What a great review, thanks for this! I, like you, love Lu Si, and every time I see clips from this show I think I want to watch it, but the manipulation is out there, plain as day. I don't like these types of characters, unless there is a serious redemptive arc. And Chinese shows, in my opinion, are usually too long, so that manipulation would go on too long for me to come to like the characters. So, I'd like to thank you so much for saving me hours that I would never get back had I watched this.
Thank you for your great review. I've noticed that this is the failing of a lot of rom-coms. Too much filler, not enough time developing the characters and the love between them.
I wish that writers would do a focus group on what people want in a rom-com. For the most part, they are way off base, and I'm almost always disappointed.