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My favorite drama of 2026

This drama is different from anything I have ever watched. The ML is a walking black flag. He is arrogant, domineering and hyper toxic. Some of his actions are inexcusable. He puts the FL through immense pain. And yet, we see glimpses of him not being a total terrible person. He is fair, he is protective of his family and friends, he is not corrupt despite his immense power and helps the FL countless times.

Because of this, I found myself rooting for him to change and become a better version of himself. That´s what drew me to the story: we are watching an imperfect character full of flaws and how he slowly realizes his actions are destructive and the effort he puts to change himself.

The story
This is the story of Yu Changxuan, a warlord from the powerful Yu family, and how he becomes obsessed with Ye Pingjun, a poor student. At first, his obsession is just playful, but then he descends into madness and enters red flag territory. Eventually, some traumatic events make him question his choices and prompts him to start changing.

I liked that his personality change was not instant, it took him a lot of work as he tends to go back to his toxic ways. It also helps that Cheng Lei gives an outstanding performance. I don´t think this story would have worked with any other actor.

What I liked
- The acting: Cheng Lei steals the show. This guy can act. Just a look at his eyes and you know what the character is thinking. Not many actors can convey so many emotions with just a stare. I found myself very immersed in the story thanks to his performance.
- The characters: I love morally gray characters. They are more realistic of how most people are in real life. They are also more interesting to watch and more unpredictable.
- The story: I was just entertained throughout the show, not a single boring episode.
- The music: I specially liked the background music that plays throughout the show, especially the violin score. It helps set the melancholic mood.
- The cinematography: incredible use of lightning, costumes, sets… it´s just a visual feast.
- The historical context: I didn´t know much about the Republican era and the Warlord era in China, and because of this show I did some research to learn more about this time. It also made me more invested in the political plot.

What I didn´t like
- The development of the FL: at the beginning, she is smart, outspoken and doesn´t get intimidated by those in power. I really liked her. Then, her character becomes inconsistent in the second half. She cannot judge situations fairly and jumps into conclusions quickly. Maybe it´s just how the character was written to reflect all the trauma she goes through.
- The length: I feel like they could have easily cut off 6 or 7 episodes. By the end they were just dragging the story by creating new conflicts that could have been easily resolved by the characters having a conversation. But very conveniently, that conversation never happens, leading to a misunderstanding that sets up a new chain of events.
- Some subplots: I didn´t really care about the revenge arc of the brother-in-law and his sister.

Conclusion
Overall, this is a 9.5/10 for me. I enjoyed watching this show a lot and I was binge watching several episodes a day due to how addictive it is. It has been on my mind since I finished it, which is proof of the incredible storytelling and the quality of this show.

Regarding the ending, to me it was expected given the historical context. It's also kinda implied in the title, so I am not mad. I find it very poetic that the story starts with Changxuan picking Pingjun's hairpin from the ground, and how, in his last moments, he tries to unsuccessfully reach out to the hairpin. Very sad and beautiful at the same time.

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