Lalalallalallaalala's Topics (128)

he was. there is a lot of logical evidences that makes it so. he definitely paid more attention to jianyi in the beginning. he worriedly ran to his aide when he was getting kidnapped by his brother's lackeys the first time around; picked on him like he does presently with mo with physical contact and all. then mo entered the picture and his interest shifted. there was this one chapter where he tian and jianyi were covering from the rain and he tian told jianyi to go to zzxi. It felt like he was ending any romantic or general emotional attachment he had for him then and there. fast forward and if you compare that to when jianyi was kidnapped and zzxi who was worried as hell and confided in he tian, he tian didn't fret or go running to find him like the first time. instead, he basically told zzxi they couldnt do anything while distractedly watching lil mo play basketball lol. overall though, they're still good friends of course lol.
tl/dr- he tian did have a crush on jianyi, then lil mo entered the picture and the rest is history lol.

When He Tian started getting scenes in the story I automatically assumed he would be a rival for Xixi ... but mostly because this is the expectation and default on these stories. However, as their interactions progressed and comparing with scenes on how He Tian got interested in Mo Guan Shan I went back and saw He Tian x Jian Yi with other eyes and come to think the author never meant to show He Tian with sexual or romantic interest on Jian Yi but had to establish their friendship first in order to introduce Mo Guan Shan into the mix.
Now looking back I see He Tian always had a 'big brother' feeling towards Jian Yi and in fact was his wingman from start even though he liked to tease Jian Yi (maybe to provoke Xixi into a reaction). The very first scene between He Tian and Jian Yi is He Tian noticing Jian Yi was sad ( the episode with the girl and Xixi). He Tian has protective nature and he rescues 'puppies' so approaching Jian Yi was not romantic but someone he felt inclined to help. Also He Tian is a lonely kid despite being popular but Jian Yi is a natural friend to everyone and He Tian probably knew that once Jian Yi became his friend, Xixi would come along. The reason why I don't see He Tian having romantic interest in Jian Yi is because as the story progressed and we got to see He Tian falling in love with someone we learnt about his personality and what makes him so attracted to Mo Guan Shan... and it's all the traits that are exactly the opposite of Jian Yi. I think the author put an analogy about He Tian and Jian Yi taste in lover in the scene of the dumplings ( Jian Yi wants He Tian to try something and He Tian says he doesn't like it and Jian Yi thinks to himself about how they have different tastes). Also, although this is not confirmed, I think He Tian somehow has kept an eye on Jian Yi because he knows his brother and his father have business together and Jian Yi is always on danger.
The very first time He Tian became 'aware' of Mo Guan Shan was when he saw him outside the hospital casually eating the sandwich after the fight with Xixi and we get to see what attracts He Tian in someone: he thought Mo Guan Shan was fierce and resilient. This attraction only grew the more he saw how Mo Guan Shan was strong willed and rebellious. He Tian is not attracted sexually or romantically to the sweet and friendly types like Jian Yi, that he cherishes like a little brother, he is attracted to the traits that makes Mo Guan Shan the opposite of it.
I think He Tian is very lonely and he found a way to befriend Jian Yi (and once he had Jian Yi, Xixi started to trust and rely on him too) but his interest was never to take him away from Xixi or have a romantic link to Jian Yi. When he teased Jian Yi and got rebuffed, he never felt really rejected or took to the heart. His sexual/romantic interest was triggered by Mo Guan Shan and probably He Tian first pain of rejection was when he saw Mo Guan Shan's reaction to his stolen kiss.
Just my opinion though. I know that most readers think He Tian was interested in Jian Yi at first.

he tian's crush on jianyi just wasn't as serious and intense as with mo. It never progressed or developed any further. He knew jianyi had a special relationship with zzxi and accepted it. however, that never deterred he tian from jianyi though lol. should their relationship have progressed any further, I've no doubt he tian would've given zzxi a run for jianyi's hand. also mo rejected he tian a million times as well. as he tian and mo's relationship developed, of course he's going to care more about his responses. also given the context of what he tian gets rejected for matters as well. the majority of the rebuffs from jianyi were lighthearted in comparison to a lot of his scenes with mo. should he have tried to kiss jianyi in the earlier days things could've been different. should jianyi have shown any reciprocal responses to he tian early on, things could've been different. jianyi was someone who he had a common background with, their families run in the same circle, someone who wasn't scared of him so he tian could've saw in jianyi a potential partner and confidant. you can also say, given how protective he is of mo he showed the same response to jianyi right off the bat too. which btw, I'm pretty sure old xian made it so that he tian and jian yi were already familiar with each other even before he tian's introduction. instead of giving us the old love-rival trope, old xian quietly showed us a side plot of the musings and ending of he tian's first one-sided love interest to his gradual progression into his main romantic arc with mo.