Shine on Me

Bad acting galore and no plot

Things I loved

1 Yin Jie, the friend of the FL who works with her. Such a beautiful and lovely actress and her role was great as well. She shone in every scene and I wish she gets roles as the main lead. I think this is the only positive thing I have to say for this awful drama and I can't believe this has a 8.6 rating. I understand different strokes for different people, but come on. There is nothing in this drama to justify this rating and it makes the whole 8.6 ridiculous.

2 The cousin of the FL. Sweet, lovable, funny and the only one who provided with Yin Jie some lightness. I wish he had more scenes. He even was the voice of reason sometimes.

3 I loved the mother of the FL, and the parents of the ML. Decent people that also would love to see more. But at the end of the day they had no substance either.

4 I loved the little girl who played the daughter. She was cute and talented. Yet I also found she had no chemistry with the "parents."

Things I disliked

1 The FL. She has no range, her acting is mediocre at best, and her role wasn't better either. I've seen another series where the FL was the granddaughter of the owner of the company and the actress did a great job with the role. Here there was nothing for the actress to work with, but she also didn't have the talent.

Also how many times can you label her gorgeous and beautiful. I'm sorry but although we don't like all the same things, and certainly beauty is on the eye of the beholder, there's a point that it becomes ridiculous to shove this down our throat every other scene, when the actress is an average girl without anything striking or particularly special.

Let's also talk about her mannerisms. Have you ever had a friend who thinks she's cute and sexy and speaks with a baby voice and makes faces she thinks are adorable. Well, this is what the actress did. She spoke in a baby voice, without any real intonation though. Whether she talked about her morning coffee or someone dying she'd adopt the same tone. Only when she played cute with the ML she changed, but unfortunately from bad to worse.

Also her character was beyond ridiculous sometimes. She threw a tantrum because the ML didn't call her when he was in an ambulance. Her reasoning: he didn't think of her. Tell me you're entitled without telling me you're entitled.
I sympathized at first with her when she was wronged by her college roommates and I thought her character had potential, but I was so wrong., but after a while I thought she deserved it. She wasn't better than them and honestly I think she must be one of the most coldhearted heroines I've seen in a drama.

She didn't really care about anyone and the college drama wasn't that interesting. She didn't suffer anything really and yes people can be judgmental and yes people can make mistakes.
I didn't like Rong at first but I liked her in the end. Because she grew up and admitted her mistake. If you ask me the college girls were the only real characters with faults and all. The FL was mad at the "ML and she didn't even acknowledged what that happened that summer. He wasn't a perfect guy but he didn't deserve her wrath. She told him I'll wait until you love me and once she met the ML , she forgot anything she said. Fine, but not blame the other person for hoping. Seriously, one ofthe worst FL. Her character was weak and went nowhere. So disappointing.

2 The ML. No acting chops whatsoever. It's my first drama with him and maybe he's better on others, but here his acting was robotic at best and I felt nothing. Nothing about the romance, nothing about his career loss. That alone tells me that the acting is beyond awful. Also the unfitting outfits, and the fact that I don't find him handsome at all, and both he and the 2ML gave me vibes of Heathcliff made me laugh rather than fall for them. It was too much the brooding style from both of them. Now about the character arc. I didn't even get why he was suitable for the job he got after the surgeon career ended. As for being a prodigy, unfortunately even when I want to suspend any belief, the numbers don't work and the premise that he was that perfect neurosurgeon is flimsy.

Now about the romance. No chemistry at all with the FL and why on earth should we care about their relationship? We didn't see anything to justify that he fell for her. From Monday to Tuesday suddenly he let go of his resentment and started pursuing her. Just because he had see her yell at someone in a soirée. Give me a break. The resentment was for a ridiculous reason, but at least gave us something to wait. To wait for the revelation. Ridiculous character development, and it was frustrating to watch the romance. I think I liked one scene when they got together at the party at episode 27 and even this scene was underwhelming.

Also, yes, I'll mention it again. That stupid accident went nowhere and thinking that they based the whole story at that was ridiculous. Why would any sane person blame anyone else for an accident they caused? They were all so stupid blaming the FL's father or the daughter of the mistress. What the heck? How does this even make sense? The next time I go to the pharmacy for aspirin and slip while going back home I'll blame the Pharmacist. If she hadn't a pharmacy I wouldn't have gone for the aspirin there fore... You see? It makes perfect sense.

3 The 3ML. I didn't hate him like others. To be honest, I found him as bad as the rest of the cast. Another Heathcliff wannabe and an untalented and unattractive male lead. I did get why he was the way he was at first, though, and while I don't excuse him I find his arc better than the main arc. His relationship with the FL and Rong was frustrating to watch since he never had the guts to be honest with any of them. But again I didn't care enough to hate him and I get where he comes from. No excuse for listening to Rong though and don't trust the FL. That said the last scene with him broke my heart. Because let's be honest, the odds were against him from the start. He caused his pain in a way, but let's not be hypocritical. That FL would never love him.

4 The father of the FL. He was an idiot and no sympathy from me, although frankly he was at least more interesting than the main leads. Same for the mistress and her daughter. Slimy people, but still had something to make me stay with them and see where this was going. I can't say that much for the main couple.

5 The way they spoke about Switzerland and the food in Europe. This is the first time I hear such negative opinions and so unfair about Europe. He said he was skiing because there was nothing else to do abroad which is stupid and unworthy of anyone with even a little intelligence. If you can't find anything to do in Europe and in Switzerland you are just a lazy or idiotic person.
Same thing about the FL, who traveled to Europe for two months and bashed the food when she came back. Really? I like cuisines from all over the world, but it bothers me more than you know to hear someone say so inaccurate things about food in Europe. Who the hell can take seriously someone who says things like that? Have you ever heard of Greek cuisine, French, Spanish, Italian? What the hell again? I lost the little respect I had for these leads and the screenwriter. There was no reason for the bashing.

Read More

Only watch if you’re reason for watching is Song Wei Long

I happened to come across snippets of this show while scrolling through social media, and since I have enjoyed Song Wei Long’s work in the past, I went into it with fairly high expectations. His earlier performances have often carried a certain depth and presence that make his roles memorable, so naturally I assumed this show would have something similar to offer. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite live up to that anticipation.

At its core, the story itself is fairly short and straightforward. A concise storyline can sometimes work very well if it is executed with clarity and purpose. However, in this case, the show attempts to stretch a limited premise across multiple episodes by inserting filler moments that do not really add much substance. These additional segments neither deepen the narrative nor enrich the characters. Instead, they feel like placeholders—scenes that exist merely to fill time rather than to meaningfully advance the plot.

One of the most noticeable shortcomings lies in the pacing, especially toward the end. The final episode feels particularly rushed, almost as if the creators suddenly realized they needed to wrap everything up within a limited timeframe. Important developments and resolutions are compressed into a very short span, which diminishes their emotional impact. Moments that should have felt significant or satisfying pass by too quickly, leaving the viewer with a sense of incompleteness rather than closure.

The character arcs also suffer from this lack of depth. The show introduces several potentially interesting characters, but it never quite spends enough time exploring them in detail. Their motivations, conflicts, and personal growth remain largely surface-level. Because of this, it becomes difficult to form a strong emotional connection with their journeys. Instead of witnessing meaningful transformations, the audience is presented with character developments that feel shallow and somewhat rushed.

Another issue lies in the overall narrative structure. The story often feels abrupt and somewhat disorganized, with transitions between key plot points lacking smoothness or clarity. Rather than building tension gradually and delivering a cohesive payoff, the show jumps between moments without fully grounding the viewer in the progression of events. This contributes to the feeling that the story never quite settles into a steady rhythm.

By the time the series concludes, the dominant emotion is disappointment rather than satisfaction. The premise had potential, and with stronger writing, tighter pacing, and deeper character development, it could have turned into a much more compelling watch. Instead, it feels like a missed opportunity—an idea that started with promise but ultimately failed to evolve into a well-rounded or memorable story.

Read More

Warm, beautiful romance

To be honest, there’s nothing special about this drama, but that’s exactly what made it stand out for me. They took the regular “boy meets girl, falls in love, chases her and they live happily ever after” and made something extraordinary out of it. The story was executed perfectly well and you could almost feel every emotion the cast was feeling. SWL as usual was phenomenal in this show as we could clearly see the battle between his head and heart when he was chasing the fl. He executed the role of a man falling in love beyond his own will perfectly. He’s supposed to hate her, he knows in his head that he’s supposed to hate her, but he can’t stop his heart from falling and that was just beautiful to see because it was as if his heart was way ahead of his head. If there’s a role ZJM knows how to play well, it’s the role of a younger, shy, innocent girlfriend. She played it well in Aasol and she did it well here again. Given that her taste in men was abysmal at first lmao, we can see how she subconsciously goes from this bright, shining light that isn’t afraid to express her feelings to becoming guarded because of her experience with her first love. Another thing I really enjoyed about this drama was the fact that they gave the fl enough time to heal and move on from her first love, and they cleared all misunderstandings between them before they started dating officially. The romance was cute, their banter was amazing and the chemistry was just everything. The side actors also did a phenomenal job at portraying their characters, (I hated the sml for real😂), I also liked how they didn’t just give up on her relationship with her father but instead tried to mend it as much as possible. Her mom was a total baddie, I want to be like her when I grow up lmao, and I think her cousin might be my favorite character on the show.
The cinematography was meh at the beginning (I legitimately cringed at the horrible green screen) but as we moved on, it became so much better. A friend of mine commented that this show should’ve been called Eat on me and I agree because they were always eating 😂.
The best thing about this drama for me was the music, all the OSTs they used were phenomenal to say the least. The sounds fit perfectly into the story without disturbing the scenes.
The only downside about this drama for me were the company scenes that felt boring and a tad too unrealistic. While I understand that her family owns a chunk of the company’s shares, it didn’t make sense to me how a young recruit that just joined the company already has so much knowledge about everything and was even taking on and heading projects on her own. She didn’t have a single superior coworker and was reporting directly to the GM(which was also her boyfriend). It felt too much like y/n and the CEO for my liking. Apart from that, everything about this drama is wonderful and it’s perfect for those who are just getting into cdramas or for anyone wanting a light watch.

Read More

One of My Comfort Drama

Gonna be one of my comfort drama.
I anticipated this drama for long that i started reading the novel first and it did not disappointing. One thing i remember and i kinda love it that they changed in the drama is the first kiss scene. I think in the novel the kiss happened in the office with such a playfull vibe, while in the drama it happened romanticly.
Overall i’m loving everthing about this drama, my favorite part is Nie Xiguang’s wardrobe that are just soooo pretty. The ost(s) ate as well. Just Love for this drama🫶🏻 (except for those little cgi moment in changbai mountai🤣, but i read somewhere that they lost one of the camera in changbai mountain so i think it make sense)

Read More

Good, but 10 episodes too long

I really really enjoyed this show until episode 25 or so. The chemistry is great between the too leads, and the slow burn romance is very sweet. Reminded me of Hidden Love (my all time fave) for a bit. The problem is that everything pretty much resolves by episode 25. That means we are treated to 10 extra episodes where nearly nothing
happens. Don't get me wrong, I often praise kdramas and cdramas for giving us what i call a "victory lap". That's what I call when they have 1 or 2 final episodes where everyone is happy. But 10 episodes with no drama, and lovey dovey couple just looking cute together was a bit much.

So enjoy the built up of the romance, because its really good. But I recommend a lot of fast forwarding for the last quarter.

Read More

Who said healthy love is unrealistic?

Main relationship:
The straightforwardness of the ML and FL is what makes their relationship work. They are two individuals who can stand on their own by the time they meet, which in turn just shows them adding to one another rather than burdening each other. The moments when they were on “rocky ground” were the realistic moments of needed individual space that was accompanied by strong communication, and that was before they were dating! Some will say that their relationship is unrealistic, but I disagree. It was a very good example of how a relationship looks when two mature like like-minded people CHOOSE each other. Choosing to be together and choosing to make each other better through their relationship.

Xi Guang: The FL is my type of person. She starts the show very upfront about who she is, and it is quite refreshing. Though I am not an upbeat and bubbly person, one can only admire a person who is true to themselves, no matter what. I believe this trait is what makes her hard to digest for those who are insecure around her. The SML feels that someone of her status should not also be kind and that she should feel some shame about the opportunities afforded to her due to her background. While Ye Rong feels inferior to her not only socio-economically but also in personality. Her willingness to stand up for herself but maintain her kindness is not something we see often in shows. It's either one or the other: she’s mean but not a doormat, or she's kind but gets trampled on. After what she went through with the SML, Xi Guang is more reserved about love; she is not only afraid of pursuing, but she is also apprehensive about letting herself be pursued. However, after noticing the similarities between her past self and Lin Yuse, she realizes that she shouldn't let the one bad experience stop her from trusting that Yusen is serious about her. She is quite quick when it comes to self-reflection and correction, which is another likeable attribute about her. Though she becomes reserved in love, she remains true to her nature everywhere else, and it’s very refreshing to see.

Lin Yusen: Our ML is a breath of fresh air compared to the SML and many of those around our FL. Though he starts very conflicted about his feelings towards Xi Guang, he is consistently straightforward. When he “hated” her, he didn't make her confused if that was the case what confused her was why. Once he decided to leave it in the past, he in fact left it in the past. Quickly and honestly telling Xi Guang how he feels and his intentions of being a positive force in his life, not a burden. Much like the Xi Guang in college, he leaves his feelings at his desired partner's feet, waiting for them to choose what to do next. Apologizing when he felt he overstepped, and communicated with Xi Guang clearly. When the misunderstanding comes to an end, he is conflicted and rather than take it out on Xi Guang, like we have seen others do, he takes time for himself. To reflect on how this impacts his complicated feelings, but also how it may impact how Xi Guang sees him. His clarity stands in direct contrast to Zhuang Xu's redirection of people's feelings and intentional obtuseness regarding misconceptions and misunderstandings. He is a walking green flag and is a perfect example of a character that is not without faults and but is willing to be accountable.

Zhuang Xu: To me, he is neither a villain nor a victim. I understand his reasoning behind not wanting to be with FL, given their different backgrounds and societal positions. In this front, you could pity him for never being able to let go of this insecurity and be true with his feelings. However, being pitiful does not excuse how you speak to others, and feeling frustrated isn't an excuse to treat people however you would like. He spoke so condescendingly to Xi Guang and Ye Rong, to the point where I felt bad for Rong on some points. When Xi Guang explains how it is natural to have a change in feelings when someone treats you well and likes you, it should have been a wake-up call for him. He didn't have to confess his feelings to her to be kind; that was his major problem, he didn’t see that. Furthermore, he is drowning in self-pity and victimization. He takes no responsibility for the fact that it was his choices and unwillingness to let go of his misconceptions and insecurities to chase the one he “loves”. To the point, he blames Ye Rong, Xi Guang, and the universe for missing the timing with Xi Guang. Without taking accountability that he was fully in control of this “timing” for a long time.

Ye Rong; In my opinion, Ye Rong and Zhuang Xu are two sides of the same coin. Rong has the stereotypical insecure “friend” trope surrounding her. We are first led to believe that it is all revolving around Zhuang Xu, but it later becomes obvious, especially when speaking about careers, that Rong feels inferior to Xi Guang and must one-up her at every turn. The insecurity surrounding Xi Guang's background is what makes Rong and Xu so similar; both, in my opinion, are using each other to bring Xi Guang down a notch. Rong, to feel superior, and Xu, to bridge the gap that makes their relationship “impossible”. What makes Ye Rong a bit more villainous is that what she did was meant to ruin Xi Guang’s reputation. At the same time, Zhuang Xu put Xi Guang down to feel a little better about his situation; he holds to misconceptions he had of Xi Guang, even when they were unreliable, to make himself have a reason other than their socio-economic standing to not be together.

Read More

story is set mostly between 2012 and 2013

The story is set mostly between 2012 and 2013, which shapes almost the entire feel of the show. The timeline can be confusing at times because it keeps jumping back and forth between years without clearly indicating when each scene takes place.

Zhang Xu and Lin Yusen are both quite toxic in their own ways, although Lin Yusen gradually becomes more of a green flag character later on. The actor playing Jiang Rui delivers an impressive performance, especially considering how young they are. Despite the messy timeline, the moments between the male lead and female lead are extremely sweet and intense, to the point where they are genuinely exciting to watch.

Read More

slowburn romance done right

It was such a beautiful show to watch. a very soothing slice of life kind of vibes. Both the main leads were very well written and very mature, unlike some cdramas. There were some moments where it got a little slow, but it maintained a good overall pace. I liked that there was no toxicity, love triangles, or complicated relationships in this. It was perfect for watching and relaxing. also would also like to mention song weilong was a very good choice for the ML. He gives off such strong yet warm and soft vibes, which were perfect for this character. a very good watch for people who like uncomplicated slow-burning romance.

Read More

The Ultimate Office Romance

Why on earth is Song Weilong not in the first 4 episodes?! My favorite part of school dramas has always been the dormitory friendships. School is over, and now she has started sharing a room with her coworkers. Also, the post-graduation job hunt and her starting out at the company were so inspiring and beautiful. I guess this is exactly the kind of life I dream of. (Especially the job fair thing—it was the first time I've ever heard of it, and I think it’s a brilliant concept.)

In Episode 5, at 33:00, one of the girls says the female lead misinterprets everything. Seriously, since the first episode, she has been looking at everything from the most wrong and ridiculous perspective possible.
“Daydreaming is a disease, and it requires serious treatment.” XD

In Episode 5, at 34:25, she prepares an Excel sheet for Yu Sen. This is literally my life. For the first time, I am seeing so many things I dream about all together in one drama. (I got so excited!)

Episode 8, 32:30 – "What kind of sick person eats every single meal with doctors?"
Episode 9, 20:30 – "My coworker jumped off the building."

I don't know if it's because I have an interest in and a fascination with Chinese corporate life, but I absolutely love the office scenes.

Episode 9, 21:34 – "What if I forget my wallet and make Mr. Lin pay for the whole meal?"
Episode 9, 23:30 – "Nie Xiguang, I forgot my wallet." (That was such an unexpected line from a big boss playing a serious role.)
Episode 9, 24:45 – He accepts the compliments as if he paid the bill himself. XD

Episode 21, 35:40 – "Even though you are a total troublemaker, leaving these little snowmen of yours behind on Changbai Mountain breaks my heart." "It’s okay, you are taking their creator with you."

In Episode 27, at 06:10, the female lead's uncle's impression was hilarious. He is one of my favorite characters in the drama. In the previous episode, he sent a photo of the main leads to his wife just to ask for pocket money. XD

In Episode 29, the female lead's mother mentioning that she had some regrets after the divorce shows that she isn't a hollow or shallow character. Instead of just filling herself with anger and acting purely out of spite, she calmly thinks and does what is best for herself. Most characters in dramas lack this kind of depth; they usually just think based on pure logic, saying, "Okay, it's over, now I must look ahead." But in this drama, the characters are written with both logical and emotional foundations. I really liked that.

Episode 29, 17:55 – 18:12 – "She is my mother." XD
In Episode 31, at 35:00, Yu Sen didn't even look at the female lead as long as he stared at that lobster!

In Episode 32, at 25:25, Yu Sen kissing Xiguang on the cheek to check if she has a fever, and their hug at 44:44 were so sweet. <3
In Episode 34, at 31:33 – "Just convince her, that's enough."

Read More