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When Destiny Hands You a Demon Boyfriend
Xianxia + Transmigration
After a car accident, the FL, Liao Tingyan (played by Wang Yinglu) wakes up in a different world. Her greatest ambition? To be a “salted fish” — i.e., to be lazy and do absolutely nothing. After the initial expected shock of waking up in a different fantasy world, Liao Tingyan realizes this great miraculous opportunity — a chance at the vacation she never had time to take in her real life. Too bad fate has other plans.
Initially at the selection cermony to “make up the numbers”, she’s chosen as one of a hundred women sent to serve the Lord of “Mercy”. Despite trying her hardest to stay invisible to keep her life (and enjoy her “vacation”), her actions catches the eye of this Immortal Ancestor (played by Chen Feiyu) and gets swept into his plans for revenge against those who imprisoned him for over 500 years. What follows is a journey that forces them to trust one another, fall in love, and sacrifice deeply.
The drama is an uncomplicated romance, and its greatest strength lies in that very simplicity, as well as in the charm of its characters. Liao Tingyan’s overworked modern-girl personality — and her ability to shrug and say “meh” while rolling with the tide — is charming. I especially loved how she often took the lead in their relationship, leaving the supposedly fearsome ancestor blushing (at least in the beginning, lol). Wang Yinglu with the perfect awkward acting nailed this character.
Although I’ve only watched one other drama from each lead (and I use the term watched here loosely), I have to say: Chen Feiyu left a serious impression here. He embodied every stage of Sima Jiao’s development flawlessly — from the deliciously vengeful ancestor, to the shy and bewildered “why is this girl messing with my heart” version, to the reluctant boyfriend rediscovering humanity, to the tender lover, the grieving partner, and even the innocent 19-year-old emperor.
The chemistry is not to be overlooked either. This drama might just have one of the most intimately charged CPs of the year. Their connection wasn’t just about the many (and I mean many) kisses, but also in the soft gazes, the gentle caresses, the nose rubs. Half the time I wanted to replay those moments, and the other half I felt like a guilty voyeur intruding on a private scene.
That said, the drama isn’t without flaws. It doesn’t boast a strong antagonist — most of them exist purely to move the couple along their love story. Not a disaster for a romance-focused drama, but it does feel a bit lazy at times. The demon realm arc was underwhelming, but the mortal realm arc? A mess. It gave off the same vibe as writing an exam essay: you start off detailed and confident, but halfway through you realize you’re out of both time and paper, so you rush to cram everything in. Suddenly, instead of showing the plot, the drama resorts to endless inner monologues, basically saying, “I’ll just tell you what’s happening — sit tight and listen.”
The second leads didn’t add much either. Whatever charm they had ended during the first arc. And this is not saying anything about the so called love rival for the main couple. Possibly the most generic and unimaginative character they could have thrown in. Both the character and writing was so grating it made me want to swat him away like a buzzing mosquito.
Although I have praised the main leads acting earlier, I have to mention one complaint, which is that their emotional portrayals during the “death” scenes felt underwhelming. I wanted more — disbelief, shock, messy crying, even outright guttural screaming or outrage. Sima Jiao’s reaction during the transition into the demon arc was great, but sadly, that intensity didn’t carry over into another key moment (staying vague here to avoid spoilers 😭). I’m honestly not sure if this was on the actors or a directing choice, but it left me wanting more.
Overall: A great pick if you’re looking for an easy romance with likable leads, tons of chemistry, and just enough angst sprinkled in.
After a car accident, the FL, Liao Tingyan (played by Wang Yinglu) wakes up in a different world. Her greatest ambition? To be a “salted fish” — i.e., to be lazy and do absolutely nothing. After the initial expected shock of waking up in a different fantasy world, Liao Tingyan realizes this great miraculous opportunity — a chance at the vacation she never had time to take in her real life. Too bad fate has other plans.
Initially at the selection cermony to “make up the numbers”, she’s chosen as one of a hundred women sent to serve the Lord of “Mercy”. Despite trying her hardest to stay invisible to keep her life (and enjoy her “vacation”), her actions catches the eye of this Immortal Ancestor (played by Chen Feiyu) and gets swept into his plans for revenge against those who imprisoned him for over 500 years. What follows is a journey that forces them to trust one another, fall in love, and sacrifice deeply.
The drama is an uncomplicated romance, and its greatest strength lies in that very simplicity, as well as in the charm of its characters. Liao Tingyan’s overworked modern-girl personality — and her ability to shrug and say “meh” while rolling with the tide — is charming. I especially loved how she often took the lead in their relationship, leaving the supposedly fearsome ancestor blushing (at least in the beginning, lol). Wang Yinglu with the perfect awkward acting nailed this character.
Although I’ve only watched one other drama from each lead (and I use the term watched here loosely), I have to say: Chen Feiyu left a serious impression here. He embodied every stage of Sima Jiao’s development flawlessly — from the deliciously vengeful ancestor, to the shy and bewildered “why is this girl messing with my heart” version, to the reluctant boyfriend rediscovering humanity, to the tender lover, the grieving partner, and even the innocent 19-year-old emperor.
The chemistry is not to be overlooked either. This drama might just have one of the most intimately charged CPs of the year. Their connection wasn’t just about the many (and I mean many) kisses, but also in the soft gazes, the gentle caresses, the nose rubs. Half the time I wanted to replay those moments, and the other half I felt like a guilty voyeur intruding on a private scene.
That said, the drama isn’t without flaws. It doesn’t boast a strong antagonist — most of them exist purely to move the couple along their love story. Not a disaster for a romance-focused drama, but it does feel a bit lazy at times. The demon realm arc was underwhelming, but the mortal realm arc? A mess. It gave off the same vibe as writing an exam essay: you start off detailed and confident, but halfway through you realize you’re out of both time and paper, so you rush to cram everything in. Suddenly, instead of showing the plot, the drama resorts to endless inner monologues, basically saying, “I’ll just tell you what’s happening — sit tight and listen.”
The second leads didn’t add much either. Whatever charm they had ended during the first arc. And this is not saying anything about the so called love rival for the main couple. Possibly the most generic and unimaginative character they could have thrown in. Both the character and writing was so grating it made me want to swat him away like a buzzing mosquito.
Although I have praised the main leads acting earlier, I have to mention one complaint, which is that their emotional portrayals during the “death” scenes felt underwhelming. I wanted more — disbelief, shock, messy crying, even outright guttural screaming or outrage. Sima Jiao’s reaction during the transition into the demon arc was great, but sadly, that intensity didn’t carry over into another key moment (staying vague here to avoid spoilers 😭). I’m honestly not sure if this was on the actors or a directing choice, but it left me wanting more.
Overall: A great pick if you’re looking for an easy romance with likable leads, tons of chemistry, and just enough angst sprinkled in.
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