Like, Share & Subscribe - Ch. 58

[MangaDex]

 

[T-sama]

Not gonna lie, can't helpt but giggle at the guys talking shit about Song Li, they're like "oh no, she rejected my shallow advances, better talk shit about her otherwise my ego and fragile masculinity will crumble away!"

More and more we see why Song Li has so many issues with her sister, I'm assuming that's the last time they talked, to make it worse if she looked at Song Xun and listened she probably would have noticed her problems were serious, at least I suspect that's the angle the author is going for

As for her editor who I forget the name, the pain of being a bartender, seeing / listening to other people drama but never having the conclusion of it

 

[SrNevik]

More and more we see why Song Li has so many issues with her sister, I'm assuming that's the last time they talked, to make it worse if she looked at Song Xun and listened she probably would have noticed her problems were serious, at least I suspect that's the angle the author is going for

Those guys were definitely hilarious.

Song Li and her sister seemed to have a strained relationship even before the child. Plus, Song Li seems to have always been hyper focused on her craft in the way writers--especially successful ones--can sometimes be (relatable).

In similar contexts, it can be easy to overlook things in the moment that are obvious in retrospect, or clear to an outsider (bartender). It's no wonder she's been eaten up by the situation since. Probably blames herself for feeling to overwhelmed to notice. I've been there, though not with this outcome. Can't imagine what her sister was going through at the time.

 

[sanjibozo]

Damn.

 

[MacinteuchPlus]

Oh that's absolutely haunting

Also on a side note we see the damage being male centered does to a woman, what a bitter life

 

[nyannibalism]

thanks for the translation!

oog, no words

 

[The_FallenAngel]

It is kinda shitty to just unannouncedly drop your kid off on your sister to take care of, but it makes sense if she was taking care of it mostly alone.

On the other hand, Song Li apparently had advised her to not keep it, and would also not have someone to help her. Overall, a shitty situation caused by a man that didn't wanna take responsibility (unless he died or sth)

 

[himi-cat]

Oh that's absolutely haunting

Also on a side note we see the damage being male centered does to a woman, what a bitter life

Yes, but no - I don't think this was because Song Xun was male centred, if she was lesbian she'd probably have been having similar issues aside from the pregnancy (barring falling in love with a trans woman). The way Song Li talked about her makes it seem more like she's distracting herself with relationships and love - of course, Song Li's perspective is messed up, but I don't think she'd have seen her sister's relationships that way if there had been real depth in them.

Song Li saw her sister chasing love as a betrayal of their own relationship, but I think it's clear that she also genuinely loved her - if she saw that love was making her sister happy I think she'd have changed her tune. The fact that she's had the same reaction to it over all those years suggests to me that Song Xun was never actually finding any real happiness. Possibly she could have found happiness if she'd followed her talent and become a writer, maybe there was something else out there that would have allowed that, but whatever it might have been she clearly never managed to find it, and she seems to have run out of time, because . . .

It is kinda shitty to just unannouncedly drop your kid off on your sister to take care of, but it makes sense if she was taking care of it mostly alone.

On the other hand, Song Li apparently had advised her to not keep it, and would also not have someone to help her. Overall, a shitty situation caused by a man that didn't wanna take responsibility (unless he died or sth)

. . . . I'm pretty sure the thing she didn't say (because Song Li reacted so negatively) is that she's dying. Suddenly dropping your kid off on your remaining family members is hard to avoid when you die - particularly problematic when you don't have a particularly good relationship with them, so you aren't necessarily able to prepare them.

Maybe Song You would have been the catalyst for her mother to find what she was looking for, but it's pretty clear that she didn't even get a chance to try. And Song Li was left (literally) holding the baby, mourning her lost sister, and trying to figure out why it all worked out like this . . .

 

[MacinteuchPlus]

Yes, but no - I don't think this was because Song Xun was male centred, if she was lesbian she'd probably have been having similar issues aside from the pregnancy (barring falling in love with a trans woman). The way Song Li talked about her makes it seem more like she's distracting herself with relationships and love - of course, Song Li's perspective is messed up, but I don't think she'd have seen her sister's relationships that way if there had been real depth in them.

Song Li saw her sister chasing love as a betrayal of their own relationship, but I think it's clear that she also genuinely loved her - if she saw that love was making her sister happy I think she'd have changed her tune. The fact that she's had the same reaction to it over all those years suggests to me that Song Xun was never actually finding any real happiness. Possibly she could have found happiness if she'd followed her talent and become a writer, maybe there was something else out there that would have allowed that, but whatever it might have been she clearly never managed to find it, and she seems to have run out of time, because . . .

. . . . I'm pretty sure the thing she didn't say (because Song Li reacted so negatively) is that she's dying. Suddenly dropping your kid off on your remaining family members is hard to avoid when you die - particularly problematic when you don't have a particularly good relationship with them, so you aren't necessarily able to prepare them.

Maybe Song You would have been the catalyst for her mother to find what she was looking for, but it's pretty clear that she didn't even get a chance to try. And Song Li was left (literally) holding the baby, mourning her lost sister, and trying to figure out why it all worked out like this . . .

Idk maybe it's just me being too cynical but it really feels like the pattern of women dropping every dream they've had to entirely live for their man without getting anything in return, now we can imagine what if she had been a lesbian and whatnot (which she very well could have been, just insanely buried into comphet, but nothing suggests that for now), but idk the social dynamics aren't the same, between women and men there definitely is the societally accepted norm and expectation of her dropping her hobbies and all that behind to focus on couple life, especially in east asian society, am I crazy for seeing that?

 

[himi-cat]

Idk maybe it's just me being too cynical but it really feels like the pattern of women dropping every dream they've had to entirely live for their man without getting anything in return, now we can imagine what if she had been a lesbian and whatnot (which she very well could have been, just insanely buried into comphet, but nothing suggests that for now), but idk the social dynamics aren't the same, between women and men there definitely is the societally accepted norm and expectation of her dropping her hobbies and all that behind to focus on couple life, especially in east asian society, am I crazy for seeing that?

eh . . . . . I started writing a response, but I'm struggling to find the right way to explain what I'm thinking - it pretty much comes down to Song Xun as a character just not seeming like she's approaching life that way, but finding the words to explain why that's how I'm reading her and the situation is really hard . . .

You're definitely not crazy, though - I don't think it's all that much of a thing in western Anglo cultures these days (though being a cis het male I'm not going to make any definitive statements . . .), but it does seem to still be a Thing(tm) in Japan, and I think Korea? I really don't know about China, though, or about other Asian countries . . .

That said, although I appear to lack the words to really explain why, I do feel that Song Xun isn't driven by that. It feels like she is/was chasing her dreams, rather than giving up on them due to societal pressure - she's shown chasing dreams of love and romance and so forth, and not even being interested in stuff like a possible writing career. Why she followed that path . . . well, I have thoughts about that, but yeah, the words aren't coming at the moment . . .

 

[MacinteuchPlus]

eh . . . . . I started writing a response, but I'm struggling to find the right way to explain what I'm thinking - it pretty much comes down to Song Xun as a character just not seeming like she's approaching life that way, but finding the words to explain why that's how I'm reading her and the situation is really hard . . .

You're definitely not crazy, though - I don't think it's all that much of a thing in western Anglo cultures these days (though being a cis het male I'm not going to make any definitive statements . . .), but it does seem to still be a Thing(tm) in Japan, and I think Korea? I really don't know about China, though, or about other Asian countries . . .

That said, although I appear to lack the words to really explain why, I do feel that Song Xun isn't driven by that. It feels like she is/was chasing her dreams, rather than giving up on them due to societal pressure - she's shown chasing dreams of love and romance and so forth, and not even being interested in stuff like a possible writing career. Why she followed that path . . . well, I have thoughts about that, but yeah, the words aren't coming at the moment . . .

The thing is in my original post I was thinking about her dream when I wrote that she was male centered (which may have come from her but definitely falls in line with societal expectations) and it destroyed her

In any case we'll get more information along the story so it'll paint a fuller picture at some point

 

[T-sama]

Those guys were definitely hilarious.

Song Li and her sister seemed to have a strained relationship even before the child. Plus, Song Li seems to have always been hyper focused on her craft in the way writers--especially successful ones--can sometimes be (relatable).

I think it's because Song Li always took the competition too seriously + feelings of inferiority, cause Song Xun doesn't seem like she ever took it even half as seriously.

In similar contexts, it can be easy to overlook things in the moment that are obvious in retrospect, or clear to an outsider (bartender). It's no wonder she's been eaten up by the situation since. Probably blames herself for feeling to overwhelmed to notice. I've been there, though not with this outcome. Can't imagine what her sister was going through at the time.

We never notice things until it's too late unfortunately

@MacinteuchPlus and @himi-cat
I feel you both made some good points so to add on to that, I don't think Song Xun necessarily abandoned her dreams, I think that rather she's portrayed as being basically opposite of Song Li as a person.

We've seen so far that Song Li is more of a logical introvert, she has her dreams and plans and work to achieve them, she thinks long term, Song Xun meanwhile is more of a emotional extrovert and focusing in the present, she makes up things as she goes, so I feel it's less that she abandoned her dream but that she changed priorities, for her being a writer was never the dream of her life above all else, not like it is for Song Li, to me she's written as typical character that when she falls hard for someone then that person becomes her life, her dream, her entire purpose, it just happens that it was a man.

If she didn't die her life would be about her family instead of about a man, so I feel her choice in itself isn't meant to be seeing as negative because she's not doing it out of pressure or anything because she has to marry a man and have children, but because she simply finds more important to focus on the love of her life and future child than focus on writing.

For some people family is literally above all else after all, even if they could also follow their other dreams.

 

[Sandrascarlet]

I mean... If I ignored my sister when she needed that would definitely keep me awake at night. But like I can't blame song li either. Not fully atleast

 

[NoireHeart]

Hoooo boy.
This one is NOT helping my hatred for men I can tell you that...
Even though bartender/manager (Zhao I think) has been such an amazing person throughout the whole thing.
...
...
But DAMN THIS IS NOT HELPING ONE BIT-- SONG XUN YOU IDIOT!