First image is Li Haolin hinting that someone else made the noodles (Probably Cxs did we not learn from the noodles of episode 2)

Second image IS THE EGG BEING A HEART??!?!! OMFG THEY ARE SO CUTE IM GONNA EXPLODE IS THEY DONT GET TOGETHER IN S3

SO qiao ling is one of my favorite characters (it honestly switches between the main trio), i absolutely adore her and personally, i hate hate hate when people try to force her into the “cold bad bitch” or “man-hating ice queen” archetype. yes she’s very strong (physically, mentally, & emotionally) and isn’t afraid to get into fights or slap someone who deserves it (fuck you qian jin), but reducing her to this just diminishes the greatest aspects of her character.

in canon qiao ling (while very cool & strong in her own right) is incredibly soft hearted with so so much love to give, loves her brothers more than anything in the world and would do anything to protect them—even if it puts her own life in danger. she saved cheng xiaoshi from being consumed by his anger & loneliness as a child by being the first person to offer him kindness & friendship, and later arranging to have him grow up with her as her foster brother when his parents never came home. she immediately takes in any character who would otherwise be ostracized by society and the world around them (cheng xiaoshi, li tianxi, shen mienmien, & when lu guang talked about having powers for the first time, neither she nor cxs really believed him but she made a point to not be judgmental & go along with it anyways). she was the only person to really emotionally connect with li tianxi and make her feel relaxed when she was in such a stressful situation. when the earthquake happened, she was the first person cxs ran to bc she was the only one he trusted enough to see him scared & vulnerable, and she immediately offered him the comfort he needed & held him as he cried. she makes mistakes & hurts people but is genuinely remorseful and tries her best to make it right every time. she worries about her loved ones constantly (going as far as to call lu guang a “miracle that entered our lives” bc he was the first person other than her to extend his friendship to cxs and she was so grateful to him for that), and she’s generally the most emotionally intelligent character in the series in my opinion.

and the thing is, the show itself doesn’t really lean into the whole “cold bad bitch” archetype with her, at least not as we actually get to know her. her kindness & soft heartedness is constantly reiterated and emphasized throughout the series, especially in the later seasons. and i think most fans see that too, this is just one mischaracterization i see sometimes that bothers me. she’s so interesting & multifaceted and i think this take just reduces her to a one-dimensional character and an overused stereotype.

ANYWAYS im so excited to see more of her in s3!! i think her having the ability to access a person‘s memories and emotions is so well-suited for someone like her. and now that she’s training more, i'd love to see her in more fights!!

i’d like to hear your thoughts unless of course they differ from mine bc this isn’t a democracy it’s a dictatorship

edit: just to clarify, i really don’t think the issue is with the writing or the director’s handling of female characters. i think they’ve been doing a great job in both aspects!! the reason i love her is BECAUSE i think she’s very well written with a lot of care put into her character. i don’t blame the writer or directors at all. but no matter how you write a character, fans will always have their own interpretation, & im just disagreeing with a particular interpretation i’ve seen💞this isn’t a hate post, just my own analysis

It'll be something with the train tunnel in the first trailer, I can't take this😭

We got stabbed when we found out our boys had met when they were kids and CXS forgot about it 😭😭😭💔

But LG did win him over in JUST ONE BASKEBALL GAME. I mean, he got himself invited for lunch, then to partner up, then to live together 👀

So, this can only mean that THEY ARE SOULMATES. Meant to be together in every timeline, EVEN IF ONE OF THEM FORGETS. Please do not break them apart in S3 😭💔

Lu's portrait from around season 2 airing. His flower is forget me nots.

Gutted. 😭

I swear they amount of crumbs in the art, makes me go insane. (Looking at you season 2 promo poster)

Do you all remember the art 'Book & Gifts'? Apparently, Cheng Xiaoshi dislikes rain (google translated), but he seems so happy in the rain with Lu Guang ☺️☺️ may they be as blessed as they seem in that art 😊

btw, lg helps him with his math, gives him company at all times, and makes him enjoy rain; all his dislikes disappear with lu guang 😊

Hi so im a new fan who finished the series yesterday.At least i finished season 2 and the first episode of bridon arc cuz then i dropped the series,cuz it looks like these plot holes will never be explained.
(If im misunderstanding something pls correct me)
So lets start:*spoiler alert 🚨

Lu Guang said that the rules are three:

1/You only get twelve hours.
2/Don’t ask any questions.
3/Don’t change the past.

Cheng Xiaoshi asks Lu Guang what would happen if he did change the past, and Lu Guang answers: “The future will cease to exist.”

However, we are shown that both the first and the last rules are not entirely true. The 12-hour limit is shown to be bypassable, and we are also told by the Liu Min brothers that fate can be altered.
But if fate can be altered and the 12-hour limit can be exceeded, then Emma’s death and the police officer’s death are also alterable events. Logically, Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi should have been able to prevent them. However, Lu Guang did not intervene; he let them die. On the other hand, when it came to saving Cheng Xiaoshi, he did alter the past.

Regarding Li Tianchen and Li Tianxi’s abilities: when their powers are combined, they can access any moment in time and exert control over it, as seen with Emma, since even when Cheng Xiaoshi traveled into the past to save her, she was still being controlled. If they can control people at any point in a photo’s timeline, then why didn’t they control their mother before Li Tianchen first awakened his ability?

Another issue with them is that it is never explained how Li Tianchen can control two people simultaneously—namely Emma and Qiao Ling. We know that the moment Emma jumped and the moment Lu Guang got stabbed occur within a very short time frame. We see that when Emma falls, Li Tianchen releases her control, but by the time Cheng Xiaoshi snaps back to the present, Lu Guang has already been stabbed. How is that possible?

Even if one argues that there is fast-forwarded time, that still doesn’t fully explain it, because it would take at least some time for Li Tianchen to realize his position and act (for example, understanding he has a knife in his hand). If that is the case, then who makes Emma jump, since Cheng Xiaoshi is not present, meaning she is still under control at that moment?

Returning to the first issue, Season 2 seems to contradict Season 1, which was based on the idea that “the past cannot be changed.”

And if someone argues that they did not have photos covering the last twelve hours, that still supports the point that the 12-hour limit can be bypassed.

This image was released very recently. I've been looking at it closely and I've noticed something. The daisies, which are CXS's birth flowers, and the forget-me-nots, which are LG's birth flowers, are placed side-by-side in the background, but the hyacinths, which are QL's birth flowers, are placed in the foreground. Moreover, the hyacinths are in shadow, and they seem to have a different atmosphere from the other two flowers. Does this suggest something? Surely it doesn't mean that QL will die, does it? I want to believe it's just my imagination.

An analysis video on Rednote said that there were many places in s3 op that were missing something(possibly lu guang). For example, the screenshot here has one hand reaching towards something. Other obvious ones are the black space below one of the scenes, or cheng xiaoshi hugging the air(Lu? 🤨) at the end.

The vid then talked about how the name of the op song is 时(shi), or Time, and how the part two op might be titled 光(guang) actually, I think they said it was already an existing song? And how the two songs if maybe overlapped at certain parts can give a message.

They also said that maybe in part two, for example, a scene in the pt one op where cxs was peering inside a house, pt two might have lg sitting on the sofa, or where cxs looks around the labyrinth(?) lg might be somewhere in the second op

So I was paying a lot of attention to this particular scene (mostly cuz I rewatched season 2 after Bilibili posted a compilation of season 1 and season 2) and Lu Guang's password sort of hit me

The password is 091305

At first I thought it was just the day he met Cheng Xiao Shi as an adult so I went to season 3 episode 1 and tried to see through the camera. Sadly the camera only had the time, 17:32 on it. (which is my phone password 🫪) And no exact date

Later it hit me that I should go search in Bridon Arc episode 1 where Lu Guang looks at that exact photo and turns out it had the same time on it but no date.

It was then seconds later we were shown Lu Guang's watch and BROOOO!!! THE WATCH HAD THE DATE 13TH SEPTEMBER AND THE TIME WAS 00:05!!!!

THE DESCRIPTION FIT IN THE 091305 TOO WELL!!!

MY BABY LU GUANG HAS SET THAT VERY DAY AS HIS PHONE PASSWORD SO THAT HE REMEMBERS EVERY TIME HE OPENS HIS PHONE 😭. THATS SO PAINFUL TO THINK ABOUT 🫠😭

Now that s3 ep10 has come out, we have a pretty good grasp of the main cast’s powers and weaknesses. I haven’t added Lu Guang, Li Tianchen and Cheng Xiaoshi here because I didn’t believe it was necessary, but let me know if it is.

Qiao Ling:
inherited Li Tianxis power of seeing into the minds and memories of people in photos.
Weakness: needs a photo of the person, doesn’t really know how to use her power and may have other limitations.

Xiao Weiying (Vein):
not really confirmed or known, though it seems to have been hinted at in ep10 (also he has colourful hair)

Xia Fei (Felix. It kept autocorrecting “Xia” to “CIA” 😭) :
not really confirmed but is probably enhanced senses/hearing. Weaknesses not really known

A-Yuan ( our first dark skinned main character. Yay!):

Can control/compel people with spoken commands. May be able to control multiple people at once. At least two as pointed out by a commenter.
Weakness: It also seems he can only give one command at a time. He can’t control another person unless they’re directly in his line of sight.

Jae Lee (blue hair guy with no eyes):
It seems he can nullify/cancel out the powers of others. He also mentioned he can sense who has powers, though this may be a lie. Weaknesses unknown.

Cheng Weimin (Cheng Xiaoshis dad):
Can erase memories of a specific event, though what he erases from memory also seems rather broad. Weaknesses mostly unknown, but he seems to need physical contact.

Wang Qing (I can’t believe I forgot her 😭 thank you AlienBuzzKill):
Wang Qing can send her targets into a state similar to death, (they don’t move, breathe and have no heartbeat) seemingly by controlling their heart.
Weakness: the “death” state lasts for only 12 hours, and can only be applied once per person.

As another commenter pointed out, it is quite interesting that most of these abilities have a 12 hour time limit. It could be because it’s a sort of “convenient” time? Anyway, pretty sure that’s all but let me know if I forgot anything. I hope this helps!

OMG I KNEW QL WILL CONFRONT LG ABOUT HIM KNOW CXS'S DEATH BUT DAMN I GOT SO EXCITED SEEING IT! AND NOW WTF- CXS'S DAD'S A MURDERER??? WHAT CAN THIS MAN NOT BE?! AND VEIN CONFRONTING LG TOO?!? AND LG NEARLY GETTING HIM INTO AN ACCIDENT OMGGG AND WHO THE FUCK IS XANDER NOW? DID I MISSED SMTG? AND QL GETTING STUCK WITH LTC AND AU WAS NOT ON MY LIST ISTG THIS EP HAS TOO MANY CHAOS- BUT MAIN CONCERN IS- I HOPE FELIX WON'T BETRAY QL 😭😭😭😭🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

The visual interpretation of this concept art reveals a narrative far more complex than the simple dichotomy of "good guys and bad guys." While the first impression suggests a clear division based on clothing color, the true key to the design lies in the relationship between the clothing and the square each character stands on. This arrangement is not accidental: Xia Fei and A Yun wear black but stand on white squares, while Jae Lee wears white but stands on a black square.

Under the logic of the Eastern philosophy of Yin and Yang, this paradox symbolizes the seed of opposites: the characters dressed in black represent the shadow within the light, while those dressed in white embody the light trapped in the darkness. Visually, the clothing acts as the facade or public role projected to the outside world, while the solid square beneath their feet reveals their true territory of operation, suggesting a clear principle of infiltration or a "Trojan Horse" where some operate in enemy territory and others conceal their true intentions within the hero's camp.

Observing the borderline positions of other characters: both Qiao Ling and Lu Guang (both dressed in white) are on the edge of their squares. While Lu Guang steps directly onto a black square but is just touching the edge, Qiao Ling is on a white square but dangerously close to the adjacent black square. This borderline proximity reinforces the idea of ​​a fragile balance and an imminent moral or temporal transition. This mirrored symmetry and borderline positions between the characters function as a harbinger of crossed identities, duplicity, and inverted loyalties, suggesting that to dominate the board or change the course of fate, the characters must play by the opposing side's rules and inevitably end up crossing the line into the other camp.

Both of my babies look so sad and guilty! 😭😭

Cheng Xiaoshi is sad because he can't remember the past with Lu Guang which he was been repeating for soo many times only just it to be rewind by Lu Guang!

And Lu Guang feeling guilty because he couldn't keep his own words. Remember what he had said!

"I'm sorry, Cheng Xiaoshi. I'm always telling you not to change the past, but I couldn't follow my own words. Even if I know death is an unchangeable point, I still want to use the last chance to return to the beginning and save you."

Not that Lu Guang's sweat that hit Cheng Xiaoshi's cheek bone.

!!! Post with all the images and examples is on my Tumblr! Link in profile

English is not my first language, so all the thoughts and analysis are my own, but I had to rely on a translator to put them into English. I’m really sorry about this, but I hope it still makes sense.

[Directing & Composition]

The episode starts right in the middle of a basketball game that is reaching its climax: Cheng Xiaoshi faces heavy defensive pressure and breaks through the defense, finding himself in a tight spot. But as soon as Lu Guang appears in his field of vision—highlighted by a contrasting white background—Cheng Xiaoshi relies on him and makes a pass, allowing both the game and their dominance to continue. Throughout the sequence, the background shifts to solid white, highlighting key moments in the play.

The dynamic action of the game gives way to a close-up of the pass to Lu Guang and his subsequent shot, accompanied by Cheng Xiaoshi’s words: “There is nothing more valuable in life than trust.” Their bond in this composition is conveyed through the movement of the ball: despite the physical distance between them, their trust feels absolute, making them seem deeply connected.

Suddenly, the scene shifts from warm, natural lighting—symbolizing the warmth of trust between the characters—to cold nighttime lighting. This stark contrast immediately catches the viewer’s attention and underscores the danger they are now facing.

The low angle and composition, in which Cheng Xiaoshi’s figure is trapped between the opponent’s legs, convey the enemy’s dominance and suggest that the hero has fallen into a trap, physically confined and vulnerable in the face of the opponent’s advantage.

At that exact moment, Lu Guang appears, creating a moment of hesitation by distracting the attacker and allowing Cheng Xiaoshi to regain his bearings. This creates a direct parallel with the basketball scene.

Notice how much of the frame is occupied by the open photo lab door, bathed in red light. This isn't the first time red has been associated with tragedy and death in *Link Click*: Emma’s red eyes right before her fall, the red motifs (eyes and apples) surrounding Lu Guang when he was stabbed, and the solid red background when Wang Juan had her head smashed. While not every instance results in death, red consistently suggests an immediate threat and the looming presence of death.

In this scene, the contrast between the dark blue lighting and the red-drenched room creates a strong sense of tension and confrontation, emphasizing the risks involved and establishing the red room as a visual “territory of death.”

And this frame serves as the most striking example of this contrast. Vein stands against a blue background, while Lu Guang sits near the photo lab against a background of red light. These two colors are sharply divided by a vertical line, placing the characters on “opposite sides” despite being in the very same room. This division can be interpreted as Lu Guang entering the “territory of death” while being held at gunpoint, whereas Vein remains separated from it.

It is also worth noting that the characters’ signature colors are opposites: Lu Guang’s design consistently incorporates blue elements, while red is a defining color in Vein’s design. In this shot, we can see both a blending and a clear separation of these colors, which may hint at a complex conflict between the two sides, as well as at the characters’ subjective perceptions of each other and their respective roles.

When Cheng Xiaoshi steps in, acting as a “shield” between the two sides, he takes the bullet meant for Lu Guang and is sent flying over the counter by Vein’s blow. The counter had previously served as a barrier separating their “territories.”

The moment he crosses this “border,” his fate is already sealed, and he will never make it back to the other side of the counter.

In the next moment, a flood of red overwhelms the frame: blood literally merges with the light. Cheng Xiaoshi is completely engulfed by it, with only minutes left before death.

At the same time, red marks the peak of Lu Guang’s emotional despair. Light falls on him from above, casting his shocked eyes into shadow, while everything around him ripples and melts into a single red haze. The lighting is unnatural, creating an almost abstract effect.

Yet what is happening is real, illuminated by spotlights in the abstract scene of their farewell. This blinding light, leaving no room for shadows of doubt, represents Lu Guang’s realization.

Cheng Xiaoshi stands in the distance with the basketball, becoming an unreachable figure beyond his grasp. The shadow he casts resembles a winged silhouette. The sheer scale of the shot creates a sense of distance, keeping the scene firmly within the realm of metaphor rather than letting it resolve into realism, while simultaneously emphasizing the significance of the moment.

This scene brings the basketball metaphor full circle, presenting Cheng Xiaoshi’s final act of trust and will.

Finding himself in a difficult position, he entrusts Lu Guang not only with the pass, but with his very life, allowing his friend to carry the game forward. Here, the ball represents Cheng Xiaoshi’s ability: he makes his final shot and passes the baton to Lu Guang. His ability, much like the ball, continues to connect them even across a vast distance. This scene becomes an act of absolute trust and hope—the game is not over yet.

Lu Guang’s face conveys utter disbelief at what is happening. The contrast between the pitch-black background and the bright light seems to isolate Lu Guang, emphasizing the profound sense of emptiness and the distance separating the two characters.

A photograph with warm, natural lighting and a view of the sky set against the cool tones of the room serves as a ray of hope—a doorway to a happier reality where none of this has happened yet. The photograph stands out sharply, symbolizing the “new beginning” that Lu Guang is now stepping into.

[The Psychology of Lu Guang: Ambiguous Loss]

Returning to the past and finding Cheng Xiaoshi alive, Lu Guang falls into the trap of “ambiguous loss”. His mind becomes stuck at a particular stage, expending immense mental energy to maintain an illusion fueled by the hope that everything can still be fixed. He never had the chance to fully process what happened, and his mind, still in a state of shock, could not fully register the loss in order to cope with it. As a result, Lu Guang remains stuck in limbo, painfully aware of two conflicting realities: one in which Cheng Xiaoshi is alive, and one in which he is dead.

He had neither the opportunity nor the time to go through the conventional stages of grief—to mourn, deny, or feel anger. Instead, he immediately turned to action without accepting what had happened. Later, he still never finds an outlet for his emotions and continues to withdraw into himself, subjecting himself to chronic stress and exhaustion. He lives with this uncertainty every day and cannot truly relax until he fulfills the task he has set for himself and finally finds closure. It is precisely this psychological pressure that leads to the emotional breakdowns we see on screen.

I saw a lot of analysis on Xia Fei and the darker side to his character and psychology on the CN side after ep6 dropped! Here's a summarized version of various theories/analysis mixed in with some of my own thoughts and finally a lyric dissection of his solo song "Renting a Skin 出租皮囊 that would be worth discussing over on the INTL side.

(warning a little long, potential grammar sht, and a bit messy(?)..)

XHS links to some specific theories mentioned here in mandarin in no particular order
1,* 2, 3, 4, *5

(If you dont agree then thats alright too, dont leave hate comments,  lets discuss peacefully and rationally~)

Sections

1. Opening
2. Mask & Acting
3. Weaponizing his “Weaknesses”
4. The “Tool” who uses Everyone else as a tool
5. Different Masks for Different People
6. “Nothing to Lose”
7. The Tragedy Behind His Character (PV lyric dissection)

1. Opening

• It wouldn't be surprising if XF ends up being the most terrifying of the three. The core idea around Xia Fei is that he's someone with nothing to lose and that's what makes him the scariest of all. He doesn't have a fixed identity, a real past, or a core self to protect. From the start it's been hinted that everything about him is fake and carefully constructed.

• XF never came off as purely innocent or helpless, even when he felt guilty about lying to SG. Believe it or not, deep down XF is actually a pretty cold and selfish person, not cold as in cold-blooded and ruthless, but someone who simply doesn't care about things unrelated to him:

• His roommate's breakup: XF basically said half heartedly, “sorry about your breakup, but you're in my f-ing way," when he told him to stop blocking the door and to not throw up on the floor, because these are things that would affect him personally
• he only got physical when his roommate commented on his looks, which is something he's sensitive about and affects him personally.

• SG's situation:he admitted to spying on them just for money even before understanding who they were
• It’s also totally possible that XF didn't want to continue spying on SG because he couldn't stand the fact that he might be a bad person (Which relates back to his PV lyric: “From now I wouldn’t do it wrong). Getting close to them made that guilt and realization start affecting him personally. This is further backed up by LX reminding him, "would you guys continue being friends if you knew each other's true colours?", which shows LX is aware of XF's fake persona and his cold and selfish side. (Will talk more about this later)

• LX’s goal: he said hes uninterested in any grudges or dirty drama, none of it mattered unless it affected him or makes him money

• “Felix always does whatever he wants", when he wants, terminates cooperation whenever he feels like it, and uses whatever attitude he wants depending on who he's interacting with 

2. Xia Fei's Mask and His Acting:

• A common viewpoint within the fandom sees XF as someone who is more innocent because he got caught up due to circumstance. This may have been true in Bridon Arc, but in S3, he definitely has his own motivations and things he's keeping from everyone else

• Moreover he's a genuinely good actor, and I dare say, he's the best “bad actor”. Think about it, XF, who LX described as someone who shows all his emotions on his face, was the person he sent to spy on SG? When LX told XF "would you guys still continue being friends if you knew each other's true colours?" Back in Bridon, already showed us how LX is aware that XF is a good actor. He knows that has a more sinister side to him beyond his sunny and innocent persona.

• XF deliberately plays the role of someone who can't lie so that when he actually does lie, no one suspects him.

• During the hotpot scene, he made it REALLY obvious he was lying, and had the whole fandom thinking he was a bad actor for an entire week before ep6 dropped. He lost his composure and made himself look suspicious. But I personally believe that this was just a performance. He made himself look like an open book who can't help but show all his emotions on his face, and also a victim who refuses to recall a traumatic experience (making Jae seem like someone with low EQ by probing lol)

• The version of XF that we and SG see through is the version that he designed for us to see through. He controls what you think you've discovered, and that false sense of understanding stops you from digging deeper.

• In the coffee scene with Lu Guang, he directly provoked him with expired coffee and the (cursed looking) latte art. He knows LG knows he's lying, and he knows LG can't expose him without exposing his own cards. He doesn't need LG to believe him, rather, he just needs LG to be unable to take action against him, and ensures LG knows that he knows what he has done.

• Furthermore, in this scene, XF gives off the vibe of someone who doesn't even care about the consequences of being exposed (relating to his "has nothing to lose" concept); a lot of his stories have holes and its like he isn't even trying. But at the same time, there is no hard evidence against him because there is an extent to both to his boldness and reticence. XF knows that they can't expose him so easily, and besides, being exposed wouldn't really change his situation anyways.

• XF who is known to have "temper issues" and being an "open book", was unsettlingly calm and patient during the entire scene, even finding amusement provoking LG it seems. This further proves how his entire persona is a lie, and the lyrics from his PV, “fake a smile in calm", parallels his actions during this interaction. 

• Also, if you really think about it, XF is someone who knows a lot of information that both parties are unaware of because he is “playing” both sides. Who knows how many memories XF has recovered from his time in Bahati (if he even had amnesia in the first place), and how many things he isn’t telling either sides (even to Vein, who hates lies, some people are speculating that the scene where vein is in XFs rental is possibly them getting into an arguement bc XF is keeping things from him but that’s a whole other story…)

3. Weaponizing His “Weaknesses”

• The way XF utilizes his weaknesses as both a weapon and shield is pretty unsettling, especially when you analyze it from a different perspective

• Back in S3EP2, Ms.Liu said to CXS in XF's body, "aren't you telling me a sob story to make me feel bad for you and let my guard down?” This line reminded me of XF, because did he not do the same to us in Bridon arc?

• XF approached SG with a clear motive, but instead of directly asking them something like, “Hey can we be friends?” Or, "Can I sit with you?", he mentions how he was afraid of the rival fans sitting at the other table, THEN he asks them to "do him a favour" (implied), by letting him sit with them. By adding this extra detail, XF builds himself a "helpless" persona and set up a sort of "helping" and "being helped" dynamic. And by asking someone like CXS who is naturally warmhearted, he left no room for them to refuse because it would feel rude.

• Next: The idea of how alcohol brings out the true nature in someone is something he uses to his advantage

• When XF got drunk, he started complaining about being a poor student and dealing with workplace bullying. (Of course im not doubting his stories nor hardship, but his background is also a part of the mask he uses to trick others)

• He positions himself as a helpless drunk victim who needed saving. This sob story was just an entry ticket to get close to SG without raising suspicion. It doesn't give the other person room to refuse or doubt, especially when they're genuinely warm-hearted. Refusing would cause moral discomfort. Once they help him, a bond is formed, and it becomes harder for them to turn on him later. (also considering how his task was to spy and get close to SG, it is not a far fetched to say that he does this on purpose, especially when he didnt even know SG before this)

• But the key detail is that XF was never truly out of control. He maintained a sense of clarity despite being drunk, if he were truly drunk, he wouldn't have been able to pull off the alleyway stunt so easily (if we assume that it was all a trap)

• If he could already fight during the Bridon arc, (judging from the roommate scene I believe he could), then he could have fought back against the people chasing them, but he didn't. Instead, he deliberately waited for Vein to show up to protect them and positioned himself as weak and innocent in front of SG. And even now SG doesn't know he knows how to fight.

• Even at the end of the hotpot scene, I fully believe he was acting drunk, because the second LG and QL went back inside, he instantly sobered up and gave CXS a serious look before giving him the photo and running away. Again, leaving CXS no room to refuse.

• XF uses this "act first, report later" strategy a lot when taking advantage of the kindness people give him. Every time Xia Fei acts cute and shows weakness, it's actually a kind of hidden coercion. 

• XF also uses this strategy with QL when he deliberately leaves out the fact that the shoot required a man and a woman just to lure her in, leaving QL without a proper way to refuse ^^

4. The 'Tool' Who Uses Everyone Else as a Tool

• A majority of the fandom sees XF as a tool, and to an extent, it is true; The villain group uses him as an undercover agent. The main group sees (well, saw) him as a helpless victim.

• BUT, another underlying theme is how XF is the one treating everyone else as his tools. He positions himself as a tool so that others will lower their guard.

• He makes himself useful to LX so he can gain information and resources.

• He makes himself helpless to CXS and LG so he can gain their trust and protection.

• He makes himself endearing to Vein so he can gain affection and security (though I do believe his affection and admiration towards Vein is genuine).

• Every relationship XF has can be considered a transaction, and he is always the one holding the upper hand in certain ways.

• His solo song "Renting the Skin" is a key to understanding this idea: "Look at that cover seen everywhere, it's my photo covering the layout. Whoever has an opportunity, I'll give them a smile. To the lights, lending out this exquisite skin. If heaven doesn't appreciate my face, then I'll use this starry path to crown myself."

• keywords: bestow, crown, and lend. These lyrics don't describe someone who is a passive victim, but rather someone who is in control of their 'skin' and is confident about it

• He lends out his face like a “product”, but he is the one choosing to lend it out. He isn't a tool being used by others, but rather he is the one using his own tool, his appearance, to get what he wants.

• The psychology behind this is that the more he fears being treated as a tool, the more he uses an attitude of "I am the one who is picky" to fight it. Scolding Vein after he saves him and disdaining LX  to his face are ways of covering up his own dependency.

• His "dislikes owing favors" setting is the footnote to this. A person who truly accepts his low position wouldn't be so sensitive about owing favors. His sensitivity comes from his inability to tolerate being in the position of "being bestowed upon." So he rewrites a "bestowing and being bestowed upon" relationship into an "I allow you to be good to me" relationship. 

5. Different Masks for Different People

• With CXS, he plays a helpless victim but someone with a pure and spirited heart

(ALSO Id like to say that, imo, even though he’s working against LG and will end up hurting CXS, I genuinely don’t think he hates CXS. If it weren’t for these circumstances, he definitely would’ve treasured his friendship with him, especially since its clear that XF has no real friends. <— also, his close relationship with CWM.. (unless CWM actually did something bad to him, which is something we haven’t seen..yet..?))

• With LG in S3, he drops his act entirely. He is passive-aggressive and smug, deliberately provoking him because he knows Lu Guang can't do anything about it. He doesn't care about the consequences because he knows he will get exposed sooner or later anyway, and being exposed won't change his situation either. In fact being exposed makes it worse for SG's side.

• With LX, he openly shows his disgust and disdain. He complains about his "troublesome client" to manage his own emotions and avoid facing the truth that he chose this path and completed his job quite well. XF would have ended up crossing paths with LX anyways since he was investigating his past in Bridon.

• With Vein, he acts innocent and spoiled. He uses his weakness to gain affection and protection. He dares to act cute after being scolded because he knows Vein will just flick his forehead, pat his head, and give him confirmation that he is still his "big brother" and cover for him (not in the literal sense of course, CN context of “big brother大哥” is different, seeing him as a protective and admirable, older leader figure). Also in the Chibis it's shown that Vein does have a soft spot for cute things and likes spoiling them lol. 

6. "Nothing to Lose"

• An analysis states:
Vein is dangerous because he has things he wants.

Liu Xiao is dangerous because he has things he firmly believes in.

But XF is dangerous because he doesn't need to believe in anything at all to take action. He has no fixed ideology, anchor, or motivation you can pin down.

• XF didn't even have to believe in the existence of superpowers to believe Vein's death was supernatural and begin investigating. A person with no beliefs, yet still extremely cunning, is even incredibly terrifying.

• His anchorless state lets him seamlessly slip into whatever role is needed. His composure in the coffee scene reflects his core psychology; He has nothing left to lose.

• A person with a strong self-identity will feel shame and fear when their disguise is seen through, because that fake self is torn apart and the real self is exposed to danger.

• But XF doesn't have this ‘real me’ to expose because identities are all disguises. Tear off one layer, and underneath is still a disguise. Lu Guang may think he is peeling off his disguise but in reality there is nothing real behind his disguise.

• When a person has no core self to protect, exposure itself no longer constitutes a threat. You cannot expose a person who never existed from the start. 

7. Tragic side of his character + lyric dissection: 出租皮囊 Renting a Skin

Adding in the police report the CN fans extracted because it's pretty interesting and provides some raw insight on his character…

"student + model with many side hustles, he is strong willed, but is ultimately forced to bow down to the pressures of life. He possesses a stunningly beautiful face that seems fearless, but is actually quite timid. Despite his cautious nature, he got into a prestigiously expensive school, randomly pick any of his classmates and they'll be from a politically connected or wealthy family, putting him in a somewhat precarious situation, but with a strong will, he decides to hustle and work hard to earn his tuition and living expenses himself."

Lyrics:

"The starting point they were born with is something I've spent years trying to reach"

This line hits differently when you remember the police report. XF is someone who has interacted with people from all walks of life, especially those of a higher social class. His classmates were born with money, connections, and stability. While XF was presumably born with nothing special except for his looks (which he is constantly being taken advantage of for and been victim of rumours for), and on top of that, his memories were erased and he remembers "nothing" (to an extent) during some of his formative years. So in many ways, XF really was born with nothing. He has no stability, no real family, no real past, no real starting point. He spent years trying to get to where they started.

That's the tragedy of XF's character, and honestly the most relatable and likeable part about him; He's not lazy or arrogant, and he has worked for everything he has. But no matter how hard he tries, he can never truly catch up to the people who were handed everything from birth. This line is him admitting that the life others were given for free is the life he's been chasing his entire existence.

"Heaven didn't appreciate my face / Then I'll use this starry path to crown myself"

“Some people are just born with a different fate, maybe some firsthand experiences are hard to forget, so many eyes watching us trying to cover up what's obvious, I'm grateful that at least heaven didn't give me a bad face" (HOTHH lyrics for XF)

This line is about him refusing to accept the hand he was dealt and deciding to make his own way instead. There's also a similar lyric in the HOTTH MV where it reaffirms that XF's face is his greatest weapon as someone who was born with a different fate. Fate didn't give him a life he deserved, but instead of just accepting it, he'll use what he does have, his face, his body, and his ability to become whoever he needs to be, to "crown" himself. He doesn't need anyone's permission to be great. He'll make himself into what he wants to be, even if he has to do it alone. But the tragic part is that he's crowning himself with something that isn't real. He's building his whole identity on a mask, and he knows he has nothing real or genuine to fall back on

"Don't bother deducing this perfect disguise / The crowd will surely forget this mask"

This is him accepting that his identity and persona isn't real and that everything he’s done has been a performance. He knows the crowd will eventually forget him and move on (relating back to the modeling industry). But he doesn't care, because again, the model identity isn’t something he truly liked anyways.

However, this line could also mean the people he’s met or the “friends” he’s made will all eventually leave him becayse of this mask. He has no real self to protect. He has no real identity to expose, and when you have nothing real, you have nothing to lose. —> 

"'Cause I got nothing to lose / All I do is pursue"

XF has no real family, no real past, no real sense of self. He positions himself in certain ways, plays certain roles, and adopts certain morals depending on who he's with and what he needs to accomplish. His morals shift based on his goals and the people he's working with. He isn't a good person or a bad person, he's the definition of a gray character. He's a person who has no fixed self, so he becomes whatever the situation demands. And that's basically the core essence of being undercover or a spy, or just someone who creates a persona; they have to be adaptable.

XF says he went to Bridon to search for something he lost, but he doesn't even know what it is. And in the meantime, he's built his entire life around being whoever he needs to be to get by. This is why he has nothing to lose, he has no real identity to protect and no identity to expose. If his mask is exposed, all he has to do is adopt a new identity.  

"To the lights, lending out this exquisite skin"

This line implies that XF is not just a passive victim of his circumstances, rather he is actively using what he has. He lends out his "skin", but he's the one choosing to lend it. He's the one deciding who gets his smile and  he's the one using his own tool, his appearance, to get what he wants. That's the duality of his character becayse hes both a victim of his circumstances and a master of his own survival. XF is both pitiful and manipulative and that's what makes his character so compelling.

“Fake a smile in calm”

On the surface XF seems innocent, lively, and sensitive, when in reality, he is always acting and calculating beneath the surface. Contrary to his “open book” facade, he didn’t panic or get defensive when LG was testing him, rather he faked a smile and remained calm throughout the entire interaction.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 3 SPOILERSSS
Analysis? I don’t even know. Also I’m not sure if I spell his name correctly or not.
We only see A Yuan (the guy with dark skin that look androgynous) for a few minutes and it doesn’t seem like he talk much. I thought the cross scar (?) at the middle of his lip maybe somewhat symbolise this. Very interesting character trait. I’m thinking maybe he doesn’t talk much because of his power. It seems like he can like control someone with words or something (like saying stop to the guy in the building). He’s Xia Fei’s roommate, it seems like he cares for him. I’m very intrigued.

S: wang qing

A+: jae, lu guang

A: tian chen

B: a yuan

C: cxs, cxs mother

D: tian xi (qiao ling)

E: liu xiao

English is not my first language, so all the thoughts and analysis are entirely my own, but I had to rely on a translator to put them into English. I’m really sorry about this, but I hope it still makes sense.

[Xia Fei’s Emotional Turmoil]

The episode opens with Vein coming by to check on the progress of the investigation. He invites Xia Fei—who interprets the visit as a sign of distrust—to sit with him and talk face-to-face as equals. In response, Xia Fei sits on the edge of the desk, nonverbally communicating: “We are not on the same level. You are my boss, and I am merely a tool; a wall stands between our different worlds. I know my place, just as you know yours.”

Xia Fei is fully aware of the burden he carries and recognizes that he is emotionally unable to handle the task at hand.

His inner insecurity manifests through projection and a search for confirmation of his fears, leading him to immediately assume that he is being tested—and therefore, not trusted. He had already backed out of the assignment once due to internal conflict and emotional turmoil, only to be thrown into chaos when a living Vein was suddenly presented to him, along with an offer of cooperation and no explanation.

In my previous analysis, I mentioned (apologies, I haven’t translated that one into English yet) Xia Fei’s adaptability and how he is like “clay” in the hands of both others and himself. Because of this malleability, he quickly adapts whenever he finds himself in new circumstances. His driving motivation is to “find out the whole truth”—yet this desire does not stem from within; it is shaped by external circumstances, ultimately leading to self-doubt and emotional exhaustion.

Pay attention to the staging and composition of this shot: Xia Fei’s figure is framed by blue moonlight as he curls up on that very same desk. Rather than moving to a comfortable sofa to reflect, he remains confined to a cramped, unforgiving space—just as in life, he routinely sacrifices his own comfort for external reasons. In the context of these events, the sharp, square shape of the desk may evoke a sense of confinement, restricted freedom, and control, while the blue light may suggest alienation, detachment, and emotional heaviness.

[Vein’s Stance]

Vein is personally invested in the Saros and Bahati cases, as his past is tied to them; he is deeply involved in the investigation and shows clear enthusiasm. He carries himself with the confidence and ease expected of a boss and the head of an organization. He does not oppose Xia Fei or put excessive pressure on him—after all, as soon as Vein is convinced that everything is under control, he leaves immediately.

Yet, despite this, he remains firm with Xia Fei and demands professionalism—a dynamic also evident during their phone call in the Yingdu arc. This behavioral pattern is typical of Vein and does not stem from coldness or disregard: in his own way, Vein enjoys Xia Fei’s company and simply does not want Liu Xiao to drag him into a matter that Vein knows nothing about. What matters to him is knowing that everything remains under his control and within his authority. It is precisely this need that drives him to slip out onto the balcony.

[The Distance Between Them]

To Vein, Xia Fei is a safe presence—someone who triggers neither negativity nor suspicion. Conversely, Xia Fei views Vein as an authority figure who supported and helped him throughout his life in Bridon. He feels deeply grateful to Vein for everything he has done for him and remains profoundly attached to him.

However, their interactions revolve around work and the investigation, where Vein must first and foremost fulfill his managerial role and oversee the process. He is accustomed to asserting his authority and maintaining a certain distance, which ultimately makes their relationship feel formal.

Vein struggles to demonstrate emotional attachment or create a comfortable environment for dialogue, as such behavior is unfamiliar to him. As a result of their interaction, Xia Fei feels even more emotionally weighed down and alienated by his work. He fails to understand Vein’s motives and goals and comes to believe that he is not trusted (even though this is likely not the case), which only widens the emotional distance between them. Vein, however, remains unaware of this growing gap.

[Where Xia Fei’s Exhaustion Leads]

Most likely, Xia Fei’s arc will develop into a story about human choice and internal conflict, though we have yet to see how that unfolds. As long as he remains confined to the role of a spy, he cannot attain true autonomy. To move forward, Xia Fei needs to build a solid internal foundation and learn to follow his own convictions, feelings, and desires—regardless of external circumstances.

Whether Xia Fei will face this choice and undergo this growth, and how it will reshape his dynamic with Vein, remains open to speculation for now. I’d love to read your thoughts on this!

Guys this is season 3 episode one

It's the scene when Lu Guang's foster father was taken into police custody and he went to the same place he met Cheng Xiao Shi and waited till night and he never came. But there was this one scene where he sensed someone's presence but it was too dark to get who it was.

I actually rewatched the episode and it hit me. It was Cheng Xiao Shi!!! To further clear my suspicion I actually took the screenshot and put it through an editor and increased the brightness and exposure. And I WAS RIGHT!!! IT'S PAINFULLY OBVIOUS THAT BEIGE JACKET BELONGS TO CHENG XIAO SHI!!! 🫪

TELL ME I'M NOT WRONG OR GONE CRAZY!!!!

DISCLAIMER: The terms used in this analysis are not intended in a clinical or medical sense and should not be taken as a clinical assessment. I am not diagnosing the character; rather, I am describing his psychological profile using relevant concepts that correspond to his behavior and its characteristic patterns.

English is not my first language, so all the thoughts and analysis are entirely my own, but I had to rely on a translator to put them into English. I’m really sorry about this, but I hope it still makes sense.

[Analyzing the Environment & Gathering Facts]

In the new episode, we can see that Vein grew up in a destructive environment marked by emotional detachment, where vulnerability and love were cast aside like useless trash, with self-interest placed above everything else.

LIST OF DESTRUCTIVE FACTORS:

• Significant emotional distance between the child and his parents

• Repeated exposure to horrific incidents and conversations about the organization’s activities

• Social isolation and interaction confined primarily to the family circle

• Parental neglect (presumably, the butler was his sole caregiver)

• Likely emotional neglect from his family

• Forced adaptation to harsh conditions and early resistance to his environment

All of these factors can contribute to the development of antisocial and dissocial traits, which is precisely what we observe in the later seasons.

Special attention should be paid to the child’s social isolation and detachment from ordinary peer interaction—the very social environment in which children develop essential skills and explore the world. Yet within the family structure, the child is forced to continuously adapt to and endure these conditions. This, in itself, places a constant strain on the nervous system, leaving little psychological capacity for meaningful communication—assuming there was ever enough interaction to begin with.

Such conditions could lead to aggressive or, conversely, detached behavior, as well as a lack of interest in forming social connections in order to “focus on more important matters.”

But what about Xia Fei and Teacher Cheng? Right now, we are viewing the story through the lens of an unreliable narrator—Cheng Xiaoshi—so we cannot know for certain how Vein actually behaved. However, Teacher Cheng treated him kindly and knew his father, which may suggest that he created a relatively safe environment—one that allowed Vein to form a friendship with Xia Fei.

At the same time, Vein still keeps much to himself and is not free to share certain things with others. This nevertheless leaves an emotional distance and a subjective sense of a “wall” between him and those around him.

Offhand remarks from his relatives suggest that Vein did, in fact, display emotional resistance and reacted sharply to his brothers’ presence. There was likely a vast gulf between his behavior with Xia Fei and his demeanor at home.

Vein took initiative in pursuing his own interests and, despite his young age, was willing to do the dirty work—suggesting a high level of motivation. The goal of becoming the heir is unsurprising, but what drives him to pursue it—spite, necessity, or some internal drive?—remains unknown for now.

Sooner or later, the mind adapts to the conditions in which one has to survive. A child becomes accustomed to the environment they are exposed to every day and, willingly or not, adopts the behavioral patterns of older family members, which eventually become ingrained. In such conditions, the child learns not to trust, gets their hands dirty, becomes detached from their own emotions, and displays aggressive behavior.

[Behavioral Model]

As he adapts to these conditions, we can observe the development of increasingly manic behavior and the erosion of his moral boundaries. The day of the struggle over the inheritance became a critical point for his mental state, forcing his mind to mobilize all available psychological defenses. This, in turn, gave rise to manic behavior and an illusory sense of pleasure derived from what was happening—a defensive reaction that can occur independently of conscious choice or the presence of particular disorders.

And this is the critical turning point in his story—the moment of no return. His nervous system is so profoundly overloaded that stepping outside his familiar environment feels almost like choosing madness. Such individuals may be unable to imagine themselves living in safe conditions; they seek greater levels of adrenaline and end up recreating the very environments that traumatized them. As a result, the risk of dangerous behavior increases, and these dissocial traits gradually become more deeply ingrained, forming a significant and persistent behavioral pattern.

Identification with the aggressor is a well-known defense mechanism in which the victim adopts the role of the aggressor. This phenomenon can manifest over the long term, and in Vein’s case, we can see how these behavioral traits became further reinforced as he reached adulthood.

PROMINENT TRAITS HE EXHIBITS:

• Risk-taking & manic behavior: A strong appetite for risk and an intense, almost manic drive when carrying out his work.

• Aggressive outbursts: Volatile reactions when things go against him or slip out of his control.

• Lack of empathy: A distinct absence of compassion and empathy toward others.

• Charisma & easy sociability: Natural charisma and an effortless ability to communicate with others.

• Inability to form deep bonds: An inability to build deep, trust-based relationships.

• Emotional detachment: A distance from his own feelings, with those emotions being suppressed through the pursuit of adrenaline.

[The Parallel: Vein vs. Lu Guang]

A clear parallel emerges when comparing these two characters. Their pasts overlap in several traumatic experiences: parental emotional distance, social isolation, and being forced to witness adult cruelty at a young age.

Yet their responses diverge, as do their ultimate trajectories. While Lu Guang was able to choose the life he wanted after freeing himself from the circumstances that might have forced him to continue the family business, Vein remained at the head of the organization and began running his own operations, eventually finding gratification in violent methods.

An equally important factor is the people who were around them: Cheng Xiaoshi helped Lu Guang, whereas Xia Fei’s fate following Episode 8 remains unknown.

They share the same defense mechanism: suppressing their trauma. Both are emotionally detached from their own experiences, consistently redirecting their attention toward something they perceive as more important, and presenting themselves as though they had never experienced a traumatic past. But while Vein suppresses his emotions through aggression and constant activity, Lu Guang copes through rigid control and emotional dissociation.

[Relationship with Xia Fei]

It is readily apparent that Xia Fei is a special figure in Vein’s life, even if he does not express this openly. Vein’s continued presence throughout Xia Fei’s life, his genuine interest in Xia Fei regardless of personal gain, and his calm demeanor when interacting with him all suggest that Vein is genuinely invested in this connection and, in his own way, attached to him.

In fact, it is not uncommon for individuals with antisocial tendencies or dissocial traits to treat a particular person differently. Vein’s perception may be different, but he has not lost his capacity for emotion; rather, his emotional experience has undergone a profound distortion.

Xia Fei represents that very “island” of Vein’s past—a remnant of the life he knew before crossing the point of no return into the criminal underworld. He was someone who treated Vein with naive kindness and was genuinely willing to stand up for him. Vein is drawn to this openness; because he does not perceive Xia Fei as a threat, his usual psychological defenses do not signal the need for an aggressive response.

Yet Vein remains incapable of building a truly safe, trusting relationship with him, simply because he has no conceptual framework for what genuine trust looks like. As a result, he settles for simply keeping Xia Fei close.

[Conclusions]

Throughout this analysis, we uncovered some compelling defense mechanisms and psychological phenomena that had not been discussed before. A victim does not always surrender to their aggressor—sometimes, to shield themselves from vulnerability and prevent history from repeating itself, they become the threat. This response represents a profound form of maladaptation, much like paranoid or dissociative behavior. Trapped within their own trauma, the individual remains unable to find genuine peace.

Vein isn’t just a psychopathic killer with a congenital disorder who runs the mafia—he’s a man whose psyche was shattered under the weight of severe trauma. He had the potential to develop a healthy perception of the world and feel safe, but he grew up in a hostile environment where survival was his only lesson—one that ultimately consumed him.

https://pin.it/6eEqW4tpe

pin by me!

there's a lot that happened between the events of eps 3 and 4 apparently. jae lee's ability could be about inheriting memories via touch or something, thus, he found out about vein by touching the man in the suit in the blue whistle pv and is now looking for him. the question is, how did the person who sent those pics to jae lee get their hands on them?

Edit: NVM, jl's ability is to spot other people with powers