Originally posted by: Krinya
In a workplace scenario , this kind of attitude works fine ..he has a good team & they deliver . Like there were ppl who override his authority , it happens in the first scene itself , his hr manager appoints someone he disapproved....now the problem starts when he falls for his subordinate ..he cant suddenly let go of the personality he has build up in years , in an authority position he has been giving orders , he wont be subservient to her in personal life too but there is a catch which is shown nicely here
she needed to learn & survive in a ruthless work environment so she likes his attitude there, she also appreciates him, likes to work under him ..but on a personal level she needed equal footing & rightly so ....so she fought for it & got it ..eventually after the miscommunication & fights .. She demanded respect , she earned it from him..
Theres another angle also ..when they fought i thot he is just acting like his father ..there comes a scene where this realization comes to him 🤣 "I became like the person who I hated the most .his father" ..n thats his turning point ..
Parents (here the person in authority ) generally think that whatever they do is in the best interest of their children so they subconsciously try to control all their decisions ..when they grow up they absorb the same personality as their parents..
So yeah..red flags r fine with me as long as they reach there ..some of them have the natural quality some learn it but eventually they arrive at the same place..
Damn why am I even writing so much philosophy over a character 🤣 he is just a regular guy ..not a red flag imo but everyone is entitled to their opinion he he
That's quite different from the novel. According to the novel, he comes from a healthy family background. It's just that he's been quite different from other kids since childhood.
As you mentioned, his authoritative and controlling nature is very much needed when he's in the office. He's a great leader. He's also a great teacher, if not for his foul mouth. He's the kind of teacher who would make his students feel dumb for not knowing something. But SZT was comfortable with it and took it as, "Oh, he's making me think on my own instead of spoon-feeding me, which is actually quite nice because I'll remember this for a long time." Now, that's her choice/compromise, whatever...
And regarding their relationship, he set the rules: this would be purely sexual and nothing beyond that. He knew SZT had feelings for him, and he enjoyed bossing her around in the relationship. But then he got pissed off when SZT actually abided by the rules he had set. When he realized that he wasn't a part of her private life and that she had her own goals to achieve and friends to hang out with.... he couldn't accept it.
According to him, he was supposed to stand on mighty ground and look down on people. But here he was, SZT's dirty secret, and that cracked him. Rather than swallowing that hard pill, he started belittling her.
I feel he's a red flag for messing with her, giving her attention, making her feel special, all while maintaining the 'this is purely sexual' status when he knew she was starting to fall for him. He's not only older but also quite a player. He could have drawn the line, but he didn't.
He didn't like being in a relationship because it came with restrictions, possessiveness, and a lot of questions. Fine, but that should have worked both ways. Instead, to make himself feel better, he put her down again and again. He made her feel inferior and small several times. In his heart, he admired her, "Wow, what a student I brought up" but the next moment he turned and through his actions and words, he hurt her.
She broke his equilibrium, and he didn't have the manual to handle that. Even when they got back together and she said she'd come clean with her parents, his next words were, "So, also tell them what kind of relationship you were in." basically a woman without a proper status for six long years.
He can never really change. His actions and words probably won't change either. But I believe this story will continue even after I turn the last page, because Luan Nian is stubborn. If he wants something, he wants it. So as long as he wants her and is obsessed with her, he'll do things his way or eventually get down to her way.
After spending her entire youth with him she also picked up a habit or two from him to counter him. He's a red flag, yes, but they kind of suit each other, so I would still rate this story highly.
Edited by Leprechaun - 2 hours ago
Cricket
1.4k