Drunko. Ask Me my fannish opinions, I'll see what my phone can spell
@Satsuma although I'm not sure I'd say ”more compelling," because I'm not against them getting back together after growing up a little, and reevaluating their priorities, or trying again when the situation has shifted, but now with all that hurt between them.
@Satsuma honorable mention to WWX and JC, though, who managed to have an exes energy without ever having dated.
@Betty both good answers!
idk that every ex-first disciple & sect leader relationship is quite as fraught as they manage to make it but it does seem like a scenario likely to produce “exes even tho they never dated” vibes
@Satsuma HX/HC have a kind of ”hooked up once, we never speak of it” energy. Not quite exes, but I enjoy it.
@Satsuma oh man. Love Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing as exes. not just because I like all the friction between them but because part of what makes them so compelling as characters is that they do have these competing ties that pull them away from each other, and those are really important to them as characters.
So it's fun seeing them dealing with choosing the thing that is incompatible with their romance, because both of them do believe in that thing.