“Joy of Life 2” Wraps on a High
Ending on a high note in its finale episode, Joy of Life 2 <慶餘年2> helmed by a stellar cast including Zhang Ruoyun (張若昀) and Li Qin (李沁), sets the stage for upcoming developments, and leaves fans thrilled about a third season!
[Spoilers Ahead] Daddy Secret Revealed
Fan Xian successfully saves the Emperor (Chen Daoming 陳道明) from assassins, but is heavily injured, winning the former’s deep trust. Telling him about his birth, Qing emperor shows him the only remaining statue of Ye Qing Mei in the world. When Fan Xian expresses that he is unsure of the identity of his own father, the emperor reveals that he was forced to send Fan Xian to Danzhou to be raised, and that he was his real father.
Despite the fuzzy father-son reconciliation, the kinship between Fan Xian and the Emperor is one that is ridden with calculated moves and political intrigue. After Fan Xian realizes the truth of his identity, he addresses himself as “son” before the emperor, but upon realizing that his date of birth – 18 January coincided with his mother Ye Qing Mei’s death anniversary, he stopped short of calling the Emperor “father” but switches to the formal “Thank you my lord” instead. Fan Xian also openly expressed his intent of entering the Fan ancestral genealogy, making it apparent that he would not acknowledge his crown prince status.
In reality, Fan Xian had long known that his dad was the emperor, but pretended otherwise in order not to jeopardize his plans. Fan Xian also reveals his awareness to Fan Ruoruo (Song Yi 宋軼) that if he were a “useless chess piece” to his father, he would never be acknowledged, leading many netizens to exclaim that the Emperor was unfit to be Fan Xian’s dad!
At the end of season 2, Fan Xian prepares to reclaim the three subcities built by his mother, but has lost too much internal strength from saving the emperor. Luckily, Hai Tang Duo Duo (Xin Zhi Lei 辛芷蕾) hands him the precious manual with which he is able to restore his powers. However, the Grand Princess orders Ye Liu Yun, one of the four grandmasters to assassinate Fan Xian.
Holding the weapon left by Ye Qing Mei, Fan Xian had intended to fight Ye Liu Yun to the death, but manages to convince him with emotional argument. Ye Liu Yun strikes a mid-air blow which merely shaves a little of Fan Xian’s hair, to signify letting him off – but the impact is so great as to split an entire building into half, showing his immense prowess. Before departing, Ye Liu Yun cautions Fan Xian not to let his smarts get the better of him, and hinted that although he has retained his humaneness, the same might not be true of the other grandmasters. Fan Xian’s internal energy is fully restored, teasing more exciting happenings ahead in an anticipated third instalment.
Source: Upmedia
I like Zhang Ruoyun a lot and It bothers me what has been done to his face. It is no doubt beautification and it is skillfully done but he lost a bit of his old self in it what made him unique. It is said to see him (who knows how to act and made Fan Xian so lively) subjected to heavy weight loss and plastic surgery. Industry in China is going in wrong direction if this is a norm. It is going out of hands so much that no wonder everyone expects AI to take over even more. At one point they will all look the same! I rarely rage online about such topics but watching him in JoL2 was so sad only because of that (he was good of course). The show is also good, the whole team did a great job.
Agree. I like his unique looks in season 1. He lost a lot of weight in s2…
Did he undergo the knife? All I could see was his weight loss. Everything else seems the same?
I definitely dont see knife work…just weight loss which makes him look more chiseled and facial treatment to make his skin more youthful looking.
he did, eye surgery plus weight loss, small adjustment on upper lip gives different facial expression as well. It is skillfully done and he has been beautified no doubt but it bothers me. Small adjustments and tweaks shouldn’t be the norm, as well as deep changes. Sorry for the rant, I got so tired of normalizing the plastic surgeries and extreme weight loss in c-ent.
@Dee You can spot it…I tried looking at some artistes, I know something is slightly different but unsure what. But in Zhang Ruoyun, I could not tell. But you are right, it is just so normal now in Asia. Even kids young are undergoing the knife… it is very sad.
@Hohliu So nice to be back here and see some familiar nicks! In a certain way, this topic bothers me, as I may have an extreme fondness for the unique beauty of the moment. Sometimes I see it in a smile, facial expression, or the movement of a hand through hair, or just a spark in the eye. However, with facial enhancements, it is almost lost. Faces can be frozen in one facial expression, almost like a photoshoot, and don’t even get me started on weight loss. I’ve noticed this trend in China IRL as well. I’m waiting for the tide to turn, as it always does, but it is still ongoing. I think if artists were allowed to be themselves without enhancements and knife beautification, this trend would change. Seeing kids doing it makes me sad, just like you. Luckily in ZRY case it was really skilfully done. He did great job in JoL 1&2
@Dee ZRY went under the knife? I thought it was only weight loss (which I don’t fancy)!
While aesthetic enhancement is a personal choice, don’t see the need for some celebrities to do so. ZRY is one of them.
@Dee, Gosh, I noticed a number of Chinese artistes undergoing weight loss and was told Ozempic is already very popular in China. This “wonder drug” is so popular in US.
@Hohliu oh yes Ozempic, last year it was all the rage (although it’s still illegal in China) There are also Chinese versions but seems Wegovy will beat Ozempic as everyone waits for the approval (should happen soon). Any form of appetite suppressants are always in demand in entertainment. Years ago there was a wave of gastric banding. It was so popular. The whole industry could do with eating smth yummy at least once in a while!
@Dee, between drugs and surgery…I dont know which is worse.
Excited for the last season!!. I just hope o don’t need to wait another 5 years….
season is great, i find it 36 episodes is too short… Hope that we don’t wait 5 years for season 3…