SoultoSeoul

Yes. That part does. She is still around until EP 24. It's for completely different reasons.

Yes, she is the one.

She is super annoying. The preview for tomorrow (25-26) didn't help.

Yes, Kido Ma is 23 and Wu Jin Yan is 31 in real life. I can't recall if they mentioned an actual age for their characters. I am pretty sure they are close to the same in the script, maybe 28-30. I would base that on the fact they were planning to get married. He is already a respected young doctor.

That is the ML's sister and the Ex of the FL. There isn't much other than he left the FL with no reason on the day of their engagement. 2 years later the FL finds herself unknowingly planning his new girlfriend's (ML's sister) wedding. The hotel owner (older brother) was trying to stop it, He thinks his sister is too young.
On the day of the wedding, the sister discovers this woman was his ex-girlfriend. Her insecurities about her boyfriend's devotion to her begin to take over.
We know the sister was in a car accident 2 years ago. Her father died. She has some trauma leftover. We also see the ex having flashbacks of someone in a tub with blood dripping across the wrist.

Post-wedding- He works as a psychologist in a clinic. She opens a bakery nearby to be near him. . She's super clingy and starts to pop up at his work unexpectedly. He isn't thrilled. He gets frustrated, she apologizes often. STILL...They seem to be trying to work things out, but at this point in the story, they don't know that the main leads have officially started dating. This will likely stir some things up.
There are still several unanswered questions about the ex and why he left the FL. Why he ended up with the sister of the ML. He seems to love his wife and moved on. There there are other moments where you know he still has a fondness for his ex even if he isn't thinking of going back to her.
Since this story is a business-mystery-rom-com i suspect we will only get a little bit of info at a time. They seem to be an important part of the backstory, most likely it will play out in the last 30 percent of the drama.

Yes, it's a big part of the plot. J-version is only 10 hours total, she doesn't get as much screen time.

They pop up on youku's main website. I usually turn on google translate to read the header and some of the comments when they float across the screen.

21-22 The lead couple remains strong, working together on family and business issues. Protecting the hotel's future seems to be the main focus at hand. ❤️
The GM appears to be a new man and the SFL slowly letting him back into her world.
The sister and the ex have completely disappeared from the story in 19-22 (nice break)
Based on the trailer, It looks like they pop up again in 24 in when they have a "couple dinner" with the leads.

No, his childhood friend doesn't seem interested in him at this moment. She is more focused on a hotel takeover. The leads are pretty smart, they are working together to stay on top it.
FL's father left when she was small to follow his dream. He suddenly has a serious medical issue and reappears in her life again. She has to face the past and decide where her father fits in it. The male lead was also there to support her along the way.

Its on daily motion raw.

It was a tie up all the loose ends episode. They could have spaced it out a bit more if they had an extra half hour for a better flow. It wasn't a bad. I agree I also liked it.

The J-version is nearing its end today, it's been a natural and sweet journey.
I could actually watch it again, which is something I rarely ever do.

I have kept at the Thai version...It's becoming clear I can't fully digest it. I am pressing skip, skip, and skip constantly. I really wanted to like it, thai remakes can sometimes be extremely well done and my preferred version. I think this week may be my last.

I have never been so annoyed by a rating. Is it stuck?
7.9 is simply unjust.

1-18 are free on youtube with subs.
19-20 will be free tomorrow in about 14 hours from now or you can pay for a subscription to watch them now.
You can find 19-20 raw on Duboku.

19-20 The plot is taking an interesting and unexpected direction. At the 50% point....I find myself loving every moment of this drama. I don't know if I would brand it fully a rom-com. There are elements of slice of life, business, friendship, betrayal, mystery, and healing all at work. The writer doesn't depend on multiple mindless tropes that fill up space. ( The leads did live together for a short time so maybe that is one. ) The comedy scenes have been well orchestrated. Most characters seem to have realistic behaviors, emotions, and feelings toward one another and the situations they are facing. The leads so far have a very healthy relationship, they clearly trust and respect one another, and maintain good communication. I hope this continues.

One more thing I should have mentioned so you can grasp the framework of perception. Homosexuality was only decriminalized in 1997. Prior to this, punishments ranged from imprisonment to execution if two same-sex adults were found out to be intimate with each other.
overall the gov't has stuck to a "No approval, no disapproval, and no promotion" policy.

I think it's important to understand China is a communist country (stated publically by officials as a form of marxism rebranded to fit into the Chinese culture and people), conformity is imperative for it to function. In this structure, if you step outside those limits set by the people on top, you'll be punished in a way that nor will anyone around you will think about it again.
ALL SECTORS are being overhauled right now, not just the entertainment industry. Business and education are both getting a major revamping. Last year the government decided the BIBLE and QURAN both needed editing to fit the party's ideals and only the edited versions would be allowed. They set a team of 16 people to do the job.
Can you imagine someone editing a 2000-year-old book? There is a historical value even if you're not religious. To go to such extremes does have me concerned for the future of China. They have always had a very strong stand on gender identity, it's not new. The current crackdown is more or less the government making a stance saying that this won't be changing, where the lines have been blurred in recent years, they will make them very clear from now on.

If you watch it raw ( without knowing mandarin) you're missing all the flavor. There are so many cute and humorous lines between the leads. I'm laughing out loud in every episode and eagerly awaiting the next.
There are many other elements to the story besides the lead's relationship which need to be resolved. The back story with the Ex, the accident, the GM attempt to take over the hotel, and the drama once he is found out.
The GM's secretary is looking like she is going to cause some drama in the near future. She is clearly jealous.

There are still issues with the hotel GM. The male lead needs to get his position back.
We don't know the back story to the EX, the accident, we still don't know why he married the ML's sister. It may be he loved her, but something feels off.
ML's sister and the EX may not support the relationship between the leads for different reasons.

She confesses at the end of 14.