Love's Ambition

Not worth watching if you have been a fan of Cdrama for awhile

The chemistry between Zhao Lusi and William Chan doesn’t land. Many scenes feel stiff, overly staged. When emotional moments are supposed to hit, they fall flat because you don’t feel the connection — the tension, the heartbreak, the trust betraying. It looks beautiful, but emotionally hollow.
 The plot depends heavily on deception, secrets, misunderstandings. You always feel you watched this scene elsewhere. Every conflict seems to originate from someone lying or hiding something, rather than more nuanced issues. This creates a cycle where episodes become repetitive. It’s exhausting, because few of the emotional consequences feel earned.

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High investiment in a drama with an adaptation without news

I don't usually review because when I'm not captivated by a drama, I just flip the switch and move on to another drama. Since I've noticed some people's annoyance with other people's opinions, I decided to speak out and say that I think the leads and supporting actors have good performances. We notice chemistry between the leads in their delivery of scenes, but I also think the plot is boring because as the episodes progress, it becomes more and more predictable. Warning to those hysterical people who can't control themselves with dissenting opinions: you can hurry up and call me a troll. LOL

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Entertaining, but concerns on if some characters/arcs were necessary.

I held off on watching this because I did hear about the synopsis of FML lying about something and its very gray areas for me to have FML lying to ML.

What a pleasant surprise this is that both FML and ML were liars (initially) to each other. They’re both highly motivated, detailed and ambitious. I do think this couple suited each other extremely well.

FML Xu Yan lies about her parents (career choices) due to estranged relationship with them growing up and gets married to ML Haoming who is upper class. Which we later learn that ML Haoming clocked her early on and found her an interesting pawn to further his agenda and motivations. Eventually, they learn more about each other and can be honest and navigate their own ambitions, often helping each other out.

What I liked
- How smart FML Xu Yan was
- Different stories and people’s own motivations - I really liked the grandma who made veggie balls. That was touching.
- Ambitiousness is always attractive
- Different relationships with grandmas, mothers, kids, etc. Good combination of generational relationships throughout the series.
- How loving and stern grandma was. Grandma makes me wish I had a grandma. I cried at the part where Xu Yan said Jingzhou was too far for her to travel. That was heartbreaking, and I imagine Grandma felt sad too but she didnt want to make Xu Yan feel bad.
- Female camaraderie! Loved that at the end, the focus is on cultural clothing and sisterhood. That’s worth investing in and being a part of.

Distractions / story arcs that could’ve been better or wasn’t fully fleshed
- Xu Yan and her relationship w/ her parents - To me, it felt that their relationship wasn’t ever truly resolved and there were subtleties now that Xu Yan is a parent to understand maybe her parents wanted what’s best for her but Im still mad because it took a lot of bravery for Xu Yan to ask why her dad kept proving to her that he didnt love her. And the answer was a slap so that’s… No.
- Haochen. As much as you learn about the boy, in the last couple of episodes after a much needed retreat, you hardly see him and isn’t he a part of their family? I also think that he should be told the last minute thing that they decided to do w/ Fang Lei which - completely unnecessary imo. I know that’s a lot of feelings for him but its also like… Wen he finds out - isn’t this series ALL about lying? Stop lying otherwise the fallout is bigger.
- Lin Tao. I dont know what his character is suppose to be. Even the big arc of him threatening Qiao Lin isn’t a big deal either. I understood his character initially, even when he came to Jinzhou to convince Qiao Lin to return and get married but the complete refusal to not let Qiao Lin go is shoddy writing and completely unnecessary.
- Bad guy / Steve / Wen Lawyer dude. As much as they put emphasis on this, they’re easily rounded up crooks - felt like weak ultimate villains/latest villain to end on at least!
- How utterly unhinged Fang Lei was for her to retreat and go to UK in the end. That just felt too neat and honestly I wish they spent more time on her character development because she was just seen drinking a shitton.

Some more thoughts - ML Haoming fell short of what I would want a ML to be. While he was jealous and childish, which shows to his EQ, I also felt that he couldve grown more. He also never had a honest to goodness chat with his son about who his mom is or what happened and that he wanted him (Haochen as a son). He's just OK ML IMO.

All in all, its entertaining and I can see why many ppl like it. It certainly wasnt what I expected, I'm unsure if I'd rewatch it.

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A Smart and Stylish Drama That Delivers in Two Pieces

This drama is split between two distinct tones, and I loved each one. The first half is edgy and gripping, with avant-garde cinematography that draws you in through scenes filled with anxiety and intrigue. The second half shifts toward self-growth and character development, focusing on personal improvement and learning—all delivered with a sharp sense of humor. The performances and narrative were outstanding. My only wish is that the drama had circled back to some of the edginess I appreciated so much at the start. That said, it was still an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable watch.

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A trendsetter for modern C-Dramas of the same genre

I have a lot to say 😭 First of all, Lusi did a spectacular job. I mean, I know she is a good actress, but once again, she outdid herself. Her acting was nothing short of extraordinary. Her wardrobe and styling, which she handled by the way, were splendid. For every outfit, hairstyle, and makeup she wore, she was not just wearing them; she made sure they suited the scene. You can tell she put a lot of work and attention into not just learning the script but being Xu Yan, so I dare say no one is capable of bringing Xu Yan to life the way Zhao Lusi did. For a modern drama of such a plot, she was not dubbed; it was all her voice 🥺.

Actors can give their all to bring a character to life, but if the script is trashy, there is little they can do, which is why I have to commend the screenwriter as well. Indeed, this is not just a pace-setter for urban romance/entrepreneurship dramas; it is a trendsetter as well. From the writing to the pacing, the flow was amazing. The divorce era was written to be worth it. Shen Haoming's later pursuit of Xu Yan after he realized his mistake was written with such wonderful finesse; the writer knew that there exists a thin line between pursuit being persistent and annoying, so it was not overdone. The same goes for when the company encountered issues because of Haochen's paternity issue.

What really impressed me was how they handled Lin Tao's loan fraud. No excess drama; a typical move would have been to write it in a way that it'll clash with Jinda group's struggle, that would have made everything choking and suffocating, but they didn't tow that path; they handled it with such calmness and maturity that you would know that adults in the drama actually used their sense.

Every cast brought their A-game, from the leads to the supporting characters to the minor ones. I really love seeing Lusi and Fu Bohan in the same drama; they always give this elder sister and her younger brother vibe, but their role in this drama made them look like a mother and child effortlessly 🥺. Another pair is Lusi and Daddi Tang; I think what I want the most rn is a drama with them as leads 😭. A modern drama precisely because Daddi doesn't look good in historical costume 😭.

I also have to talk about Lusi and William Chan's chemistry. Man, I knew it was going to be amazing because I mean we all watched Dating in the Kitchen, right? But this one was off the charts ❤️😭. Zhao Lusi is such a great person; literally every person she comes in contact with says so; it shows with how she relates with people around her.

The director for Love's Ambition also worked with her in Dating in the Kitchen. She deserves every beautiful thing in life; she can take it all and leave the scraps for us; we don't mind 😭😂.

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Watchable drama! Could have been great!

I would have rated the drama 9.5 or 10 if they had addressed some issues in the couple's relationship like her past (the reason why she had to lie), his cold attitude towards her (and their marriage) as well as the quasi infidelity with Fang lei...

Both were flawed individuals and could have been a good match after discussing issues between them. However, the actors did a good job with the story/script they were given.

I think this drama had two writers, one to adapt the first part of the story with well deserved angst and another to create a different ending from the novel (fair, the novel ending was horrible) but the problem was that it felt like 2 writers that did not communicate with each other causing it to have the feel of entering a new drama mid way into the story leaving many issues unaddressed.

Overall, Zhao lusi and William Chan did wonderful specially the dramatic parts. Special mention to the actors playing Haochen and the mother in law.

I recommend watching it!

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Very engaging and entertaining.

I have watched quite a lot of C dramas. I have to say this urban drama was in its own league. I liked that it started with intensity and then toned it down to a comedy. The intensity of the drama highlighted a lot of life choices and the reasoning behind their actions. I liked the fact that the characters grew and improved. Almost all characters shone at the end and went on their paths. What I love most about this drama is the combination of life, family, and business lessons, with the comedy element. The pacing of this drama was good for me; my only disappointment is that some parts that were crucial in tying up the story were cut out, which left a lot for us to imagine. I think that upcoming urban dramas should take a lesson from this drama. It did not drag, the acting was excellent, and the script was good. I am just waiting for the Shen family's life with XY experiencing congenital heart disease...

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Promising start, but ...

I have mixed feelings about this show. While I felt fully engaged and loved the plot and characters in the first half of the show, my interest waned the more I watched. I think what I liked the most about this show was the scheming, but that tapered off after the first half and quickly became a romcom, which is unfortunate because I really don't think the actor for the ML is the right fit for comedy.

The chemistry itself is ... fine. I have gripes with the ML though, who felt super bland to me and didn't have enough of an appealing personality for me to forgive his past wrongdoings and root for them to get back together again. At one point, I think I actually just liked watching them separately succeed at their own jobs rather than together.

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Started really Stong but stalled towards the end

haven’t seen all of Zhao Lusi’s dramas—only Love Like the Galaxy and Hidden Love. In both, I felt she often played the babyish or whiny character, which didn’t really show her range or maturity. But in Loves Ambition, she truly surprised me. Her character was so much more mature and grounded, and I loved seeing this side of her. This kind of role suits her really well.
The show started off strong and immediately had me hooked. The early episodes, especially during the “divorce cooling-off period,” had the perfect mix of tension and comedy. It turned into pure entertainment—I found myself laughing out loud more than once!
The pacing was generally good, but towards the later episodes, I felt it started to drag. Some scenes, especially those set in the Yan Atelier, felt like filler with little plot development. And unfortunately, the final episode was quite disappointing, particularly the last 5 minutes. It really bothered me that there was no satisfying resolution between Hao Chao and his father—he didn’t even appear in the finale, which felt like a missed opportunity.
Overall, it was an okay show with a very strong start. It's an easy and entertaining watch. I also want to praise the casting: the male lead actually looked like a real CEO, which is rare! So often in dramas, CEOs look way too young or lack presence, but here it was believable and refreshing. And the mother-in-law character? What a gem. Yes, she came off a bit harsh at first, but she ended up being elegant, supportive, and honestly, one of the highlights of the show.

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