If this had an American fandom, the slash would be through the roof!
He is so pretty!
You know, much as I love the ships in this one, I found the other relationships even more interesting - and perhaps the most interesting one to me is that of Guo Jing and Yang Kang, sworn brothers yet worst enemies. Or, at least, and here is where I find it fascinating - Yang Kang wants them to be enemies, wants Guo Jing to hate him, and Guo Jing refuses no matter what Yang Kang does - tries to kill him repeatedly, betrays him, kills those close to him. And Yang Kang cannot believe that - he keeps pushing and pushing like a kid testing boundaries - only a kid with murderous ability and a messed-up mind. I think it's the goodness+strength combination in GJ that drives him so insane - he could be fine if GJ was a sweet-natured weakling but to see him competent, powerful, and still so unshakingly good - he cannot cope - because there is nothing like this in Yang Kang's life which is all about users and used and ambiguities and darkness.
But it's not as if bad things do not happen to Guo Jing - they do, aplenty - he just choses to keep his goodness and humanity. While Yang Kang throws away his with both hands in order to fight his powerlessness and inferiority feelings and fear.
Scene 1. How I loved this! Everything in YK's life is lies - the lies he tells and the ones which are told to him (the very underpinning for his earliest life is a massive life) and he just cannot cope with Guo Jing's openness even if a part of him desperately wants to. Did I mention that by this point he's already tried to kill GJ repeatedly and GJ knows it. A part of me is impatient with Yang Kang - he is an adult, he made his choices, horrible as they are, and he does have people who care for him deeply and without hidden motives or head games - Nianci and Guo Jing. And no matter his reasons, he has done some deeply unforgivable things (for some reason what hit me the most was not any of his murders but the fact that, at the end, he even used Nianci. He used her to get rid of Ouyang Ke so as to become Ouyang Feng's disciple). But another part of me is terribly sorry at the waste - he started out good and full of potential and if the world left him alone, he'd be living happily somewhere with Nianci. He descends from a decent person to a monster and you, as the viewer, follow him every step of the way and see how he's got there. It's pretty darn tragic.
Confrontation 2.
You lose, Yang Kang. There is nothing you can do to make him hate you. And you know you lose.
In conclusion, have this. My favorite relationship in the drama.
In conclusion, Guo Jing = LOVE. I find Yang Kang fascinating and tragic (not to mention really hot), but ultimately, he's done too many horrible things for me to wholeheartedly swoon for him. Good boys win every time with yours truly.
Isn't there the whole "One-night stand, marry, kill" game? Heeeee, My choices for LOCH are definitely Guo Jing for marry (he is the sweetest, most loyal darling. Not to mention psycho competent and can defend the family from a small army, probably). Sadly, Yang Kang will get the "kill" option because I certainly don't want to marry someone that screwed up and if I had to pick a one-night stand choice between him and Ouyang Ke, Ouyang Ke has 2000 times more relevant experience :P