Adnana

E10 is a bit of an exaggeration. :)
I'd say their turning point was in E14, when the FL agreed for the ML to openly pursue her. That's when their "mutual flirting" era started, and the cuteness rocketed off the charts. By E20/21, the FL is unmistakably in love with the ML (and no longer hyper-aware of the SML, like she used to be). But they don't become officially a couple until E24.

Well, first she fell for SML's looks--understandable, at her age. Then, through his tutoring of her cousin, she learned he was a top student at her elite university, very smart and knowledgeable and hardworking. So she admired his intelligence and work ethic. But most importantly, and imho the true reason why she couldn't move on from him for so long--he did some very nice things for her from time to time (this is better explained in the novel, but the drama also shows the SML, for example, cooking for her after he learned about her stomach problems due to improper nutrition; or the thing with him wanting to help her with her thesis), and he even had a kind of tacit understanding with her oftentimes (also shown in the novel, during a game). In essence, she could feel that he liked her, too, but she never figured out that he was actually fighting very hard not to like her (partly influenced by Ye Rong's lies--or maybe he just chose to believe those lies so as to give himself a reason not to "surrender" to his feelings for the FL). In short, the SML liked the FL but didn't want to like her, which resulted in him giving lots of mixed signals, which kept messing with the FL's head and finally made her lose confidence in herself (and in her ability to read people).
Also, the FL is such a sincere and loyal girl. Once she likes someone, she does it wholeheartedly and unwaveringly. Because of her steadfast character, and because she did genuinely like the SML before, it's understandable that the ML had to work hard to bring about a change of heart in her.

Ah, okay, I've corrected that. :) H (with an uppercase) has been used before on discussion forums as shorthand for Hero (ML), while h (with a lowercase) refers to heroine (FL).

Everything in E13 was in the book, up until (and including) the part in E14 where FL agrees to ML openly pursuing her. ML often taking FL out for dinner even after the cafeteria food improves (implied in E14) was also mentioned in the book, though framed slightly differently.
You're absolutely correct, however, that the OTP's "courtship" period (or pre-dating era) was seriously expanded upon in the drama versus the novel (E14-21). But I think it was done quite seamlessly, and imho, it was a welcome improvement to the OTP's relationship timeline. Remember, in the novel, the FL rejected the ML on Jan 2nd, saying she was still in love with the OM, then spent a good chunk of early January avoiding the ML before agreeing to his pursuit, but then she was suddenly able to move on from her first love (which had lasted more than a year and a half--for the drama, they even changed this to two years) and accept the ML in less than a month (before the Chinese New Year in early February)? It didn't completely break suspension of disbelief, but I still feel it wasn't the optimum writing choice, as it weakened the FL's character setup.
Whereas in the drama, the FL was shown as consciously opening up to ML after agreeing to his pursuit, and very organically letting herself get to know him and fall for him while letting go of her first love. Their relationship developed at a measured but unwavering pace for a couple of months (from January until late February 2013), and I loved that, by the end of the Changbai Mnt trip, by the time FL's dad comes to calumniate the ML, it's clear how much the FL has come to care about the ML, how she's become possessive/demanding with him and bossy (which she would never be with a "normal" friend) and how she trusts him very much. Best of all, that moment under the Peach Blossoms, when she tells him they'll be together from now on, in the novel it really was on impulse, but in the drama it was not, and the FL makes this clear. In the drama, it was a hard-earned moment, an affirmation of the unspoken growing feelings between them. It was romance, not impulse or compensation. I loved this so much.

Looks like an E26 scene, before ML's maternal grandfather's banquet in Shanghai, which ML will attend immediately after returning from this business trip.

Zero isn't an actual rating on mydramalist; it just means the user hasn't rated the drama--either because the drama didn't evoke strong feelings (love or hate), or because the user doesn't want to give a low rating or even any rating at all.

The author gave the ML a genius-level IQ, so he followed an accelerated study track. As in, I think he took the college entrance exam at 14 or 15 instead of the usual 18, then compressed his undergraduate studies to a shorter time frame etc. etc. (even if I might be a bit off about the exact timeline, it won't be by a lot).

I don't know in the drama, but in the book the FL/ML were 6 years apart. When they started working together, FL had just graduated (so she was 22), while the ML was 28 and had switched careers 2 years prior, after an accident. Before that, he engaged in medicine for about a decade (university, research, neurosurgery)
P.S.: The author gave the ML a genius-level IQ, so he followed an accelerated study track. As in, he might have taken the college entrance exam at 15 instead of the usual 18 etc. etc. (even if I might be a bit off about the exact timeline, it won't be by a lot).

"I remember a C-drama where she chose the ML only after she failed to get with a rich man because he turned out to be a scumbag. So she settled for the ML, and even after they got together, she still went on a date with her old crush and didn’t even tell him she's dating ML . But she got angry at the ML because he hugged his coworker who asked for a goodbye hug."
What drama is that?

The novel is really, really good. The writer's intelligence shines through in the narrative, which features impeccable inner residence scheming and court politics. The historical setting comes across as authentic, with the people and situations encountered true to their time. The stakes are very high (life or death), the characters (mains and secondaries) multi-faceted. The FL's main feature is her intelligence (and she's also very talented in the classic arts), and the ML also has a brilliant, tricky mind. They are well-matched in all aspects and their interactions are written beautifully. Also, both the FL and ML have lovely primary families (meaning parents and respective sister), and the ML's father, in particular, is a real hoot. I doubt that a screen adaptation can convey even 10% of the novel's complexity, and it's a real shame. (Same applies to my other 2 favorite C-novels apart from this one, which have already filmed drama adaptations: Mo Li and In the Moonlight.)

16 episodes? It's impossible to film this story in fewer episodes than the author's other historical novel-to-drama adaptations are getting (i.e. at least 36 episodes). And I doubt Wang Churan would star in such a production.

If the ML died, that's definitely a sad/bad ending. Open ending is when even if the OTP aren't together forever at the end, there's hope they'll get there eventually.

Can you please give more details under spoiler?

You're right, that's how the book started. But did you also read the novel's extra chapters (番外)? The OTP had a happy ending in the book proper (they got married in the last chapter), but one of the extras depicted their life into very old age, and that's where the Alzheimer's part appeared.

ETA: Chapter 122, Extra 4
(Google translate fragments)
President Lin and scientist Gu Shen (Gu Shen顾神, meaning Gu top expert, is the FL), have been a lifelong companion, a relationship that has always been admired.
President Lin doted on Gu Shen for over fifty years, especially after turning sixty-five, when Lin Zhihua handed the company over to his only son, Lin Sinian. After that, he plunged directly into science, accompanying his wife in and out of the office all day.
[...]
Lin Zhihua was never obsessed with scientific research; he was only interested in showing affection and pampering Gu Shen. Over a decade of this blissful life passed before Lin Zhihua, at the age of 82, fell critically ill.
82 was considered old, and wanting to spend more time with Xuejiao, he became increasingly concerned about his health. It was a shame he hadn't met Xuejiao in his youth, and hadn't taken good care of his body, which hadn't allowed him to weather this difficult time in his old age.
He was nine years older than Xuejiao, and Xuejiao had always been well cared for by him, so she was still in good health.
This was Lin Sinian's biggest worry: he feared his mother would be distraught after his father's passing.
Lin Zhihua had been calculating in his youth, but in his final year, he developed Alzheimer's disease. This was something Lin Sinian could never have imagined.
Lin Zhihua, suffering from Alzheimer's, remembered nothing, but he remembered Xuejiao.
This was his beloved.

It's been a while since I read the book, so I might be a bit off as concerns the particulars, but as concerns the main plot, it's 100% certain that the FL's second life was a true second chance at life (a true rebirth--if you will); she was admitted to and graduated from her dream university, became a respected mathematician, was happily married with the ML all their lives. I remember feeling a bit unhappy that the novel went as far as showing the main couple into their very old age, as the ML, who had a brilliant intellect all his life, was eventually afflicted by Alzheimer's; still, I think he never forgot his love for the FL.

If this is a historical drama, then handing one's wife control over household affairs is very much expected as a sign of respect and necessary for her to establish her status as lady of the manor, who has authority to make important decisions regarding household management, purchases, direction of servants etc.

...

I don't care to comment about the reasons people in love might or mightn't have to delay consummating their marriage. For the purposes of this discussion, I only care whether the fictional people act in-character or not, and whether the things they do, and the story itself, make sense (*). And why even focus on the marriage consummation aspect, when it was merely the fourth big change from novel to drama that I listed, after (1) ML's character, (2) OTP interactions and (3) plot details?
I actually didn't want to emphasize this, but maybe more than 30% of the novel are sex or sex-adjacent scenes. And the OTP's consummation was actually important because their intimate scenes were a major driver of character development in the novel, and therefore shaped the plot. Whereas in the drama, to drive the plot in the same direction in which the novel plot went naturally because of novelML's sexual attraction to his wife, they had to majorly defang and mellow down the revenge-obsessed ML. So the ML's character was greatly altered for the drama, as was the OTP's relationship development, as were the reasons for the FL's actions and fear of her husband (in the novel, she remembered her tragic past life--and it was the ML who was the main culprit of that tragedy). Having read the novel, I do see plenty of justification for another drama adaptation, if it should stick closer to the source material, but it's okay to disagree.

(*) And from all possible reasons the screenwriter could have picked if they wanted to justify delaying the consummation, I have difficulty imagining one more implausible and therefore incongruous to the story than observing mourning for the FL's grandfather. That man harmed the ML's family members unto death, and was therefore a man whom the vengeful ML hated with the passion of a hundred blazing suns. Not to mention that novelML was a "master off all I survey" type and therefore really not into denying himself; and that his relationship with the FL, for the longest time, wasn't at a point where he would make any concessions for her; but to make such a big concession, and moreover as a gesture of respect for his most hated foe? NovelML would have never! And it was very jarring that dramaML did.

The 36 episode drama adaptation toned down the ML's character and the OTP's interactions a lot. The plot was changed in many of its details, though mostly not also in its outcomes. Also, the OTP's intimate relationship as a married couple was very important in the novel, often driving character development; whereas in the drama, they had the FL be in mourning for a year for her departed grandfather (a character who, btw, caused the deaths of the ML's family members), so the OTP doesn't consummate their marriage until after episode 30 or so.

Oh, this doesn't sound good; I dislike it when the main couple is kept apart by senseless contrivances or misunderstandings instead of being a power couple. And on that note, I have to ask--when does the main couple officially get together, and how much time do they actually spend together as a couple over the course of the drama? (If you can, please estimate the number of episodes.) Thank you.