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The series began with our Cinderella fighting her way out of poverty, facing her evil double, and constantly battling everyone who wanted her dead. Even her marriage was nothing more than a contract. But when the mask finally came off, I realized I recognized that face… or rather, the woman behind it. It’s Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind! Geez…

A woman fiercely independent, controlling, manipulative, and seemingly incapable of recognizing the love standing right in front of her. Yes, she helped the pooor, and I won’t deny the good she did, but even that came with a purpose. Like so many people she encountered along the way, they became part of her plans, pawns in her chess game, means of achieving whatever goal she had set for herself. Somewhere between fighting for survival and gaining power, our Cinderella became so obsessed with controlling her own destiny that, unknowingly, she started controlling everyone else’s. Even her love story…

And what about Lu Zhuo? He played the perfect Rhett Butler, madly, almost obsessively in love with his Scarlett. Yet dspite being such a strong character himself, he was reduced to a supporting role from beginning to end. And that fire in the finale? Tell me it didn’t remind you of the famous burning scenes in Gone with the Wind! The similarities were difficult to ignore.

Here’s the irony. What I loved about this series was the strength and determination of A Chou/Wei Rao. What I disliked was that very same strength and determination becoming practically the sole driving force of the entire script. Just like Tian Xiwei’s knife-wielding butcher in Pursuit of Jade, our heroine was almost unstoppable. Her anger and thirst for vengeance never seemed to fade, and some of her more emotional performances felt a little overbearing. I was reminded of that scene in Pursuit of Jade when the neighbors were killed. Different drama, same overwhelming intensity.

And then there’s the storytellling. The rinse and repeat cycle eventually wore me down. Another enemy, another deception, another battle for our Wonder Woman to win. Then suddenly, toward the end, everything came crashing together like Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. Characters, revelations, and conflicts all arriving at once, as though the writers suddenly realized they were running out of episodes.

And TBH, the ending fell flatter than a pancake. No amount of crying or additional fighting could rescue it. After all that buildup, I expected an emotional explosion, something that would make the entire journey worthwhile. Instead, it lacked the intensity and emotional payoff I’d been waiting for. It was like having the most intense foreplay imaginable… only for everything to end in premature ejaculation. All that anticipation, and I’m left staring at the screen thinking… seriously, that’s it?

Ultimately, this was a story about a woman determined to gain control over her destiny, with everyone around her falling like chess pieces. Some sacrificed, some manipulated, some loved her unconditionally, but almost everyone served her journey toward power.

I started this drama expecting Cinderella and Prince Charming. I ended up watching Scarlett O’Hara conquer her world while Rhett Butler stood patiently in the background.

And that’s my biggest disappointment. This wasn’t really a love story… it was her story. Unlike Against the Current, which explored the life, love, and struggles of its heroine while allowing the people around her to have stories of their own, this drama seemed determined to make everyone else’s existence revolve around one woman.

I have no problem with a strong woman leading the story. I just wish the writers had remembered that even Scarlett O’Hara needed Rhett Butler to make Gone with the Wind unforgettable.