This review may contain spoilers
Wasted potential in the pursuit of romance
I want to start this off by saying that I actually enjoyed this show a lot at the start! Till episode 10, I was looking forward to every episode release and absolutely loved the tension. It's the kind of feeling you look forward to when watching a psychological thriller, which is why this show did so well, but its refusal to diverge from the romance genre ultimately leads to its downfall. If you've watched the trailer, checked the tags, or even just sensed it from the show: the main couple is endgame and they have a happy ending. Would this be a problem if Fan Xiao, the love interest, was normal or even bad but redeemable? No. Fan Xiao is such a horrible person and anyone who's watched the show can agree. Not only does he manipulate You Shulang and those around him, but he even harms his "lover" directly by molesting him (which is acknowledged by the show). So with all this, it's safe to say that he isn't redeemable within the time period of the show. He doesn't even serve time for his literal crimes yet he still ends up happily with You Shulang. It's such a shame because the most enjoyable parts were when Fan Xiao would do horrible/controlling things and You Shulang would confront him. The show way more enjoyable when You Shulang was, despite counter efforts by Fan Xiao, mostly independent and stood up to him. In my opinion, their rivalry, arguments and all the negative aspects of their relationship stood out the most. It's also why episode 8 and 10 are my favourites because it shows how relentlessly evil Fan Xiao is and how resistive You Shulang is to controlling people like him. To make them endgame, and happily so, is such a disappointing decision because majority of this show displays why they shouldn't end up together. What seemed like a cautionary tale about abusive people like Fan Xiao turns into a romanticisation of it. When they hinted at a possible spark of romance between these two once again, I lost all motivation to continue watching. It hurts because I already invested so much time into this show. The romance was the final nail in the coffin, though, because the weird, and frankly depressing situation You Shulang was in post-episode 10 started to drag on. I was fine with it in episode 11 because I thought they're just demonstrating the aftermath of their fallout, but it was the same in the next episode and the way Shulang got out of the situation was also confusing. The boredom really hit when You Shulang said, for like the fifth time or something: "I can see our ending already. If you don't drive me to my death, I'll drive you to yours". I don't remember the exact words but it was like that. This guy gets reduced to a all bark, no bite character and it was making me lose my mind. Are you going to kill him or no? Not to mention that in those episodes he was just hopelessly sad the whole time and everything was so depressing and I was begging for something to happen.
They set up a bunch of interesting plotlines that would serve as possible exits for You Shulang yet it went nowhere. Like that other rich guy, I think he was asexual (?) which he let us know twice so we'd understand he's not a creep like Fan Xiao, who had some beef with Fan Xiao and was offering to date You Shulang so that Fan Xiao would leave him alone. And then we have Fan Xiao's brother who offered a far more interesting path of leaking company secrets to get him arrested for good. The rich guy was pretty much discarded and the brother doesn't even matter that much, he just put the idea of leaking company secrets into Shulang's head. Speaking of leaking company secrets, the way they separated in ~episode 12 is a little odd. They spent the previous episodes giving us hope that Fan Xiao was on the verge of changing but then he'd do something bad again and it solidifies in the viewer's head that this man cannot change or be redeemed. Then in episode 12 he's suddenly ready to turn his company in and supposedly realises his wrongdoings?? Maybe I was inflicted with blindness halfway through this show but nowhere was it indicated that Fan Xiao was even capable of doing the right thing, let alone doing something that would separate him and You Shulang. It also sucks that You Shulang didn't get out of Fan Xiao's grasp on his own, he was struggling to send the incriminating files to the authorities/news and Fan Xiao (oddly) sent it himself during an uncomfortable make out scene. AND THEY DO ALL THIS JUST FOR HIM TO NOT BE IN JAIL ANYWAY!!!! Just cause he's lost his company and is poor (or middle class?) doesn't mean his controlling behaviour changes. He doesn't truly face consequences for his horrible actions towards You Shulang.
Going back to the start, I want to bring up Lu Zhen, You Shulang's ex. His character was disposed of pretty quick as well, but I think everyone watching saw that coming. Despite being what I'd call a "disposable" character, he had quite the screen time. In the first and maybe second episode, I was still not sure if You Shulang or Lu Zhen was Fan Xiao's love interest, that's how strong his presence was. I knew he was there to help expose Fan Xiao, but I think the show would've benefited seeing less from him, especially after he broke up with You Shulang. He was by far the most normal person there and I thought that the show was a bit harsh on him because after the break up he was just miserable all the time, I could tell they were keeping him in the picture specifically for the Fan Xiao expose moment. He also had a weird side plot where he took up a job that required him to have sex with a female client despite the fact that he's gay. I thought he was a model and it's not like it was ever implied that he'd done this before, especially since it would count as cheating since he was dating Shulang during these modelling gigs. Everyone around him treated it as if it was entirely his mistake but I can't see what he did wrong because to me it looked like he took a regular modelling job for a female client and then was suddenly told that he has to have sex with her. Did he not just get tricked into prostitution or am I insane? It sucked to see You Shulang help him get out of the situation by humiliating the poor guy in front of the client because You Shulang's supposed to be the nice guy. You could say it was a necessary act but You Shulang 100% believed that Lu Zhen was in the wrong when it didn't even seem like it. I could be mistaken, but it felt like us viewers were not supposed to be on Lu Zhen's side. I couldn't wrap my head around why getting seemingly tricked into prostitution "proved" that Lu Zhen is a young and inexperienced person.
My favourite character is Bai Ting. I know there's barely any characters that matter besides our two main leads, and even less so female characters (there's literally just two I can think of), but I appreciate that the female side characters weren't entirely shallow. This show achieved equality by making ALL side characters (maybe besides Bai Ting) give us nothing. Fan Xiao's best friend felt like a gold digger the way he was glazing that man non-stop; it felt like he was hanging out with a dictator the way he would immediately take back any SLIGHT criticism/teasing of Fan Xiao. Fan Xiao's brothers/family had potential but they shut that down quick with the downfall of the company. I was happy to see Bai Ting come back because I thought I was going crazy when Fan Xiao implied that he killed her and You Shulang very much under-reacted. He freaked out a little bit before going back to the usual "I used to love you but now I see your true colours, etc, etc.". It was nice to see someone sound of mind after the departure of Lu Zhen and in the midst of my least favourite arc. She really interested me.
The good parts of this show were not just the well-done tension of toxicity akin to that of a psychological thriller, but the acting too. While the acting in the initial episodes were fine, I think it improved in the later episodes which is funny because shows usually aren't filmed in order. Maybe it was because later on it's more emotionally charged which is what the actors excel in. The chemistry between You Shulang and Fan Xiao during their first relationship phase was really good! The sexual tension, romantic tension and regular flirting was crazy to see. It made you feel guilty for enjoying them being together. Individually, Hao Yi Ran's performance of You Shulang was my favourite. You Shulang in general is a likable character, so seeing him played well is satisfying. The acting never felt stiff or weird, even during extreme scenes where You Shulang would be yelling or crying. Yun Qi's portrayal of Fan Xiao wasn't bad either, but I think there was an order to be as poker-faced as possible. While the smugness of it all is in line with Fan Xiao's character, it somewhat backfires during emotional scenes. I'd say the fault here is a mix of writing and acting, but Fan Xiao would think "I actually love You Shulang" and his face would be very neutral/serious, and the fact that he doesn't do much in favour of You Shulang adds to the disbelief of that statement. I can tell that he's a good actor but unfortunately Fan Xiao is certainly *a* character to play so I don't blame him at all. Then there's the obvious high budget which helped immerse ourselves as the backgrounds, OST and editing were good as well. The makeup was a bit flash-bangingly white though lol.
I wasn't going to mention the adoption thing because it happens at the end and I can't really care for the last episodes but I think it was solely a move to keep You Shulang tied to Fan Xiao in some way. It's ironic how even after their break up (for real this time), Fan Xiao was still meddling with You Shulang's life by essentially making him adopt a kid. It felt pretty pointless and also felt like a move to personally frustrate me because in what world is Fan Xiao a good father? I apologise to the writers, directors and producers for ever doing them wrong. Maybe the true psychological thriller was feeling yourself lose interest in a show you so desperately wanted to believe in.
Overall, would be a decent show if it wasn't so dedicated to being a romance. If it was a thriller, I'd enjoy it so much. There's nothing wrong with displaying a toxic couple, but to act like the abuser is instantly redeemable is something. Besides that, some characters/episodes were weak and the constant suffering of some with no change bored me. I tried to like this show and re-live the thrill and anticipation of what's next but I simply couldn't by episode 13. I guess, to me, it's wasted potential.
They set up a bunch of interesting plotlines that would serve as possible exits for You Shulang yet it went nowhere. Like that other rich guy, I think he was asexual (?) which he let us know twice so we'd understand he's not a creep like Fan Xiao, who had some beef with Fan Xiao and was offering to date You Shulang so that Fan Xiao would leave him alone. And then we have Fan Xiao's brother who offered a far more interesting path of leaking company secrets to get him arrested for good. The rich guy was pretty much discarded and the brother doesn't even matter that much, he just put the idea of leaking company secrets into Shulang's head. Speaking of leaking company secrets, the way they separated in ~episode 12 is a little odd. They spent the previous episodes giving us hope that Fan Xiao was on the verge of changing but then he'd do something bad again and it solidifies in the viewer's head that this man cannot change or be redeemed. Then in episode 12 he's suddenly ready to turn his company in and supposedly realises his wrongdoings?? Maybe I was inflicted with blindness halfway through this show but nowhere was it indicated that Fan Xiao was even capable of doing the right thing, let alone doing something that would separate him and You Shulang. It also sucks that You Shulang didn't get out of Fan Xiao's grasp on his own, he was struggling to send the incriminating files to the authorities/news and Fan Xiao (oddly) sent it himself during an uncomfortable make out scene. AND THEY DO ALL THIS JUST FOR HIM TO NOT BE IN JAIL ANYWAY!!!! Just cause he's lost his company and is poor (or middle class?) doesn't mean his controlling behaviour changes. He doesn't truly face consequences for his horrible actions towards You Shulang.
Going back to the start, I want to bring up Lu Zhen, You Shulang's ex. His character was disposed of pretty quick as well, but I think everyone watching saw that coming. Despite being what I'd call a "disposable" character, he had quite the screen time. In the first and maybe second episode, I was still not sure if You Shulang or Lu Zhen was Fan Xiao's love interest, that's how strong his presence was. I knew he was there to help expose Fan Xiao, but I think the show would've benefited seeing less from him, especially after he broke up with You Shulang. He was by far the most normal person there and I thought that the show was a bit harsh on him because after the break up he was just miserable all the time, I could tell they were keeping him in the picture specifically for the Fan Xiao expose moment. He also had a weird side plot where he took up a job that required him to have sex with a female client despite the fact that he's gay. I thought he was a model and it's not like it was ever implied that he'd done this before, especially since it would count as cheating since he was dating Shulang during these modelling gigs. Everyone around him treated it as if it was entirely his mistake but I can't see what he did wrong because to me it looked like he took a regular modelling job for a female client and then was suddenly told that he has to have sex with her. Did he not just get tricked into prostitution or am I insane? It sucked to see You Shulang help him get out of the situation by humiliating the poor guy in front of the client because You Shulang's supposed to be the nice guy. You could say it was a necessary act but You Shulang 100% believed that Lu Zhen was in the wrong when it didn't even seem like it. I could be mistaken, but it felt like us viewers were not supposed to be on Lu Zhen's side. I couldn't wrap my head around why getting seemingly tricked into prostitution "proved" that Lu Zhen is a young and inexperienced person.
My favourite character is Bai Ting. I know there's barely any characters that matter besides our two main leads, and even less so female characters (there's literally just two I can think of), but I appreciate that the female side characters weren't entirely shallow. This show achieved equality by making ALL side characters (maybe besides Bai Ting) give us nothing. Fan Xiao's best friend felt like a gold digger the way he was glazing that man non-stop; it felt like he was hanging out with a dictator the way he would immediately take back any SLIGHT criticism/teasing of Fan Xiao. Fan Xiao's brothers/family had potential but they shut that down quick with the downfall of the company. I was happy to see Bai Ting come back because I thought I was going crazy when Fan Xiao implied that he killed her and You Shulang very much under-reacted. He freaked out a little bit before going back to the usual "I used to love you but now I see your true colours, etc, etc.". It was nice to see someone sound of mind after the departure of Lu Zhen and in the midst of my least favourite arc. She really interested me.
The good parts of this show were not just the well-done tension of toxicity akin to that of a psychological thriller, but the acting too. While the acting in the initial episodes were fine, I think it improved in the later episodes which is funny because shows usually aren't filmed in order. Maybe it was because later on it's more emotionally charged which is what the actors excel in. The chemistry between You Shulang and Fan Xiao during their first relationship phase was really good! The sexual tension, romantic tension and regular flirting was crazy to see. It made you feel guilty for enjoying them being together. Individually, Hao Yi Ran's performance of You Shulang was my favourite. You Shulang in general is a likable character, so seeing him played well is satisfying. The acting never felt stiff or weird, even during extreme scenes where You Shulang would be yelling or crying. Yun Qi's portrayal of Fan Xiao wasn't bad either, but I think there was an order to be as poker-faced as possible. While the smugness of it all is in line with Fan Xiao's character, it somewhat backfires during emotional scenes. I'd say the fault here is a mix of writing and acting, but Fan Xiao would think "I actually love You Shulang" and his face would be very neutral/serious, and the fact that he doesn't do much in favour of You Shulang adds to the disbelief of that statement. I can tell that he's a good actor but unfortunately Fan Xiao is certainly *a* character to play so I don't blame him at all. Then there's the obvious high budget which helped immerse ourselves as the backgrounds, OST and editing were good as well. The makeup was a bit flash-bangingly white though lol.
I wasn't going to mention the adoption thing because it happens at the end and I can't really care for the last episodes but I think it was solely a move to keep You Shulang tied to Fan Xiao in some way. It's ironic how even after their break up (for real this time), Fan Xiao was still meddling with You Shulang's life by essentially making him adopt a kid. It felt pretty pointless and also felt like a move to personally frustrate me because in what world is Fan Xiao a good father? I apologise to the writers, directors and producers for ever doing them wrong. Maybe the true psychological thriller was feeling yourself lose interest in a show you so desperately wanted to believe in.
Overall, would be a decent show if it wasn't so dedicated to being a romance. If it was a thriller, I'd enjoy it so much. There's nothing wrong with displaying a toxic couple, but to act like the abuser is instantly redeemable is something. Besides that, some characters/episodes were weak and the constant suffering of some with no change bored me. I tried to like this show and re-live the thrill and anticipation of what's next but I simply couldn't by episode 13. I guess, to me, it's wasted potential.
Was this review helpful to you?
