 

 

I looked but could not find where anyone had translated the video so I took a stab at it myself.  But, as you all know, I have no talent for video editing, etc., so you get the translations in recap format (see under the cut). 

 

Interview Translation

Spoiler

 

Wang Yibo: Hello everybody, I am a special host for Mango TV, Wang Yibo.  The honored guest for today’s interview is Ji Xiang Kong.

 

Ji Xiang Kong: Hello Mango TV friends, I am Ji Xiang Kong.

 

Wang Yibo: Ji Xiang Kong, hello.  I would like to ask you.  [To be honest, I don’t really know how to translate this first question.  I think he asks him something along the lines of how he feels when negative rumors are spread, dragging the team down.]

 

Ji Xiang Kong: They can say whatever they’d like.

 

Wang Yibo: O, very cool.  [O = an interjection expressing a sound of realization]. 

 

Wang Yibo: After C God retired [I’m assuming they’re referring to Gu Fang], you became the substitute team captain.  What was the biggest change that you experienced as a result of this change in your status? 

 

Ji Xiang Kong: Mmm… [thinking] I had to lead my team towards achieving even better results and that gave me an even greater sense of responsibility. 

 

Wang Yibo: Now, apart from how you perform on the competition stage, the online netizens are also very curious about your love life.  Your fans would like to ask you: what kind of a person would be able to be Ji Xiang Kong’s girlfriend?

 

Ji Xiang Kong: The person who I fall in love with will be the person who becomes my girlfriend.

 

Wang Yibo: Wow, very shuai!  [Shuai, literally, means handsome/good-looking.  Used colloquially in this context, however, it’s more like Yibo is describing Xiang Kong as “cool.”  In the U.S., it’d be equivalent to someone responding with, “Nice,” or “Smooth.”]

 

Wang Yibo: Also, the online netizens say that Ji Xiang Kong really is too good-looking.  No matter if it’s his expressions or what we just love him very much.  May I ask: what can we do to become a member of your team?  Would doing odd jobs work?  [From here to the end, it sounds like Yibo is reading questions from the fans to Xiang Kong.]

 

Ji Xiang Kong: If you have ability and attractiveness, that’ll be enough.

 

Wang Yibo: Oh, then your requirements are very high.  They need to have attractiveness and ability.  [It’s worth noting that Yibo starts the second sentence with, “Ji yao.”  “Yao” means wants/needs.  As for “ji,” there’s no good way to translate it directly, but basically, when you add it in front of “yao,” in this context, the sentence takes on the tone of Xiang Kong wanting to have his cake and eat it too. 

 

Wang Yibo: May I ask, Ji Shuai, you have so many fans loving you and supporting you.  Who is your idol? [The “shuai” in this sentence is the same character as the one mentioned above for handsome/good-looking, but “shuai” has an alternative meaning of commander.  When you add a surname in front of “shuai,” it becomes a form of address, and one that is commonly used in the esports world to respectfully address top players.]

 

Ji Xiang Kong: My own idol is C God. 

 

Wang Yibo: Mm [sound of agreement], after all, C God was the person who brought you into the competitive stage in the beginning.  He was your advisor.

 

Wang Yibo: Okay.  Ji Xiang Kong, hello, I am Lin Yi Xuan’s fan.  As his big brother, do you think there will be a day when he surpasses you?

 

Ji Xiang Kong: If you’re talking about him . . . [thinks about it] . . .it’s probably possible.  After all I’m a hand klutz.

 

Wang Yibo: [chuckles] Okay, returning to the main topic.  Do you have confidence in leading your team to standing on the top of the world?

 

Ji Xiang Kong: Yes.

 

Wang Yibo: That’s it?  [No response.]  Cool.  [To clarify, when he uses “cool” here, he’s calling Xiang Kong, “Cool,” for his direct and forthright answer.  He’s not saying “cool” as in “okay, we can move on now.”]

 

Wang Yibo: Okay, last question.  Would you please say something to the fans who have always been standing in front of the camera and supporting you? 

 

Ji Xiang Kong: Thank you all for supporting me.  I will continue to work hard. 

 

Wang Yibo: Okay, thank you.

 

[skibbies]

Yeah C God should be Gu Fang, his ID name in the book is Cris, and he's generally referred by his ID.

 

On 11/13/2019 at 11:04 AM, raziela said:

Thanks for sharing!  Glad it's had a positive effect on the drama rating.  Does the drama have a  good rating on douban?

The story of doinb and his wife is super sweet. It would make a good drama too!

 

Speaking of Xia Ling, I always wish the drama had introduced his interest in e-sports earlier in the storyline-even if it was just something minor like seeing him playing a few games or talking about it with friends.  We only see him playing after his injury and it seemed unrealistic that he is  suddenly revealed as some kind of hidden rookie genius player.

It's decent? It's 7.3 now, it sort of fluctated between 7.2 and 7.0 from summer till now (when I first remember the drama), I look at dramas if they are above 7+ so that's how I remembered. (6+ would work for fluff dramas tbh, Love O2O is 6.7 I don't generally watch a lot of pure fluff dramas though) There weren't that many people rating it but a game/esport streamer? video content maker? made a video snarking on the drama around June or July so there were influx of bad ratings, then I think some Untamed fans also watched the drama, I think the rating should hold.  I think I like King's Avatar more (its flaws is less killer compared to GYH for me) but it's 7.4 so all in all, good rating.

 

Mhmm I do agree that it'd make sense to see Xia Ling play beforehand, but I think you are just meant to assume that he always played with his friends beforehand? It's not that much of a leap, considering he was followed his sister's career so closely, and his sister's work was so closely tied with iConquer since the drama started. IRL, it's fairly common for a lot of teenage boys who would play LoL. Not all of them do, but significant amount would. Actually what's even more common is a tencent mobile MoBA game but that's ease of mobility/accessibility. The idea that he only got super into the game after his injury and got to the top is a little over the top and farfetched, but I definitely chalked it up to artistic license. 

[owlstar]

9 hours ago, themarchioness said:

This is hilariously awesome.  It's an "interview" of Ji Xiang Kong by Wang Yibo.  LOL.  Although I'm pretty sure Yibo broke down the fourth wall and answered the interview questions as himself.  Hahaha. 

 

I looked but could not find where anyone had translated the video so I took a stab at it myself.  But, as you all know, I have no talent for video editing, etc., so you get the translations in recap format (see under the cut). 

 

 

Interview Translation

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Wang Yibo: Hello everybody, I am a special host for Mango TV, Wang Yibo.  The honored guest for today’s interview is Ji Xiang Kong.

 

Ji Xiang Kong: Hello Mango TV friends, I am Ji Xiang Kong.

 

Wang Yibo: Ji Xiang Kong, hello.  I would like to ask you.  [To be honest, I don’t really know how to translate this first question.  I think he asks him something along the lines of how he feels when negative rumors are spread, dragging the team down.]

 

Ji Xiang Kong: They can say whatever they’d like.

 

Wang Yibo: O, very cool.  [O = an interjection expressing a sound of realization]. 

 

Wang Yibo: After C God retired [I’m assuming they’re referring to Gu Fang], you became the substitute team captain.  What was the biggest change that you experienced as a result of this change in your status? 

 

Ji Xiang Kong: Mmm… [thinking] I had to lead my team towards achieving even better results and that gave me an even greater sense of responsibility. 

 

Wang Yibo: Now, apart from how you perform on the competition stage, the online netizens are also very curious about your love life.  Your fans would like to ask you: what kind of a person would be able to be Ji Xiang Kong’s girlfriend?

 

Ji Xiang Kong: The person who I fall in love with will be the person who becomes my girlfriend.

 

Wang Yibo: Wow, very shuai!  [Shuai, literally, means handsome/good-looking.  Used colloquially in this context, however, it’s more like Yibo is describing Xiang Kong as “cool.”  In the U.S., it’d be equivalent to someone responding with, “Nice,” or “Smooth.”]

 

Wang Yibo: Also, the online netizens say that Ji Xiang Kong really is too good-looking.  No matter if it’s his expressions or what we just love him very much.  May I ask: what can we do to become a member of your team?  Would doing odd jobs work?  [From here to the end, it sounds like Yibo is reading questions from the fans to Xiang Kong.]

 

Ji Xiang Kong: If you have ability and attractiveness, that’ll be enough.

 

Wang Yibo: Oh, then your requirements are very high.  They need to have attractiveness and ability.  [It’s worth noting that Yibo starts the second sentence with, “Ji yao.”  “Yao” means wants/needs.  As for “ji,” there’s no good way to translate it directly, but basically, when you add it in front of “yao,” in this context, the sentence takes on the tone of Xiang Kong wanting to have his cake and eat it too. 

 

Wang Yibo: May I ask, Ji Shuai, you have so many fans loving you and supporting you.  Who is your idol? [The “shuai” in this sentence is the same character as the one mentioned above for handsome/good-looking, but “shuai” has an alternative meaning of commander.  When you add a surname in front of “shuai,” it becomes a form of address, and one that is commonly used in the esports world to respectfully address top players.]

 

Ji Xiang Kong: My own idol is C God. 

 

Wang Yibo: Mm [sound of agreement], after all, C God was the person who brought you into the competitive stage in the beginning.  He was your advisor.

 

Wang Yibo: Okay.  Ji Xiang Kong, hello, I am Lin Yi Xuan’s fan.  As his big brother, do you think there will be a day when he surpasses you?

 

Ji Xiang Kong: If you’re talking about him . . . [thinks about it] . . .it’s probably possible.  After all I’m a hand klutz.

 

Wang Yibo: [chuckles] Okay, returning to the main topic.  Do you have confidence in leading your team to standing on the top of the world?

 

Ji Xiang Kong: Yes.

 

Wang Yibo: That’s it?  [No response.]  Cool.  [To clarify, when he uses “cool” here, he’s calling Xiang Kong, “Cool,” for his direct and forthright answer.  He’s not saying “cool” as in “okay, we can move on now.”]

 

Wang Yibo: Okay, last question.  Would you please say something to the fans who have always been standing in front of the camera and supporting you? 

 

Ji Xiang Kong: Thank you all for supporting me.  I will continue to work hard. 

 

Wang Yibo: Okay, thank you.

 

 

Thank you for translating!  Not sure why they did this as him interviewing himself but it was fun to watch regardless.  Yeah, his JXK answers are just basically WYB answering as himself hahaha.  So it's really funny to see him complimenting himself as "cool" and "shuai" lol. 

 

38 minutes ago, skibbies said:

It's decent? It's 7.3 now, it sort of fluctated between 7.2 and 7.0 from summer till now (when I first remember the drama), I look at dramas if they are above 7+ so that's how I remembered. (6+ would work for fluff dramas tbh, Love O2O is 6.7 I don't generally watch a lot of pure fluff dramas though) There weren't that many people rating it but a game/esport streamer? video content maker? made a video snarking on the drama around June or July so there were influx of bad ratings, then I think some Untamed fans also watched the drama, I think the rating should hold.  I think I like King's Avatar more (its flaws is less killer compared to GYH for me) but it's 7.4 so all in all, good rating.

 

I've always been curious what constitutes a "good" douban score, so this is good to know.  Is 7+ considered good for movies as well? 

 

I saw that GYH got 3rd place in the favorite drama category in this online poll (among college students I think?), after The Untamed and Go Go Squid.  And WYB got 2nd place in the favorite actor category.  Not sure how legit this is though.

[raziela]

15 hours ago, themarchioness said:

This is hilariously awesome.  It's an "interview" of Ji Xiang Kong by Wang Yibo.  LOL.  Although I'm pretty sure Yibo broke down the fourth wall and answered the interview questions as himself.  Hahaha. 

 

I looked but could not find where anyone had translated the video so I took a stab at it myself.  But, as you all know, I have no talent for video editing, etc., so you get the translations in recap format (see under the cut). 

Thanks so much for the translations.  I don't really understand why they had him interview himself especially as both his answers and questions were basically WY being WY.  I appreciate that real WY is a Lin Yi Xuan fanboy’   

 

5 hours ago, skibbies said:

It's decent? It's 7.3 now, it sort of fluctated between 7.2 and 7.0 from summer till now (when I first remember the drama), I look at dramas if they are above 7+ so that's how I remembered. (6+ would work for fluff dramas tbh, Love O2O is 6.7 I don't generally watch a lot of pure fluff dramas though) There weren't that many people rating it but a game/esport streamer? video content maker? made a video snarking on the drama around June or July so there were influx of bad ratings, then I think some Untamed fans also watched the drama, I think the rating should hold.  I think I like King's Avatar more (its flaws is less killer compared to GYH for me) but it's 7.4 so all in all, good rating.

 

Mhmm I do agree that it'd make sense to see Xia Ling play beforehand, but I think you are just meant to assume that he always played with his friends beforehand? It's not that much of a leap, considering he was followed his sister's career so closely, and his sister's work was so closely tied with iConquer since the drama started. IRL, it's fairly common for a lot of teenage boys who would play LoL. Not all of them do, but significant amount would. Actually what's even more common is a tencent mobile MoBA game but that's ease of mobility/accessibility. The idea that he only got super into the game after his injury and got to the top is a little over the top and farfetched, but I definitely chalked it up to artistic license. 

Thanks for your response. That rating seems pretty good. Certainly not a score to to be ashamed of anyway.  I noticed some of The Untamed fans seem to hate Gank Your Heart...maybe because they don't like how it competes with their imaginary ship?

 

I have the opposite feeling to you about The King's Avatar. I have kind of stalled (on episode 13) on that drama as I don't find the characters very believable.  They feel very shallow to me  I feel the characters and relationships are the strength of GYH whereas they are the weakness of TKA.  TKA obviously wins in terms of gameplay and graphics.

 

I know that we are meant to assume about Xia Ling but he just seemed  too convenient.  For him to get that good in such a short amount of time I would assume he was playing a lot already so I still think the drama could have added at least one throwaway line or scene where he plays or mentions playing prior to his accident.  Or maybe his Mum mentions scolds him about playing instead of doing his homework or something?  Just a small reference like that wouldn't be too disruptive and make even more sense when the plot reveals he is the mystery top amateaur player. I can understand him playing even more when he is bed-ridden and then, yeah, becoming top player is artistic license we will just accept for plot convenience and the adorable Team Phoenix interactions! 

[skibbies]

@owlstar it does depend on what genre it is, how old the drama is and sometimes who is in it (popular actors have lot of fans and lot of antis) + whether it has plagerism scandal and stuff like that. I use 7+ since like I mentioned, I don't watch a lot of lighter romance dramas (they generally have overused tropes and average acting. also cos I have a huge backlog of dramas to watch) Movie ratings are actually harsher than dramas since there's a bigger audience so 7+ is definitely good, I believe 6+ movies can be enjoyable watch too, but I haven't actually seen enough chinese movies to be super sure.

 

That's a popularity vote and those three dramas' core audience are uni students so I'm not surprised. Xiao Zhan, WYB, Li Xian were trending all summer on weibo. It's matter of maintaining popularity and continue to put out good performance. 

 

For reference douban ratings right now for this year's notable dramas: Longest Day of Chang'an 8.3, Love & Destiny 8.3, The Untamed 8.2, Young Blood 8.2 (slow subs!! but it's really good QAQ also it's an original script), All is Well 7.9 (topped ratings but not really the kind of story international audience care for), Put Your Head On My Shoulders 7.9, Goodbye My Princess 7.5, Le Coup de Fondre 7.5, King's Avatar 7.4, Gank Your Heart 7.3, Well Intended Love 6.8, Go Go Squid 6.6, The Legends 6.1 (messed up adaptation in second half), Novoland: Eagle Flag 6.1 (the entire story is messed up, wouldn't even have 6 if it didn't have such good production value and decent cast). Minglan from last year is 7.6. Actually a lot of popular dramas from last year are in the 7 range. Above 8 is Like a Flowing River 8.8, the Rise of Phoenixes 8.2 (it dropped! rip), Suddenly this Summer 8.2.

 

@raziela haha really? That does sound plausible. It's a very different drama and have super different focus, so GYH might not appeal to them either? I mostly noticed comments thinking the Wang Zixuan's acting is bad or her character is awkward/embarrassingly bad, so they just skip all her scenes.

 

Mhmm you watched the better parts of the drama IMO, it's the bit that stuck closest to the novel. My bias towards it have to do with lack of ANY romance (this is so hard to find. it's not that I don't like romance but most writers don't know how to not let romance take over a drama) , being friendly adaptation to newcomers and keeping core storyline despite being super long novel and changing a lot, and ofc the gaming aspect. I have minor issues with some characterisations but quite liked the everyone's relationship, guess they didn't work for you XD

 

Oh yeah more throwaway lines would help, I think the script in general could use more polishing. He's even more convenient in the book, Qiu Ying just meets him cos of her cousin, he's already injured and in a slump, then they just happen to find out he's a top player. Although I guess he would have played the game far longer in the book. The meeting and subsequent contact sure is convenient though. 

[owlstar]

17 hours ago, raziela said:

I noticed some of The Untamed fans seem to hate Gank Your Heart...maybe because they don't like how it competes with their imaginary ship?

 

Wow really?  I watched The Untamed first and it did take a little readjustment to see WYB with a girl lol, but that's a silly reason to hate a drama.  They're just actors doing their job for goodness' sake.

 

17 hours ago, raziela said:

I have the opposite feeling to you about The King's Avatar. I have kind of stalled (on episode 13) on that drama as I don't find the characters very believable.  They feel very shallow to me  I feel the characters and relationships are the strength of GYH whereas they are the weakness of TKA.  TKA obviously wins in terms of gameplay and graphics.

 

I'm currently about halfway through King's Avatar and I'm also finding it underwhelming.  I would've dropped it already except DH is actually kinda into it so I'm just sorta watching along with him.   It's not even the lack of romance that's the problem, like you I'm just not connecting with any of the characters.  Maybe if I hadn't seen GYH first, or maybe if I'd read the book, I'd be more impressed?  Agree that the graphics are quite good, better than anything I've seen before in a C-drama.  GYH still wins for me though in terms of gaming drama.

 

5 hours ago, skibbies said:

Movie ratings are actually harsher than dramas since there's a bigger audience so 7+ is definitely good, I believe 6+ movies can be enjoyable watch too, but I haven't actually seen enough chinese movies to be super sure.

 

I don't watch a lot of Chinese movies either, which is actually why I think ratings would be helpful to see what's worth watching, but I haven't even seen enough to get a sense of what's a good score.

 

5 hours ago, skibbies said:

For reference douban ratings right now for this year's notable dramas: Longest Day of Chang'an 8.3, Love & Destiny 8.3, The Untamed 8.2, Young Blood 8.2 (slow subs!! but it's really good QAQ also it's an original script), All is Well 7.9 (topped ratings but not really the kind of story international audience care for), Put Your Head On My Shoulders 7.9, Goodbye My Princess 7.5, Le Coup de Fondre 7.5, King's Avatar 7.4, Gank Your Heart 7.3, Well Intended Love 6.8, Go Go Squid 6.6, The Legends 6.1 (messed up adaptation in second half), Novoland: Eagle Flag 6.1 (the entire story is messed up, wouldn't even have 6 if it didn't have such good production value and decent cast). Minglan from last year is 7.6. Actually a lot of popular dramas from last year are in the 7 range. Above 8 is Like a Flowing River 8.8, the Rise of Phoenixes 8.2 (it dropped! rip), Suddenly this Summer 8.2.

 

Thanks for this list!  I definitely have a better idea of ratings now, since I've watched at least some of all of those dramas.   I guess it's been a pretty productive drama watching year? Lol... although I ended up dropping or fast-forwarding through a lot of them.  

[Lynne]

Hellooooooooo guysss...  Let me share some of the pics again.. haha... 

 

 

 

And our lovely side pairing Shu Wen jiejie and Sun Ge.... 

 

Have a nice dayyyy <3 

[raziela]

On 11/15/2019 at 7:46 AM, skibbies said:

For reference douban ratings right now for this year's notable dramas: Longest Day of Chang'an 8.3, Love & Destiny 8.3, The Untamed 8.2, Young Blood 8.2 (slow subs!! but it's really good QAQ also it's an original script), All is Well 7.9 (topped ratings but not really the kind of story international audience care for), Put Your Head On My Shoulders 7.9, Goodbye My Princess 7.5, Le Coup de Fondre 7.5, King's Avatar 7.4, Gank Your Heart 7.3, Well Intended Love 6.8, Go Go Squid 6.6, The Legends 6.1 (messed up adaptation in second half), Novoland: Eagle Flag 6.1 (the entire story is messed up, wouldn't even have 6 if it didn't have such good production value and decent cast). Minglan from last year is 7.6. Actually a lot of popular dramas from last year are in the 7 range. Above 8 is Like a Flowing River 8.8, the Rise of Phoenixes 8.2 (it dropped! rip), Suddenly this Summer 8.2.

Thanks so much!  I always wonder about the Douban ratings and the C-audience response to dramas.  Avenue X positively reviewed Young Blood months ago but there were no subtitles.  Thanks for the heads up!  The Legends I have to agree with that score, unfortunately, the last third or so was a complete mess even though I loved the unique female lead and the first half of the drama.  I'm surprised The Rise of the Phoenixes is so high.  I found that drama was rather underwhelming and didn't live up to it's early promise.  I am glad to see Suddenly This Summer with such a high rating.  I don't hear many people talk about it but I thought it was one of the better youth dramas I've watched.  I keep hearing good things about Like A Flowing River and there are even subs on viki so I need to watch it eventually.

 

On 11/15/2019 at 7:46 AM, skibbies said:

Mhmm you watched the better parts of the drama IMO, it's the bit that stuck closest to the novel. My bias towards it have to do with lack of ANY romance (this is so hard to find. it's not that I don't like romance but most writers don't know how to not let romance take over a drama) , being friendly adaptation to newcomers and keeping core storyline despite being super long novel and changing a lot, and ofc the gaming aspect. I have minor issues with some characterisations but quite liked the everyone's relationship, guess they didn't work for you XD

 

Oh yeah more throwaway lines would help, I think the script in general could use more polishing. He's even more convenient in the book, Qiu Ying just meets him cos of her cousin, he's already injured and in a slump, then they just happen to find out he's a top player. Although I guess he would have played the game far longer in the book. The meeting and subsequent contact sure is convenient though. 

Oh I was hoping The King's Avatar would get better.  I don't mind the lack of romance as I love stories where a band of outsiders and misfits band together to win/fight The Man/beat their enemies/whatever.  Unfortunately, I just find the characters and their acting in the drama so unbelievable.  They all seem to act like caricatures and archetypes with over-top acting.  I am not invested in their actions or relationships at all.  Also for some reason I find the dubbing REALLY distracting in TKA - more so than in other C-dramas I've watched recently.  I do like the opening song and, I LOVE the ending song.

 

Ha ha! It does sound like Xia Ling's introduction is even worse in the book.  Yet another thing the drama improved on!

 

On 11/15/2019 at 1:49 PM, owlstar said:

I'm currently about halfway through King's Avatar and I'm also finding it underwhelming.  I would've dropped it already except DH is actually kinda into it so I'm just sorta watching along with him.   It's not even the lack of romance that's the problem, like you I'm just not connecting with any of the characters.  Maybe if I hadn't seen GYH first, or maybe if I'd read the book, I'd be more impressed?  Agree that the graphics are quite good, better than anything I've seen before in a C-drama.  GYH still wins for me though in terms of gaming drama.

Agreed. I cant connect with any of the characters at all. I don't mind lack of romance but I want to feel the characters and their actions and their relationships but none of them act like real people.

 

15 hours ago, lynne22 said:

Hellooooooooo guysss...  Let me share some of the pics again.. haha... 

 

 

 

 

And our lovely side pairing Shu Wen jiejie and Sun Ge.... 

 

 

Have a nice dayyyy <3 

Thanks so much for the lovely gifs and pics especially the wonderful couple Shu Wen and Sun Ge

Also I'm not sure if I have said it before but I just want to say thanks soooo much for the brilliant introduction post at the start of this thread.

[themarchioness]

If I've been quiet in the thread lately, it's because I've been working on this story on the side.  I hinted after the epilogue episodes that two of the stories had given me an idea, and I decided to go ahead and write a story around it.  Hopefully you'll accept the pairing after you read my story...

 

Story #10 – Chance Meetings

Spoiler

 

Story #10 – Chance Meetings

 

 

After the 2019 iConquer world championships concluded, Summer returned to Dream Journey and took a look around.  It was empty now, as the hour was late and the doors had closed for business, but once morning arrived he knew it would be a bustling place again. 

 

Summer was proud of what he’d accomplished since retiring as a competitive esports player.  After he quit the competitive circuit, he had a dream of building a place where players of all levels could not only congregate to play, but also learn from each other.  That dream had resulted in his Internet café, appropriately named Dream Journey. 

 

Dream Journey could be considered a success among Internet cafés.  It had started out small, but over time, Summer had expanded it until it now included a VIP room for professional players to come and hang out.  He also had large viewing room where customers visiting Dream Journey could also watch competitive games as they were being played.  This past year, he’d even instituted a program where his best friend, Luo Tian, a live commentator, would come to do game replays for the Dream Journey crowd.  It was a popular program and had served to bring in even more business than usual, but for Summer, it wasn’t just about the bottom line.  Like all members of his former team, the Pioneers, he remained active in the sport because he wanted to create a space for players to grow and develop so that they could go on to do bigger and better things in the iConquer community. 

 

Still, while most days Summer felt pretty good about his life, today, as he wended his way around the empty tables and entered his darkened office, he couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. 

 

He suspected that much of it had to do with coming down from the high of the world championships.  For the past several days, he’d sat nervously next to his friend, Shu Wen, in the audience watching his cousin and his cousin’s teammates compete.  And then, for the past day, he’d been celebrating their win.  Summer was proud of the Phoenix team and watching them win had been an exhilarating experience, almost as exciting as when his own team had won the world championships, and one he would never forget.  But, as with all moments in life, eventually they had to end and Summer returned to Dream Journey by himself. 

 

As he took a seat behind his desk and turned on the desk lamp, Summer couldn’t help but reflect on his friends and how they all seemed to have somebody.  Even his own little cousin had abandoned him, preferring to stay with the team.  It wasn’t that Summer didn’t understand; he did.  And it wasn’t that he was bitter; he wasn’t.  He was just… wistful, was perhaps the best way to describe it.

 

What would it be like, he wondered, to have your heart owned so completely that even if you didn’t see each other for five years, like his friends Sun Ze Yi and Shu Wen had, you would still be dedicated to one another.  There was something really beautiful about that, and Summer wondered if he’d ever be able to experience such a romance. 

 

Even Ji Xiang Kong, that little rascal, was in a relationship with Qiu Ying. 

 

But Summer, who was several years older, was all alone. 

 

In the past, he hadn’t noticed the lack, as there were always fans waiting with their poster board signs and gifts to greet him as he walked past.  But those days were long past and now, the most recognition he received was when someone stopped him for an autograph or photo.  Summer had watched with both amusement and nostalgia as his cousin and the other Phoenix members received a flood of adoration from their female fans after the world championships, and it triggered something inside him.

 

He needed a change.

 

Flipping open his laptop, Summer started browsing the Internet and decided that what he needed was a vacation, a change of scenery, and time to recharge.

 

=//=

 

The bells over the doorway jingled as Miya pushed through the heavy door to enter the café.  Since the weather outside had turned cool already she paused just inside the door shaking in her jacket a little while looking over the small, but comfortable café for an empty table.  A waitress behind the counter caught her eye and pointed her to a hidden table in the back corner.  Miya smiled, tilted her head in acknowledgment, and waved her hand in gratitude before carefully picking her way through the crowded tables.  As she carried her guitar on her back, she took extra care to not bang it against the customers she walked past. 

 

When Miya finally reached her table, she relieved herself of the heavy burden with a sigh and propped the guitar in the corner.  She also set her large bag on the inside chair and took the seat next to it just as the waitress arrived with a menu. 

 

“Latte?” the waitress asked. 

 

“Mm, thank you.” 

 

Since Miya had been coming here every afternoon for a week now, the waitress was already familiar with her habits.  She left the menu behind so Miya could take her time to look over it and headed back to the counter to start working on her drink.

 

When the waitress returned with Miya’s coffee she found her with a notebook already open in front of her.  The waitress wasn’t a musician, so she couldn’t read what was written there, but she recognized the pages as being filled with musical notes. 

 

“I’ll have the smoked salmon sandwich today,” Miya told the waitress, both of them barely muddling through in English, and then returned to her notebook.

 

For the past several months, Miya had been traveling around Europe with only her guitar for company.  With no agenda or itinerary, she took each day as it came.  She still couldn’t believe how differently she was living her life compared to the past five years where every minute of her life had been carefully calculated and dictated by a schedule.  These days, Miya considered her freedom a gift to herself. 

 

Just as she’d told Tony, her former manager, when they’d parted ways at the hospital, she wanted to travel – to actually experience the places she’d previously visited for concert tours – and write music. 

 

Lost in her thoughts, Miya only remembered where she was when she felt someone stopping next to her table.  Assuming it was the waitress returning with her sandwich, she was surprised when she looked up and found a smiling and bespectacled face looking back at her.

 

“You’re Miya, aren’t you?”

 

Miya wasn’t sure how to respond. 

 

In the second it took her to hesitate, the friendly stranger spoke again.  “You’re friends with Ji Xiang Kong, aren’t you?”

 

Now completely caught off guard, Miya couldn’t help but ask back, “You know Ji Xiang Kong?”

 

The other person scoffed.  “Do I know Ji Xiang Kong?  Ha!  If I don’t know Ji Xiang Kong, I don’t know my own mother.”  As he spoke, he dragged the opposite chair out from under the table and took a seat not even bothering to ask if it was okay or worrying about whether she’d object.

 

Miya had never experienced someone so shameless or blithely unaware so she couldn’t even find her voice to ask what he was doing.  Instead, after blinking several times, she tried to clarify, “So, you are friends with Ji Xiang Kong?”

 

“A friend, a mentor, an older brother, a guide, whatever name you’d like to call it, that’s me.  People call me Summer, but you can call me Summer Ge.”

 

Miya found herself laughing in spite of herself.  She’d never met anyone so informal and familiar like him before, but as he seemed to know Xiang Kong and well, she was probably safe in sharing a table with him.  “Okay,” she agreed and held out her hand for a handshake.  “It’s nice to meet you, Summer Ge.  I’m Miya.” 

 

With one hand, he returned the handshake but with his other hand, he held a finger to his lips and told her to shush.  It was as if he’d only remembered she was a famous star and that they were in a public place. 

 

The waitress arrived at that moment with Miya’s smoked salmon sandwich and when she placed the plate down in front of Miya, she looked at Summer and asked if he wanted anything to eat.  He waved her offer aside, however, and pointed her to a table off to the side where he’d been sitting before noticing her.  After surveying his half eaten lunch, Miya asked him to join her table.

 

With the waitress’s help, Summer moved his things to Miya’s table and she shoved her notebook to the side.  Before she could put it away, however, Summer plucked the notebook from her fingers and started thumbing through the pages. 

 

Miya’s hand reached out instinctively as her notebook was private and something she’d never even shared with Tony in the past, but there was something about the way Summer was looking through her notebook that had the objections dying on her lips. 

 

After scanning a few of the pages inside, Summer nodded his head approvingly with an, “Mm,” and returned the notebook to her.  “I can’t read music,” he admitted, “But I can see how it’s filled with your hard work.  It reminds me of the notebook I used to keep as a professional esports player.”

 

“You used to be a professional esports player too?”

 

Summer puffed up his chest in pride.  “Of course, and I wasn’t just any player.  I was a member of the Pioneer team; the first iConquer team in China to win the world championships.” 

 

“Ah!”  Miya clapped her hands together in sudden recognition.  She remembered how Xiang Kong had invited the members of the Pioneer team onto the champion’s stage after his Phoenix team had won this year’s world championships, and now she also remembered having seen Summer before.  “You’re that Summer Ge!” 

 

“You recognize me?”

 

“I saw you at the world championships a few months ago.”

 

Summer beamed.  “That’s me.  All of my friends and my little cousin, Pei Xi, are a member of the Phoenix team.”

 

“That’s right.”  Having put everything all together now, Miya was a lot more hospitable and grateful for Summer’s company.  Although she’d enjoyed traveling solo, having someone to chat with in a language she knew was a nice change as well.

 

Over lunch they traded their stories.

 

“After switching recording studios, I decided to travel with only my guitar for company while writing music at the same time,” Miya told him.  “For the past five years, I’ve always had my manager next to me.  Between him and my stylist, they made all the arrangements and took care of everything in my life so that all I had to do was focus on performing.  But when I injured my eyes and was suddenly alone in the world, I realized I didn’t know how to do anything.  Traveling without the assistance of others is a way for me to prove to myself that I can do things for myself.”

 

“Mm,” Summer nodded his head approvingly.  “That takes guts and courage.  I approve.  So how do you decide where to go and when to go?”

 

Miya laughed as she admitted to not having any sort of methodology.  “It may sound illogical, but I just go wherever my heart and instincts take me.  Sometimes I find a place I like and I stay a little bit longer.  Other times I find a place and it just doesn’t feel right, so I don’t stay more than a week.  I play music in parks and sometimes crowds will gather to listen.  Other times I just sit and watch or wander.  I find there’s a lot to observe when you take the time to look around you, and from my travels and experiences I’m finding a lot of inspiration for my music.  Creating and singing my own music is something I’ve always wanted to do, but wasn’t able to do under my former recording studio.”

 

The more Summer listened, the more his admiration for Miya grew.  He recognized a fighter when he saw one and he knew what strength it must’ve taken for her to break away from everything she knew to start anew.  He’d also heard of hers and Xiang Kong’s story, and thought about how sad it was for all parties involved.

 

“What about you, Summer Ge?” Miya asked, interrupting his thoughts.  “What brings you here?”

 

Summer smiled and picked up his own sandwich before answering.  “In a way, you and I, we’re not so different.  I was also feeling restless after the world championships, so I decided to come out for a change of scenery.”

 

“You traveled quite a distance just for some change in scenery.”

 

Summer swallowed his bite and shared, “Ever since the Pioneer team won the world championships, I feel like each of us have been charging forward without rest and without pause, trying to forge our own paths in the esports industry.  After this year’s world championships, however, I don’t know.  I took a look around Dream Journey one day and realized I was proud of what I’d accomplished, but there was something still missing.  Does that sound odd?”

 

“Not at all.  I’ve never admitted this to anyone before, as it would sound too much like a complaint when I had nothing to complain about, but sometimes during concerts, I would stand there under the bright lights and listen to the waves of applause out front, and wonder: this is everything I ever wanted, but now that I have it, why am I still not happy?” 

 

Summer understood completely.  “I felt the same way the night I returned to Dream Journey after the world championships.  So I came out to have a look around and see if I could figure out why that might be.”

 

“Our stories do sound similar,” Miya agreed.

 

By then, they’d both finished their lunches and many of the other customers had long departed the café.  It was only they and a few lunchtime stragglers who remained.  Summer and Miya looked around, both feeling like it was probably time to take their leave, but both reluctant to part with the company they’d only just found. 

 

Finally it was Summer who suggested they exchange phone numbers.  “After all,” he pointed out.  “You never know when you might need help while traveling.”

 

Although neither of them made any promises, they both somehow found themselves back at the same café the next day and then the following day.  By the end of following week, when Miya announced with some hesitation that it was time for her to move on to the next city, Summer quickly suggested that he could join her for the next leg if she didn’t mind.  After all, he hadn’t yet made the next arrangements for own travels.  Miya gladly accepted his offer and that was how, for the next month, they ended up traveling around Europe together.

 

At the end of that month, over dinner and a glass of wine, Summer regretfully shared that he’d been away for too long and needed to return home.  The fall competition season had already started and he couldn’t keep asking his cousin to also watch over Dream Journey when he needed to focus on the team.  Miya smiled with sadness, but understanding.  When Summer asked her how much longer she planned on traveling, Miya shrugged her shoulders.  The only plan she’d ever had was to travel – for how long remained an unanswered question. 

 

“When you’re ready to come home,” Summer told her, “Be sure to let me know.”

 

The End

 

 

[Lynne]

@themarchioness aww what a heartwarming fic! Miya deserve a chance to move on with her life and Summer Ge... PLEASE charm her with your kindness

As I said before about Summer, IMO he has a really nice personally AND he was never a judgmental person.. not to Li gan, nor xiang kong..

I really love how your fic ends.. with  a promise of a future...  

 

 

@raziela  HAHAA... Not all of them are my words... I just compiled them from various web I found  

 

[owlstar]

6 hours ago, themarchioness said:

If I've been quiet in the thread lately, it's because I've been working on this story on the side.  I hinted after the epilogue episodes that two of the stories had given me an idea, and I decided to go ahead and write a story around it.  Hopefully you'll accept the pairing after you read my story...

 

Story #10 – Chance Meetings

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Story #10 – Chance Meetings

 

 

 

 

 

After the 2019 iConquer world championships concluded, Summer returned to Dream Journey and took a look around.  It was empty now, as the hour was late and the doors had closed for business, but once morning arrived he knew it would be a bustling place again. 

 

 

 

Summer was proud of what he’d accomplished since retiring as a competitive esports player.  After he quit the competitive circuit, he had a dream of building a place where players of all levels could not only congregate to play, but also learn from each other.  That dream had resulted in his Internet café, appropriately named Dream Journey. 

 

 

 

Dream Journey could be considered a success among Internet cafés.  It had started out small, but over time, Summer had expanded it until it now included a VIP room for professional players to come and hang out.  He also had large viewing room where customers visiting Dream Journey could also watch competitive games as they were being played.  This past year, he’d even instituted a program where his best friend, Luo Tian, a live commentator, would come to do game replays for the Dream Journey crowd.  It was a popular program and had served to bring in even more business than usual, but for Summer, it wasn’t just about the bottom line.  Like all members of his former team, the Pioneers, he remained active in the sport because he wanted to create a space for players to grow and develop so that they could go on to do bigger and better things in the iConquer community. 

 

 

 

Still, while most days Summer felt pretty good about his life, today, as he wended his way around the empty tables and entered his darkened office, he couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. 

 

 

 

He suspected that much of it had to do with coming down from the high of the world championships.  For the past several days, he’d sat nervously next to his friend, Shu Wen, in the audience watching his cousin and his cousin’s teammates compete.  And then, for the past day, he’d been celebrating their win.  Summer was proud of the Phoenix team and watching them win had been an exhilarating experience, almost as exciting as when his own team had won the world championships, and one he would never forget.  But, as with all moments in life, eventually they had to end and Summer returned to Dream Journey by himself. 

 

 

 

As he took a seat behind his desk and turned on the desk lamp, Summer couldn’t help but reflect on his friends and how they all seemed to have somebody.  Even his own little cousin had abandoned him, preferring to stay with the team.  It wasn’t that Summer didn’t understand; he did.  And it wasn’t that he was bitter; he wasn’t.  He was just… wistful, was perhaps the best way to describe it.

 

 

 

What would it be like, he wondered, to have your heart owned so completely that even if you didn’t see each other for five years, like his friends Sun Ze Yi and Shu Wen had, you would still be dedicated to one another.  There was something really beautiful about that, and Summer wondered if he’d ever be able to experience such a romance. 

 

 

 

Even Ji Xiang Kong, that little rascal, was in a relationship with Qiu Ying. 

 

 

 

But Summer, who was several years older, was all alone. 

 

 

 

In the past, he hadn’t noticed the lack, as there were always fans waiting with their poster board signs and gifts to greet him as he walked past.  But those days were long past and now, the most recognition he received was when someone stopped him for an autograph or photo.  Summer had watched with both amusement and nostalgia as his cousin and the other Phoenix members received a flood of adoration from their female fans after the world championships, and it triggered something inside him.

 

 

 

He needed a change.

 

 

 

Flipping open his laptop, Summer started browsing the Internet and decided that what he needed was a vacation, a change of scenery, and time to recharge.

 

 

 

=//=

 

 

 

The bells over the doorway jingled as Miya pushed through the heavy door to enter the café.  Since the weather outside had turned cool already she paused just inside the door shaking in her jacket a little while looking over the small, but comfortable café for an empty table.  A waitress behind the counter caught her eye and pointed her to a hidden table in the back corner.  Miya smiled, tilted her head in acknowledgment, and waved her hand in gratitude before carefully picking her way through the crowded tables.  As she carried her guitar on her back, she took extra care to not bang it against the customers she walked past. 

 

 

 

When Miya finally reached her table, she relieved herself of the heavy burden with a sigh and propped the guitar in the corner.  She also set her large bag on the inside chair and took the seat next to it just as the waitress arrived with a menu. 

 

 

 

“Latte?” the waitress asked. 

 

 

 

“Mm, thank you.” 

 

 

 

Since Miya had been coming here every afternoon for a week now, the waitress was already familiar with her habits.  She left the menu behind so Miya could take her time to look over it and headed back to the counter to start working on her drink.

 

 

 

When the waitress returned with Miya’s coffee she found her with a notebook already open in front of her.  The waitress wasn’t a musician, so she couldn’t read what was written there, but she recognized the pages as being filled with musical notes. 

 

 

 

“I’ll have the smoked salmon sandwich today,” Miya told the waitress, both of them barely muddling through in English, and then returned to her notebook.

 

 

 

For the past several months, Miya had been traveling around Europe with only her guitar for company.  With no agenda or itinerary, she took each day as it came.  She still couldn’t believe how differently she was living her life compared to the past five years where every minute of her life had been carefully calculated and dictated by a schedule.  These days, Miya considered her freedom a gift to herself. 

 

 

 

Just as she’d told Tony, her former manager, when they’d parted ways at the hospital, she wanted to travel – to actually experience the places she’d previously visited for concert tours – and write music. 

 

 

 

Lost in her thoughts, Miya only remembered where she was when she felt someone stopping next to her table.  Assuming it was the waitress returning with her sandwich, she was surprised when she looked up and found a smiling and bespectacled face looking back at her.

 

 

 

“You’re Miya, aren’t you?”

 

 

 

Miya wasn’t sure how to respond. 

 

 

 

In the second it took her to hesitate, the friendly stranger spoke again.  “You’re friends with Ji Xiang Kong, aren’t you?”

 

 

 

Now completely caught off guard, Miya couldn’t help but ask back, “You know Ji Xiang Kong?”

 

 

 

The other person scoffed.  “Do I know Ji Xiang Kong?  Ha!  If I don’t know Ji Xiang Kong, I don’t know my own mother.”  As he spoke, he dragged the opposite chair out from under the table and took a seat not even bothering to ask if it was okay or worrying about whether she’d object.

 

 

 

Miya had never experienced someone so shameless or blithely unaware so she couldn’t even find her voice to ask what he was doing.  Instead, after blinking several times, she tried to clarify, “So, you are friends with Ji Xiang Kong?”

 

 

 

“A friend, a mentor, an older brother, a guide, whatever name you’d like to call it, that’s me.  People call me Summer, but you can call me Summer Ge.”

 

 

 

Miya found herself laughing in spite of herself.  She’d never met anyone so informal and familiar like him before, but as he seemed to know Xiang Kong and well, she was probably safe in sharing a table with him.  “Okay,” she agreed and held out her hand for a handshake.  “It’s nice to meet you, Summer Ge.  I’m Miya.” 

 

 

 

With one hand, he returned the handshake but with his other hand, he held a finger to his lips and told her to shush.  It was as if he’d only remembered she was a famous star and that they were in a public place. 

 

 

 

The waitress arrived at that moment with Miya’s smoked salmon sandwich and when she placed the plate down in front of Miya, she looked at Summer and asked if he wanted anything to eat.  He waved her offer aside, however, and pointed her to a table off to the side where he’d been sitting before noticing her.  After surveying his half eaten lunch, Miya asked him to join her table.

 

 

 

With the waitress’s help, Summer moved his things to Miya’s table and she shoved her notebook to the side.  Before she could put it away, however, Summer plucked the notebook from her fingers and started thumbing through the pages. 

 

 

 

Miya’s hand reached out instinctively as her notebook was private and something she’d never even shared with Tony in the past, but there was something about the way Summer was looking through her notebook that had the objections dying on her lips. 

 

 

 

After scanning a few of the pages inside, Summer nodded his head approvingly with an, “Mm,” and returned the notebook to her.  “I can’t read music,” he admitted, “But I can see how it’s filled with your hard work.  It reminds me of the notebook I used to keep as a professional esports player.”

 

 

 

“You used to be a professional esports player too?”

 

 

 

Summer puffed up his chest in pride.  “Of course, and I wasn’t just any player.  I was a member of the Pioneer team; the first iConquer team in China to win the world championships.” 

 

 

 

“Ah!”  Miya clapped her hands together in sudden recognition.  She remembered how Xiang Kong had invited the members of the Pioneer team onto the champion’s stage after his Phoenix team had won this year’s world championships, and now she also remembered having seen Summer before.  “You’re that Summer Ge!” 

 

 

 

“You recognize me?”

 

 

 

“I saw you at the world championships a few months ago.”

 

 

 

Summer beamed.  “That’s me.  All of my friends and my little cousin, Pei Xi, are a member of the Phoenix team.”

 

 

 

“That’s right.”  Having put everything all together now, Miya was a lot more hospitable and grateful for Summer’s company.  Although she’d enjoyed traveling solo, having someone to chat with in a language she knew was a nice change as well.

 

 

 

Over lunch they traded their stories.

 

 

 

“After switching recording studios, I decided to travel with only my guitar for company while writing music at the same time,” Miya told him.  “For the past five years, I’ve always had my manager next to me.  Between him and my stylist, they made all the arrangements and took care of everything in my life so that all I had to do was focus on performing.  But when I injured my eyes and was suddenly alone in the world, I realized I didn’t know how to do anything.  Traveling without the assistance of others is a way for me to prove to myself that I can do things for myself.”

 

 

 

“Mm,” Summer nodded his head approvingly.  “That takes guts and courage.  I approve.  So how do you decide where to go and when to go?”

 

 

 

Miya laughed as she admitted to not having any sort of methodology.  “It may sound illogical, but I just go wherever my heart and instincts take me.  Sometimes I find a place I like and I stay a little bit longer.  Other times I find a place and it just doesn’t feel right, so I don’t stay more than a week.  I play music in parks and sometimes crowds will gather to listen.  Other times I just sit and watch or wander.  I find there’s a lot to observe when you take the time to look around you, and from my travels and experiences I’m finding a lot of inspiration for my music.  Creating and singing my own music is something I’ve always wanted to do, but wasn’t able to do under my former recording studio.”

 

 

 

The more Summer listened, the more his admiration for Miya grew.  He recognized a fighter when he saw one and he knew what strength it must’ve taken for her to break away from everything she knew to start anew.  He’d also heard of hers and Xiang Kong’s story, and thought about how sad it was for all parties involved.

 

 

 

“What about you, Summer Ge?” Miya asked, interrupting his thoughts.  “What brings you here?”

 

 

 

Summer smiled and picked up his own sandwich before answering.  “In a way, you and I, we’re not so different.  I was also feeling restless after the world championships, so I decided to come out for a change of scenery.”

 

 

 

“You traveled quite a distance just for some change in scenery.”

 

 

 

Summer swallowed his bite and shared, “Ever since the Pioneer team won the world championships, I feel like each of us have been charging forward without rest and without pause, trying to forge our own paths in the esports industry.  After this year’s world championships, however, I don’t know.  I took a look around Dream Journey one day and realized I was proud of what I’d accomplished, but there was something still missing.  Does that sound odd?”

 

 

 

“Not at all.  I’ve never admitted this to anyone before, as it would sound too much like a complaint when I had nothing to complain about, but sometimes during concerts, I would stand there under the bright lights and listen to the waves of applause out front, and wonder: this is everything I ever wanted, but now that I have it, why am I still not happy?” 

 

 

 

Summer understood completely.  “I felt the same way the night I returned to Dream Journey after the world championships.  So I came out to have a look around and see if I could figure out why that might be.”

 

 

 

“Our stories do sound similar,” Miya agreed.

 

 

 

By then, they’d both finished their lunches and many of the other customers had long departed the café.  It was only they and a few lunchtime stragglers who remained.  Summer and Miya looked around, both feeling like it was probably time to take their leave, but both reluctant to part with the company they’d only just found. 

 

 

 

Finally it was Summer who suggested they exchange phone numbers.  “After all,” he pointed out.  “You never know when you might need help while traveling.”

 

 

 

Although neither of them made any promises, they both somehow found themselves back at the same café the next day and then the following day.  By the end of following week, when Miya announced with some hesitation that it was time for her to move on to the next city, Summer quickly suggested that he could join her for the next leg if she didn’t mind.  After all, he hadn’t yet made the next arrangements for own travels.  Miya gladly accepted his offer and that was how, for the next month, they ended up traveling around Europe together.

 

 

 

At the end of that month, over dinner and a glass of wine, Summer regretfully shared that he’d been away for too long and needed to return home.  The fall competition season had already started and he couldn’t keep asking his cousin to also watch over Dream Journey when he needed to focus on the team.  Miya smiled with sadness, but understanding.  When Summer asked her how much longer she planned on traveling, Miya shrugged her shoulders.  The only plan she’d ever had was to travel – for how long remained an unanswered question. 

 

 

 

“When you’re ready to come home,” Summer told her, “Be sure to let me know.”

 

 

 

The End

 

 

 

 

 

This is a really interesting pairing!  Hard to gauge actual chemistry since their paths didn't really cross in the story.  But I think they're both understanding people (I'm choosing to ignore Miya's brief lapse of sanity lol), so it's not that big of a stretch to think there's potential for a connection.  I think Miya still has to figure out what she wants in life, whereas Summer is probably all ready to settle down.   But life works in mysterious ways so you never know!  One of my favorite Chinese phrases is 有缘千里来相会，无缘对面不相识.  So if they really did meet up by chance while traveling, then maybe it's fate. 

[raziela]

On 11/20/2019 at 3:36 AM, themarchioness said:

If I've been quiet in the thread lately, it's because I've been working on this story on the side.  I hinted after the epilogue episodes that two of the stories had given me an idea, and I decided to go ahead and write a story around it.  Hopefully you'll accept the pairing after you read my story...

 

Story #10 – Chance Meetings

Thank you very much!  Interesting subject choice. I enjoyed reading Summer's internal musing and it can't be easy writing about Miya without making it about XK as that was what 95% of her lines were about in the drama Can't say I am on the pairing train but I enjoyed reading about their meeting and friendship!

 

On 11/20/2019 at 7:39 AM, lynne22 said:

@raziela  HAHAA... Not all of them are my words... I just compiled them from various web I found  

 

But you still compiled them and made it look so nice too and I appreciate it!