Stay With Me - China

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I wasn't sure whether to start a thread for this series or not due to the likelihood that it will turn out to be nothing but a bromance due to having been produced in mainland China. However, there has been much conjecture about it, and we've mentioned it quite a few times in the Hub (right from the very first page, in fact) so I guess giving it a thread of its own does no harm. As most folk will know, this is based on the novel 'Are You Addicted' by Chai Jidan and more specifically, its (in)famous 2016 web series 'Addicted Heroin'.

To achieve the completion of this latest version, the producers had to go through hoops to get past the Chinese censors including making some discernible storyline changes from the novel. It also wasn't allowed to use the original title any longer, so has had a number of name changes during its production period, starting with "Innocent Playmates" then "My Family Won The Lottery", "Brother Don't Run" and now finally "Stay With Me". The two main characters in the original story also got their names changed. Bai Luo Yin (known as Yin Zi) became Su Yu, and Gu Hai is now Wu Bi. Some new female characters were introduced to water down the (apparently?) dominating male dynamic in the story by adding a new sister to the family, and giving the Auntie Chou character a daughter. This 'new' series was actually completed and received its distribution licence over a year ago, with Beijing based media company Youku holding the domestic rights, but to my knowledge the series still remains unscreened in China. This international release is giving the show its worldwide debut.



         
 • Jiong Min as Su Yu       • Xu Bin as Wu Bi


Synopsis (from GagaOOLala): "Su Yu, a high school student who lives a simple life with his father, faces a major change when his mother remarries a wealthy man, introducing him to his step-brother Wu Bi. Despite their initial differences - Wu Bi being a cold and arrogant top student, while Su Yu is an unreasonable underachiever - their relationship takes an unexpected turn after an accident. As they gradually warm up to each other, their bond grows stronger. However, when a heated fight arises, their true identities are revealed..."

Here's the MyDramaList page


Trailer:



There will be 24 episodes lasting around 35 mins per episode, with GagaOOLala holding worldwide rights and Rakuten VIKI holding supplementary rights to broadcast is some territories.

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Here's the first episode from GagaOOLala:

Episode 1

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The second episode from GagaOOLala:

Episode 2

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Third episode from GagaOOLala:

Episode 3

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The fourth episode from GagaOOLala:

Episode 4

[mizuryuu]

Like it so far, but have a feeling this will end up more Bromance than BL

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Unfortunately neither GagaOOLala or Rakuten VIKI will be making any more episodes available for free, so you will need a subscription to either service to see the rest of the story - or maybe just look elsewhere.

Incidentally, GagaOOLala are telling us not to give up on this show and are insisting (again) that this IS BL and NOT bromance!

[mizuryuu]

I am going to keep with my belief it is Bromance and would be happily surprised if I am wrong.

[kellerbrady]

Just started and this is excelent.

[mizuryuu]

Do people think that scene with Wu Bi and the girl in the latest episodes push this into BL or are we still on the bromance track?

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Jul 24, 2023 5:20:01 GMT -5 mizuryuu said:

Do people think that scene with Wu Bi and the girl in the latest episodes push this into BL or are we still on the bromance track?

To be honest I think the whole bromance vs BL debate usually boils down to whether you're the sort of person that needs to see a kiss as proof that two guys have fallen in love or not. While it's always the icing on the cake, I personally don't always think it's an absolute requirement if the story is already giving you enough information to understand what is actually happening. This show is from China so I've already sort-of made my peace with the fact there will be some level of censorship going on, but I've still come down on the side of declaring it a BL, and I had already come to that conclusion even before the "Su Yu is mine" moment. 

For me, the ever growing relationship between Su Yu and Wu Bi has easily passed the boundaries of bromance. The show has been deliberately dropping clues to tell us what sort of coupling we are watching. I find their long (often unblinking) eye-contact and the way they seem to say so much with just a single look towards each other quite revealing. Their increasingly tactile nature together and the much more intimate and honest way they talk together as the episodes progress are also signs that this isn't just a friendship but a relationship with a profound emotional connection. They are gradually baring their souls and revealing everything about themselves to each other; their vulnerabilities and fears, their hopes and their longings. For me, it is showing the strong level of deep affection and understanding they have developed for each other and how close they've become as sincere confidants.

For instance, I loved the simple scene when Su Yu admitted that he wanted to have a love that he doesn’t have to share with anyone else and Wu Bi put his hand on Su Yu’s arm saying “There will be such a person” and we were given a lingering close-up of his hand still gripping Su Yu's arm and not letting go. Their deep gaze seemed to be full of unspoken words and, again, to me, that immediately came across as a virtual declaration of love from Wu Bi, and not just casual words of friendship.



I also think we get visual clues thrown at us all the time, from the non-subtle matching scarves to the slightly more subtle matching pyjamas. I mean, did anyone else notice there was only a single duvet on the bed they share? If the show really did want to play safe and let us know this was not a love story, they'd have given them separate blankets or quilts to reinforce the idea that this was a platonic friendship. Instead, the whole studying-together-on-the-bed' scene appears to be there for no other purpose than to show us just how physically intimate they have become, but in a way that the censors can't object to.

In fact, that scene was packed with all sorts of signs to clue us in as to just what type of connection these boys have. On the wall are various posters for gay films, 'Torch Song Trilogy', 'Derek Jarman's Blue', 'Philadelphia' etc, and a poster of David Bowie - a gay icon if ever there was one - at the height of his androgynous glam rock look. (I wonder which one of them put those posters up?) And what happens in that scene? Well, Su Yu decides he wants to rest his head on Wu Bi's butt despite having a real pillow beside him, and confirms his decision by saying he prefers Wu Bi's butt because it's more nice and soft than the pillow (how does he know?). Wu Bi doesn't object and even goes to sleep in that same position so as not to wake Su Yu up. It's a clear indication that they have become very close and familiar with each other and there's no longer any personal space limits between them.

  

Ok, it's late for me and I'm rambling now. I may bore you with my thoughts on the face-to-face bike riding, and Wu Bi carefully climbing over a sleeping Su Yu to get his phone and take close-up photos of them in bed together in another post, but in the meantime, the answer is... Yes! For me, this is a BL.

[mizuryuu]

I didn't notice the posters, but yeah, I am saying it is a BL even without the kiss. They definitely indicating a greater relationship than just brothers/friends.

[kellerbrady]

This has become one of my favorite BLs of all time. It's so addictive

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These two obviously knew what kind of show they were making!

  

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Word on the grapevine is that contracts have been signed for a second season. The current series has been left with an open ending.

The series is being shown in mainland China in tandem with the international release, so we are all seeing it at the same time.

There was an actual kiss filmed between Su Yu and Wu Bi, which was included in the version of the episode which passed Chinese censorship, however it will apparently be aired in an edited version due to the company wanting to be extra cautious in getting the series through a smooth broadcast without any problems that could scupper its future. I gather that they are wary that if it is shown, it could blow up on social media and attract attention from a higher level of officialdom who may then look negatively on the show and veto the second series.

Apparently, if they don't include the kiss in the episode it will be shown in its unedited form at a later date.


 

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OK, One, I don't think I've even got to read between the lines to know what's going on here:



And two, Su Yu's also got a very appealing built-in pillow. I hope he repays the favour to Wu Bi sometime.

[mizuryuu]

Aug 6, 2023 18:14:25 GMT -5 antistatic said:

The series is being shown in mainland China in tandem with the international release, so we are all seeing it at the same time.

Is it actually airing in tadem in China? Last I heard, it wasn't airing at all in China, hence how they got away with a lot of the stuff in the show. What I heard was it is currently only unofficially available in China on third-party streaming sites.

Aug 6, 2023 18:14:25 GMT -5 antistatic said:

There was an actual kiss filmed between Su Yu and Wu Bi, which was included in the version of the episode which passed Chinese censorship, however it will apparently be aired in an edited version due to the company wanting to be extra cautious in getting the series through a smooth broadcast without any problems that could scupper its future. I gather that they are wary that if it is shown, it could blow up on social media and attract attention from a higher level of officialdom who may then look negatively on the show and veto the second series.

If even smaller things couldn't get pass Chinese censorship, I highly doubt a kiss would have made it through. I can believe a kiss being filmed but not added to the episode sent to the censor, but not that it was included and passed censorship. I have some serious doubt about these rumors. Obviously, if true, it would be great, but I am going to keep my expectation low

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Aug 7, 2023 14:45:08 GMT -5 mizuryuu said:

If even smaller things couldn't get pass Chinese censorship, I highly doubt a kiss would have made it through. I can believe a kiss being filmed but not added to the episode sent to the censor, but not that it was included and passed censorship. I have some serious doubt about these rumors. Obviously, if true, it would be great, but I am going to keep my expectation low

I have to say, I tend to agree with you, which is why I referred to it as grapevine chat rather than anything official, even though the source of the info is from the company's official 'Stay With Me' account on Weibo. The pages are all in Mandarin and they don't allow any 'right click' actions so there's no cut & paste or google translate available, meaning we're at the mercy of local fan-subbers giving us the gist of the conversations. I read through four different translated versions (a page from two of them are in my post above) which were pretty consistent with each other, but it's still difficult to know how accurate the info is.

As to your points, I also didn't think the show was airing in China; not even on third-party streamers, but I guess that assumption has been made because the account 'leader' said they were currently preparing the mainland teaser trailer for the final four episodes next week.

I honestly don't know what to think about the kiss. GagaOOLala hinted there was a kiss a little while back without actually providing any evidence or stating it outright, but who knows whether that was just a ploy to get us to watch? A supposed leaked photo that showed the boys in their school uniforms kissing on the roof did appear at one point but I was never actually convinced it was real. It surfaced shortly after some BTS footage of the actors rehearsing a rooftop scene, included the director giving them instructions to kiss. I've gif'd some of that below if you've not seen it.



For what it's worth, here's how one website interpreted the news:

[mizuryuu]

Okay, it is beyond a doubt a BL...

SPOILER: Click to show

that hug... those two side kisses.... screaming I love you (Ocean)...

There is no denying this is a BL series. Really hope this does well enough financially that it encourage other chinese BL to take the same approach.

[kellerbrady]

This is now within my top 3 BLs of all time.

I hope we have a second season (which should only start after they do the Thai remake).

[gidi]

I don't like the end.

[kellerbrady]

Aug 13, 2023 5:39:47 GMT -5 gidi said:

I don't like the end.

It's the cliffhanger until the second book.

SPOILER: Click to show

Wu Bi is alive.

[dmagiclight]

this could be the best BL of 2023

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Well, we knew the car crash was coming, but I had hoped it would be in the cursed penultimate episode to give us some time to recover and see the aftermath. When it didn't happen then, my heart sank a little because it became obvious that it was going to be used as the open ended cliff-hanger for the series. I know we've had confirmation that the second series has been given the go-ahead and both our boys are signed up for it, but I'm still feeling a bit on tenterhooks because we're literally at the mercy of the Chinese censors at this stage who could still easily veto it if they don't like what they see. I think I'll be a tad distraught if that happens because I've already become way, way too heavily invested in this series only to be left with a curtailed story that will have ended in just about the most soul crushing way possible.

As far as I'm concerned this has been one of the best shows I have watched in a long time. The depth of feeling and the all consuming level of real "I would die for you" love that Su Yu and Wu Bi sincerely have for each other is so palpable to me. So full of understated moments that are still full of overwhelming emotion... and so much better than many of the so-called authentic BL's I've watched this year.

OK, I know I can get a bit swept up with fervour at times, but this scene when, after a month apart, Wu Bi ran into Su Yu's arms and gave him a hug was just wonderful. They are both so absolute in their love for each other that no one and nothing else mattered to them in that moment. Those expressions of pure bliss, contentment and unbridled happiness at being back together in each others arms literally overwhelmed me for a second, and Wu Bi didn't care who saw it; even to the point of telling his cousin to take his disapproving cough somewhere else because he still wasn't ready to let go of Su Yu yet. Wu Bi can be so epic at times!













Oh, and just a quick mention about the lube err... lip balm. The show really went for it, didn't they?!

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They cut this scene from the end of the final episode:



Did Wu Bi's evil cousin lie and tell Su Yu that Wu Bi had died? Why else would Su Yu walk away looking so dazed and traumatised?


EDIT - Oh No! From folks supposedly in the know... (and if true, this is a MAJOR spoiler)

SPOILER: Click to show

It's the other way around. It's Su Yu who asks the cousin to tell Wu Bi that HE died in the crash!

Then we get a time jump of EIGHT years where they have been apart!!!