sulkytofu

Thank you so much for the kind words!

Thank you for the sweet words; for a drama as amazing as this it is an honour! Love being able to watch it with other fans who are having just as great of a time as I am!

I think the real GJ is actually evil but I could be totally wrong about that (I thought he was the one who Fang Jianshe was talking to and is "subordinate" to.) I think ML was avoiding GJ because if they were seen in the same place, his identity pretending to be GJ would be revealed.

There are scenes where he showers as if he's preparing to rest, end the day, stay in his hotel, but then the FL calls him and then he suddenly changes completely back into his suit. At first I thought he was just showering as a routine, but if you think about it from the perspective of "he's trying to pretend to be Guo Jun," then you realize why he has to change his entire outfit every time (as well as the comments from his team about how they "purchased all of the expensive suits, etc.")

Right? Peng Guanying does an amazing job showing all of the different expressions of the ML. I love how the camerawork and cinematography always show how close and yet far away our couple is, like how the FL hesitates to grab his coat, or how he wants to go closer to her yet holds himself back. The long gazes, the scenes where they are together, when they laugh and care for each other, how they remember what each other likes; it's so romantic and despite the melancholy tone of the drama it's immensely sweet at the same time.

For those who are excitedly joining us and starting this drama, welcome! This is a super slow-burn romance, which is mostly about the mystery behind the FL's deceased husband. It's not an intense thriller, there's no bloody or murderous crimes, instead the story mostly revolves around large business crimes (i.e. stock trading and manipulation).

As for the plot itself, there are definitely issues; for example if the FL did a simple search on Baidu she would probably immediately reveal a lot of the hidden identities. But this is really a story about the FL and the ML, and how they work together to discover the secrets behind her husband's death. There are some very poetic lines, beautiful scenes where you see how they care for each other, and lots of angst due to tropes such as "wanting someone you can't have," "enemies to friends to lovers," and "silent protector/fake identities." Note: This is extremely, extremely slow burn, our main characters literally don't get together until episodes in the 20's and 30's, even the main plot points don't begin coming out until then.

I'd highly recommend it for those who want a more mature, adult drama about older lead characters, those who like darker romances (i.e. a "villain" ML even though he is actually kind inside), and a very devoted ML who initially distrusts the FL and then grows to fall in love with her loyalty and kindness to the people around her. FL is also extremely reserved and introverted; she is not a happy or upbeat character, but instead is someone who has few friends and keeps to herself a lot. Both of them play very refreshing and realistic characters, and it's quite a nice breather from the recent wave of youth and college-based romances that we are seeing.

I know! I think it helped they worked in a previous drama before. I hope they get their happy ending together in this one!

No problem! I'm totally obsessed with this drama and am glad you're watching it! It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but I can't get it out of my mind and have been really enjoying it so much.

I think he is not, but I'm only at Episode 22 right now! I started suspecting when I went through some of the comments here, and suddenly all of the things I didn't notice before (i.e. always showering and then changing into suits, being wary of the "real" Gao Jun who I think is actually involved with the FL's husband's workplace, etc.).

I thought ML was actually undercover police at first, but now am not 100% sure (depends on what "the company" is). Personally, I would really like it if he were the real Gao Jun, but then I thought about this again and realized this would make sense if it were a fluffy rom-com (i.e. ML who always loved FL since high school comes back into her life) and not the style that this drama is taking (where the ML slowly falls for the FL over time even though initially he was using her for his own ends).

Then again, the drama could just be messing with my mind and I could be totally wrong about it! I am contemplating over what ML is, and I can only think of either (1) a rival company to the one FL's husband used to work with, (2) some kind of undercover law enforcement officer, or (3) some kind of hired detective/PI/investigator.

She is an extremely, extremely introverted and reserved FL. This is something that is a central part of the story, specifically her character and her drive to find out what happened to her husband. Her introversion is because of how much she cares about the people around her and how deeply she loves; she doesn't like getting close to too many people, but for the people around her she will be willing to go above and beyond out of her loyalty to them. In my opinion, she is quite similar to the FL in the K-drama My Liberation Notes; both become relaxed and happy around the people they love, but to others they can be cold, reserved, and unwilling to engage actively or trust easily.

As for the ML, what I can say is that everyone's identities get revealed slowly and later in throughout the drama. This is a really slow-burn watch, and even though there is some mystery and tension throughout the series, the main focus is on the characters and their relationships. It's not super intense (i.e. not really murder or big crimes other than financial ones) but the plotline and story are really focused on our ML and FL getting closer together after going through these hardships.

I came into this with super low expectations, but the cinematography, the visual palette, and also the romantic tension between our ML & FL are so well done. The drama does such a good job making this a contemporary real-life setting, while also using camera angles and certain shots to make you gain certain impressions about a character, and then using the plot to completely change your initial perceptions. I also find Ruan Zhenzhen a very refreshing female lead; finally there is a main character who is not always optimistic or upbeat and easygoing, but instead who goes through cycles of depression, doubt, anger, and is very, very introverted.

On the topic of romance, as someone who also rarely watches dramas without it, I also love the chemistry between the leads! I'm honestly satisfied no matter how they end up, because their relationship is set up in a way where you kind of know it's twisted, there are a lot of hidden secrets, and probably also conflicts of interest, but you also just can't help loving the sparks between them. Looking forward to the last stretch of the drama; it's occupied my mind so much for the past couple of days and I can't stop thinking about it!

Random last point: On the height difference, PGY is actually nearly 190 cm, so he's actually just so incredibly tall compared to an average person that it really sticks out. I've seen some of his other dramas where he acts as other characters (warm and friendly type, charming type, etc.) and I have to say he really shines when he plays morally grey and villain-like characters.

GUYS LOL EVERY TIME THE ML SHOWS UP ON SCREEN I GET BLUSHY BLUSHY!! He has so much charisma; it's something about his very deep voice, imposing presence on screen, and how attractively he holds himself! Most of all, I really love how this drama features a couple that's older than what I'm used to with the recent slew of youth romcoms, and the amount of chemistry they have between them is explosive even though it's only been the first couple of episodes. Fingers crossed that the plot is good as well and that the suspense is balanced well with the romance ~

Dropped. Unfortunately, there was a lot of room here to bring up important questions about chronic illness, disability, and experience, but unfortunately despite this being the premise of the show (and the fundamental conflict in Qi Jia and Qin Ge's relationship), the illness ironically matters little throughout the story. I think the writing really needed to consider how it was going to balance the fluffy romance with the serious conversations it could have incorporated about disability (for example, Qin Ge talks with her friend in the first episode about what it's like to be disabled and be in relationships with other people, but the drama rarely shows this even mattering in her life after that conversation). Moreover, disability is diverse, and so are acts of caretaking and loving disabled people, and I think there was a lot that could have been put into this drama, but unfortunately it just turned out to be another run-of-the-mill sweet "pink romance" series.

I think the story really needed to show Qin Ge and Qi Jia's initial relationship (they did this through flashbacks, but the story should have started with this point, similar to some other youth romance series) in order to make us emotionally invested in the characters and their relationship. Otherwise, their relationship seems to kind of come out of nowhere even though we know they have history together. On the flip side, at least ML is relatively wholesome; although his longing could be creepy if it came from a place of harm and danger, it's nice to see someone who patiently waits for when the FL is ready, rather than pushing her to anything. I do have a soft spot however for MLs who are clingy, willing to give everything for the FL/unafraid to give up their pride in order to pursue their partner.

I really hope this one is good; it's really rare to see romance dramas in particular handle chronic disability and illness, particularly how it impacts relationships with your partners. A lot of people are rightly critical about the way tropes such as noble idiocy (breaking up with the other for the "good" of that person) are employed in dramas, but I appreciate how this one uses this trope as its premise specifically in order to focus on the issues and complicated responsibilities that arise in relation to chronic illness. Looking forward to watching the rest of the eps as they come out ~

This drama is basically the epitome of the quote: "A hero would sacrifice you for the world, but a villain would sacrifice the world for you." I think what's so effective is that Lan Hua is a very kind and innocent FL, but her heart and her generosity are in a way what makes her so strong (especially in an environment where there are many power struggles and forms of political in-fighting). Esther Yu makes Lan Hua's characterization not only loveable and sweet, but also you can see why DFQC is attracted to how her worldview and mentality is so positive and considerate of others. Dylan Wang is also doing an amazing job as DFQC; what's funny is that he absolutely nails the transition between Lan Hua's innocence and DFQC's worldliness whenever they switch bodies. I can see why this drama has been so popular lately not only because of how it reverses a lot of tropes to do with the ML (DFQC traditionally fits into the role of the second lead male/villain who falls for the LI but never ends up with her), while also showing how even so-called "passive" and innocent FLs can also be emotionally strong and full of conviction.

This isn't uncommon; especially with dramas that have had high press before airing and/or feature stars and celebrities that are very popular on social media, they've been simply dropping the dramas unannounced. I have a feeling a lot of dramas that have been sitting in the production backlog (i.e. Immortality) if they ever air will be broadcasted in the same manner.

I feel really nervous about dramas with Part I and Part II, mostly because there is always the chance that depending on reactions to the first part, the second part ends up never airing. I will say though that after watching some shorter web dramas, editing the series to have less episodes may not necessarily be a bad thing; and I'm really excited for the amazing chemistry Yang Zi and Cheng Yi have as shown from the teasers!

Fellow watchers, can everyone describe some expectations viewers should have when watching this show? Is there a lot of romance, or is it mostly focused on palace politics? Some of the strengths and things this drama is doing really well, and some of the issues or weaknesses that watchers should be aware of?

I really, really think that even with Taejoon and Taeyang, they needed more time to build up the character's relationships together. I know that some may disagree with this, but I felt like their relationship was rather on the insta-love/meet-cute side, where they really quickly got together (and thereby this left a lot of room for lots of drama). Other sports dramas, especially in the cdrama side often show the two leads getting to know each other first, taking the time to support each other, going through hardships, before starting to date one another. Without showing a progression of the strengthening of their relationship (and most importantly how they mature through their conflicts, instead of simply suppressing them, ruminating on their guilt/anger, etc.), this drama makes it hard to convey to the audience why going through all of this pain is worthwhile. Once they actually developed the characters as their individual selves, I think it would have helped a lot in making some of their other relationships (whether enemies, siblings, or family) to come in a lot more organically.

Can anyone provide some insight or a mini-review into the romance for this one (i.e. what the dynamic is like, how is the chemistry?) I've read so many different comments below on things such as red flags/problematic behaviour, and just wanted to hear both the strengths and the limits of the relationship depicted in this drama!