John Smith

Tao Jun Hui and Qin Shi are too similar to be together. Tao Jun Hui may come across as perfect (especially to his mother), but not perfect for Qin Shi. I do not think Qin Shi and Yang Hua are a case of opposites attract, but instead they compliment each other. I am sure we will see Yang Hua have more moments to shine.

The fact that both leads were mature (even nice, respectful, and caring) with each other from the very beginning was a nice change to what we normally get.
I think the fact it is not a romantic comedy (as it relates to the usual Chinese rom-coms) means they can pick and choose elements they want to add to develop the story in a more realistic way. I do not mind Yang Hua's character as long as he continues to blossom. He saw his former employer at work, and his ex is in the cast for future episodes, so hopefully we will see more of his story too.

I have said this many times on this site, that there is a relationship between the viewer and drama if you really love watching dramas. You invest your time and emotions hoping to be rewarded. It is hard to be objective when you feel strongly for a drama. So when others make negative comments, some can tend to take it personally, and can sometimes respond personally. It is like someone talking negative about a family member, significant other, or friend. An attack on them is tantamount to an attack on you. Real or perceived, justified or not, sometimes you say or type things that you might not normally. Then you mix in reasonably critical comments with rose-colored ones, and sprinkle in purely hateful ones, chaos can ensue in various discussions.

I think this drama so far is good, but pretty safe. The only wow thing so far is Yang Mi. Her look, style, and character portrayal is great. I prefer somewhat safe dramas that do not try to dazzle the viewer with silly setups that do not hook, wild tropes that are out of place, and rinse and repeat behavior that saves everything until the last half of the last episode to blossom and payoff. Of course, there is a fine line between safe and boring just like there is a fine line between "let's try something dynamic and different" and "let's mix random tropes up and dial them to 11 and see what happens." There is plenty of story left to be told, so it is quite possible that it could turn out to be a really good drama, or fizzle out and just be left with what could have been.

It is a drama, so there has to be some suspension of disbelief. I do think that the story setup was a bit incredulous, but I am not sure there is a believable way to set up the story. I give the writers some props for actually giving the weaker party (ML) a position of strength and the willingness to use it at first before having the tables turned on him. So often contract relationships are doormat characters (usually FL) who have the hammer dropped on them by an unreasonable tyrant (usually ML). At least this drama attempted to let the viewers know that this was not going to be so one-sided.

I do think that the story is far less inflammatory than the words you used.

I do not think the drama is boring, but do think it is safe and mild so far. I think that makes it more enjoyable because it does not have some of the overused tropes. Everyone in the drama is an adult, and the FL is a capable lawyer in a firm of capable lawyers, so I am pleased that even if there is a scheming SFL, she is more petty than insidiously preposterous. The main couple also do not get bogged down in some simple misunderstanding. They can have problems, but they do talk to each other, and do not try to revenge each other like some contract couples (usually rom-coms) might do.

I think the drama is doing a good job at showing his thought process and the gradual changes as he obviously wants to become a real husband to Qin Shi.

I agree that Yang Hua should be kept in a museum. He is the prototype of a character that would not survive the real world. I also feel the drama comes across as safe, which makes it an easy and enjoyable watch.

Baby Zhang? As of 22, negative.

Qin Shi cares about Yang Hua. You do not understand because you think she is happily working with her ex when she is not happy about it. She is not toying with his feelings. Just about everything you figured out about the drama is incorrect.

I am pretty sure we will see him develop too. I hope they can keep spreading the drama between the leads, work, home, family, etc. versus turning the leads into a rom-com couple.

I think stiff or robotic might be trigger words that some users might pounce on to assume that commenters might mean Xu Kai lacks acting ability, but I think he is acting "weird." I would say his acting is more deliberate than anything else, and probably a mix of things like being unsure how to express his character, the writing ,and directing are not enough to make him seem comfortable in his character. I think he plays shades of the same type of character in quite a few of his dramas (cold, aloof, reserved), but when I saw him in Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain he really seemed comfortable with the comedy. Male leads tend to get the shorter end of the stick because they usually are the cold ones while the female leads are the warm ones. It seems like a lot of who he is so far in the drama (episode 18) has to do with events that we do not know too much about. We know his family, but not too much about his past work and relationships. It will be interesting to see how his character develops (and how the drama develops them), and clearly Qin Shi is able to draw him out of his shell (no pun intended).

I consider it a minor victory if a drama does not use the stolen first kiss trope in dramas where everyone is an adult.

I think they spent too much time on the FL's brother and sister-in-law. It was further exacerbated by the fact that he is a whiny and annoying and she is wishy-washy and enabling. I hope it does not mean that their story will take up too much time in the future.

I do not think a certain episode count is the limit for which I can enjoy a drama, but more often than not, 30-40+ episodes fill me with apprehension rather than optimism. I have breezed through 36 episodes, but also struggled to get past one. If the quality is there, the quantity is not a problem for me.

No doubt. Hao Jia was pretty open about just going with what she thought was best for her and her family and recognized that it might not be all roses. I thought the cruelest blow was her mom sending her back because her letters indicated she cared about her daughter's well-being, and should have been the first to sympathize with her situation.

I am a bit surprised by how real and heavy Hao Jia's story is considering the rest of the ladies' stories have been pretty light and somewhat comedic. Not to minimize the other ladies' troubles, but in modern terms, the other ladies might need couple counseling while Hao Jia needs the police and a lawyer.

I agree with you except the dealt part. She chose the Second Prince knowing the possibility of things not working out in her favor. She probably did not know he was a monster, but it really shows how much the ladies (even Fang Ru) care about each other that they would risk their lives to help her.

This drama should be really interesting for you since the FL said that love/romance is fleeting and only lasts so long. Even she cannot resist the pull of it though. It will be interesting to see how her (and his) views change on such topics. Will the main leads be able to maintain that fluttering that has viewers so engaged? Will we still enjoy it if it wanes and a harsher reality awaits? I like the leads, I like the pace, and if a Qin Shi-Li Dai duo can continue to make the legal landscape more interesting, that would be great. Some of the other characters might stop me from giving it full marks, but there is plenty of drama left to be seen.

Did so many people misread Li Dai? She really did nothing wrong, at least if you compare her to her peers. If this drama was not a romance with the main leads (focus of the drama), I would say Li Dai should be the one most aggrieved. I really hope to see Qin Shi and Li Dai work together since I like their chemistry.

It is closer to an 8.2 than a 9.2. The hype was crazy, so perhaps the first few episodes were rated on a high that came down a bit when watching the rest of the episodes so far. I think the same thing happened to The Oath of Love (another hyped drama) where it started high, fell, then found a stable level. This one is much better at the same point, but at the end of the day, dramas are just dramas. You can love the leads, but the story, and the use of tropes need match the level of the leads.

There is some really good storytelling going on with this drama. I think if you started watching and expected the classic Chinese historical romantic comedy, you might be disappointed. But if you enjoy a good story with a slice of life, that feeling will quickly pass. I like the love/life balance of the characters, especially how they pay off the viewers' investment in their individual (and collective) stories. If I were to be critical, I think that the drama so far plays it safe (through 24), but indications are that things will start to get rocky for all involved as they have to fight for the life they want.

I do think that the Prince An (third prince), his wife, and Solar concubines are written so vividly, they could (should) have their own spinoff comedy.

I thought that the purpose of her marriage was not to establish her career, but to raise the ceiling of her ability to advance in the firm. That was what her mentor (the one that left) told her. It does not make much sense, and I would dislike the thought of this being a prevailing attitude in China about women in the workplace. It seems no matter how equal men and women should be, men always seem more equal.