You know that friend who keeps dating the same red flag over and over, just in a different font? That’s basically me, every time I start a new Chinese drama. I click the first episode, see the male lead smirking like he just discovered gravity, and I know I’m in for a bumpy ride.
It’s Like Watching a Car Crash in Slow Motion
And I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. The CEO grabs the heroine’s wrist for the third time, and I’m yelling at my laptop, “Girl, call the cops!” But she doesn’t. She just stares at him with those big, watery eyes, and I grab another handful of popcorn. It’s the same cycle: he’s cold, she cries, he saves her from a runaway car, and suddenly true love is supposed to bloom.
It’s like a gym membership you never use. You know it’s bad for you, but you keep paying for it emotionally. Maybe this time he’ll see her as a person and not a plot device. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t. Not until episode 38, anyway.
