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This review may contain spoilers
An Addictive Rags to Riches Story with a Bittersweet Final Note
This drama pulled me in very quickly and kept my attention the entire time. I really enjoyed the rags to riches story and found the pacing and acting to be very well done. It felt like a true testament to how one person can change the lives of so many.
Xia Xiaolan’s journey was the highlight of the drama for me. Watching her grow, hustle, and build something meaningful from nothing was incredibly satisfying. Along the way, I became just as invested in the people around her. The relationships she built really stood out and reinforced the idea that the family you choose can become your strongest support system, sometimes even more than the one you are born into.
My only real issue with this drama comes from the final 15 minutes. They wait until the very end to pull her out of the rebirth storyline and reveal that it was actually a dream. That shift felt very jarring. By that point, the drama had fully conditioned me to believe she was not going back, so the sudden reversal came across almost like a betrayal. After investing so much time and emotion into that timeline, having it reframed at the last minute made the payoff feel far less satisfying than it should have been.
Because of that, the ending was not what I was hoping for. I really wanted to see Xia Xiaolan stay in her rebirth timeline and fully enjoy the rewards of everything she worked so hard for. I had become so attached to that version of her life and the people in it that her sudden return left me with a lot of questions. I found myself wondering how her disappearance affected everyone she left behind.
I am glad she had a happy ending in her original timeline with Zhou Cheng, but it still felt like it fell a little short emotionally. What would have made it even more impactful for me is if her accomplishments in the other timeline had somehow carried over into her original life. That would have been a really powerful twist.
This is also the second rebirth drama I have watched with Zhou Ye that had a similar fake out ending, the first being Scent of Time. I enjoyed both dramas, but that kind of ending does leave a bit of frustration.
Overall, this was a very satisfying watch and I highly recommend it. Just be prepared to binge because it draws you in fast.
Xia Xiaolan’s journey was the highlight of the drama for me. Watching her grow, hustle, and build something meaningful from nothing was incredibly satisfying. Along the way, I became just as invested in the people around her. The relationships she built really stood out and reinforced the idea that the family you choose can become your strongest support system, sometimes even more than the one you are born into.
My only real issue with this drama comes from the final 15 minutes. They wait until the very end to pull her out of the rebirth storyline and reveal that it was actually a dream. That shift felt very jarring. By that point, the drama had fully conditioned me to believe she was not going back, so the sudden reversal came across almost like a betrayal. After investing so much time and emotion into that timeline, having it reframed at the last minute made the payoff feel far less satisfying than it should have been.
Because of that, the ending was not what I was hoping for. I really wanted to see Xia Xiaolan stay in her rebirth timeline and fully enjoy the rewards of everything she worked so hard for. I had become so attached to that version of her life and the people in it that her sudden return left me with a lot of questions. I found myself wondering how her disappearance affected everyone she left behind.
I am glad she had a happy ending in her original timeline with Zhou Cheng, but it still felt like it fell a little short emotionally. What would have made it even more impactful for me is if her accomplishments in the other timeline had somehow carried over into her original life. That would have been a really powerful twist.
This is also the second rebirth drama I have watched with Zhou Ye that had a similar fake out ending, the first being Scent of Time. I enjoyed both dramas, but that kind of ending does leave a bit of frustration.
Overall, this was a very satisfying watch and I highly recommend it. Just be prepared to binge because it draws you in fast.
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