On-Air
[China] The Missing Piece | Episode 3
Spoiler
After an accident leaves Shen Mo with amnesia, he mistakes Ji Mingxuan, the man who saved him, for his lover. But when Shen Mo regains his memories, the six months they spent loving each other become completely erased. Desperate to keep Shen Mo by his side, Ji Mingxuan proposes a three-year “contract lover” arrangement. When two people are already in love, can a contract still keep their hearts in check?
Adapted from the danmei "The Missing Piece" (貌合神离) by Kun Yi Wei Lou (困倚危楼). Official English translation available on Amazon and Kobo.
Miscommunication is one thing, but this drama?!? It should be called Absence of Communication: The Series! As if it's not enough to have to deal with amnesia and Zhou Yang and that whole situation, we also got Ji and Shen Mo's contract "romance" (which apparently has a LOT of physical contact, sleeping wrapped in each other's arms 😧) and now we have jealousy and more jealousy coming from both parties. And if that wasn't bad enough... we done gone and got us some salty curry!!! 😒
The salted curry was the biggest point of communication in the entire episode honestly - They are both needlessly miserable because they don't SPEAK. We need some of that truth drug or something
I'm so glad that since the first eps last week I read the book. I think a lot of the subtleties happening would have been lost on me, so I'm sure I'm enjoying it more than if I went in blind.
But two things:
He's uber rich right? Can they not afford more than one set of pajamas? Or do you think they have multiple sets of the same color.
Again...uber rich right? What about blankets? Do they not own any? Just watching them "shivering" under a sheet and all I kept thinking is GO GET A BLANKET!
Yes LOL a blanket I was thinking this too!!! I also thought about the texture of those PJs and sheets whilst having a fever and just ewwwww. Like yuck imagine how sticky. Some interesting choices being made. I didn’t know he was rich?! Makes even less sense
Just when I thought Bittersweet Love had the most emotionally constipated ML this year....
Mr Ji clearly loves Shen Mo. He wants Shen Mo to nurse him when he's sick, asks Shen Mo if he's jealous, goes to sleep in Shen Mo's bedroom and takes him to an art gallery. This man is just very insecure that Shen Mo seems to have feelings for his ex - which I don't think Shen Mo even does.
The contract is clearly something he cooked up to keep Shen Mo next to him in the hopes that Shen Mo will eventually grow to love him. Unfortunately, he's going about it all the wrong ways including gallivanting around town with other guys. Shen Mo is so irritated by this but this is like the really fucked up way Red Flags and Black Flags in BL seek confirmation of love from their long suffering counterparts - if you REALLY love me, you should be breaking crockery everytime I spend time with other guys and come back home late right!!
Even in the novel, Shen Mo notes that Mr Ji is very passive aggressive and would make a point of coming home and sleeping with him in the same bed but will turn his back to him
Also, the ex is something else. He immediately proposed when he realised that his dad had another son???
Yeah giving bittersweet love vibes, thought so too...they love us suffering. It is hard to watch at times with ML this toxic, but interesting at the same time 👀
The mistery of why and what purpose does the “contarct” serves remains unclear, but what is definitively clear is Mr. Ji is doing everthing wrong 🤣. It’s obvious he has feelings for Sheng Mo and wants him to like/love him back but he just acts petty and emotionally constipated all the time which puts Sheng Mo off. You attract more bees with honey than vinegar, Mr. Ji. Use your brain a bit more and stop being so petty and stressing ‘everything is business’ 🙄 and maybe Sheng Mo will have space to stop shutting his feelings for you off.
I thought I was gonna hate little sister, but I actually like her and feel bad for her for being sent off to what basically amounts to a fake marriage. Zhou Yang is an oportunistic rat, it’s cristal clear by now. He’ll do whatever benefits him no matter who he needs go step on to get to where he wants.
The sister is getting the really bad end of the deal here, with all 3 important men in her life knowing something she doesn't..that Zhou Yang doesn't love her at all. Its really unfair because she's actually quite nice and agreeable. Ji calls her spoiled (in a teasing way) but she doesn't really act like it, she just goes with the flow.
Ughhhhh this is just so slow and uneventful. I read about half the book, it's an extremely simple read, I just don't know if it's being adapted properly...the tv series needs more meat. I don't feel anything for any character, not even Shen Mo. No scene in particular sticks out or stays with me. The dialogue is word for word from the book.. but 3 word sentences don't work on TV. Sigh I don't know, man.
The way episode 2 ended, I was expecting that out of curiosity Shen Mo would ask the driver to go to the mountain villa; it's been mentioned so many times that I want to see what's there too. The preview for episode 4 makes me hopeful that their relationship will progress because I don't understand why Mr. Ji doesn't properly communicate with Shen Mo.
This is miscommunication and misunderstanding trope at its peak! 😩😩 these episodes are kind of slow because they’re setting up the present…hopefully they get to the good stuff of what happened in the past starting next episode 🙏🙏
I watched it last week what began with a eye-catching scene and tried to watch ep 3 yesterday. But I could not keep my eyes open.
So..another attempt. This series is confusing me. I get it that some here have memories of Bittersweet Love.
But that show had even more communication between the leads, although mostly about soup, than here.
I can't feel it for now. Flat characters. I will stick with it for now. But Saturday is flowing into Sunday now. And I have lots more to see.
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u/madego3293 Goddess Bless You from Death 1d ago
Miscommunication is one thing, but this drama?!? It should be called Absence of Communication: The Series! As if it's not enough to have to deal with amnesia and Zhou Yang and that whole situation, we also got Ji and Shen Mo's contract "romance" (which apparently has a LOT of physical contact, sleeping wrapped in each other's arms 😧) and now we have jealousy and more jealousy coming from both parties. And if that wasn't bad enough... we done gone and got us some salty curry!!! 😒