Massive props to @krispyllamasweets for sharing the YouTube playlist of the Hao Du/Leyan cut of The Long Ballad with me! This is what I really wanted all along, and I'm clearly not the only one!
I've pretty much watched the entire drama now, although I got really impatient after episode 40 or so and skipped most of the non-Hao Du/Leyan scenes.
Even though I'd seen some clips of their story on YouTube before, I still legit teared up in episode 42 when he fights for her and they finally get together. Those scenes were totally earned - they went through so much, changed, and grew. Honestly, they're the only interesting thing about this drama. I totally get why Liu Yuning became more popular because of this role, and why people are so stoked to see him and Zhao Lusi film another drama. She's not my favourite actress out there, but their chemistry is undeniably off the charts. I hope they can pull it off again in their new project.
I'm up to episode 10 of The Long Ballad, which people recommended because of Liu Yuning's character in it. I'll say this: he is extremely hot in it, and has great chemistry with Zhao Lusi, just like people said. But this drama is 49 episodes, and it doesn't move quickly, so I can't promise I'm going to finish it. I guess it's not called The Long Ballad for nothing, eh?