ramblingromantic

for the love of mystery & so many cuties

What a duo. Shen Wan & Yan Chi really outdid themselves as a pair of elite and self assured people. Landy Li and Ao Rui Peng bounced off each other flawlessly. Their story from strangers to peers to lovers was perfect and I would rewatch the show just for that aspect alone.

Both Shen Wan and Yan Chi are focused, brave, AND smart. It’s the whole package and it’s even better that they are so equally matched. They both respect each other’s choices and perspectives. It was these features that makes the no second act break up expected and luckily it was delivered. They stay together even as things get messy and they persist.

Yue Ning and Yan Li were maddd cute and I shipped them the second Yan Li appeared on screen and Yue Ning was like “what a playboy”. HAHA. It’s me – I’m the problem. But no I really loved how they each were solidly written and executed character while also getting to see how they matched well with each other. So freaking cute. I loved how we watch them go from frenemies, to friends, to lovers.

Yan Sui did such a good job! What a cute little prince. I am so happy that he was surrounded by the crew to help him but that his innate self was not tragically twisted like someone like Yan Ze who really done LOST his mind. Yan Ze knows his mother was murdered so I get that rage, but the other deaths and destruction he caused in the name of retribution was maddening. I hate when the bad guy’s origin story is being a victim so he makes every one else the victim. There is a sick irony between Yan Ze and Emperor Yan Huai. Both evil due to wrongdoing but rather than trying to heal, they hurt everyone else and cause more pain and suffering. Their deaths were definitely symbolic.

Qin Xiang was madddd stubborn and stupid that her death was truly no surprise, but it was pretty unfortunate. I will say, I feel they jumped Qin Shuang being single to married and pregnant that I was like “did i miss smth” but no I think the plot kinda just jumped on that storyline rather than ease into it.

Plot wise, I enjoyed the mini-mysteries that folded into the overarching mystery of Wan’s parents death as well as Prince Jin. That said, while the ending made sense the twin trope felt a bit like a fake out. Again, it made the most sense compared to anything else, but I feel like I was hoping for something juicier. I can’t say what since the story was built on this end point so the clues only make sense with this ending lol.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Self righteousness vs revenge vs justice: Yan Ze and Emperor Yan Huai are both evil due to wrongdoing but rather than trying to heal, they hurt everyone else and cause more pain and suffering. While Huai was abandoned, he wasn’t left to die. But he felt cheated and betrayed by his family. Which is FAIR. But what isn’t fair is that rather than seeking justice, he seeks revenge. Ze’s mother is unlawfully murdered, but rather than just trying to get revenge on the killer her creates a whole cult and even tries to kill Yan Li as part of his revenge. But Yan Li is as innocent as Ze’s mother was when she was killed. Both Ze and Huai are blinded by their own indignant, self-righteousness. Both claimed they were just trying to right the wrongs done to them, but the deaths and pain they both cause is proof in why revenge is not equal to justice & why justice is important. I loved that they both died by each other’s hand, it really symbolized the endless cycle of revenge that only leads to self destruction.

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SECOND WATCH REVIEW
(i never wrote a review the first time i watched it, but would have gut rated it 9.5-10)

This show was one of my first c-dramas! I remember enjoying it a lot and really finding myself to be a fan of Lu Si. She is a phenomenal actress. That said, its been at least two-ish years since I first watched it. So after watching Chen Zhe Yuan be fantastic in Fated Hearts and re-entering this “universe” via The First Frost, I decided it was time for a rewatch.

I want to say, this romance is excellent! They are cute and adorable and caring toward each other. In my memory, the age gap wasn’t that big of a deal – and while it’s true it wasn’t “creepy” because Duan Jia Xu was **not** romantically into her at all until she was 18, this re-watch had me noticing that some phrases and wording were … interesting. As always, I’m not sure if it’s because it’s being translated to english. But even once they are together, the show chose to kind of romanticize Sang Zhi’s childhood crush. It doesn’t help that the actress that played her for when they first met looked 8 rather than 13?

Also I wish they let Lu Si drop the baby voice once she got into college. It’s like the writers REALLY wanted their age gap TO BE an issue even though it wasn’t? Idk I do think this aspect while not horrible, could have been better. He still refers to her as kiddo randomly which is *not* equivalent to her calling him old, it just isn’t. So little things like that were eh. IDK if this is a reflection on the story or the romance? I am leaning toward story only because again, he wasn’t into her until she was older and if he was, this would be more of a horror than a romance tbh.

Honestly, no offense to Duan Jia Xu, but I don’t understand why him and him mom did not take the dad off life support. We only see the dad in one flashback in which he confesses to his family he hit someone and ran, then jumps off the balcony. We have no background as to if this was an unfortunate blip or if Duan Jia Xu’s father was always a dead beat? I think after watching The First Frost, I have such a low tolerance for shitty parenting that I’m being more nit-picky, but other than the man being his birth parent, we get no insight on if he was a good father. If he was a good father and it was a literal one day disaster, I think it would explain why they even kept him on life support. Idk if its maybe a Chinese law or something that was why the man wasn’t just *not* given life support – but 9 years at $100K a year for a man that, if he woke up, would be sent to jail, does not make sense at all? Again, I think I’m being nit picky after hating Wen Yi Fan’s mother and extended family in The First Frost.

Alas, I think the way these two interact and fall in love from start to finish is pretty wholesome. **Sang Zhi** definitely “fell in love” first, but I would say **Duan Jia Xu** fell in love much harder – not to diminish Zhi’s love. She is consistent and persistent in getting Duan Jia Xu to recognize he is a good person and should not bare the weight of his father’s mistake. She is ready to support him which was cute and funny because girl let him make that dough. But from a dynamics perspective is really adorable because Duan Jia Xu has never had anyone look after him. After the accident he had to look after his mother, father, and the victim’s family. He literally has been grinding nonstop so to find a woman that sees him for who he is and not what he can provide was important. Duan Jia Xu’s love on the other hand, was an inkling at first. He was like she’s actually pretty cute inside and out. But from there he really dived into loving her. While he did kinda suck at pursuing her when he was working, I liked that he just could not think about anyone or anything but her. Near the end, once everyone is questioning their relationship, he is literally thinking about how to set them up for marriage. And while I’m sure Zhi has imagined being together forever, he is the one that actually verbalizes and plans around that longer term commitment.

Also, the proposal is cute for the face value reason but also with the realization that he contacted her friends and all of them figured the best way to trick her was to have her think she is helping set up Ning Wei’s proposal.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- To what end is a parent a parent vs a burden. When it is “guiltless” to sever or let go of those familial bonds?

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a good show with its gem moments

Wow! I was not expecting this show to be so endearing. While it is a romance and more on the “drama” side it still has lots of cute silly moments that make you wanna squeal. I will say, I feel like this is a drama I would put on and rewatch for comfort BUT there are some sad aspects to this show. The ML’s mom has cancer from the onset but her passing was still so sad and made me tear up. As well as Rao’s own issues as she unpacks them.

First, I wanna say even though they were the secondary couple Zhao Fang Gang and Rao Jing are my “rivals to lovers” icons. Their love story was SO cute and super smooth. It didn’t feel abrupt and I love that neither of them (or the other characters) feel one dimensional. Rao has her trauma that keeps her guarded but she loves as fiercely as anyone else. Zhao was a bit petulant as an employee at the start but really grows into himself as a leader as well. Excellent dynamic between them.

Ji Yu Heng as the main lead is the definition of a cinnamon roll hottie. He cooks and cleans and most importantly absolutely adores Tu Xiao Ning! He is basically perfect. They made it so that his flaw is having to be an adult from an early age because of his dad’s suicide and his mom’s inability to grieve properly. That said, my heart really went out for him while he struggled with accepting his mom’s failing health and her death.

Tu Xiao Ning is a straight up cutie and sweetie pie as a main lead. She isn’t a push over but she also still give people grace (including the woman trying to steal her man). She is hard on herself to succeed and it plays out in a way that feels really relatable.

I loved that Tu Xiao Ning’s parents play a decent role as supporting characters without feeling cliche or boring. They aren’t like my parent’s exactly but their banter and commentary felt authentic.

Ling Wei Yi and Qi Yu were a cute couple but I’m not sure what to do with their story or make of it. I thought the break up scene was it but then they see each other again after - does that mean they try *again* or that they have accepted their differences are too deep to overcome? I was curious to see how they would mediate the relationship since they truly were at a very realistic impasse which I can appreciate, but idk I’m a sucker for happy so I wish they figured it out or we got to see them figure it out with someone else.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Ling Wei Yi and Qi Yu are a great representation of “young love meets reality”. I hated how Qi Yu ‘s dad spoke to him and of him but with their break up I am not sure if the message was that we should agree with him. I think Qi Yu’s desire to earn money makes sense but I wonder if they could have met in the middle somehow. Ling Wei Yi learning the value of money was really great but she wasn’t wrong to say she has money so why should she struggle over money that she does in fact have. The point of working hard is to be comfortable, she is lucky enough to be comfortable so why should she not use her father’s money and live there. It’s a great example of why Islam recommends you marry a woman with the same or less money than you because sustaining her lifestyle does matter at the end of the day.

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we get to witness a blossoming love with the classic historical genre backdrop

Similar to The Prisoner of Beauty in that the MML must deal with their trust issues lol but also in how the FL is both powerful AND feminine. Often times its one or the other so I loveee when the female lead is both. While it takes some time for the main leads to get together, their relationship is SOLID once bonded and they are a FORCE to be reckoned with. I feel like I could watch this over again for their love as it really was cute. The royal espionage was well done over all but there are some parts I feel just had a conclusion but I'm not sure how – this can def be a translation thing but I don't know that is was. No crazy plot twists but some not so predictable moments which is also nice. Def will recommend this one.

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moody production but an overall cozy & cute romance

This show was it’s own thing but for some reason it was what I was expecting from Love's Ambition. My issue with Love’s Ambition was the “flow”. Again, these are two *different* shows but the core “essence” was pretty similar. You have a romance unfolding with the backdrop of self love, self acceptance, and learning to open up/be honest.

What this show does right is the seamlessness of the plot. Even with the “mystery” element and mental health concerns, the show was pretty light-toned overall. I also reallllly loved Fang Ya En & Cheng Kai Ran. I think the actress Zhang Xiao Wan played Fang Ya En phenomenally but also Cheng Kai Ran’s personality really grows so nicely throughout the plot. From a bitter friend to a consistent friend and reliable hero.

With Qiao Mai Mai as a solid side character and Jiang Lu Zhi as an interesting/understandable “antagonist”, this show does a great job of really playing into the regular-ness of humans. There are of course the dramatic and higher stake moments that would be very unlikely in real life (re: Li Jin Yu temporary rich CEO alter ego) – but having nagging & loving aunties, bickering grandmas, annoying ex-husbands, feeling lost after a life set back all of these are absolutely relatable and well written in this show.

Grandma Dou was so good to have on screen. She was cheeky and fierce in all the ways a grandma is. And then even Grandma Ye was a “classic” obnoxious but loving grandmother.

Ye Meng and Li Jin Yu’s romance was pretty great. Li Jin Yu’s lack of communication was pretty frustrating, but entirely understandable when considering his traumatic upbringing. In this way their relationship reminded me of The First Frost‘s Sang Yan and Wen Yi Fan (gender swapped though). Their love is pure on both sides but one must confront their past wounds to really heal, move on, and be an active partner to the one they love. The black puzzle was soooo well used in this show. When it first appears, it tells us so much about Li Jin Yu’s personality and intelligence. Then how he looks for Ye Meng for the missing puzzle piece and finally how he keeps that center piece missing. 10/10 no notes. I also enjoy how we get to really *see their relationship.* It’s literally from them falling in love, to them learning how to communicate, to them navigating marriage all with a lot of cute moments to make up for any of the frustrating ones. Honorable mention – their Chinese/Western combo ceremony was soooo cute.

The only issues I had with the plot were:
- Gou Kai: He is obsessed with being with Ye Meng but conveniently has a trip and falls off the face of the earth until the second to last episode where he fianlly learns that Ye Meng was married to Li Jin Yu the entire time. This could have been better with him ideally accepting defeat before his trip or even just him texting Ye Meng once while gone.
- Li Ling Bai: Her story wasn’t horrible but it felt a bit undercooked or maybe a little rushed at the end. I can understand being bitter towards your life after being raped and basically “sold” to her rapist. But now I’m frustrated that her adoptive dad has no consequences and I also wish her logic was a bit more founded. Why torture your son instead of putting him up for adoption? Why not just ship him off to a boarding school at like 8 years old or just not torture him? What happened to the rapist? We don’t get these answers as she is actively avoiding the truth until she’s behind bars and quickly info dumps on us.
- The three musketeers: again, Gou Kai is only really in the show as a “love rival” so we don’t get much dimension from his character. Tai Ming Xiao is a lot more laid back and seems to hold no grudges with the past so it really is only him that makes Ye Meng and Li Jin Yu’s “three musketeer” dynamic make sense. We are told Li Jin Yu and Gou Kai literally grew up together, but it didn’t feel like that at all. Not sure if its to show how closed Li Jin Yu always was, but if so, it was not executed properly. As for Ye Meng’s “three musketeer”, she seems very bitter to Gou Kai even when she goes back so again, this set up is flawed as we are only told to believe there was a closeness. The do “patch” this up with the way Gou Kai softens after his return but its a shame that of his ~50 minutes of screen time on the show, he’s only given maybe ~5 minutes of decentness.

All in all, the issue I listed were not central to my enjoyment of the show and they were not so glaring or bad that they held the story back from being effective so I only dinged 0.5 off the story score.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Does your own hurts EVER give you the right to hurt others? Li Ling Bai had a pretty traumatic experience but she was directly responsible for a suicide and the tormenting of her own son. Would she ever feel redemption/satisfaction from revenge? It doesn’t seem like it, and yet she insisted on hurting everyone around her except for her second son.

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relatable girl suffering from secondary character syndrom

What a ride. I won’t lie, I almost dropped this show LOL, but to my credit I was “speed watching” a bunch of shows that have been on my list for a while on Viki since I was planning on pausing my membership.]This show was the third K-drama to throw in a ridiculous “serious” scene within the first episode. I *still* don’t think the bathroom scene made any sense LOL it felt so abrupt and forced. I know bullies exist, I have been victim to a few, but it’s very rare for them to just attack someone so unconnected to them at a train station bathroom. I would expect them to at least have been her classmates or something.

That said, I still pushed through because I wanted to give it a chance and I’m glad I did. I know I would have ATE THIS SHOW UP in high school. While I’m not exactly like Song U Yeon (Baby Blue), I do think there are very relatable growing up elements to her that I would have connected with back then even more than I connected with it now at almost 30 years old.

While Song U Yeon was relatable, she does get a bit redundant with her thoughts and self-deprecation. Younger me might have been more graceful about it, but as someone who has gone through therapy and understood just how mean we are to ourselves, I was loosing my mind with how regressive she was after every bit of progress. It’s realistic don’t get me wrong, but upsetting nonetheless. Most specifically, I hated how she behaved after seeing Nam Gi Jeong model. It was so hateful for no reason and rather than think, wow my boyfriend is so cute and a good model, she “hates” him? The story doesn’t play this out properly and it honestly felt kind of forced rather than a natural regression on her part.

Nam Gi Jeong (Red) was hilarious and honestly kind of carried the show for me arguably even more than Song U Yeon. He is silly, confident, and terribly optimistic. No one else could balance out Song U Yeon as well as he does haha.

I loved all the other fingers especially Black because they gave her sooo much personality. I was honestly rooting for her and Khaki, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be haha. I will way while I was very happy for Nam Geu Rin (Mint Finger) and Koo Seon Ho (Blue Finger), their romance did start to frustrate me in a similar way as the younger main leads. I don’t like to hate on FMLs but Mint was really frustrating. The man bared his soul 100 times and she still just could not properly articulate her feelings. I liked her as a character but when the two of them where on screen together, I would honestly zone out for a lot of it because it was basically the same conversation between them from after her confessed until she confessed her elementary school crush.

I enjoyed dynamic between U Yeon's friends and how they all had their own growing pains to reckon with. I also liked the sibling dynamics both for U Yeon with her brothers and Nam Gi Jeong with his sister. I think those were really cute and relatable sibling dynamics. I was curious about Nam Gi Jeong’s parent dynamic when U Yeon’s family is so visibly chaotic. I do think they tied U Yeon’s family story quickly in a nicely wrapped bow more than I liked. I get why they did it but I think it could have been less intense if they wanted it to be “happy”.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- The idea behind them drawing just because they like it, even if they aren’t good was a great capture of how much we put other people’s perception of ourselves in front of our own true desires. We live life by this societal rubric that does nothing but hold us back from discovering and loving our true selves.
- The one friend that was jealous of U Yeon once she started to enjoy herself and her hobby goes to show just how much of unhealthy friendship you can find yourself in if you are “too nice”. I am glad they were able to reconcile and move on, but real life can be a lot messier, as I know from experience lol

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i'm late to the party, but better late than never

I just got into SVT recently so it’s funny that the ML is a SVT (ex-)member. Jun’s acting is not bad at all, and in fact, while I don’t find him super attractive personally, his acting was the perfect level of swoony that I can say by the end of the show I found him extremely cute haha. Ling Chao is textbook “falls hard & first” male lead which I EAT UP EVERY TIME.

Xiao Tu was cute. I just love Zhang Miao Yi as an actress. The roles she’s been in that I’ve watched are *similar but she plays them each so well.* This show is ~similar~ to When I Fly Towards You, but she has a slightly different dorky quirk to her in this one that you don’t feel like it is the same actress. She also has a great face for playing a “youth” drama, but without the overdone “baby acting” that other actresses seems stuck in. I liked that Xiao Tu was last in her class, but then Ling Chao helps her figure out her passion and direction. I also love how seamless their relationship is. Though she sees him as a “brother”, it’s clear he hasn’t seen her as such for much of their lives. It was also nice to have their occasional voice narration that balances out the storytelling and helps shape their friendship to romance. I am a sucker for (childhood) friends to lovers and this one was the cream of the crop.

Something that I appreciated as well was Yin Zi Han. He’s the “SML” but GOOD. He’s a bit obnoxious, but he’s kind and good hearted. He falls for Xiao Tu the five-seconds after she asks him if he likes her and he says no. Truly tragic for him. But instead of being petty or mean or conniving, he recognizes the reality of his crush and chooses to maintain their friendship. Ling Chao also knows how Yin Zi Han feels but lets them stay friends (with some rules hahah). 10/10 the way it plays out.

Jia Si Wen and Jiang Juan Juan were a cute couple. I like the dynamic and realistic issues they faced. I also just liked Jiang Juan Juan as a best friend character. Xu Ling Long was a funny frienemy character and I actually liked how they were basically friends but not? It was different but still entertaining.

I could have done without the motorcycle guy – I get how he played a role in “pushing” Ling Chao to be a better boyfriend, but I would have loved to see them be creative outside of a SML that is really just an annoyance for two episodes.

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a show about finding love but also one's journey of healing

WAAHHHH why is it over? I kid you not, I stopped watching 2/3s in BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT IT TO END. I have also literally booked an appointment with a TCM clinic too. I already have a husband locked in though so no rich TCM cutie patootie for me.

Shen Xi Fan and He Su Ye were written in the stars, in the flowers, and in the universe. I have soooo many thoughts about this show but I forgot to write them all down ASAP so I don’t know where to start. I just know that this show is a very HAPPY and LIGHT show for the most part DESPITE the premise also being about healing. While Shen Xi Fan has to heal from her emotionally abusive ex, He Su Ye is also having to re-confront his relationship with his semi-estranged father despite the resentment of his father’s lack of care while his mother died of breast cancer. Somehow, the bright & blossoming cinematography as the backdrop of their pure healing chemistry alleviates the heaviness of the show’s topics.

Watching He Su Ye try to “lowkey” win Shen Xi Fan over was perfection. Fake drunk, fake asleep, swooping in to defend her, making her scent sachets – the list goes onnnn.

While the show was more “slice of life” vibes overall, the main climax is when Shen Xi Fan’s mother is sick. This puts pressure on Shen Xi Fan to “choose” between her family and her dream to study abroad. While I wish her mother was never actually sick, it is the reality overall that so many women are affected by breast cancer. Luckily, the show gives her a HFN and she is on the mend. I did love Shen Xi Fan and her mom’s heart to heart about Shen Xi Fan still pursuing her education. It’s nice because Shen Xi Fan can say she did it, tried it, and still chose to come back to her home and family.

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great show for fun vibes and light hearted plot

I want to say this is def a light and fun show. It is not to be compared to more cinematic /dramatic shows because I can say if we were to rate it off that logic it would fall a bit short. HOWEVER, this show was a flush as I loved everything from the music to the romance to the plot.

The drama, on a high level is relatively one dimensional. There are people in power that are helping the enemy kingdom for the usual reasons of money, power, and jealousy. However, with this more basic backdrop of espionage, the romance and silliness shines through. None of the “good” side characters has to tragically die or sacrifice for the betterment of the main leads.

Luo Ling Yu’s personality was great – she was sassy and determined. What might seem cunning and underhanded to someone on the outside is actually her acting out of loyalty to her parents *and* her sister but most importantly, she was also acting for herself. Lu Yun thinks less of her at first due to their poorly timed first interactions, but he is also similar to her in his own pursuit of the truth about his father. He seems aloof to others but it was a persona he crafted to better serve his goals. He is stellarly loyal to those he trusts and cares for. He wasn’t the cliche playboy, but he also wasn’t the cliche straight lace either so watching him fall in love with Luo Ling Yu for who she was fully was mighty fun to watch. Their romance just felt sooo seamless and natural. They bantered off each other fantastically from start to finish. I love that they were able to morph their banter from “rival” to “romantic”.

Luo Ling Yu’s attempts at catching Lu Yun were hilarious. I love that she came off a *tad* too eager but her logic was sound because Lu Yun really was paying more attention to her than any woman ever before – but only because he thought she was the enemy lol.

His exasperation with her antics was the perfect level. He was attracted to her physically and mentally, but refused to accept it by insisting she is tricking him. This makes their love much sweeter as he doesn’t actually hate her to begin with, but doesn’t know how to deal with these unprecedented feelings.

OF COURSE, as she accepts that he was stringing her along and trying to re-direct, he figures out he is in love with her. Tragically timed on his part but the plot made it work. How? By having him now have to equally chase after her. So now the power dynamic has flipped between them but because of their banter, it also works to equalize them. They both equally love each other even if her attempts were more for money at first.

I love that because of the pacing of the show, we get them being in love/romantic with each other for the last ≥ 20% of the show which is honestly generous. Most shows like to only give us the last 5% or give fake us out with a secondary break-up.

The last portion of the show is set up as a them vs the world rather than vs each other.

Side character wise, I love what they did with Chen Xiu and Prince Heng Yang. Chen Xiu likes Lu Yun because of his kindness during her childhood but also because of what he represented to her while she was stuck with her terrible parents. Seeing her grow into her own self and befriend Luo Ling Yu was great. Prince Heng Yang was also a great “second lead” 1. him and Lu Yun’s banter as friends was *fantastic* 2. because he truly cares for Luo Ling Yu but just not quiet the same as Lu Yun. He loves her because she is fierce but he put more meaning into some of her actions than their original intention while Lu Yun could see her fully. I’m so happy with how Prince Heng Yang bows out of trying to win her over and does not fall into the crazy jealous trope (probably bc Fan Qing Chen has enough crazy jealousy for 10 people). But not only do I like how he bows out, I also like how he engages with Lu Yun *afterwards*. He still sees him as a brother but he still teases him about stealing her away. I like it because I do think he loves/cares for her so I would hate for him to just suddenly not care about her. I think she plays this role of showing him what life could be when you let others in which he wasn’t a stone cold man either, but he was more solider/war oriented before her. That said, I like to imagine his love slowly morphing into a healthy friendship love and that he finds another woman to hold dear because he honestly was a hot guy personality wise.

Prince Chang Yi and Zhou Yang Ling’s side romance was cute. Pretty straightforward once the identities are revealed but I liked that it wasn’t superfluously complicated. The emperor when they asked for an annulled engement was hilarious. I actually liked the emperors’ normal-ness overall. Usually they are just horrible or stupid but he wasn’t lol.

I will share a few “nits” that I had with the show. 1. Fan Qing Chen is such a one dimensional creep. As a woman, I know these men exist but it would have been nice if they explored a bit more on why he was obsessed with her. Especially because we get that flash back at the end which had me like “wait a minute, he has a bit more of a reason than she’s pretty?” and I can’t help but wonder if there was other things she did for him in the past. 2. I could explain the “sudden” setting switch to war when the espionage was linked to a war solider and ambush but the snowy mountain felt realllly abrupt. They were in these dessert looking lands and then look snow. I know they did it for the drama of the avalanche but they could have switched it up with a sand storm or smth lol 3. Speaking of the snow, we have ALL this angst and stress over Lu Yun being hurt, only for us to time jump a month. I thought he was in coma or something but he’s just fine??? I mean could we have a least seen him wake up in her arms or in the bed then do the time jump? It was a weird choice.

Overall, this is a feel good romantic comedy and 100% delivers on that experience. I highly recommend it especially if you are getting a bit tired of the more “classic” historical dramas and death of the secondary leads.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- To what end are we expected to live for ourselves versus for others. What does “freedom” look like? Is it loyalty to family? Is it loyalty to society? Or loyalty to one’s own desires? Maybe a bit of all three?

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cliche “sunshine vs grump” but with enough plot creativity that it works.

Julia Xiang & Deng Wei did soooo phenomenally in their roles. Their chemistry was believable, their angst and love just the thing for the soul. Credit to the actors for delivering but also credit to the directors and the show for such a cute pairing. Su Yi Shui and Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran are just perfectly balanced in their personalities and qualities. It leans on the cliche “sunshine vs grump” but I think there’s enough creativity with other aspects that it works. Mu Qing Ge is seen as “frivolous” and “lazy”, but she’s good hearted. Su Yi Shui is “cold” but he was abused so it’s not surprising. It’s actually also really nice that he isn’t “cold” once Mu Qing Ge dies – he is just *indifferent* because of the Ice lotus, but is clearly soft for Xue Ran Ran basically instantly. Deng Wei truly makes an excellent Su Yi Shui. I was obsessed with the way he mastered being serious but clearly in love with all the micro-body language.

I also liked that there was Qiu Xi Er and the other two disciples. I think the friendship and loyalty and banter really played well. It added a “levity” to the show that really makes the show just so fun to watch.

Wei Jiu and Tu Jiu Yuan’s relationship was also super fun to watch. I LOVE when the *secondary* romances feel like they could be their own show. Not only that, but Wei Jiu’s character arc was as good as Su Yi Shui’s.

My three pretty minor complaints:
- Mu Ran Wu was pathetic truly – she hates her sister because her sister has everything but IDK if it’s because I’m the eldest child, I wanted to actually throw her bratty self off a cliff. Her actions do set most of the story in motion though.
- Su Yu was also pretty annoying and the only reason he’s less annoying than Mu Ran Wu is his final redemption. I wish he wasn’t a *sleazy* second love interest and really did have fully pure intentions, but I totally get the direction the show chose.
- It seems to be a truth universally acknowledge if the show starts with one main lead character having amnesia, the other will certainly also experience memory loss for at least an episode or three (especially if they are happily together but there are still 5+ episodes left in the show). I don’t hold this against them entirely, as it was well done enough, but I would have preferred if they skipped the amnesia part.

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A storytelling masterpiece about romantic and self love wrapped in a bow of excellent production

It’s been a few days since I finished the show and while I can’t remember every single detail, there are certain plot choices I want to highlight because of how good they were:

- **Flashback set up:** I normally don’t love jumping between timelines, but the way this show does it is phenomenal. It not only builds up their romance, but also helps unravel who they are as individuals and who they have grown into.
- Usually when we flashback, the actors are so obviously adults it’s disturbing but Bai Jing Ting & Zhang Ruo Nan have faces that really allowed them to seamlessly play high school and adult characters. So the casting for these two was 10/10.
- **The “set up” for assault:** I hate sad stories only because the real world is full of them. 1 in 4 women experience sexual assault including attempted sa. ~ 78% of rape cases involve someone the victim knows so to have this story really set the stage for this creepy uncle with concerning easy access to a young vulnerable girl was important to me in terms of properly representing that it’s not just strangers that hurt women.
- **When she talks to her past self (Ep. 29):** This scene almost broke me. It was such a great visual representation of healing and moving on from the scars that can haunt you.
- **Her mother’s apology (Ep. 30):** We can see that Yifan’s mom does not deserve her daughter, but Yifan for much of the show is still trying to meet her mom half way, so you aren’t really sure as a viewer how she will finally make peace with her mom. I love that she chose to let her mother completely go.
- **Secondary romance:** I usually enjoy the secondary couples in these romance shows, but Zhong Si Qiao and Su Hao An were such an excellent story. They felt like a different show (in a good way). Their plot didn’t overshadow Sang Yan & Wen Yi Fan but it also wasn’t so basic as to feel underwhelming/unneeded. It’s usually that the secondary couple(s) are “assigned” a basic trope and their story is squished in the few extra minutes the show has where its not a bad romance but there isn’t enough substance to really care or root for them. But I truly feel like we got to see Zhong Si Qiao and Su Hao An grow as individuals as well as a couple. I would LOVE a show that follows their kind of romance of oopies to old classmates to friends to lovers.

And OF COURSE the main romance. This is it’s own essay that it can’t be a bullet point. I have a lot I want to say about this relationship.

- It’s practically impossible for fated mates trope to be used for a contemporary romance, and yet, this show truly made me double think that. These two were truly made for each other and are fated.
- Sang Yan: He is stubborn, narcissistic, and brooding – but so very hot and perfect. Even with his “negative” traits at the forefront, we know his heart absolutely belongs to Wen Yi Fan. It real life, there is a bit of a creepy, stalker aspect to how in love he is with her even after she breaks his heart, but some how in this story it just works. Probably because Wen Yi Fan has been abandoned by her family and is alone in this world, but Sang Yan keeps his high school promise that she will never really be alone because she has him.
- Wen Yi Fan: She is traumatized and insists on running rather than facing trouble onwards BUT we can understand very well why. Her actual personality is witty and kind with a sprinkle of cutie-patootie. I love that she has always adored Sang Yan but that life and haters held her back from really indulging her feelings. Watching her grow into herself to gain confidence and defend herself was really beautiful. Seeing her find strength within herself but then learn how to depend on those that love her was the cherry on top.

All in all, this is not a light and fluffy romance, but it is a storytelling masterpiece with a happy ending.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas

- I wish parents had more counseling and guidance about how to really care for their child. Yifan was not wrong when she said the worst betrayal was not her aunt and uncle, but from her very own mother. This woman birthed and raised her for ~15 years, but just completely abandons her when hard times hit.
- Parents are not *owed* forgiveness when their actions play a direct role in your deepest hurts. While some children can make space to try and repair their relationship, sometimes the damage and hurt is too deep to ignore and that is okay.

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SQUEAL WORTHY DUO

OMG THIS COUPLE WAS GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME. They were SO SQUEAL WORTHY. Once they become a couple they are such simps for each other I loved it bc I too am a simp for my husband.

The one *major* flaw of this show is the last episode. We have so much build up for this video game and then we just JUMP to them selling 10 million copies or smth but I feel like a successful release in the moment would have been better - just one episode dedicated to that vs a 5 min "epilogue" that rushed the secondary romance and just leaves you wanting.

Some people complain that the MML is a jerk to her at the start and only becomes decent when he realizes she's his crush. While there is no denying he was a jerk, I didn't view it as *malicious* more ignorant. It's def not something I would want to experience in real life from the guy I like, but I think for the plot and with the fact that he does have to put in the work to win her "back", it works.

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Arranged Marriage x Enemies to Lovers

This show was a perfect portrayal of love, loss, forgiveness and mercy in a world full of too many people that look after their own interests instead of the masses.

Two solid secondary characters died and one truly BROKE my heart but at the end of the day, the main couple gets their happy ever after and in this universe the lands actually find peace which I wish we could have in reality lol.

Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Is it really possible to give love unconditionally and if it is, can doing so mend old wounds? How does one learn to trust again after so many betrayals? To what end is revenge justified? If my parent’s make a mistake, am I to be held accountable?
- One life *can* make a huge difference. Her cousin felt she plays no role in the larger scheme of things but her choices directly impacted the FML and the politics that unfolded. Had she not died and removed herself as leverage, the story would have had a very different ending. On the flip side, I wonder, if her husband had just chosen to stand for what’s right outside of just ensuring his wife’s safety, how differently could the plot played out?

(I already plan to re-watch soon and try writing a better review. )

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