The only reason I'm posting this is because I'm so confused on how this was a masterpiece like don't get me wrong, I was mad and felt heartache for the scenes it had and it definitely did what it was supposed to do.
The thing is these can only go so far until you actually start analyzing between the lines. I still think they peaked story-wise with the generals singing the national anthem as well as Hong Xiu's sacrifice. Those were my favorite parts and they really were effective in making me horribly dislike MC's lack of a fucking backbone.
It's genuinely infuriating to the point that the end just didn't feel fulfilling. I went into the story feeling good about it and ended it annoyed and feeling bad for the characters that served as a stepping stone to make a glorified Romeo and Juliet rip off.
Anyway the modern world sequence atleast puts a bandaid over that. I'm just glad they had a chance for another life but at that point everything just feels like delusion. idc idc it feels like such a copout
Tbh I can kinda understand where you're coming from since you're right that MC didn't have many 'overbeareing ceo' moments and he was very delusional with his "the plot won't change" mindset. But I think the reason so many ppl love this manhua (or at least why I love it) is because the romance is done flawlessly and the relationship progression feels natural with good chemistry.
There aren't really 'overbearing ceo' moments from our MC, but from what I gathered, MC was part of a family lineage filled with ceo tyrants like his father and grandfather. However, he was never very good at following in their footsteps.
Sure he was a natural leader and good at running a large corporation (which is why him doing a good job running the empire as the northern emperor made sense to me), but he was still a naturally warm hearted person and we could see that from his first interactions with his servants and the ML (MC refused to kill the ML even though he knew ML could kill him, and instead decided to befriend him).
We don't see "overbearing ceo" because he was always shown to be a warmhearted person who cares about the people around him!
And for MC's delusional "the plot won't change" ideas, many times it did make sense in the context that MC was worried about his death or tricked into thinking the ML hated him. He did not want to die and decided to stick with the only hints and understanding of the world that he had. And at the end of the day, MC thinking the plot won't change didn't really minimize the romantic moments and tension. It didn't lessen the love our main characters had for each other! Though I admit, MC was also kinda stupid sometimes loll but that just adds to his lovability and charm!
bowing, u have enlighten me !! I do think that many of the aspects in the story could have been better but then again I can't hate iron into becoming steel.
I understand somewhat the contradictions you offered but as you said he might not have been as 'over-bearing' as he was shown. It was still explicitly stated that he was a CEO as such with a lot of managing skill and financial prowess, he had physical advantage and combat training and a lot more skills.
I just hated how those skills were underplayed in the long run of the story to pursue a sort of dynamic sacrificing more edge and sides to MC. I adore warm-hearted characters too but there's a certain fine line for that and just pure naivety and he's on the cliff's edge.
Anyway, I adore your analysis and looking back those were certainly really good points in the story I guess I was just looking for something more so getting my expectations blown over like that prompted such a harsh criticism although I still do stand by them. In regards to the he might die - I guess that's really just a problem with either the pacing or the writing because I never really felt like there was any immediate danger to anything other than the side characters which is one of the things I really didn't like with the story which made so many characters so disposable with no threads to tie over them, of course they're in the middle of war so I get it but there are many other novels who handled war better so I could just read those instead.
It was a delight reading your comment! Hoping to see you around in the site again. ^^
Very relatable with having certain expectations for a story and then they aren't met! I think an MC with all those skillsets you mentioned would've been infinitely cooler. And I do agree that many side characters were a bit too disposable. I loved hearing your side and analysis too! Happy reading! ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~
I have read the novel before and I will say it again. This is a story made to gut your heartstring. There's so many moments that feels redundant and stupid for the sake of 'losing' a character.
I feel especially bad for Hong Xiu and the other people of the kingdom because for someone who is an excellent businessman in his previous world and had traits of an 'overbearing ceo' (hey that's what the beginning of the book stated.)
The MC made no actual aristocratic or professional choice. His decisions are driven by kindness and virtue but they feel childish and cliched. For a character introduced as an excellent person on top of his field and with experience over familial and political conflict.
I'm so sorry to say that I don't believe that any of the things that happened on this novel would have occured if he tried things from HIS own talents and skills instead we got an MC whose decision making revolves only to please the ML and when he couldn't he proceeds to drive a knife deeper into a metaphorical plot wound cause misunderstandings are sooo sad.
Anyway I'm just so pissed that after all that there was no sense into anything, he died, they suffered, everyone suffered, they became happy and they're standing over the bodies of the people who had every right to live but instead they're killed off for shock and emotional value or to further MC's "the plot won't change" delusion when clearly IT DID.
The plot won't change bs is a whole pit of a plot hole in the first place because the harem? Little sister getting married? It's an infuriating read definitely and I feel bad for the characters that got mistreated for the sake of that.