Lynn

A MEH Love Story

I was attracted to this drama because of the good rating (8.6 as I write this) and fairly good reviews. I completed the whole drama but I’m left totally underwhelmed.

The drama started out quite interesting and fun but after the first five to ten episodes, the drama watered down a lot and was quite slow with nothing much going on.

This drama is essentially a long-drawn love affair between the leads and it is long. This drama could have been done in 2/3 of its length. Nothing exciting really happens. It comes across as a fairly childish drama with close to zero plot.

For me, an 8/10 and up means that the drama is good and should be watched. For this drama, I only give it a 7/10 because the two leads are cute. They are good-looking and have somewhat good chemistry. Apart from this point, the other actors and actresses aren’t really good at their craft. The plot is dull. The songs are forgettable.

My verdict - spend your time on another (better) drama.

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I like the male lead & female lead.

I’m a fan of the female lead as I find her quite gorgeous and her acting is pretty decent too. She’s very easy on the eyes and very watchable. The male lead has grown up to be a very fine young man who’s tall and well-built. I swooned.

What I liked / Watch because:
- great leads with chemistry
- great acting cast on the whole
- story plot is an exciting one on the whole
- there are suspenseful moments, touching moments, cute moments, lovey moments … lots of ups and downs throughout the whole show
- the music complements the show
- I actually liked the “comic book” elements

What I didn’t like:
- the last section of the show (probably the last ten to fifteen episodes weren’t as good as the front part)
- the ending was a let down to me as there wasn’t a true “happily ever after” ending element for the male lead and female lead in that they didn’t get married and settle down
- too many deaths - I know it’s war and stuff but too many deaths/ too much bloodshed
- the woman who played KeTun was insufferable - the way she spoke and acted really put me off
- good people die and I don’t like to see this

Overall, please watch!! I recommend it as it is a well-made drama. There are some ‘I cannot believe this’ moments but it is a drama, after all. It is entertaining and 49 episodes are kind of over before you know it. Watch!

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Zhang Ling He is The Best Thing of this drama <3

[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life. It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only.]

I decided to watch this drama because I like ZLH.

ZLH was exceptional in Kunning Palace and the dark, tortured man that he was in the drama and the way he growled "Ning Er!" will be forever etched in both my consciousness as well as my sub-consciousness. He even made me toy with the idea of changing my name to "Ning Er". LOL :o) So, I watched this drama for him.

What I Liked:
- Very low angst plot but this also translated to a plot which was kind of boring as nothing riveting and suspenseful happened.
- The FL's parents, especially her father, were such nice people. Drama land should have more of such lovely, reasonable parents instead of crazy kind of parents.
- The ML was "da bomb" of course. I loved the way he smiled and how he was such a wonderful person and bf and husband-material. All green flags like what some other reviewers mentioned. (But, such men usually only exist in drama land, yes?)
- The OST was very modern and catchy. The lyrics were quite laughable and yet, heartfelt in a simple, straightforward manner. "When I see you, flowers bloom..." GOSH! "Love, love, love, it's right in front of me..." GOSH! Cheesy? Corny? But, definitely CUTE!
- The other characters were all sort of lovable. No one was the villain whom viewers would want to curse and be all mad at. Everyone was quite pleasant.

What I Did Not Like:
- The FL lead was okay. It was probably my first time watching her. However, I kept thinking about other actresses who would be more suited to be paired with ZLH and more suited for this role. I felt that the chemistry between the FL and ML was not too sizzling. It was so-so only.
- The plot was NBD. Nothing much suspenseful happened. I guessed it made a pleasant and "healing" watch. However, it was also rather mundane and draggy.

In a nutshell, I recommend this drama if you're a fan of ZLH like me. I also recommend that you watch this drama on 1.25 speed to get things moving. At usual speed, things take too long to happen. I can only give this drama 7/10 and it's simply because of ZLH. <3

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‘Da bomb’ leads!

This drama came highly recommended and it’s all over the internet and such. Thus, I decided to catch it! Plus, I’m a fan of grown up Wu Lei after watching him in The Long Ballad. He was cool and manly! I really liked watching him.

What I loved about this drama:
- Wu Lei as the male lead, Ling Bu Yi/ Zi Sheng. So manly. So strong. So omg my heart.
- The female lead is cute in this drama. She is unconventional and a “breath of fresh air” compared to the stereotypical damsels in distress.
- The couple have chemistry and are adorable together.
- The Cheng family members are close-knit and there is no internal rife.
- The acting is top-notch in this drama. All the actors and actresses acted so very well.
- The plot is riveting. (To me, some parts are kind of confusing, but the plot is definitely engaging and interesting.)

What I didn’t fancy:
- The bloodshed but I guess it’s kind of inevitable for such dramas.
- Some “scene to scene” were kind of disjointed / jerky … I think due to the cutting of scenes. As a result, some “scene to scene” parts were abrupt.

Overall, this drama is a Must Watch. It’s excellent. It’s wonderful. It’s very re-watchable! WATCH!

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应为 颜值

As a hot drama of 2025, I must say that this drama didn’t disappoint.

What I Loved:
- The ML was dashing and suave and manly. I liked and I still like.
- The FL was suitable. I can think of other actresses who fit the role but she did an excellent job and grew on me, I think it’s the first time I watched her.
- The supporting cast was amazing. I loved the 4 musketeers so to speak. FL’s entourage of loyal and sincere maids were great too. Acting was top-notch from everyone. ML’s grandmother was great. She was a voice of reason. I was impressed by how Shi Yuan changed from idle lad who was a good for nothing to a force to be reckoned with and yet, he had his heart in the right place. He wasn’t power hungry. He wanted to do the right things. His character development was the most and my disdain for him changed to seeing him as pretty admirable.
- The plot was exciting and interesting. I wanted to know what would happen next.
- The scenes were well-shot. I liked the costumes too.
- I liked that everything added up and there was closure although it wasn’t the beautiful happily ever after that I hoped for.

What I Disliked Greatly:
- All the hateful villains - FL’s uncle who was so power hungry and yet, incapable. FL’s uncle’s advisor who gave the worst of advice and didn’t have this heart in the right place. Lady Yulou and her lackey of a cousin. Both were heinous especially the so-called lady. She should have been killed off in the middle of the drama and yet, she lived to cause more damage.
- The drama should have stopped before the instigation of Lady Yulou. After the winning battle, it should have stopped. I can’t remember the exact episode but perhaps episode 30 or 31. Everything was rosy and happy and ML was welcomed by the FL’s side and everything was blissful and sweet. As a person who likes happy endings, the drama should have just ended there - happily ever after. Big sigh for the epic damage that was to come later with Bi Zhi turning bad … the deaths of A Fan, Wei Liang, etc and the ruin of FL’s family etc…

Nonetheless, this drama is very interesting and riveting! I love it and I highly recommend it! :o) <3 It’s extremely well-made. Fantastic!

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Truly Destined and then, Appreciation and Affection Follows

I wanted to watch this drama and I am mighty glad that I did. I highly recommend this drama to others.

What I love:
- Acting is top-notch from almost everyone.
- ML and FL look good together and have chemistry.
- The wedding scene is the absolute grandest that I have ever scene in reel life (and for me, maybe even in real life).
- This drama is full of intriguing ups and downs. There are parts where things are hilarious, e.g. when FL went to get ML back with a super huge sword, and there are parts where I feel deeply sorrowful e.g. when Gu family's loyal guard died guarding their Gu mansion, when the very nice merchant died while protecting ML and FL, when the Qin female general died protecting the Zhou family. This drama is certainly full of intrigue and full of moments which tug at the heartstrings.
- I also love the good people in the drama e.g. ML's two loyal friends, the very nice merchant who felt indebted to and was immensely grateful to FL, Gu family's loyal workers, Gu family's mother/ FL's mother-in-law (who is the best mother-in-law yet), Zhou Ye, Fan Xuan. . .
- I love how ML is deeply secure and that he recognises how very competent his wife is and he does not dismiss her or tamp her down. He is all right with "eating soft rice" which is cute and endearing.
- I love how ML and FL make their marriage work and the trials and tribulations that they go through to be a real and loving couple who lives and dies for each other.
- I love how competent and talented FL is in earning a lot of money which she freely gives and uses to benefit others.
- I love the happy ending at the end.

What I hate:
- The bad people e.g. Fan Yu, FL's second mother and her daughter who was just like her, Wang Shan Quan, Wang Rong. . . incompetent and immensely wicked people who committed heinous deeds and who were tremendously selfish.
- So much bloodshed. So many good people e.g. ML's good friend, ML's loyal Gu family's guard, Gu family's loyal soldiers, Zhou family's innocent women and children. . . died (when they should not have). Such pain and sorrow!

All in all, the acting is top-notch. This drama production is high-quality. The plot is riveting. Thumbs-up!!

I recommend this as a must-watch (especially for more mature viewers who may find school-age type of dramas kind of unrelatable due to generation gap or just plain boring). It is a pretty breath-taking drama!!

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Appearances vs Reality

I really enjoyed this short drama which was extremely fast-paced. Everything went so very fast that it felt as if I would blink and miss something important.

What I liked:
- Fast-paced plot that was suspenseful and intriguing.
- Plot had sweet moments and funny moments too. It was not all bloody and scary and manipulative throughout.
- I liked the growing fondness and love between the General and the real Shi Qi (with Shen Qin's face). It was pleasant to see their relationship blossom based on true affections for each other.
- I liked to see that the General was a smart person who found answers and was sincere in his affections towards the real Shi Qi.
- The little girl, Yuan Bao, was adorable. She also acted well for a little lass.
- The acting of this young (and fairly new) cast was good and I think that they will go far as fine actors and actresses.
- The characters were complex and showed changes in emotions based on the circumstances that they were in. Everything felt very heartfelt.
- I really loved seeing General and real Shi Qi together. They were so endearingly cute. *aww*

What I didn't like:
- Crazy bitch in the form of real Shen Qin (who was not actually the real Shen Qin either).
- That strange fellow with a bandaged face and all scared me. The stabbing scene was horrific IMO.
(But, I understand the purposes of the above despite not liking them.)

Additionally, I think what this drama wanted to convey was that: one's appearances is just superficial. It is one's good character and one's good heart that shines and that instead of simply being hung up about appearances like King Ning, one should be like the General, Xiao Han Shang, and love as well as recognise the person for who he/she truly is.

I quote: “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince & “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince.

Overall, I'd rate this drama as a "must-watch" little gem. It's very fast-paced and super action-packed. So many things were happening in a short frame of time. It was a riveting watch! Very exciting, interesting and suspenseful! Enjoy! :)

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Plot is OK but female lead is to me rather strange

Well, this drama is about a woman who makes it big and does well on (mostly) her own terms in big city - Shanghai.

She grows up and matures as she climbs the cooperate ladder and becomes more successful. She dates different men throughout the different stages of her life before she ends up with ‘the one’.

Her acting is okay. The plot is ok. What I didn’t find that okay was her vacuous look. When she looked at another person, it seemed as if she wasn’t looking at the other party. Her ‘I’m looking in your direction but I’m not exactly looking at you although I’m looking at you’ look was very odd. She didn’t have that many expressions too, IMO.

It’s okay to watch but nothing too exciting and nothing too riveting. Quite an easy watch as there are only 20 fairly short episodes.

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Just an okay drama.

I chanced upon this drama and yup, I decided to watch it after reading the excellent reviews shared.

However, I was kind of disappointed with this show as I have definitely watched better dramas than this.

I’m going to share my honest review with my frank thoughts and feelings.

Watch because:
- Easy and mindless show with very little angst.
- Leads are easy on the eyes.
- I don’t find the male lead particularly handsome but he is tall and young and well-built.
- The female lead grows on you and as you watch, she seems to become more attractive.
- The main songs in this show are sung by excellent female singers irl with powerful vocals; I really enjoyed listening to the songs and I’m listening to the OST!
- Ending is quite happy.

But,
- there isn’t much plot or suspense.
- the other actors and actresses are kind of annoying especially the ‘second’ female lead of sorts called Ma Shan Shan in the show; she was, to me, insufferable because she was totally trapped in the past due to a pointless past relationship that didn’t make sense to me at all. Get out of the rut already! She was a pain to watch and she wasn’t attractive either.
- some parts of the show did not make sense to me: the female lead is a big star but there are hardly any paparazzi.
- the online game that they play in the show isn’t exciting and is honestly, quite a bore to watch them in the game.

On the whole, I’d give it a max score of 7.5/10. My partner says that 7/10 is the max he’d give.
There are other much better shows with more exciting storylines.
Tip/ Advice - watch this on 1.25 speed.

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So good that I’ve rewatched and I’m rewatching

This drama has got to go down in K drama history as one of the best K dramas out there.
I came to this drama late but well, better late than never.
I highly recommend this drama to all drama lovers!

Watch because:
- female lead is goddamn pretty ( I’m a fan of the female lead )
- chemistry between male lead and female lead is awesome and natural
- there are many sweet moments
- there are many cute moments
- there are many suspenseful parts
- everything is explained very nicely and the whole plot ties up well
- the supporting cast acts well - many characters are cute and adorable especially, the character Tae Oh
- I liked the link between the past and the present - well played / well done
- story is well-written and very interesting
- rewatch value is high

I don’t have reasons for u not to watch.
It’s really one of the best K dramas and perhaps at this point in time, can be sort of considered a Classic Must Watch.

Lovely!

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I love it! I love it! I love it!

I love this drama and I want to shout it out loud and proud! This drama is by far one of the best dramas that I have watched and I have watched many. There are some wonderful dramas that one will remember fondly for a long time to come and this drama is one of these beautiful and memorable gems!

I want to recommend this drama to everyone! If you love Crash Landing, you’ll love this too!

This drama is So Good + So Awesome + So Thrilling + So Exciting + So Cute + So Heartbreaking = A MUST WATCH!

All drama lovers, pls watch this!!

Watch because:
- the cast is beyond great; everyone acted so well
- plot is a exciting and has elements of fun and cute mixed with suspense and action
- plot is fast moving enough and things are well explained
- male lead Xu Kai as Gu Yan Zhen is so cute and lovable; my first time watching this actor and I’m rather in love
- other actors are well cast and all act their parts very well
- female lead does a good job as Xie Liang Chen and Xie Xiang; she’s likable throughout
- story builds up well and I really loved Shen Ting Bai and Qu Man Ting; he’s a handsome and capable man cum sincere lover boy and she’s a ‘live in her own world’ but worldly wise lass
- the music is great and I’ve been listening to the OST over and over again
- revenge executed and justice served
- a somewhat happy enough ending

What I didn’t like:
- the villains are really (for the lack of a better word) villainous
- Oda Xian Rong should have died long long time ago; she’s beyond hateful and annoying: hate her smug look and jester-like smiles
- good people die - Huang Song died, General Guo died, Li Wen Zhong died ... like OMG. Heartbreaking.


Overall, this is an Excellent, Remarkable, Outstanding, Well-Made drama that deserves to be enjoyed by drama lovers! If you are considering this drama, stop deliberating and Start Watching it right now!

I’m going to indulge in the OST and the watchable moments all over again! :) :)

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Saved by 颜值 of male lead

I had high-ish expectations of this show after reading good reviews and watching some clips online. But... this show fell flat...

Not a great drama because:
- storyline isn’t meaty in that there isn’t much story to watch or anticipate
- cast is raw in that they really cannot act well
- the other female leads can’t act and were painful to watch
- the little boy actor who acts as Ling Rui’s son is pretty annoying and he doesn’t look cute
- story gets draggy - drama can be completed in way fewer episodes
- female lead is kind of weirdly f up
- the ‘gender bending’ of sorts didn’t keep up
- some parts of the show don’t match up or make sense

I kept on going simply because of the male lead who acted as Ling Rui. He kept the show going because of his good looks and because he played a really good guy in the show.

Verdict: don’t waste time on this show. Watch something else instead.

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‘Healing’ type? More like MEH type.

I read the reviews for this drama before I started on it. I must say that I trusted the reviews from all the different reviewers and had fairly high expectations of this drama. Unfortunately, this drama is, to me, very MEH and I cannot understand why other viewers have given it great reviews.

The slightly good stuff:
- drama moves along quite fast as it’s just 10 episodes long and each episode is less than half an hour long
- drama’s characters are okay to watch - they aren’t the best actors but they are decent
- ending is happy

The MEH stuff:
- strange plot in my opinion
- lack of chemistry between the leads
- as things move quickly along, there are parts that aren’t explained well and are just glossed over
- the plot and the characters don’t make you feel invested in them in anyway - everything seems very external if you get what I mean

I’d say watch something else. Not worth your time. This drama isn’t sweet and fluffy at all. There are definitely better dramas out there.

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Explosively Exciting and Enjoyable!

I went in blind and was blown away by this fabulous drama! <3

I want to wax lyrical about it and now that I am done with the drama, I can't wait to re-watch it. I have already started watching clips to relive specific special moments like the explosive kiss scene featuring our darlings - ML and FL. I am on a bit of "SOKP" withdrawal at the moment...

What I LOVE about this drama:
- As always, suspend disbelief and fully immerse in the DRAMA of this drama. This drama is very dramatic with all its shenanigans... plotting, scheming, killing, protecting, lying, saving, loving...
- The ML is completely Da-Bomb Great in this drama. I watched one drama featuring him previously and thought that he was good. But, whoa, here, he is GREAT! He is AWESOME. He is MAGNIFICENT as Xie Wei. I love his snarls, growls, jealousy, plotting, smart mind, eloquence, the way he loves, the way he is petty, the way he is forward-thinking, the way he tries to move away from his past... I think ZLH brought this character to life splendidly and no one else can do a better job than he. ZLH is XIE WEI and XIE WEI is ZLH and no other actor can do justice to this character anymore because ZLH delivered spectacularly!
- The FL remains adorable in her own ways from start to finish. BL is a great actress. I have watched several of her dramas and she does shine!
- The plot is highly riveting and exciting. I want to go from one episode to the next. The drama's pace leaves me breathless and also, breathless for more!
- The entire cast is wonderful and I like that even the less significant characters have their opportunities to shine and to deliver. Because of everyone's stellar contribution, the drama is certainly superbly fine like excellent and expensive wine. I like that JXH is constantly good. She does not turn out to be a bitch in disguise. I like that the loyal characters like DQ and JS and FYQ all stayed faithful and strong.
- The OST is memorable. I have been listening to it over and over again.
- Story plot tries very hard to make sense throughout and I appreciate it! Everything is tied up nicely towards the end too which is wonderful.
- Happy, happy ending which is a complete plus point for me. It thrills me to see ML and FL having their well-deserved Happily-Ever-After.

What I DO NOT LOVE:
- Just some 'minor' issues - the villains are damn annoying. I hate Xue Shu and Xue Yuan. And well, all the baddies. But, I understand that every drama needs baddies or else, what drama will we have?
- I cannot fathom how Xue Yuan just keeps on wanting to kill his own flesh and blood. Even his son is not so ruthless and blood-thirsty. He is definitely mega-villain. I hate him and all the Xues (other than ML, of course; and ML says that he is no longer a Xue and a Yan).

Overall, I love this drama very dearly. It is superb. I highly enjoyed it. I came to it rather late but better late than never... I want to encourage everyone else to watch it and to enjoy it too! :o)

I generously give it a perfect score because, to me, this drama is truly dramatically magnificent!!

<3

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Suspend Disbelief and Enjoy the Exhilarating Ride that Jun Jiu Ling Brings

I came to this drama (which aired in 2021) late (in 2024) but better late than never. For those who have not watched it yet, I urge you to start. Right from the get-go, I was hooked and the entire ride of 40 episodes was highly enjoyable and riveting.

What I Loved:
- This was the first time watching the FL and I was blown away by her charming and beguiling beauty. She is certainly a good-looker! More than being a pretty face, she was excellent as JJL. She fitted the role and she delivered.
- Perhaps other actors/ actresses will suit the roles here but I felt that the chosen cast was great and performed excellently. Zhu Zan might not have been the most handsome and perhaps, a more good-looking actor might have been a better choice but he was definitely manly and tough. An effeminate actor would not have done a good job.
- The plot was excellent. Suspend disbelief and just believe! Doing so enabled me to be fully invested in the drama and to just enjoy the very crazy (in a good way) and wild ride! I loved the interesting plot and how things were explained and linked and wrapped up in the best possible ways (despite the plot being somewhat overly amazing, that is, illogical at several points).
- The OST, while not remarkable, was suitable.
- The interactions that JJL had with her suitors and the other characters was interesting and exciting. The drama was full of exciting moments.
- I liked how her suitors all turned out to be (generally) nice people. Well, no one is perfect but her suitors all genuinely loved her deeply. I liked that she did not toy with anyone's feelings and that she was communicative about her sincere romantic feelings towards ZZ and ZZ was also sincere towards her. It was lovely!
- While I kind of did not like Lu Yun Qi at first, I found myself rooting for him and this actor towards the end of the drama. This actor is a fine one who can use his facial expressions and eyes to convey his different emotions or be deadpan and hide his emotions. I loved how he was brutally vicious towards those whom he hated/ were malicious but yet, he was loyal and true to his subordinates and his lady love. It was extremely cathartic and gratifying to see the obnoxious Imperial Doctor get locked up for wanting to be evil towards his lady love, JJL. I loved that scene. Good riddance to the awful doctor, indeed!
- Happy ending whereby lovebirds got together, good people were still alive and recognised for being good, bad people were dead or were receiving their just deserts.
- Everything was tied up quite nicely! Thumbs-up!

What I Didn't Like:
- Chu Rang who usurped the throne was all sorts of insecure and crazy. He crippled all his loyal and brave subjects and listened to the bad ones who had their own ulterior motives.
- Huang Cheng was revolting to the max. Good riddance to bad rubbish in the end. He was so disgusting.
- Crazy potential mother-in-law in the form of Ning Yuanzhou's mother and his mad sister with bad intentions.

Overall, I rate this drama as a "must-watch" and I am very pleased to generously give this drama a Perfect Score of 10/10!

It took me on a very enjoyable and exciting wild ride and brightened up my drama nights. I looked forward to every single episode and nothing felt draggy or boring. Of course, many parts were rather illogical and unfathomable but as I said, suspend disbelief. The ending felt "just right" as everything was wrapped up well.

I highly recommend that you dive right in and enjoy this delightfully dramatic gem of a drama! :o)
<3 <3 <3

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