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In my opinion, this is an excellent drama! One of its biggest strengths is the atmosphere it delivers. After thinking it over, I feel like it makes up for the fact that, for most of the time, nothing particularly major happens — the focus is mainly on the relationship of the main couple, which flows smoothly and pleasantly for the most part, without major obstacles (with one exception) — but while watching, you don’t feel that at all. I never had a moment where I was bored or where an episode felt dragged out. It also makes up, to a large extent, for the fact that many plot points are introduced and then never developed, often simply forgotten. I also have to admit that I love the “bad boy” trope — someone who is tough on the outside but deeply loyal and caring toward those closest to him, especially that one person — and we definitely get that here.

I really enjoyed the pairing of the main couple — Jin Zhao and Jiang Mu — who were complete opposites. He was confident, mysterious, cold, and reserved, while she was chaotic, open, and a bit silly. On top of that, they had amazing chemistry and tension that was insanely palpable through the screen. I also loved his provocative personality, which she gradually started to adopt as well. Around each other, they became better versions of themselves, always wanting to be the best for one another, often putting the other person’s happiness and well-being above their own. Of course, they had their flaws too — for example, Jin Zhao sometimes made decisions for her, assuming he knew what was best.

I also loved many of the side characters and think that some of their stories could have been developed much more. The whole group of guys completely stole my heart — especially San Lai. He was a wonderful character. I loved him on his own, I loved him paired with Jin Zhao, and I loved him paired with Jiang Mu, so I’m really disappointed we didn’t get more of his story. The subplot with his father was introduced as something important and then just… left unfinished. A small personal downside for me is also that we didn’t get his relationship with Na Na, which I was hoping for. And there’s one thing about him that doesn’t sit right with his otherwise amazing character — why did he suggest to Jiang Mu that he could replace Jin Zhao someday if she wanted? Bro? I really hope he didn’t have feelings for her and that it was just a dumb comment — that’s how I choose to interpret it. Don’t ruin my friendship dynamic with lines like that. Another character I loved was Lin Sui — “Drunk.” I’m not even entirely sure why. He had a very specific personality and vibe that I really liked. I also enjoyed his interactions with Jin Zhao and that scene where he was the fifth wheel during their reunion after years.

On top of that, the whole racing storyline and everything related to cars was handled really well. Similarly — although obviously in a more condensed way — his journey back to full physical fitness after the accident was also portrayed well, especially the emotions tied to that process.

That said, there are also a few plotlines (aside from San Lai’s father) that I have some issues with — bigger, smaller, and minor ones.
Major issues:
→ Liang Yan Feng’s character. Out of nowhere, it suddenly turned out that he was “good” and part of the alliance. There was no prior setup for that, and it was never revisited later. On top of that, almost immediately everyone completely forgot that he spiked Jiang Mu’s drink — and he even ended up getting invited to their wedding.
→ Wan Qing — “Snakey” — and her father’s business. I don’t have an issue with her being at the wedding, since from early on she was shown not to be a bad person. My issue is that, first of all, I don’t understand why the subplot where she kidnapped his father even existed, since it was later completely ignored. Second, we never saw how she processed the situation involving her father or what she thought about it. Third, we never really found out what consequences her father and his employees faced — we only know they were arrested.
→ He Zhang. He was also forgotten, and we never found out what consequences he faced or what happened to him afterward. I’m especially disappointed because I was hoping for some development in his hinted relationship with Wan Qing.
→ We never got a deeper explanation of that darker period in Jin Zhao’s life, when he was apparently called “Brandy,” and I think that could have been really interesting.
Minor issues (things I missed, but that didn’t affect the story much):
→ The fighting subplot involving Jin Zhao. In reality, we only got one fight, even though it was implied that he fought regularly — at least that’s how I understood it. So first, I would have liked to see more fights (my “bad side” speaking :D), and second, a better explanation of why he fought and why he suddenly stopped (unless it was explained through the alliance and I just missed it — I had some long breaks while watching).
→ It also occurred to me that Jin Zhao and Jiang Mu told her mom about their relationship, but we never got a scene where they told her dad XD. The poor guy is still living in the dark while they’re off riding a motorcycle to get married.
→ We never learned Jin Zhao’s birthday :( — it was initially presented as a mystery they wanted to uncover, but I guess they just… stopped caring.

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Overall, I consider the series itself to be very good. Although I think the biggest credit goes to the legal storyline, which in my opinion was the most interesting part. It was mainly because of it that I kept watching the next episodes with curiosity, wanting to know how it would develop further. In my view, it strongly saved my overall perception of the series and made up for the underdeveloped remaining storylines. That said, even here I have a few reservations. For example, Qin Shi never found out that it was because of Lan Xiao Ting that she initially didn’t get promoted to the 11th floor, since Lan Xiao Ting didn’t vote for her — even though they were close at the time and she treated Qin Shi like her own daughter.

Now I’ll move on to the other storylines. The first main couple — Qin Shi & Yang Hua. For most of the series, I liked their dynamic. Two completely different people who started out pretending to be in a relationship, but as feelings developed, they both began to change for the better — or at least that’s how it seemed. She started opening up and noticing life beyond work. He began thinking more seriously about his future. They both started to look genuinely happy. We had a very well-done slow burn here — which then got completely destroyed. Everything started falling apart with the divorce plotline. I did understand his decision, but I couldn’t understand the female lead’s actions: despite having feelings for him, she didn’t try to stop him (even though the show tried to explain it somehow). Later it turned into an even bigger circus of two supposedly “adult” people. He suddenly started pretending he wanted to get back together and leave the country with his ex-girlfriend, didn’t tell the female lead that he was doing it for her, and the cherry on top was that they had no contact for seven months after passing each other at the airport — only for him to randomly start living across from her and for them to fall into each other’s arms.
Overall, all of this wouldn’t have been that bad if it had been spread across more episodes (and there were plenty), but instead we got an emotional rollercoaster crammed into the final episode, which simply didn’t work. Still, aside from those last episodes (especially the finale), their relationship was very pleasant to watch.

Yang Hua also got the short end of the stick. We were given one throwaway line about his new job instead of actually developing that storyline. His legal case from his first job — where he was falsely accused — was never resolved either. That whole plot was completely forgotten, along with the fact that Jason Wang was involved. They supposedly suspected him, but later he was convicted for other things and the topic was entirely dropped.

What’s even more absurd? Despite all this circus, they were still the healthiest couple in the show — because the others were such massive red flags that their endings can honestly be called tragic.

Let’s start with Wu Fei & Tao Jun Hui. Tao Jun Hui is engaged to her from the very beginning, yet keeps chasing Qin Shi, whom he’s still in love with, lying to and straight-up manipulating his girlfriend. As for Wu Fei — she annoyed me the most out of the entire cast. Of course, I sympathize with her for having to be with such a loser, but she wasn’t any better herself. Her boyfriend lied to her and had feelings for his ex, and instead of breaking up with him, she supported him and sabotaged the other woman simply for being his ex. She behaved like a spoiled child — which, frankly, she was, thanks to her rich father. The cherry on top was presenting them as having a happy ending, despite the fact that there was no love between them — only dependence on her side and pathetic attempts to replace an ex on his side.
These two characters also have unresolved storylines. Wu Fei — what happened to her after she left her job? We know nothing, aside from a possible return of that “wonderful,” supposedly mutual love. Tao Jun Hui — what did he do with the evidence of s*xual abuse that he saw in Hai Tao’s possession? He said he would help him deal with it, and then not a single word about it again — just like there was no follow-up on Hai Tao’s fate, even though Tao Jun Hui warned him he could lose his license to practice law.

The last equally “healthy” couple were Ren Mei Mei & Qin Wen Yu. Sure, there were moments when I laughed at the absurdity and exaggeration of their relationship, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were in an extremely unhealthy one — which somehow got a happy ending in the form of a baby. Their entire relationship was built on violence, belittling, cheating, and constant fights, followed by showers of overly sweet, exaggerated affection. There was absolutely no ground for a healthy, happy relationship there without therapy, yet the show tried to convince us that they suddenly changed. And not even because of the child. She eventually left him, and we never even found out under what circumstances she returned or how they reconciled — it was simply skipped straight to a happy relationship and childbirth.

I have mixed feelings about the families of the first couple. Qin Shi’s family, considered by everyone to be the “worst,” was actually the best and the most enjoyable to watch. The oldest brother was definitely the highlight — he seemed the most reasonable and normal out of all of them. As for Yang Hua’s family, I have issues — especially with his mother, who was simply irritating. On one hand, she wants her son to get married and settle down; on the other, she constantly causes problems and interferes in the life of an almost 30-year-old man. There was also an absurdity here: his family thought they had been together only recently, while her family thought it had been two years — and how on earth did that never come up in any conversation between them?

Let’s end on a positive note. Li Dai was the queen of this series for me. I genuinely fell in love with her feisty personality, her confidence, and the fact that she kept the female lead’s secret, even when they weren’t friends yet. The duo of Qin Shi and Li Dai was my favorite in the entire show. Both had that “bitchy” vibe — in the best possible sense of the word — and together they were a powerhouse. To this day, I regret that we didn’t get more scenes of them working together, because I was really counting on that.

All in all, a surprisingly large number of things bothered me, which doesn’t quite match the high rating I gave this series — but that’s mainly because I had fun watching it and really enjoyed the legal storyline.

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A very pleasant and comforting series to watch.

Here we follow the transformation of the female lead — Shen Xi Fan — who at the very beginning is stuck in a toxic relationship. Her boyfriend treats her like trash, tries to blame her for everything wrong in his life, and keeps her on a leash. Later, she meets the male lead, her relationship finally ends, and thanks to He Su Ye, she begins to learn what real love actually is.
He Su Ye himself is a massive green flag. From start to finish, he was incredible support for her and made her genuinely happy. The fact that she needed time never discouraged him. He simply stayed by her side and showed her true love with his whole being. Watching them happy together was beautiful, and their relationship was extremely sweet. There wasn’t even a hint of toxicity here. They supported each other deeply, even during difficult moments. There were no arguments after they got together, which made the whole thing very comfortable and enjoyable to watch. On top of that, they had amazing chemistry. They were a joy to look at, and their kisses were HOT.

A huge plus also goes to the female lead’s parents and the male lead’s grandfather. All three were wonderful characters, and most scenes with them made me smile — or cry, when her mom got sick. I have mixed feelings about the male lead’s father. On the one hand, I was happy when the female lead initiated their reconciliation (for a moment I was afraid he would oppose their relationship), because watching him, I felt like he had truly changed and understood that he hadn’t always been a good husband to his wife in the past. On the other hand, I kept remembering that not long before, he was still putting pressure on his son to pursue Western medicine. So to this day, I’m not sure how much he actually changed and whether he truly deserved that second chance.

Now, the female lead’s ex-boyfriend — Yan Heng. I wanted to strangle him through the screen. They absolutely ruined the character for me after Meteor Garden — I will never look at him the same way again. The way he was such a piece of shit while seeing himself as a prince on a white horse was insanely irritating. He broke up via text message, then came back like nothing had happened just to get revenge on her father? He couldn’t accept rejection and had the nerve to go to her parents and keep selling them bullshit about how he supposedly broke up with her “for her own good.” T R A S H.
Surprisingly, he eventually disappeared from her life and was never mentioned again — which on one hand makes me happy, and on the other makes me curious about what happened to him afterward.

Now for two questions / downsides.

First, the secondary couple — though I’m not even sure they truly counted as one. I’d rather say Xu Xiang Ya and Lin Yi Shen were more of a side pairing. And that makes me sad, because they were so wonderful that I really wanted more scenes focused on their relationship. I can’t even find one solid argument — I just wish their storyline had been developed more.

And the biggest downside for me — or rather, an unanswered question. Did the male lead really have a girlfriend in college who broke his heart, or was that just a lie made up by Fang Ke Xin? Why was this never explained? Why did they never talk about it? I thought that ex-girlfriend would show up at some point since she was mentioned — but it never happened. So did she actually exist at all?

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I recommend this drama to anyone who wants to watch a comforting and peaceful series. The relationship between the main characters is beautiful and carefree. They are a wonderful support for each other, trust one another completely, and because of that, unnecessary arguments never come between them. The development of their relationship is also amazing—at first, Su Zai Zai seeks contact with him, but soon enough, he wants the same. He slowly begins to open up to her, and she shows him that he, too, is someone special and deserves happiness. What starts as a friendship quickly turns into love, which blossoms in college and continues into adulthood, where their carefree bond and genuine love remain just as visible.

The whole storyline of their friendship as a group of five was also wonderful. Their carefree high school life, the dilemmas connected to university, and later their adult life were all portrayed beautifully. They always stayed together, despite the passing years and separations. On top of that, the relationship between Jiang Jia and Gu Ran was also lovely, and I rooted for them strongly. I was even a little sad that we didn’t get to see more scenes after they became a couple. The only one I truly felt sorry for was Guan Fang, who was the only one in the group not to find happiness, even though he also deserved it (P.S. his grandmother was wonderful).

There weren’t many downsides, although one of them is definitely that the storyline about harassment by the president wasn’t further developed—especially the consequences he faced. Another drawback is that we didn’t get to see Zhang Lu Rang’s parents truly realizing how much harm they had caused their sons (it was only mentioned that they supposedly noticed and changed, but I would have liked to actually see it).

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I truly fell in love with this series. The plot drew me in so much that I watched episodes every chance I got. I liked how all the characters were portrayed—most of them really grew on me, even the main character’s admirers, who usually annoy me. I appreciated how popularity was depicted—it’s not always a good thing. It showed the pressure they were all under, as well as how Smiling kept growing with each new game. I also really enjoyed how the games themselves were presented; it was interesting and well done.

The only downside for me were the animations—I couldn’t always recognize the characters in them, and they sometimes went on for too long. I would have much preferred just a regular view of the game. Despite this, I can’t lower my rating, because I haven’t been this hooked on a series in a long time.

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I had a great time watching this series, even though I had seen a lot of scenes on TikTok beforehand and had already watched the Korean version (I think the Thai version was much better).

The character development was excellent. The main character’s transformation through love happened naturally, not all at once. The female lead never gave up despite all the obstacles she faced. The supporting characters were very interesting—each one different, yet all engaging in their own way.
Even the main character’s mother, whom I couldn’t stand for most of the series—there were hints from the beginning that she was hiding her true self, and only in the final episode did she finally reveal it.

The only downside for some might be the violence, which was quite intense in the first few episodes.

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I can’t understand why this drama is so underrated, because it definitely deserves much more recognition. It’s been a long time since I got THIS hooked on any show.

The plot and storyline are incredibly engaging, and they’re what created the whole atmosphere. We experience everything from beginning to end together with the characters. Just like them, we’re manipulated into thinking we know the truth—when in reality, we don’t—and we slowly uncover it along the way.

However, this is not a typical romance. In my opinion, romance played more of a supporting role here, while the main focus was on the storyline itself. As a romance lover, I didn’t mind it at all, so I wouldn’t discourage anyone because of that. The relationship between the main characters, though complicated, was beautiful. It wasn’t about the physical aspect but the emotional one. True, Qi Lian could be terrible to her at the very beginning while “caring” for “his” Jiang Xiao Yuan (it’s a pity this was brushed under the rug), but we gradually saw him change, and his care for “his” Jiang Xiao Yuan turned into genuine care for Jiang Xiao Yuan.

The character development was also very interesting—especially for Jiang Xiao Yuan. By “moving to another time,” she slowly discovered herself, her dreams, and her passions. She came to understand the meaning of true friendship, love, and what really matters in life. Not wealth or the things she once longed for, but the things she was learning and experiencing along the way. Here, the lead actress deserves huge recognition, as she portrayed all the emotions her character went through remarkably well.

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