We’ve officially reached that point

We’ve been introduced a new level of complexity in the next few episodes. I’m finally all caught up with the new episodes (as of right now, the latest one being episode 12) and I can’t even with all of the characters. It seems like they all have a misdirected locus of responsibility of their misfortunes. I can’t stand Jin Xiu’s dumbness and naivety anymore – her wide eyes and little pout doesn’t make up for her questionable and childish behaviour.

That being said, let’s start. Be prepared for a sh*t fest (I feel like this is a reoccurring theme).

Ying Shao is released from being imprisoned by the police commissioner thanks to Zuo Zhen. Even though he narrowly escaped death, he still manages to summon strength to act like a brat to his actually caring brother. His angst stems from a deep rooted inferiority complex to Xiang Shao – like a really short guy trying to be more manly to be compensate for his size.

I have officially determined that Ming Zhu is a crazy ex. A crazy ex-girlfriend isn’t hard to imagine in our times. She’s the one that would post lots of selfies just to get her ex-boyfriend’s attention, text him lots while she already has a boyfriend, and goes insane on social media at the thought of him finding someone new.

Well, Ming Zhu is the crazy ex of the 1930’s. Even though she was the one that left Ying Shao for a more powerful man, she still tries to hook on to him and reaffirm his love for her. Crazy huh? Ming Zhu leans in to kiss the passed out Ying Shao, and even though Xiang Shao witnesses all of this, homeslice decides to not say anything to to his girl. If it were me though, I would flip out.

Anyways Maeda/Long Yi looks creepily at the locket (and the secretly engraved list of names of people he has to kill) and smiles because apparently killing off people gives him this sort of pleasure.

Ying Shao is locked up by his brother, and for good measure too! He’s been nothing but an entitled little brat the past 7 episodes – starting fights and not doing anything contributive. Jin Xiu decides to bring him some soup (that was accidentally half eaten by Zuo Zhen) and he makes Jin Xiu feed him – which she strangely complies.

UGH is it just me or does their interaction disgust everyone?! I hate how he misplaces his affections on Ming Zhu on her, and I hate how she acts so submissive towards him. I’m sorry I’m such a hater. #oknotsorry

Throughout the next 6 episodes, we play this series of unfortunate events on the female lead. Most women in the drama all unfailingly end up hating Jin Xiu for no good reason. Well actually, I can’t blame them. She is pretty annoying sometimes, I wouldn’t want to be friends with her either.

But anyways, women hate her and treat her badly no matter where she goes and somehow she is always to rise above with her ‘integrity’.

Jin Xiu starts working at the hotel that Ying Shao owns and since he’s locked up, the women there take it as an opportunity to treat her badly. This is also somewhat directed by Ming Zhu as well, as she wants Jin Xiu out of Shanghai. They make her work so hard that her hands blister, and they also don’t leave her anything to eat. She worked so hard that she nearly passed out.

The staff there accuse her of stealing a precious necklace from a customer’s room. Due to serious lack of labour laws back then, somehow they are allowed to attack her with a whip to get her to confess. She gets kicked out of Shi Zi Lin Hotel.

Zuo Zhen is always following her. You’d think as a leader of a triad you’d have less free time to stalk your crush. She refuses his help once again, disillusioned that she’d be able to find a job on her own.

Meanwhile crazy ex girlfriend Ming Zhu confronts Ying Shao about his feelings towards her.

At this point, I’m like yo girl what do you want? You’re the one that dumped him for someone else, and now you’re feeling sad that he’s moving on?! No seriously. What are you smoking?

He doesn’t confirm his love for her so she does something like any other crazy ex-girlfriend one do: she tries to commit suicide by jumping into the river to see if he would save her.

I was so unimpressed. How crazy can you get?! If it was me, I would let her swallow a bit more water before I actually saved her. Just to teach her a lesson.

After he saves her, she says the most ‘crazy-ex’ thing ever, which was “I knew you still cared about me”. Excuse him for being a decent human being to save a drowning acquaintance, ok?!

After that he takes her back home and her ‘crazy-ex’ fire is still strong. She still tries to reaffirm that he loves her. Xiang Shao conveniently overhears everything again and pretends that everything is ok.

Stupid naive Jin Xiu manages to sign a contract without reading it and ends up to become an escort. Again, no labour laws, so they end up locking her up until she decided to comply to their terms.

An escort there, An Na tries to help her, but gets in trouble. To prevent An Na from getting punished, Jin Xiu agrees to go out on the dance floor.

The resident piano player gets in trouble for gambling, and Jin Xiu ends up replacing him for the remainder of the night. We literally hear nothing except the piano playing except there is still a singer pretending to sing in the background.

On one of her nights as a piano player, this perverted creepy man tries to get her to dance with him. She refuses and he drags her by the hair. Luckily Zuo Zhen shows up and saves her once again.

She begs for him to not hurt that guy, and he pulls her in to hug her.

Ok at this point I realize Zuo Zhen’s behaviour is only acceptable because he is handsome and young. LOL if he was a creepy looking pervert who followed this girl around and force-kissed her and hugs her in silence, we would be pretty freaked out. Let’s just pretend that Zuo Zhen doesn’t look like Huang Xiao Ming but looks like this:

Would you still be ok with this man following you around, ‘protecting’ you?

I digress.

Anyways, he also eavesdrops on Jin Xiu’s conversations. He’s elated to find out that Jin Xiu wants to be independent one day, only because she wants to protect him.

Even though Jin Xiu requested to be independent, Zuo Zhen decides to follow her to ‘monitor’ her and gets his friend to direct her to work in Mei Hua make-up company.

But no seriously – imagine this guy monitoring and following you through his car.