cinematic parallels: three times llh could let go of a personal token (qwm's prayer beads, sgd's wenjing, lxy's shaoshi) and one time he couldn't (fdb's broken jade flute).

read the chinese-english translation of the extension of llh taking home fdb's broken jade flute from the script here. check out the amazing fan illustration of this deleted scene here.

the famous set of fanghua filming sneak peeks, from fanghua cp fansite 玖零玖柒- (please note that editing, commercial use, and removing watermark are prohibited):

"i was always meant to be a ghost wandering lost and alone. he was the unexpected person who had burst into my life."

see this post for more on this cut line from script.

"It's better to sleep at home, don't you think Xiaobao?" part 1

fanghua, gift-giving.

we had to find out from yi-ge and shunxi's conversation in behind-the-scenes footage that li lianhua's fur cloak was a gift from fang duobing and last week, from iqiyi's graphics of props, that fang duobing's jade flute was a gift from li lianhua. what else is there about fanghua we’re not allowed to know about!

cheng yi: "[li lianhua] is rich for once! finally, it's his turn to be rich! yet, it was thanks to someone else 😂 (to zeng shunxi) this fur cloak is yours, you know that? you can't even bear to wear it yourself. you gave it to me."

the fur cloak that makes xiaohua look like a polar bear was a gift from xiaobao after all:

importantly, this is the fur cloak xiaohua carries with him to the very end.

personally, i see both xiaohua and xiaobao as incredibly and admirably well-adjusted individuals i aspire to be. together, their relationship is less about the "redeeming each other" trope. to me, fanghua is more like, xiaohua met someone who brings an extra layer of warmth to his skin, until one day he realizes he is here for good, like a blanket he never wants to return. we get this personified in xiaobao's fur cloak xiaohua keeps to the end despite letting go of all other mortal possessions on the beach, how wonderful is that.

李蓮花贈與方多病的玉笛 (the jade flute li lianhua gifted fang duobing).

xiaobao's jade flute he carries with him at his waist being a gift from xiaohua feels so much like the classic 定情信物 (token of love) and breakup trope 😭

personally, i love both options whether the jade flute is xiaobao's own or if it was a gift from xiaohua. before, i was thinking the jade flute as a personal item of xiaobao's could be a symbol of his free nature, in that yes, he's entering the jianghu to be a formal detective who (truly) embodies li xiangyi's ideals, but he also would enjoy a carefree life endlessly travelling with li lianhua. so, breaking that in tears in their big fight could represent him trying to be firm on returning to the detective route and wondering if he was so naive enough to give his heart out to someone and picturing settling down into a quiet life with that person (before they make up).

but now, as a gift from xiaohua, it's completely that classic 定情信物. it re-frames the first little break-up in such an amusing way. they "break up," and xiaobao goes off flaunting the gift xiaohua gave him and touches it to his skin in front of everyone, like he's waiting for xiaohua to admit he still cares about him. because what was that jade flute gift if not proof that he saw him as a close companion? 😤

from xiaohua's smiles and clearly showing interest in xiaobao's antics, he knows exactly what xiaobao is doing 😂

isn't it also such a nostalgic, amusing, and charming little classic story to have a rich young master who has a lot of money of his own he can spend with a wave of a hand but walks around everywhere with a small gift he holds close more than anything because it’s from someone he likes? with both the showing off and carrying it everywhere he goes, truly — xiaohua knows exactly what xiaobao has been doing.

Li Lianhua & Fang Duobing | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023)

every time fang duobing takes a shot of vinegar and is all like "you know other men?" at li lianhua it never fails to make me laugh

A tiny post-canon ficlet from Mysterious Lotus Casebook!

Li Lianhua raced across several rooftops, stumbling briefly on a tile that was sticking up, allowing Fang Duobing to catch up with him.

"I can't believe you taught me Yangzhouman but not your qinggong skills," Fang Duobing said, panting and hugging his knees.

Li Lianhua glanced at him and smiled. "You have so much qi that you won't run out even if we have to travel halfway through this town."

i need fang duobing and li lianhua to find each other in every lifetime

(part of the "3, 2, 1 !" song PV)

(part of the "3, 2, 1 !" song PV)

just noticed that li lianhua's pillow is pretty off-center in this shot, why??? because obviously fang duobing was lying down right next to him the whole night. they make me insane thank you for coming to my ted talk

that's it that's the show

Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) | Ep. 11

Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) | Ep. 13