Finished the drama. Contemplating whether I should rate it 10/10 as its almost flawless in term of everything. I almost never rate a drama full 10/10 so this is a huge compliment.
The mystery is solidly written with great pacing. Very intelligently constructed with many details and clues. The best part of the drama is that its playing the ‘fair game’ of a good written mystery story as what the police know is what we know too so no suprises that only they know. So we are actively solving the case together with them. So many clues are scattered since the beginning of the drama. Its mind blowingly subtle but everything made sense at the end. And no false narrative to misled us so what you see are all clues that contributed to the end revelations including all the snippets from the novel. The story also depends on showing instead of telling since it trust the audiences’ ability to grasp the complex story and narrative.
Another excellent part of the writing is that halfway through the drama, you basically can figure out what happened already. However, the fact that the plot twists are still very surprising and unexpected and still making sense — ALL at the same time made the writing truly memorable and excellent. I found a few inconsistencies in the story and thought it is a mistake but no, its actually clues. There is one character that suddenly made an appearance near the end, and no, it isnt really a ‘new’ character as his presence has always been there and serve as a ‘ghost’ entity that being discussed and brought up subtlety since the beginning.
And the acting truly made the show. They might not explicitly tell us some things but focus on the expressions of the actors that basically tell us the real truth. You just have to be extra attentive to catch all of this nuances.
In conclusion, its a brilliant drama through and through with great writing, directing and acting. Literally no plot holes or inconsistencies in the script. A strongly written drama with excellent pacing till the end. RJL’s script selection are always amazing but this probably one of his very best.
Just want to point out that the clues are actually in the opening intro all along. Ayanga title song is actually from the mastermind’s POV. Also, the intro show 3 chairs change form — from wood chair to gaming chair to police chair. So we know all along who is this refers to. 🥳
Another great episodes. Im grateful that they dedicated such a beautiful farewell to a great character. They gave us the audiences and the characters time to mourn for Li Cheng’s shifu properly. 😢
I just want to say again on how amazing is the writing. The moment the police come to arrest Zhang and he said he has been playing card all night, I knew right away that the murderer is Sun Qiang. Why? Because its already being revealed since the first episode how he followed Han Pinmu in a motorcycle when he goes to see Xiaofei that night. That is why Song Laifu managed to find Xiaofei and killed him later. And with Song Laifu being dead, Sun Qiang is the only possible suspect left. However, the police didnt know this yet thats why they took time to connect it until it being revealed the murderer is left handed and Li Cheng remembers that Sun Qiang is also left handed. And the most obvious clue is that he suddenly got money to open the internet cafe.
Still, despite they did show all these subtle clues to us and set the stage since the beginning, they still delivered a great plot twist on how Sun Qiang is actually playing a double agent to Han Pinmu and Zhang. Im really interested to see how this will play out later.
I have so much to say as well regarding Zhang’s family dynamics but iQIYI just dropped the 5 express episodes so Im off to watch it now. Totally brutal! 2 months work only being reduced to 5 days. 😞 I really hate how fast paced is the airing schedule. This kind of dramas supposed to be devoured slowly. Thats the fun part of it.
The moment Li Cheng’s shifu goes out from his car to ride the taxi, I already say NOOOOOOOOOO. We all know whats coming. But this is too soon. He is my favourite character. No more his warm smiles. Li Cheng surely lose part of his heart as well. 💔
And the revelation on the 3rd suspect is indeed awesome. I like how he is one of the two suspects I predicted but the revelation still got me with how much he smiles while doing the crime smh
I didnt read the novel or watch the previews but I think Han Pinmu is dying— probably from cancer as he is eating what I believe is painkillers. And before his impending death, he is bringing everyone down with him thats why he start this Abyss game by sending the novel to the fake Song Laifu and the police. Its definitely a revenge quest for him.
I also want to comment on the Infernal Affairs movie that Han Pinmu keeps watching since the first episode. I kept wondering whats the storyline got to do with him or the crimes but now I get it. Appreciate that the writer told us the reasons or I wouldn’t have guessed it myself.
The writing has been awesome and I really love the guessing games since the writing asked us to solve the mystery together with the police. Its not the case where there is one brilliant character who knew it all but what the police know is also what the audiences know too. We actively trying to piece the puzzles together with them.
My current theory after 7 episodes is that the 2 adult murderers are rotating their victims with the young kids. So Xin Jinran’s son could be one of the victims together with Han Pinmu, Bi Dehua, and Mooncake kid. So 4 rotating victims who are forced to commit crimes with them. It made complete sense that way thats why the stone has Bi Dehua’s blood, the Mooncake kid got his skin in the victim’s nail and Xin Jinran’s son cry uncontrollably outside the police station with the missing condoms.
It made the whole thing much sinister as they enjoyed watching others raping and killing the victims. I really want to know why they stopped and why. And we all know Han Pinmu is the big mastermind but why? I think there will be a lot of plot twists later that keeps betraying our theories so I couldn’t wait. 🙂
Solid writing so far. Finished 5 episodes in one sitting! 🤣 I cant believe it either but the story is engaging as hell. And the mystery will hook you up. They didnt lie with the drama title; Abyss since thats what I feel regarding the whole murder mystery atm.
I thought the directing and acting is particularly amazing. I literally can feel Chen Chunli’s pain when she testified on her hospital bed. Then the funeral scene and the mother crying with no sound, that is a hard watch.
Anyway, lovely main characters. They are so interesting with their own mysteries. The main casts have amazing chemistry so watching them interact are just enjoyable. And I enjoy the humour, appreciation that the story made me laugh despite it’s dark subjects.
Li Cheng definitely prepared and has his own motive to be involved with the case. I mean he has a board full of information even before he knew about the case. And him being emotional regarding Be Dahua is definitely a big clue about their relationship.
So far, its obvious that the Mooncake kid is the one who wrote the novel — him writing himself as a victim is the obvious clue. Then we see how Song stabbed the kid and they found his blood matched with the skin under one of the victim’s nail 8 years ago. I wonder why he got involved with the rape and murders in the first place at such a young age.
The biggest mystery right now is how Han Pinmu is related to all of this. And if Xin Jiran’s son actually involved as well considering how he cried outside of the police station.
Amazing review as always. ❤️ You highlighted what made the drama so well written and special. Definitely one…
Thank you as always for dropping by and comment. And also thank you for the gift token for the review. 🤗❤️
And yes, the drama indeed did very well with very little promotion. This is Ren Jialun’s last XianXia dramas so I’m happy that he ended it with a bang.
Such a great review! I noticed all your reviews for Ren Jialun's dramas are not to attract new viewer to watch…
Thank you! 🩷
Yes you are right, his dramas are usually have a lot of details and layers so I like deciphering them. These layers are usully not very noticible, show instead of tell, obvious usually on a second rewatch so some viewers might missed them so I like highlighting them so more people can appreciate how rich is the scripts his dramas tend to have.
I love how you notice this. So thank you for dropping by with your wonderful comment.
You are right! They both cooked questionable foods to each other. 🤣Regarding the shoes, isnt it not encourage…
Yes you are right. Esp in Chinese culture, its not encouraged to give your loved ones shoes. But I think its purposely done by the writer to subvert the message like she did in many parts of the drama that despite that gifts, our couples ended up together anyway thus not to believe in ‘superstition belief’.
Other examples of subvert troupes she did is by making A’Sheng the way she is. This kind of personality usually are for ML in Cdramas but here the gender is reversed.
Or the miscommunication troupes in most XianXia dramas another subvert troupe done by the writer since our couple solves everything by communicating openly and hearing explainations despite their own secrets are pretty damning.
Also the commentary on the 9th September Heavenly Talents which is one of the main mystery in the drama — to show on not to believe in divination since everyone, regardless of their birthdate can be heroes.
Rewatching this drama again for the past day and I just want to say I love our main couple. 🤗
The romance is truly a bonus for this drama. Lu QianQiao and Xin Mei has one of the healtiest relationship between husband & wife in XianXia dramas. They discussed everything together and understand each other on fundamental level. Lu QianQiao is right when he said he is so lucky to meet Xin Mei. She understand him, share the same sentiment with him regarding immortality and wasnt prejudice towards his origin. Her gentleness and sincerity made him fall in love for the first time in his life.
The highlight of their relationship is through mutual understanding. They are mature, have good communication and always discuss when they are faced with conflicts — in a nutshell, they behave like what their age supposed to be which are 200 years old and 70 years old respectively — a couple with very high EQ. So no unnessarily angst or misunderstandings, noble idiocy or petty games between them. And we know how Lu QianQiao got game and know how to flirt when he used his wife’s lipstick to draw the sun in his painting. 😆
Lu QianQiao and Xin Mei literally like a mirror/reflection of each other. Like they both started their relationship with their own ulterior motives. Or how the marriage bond saved Mei couple of times when she’s on the verge of death and not only him. Also the part where both went and beyond to help people in need where him against his bloody nature as a War Demon and while her breaking rules to do that at the cause of her cultivation. Also how they both experience ‘memory erasing’ spell since that is Lu QianQiao’s response to trauma. Apart from that, they both cook questionable foods for each other (lol), gifted each other with clothes and shoes (the emphasis on the shoes is kind of funny) and seek revenge for each other when other people wronged them. Their relationship reflect the Chinese title of the drama which is ‘ A Perfect Match Made in Heaven’.
Not bad. As expected of the tough douban crowd. 😆 Its on the higher end since most XianXia usually fall in lower 5 to lower 6 range. Perhaps it will increase later like Demon Hunter’s Romance from opening score of 7.3 to 7.6 later.
Nice Nice 👏🏽👌You gave a golden review of the drama Well written and with a very great understanding depth…
Thank you! 🤗 It made me happy to read that.
Ren Jialun play this role to perfection. The emotional weight he gave the character speaks thousand of words. And I love how he potrayed that emptiness and suffering of Lu QianQiao through ‘silent’ instead of dramatic expressions. It made the whole potrayal more heartbreaking and sting somehow. 😢
K-Drama 
2 
4 
1 
1 
1 
2 
1 
1 
2 
1 
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5 
Sometimes its very obvious which dramas platform want to promote and which dramas they didnt make any efforts at all.
The mystery is solidly written with great pacing. Very intelligently constructed with many details and clues. The best part of the drama is that its playing the ‘fair game’ of a good written mystery story as what the police know is what we know too so no suprises that only they know. So we are actively solving the case together with them. So many clues are scattered since the beginning of the drama. Its mind blowingly subtle but everything made sense at the end. And no false narrative to misled us so what you see are all clues that contributed to the end revelations including all the snippets from the novel. The story also depends on showing instead of telling since it trust the audiences’ ability to grasp the complex story and narrative.
Another excellent part of the writing is that halfway through the drama, you basically can figure out what happened already. However, the fact that the plot twists are still very surprising and unexpected and still making sense — ALL at the same time made the writing truly memorable and excellent. I found a few inconsistencies in the story and thought it is a mistake but no, its actually clues. There is one character that suddenly made an appearance near the end, and no, it isnt really a ‘new’ character as his presence has always been there and serve as a ‘ghost’ entity that being discussed and brought up subtlety since the beginning.
And the acting truly made the show. They might not explicitly tell us some things but focus on the expressions of the actors that basically tell us the real truth. You just have to be extra attentive to catch all of this nuances.
In conclusion, its a brilliant drama through and through with great writing, directing and acting. Literally no plot holes or inconsistencies in the script. A strongly written drama with excellent pacing till the end. RJL’s script selection are always amazing but this probably one of his very best.
2. Gaming chair - Han Pinmu’s gaming chair at his internet cafe.
3. Police chair - Which I believe Han Pinmu will sit on later once he got caught.
Another great episodes. Im grateful that they dedicated such a beautiful farewell to a great character. They gave us the audiences and the characters time to mourn for Li Cheng’s shifu properly. 😢
I just want to say again on how amazing is the writing. The moment the police come to arrest Zhang and he said he has been playing card all night, I knew right away that the murderer is Sun Qiang. Why? Because its already being revealed since the first episode how he followed Han Pinmu in a motorcycle when he goes to see Xiaofei that night. That is why Song Laifu managed to find Xiaofei and killed him later. And with Song Laifu being dead, Sun Qiang is the only possible suspect left. However, the police didnt know this yet thats why they took time to connect it until it being revealed the murderer is left handed and Li Cheng remembers that Sun Qiang is also left handed. And the most obvious clue is that he suddenly got money to open the internet cafe.
Still, despite they did show all these subtle clues to us and set the stage since the beginning, they still delivered a great plot twist on how Sun Qiang is actually playing a double agent to Han Pinmu and Zhang. Im really interested to see how this will play out later.
I have so much to say as well regarding Zhang’s family dynamics but iQIYI just dropped the 5 express episodes so Im off to watch it now. Totally brutal! 2 months work only being reduced to 5 days. 😞 I really hate how fast paced is the airing schedule. This kind of dramas supposed to be devoured slowly. Thats the fun part of it.
The moment Li Cheng’s shifu goes out from his car to ride the taxi, I already say NOOOOOOOOOO. We all know whats coming. But this is too soon. He is my favourite character. No more his warm smiles. Li Cheng surely lose part of his heart as well. 💔
And the revelation on the 3rd suspect is indeed awesome. I like how he is one of the two suspects I predicted but the revelation still got me with how much he smiles while doing the crime smh
I didnt read the novel or watch the previews but I think Han Pinmu is dying— probably from cancer as he is eating what I believe is painkillers. And before his impending death, he is bringing everyone down with him thats why he start this Abyss game by sending the novel to the fake Song Laifu and the police. Its definitely a revenge quest for him.
I also want to comment on the Infernal Affairs movie that Han Pinmu keeps watching since the first episode. I kept wondering whats the storyline got to do with him or the crimes but now I get it. Appreciate that the writer told us the reasons or I wouldn’t have guessed it myself.
The writing has been awesome and I really love the guessing games since the writing asked us to solve the mystery together with the police. Its not the case where there is one brilliant character who knew it all but what the police know is also what the audiences know too. We actively trying to piece the puzzles together with them.
My current theory after 7 episodes is that the 2 adult murderers are rotating their victims with the young kids. So Xin Jinran’s son could be one of the victims together with Han Pinmu, Bi Dehua, and Mooncake kid. So 4 rotating victims who are forced to commit crimes with them. It made complete sense that way thats why the stone has Bi Dehua’s blood, the Mooncake kid got his skin in the victim’s nail and Xin Jinran’s son cry uncontrollably outside the police station with the missing condoms.
It made the whole thing much sinister as they enjoyed watching others raping and killing the victims. I really want to know why they stopped and why. And we all know Han Pinmu is the big mastermind but why? I think there will be a lot of plot twists later that keeps betraying our theories so I couldn’t wait. 🙂
I thought the directing and acting is particularly amazing. I literally can feel Chen Chunli’s pain when she testified on her hospital bed. Then the funeral scene and the mother crying with no sound, that is a hard watch.
Anyway, lovely main characters. They are so interesting with their own mysteries. The main casts have amazing chemistry so watching them interact are just enjoyable. And I enjoy the humour, appreciation that the story made me laugh despite it’s dark subjects.
Li Cheng definitely prepared and has his own motive to be involved with the case. I mean he has a board full of information even before he knew about the case. And him being emotional regarding Be Dahua is definitely a big clue about their relationship.
So far, its obvious that the Mooncake kid is the one who wrote the novel — him writing himself as a victim is the obvious clue. Then we see how Song stabbed the kid and they found his blood matched with the skin under one of the victim’s nail 8 years ago. I wonder why he got involved with the rape and murders in the first place at such a young age.
The biggest mystery right now is how Han Pinmu is related to all of this. And if Xin Jiran’s son actually involved as well considering how he cried outside of the police station.
And thank you for the gift token. 🌸
And yes, the drama indeed did very well with very little promotion. This is Ren Jialun’s last XianXia dramas so I’m happy that he ended it with a bang.
Yes you are right, his dramas are usually have a lot of details and layers so I like deciphering them. These layers are usully not very noticible, show instead of tell, obvious usually on a second rewatch so some viewers might missed them so I like highlighting them so more people can appreciate how rich is the scripts his dramas tend to have.
I love how you notice this. So thank you for dropping by with your wonderful comment.
Other examples of subvert troupes she did is by making A’Sheng the way she is. This kind of personality usually are for ML in Cdramas but here the gender is reversed.
Or the miscommunication troupes in most XianXia dramas another subvert troupe done by the writer since our couple solves everything by communicating openly and hearing explainations despite their own secrets are pretty damning.
Also the commentary on the 9th September Heavenly Talents which is one of the main mystery in the drama — to show on not to believe in divination since everyone, regardless of their birthdate can be heroes.
The romance is truly a bonus for this drama. Lu QianQiao and Xin Mei has one of the healtiest relationship between husband & wife in XianXia dramas. They discussed everything together and understand each other on fundamental level. Lu QianQiao is right when he said he is so lucky to meet Xin Mei. She understand him, share the same sentiment with him regarding immortality and wasnt prejudice towards his origin. Her gentleness and sincerity made him fall in love for the first time in his life.
The highlight of their relationship is through mutual understanding. They are mature, have good communication and always discuss when they are faced with conflicts — in a nutshell, they behave like what their age supposed to be which are 200 years old and 70 years old respectively — a couple with very high EQ. So no unnessarily angst or misunderstandings, noble idiocy or petty games between them. And we know how Lu QianQiao got game and know how to flirt when he used his wife’s lipstick to draw the sun in his painting. 😆
Lu QianQiao and Xin Mei literally like a mirror/reflection of each other. Like they both started their relationship with their own ulterior motives. Or how the marriage bond saved Mei couple of times when she’s on the verge of death and not only him. Also the part where both went and beyond to help people in need where him against his bloody nature as a War Demon and while her breaking rules to do that at the cause of her cultivation. Also how they both experience ‘memory erasing’ spell since that is Lu QianQiao’s response to trauma. Apart from that, they both cook questionable foods for each other (lol), gifted each other with clothes and shoes (the emphasis on the shoes is kind of funny) and seek revenge for each other when other people wronged them. Their relationship reflect the Chinese title of the drama which is ‘ A Perfect Match Made in Heaven’.
Ren Jialun play this role to perfection. The emotional weight he gave the character speaks thousand of words. And I love how he potrayed that emptiness and suffering of Lu QianQiao through ‘silent’ instead of dramatic expressions. It made the whole potrayal more heartbreaking and sting somehow. 😢