say what you like about him but i have a lot of respect for luo binghe’s courtship methods. like he tried the “look what you’re missing out on” approach okay, he gave it a fair go. “look how cool and hot and powerful i am” is a straight up classic and he had it nailed down, he had his evil sword and dramatic poses to strike, he was locked tf in. but then when that failed to work he pivoted like a champion, going from his sexy badass persona to full-on sad kitten out in the rain, and i don’t think he gets enough credit for that. he is a grownass demonic emperor with subjects and presumably a lot of enemies looking for weakness, and yet he has fully committed to the untried and extremely specific “warbling baby bird” approach to wooing shen qingqiu. he is wailing and clinging to the best of his exceptional ability, all dignity abandoned, to get his man. that’s dedication.
And the thing is, we talk a lot about how manipulative he is (and to the extent that he is, sure, Shen Qingqiu both knows what he is doing very well and it's effective on him anyway) - but I do actually think that Luo Binghe realised he ought to be his truer self with Shen Qingqiu. Meaning, going back to their original easy and loving relationship as a master and disciple (more or less) was the ticket, because, despite what he thought, Shen Qingqiu loved him as he was from the start. Not romantically, but he loved him as a sweet disciple who didn't do anything exceptional like be an unbeatable demon emperor with a cool sword.
Binghe doesn't act nearly as soppy and pathetic as we joke about, but by the end he does know he doesn't need any posturing. He wants to be Shen Qingqiu's babygirl, his dedicated and filial disciple, his devoted househusband. He wants the domesticity and the love and doesn't care, has never cared, about riches and power except inasmuch it would allow him to provide for and protect his loved one(s). He couldn't protect his mother because he was small and powerless and poor, so he maxed out on all the cool stuff, and when he tried to flex about it Shen Qingqiu wasn't receptive because he was scared but also he loves Binghe, not his strength or assets. Even if he hadn't become strong, Shizun would have protected him.
