This review may contain spoilers
Nice Central Romance but some side characters and plots drag it down
The romance between Nie Xiguang and Lin Yusen feels genuinely believable, with excellent chemistry that builds gradually. It’s a true slow-burn, which will appeal to fans who enjoy watching relationships develop slowly over time rather than rushing into fireworks. The corporate setting adds a nice layer of realism and workplace dynamics without overwhelming the emotional core.
At 32 episodes, the show is quite long. Some viewers (including me) felt a few episodes could have been trimmed, cutting out a focus on side stories that were not followed through but especially toward the later stages when the story essentially felt like it ended. But others thought the length was just right and every part served a purpose. If you decide to watch, just go in prepared for a lengthy, relaxed pace. I personally enjoyed the journey a lot, didn’t regret watching it at all, and would happily recommend it to anyone who loves heartfelt romance, slow-burn stories, and dramas set in a professional environment. It’s comforting and well-acted overall, even if it’s not perfect.
Spoilers
My biggest critique is that the main part of the story, their romance, had pretty much tied up but it dragged on to show you a lot of their life after. Like even beyond their marriage. The settled into marriage, have a kid, and career playing out. I didn’t feel like we needed to see so much of their life 10 years later — it was nice to know they stayed happy and had a child, but it started to feel drawn out. We already knew Nie Xiguang and Lin Yusen would both be successful in their careers; spelling it out in extended scenes didn’t add much for me. It almost felt like watching Sims characters live their daily routines at times, especially with all the flashbacks to their earlier relationship mixed in. I kept thinking, “Okay, they’re happy — we can leave it there.” It's that fine balance between don't end it so I can't figure out the trajectory of their life from there, but also let's not settle into the day to day where we are no longer watching an exciting romance but an old married couple.
Another "gripe" and this is more along the lines of a cultural difference is how there was any blame placed on the blind date for the accident. Yes, she might have lied to him but she had nothing to do with his accident. Even later, when it turned out main girl was not the blind date, it was a trick, they spoke as if the family had some fault with his accident even though none of them were anywhere near the scene. It is this weird fault model that I also see in Korean dramas that I never understand. Blame yourself for deciding to go. Blame the truck who hit you. But blaming the person you were supposed to meet simply because you got in an accident on the way to meet them - completely defies logic in my opinion.
The entire mutual fixation around Zhuang Xu dragged the plot a lot. It never fully made sense why Nie Xiguang held on to him for so many years when they barely had any real moments together (a tutor connection and one flirty kitchen scene). There were no deep romantic moments and he not only rejected her romantically but failed to stand up for her when others wrongly accused her. Once Lin Yusen entered the picture and they actually started building something meaningful, with genuine romance and shared moments, the lingering attachment to Zhuang Xu felt especially unconvincing. It didn't make sense for either of them to be so fixated on each other. They never had a romantic relationship just interest and flirtation. So for both of them to be hung up on each other to the degree they were, made no sense.
I also wished some side stories had better closure. For example, after Rong Rong got rejected by Zhuang Xu — I thought she might get a redemption moment or at least apologize and part as friends, but it never happened. Then there was the girl at work (Chris) who confessed to Zhuang Xu; I hoped he might eventually move on and find happiness with her or someone else, but it ends with him still seeming hung up years later. Ten years after Nie Xiguang has clearly moved on and built a life with someone else, it just didn’t feel realistic that his attachment would linger that strongly, especially since their connection was never that deep to begin with.
On the positive side, I absolutely loved Nie Xiguang’s relationship with her cousin — their scenes were always cute and heartwarming. The mothers on both sides were great too; the women in this drama were generally strong and enjoyable to watch. Her work friends felt like real, supportive colleagues, which was refreshing. In contrast, her college friends were pretty horrible to her (resenting her background in a way she couldn’t control), and it was understandable why she wouldn’t want to revisit that tension.
Zhuang Xu was a bit moody throughout, which made it hard for me to fully see what everyone saw in him at times. I kept expecting a scene years later where he finally seemed happy and moved on, but instead we get reminders that he’s still not over things.
Nie Xiguang’s parents had unfinished-feeling arcs too — her mom seemed to still have lingering feelings but never pursued anything new, while her dad showed some awareness of his past mistakes but never fully reconciled in a satisfying way. Even in the very end, we get a random update on the manipulative character moving to the same city with no clear purpose, which left me wondering why they brought her back at all.
Overall, these pacing and closure issues kept me from loving it as much as some reviewers did. I don’t agree with the super-low ratings, but I also wouldn’t put it in my top dramas or plan to rewatch it. It’s still a very good show with a sweet central romance — definitely worth watching once if you enjoy this genre, but it could have been tighter and more focused in the later episodes.
At 32 episodes, the show is quite long. Some viewers (including me) felt a few episodes could have been trimmed, cutting out a focus on side stories that were not followed through but especially toward the later stages when the story essentially felt like it ended. But others thought the length was just right and every part served a purpose. If you decide to watch, just go in prepared for a lengthy, relaxed pace. I personally enjoyed the journey a lot, didn’t regret watching it at all, and would happily recommend it to anyone who loves heartfelt romance, slow-burn stories, and dramas set in a professional environment. It’s comforting and well-acted overall, even if it’s not perfect.
Spoilers
My biggest critique is that the main part of the story, their romance, had pretty much tied up but it dragged on to show you a lot of their life after. Like even beyond their marriage. The settled into marriage, have a kid, and career playing out. I didn’t feel like we needed to see so much of their life 10 years later — it was nice to know they stayed happy and had a child, but it started to feel drawn out. We already knew Nie Xiguang and Lin Yusen would both be successful in their careers; spelling it out in extended scenes didn’t add much for me. It almost felt like watching Sims characters live their daily routines at times, especially with all the flashbacks to their earlier relationship mixed in. I kept thinking, “Okay, they’re happy — we can leave it there.” It's that fine balance between don't end it so I can't figure out the trajectory of their life from there, but also let's not settle into the day to day where we are no longer watching an exciting romance but an old married couple.
Another "gripe" and this is more along the lines of a cultural difference is how there was any blame placed on the blind date for the accident. Yes, she might have lied to him but she had nothing to do with his accident. Even later, when it turned out main girl was not the blind date, it was a trick, they spoke as if the family had some fault with his accident even though none of them were anywhere near the scene. It is this weird fault model that I also see in Korean dramas that I never understand. Blame yourself for deciding to go. Blame the truck who hit you. But blaming the person you were supposed to meet simply because you got in an accident on the way to meet them - completely defies logic in my opinion.
The entire mutual fixation around Zhuang Xu dragged the plot a lot. It never fully made sense why Nie Xiguang held on to him for so many years when they barely had any real moments together (a tutor connection and one flirty kitchen scene). There were no deep romantic moments and he not only rejected her romantically but failed to stand up for her when others wrongly accused her. Once Lin Yusen entered the picture and they actually started building something meaningful, with genuine romance and shared moments, the lingering attachment to Zhuang Xu felt especially unconvincing. It didn't make sense for either of them to be so fixated on each other. They never had a romantic relationship just interest and flirtation. So for both of them to be hung up on each other to the degree they were, made no sense.
I also wished some side stories had better closure. For example, after Rong Rong got rejected by Zhuang Xu — I thought she might get a redemption moment or at least apologize and part as friends, but it never happened. Then there was the girl at work (Chris) who confessed to Zhuang Xu; I hoped he might eventually move on and find happiness with her or someone else, but it ends with him still seeming hung up years later. Ten years after Nie Xiguang has clearly moved on and built a life with someone else, it just didn’t feel realistic that his attachment would linger that strongly, especially since their connection was never that deep to begin with.
On the positive side, I absolutely loved Nie Xiguang’s relationship with her cousin — their scenes were always cute and heartwarming. The mothers on both sides were great too; the women in this drama were generally strong and enjoyable to watch. Her work friends felt like real, supportive colleagues, which was refreshing. In contrast, her college friends were pretty horrible to her (resenting her background in a way she couldn’t control), and it was understandable why she wouldn’t want to revisit that tension.
Zhuang Xu was a bit moody throughout, which made it hard for me to fully see what everyone saw in him at times. I kept expecting a scene years later where he finally seemed happy and moved on, but instead we get reminders that he’s still not over things.
Nie Xiguang’s parents had unfinished-feeling arcs too — her mom seemed to still have lingering feelings but never pursued anything new, while her dad showed some awareness of his past mistakes but never fully reconciled in a satisfying way. Even in the very end, we get a random update on the manipulative character moving to the same city with no clear purpose, which left me wondering why they brought her back at all.
Overall, these pacing and closure issues kept me from loving it as much as some reviewers did. I don’t agree with the super-low ratings, but I also wouldn’t put it in my top dramas or plan to rewatch it. It’s still a very good show with a sweet central romance — definitely worth watching once if you enjoy this genre, but it could have been tighter and more focused in the later episodes.
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