A Beauty's Smile is Also Charming
Oct. 17th, 2023 11:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaThe desire to get some resolution for Mei/KO and to see how they are in canon lead me to reading their BL side story to A Slight Smile is Very Charming aka the novel Love O2O is based on.
Overall I enjoyed it. Lots of good stuff. The writing/translating, eh.
+ The first three scenes in the first chapter were all scenes that were part of the show and were all reproduced pretty faithfully which I thought was interesting. It makes me wonder how much of the main novel was also in the show though not enough to read it right now.
+ The show apparently added in all the early interactions between Mei and KO at the cafeteria and restaurant because in here Mei doesn't know that KO is a master chef until he moves in. What an amazingly great addition, good job show! Now I'm curious about how they interacted in the novel before this because the food stuff was so integral to their interactions.
+ KO sneakily conniving his own 'shared bed' trope situation by getting his bedding rained on was amazing. Loved it tbh. The whole things about feeding Mei only aphrodisiacs and it working is rather nonsense because it does not work like that but fine. KO taking advantage by reaching a hand over to help Mei with his hard on and then them 'helping' each other every night after was great. My favourite part of this whole scheme was KO returning to his own bed (after weeks of this) and sticking with it for a month, thus leaving their relationship in Mei's hands. Knowing he just spent weeks getting Mei more used to sleeping with him in the bed then not, and used to having someone to have sex with. Mei independently coming up with the same idea so he would have an excuse to sleep with KO, nature not cooperating, and Mei throwing water on his bedding was very funny. As a story of how they first slept together I'd never have come up with it, and I love it.
+ Mei's proposal to KO, and that is totally what it was, was the sweetest thing. Realising how much KO wants to co-own the apartment with him Mei offering to give him a mortgage to help pay for it was great in itself but topping it with "As for the term... how about sixty years?" aahhh, dying of sweetness.
+ I loved Mei deciding they should get a marriage certificate (after Yugong's misunderstanding) but refusing to leave the country and deciding KO could just hack into the government database and get one for them. LOL. Dumbass.
+ “I’m here to use the backdoor.” AHAHAHAHAH omg. That KO was using this as a double entendre is the funniest thing ever, and he said it so seriously. And then also his "I'll do everything" '....including you' is just - lol.
+ I really like that despite Mei protesting too much especially in the first post sex section (where he was all angry/standoffish and it felt implied that he wasn't as into it) in later parts we see Mei's desire for KO clearly. I loved him watching KO's jean-clad ass walking away and regretting rejecting him. I loved him walking into the kitchen after and seeing KO cooking while only wearing Mei's jeans got him all hot and bothered he had to do something about it.
+ The eggs situation was kind of delightful. Mei getting all silently angry and worked up over KO feeding him smaller eggs every day amused me a lot. The reveal that KO while desperately trying to save money has been buying himself the larger cheaper eggs while still getting Mei the smaller expensive ones was adorable.
+ A few things we know about their sex life that I'm into - KO has a big dick, things can be rough enough Mei is feeling it the next day, Mei is a screamer and also likes to bite, KO sometimes initiates things while Mei is asleep, Mei likes to be cajoled into things sometimes, if Mei says no KO backs off. Also KO gives back rubs. All good stuff.
+ Amused by Mei looking at girls, keeping looking at girls to annoy KO, KO being serenely unconcerned and then Mei the one throwing a jealous fit about KO looking too closely at a girl.
+ The meat pie incident was fun. It seemed obvious to me that KO ate it to recreate it at a later date but Mei stewing in petty upset over it and being kind of a dick made me shake my head. So childish especially when it really only made things worse for himself. I loved him threatening KO with no sleeping together/sex for the rest of the month because of it, KO pointing out that it was the 31st and the fact that Mei knew it and that's why he was willing to make the threat. He's not going to make himself suffer with no sex! My favourite part is KO silently musing that actually having to spend a month having sex every where else in the apartment sounds pretty great.
+ Mei can certainly be very petty and jerkish, especially in the early chapters but he's also sweet and appreciative of KO. One of my favourite little moments was Mei redirecting attention away from KO at the dinner.
+ 'socializing between wives' lol. Honestly I had that same thought during episode 29 with Weiwei and Mei being paralleled and hanging out at the beginning and the race. I love the idea of them doing this.
Overall I enjoyed it. Lots of good stuff. The writing/translating, eh.
+ The first three scenes in the first chapter were all scenes that were part of the show and were all reproduced pretty faithfully which I thought was interesting. It makes me wonder how much of the main novel was also in the show though not enough to read it right now.
+ The show apparently added in all the early interactions between Mei and KO at the cafeteria and restaurant because in here Mei doesn't know that KO is a master chef until he moves in. What an amazingly great addition, good job show! Now I'm curious about how they interacted in the novel before this because the food stuff was so integral to their interactions.
+ KO sneakily conniving his own 'shared bed' trope situation by getting his bedding rained on was amazing. Loved it tbh. The whole things about feeding Mei only aphrodisiacs and it working is rather nonsense because it does not work like that but fine. KO taking advantage by reaching a hand over to help Mei with his hard on and then them 'helping' each other every night after was great. My favourite part of this whole scheme was KO returning to his own bed (after weeks of this) and sticking with it for a month, thus leaving their relationship in Mei's hands. Knowing he just spent weeks getting Mei more used to sleeping with him in the bed then not, and used to having someone to have sex with. Mei independently coming up with the same idea so he would have an excuse to sleep with KO, nature not cooperating, and Mei throwing water on his bedding was very funny. As a story of how they first slept together I'd never have come up with it, and I love it.
+ Mei's proposal to KO, and that is totally what it was, was the sweetest thing. Realising how much KO wants to co-own the apartment with him Mei offering to give him a mortgage to help pay for it was great in itself but topping it with "As for the term... how about sixty years?" aahhh, dying of sweetness.
+ I loved Mei deciding they should get a marriage certificate (after Yugong's misunderstanding) but refusing to leave the country and deciding KO could just hack into the government database and get one for them. LOL. Dumbass.
+ “I’m here to use the backdoor.” AHAHAHAHAH omg. That KO was using this as a double entendre is the funniest thing ever, and he said it so seriously. And then also his "I'll do everything" '....including you' is just - lol.
+ I really like that despite Mei protesting too much especially in the first post sex section (where he was all angry/standoffish and it felt implied that he wasn't as into it) in later parts we see Mei's desire for KO clearly. I loved him watching KO's jean-clad ass walking away and regretting rejecting him. I loved him walking into the kitchen after and seeing KO cooking while only wearing Mei's jeans got him all hot and bothered he had to do something about it.
+ The eggs situation was kind of delightful. Mei getting all silently angry and worked up over KO feeding him smaller eggs every day amused me a lot. The reveal that KO while desperately trying to save money has been buying himself the larger cheaper eggs while still getting Mei the smaller expensive ones was adorable.
+ A few things we know about their sex life that I'm into - KO has a big dick, things can be rough enough Mei is feeling it the next day, Mei is a screamer and also likes to bite, KO sometimes initiates things while Mei is asleep, Mei likes to be cajoled into things sometimes, if Mei says no KO backs off. Also KO gives back rubs. All good stuff.
+ Amused by Mei looking at girls, keeping looking at girls to annoy KO, KO being serenely unconcerned and then Mei the one throwing a jealous fit about KO looking too closely at a girl.
+ The meat pie incident was fun. It seemed obvious to me that KO ate it to recreate it at a later date but Mei stewing in petty upset over it and being kind of a dick made me shake my head. So childish especially when it really only made things worse for himself. I loved him threatening KO with no sleeping together/sex for the rest of the month because of it, KO pointing out that it was the 31st and the fact that Mei knew it and that's why he was willing to make the threat. He's not going to make himself suffer with no sex! My favourite part is KO silently musing that actually having to spend a month having sex every where else in the apartment sounds pretty great.
+ Mei can certainly be very petty and jerkish, especially in the early chapters but he's also sweet and appreciative of KO. One of my favourite little moments was Mei redirecting attention away from KO at the dinner.
+ 'socializing between wives' lol. Honestly I had that same thought during episode 29 with Weiwei and Mei being paralleled and hanging out at the beginning and the race. I love the idea of them doing this.
