Don't worry, there are plenty of us who were deeply disappointed by this drama. They could have done something amazing with these two top-tier actors, but they completely botched the script at the end... they tried so hard to empower the female lead that they failed to realize she fixed everyone's lives but her own—she married someone she didn't want, had children without love, and kept the household running like a dutiful matriarch... oh, right... she writes plays... wow... anyway... I don't know if it's censorship or if the writers run into issues halfway through, but there are so many Chinese dramas that start off promising, only to fizzle out by the midpoint, leaving you at the end thinking... "Did I really sit through 40 episodes for *this*?" It’s no wonder people are outraged—that’s why it’s good to be able to vent ;-)
Your review made me laugh so much. I completely understand your frustration. I don’t necessarily think the writers deliberately set out to humiliate the male lead. I think they were so determined to make Lanxiang into a superwoman that poor Jinqi ended up getting a bit lost along the way.
They are such an unbalanced pair that, at times, their relationship is really hard to believe in. And that’s why, when they finally had their first intimate moment, I honestly didn’t feel like I was watching two people finally making love. It felt more like they had suddenly remembered, “Oh right… we’re married. We’re supposed to have children.”
It was less romantic culmination and more one more item to tick off the list. 😂
I don’t know if you will read all of this, but this is just my opinion from what I observed.During Li Congxin's…
Thanks for all the explanation. Since I didn't read the novel, I don't know the exact background of the characters; maybe they should have shown us more of those details, but they omitted them. If you just watch the show, you simply see a man in love with her. The fact that he was with other ladies at the beginning doesn't mean he couldn't fall genuinely in love upon meeting her, so it would have been interesting to see his facet as a charmer portrayed differently... and they don't do it, which is the source of my displeasure.
Nor can Li Congxin end up with the protagonist because she doesn't love him; in the end, that is another irreparable harm... yet it is not right that they marry him off in such a deceptive way. That's what I see from the series. Since I am unaware of other factors from the novel, my view is biased, but the problem is that the script fails to detail these personalities properly. All you perceive is a guy in love and a toxic woman—not just with him, but with her entire environment and it bothered me that she ultimately achieved her obsession. I would have preferred that, in that accumulation of rushed closures in the final episode, those things had been glossed over instead of them looking at each other with affection; they didn't develop that approach enough for it to be believable.
And I totally agree that the series has terrible ups and downs. That sudden elimination of the plot in the blink of an eye, dropping all the details of the conspiracy without batting an eye, and an abrupt, unsatisfying ending were the crowning blow.
I'm glad you took the trouble to give me all this information; at least it helps me see that couple in a different light. Best regards and thank you.
Not sure why people who express anything other than praise for a drama are singled out as if they were attacking…
In my review, I detailed my reasoning: the repetitive plotlines, the execution of the revenge arc, the lead's characterization and performance, the lack of chemistry, the rushed resolution, and specifically why I found Qingru and Li Cong Xin's ending unconvincing. If I state that a specific element in a drama does not work for me, that is an inherently negative assessment of that element, but that does not make the criticism itself non-constructive.
Regarding Qingru, I never suggested that a character like her is forbidden from finding love or redemption. Writers have complete creative freedom in a fictional narrative. But, why should Li Cong Xin be forced to settle for someone who deceived him simply because the person he actually loved did not return his feelings? Simply having a character acknowledge their past wrongdoing does not automatically resolve a toxic dynamic or justify its outcome. My argument is that her arc and her relationship with Li Cong Xin were not sufficiently developed to make that resolution believable or earned.
Your original comment could simply have been a disagreement with my perspective — explaining why you liked the show, Qingru’s arc, or the pacing. That would have been a perfectly normal and valid exchange of opinions. Instead, you suggested that my review was malicious and that it somehow harmed the creators and their families.
There is no need for you to apologize, but I would suggest reflecting before assuming malicious intentions or making personal judgments about a viewer you do not know. In the future, the discussion would be much healthier and more constructive if we simply focused on sharing our opinions about the work itself, rather than making assumptions about the intentions or character of the person expressing them.
Not sure why people target good drama too.. I know people like their stars ML, FL but adding such spoilers or…
Not sure why people who express anything other than praise for a drama are singled out as if they were attacking the people who made it. You say that people are free to express their opinion, but apparently not “at the cost of affecting others.” So I genuinely wonder: how exactly are we supposed to criticize a work without “affecting” the people involved in creating it?
There is a very clear difference between criticizing someone's work and personally attacking the person behind it. If I were insulting the actors by name, attacking members of the production team, or making personal and offensive comments about them or their families, that would be completely different. But saying that I disliked the writing, the character development, the performances, or the ending is a criticism of the work. I don't see how that can reasonably be equated with attacking the people who made it.
I am a photographer myself, so I understand this very well from the other side too. Not everything I create is going to be liked, and that is simply part of working in a creative field. If someone criticizes my work, I don't automatically see it as a personal attack. I can consider what they are saying, decide whether I agree with it, and perhaps use it to look at my work differently or improve it. Or I can decide that I disagree and move on.
In fact, if I had been told from the beginning that everything I created was wonderful, regardless of its actual quality, I doubt I would have developed my work to the level I have. Constant praise does not necessarily help someone grow. Sometimes honest criticism is exactly what allows creative people to see where they can improve and reach their full potential.
So I really don't understand the idea that expressing a negative opinion about a drama is somehow “affecting” the actors, the production team, and even their families. If a review cannot be honest simply because someone involved in making the work might dislike what they read, then what exactly is the purpose of having a review section in the first place?
You are completely entitled to love this drama and disagree with everything I wrote. But turning a negative opinion about a fictional story into an accusation that I am somehow affecting the people involved in making it is, in my view, a completely disproportionate and misplaced conclusion.
K-Drama 
They are such an unbalanced pair that, at times, their relationship is really hard to believe in. And that’s why, when they finally had their first intimate moment, I honestly didn’t feel like I was watching two people finally making love. It felt more like they had suddenly remembered, “Oh right… we’re married. We’re supposed to have children.”
It was less romantic culmination and more one more item to tick off the list. 😂
Nor can Li Congxin end up with the protagonist because she doesn't love him; in the end, that is another irreparable harm... yet it is not right that they marry him off in such a deceptive way. That's what I see from the series. Since I am unaware of other factors from the novel, my view is biased, but the problem is that the script fails to detail these personalities properly. All you perceive is a guy in love and a toxic woman—not just with him, but with her entire environment and it bothered me that she ultimately achieved her obsession. I would have preferred that, in that accumulation of rushed closures in the final episode, those things had been glossed over instead of them looking at each other with affection; they didn't develop that approach enough for it to be believable.
And I totally agree that the series has terrible ups and downs. That sudden elimination of the plot in the blink of an eye, dropping all the details of the conspiracy without batting an eye, and an abrupt, unsatisfying ending were the crowning blow.
I'm glad you took the trouble to give me all this information; at least it helps me see that couple in a different light. Best regards and thank you.
Regarding Qingru, I never suggested that a character like her is forbidden from finding love or redemption. Writers have complete creative freedom in a fictional narrative. But, why should Li Cong Xin be forced to settle for someone who deceived him simply because the person he actually loved did not return his feelings? Simply having a character acknowledge their past wrongdoing does not automatically resolve a toxic dynamic or justify its outcome. My argument is that her arc and her relationship with Li Cong Xin were not sufficiently developed to make that resolution believable or earned.
Your original comment could simply have been a disagreement with my perspective — explaining why you liked the show, Qingru’s arc, or the pacing. That would have been a perfectly normal and valid exchange of opinions. Instead, you suggested that my review was malicious and that it somehow harmed the creators and their families.
There is no need for you to apologize, but I would suggest reflecting before assuming malicious intentions or making personal judgments about a viewer you do not know. In the future, the discussion would be much healthier and more constructive if we simply focused on sharing our opinions about the work itself, rather than making assumptions about the intentions or character of the person expressing them.
Thank you!
There is a very clear difference between criticizing someone's work and personally attacking the person behind it. If I were insulting the actors by name, attacking members of the production team, or making personal and offensive comments about them or their families, that would be completely different. But saying that I disliked the writing, the character development, the performances, or the ending is a criticism of the work. I don't see how that can reasonably be equated with attacking the people who made it.
I am a photographer myself, so I understand this very well from the other side too. Not everything I create is going to be liked, and that is simply part of working in a creative field. If someone criticizes my work, I don't automatically see it as a personal attack. I can consider what they are saying, decide whether I agree with it, and perhaps use it to look at my work differently or improve it. Or I can decide that I disagree and move on.
In fact, if I had been told from the beginning that everything I created was wonderful, regardless of its actual quality, I doubt I would have developed my work to the level I have. Constant praise does not necessarily help someone grow. Sometimes honest criticism is exactly what allows creative people to see where they can improve and reach their full potential.
So I really don't understand the idea that expressing a negative opinion about a drama is somehow “affecting” the actors, the production team, and even their families. If a review cannot be honest simply because someone involved in making the work might dislike what they read, then what exactly is the purpose of having a review section in the first place?
You are completely entitled to love this drama and disagree with everything I wrote. But turning a negative opinion about a fictional story into an accusation that I am somehow affecting the people involved in making it is, in my view, a completely disproportionate and misplaced conclusion.