ronnie091

I'm typically not a fan of the "falling in love with my brother's best friend" trope. But it was well done here. I can't really judge because when I met my first love I was 19 and he was 24. But if we had met when I was kid I don't know how I would've felt. When these stories start off with the ML meeting the girl as a child it could always be borderline creepy. I don't always believe that feelings can change from someone viewing someone as a younger sibling and then suddenly a love interest. But this drama did a good job by focusing more on the coming of age story of Sang Zhi first. There interactions when she was in first and secondary school were wholesome. It's perfectly natural for young girls to have crushes on older boys. (Also side note: the actress they got to play young Zhao Lusi was perfect. Really looked and acted like her. )The show did a good job on keeping that one sided. The crush was clearly not reciprocated during this time and all the sweet things the ML did he did because he is a genuinely nice person. However, I did think the first 7-9 episodes were borderline boring. The show could've gotten the point across in 3-4 episodes showing her childhood/high school years. I love short dramas but I would've liked it if they had used more of the earlier episodes on their actual relationship time period.

Story: It's okay. Again, not a huge fan of this trope but I think this was executed well. Other than that there's not much going on. The main CP's career paths are both dull. Her college roommates are somewhat entertaining but I didn't care about any of their stories. It was nice to see the one actress from Tiger and Rose act with Zhao Lusi again though. The ML's friends are funny, but my favorite supporting character was Sang Yan. The ML's dark family drama is off-putting and his creepy stalker is insufferable. Who falls in love with the son of the man who accidentally killed your father and then believes he owes you a relationship somehow?? I'm only half Chinese and from the states but is this typical in China where the family takes responsibility for another family member's actions? Like the whole thing was clearly the father's fault. Why would Jianxu's mom basically pimp her son out to make amends? Can you imagine how much better off he would've been in life without having to pay that debt or deal with that nutjob? But I guess they needed to throw something other than the romance into the story to keep the blood flowing. I just didn't like this part of the story and would have preferred an alternate issue for him to have been dealing with that wasn't so ridiculous.

Acting: I am a Zhao Lusi fan. She's just adorable and a great actress. Her hair and outfits were perfect and she looked beautiful in this drama. I don't believe her skills were on full display here until the last 5 episodes but she did well with her comedic timing and emotional scenes. The blank stares when she was nervous around Jianxu were a little strange. She put him through a lot of awkward silences. But their chemistry was still pretty good. The way Sang Zhi always fiercely protects Jianxu and the way he takes care of her makes them the sweetest couple. Zhao Lusi has a naturally mousy, sweet voice which makes her sound innocent, but her character was actually very mature in her actions. The way she handled the confrontations with his stalker showed her emotional intelligence. I must admit the scene at the airport where she finally told Jiaxu she's always liked him almost made me cry for 2 reasons: 1 -embarrassment! I would've personally taken that to the grave! 2 - the acting was great in this scene from the both of them. You could really feel the angst, the love and the sadness.
I'm aware that Chen Zhe Yuan has a pretty big fan base. I can't say that I'm in it. I don't dislike him but he's not my type. Jianxu was a great character for him though and he fit the role perfectly. His natural boyish looks and charm were on full display here and his acting wasn't half bad. If I'm being honest, I had more of a crush on Sang Yan. He looks like a young Jet Li with a spunkier personality and plays the perfect convincing older brother. Sang Yan & Sang Zhis relationship was spot on and very entertaining to watch.

Conclusion: The focal point of this drama is the sweet romance and the chemistry between the main leads is undeniable. If you want to watch something sugary and without a heavy plot, this is a great option. Also the OST is full of catchy, soothing songs, 2 from Lusi.