Sirenas

Instead of listing positives and negatives, I'll just list the lingering feelings about this one.

-- While the ML/FL did a great job and had good chemistry, the absolute standout couple for me was Cui Shi Jiu and Zheng Zhi Heng. Their relationship growth and their hidden selves were what really brought out those non-stop tears at multiple points.
-- The actress for Cui Shi Jiu was a standout by herself with an incredible set of eyes. She was outstanding with her character and has a great range. Hope to see her in more roles.
-- Around the middle, the plot does hit a high peak and then awkwardly free-falls into a completely different pacing. This shift was really abrupt and it almost made me drop the series but I'm glad I pushed through. The plot flow was a also a bit muddled at times with some farfetched elements but nothing too cringe.
-- There are also some lags here and there that I sped up on; they should have use those times to fill in the background/history of some of the characters instead. Or reduce the number of episodes.
-- The romance was a slower burn and thankfully not overbearing.
-- The ending wasn't laid out very well and the punishments not very satisfactory but it was acceptable.

You have an underlying revenge plot, a complex weave of politics, definitive highlights on bias towards women, class bias, complex characters with tough restrictions (blood isn't thicker than water), difficulties in starting a business against an oligopoly, etc. Altogether, it does its job in taking you on a journey.