[Mainland Chinese Drama 2021] Forever and Ever 一生一世

[minglanfan2]

21 hours ago, Alila N said:

That’s very nicely putting it, you are being very kind hahaha.

 

see, if Allen has such a problem, and since in the book, ZSC doesn’t look like the period ZSC, they should have used another actor! The whole conflict things in the family was written pretty weak in the novel as well, so not surprising to see it’s just as bad on screen. But the main thing is the drama seems to not know what it want to be: a romantic drama? Or a family intrigued drama (complicated family background that doesn’t seem to do much lol). What’s the main storyline? The love between the 2 leads? But you can’t show skinship? Ok, how’s about throw obstacles at them? Can’t do that until maybe the last 10eps. Such a disappointment:(

For me since the novel revolved around reincarnation,Shiyi's single minded devotion/obsession made sense. 2nd time around the protagonists turning a blind eye on familial pressure,displeasure, being put in harm's way did provide a justifiable reason on how they behaved.

Since reincarnation wasn't mentioned in the drama the other aspects weakened the plot.There was no strong justification for their actions and it seems out of sync in crucial instances.

When Shiyi was hurt what did ZSC do to make his brother mad and exact revenge for his lawyer friend wasn't explained.

Your suggestion about having another actor who wouldn't be hesitant about intimacy onscreen might have added the zing that goes missing now and then.

I hope they tighten the plotline and give us an enjoyable ending.

[Alila N]

29 minutes ago, minglanfan2 said:

For me since the novel revolved around reincarnation,Shiyi's single minded devotion/obsession made sense. 2nd time around the protagonists turning a blind eye on familial pressure,displeasure, being put in harm's way did provide a justifiable reason on how they behaved.

Since reincarnation wasn't mentioned in the drama the other aspects weakened the plot.There was no strong justification for their actions and it seems out of sync in crucial instances.

When Shiyi was hurt what did ZSC do to make his brother mad and exact revenge for his lawyer friend wasn't explained.

Your suggestion about having another actor who wouldn't be hesitant about intimacy onscreen might have added the zing that goes missing now and then.

I hope they tighten the plotline and give us an enjoyable ending.

Im not too fussed about a girl’s devotion so long as it’s well explained. Many people fall in love at first sight, however, the author then needs to let go of this reincarnation entanglement idea and write extra events that solidified why she’s devoted to him, but she didn’t, half she wanted to keep the reincarnation in, half she can’t outright show it, so we have a lack of direction drama. 
 

and while he’s very caring and sweet no doubt, he really needed to show he’s passionately in love with her privately, the lack of this passion makes it harder to believe any girl will be that devoted lol. And yes, the zing would definitely salvage this show. I don’t have much hope but I do believe we will get a happy ending. Problem is we will get there like water slowly drip into the sink lol

[tantaran808]

I have no complaints.  I’m too busy smiling at the sweet moments between ZSC and SY.

 

 

[realistic2280a]

False alarm... not pregnant.. but she could have been...hehe..

 

Watching ep. 21 now....Hmm.. yes seriously... the drama doesnt have much plot in a way? Its like family drama but not many heavy conflicted ones like korean dramas... we are just seeing how their lives moves on... just like ZSC's style...slow and steady... lol

 

But i gotta say, Allen Ren can carry Bailu.. i tot he didnt have the strength to do so.. ha

 

[tantaran808]

Funny behind the scenes story about Allen Ren and BaiLu during filming.

At 13:00 

 

[realistic2280a]

15 hours ago, ChibiLy said:

 

I wondered about that too! 

I assume his lawyer friend and financial consultant in the background helping?

 

I am up to episode 22. It's amusing how his colleagues/assistants think ZSC is too poor to buy more food.

 

 

After he came bk ZSC said he want the family companies to concentrate in china.. yet after that, we dont see him actively get involve in his business... then his sister tells him to ^go^... probably meaning to just leave the family mountain (how the place as a seaside beach is amazing though) and went bk to work as a chemist... then why bother taking bk the family fortune then? Hmmm...

 

They need to have babies ASAP for the kids to take over the business ...

 

I think the overall filming of the drama is still choppy ... hmmm... 

 

BaiLu needs to be in a modern drama where she act best! I'm going to finish this drama because of her... My second of hers after Love is Sweet

[rabbit_casa]

13 hours ago, Alila N said:

Im not too fussed about a girl’s devotion so long as it’s well explained. Many people fall in love at first sight, however, the author then needs to let go of this reincarnation entanglement idea and write extra events that solidified why she’s devoted to him, but she didn’t, half she wanted to keep the reincarnation in, half she can’t outright show it, so we have a lack of direction drama. 
 

and while he’s very caring and sweet no doubt, he really needed to show he’s passionately in love with her privately, the lack of this passion makes it harder to believe any girl will be that devoted lol. And yes, the zing would definitely salvage this show. I don’t have much hope but I do believe we will get a happy ending. Problem is we will get there like water slowly drip into the sink lol

I think the author assumed that everyone would know that this is the sequel after One and only and this is the reincarnation of the 2 leads. Actually in the novel, the heroine was the one so insisted on the relationship and the ML was more followed along with her, because she is the one with the memories, the love and regret from the past life. It is the key elements of the novel as as though the ML's appearance had changed, she still recognized him because she loved his 'bones', aka his inner beauty, which also explains the title of the novel in the 1st place. Sadly this is all missed in the drama due to the censorship of China. 

 Also for the lack of skinship, I think it's due to the author's style as she is the one who wrote the script as well. In the novel, the 2 characters barely got any skinship at all, it is all hinted in the way they together. I remember there was a scene that the two just started meeting up, and they went out to a restaurant together, having a meal without saying anything to each other the whole time, yet the MC felt really content and happy, because she felt that the ML was ok without saying anything too. The both of them were actually quiet and did not like to say things when it was not neccessary. You figure out the plot bits by bits through the characters around them. For the MC, as long as she was next to him, she would not question anything. The ML at first intended to marry her out of convenience and also because she was the only one he could be comfortable to be with, but he felt in love with her slowly later on. Unfortunately it is really to hard to transcribe in the drama all the nuances of the novel.

[rabbit_casa]

7 hours ago, realistic2280a said:

 

After he came bk ZSC said he want the family companies to concentrate in china.. yet after that, we dont see him actively get involve in his business... then his sister tells him to ^go^... probably meaning to just leave the family mountain (how the place as a seaside beach is amazing though) and went bk to work as a chemist... then why bother taking bk the family fortune then? Hmmm...

 

This is probably another nuance from the novel that isnt transcribed well in the drama. ZSC never meant to be involved in the family business in the 1st place. He needed the family fortune to invest it in the Chinese market to prolong the job market for the locals as the foreign investors were slowly withdrawing their investments to other markets (or sth similar, it has been a while since I last read the novel). That's why he fought to be the heir of the family fortune, he never intended to be one permanently though...

[realistic2280a]

13 hours ago, rabbit_casa said:

This is probably another nuance from the novel that isnt transcribed well in the drama. ZSC never meant to be involved in the family business in the 1st place. He needed the family fortune to invest it in the Chinese market to prolong the job market for the locals as the foreign investors were slowly withdrawing their investments to other markets (or sth similar, it has been a while since I last read the novel). That's why he fought to be the heir of the family fortune, he never intended to be one permanently though...

 

Hmmm...they probably need to show that in  the  drama... him being CEO or what, just sit there during the board meeting and direct his MD and board of that decision. So far we only see him in his lab... and yes its cute that his lab partners thought that he was poor and tried to help him, even the judgemental young security guard at Shi Yi's apartment

 

Being in that family home, where the collection of cars are always there... im not sure what is the place? Is it a home, why do everyone has to eat at 5.45am for breakfast? Then drive down the hill go to work after that?  Everyone, 100 of them lived in the mountain?  Sigh...

 

Was it implied that the lawyer now likes the sickly sister? 

 

 

16 hours ago, rabbit_casa said:

 The both of them were actually quiet and did not like to say things when it was not neccessary. 

 

Hmmm.. the author is probably thinking of the 1970s generation rather than the 2020s generation when he/she wrote the book... 

[ElleSor]

While I totally understand the confusion (?) or the feeling of something lacking in this modern version, I (who read the novel) totally get the modern version and I'm not so impatient with it. I think as some of you have explained, the problem lies with the limitations or restrictions set by the govt regarding reincarnation. In the book, SY clearly remembers her feelings for ZC and her guilt towards him from her past life. She knows she had a past life with him and she remembers key points of his death. In the drama, it's just portrayed as dreams or as a vested interest because she connects the ZC she narrates for in her dubbing as the ZC in her dreams with the ZC whom she meets. I guess those who watched the drama off the bat (without any novel or ancient drama background) find it difficult to relate to the reincarnation theme.

 

[rabbit_casa]

6 hours ago, realistic2280a said:

 

Hmmm...they probably need to show that in  the  drama... him being CEO or what, just sit there during the board meeting and direct his MD and board of that decision. So far we only see him in his lab... 

 

Was it implied that the lawyer now likes the sickly sister? 

 

Hmmm.. the author is probably thinking of the 1970s generation rather than the 2020s generation when he/she wrote the book... 

He being the true heir of the family can use the fund with several phone calls. He was never interested in the running of the family business and only wanted to be the heir to use the family fund only, that's why it's different from what you would imagine to be. 

 

I dont know abt the drama, but in the novel the lawyer got feelings for her. It is not love, mind you, more like he was sympathetic toward her as he knew she had been in love with her. He knew she might not live for long and decided to get married to her after she got better. It is implied in the novel that he was interested in SY but never acted on his feelings for her. It makes sense as he is the reincarnation of the Crown Prince and in this life he was supposed to make up for what he did in his previous life.

 

The reason you feel the romance is so old-fashioned because it is supposed to be so. Both SY and ZC are very traditional and conservative. SY as the one with the memories still carried her old lifestyle in the past time (like her manners and habits), that's why she was so different compared to everyone surrounding her and everyone was so entranced by her. ZC was supposed to be an odd ball, living in his old world, a result of being born as an eldest son in a wealthy and complex family and his high intelligence. It is also implied that he carried the traits of his past life which is why SY could recognize him instantly and fell in love with him again. In other words, they both possess characteristics of their ancient counterparts while living in the modern world and hence their romance is more like the continuing of their past lives', just in modern setting, not a modern love.

[leo2020]

 

On 9/10/2021 at 2:56 AM, Alila N said:

Oh god, if Ju Jingyi was the lead, this drama would fall flat. She can’t act, her eyes have no soul, all she cares about is being pretty. Can’t stand watching her. So thank god that it’s Bai lu that is the main lead, because she really can act

That's 100% true, she is always trying to be as cute and pretty as possible, always with her eyes and mouth opened.  Her styling in her last modern drama is exaggerated to being comical and "clownish", like a plastic doll. Sorry for off-top). 

 

My experience with F&E, however, is may be surprisingly different from other viewers. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of contemporary dramas, and for me it's really a torture to watch .

I personally would prefer modern drama with sad ending and happy ending for ancient one ))). But that's just me .

 

[realistic2280a]

1 hour ago, rabbit_casa said:

He being the true heir of the family can use the fund with several phone calls. He was never interested in the running of the family business and only wanted to be the heir to use the family fund only, that's why it's different from what you would imagine to be. 

 

Hmm...it doesnt sound good either... from the point od view of those doing business, not actively involved in it yet want to use the fund... sigh...

 

Good to know what the lawyer did not act on his feelings to SY...

 

I would think that SY was far from being conservative.. but if the novel said that she behaves too fast to ZSC because she remembers the past, perhaps that explains her determination to be with him.. 

 

Although i didnt see the other drama (coz i dont like unhappy ending and 'no touch' drama, heheh), i did read the recap of it at cyn-lynn blog 

[rabbit_casa]

3 hours ago, leo2020 said:

 

That's 100% true, she is always trying to be as cute and pretty as possible, always with her eyes and mouth opened.  Her styling in her last modern drama is exaggerated to being comical and "clownish", like a plastic doll. Sorry for off-top).

Her acting is better in period dramas. In modern settings, she always tries to be cute and girly and that's too much. I cant even watch her in the alternative ending of The bloom at Ruyi Pavilion which got modern setting.

2 hours ago, realistic2280a said:

I would think that SY was far from being conservative.. but if the novel said that she behaves too fast to ZSC because she remembers the past, perhaps that explains her determination to be with him..

 

Although i didnt see the other drama (coz i dont like unhappy ending and 'no touch' drama, heheh), i did read the recap of it at cyn-lynn blog 

SY is actually very conservative. ZC is the only one she initiated the relationship with because she couldnt bear to miss him again in this life. Come on, she committed suicide when they couldn't be together in last life. Of course, she'd do anything in her power to be with him in this life, such is the explanation for her out of character behaviours when it comes to ZC.

 

You shld read the novel, it is very good. One of my favorite Chinese novels, the writing is very poetic, there is nothing extra, everything is enough. The author is also very good at describing the scenery and the moods of characters, the characters' developments are also consistent. It is a beautiful novel yet carries a melancholic note. The translator group did a good job with their English translation as well.

2 hours ago, realistic2280a said:

Hmm...it doesnt sound good either... from the point od view of those doing business, not actively involved in it yet want to use the fund... sigh...

Probably not good from ppl doing business but ZC's intention was very altruistic. As foreign investors were pulling their investments out of China, lots of jobs would be cut and there were many would be suffering. That's why he wanted his family business to invest to the China market, to prolong the inevitable till they could find alternative solutions to the job market, at the expense of his family business, of course. Because it was a risky move, he could only execute it only when he became the heir, then he could do whatever he wanted and the family had to follow his wish. 

 

It is not without a cost to do so. The plot is still coming and if they stick to the novel you will understand what deal did he strike with his family in order to use the family inheritance as the heir at the end. He is a very self-sacrificing person and SY loved him for this and thought to herself that this trait of his never changed, that was why she could recognize him in this lifetime as well.

[realistic2280a]

@rabbit_casa... if that is the case, then its the bad adaptation of the novel by the director and producers of the drama since it did not reflect what the original writer wanted out from it... sigh... 

 

Hmm.. to say that SY was conservative might not be right as well.. she waited ZSC her life just to be with him... that was her decision; imagine if he got married earlier.. thats a different sacrifice she has made... then again, this is just a story, made by an author..cant get worked up over it

 

He may have the desire to save China's businesses but when he didnt even get involved on how businesses are being manage or run, he should not have made such a huge decision without understanding how things are done, heir or not... haha.. its bad business move. Just like Trump wanting all businesses to be back in US, to save jobs in America, nothing wrong in the desire but the geo-political consequences... we see that, upsetting the world everywhere. 

[rabbit_casa]

9 hours ago, realistic2280a said:

 

Hmm.. to say that SY was conservative might not be right as well.. she waited ZSC her life just to be with him... that was her decision; imagine if he got married earlier.. thats a different sacrifice she has made...

I think it is not that SY purposely waited for him. She never expected to meet him again in this life. It is just she cldnt forget him and had been living her life with regret for her past love. She carried guilt with her as well as she felt that his death was related to her (which is true). That and the fact she is more of an ancient character living in the modern world made she feel disconnected to the world surrounding her. I think it would be hard for her to be in a relationship with anyone, despite her popularity. This is explained very well in the novel. For example, she still carried the old manner in her past time that is not talking during meal time (in ancient China, the noble considered it to be very rude). None of her family and relatives could understand this and kept saying that she was weird. Then she had to forced herself to assimilate in but she never felt comfortable. 

 

That's why imagine one day when she met ZC again and to find out he had been the same in all these years, of course she would reach out to him. It is not only because of their unfinished love (though a large part of it is), it is also because she felt like finally she could connect to someone in this world. There is a scene I mentioned above about the 2 of them eating together when they just started meeting up. The whole time the 2 of them did not say anything, yet SY could feel ZC was perfectly fine with that. Inside she felt happy because he was still the same and finally there was someone she could be next to without forcing herself to adjust to that person.

 

There are little details like that in the novel that may be missed in the drama. The novel describes their love with very subtle hints, yet consistent so that you could feel there is nothing out of logic the way their love progressed. SY's out of character behaviours only happened in the beginning when she reached out to pursue ZC, since she did not want to miss him again. After that she went along with ZC, even with his sudden proposal and arrangements without questioning much (they just started going out together a few times in the novel, then ZC proposed to her because he needed a wife to become the heir. SY was really taken back by the proposal but went along with it without asking anything). She is actually very subdued around him, ZC is the alpha one in the relationship.

[realistic2280a]

1 hour ago, rabbit_casa said:

I think it is not that SY purposely waited for him. She never expected to meet him again in this life. It is just she cldnt forget him and had been living her life with regret for her past love. She carried guilt with her as well as she felt that his death was related to her (which is true). That and the fact she is more of an ancient character living in the modern world made she felt disconnected to the world surrounding her. I think it would be hard for her to be in a relationship with anyone, despite her popularity. This is explained very well in the novel. 

 

Sounds sad actually, to live such life, of guilt, as if living and waiting until the end of time... for the sake of it...   depressing... 

Sounds like ZSC's step-mum...

 

Well, lucky for SY that she managed to meet ZSC's then.. 

[rabbit_casa]

21 minutes ago, realistic2280a said:

 

Sounds like ZSC's step-mum...

 

ZSC's step-mom is actually a very pitiful person. She loved one man, married another for her family. She did not love ZSC's father but tried her best to care for and protect ZSC, maybe not as a mother shld but in her own way. At the end though, her ending is very sad...

[Ma OO]

On 9/17/2021 at 3:32 PM, realistic2280a said:

False alarm... not pregnant.. but she could have been...hehe..

 

Watching ep. 21 now....Hmm.. yes seriously... the drama doesnt have much plot in a way? Its like family drama but not many heavy conflicted ones like korean dramas... we are just seeing how their lives moves on... just like ZSC's style...slow and steady... lol

 

But i gotta say, Allen Ren can carry Bailu.. i tot he didnt have the strength to do so.. ha

 

 

This is exactly what I want for the drama... HAHA

 

 

 

15 hours ago, leo2020 said:

 

That's 100% true, she is always trying to be as cute and pretty as possible, always with her eyes and mouth opened.  Her styling in her last modern drama is exaggerated to being comical and "clownish", like a plastic doll. Sorry for off-top). 

 

My experience with F&E, however, is may be surprisingly different from other viewers. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of contemporary dramas, and for me it's really a torture to watch .

I personally would prefer modern drama with sad ending and happy ending for ancient one ))). But that's just me .

 

 

I don't like sad ending for modern drama. But I prefer certain level of angst. I am not blaming the drama production, because when I read the novel.. It was like that too. Very slow and steady...

[tantaran808]

The plot may seem slow but it’s filled with gestures showing ZSC’s love for SY.  Calling the cab for her and her friends in Xian, giving her the 2011 (I love Shiyi) coin in her hand, driving overnight to Shanghai to take her to dinner, choosing 5/11 for their anniversary date (my Shiyi), giving her a meteorite watch, riding a pink motor scooter to buy her pomegranates, putting sugar in her morning porridge etc.  He can’t verbalize it all, but his actions express his feelings.

 

He defends Shiyi against his family, by not asking her to attend the morning meal,  refusing to allow his stepmom to train Shiyi in the family business, and writing a poem supporting Shiyi in front of his stepmom.

 

According to hoju, who translated the original novel, the author’s husband is a chemistry professor and they are very much in love.  The author is also the screenwriter for O&O and F&E so I’m trusting her to take us in the right direction.