Reviews

Not worth watching unless you are a massive fan of the leads!

The first few episodes were okay, but the show got really boring after that, so I marathoned through the entire show in half a day just to watch Liu Tao’s part, lol. She was the star of the show, in my opinion! I really loved her character transformation from a pampered, sheltered, naive but kindhearted, not the sharpest tool in the box but well-meaning princess to a neglected and heartbroken woman who walks on eggshells around the man she loves and does everything she can to please him, an empress torn between her home country and her new country, to a hateful and vengeful empress embroiled in harem affairs!! Her villain arc is not well written, but it’s more about the character and the director’s vision.

The show was really long without moving the plot forward for a large part of the show. Most of the characters were one-dimensional, and the show didn’t explore the characters’ intentions and purposes in a way I would have liked. And don’t even get me started on the hypocritical king who got no repercussions from any of his consorts whatsoever. I know the show is about Mi Yue, but I only liked her character until she parted with her first lover. Her character development seemed backward and inconsistent throughout the show. I absolutely loved Sun Li in Empresses in the Palace, but both her characters, Zhen Huan and Mi Yue, seemed like they could be the same person at different timelines. Despite having stellar leads, everything went melodramatic and even caricature-ish two-thirds into the show, though I blame it on the directors, not the actors.

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Can love survive when it’s built on lies? Can obsession ever be pure?

I have very mixed feelings about this drama. I like it for the convoluted plot, forbidden romance and a costume BL from China but at the same time it's watching soap opera to pass as Shakespeare! But I do applaud the effort.

First thing first, if you are here for a cookie cutter romance drama, run the other way around because it is anything but that.
The drama doesn’t try to sugarcoat its plot. It’s messy, complicated and at times very frustrating as hell. It is a dark, twisted descent that leaves you with questions on what is love and how love can be anything but also destructive and beautiful! How isn't it just about warmth, gentle touches but also about unhealthy obsession and power struggle! How passion can heal you but also be destructive to shake kingdoms!

It is a story of Duan Zi Ang, an assassin who falls in love with his childhood friend Xiao Shuhe all while plotting to bring the kingdom's downfall and avenge his parents.
What stands out here isn’t sweetness or innocence. It’s the tension. To be completely honest, I do not sympathise with both the characters but the plot was compelling enough for me to want to see how far they both would go! 
They are trapped not just by duty or bloodline, but by their own desires and regrets. Very early on it is clear, their love story is fragile, intense but also doomed! Every interaction they share is a question.  Are they lovers? Enemies? Pawns of a bigger game? The drama never lets you be sure. Instead, it plays in the gray area where love bleeds into obsession and somehow dedication becomes control. There are moments of tenderness, but they are fleeting and laced with tragedy.

Another thing that I enjoyed was how politics wasn't too overpowering and boring. Somehow I enjoyed the tussle that it brought between personal feelings and political/professional duties! Though the war conflict aspect could have been way better.

Also, I was actually invested in the toxic love story between the Crown Prince and Huo Ying. Almost convinced myself that it was headed somewhere dark and interesting… until it spectacularly crashed. I saw it coming from the synopsis but those two had so much chemistry and you can't just ignore them.

Coming to what I have conflicting feelings about is the overall pacing. While the story before the assassination feels well developed, the second half of it feels a bit dragged. The conflicts were very predictable and somehow monotonous. It was delivered intensely but you could see the trainwreck from afar.

The second glaring issue was the choppy editing. At times, it felt downright confusing, with scenes jumping around so abruptly that making sense of the story became a real challenge. I know it isn't a big production, but I feel this wasn't consistent...few episodes were fine but where there was transition between past and present, that is where the issue was.

The cinematography was pretty and I did like their costumes especially Shuhe's hair accessories. Also, few of the angsty dialogues were really good and hit home.

Acting wise, I found both the actors pretty decent, like they gradually grew on me as the drama progressed. It was hard to get invested with the awkward delivery especially in the first few episodes . However, as the story picked up, so did their acting. Emotions landed more authentically and their interactions started to feel more believable. By the middle and end of the drama, they definitely found their rhythm.

Overall, if you are in the mood for something that messes with your head, leaves you questioning loyalty and makes you root for a love that probably shouldn’t survive… this is exactly what you’ve been looking for. It has its flaws but it is surprisingly enjoyable!

** Fav quotes **
ᡣ𐭩 Between us so much is beyond control. But no matter how chaotic the world gets Shuhe, I am still Duan Zi'ang

ᡣ𐭩 By the end I couldn't tell if I was deceiving him or deceiving myself.

I am going to talk about the ending at the bottom, please do not read/scroll below if you don't want to know.
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The ending ( SPOILERS AHEAD)
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And about the ending… if you were expecting anything even remotely different from what we got, congratulations, you have officially earned the title of my delulu friend because me too. Somehow, I saw it coming, but that doesn’t make it any less of a trauma. Serving such a beautiful episode only to hit us with that tragic ending felt like a cruel joke. Still, I loved Shuhe finally meeting his Gege and clearing out the misunderstanding.

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Suspenseful, But With Characters Who Can’t Decide What Mood They’re In

A solid watch with interesting fantasy and mystery elements, but the miscast lead, inconsistent character development, and a dragged-out ending make it hard to fully recommend.

First Impressions

The opening of this drama was an absolute treat! The serene tea-setting, combined with the calming guqin music, drew me in immediately. It started off with a mysterious vibe, and the tone quickly shifted into something much more lighthearted and, at times, hilarious. It's a bit of a rollercoaster in terms of atmosphere, but in a good way.

Character Dynamics

The central character, Zhang Ping played by Song Weilong, is a detective who's meant to be extremely smart and perceptive, but is written in a way that often comes off as frustrating rather than endearing. His impulsiveness, naivety, and lack of basic common sense felt like they were thrown in as a plot device rather than natural character traits, which really detracted from the story. I think part of the problem lies in the casting. While the actor playing Zhang Ping might have done his best, he simply wasn't the right fit for this immature role.

As for Jing Boran (playing the co-ML Lan Jue ), I had mixed feelings. His character felt off at times, as he seemed to shift from being impulsive and overly emotional to suddenly zen-like and philosophical. There were moments when he was either dumbstruck or acting like a drama queen, and it felt out of place given the tone of the show. These inconsistencies made his character hard to connect with, and the lack of a clear arc or emotional depth didn't help his case. While I didn’t dislike his performance, I found it hard to fully embrace his character because of these strange shifts.

On the other hand, Wang Duo was fantastic as the revenge-driven antagonist Gu Qingzhang. He truly brought his character to life and added layers of complexity and emotion that made him one of the standout performances in the drama. Unfortunately he appeared quite late in the drama.

Plot & Themes
The fantasy and mystery elements were interesting, with some exciting plot twists along the way. There were, however, moments that required a suspension of disbelief—like when a group of scholars suddenly turned into an aggressive mob. These moments were a bit jarring but didn’t derail the story entirely. The suspense around the Lan Jue and later Gu Qingzhang kept me on edge, constantly questioning if he was evil, misunderstood, or simply wronged.

The Drama's Flaws

Towards the end, the drama leans heavily into war propaganda, which felt off considering the rest of the narrative.

The drama’s conclusion could’ve been satisfying, but it dragged unnecessarily. Episode 26 provided a fairly strong ending, but then the show tacked on three additional episodes, trying to wrap things up in a “righteous” way that just felt prolonged and a bit forced. It became obvious who would live and who would die, and the attempts to add more twists started to feel illogical. There’s even a McGyver-esque solution to save the day, which stretched my suspension of disbelief to its breaking point.

The Disappointing End
The final episodes did a disservice to characters like Zhang Ping's mother and Lan Jue's father, as there was no justice for their storylines.

Final Thoughts
Overall, this drama is a bit of a mixed bag. It has a compelling mystery, unique fantasy elements, and some strong performances (especially from Wang Duo). However, the frustrating portrayal of Zhang Ping, the inconsistent character development of Lan Jue and a dragged-out ending that strained credibility really held it back. I would recommend this to fans of mystery and fantasy, but be prepared for some characters and plot points that may leave you scratching your head.

#CognitiveExplorer
#JusticeSeeker

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My beautiful general wife

I really enjoyed the series, it was fun and I got to see some cute reverse tropes (in the case of the general being all sweetly bossy to a helpless pretty boy) there were also some good villains that made me hate seeing them on camera. They pissed me off so hard. Some characters were developed nicely but at times that same development seemed a bit hasty.
While I loved the series and how it ended, I didn't cry a lot which is just my own personal metric for dramas. (if I cry at some point during the drama then that means that the drama touched me that deeply).
The soundtrack was really nice and the main theme and song were great.

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I found Haesu stupid, she did not act like a modern women, her falling in love with Wook was understandable but I hated Wook for it, like how can he fall in love with his sick wife's cousin, after he started plotting I wanted him to die really bad. I really liked So but I hated that he changed after becoming king most probably because of his trauma, but he shouldn't have listened and married Haesu, even he changed like Wook, he thought if he closed his eyes then Haesu will be better.
I almost cried when Eun and his wife were killed, I had really liked them from the start. But I did not understand why Woo hee had to die, I really wanted her to end up with baekha, he lost both his loves.
I really like Jung as a lover, I thought he would jeopardize Haesu and So's relationship but he did no such thing and respected Haesu, so like God's gift Haesu died in his arms and his wife and he raised Haesu's daughter. He was a perfect lover unlike So and Wook who thought about forcing their love on her.

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Oh my god, MY HEART (burger)

WHAT IN THE WORLD DID THEY PUT IN THIS I’LL TAKE 600 MORE

Acting:

SO GOOD what the hell. Everyone was PERFECT for their role this was WILD. They were all so goood. Maybe I’m just on a high after binging this but I was BLOWN AWAY from start to finish. There were little to no scenes where I questioned the acting, it was just so impressive. I loved everyone in this damn show. Just BRAVO.

Writing:

AHHHH this was such a good story from start to finish. I’m a SUCKER for a mostly fluffy final episode which is rare in dramas and they DELIVERED me my MEAL. I was so absolutely happy with this. The only thing that was iffy was the Lilly’s death scene, it felt a bit rushed and underdone but EVERYTHING else was SOOOO goood.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

The chemistry was INSANE. I loved it sooo much. Kant and Bison had a bit more natural chemistry overall, but Style and Fedal had me LOSING MY MIND at times. This was SUCH a good romance story, I loooved it through and through. The kissing was plentiful which I appreciate SO MUCH. So many dramas seem to want to treat kisses as a rare plot device so when I see it so naturally given and received regularly I am blown away because like that’s real as heck.

NC Scenes:

God damn, ya’ll. That first one night stand scene between Kant and Bison was INSANE so good ya’ll really went for that shit. The different positions and moans had my jaw on the FLOOR, brother. Wish we could have seen more from Fadel and Style, but there may have been boundaries and whatnot from the actors, so it’s understandable. Some of their kisses felt a bit off too, but not horrendously so.

Music/SFX:

Music was alright overall. I loved the bowling alley choices. The poppy love songs were a bit offputting, but like it is still a drama so… I think they could have done a bit better with it in my opinion. SFX were solid with the kissing sounds and gunshots and whatnot.

Production/Cinematography:

The production was AMAZING. I loved the shooting locations and the quality of every shot they took. The cinematography was also sooooo goood. The color choices and lighting really set the mood for the scenes.

“Side Couple”

Not really a side couple because they were equal, but I just have to point out how much I ADORED Fadel and Style. I LOVED THEM SO MUCH OH MY GOD. This story wouldn’t be the same without them they were so amazing I loved them ahhhhhhhh no words, just emotions and those are filled with joy.

THIS WAS EVERYTHING I WANT IN A DRAMA. I feel bad for the show I watch next because this brought me so much glee and happiness. I am content. :) Should be a 9-9.5 BUT BEST BELIEVE YOU ARE GETTING THAT 10 BABYYY.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Original Creator: William Shakespeare is so silly, but credit where credit is due ig lmao
- Looking for a hookup at the local bowling alley is a choice
- WAIT I love them
- The visuals coming from this Dunk fella are INSANE
- SHAMELESS, this one
- AHH dancing at the bowling alley eeeeeeee
- Can’t blame ya, Fadel. Not one bit
- Boy is shaammeelesssss 10/10
- AYOO not the nipple play in the middle of your tattoo parlor
- LMAO they got Grumpy to hump a stage
- Awwe a tragic gay backstory for our grumpy gills
- He really just fucked that man and then punched/kneed him in the stomach right after damn
- The level of shamelessness in which this guy lives his life is both enviable and worrisome
- This shit stressing me out fr
- I get it, poets could write entire books about those lips, composers could create symphonies about them, painters could paint timeless collections about them
- This is STRESSING me OUTTT
- THERE ARE CAMERAS AHHHHHHHHHH
- WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’m not even halfway through the story?????
- TALK TO THEM TELL THEM EVERYTHING PLEASE IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS GOOD AND GAY
- *Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end*
- So precious, my little rockstars
- *Well, we know I'm going away. And how I wish, I wish it weren't so. So, take this wine and drink with me. And let's delay our misery*
- FUCKKKKKKKK
- GRUMPY BABY IS CRYING NOOOO
- *Hopelessly devoted to yooooooou*
- How dare you try to hurt my boys via romantic gay wedding
- Girly been nasty since day -5
- YAAASSS get the boys TOGETHERRRRR LET’s GOOOOOOOOOO
- “Your life means as much to me as mine” CUTE
- YAASSSSS Style, My KING
- Style always got them right lines to say what a love
- I meeeean… bribery is not much against murder but okay
- *One more dawn. One more day. One day more*
- *Oh well, in five years time we could be walking round a zoo. With the sun shining down over. me and you. And there'll be love in the bodies of the elephants, too. I'll put my hand over your eyes but you'll peek through*
- *This is the first day of my life. I'm glad I didn't die before I met you*
- Five years is so much and nothing at the same time
- Making out at the planetarium so preciousss
- Baby and his burger joint and his baby
- *But, papa I’m in love with a criminal*
- YESSS GIVE EACHOTHER TATTOOOOOS
- Straight to prison, then interesting okay, let me accept that
- They’re imprisoned together??????????? Okay, let me accept that
- YAY kitchen duuuttyyyyy
- BABY DONNA DO ART WITH BABY????
- BABY GONNA FIX CARS WITH BABY????
- YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAA
- I AM LOSING IT STANDING OVATIONNNNNNNNN
- Awe he wants to buy the restaraunt doesn’t heeeeeee my babyyyyy
- This is so soothing to my sooouuulllll
- Oh my god, MY HEEEARRRTTT (burger)
- I’m gonna EXPLODE from the PRECIOUSNESSSSSSS
- Ope…
- Uhhhhh… That can’t be good
- Only 30 minutes left let’s wrap this up so we can be haaaaaaaaaaappppppppppyyyyy
- Iceeelanddddddicccc roadtriiiiiiiiipp
- Kissing under the northern lighhhtsss my preciousssssss
- MARAIGEEEEEEEE
- EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

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everything for love ???

First off, I really loved it. The story had the potential to be absolutely amazing, but considering China’s budget and production limits, what they delivered was still impressive. The show starts off a bit slow, but it picks up and gets really engaging, so don’t skip the first few episodes! 🤲🏽

If you’re into dark romance, this is definitely for you [and even I, who usually don’t go for it, ended up loving it 😭].

I can’t stop feeling for Zi ang.
all his efforts— everything he sacrificed for shuo he because of love.
He killed his own father to become king, just to make sure shuo he would never face opposition or harm. Even knowing shuo he would hate him, he killed his brother to keep him safe. When he ignored his letters and returned the dagger, he invaded his country, captured him, and brought him to his own land so he wouldn’t be alone. He built a mansion like his own in Nanhui just for him. He chained him so he couldn’t escape. Even with the entire court against him, he stood up to protect him. He even protected him from his own people. And the result?

From shuo he perspective, it’s heartbreaking. Guilt haunted him every single day for five years. he blamed himself for his brother’s death. She hated himself for still loving zi ang, the man who attacked his country, killed his brother, and caused so many deaths. Yet at the same time, he resented him. He had captured him, humiliated him as king of a ruined kingdom, and her own weakness left his feeling pain, anger, and grief.

“-Why did you save me?
+Should I have let you die in front of me?
-Now that you saved me… what? You captured me! What am I to you—a boy toy?”

My heart breaks for him here. shuo he never wanted the throne; he loved art, music, and wine. And suddenly, he was forced from princess to king, because of zi ang. he always thought he should have died that night. In the end, he chose to end his life to free himself from the guilt and burden he carried, and even lied about his death to zi ang, as a way to make up for all the suffering he endured.

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The middle part is the best part

==Breakdown==
Background plot - 45%
Romance - 35%
Misc comedy - 20%

Background plot -Good
Romantic chemistry - Good/Sweet
Misc comedy - Good
Production value - Good

This was a good drama and worth watching. Definitely on the sweeter side. No substantive complaints. My favorite character was the second male lead; he seemed the most realistic and had the best lines.

A few quibbles:
1. The FL had better romantic chemistry with the male actor when he was possessed by the ghost, which was odd. to realize and watch.
2. The spirit sister was THE WORST and I was left unsatisfied with her ending.
3. The ending dragged and then was suddenly rushed with no resolution regarding what happened with the ML's family. It's strange to me that none of his family stuff was at all addressed or resolved.
4. As I mentioned, it just sorta ends, leaving no time for us to know how the main characters lived their lives.

Overall, not perfect, but definitely enjoyable and worth the time spent watching it.

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I had this on my planned to watch way to long and kept pushing it away..

I was scared before starting this series. It looked low budget, boring and I was afraid the story was nothing for me, turns out, it's pretty much the opposite. When starting this series, I did dislike the designs of the penguins but after letting that go the series was amazinggg. It wasn't low budget, I do wished they had made the school a bit more mysterious but it was enough. It wasn't boring at all! It was pretty obvious what the story was about and I never got confused either.

I personally didn't expect this but I'm really happy I watched this in the end! I especially suggest this BL if you're just getting into BL, it's not complicated, it's cute and a slight bit of angst.

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Painfully beautiful

"Twelve Letters" is the drama that shows the heartbreaking beauty in storytelling, and about once every year, the Chinese outdo themselves in storytelling ability and visuals. The absolute grittiness that Zhou Yi Ran and Wang Ying Lu bring to their characters and circumstances shows a master class in acting, especially with Zhou Yi Ran. He transfers rage without moving a muscle, only using his eyes and stillness to convey the emotional toll and unfairness of his life. Wang Ying Lu does a good job of showing the frustration of circumstances that label her as the crazy one and her father the saint. Honestly, by the time I was watching the 12th episode, I called her paternal sperm donor everything but his character's name, so kudos to the actor's portrayal of a character beyond redemption but believable in every way.
The only reason I rated this drama a 9.5 was because of rewatch value. The actors, the stunning photography, and the side characters translated into cinema perfection. The storyline was gritty and emotionally draining, and I can't bring myself to emotionally ride the roller coaster again; at least, not this soon.

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Drama with potential but execution is all

It started good and really interesting . I liked the leads relationship who fell in love slowly buy deeply, the plot with demons and demons slayers had potential and I was excited about the angst between the two of them considering their true identities. The outfit and cinematography were really striking.
The leads performance were good, they played the role the best way it could've been. Considering I had my bias against the male actor, this drama kinda changed my mind about him.

So considering all those elements I thought I watching a gem. But alas, it went downhill towards the middle, I thought it would get better after the leads get married but I was already disconnected from the drama.

My main issue was the fact that supporting characters took too much place in the plot, I'm not even talking about the SML he wasn't that infuriating actually. However Mei Si for example, I wondered in the middle of the story if I saw him more than the actual ML. Those little side stories weren't that boring, it just felt I was watching a drama within a drama and this disconnection from the main plot was annoying for me.

The disproportionate time screen between Wu Zhen and Mei Zhu Yu was an issue too : in the beginning it was normal to concentrate more on the FL to extend the lore and thicken the plot but at some point I wanted to see more about the ML and the lore of the demon slayer. They tried to do it but this attempt was not well executed imo.

Last issue was the pacing and it cost me to say it because I praised the pace at first but at some point it became too slow, they kept pushing the supporting characters in the screen instead of developing first the leads relationship. I won't lie, I kept moving forward and skipped scenes at some point toward the end.

The idea of this drama was a good one and I truly believe it but the execution is lacking in my humble opinion. The rushed end is the striking exemple that proves my opinion : good ideas, poor execution.

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A Completed Goal That Lead To Romance! One Of The Best BL Of 2025!

(I was told to copy and paste my review here since I posted in the comment section here. Thanks to commentator for pointing it out lol)

Alright so here is my final review. This series is hands down one of the BEST BL I've seen in a long time. One of the best BL of 2025!!! This is easily one of my top favorite BL overall. I am adding this one to my favorite BL series!!! I should have started this sooner and now I can't get over it! I am obsessed with this show!!! I can understand the hype of this show now! I will say this. It may be the BEST BL for me this year. Some of the other ones I am watching currently doesn't really give me the feeling like I have for this series! What have this show done to me!!??

First thing first, I am glad that Chai Ji Dan choose to remake this BL telling the whole story without cutting out all the "explict" and men's kissing scenes! It doesn't feel complete without it honestly. Counterattack (the old version) was good and also funny, but this version is 10x better, 10x funnier, and the chemistry is top notch! I remember years ago, I was so devastated that they didn't continue Counterattack and left at a cliff hanger. I was so heart-broken then, but now I am healed from all those years of the cliff hangers. I got to see the entire story now! I am so happy and so emotional because I always wanted to see a completed Chinese BL that wasn't censored or anything like that. "Addicted" hurted me a lot cuz the story was cut in half and it was a Chinese BL I was so into back then too. At least this show gave me the satisfaction! Literally! I'm so happy that I am about to cry now! If Chinese BL were not censored, they would easily beat a lot of the BL from other countries.

There's some issue and toxicity on this show, but honestly, it adds to the story lol. I usually don't care for the 2nd couple, but this show got me wanting the happy ending for both the main couple and side couple. All of the casts were eye-candy af and they were all really good actors overall. Tian Xu Ning as Chi Cheng is literally his role. The emotions he conveys throughout the show as Chi Cheng was one of the big factor on making this show really great I feel. I love all the actors equally honestly though. I'm sure at this point the actors gain lots of popularity and they truly deserve it because they did really good in this show! I really wish them the best and they quite fearless to still act in a BL honestly. I pray the best for all of the actors and crew behind this incredible show!

The story and pacing was on point. Never did I felt like the story seems dry or boring at any point. This show had good amount of the sexiness, the sexual tensions, and the build-ups. It also have equal amount of comedy scenes, lovey-dovey scenes, heart-warming scenes, and scenes that moves the entire story really well. The ending was perfect on it's own because all the characters re-united for one last time. All I wanted was a happy ending and I got that too lol. Now that I finished the show, the OST is growing onto me too. It's gonna take me awhile to get over this show now 😞.

If they have a boxset or some kind of official merchandise, I am literally supporting them. Take my money!!! Lol

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Guilty Pleasure for sure!!

"Passionate Love" is not that very much of a fitting title. But the mainleads very natural chemistry is instant and clear and i was surprised to find that these are the same actors that co-starred in the very tragic "Love & Bid Farewell". I remember how awed i was by their chemistry despite him being the second male lead in that one. There is something very earnest in Ming Chen`s acting, he is not only beautiful looking but he is raw talent on-screen and the way he gazes at his heroine, the very stubborn and tough Wen Yu portrayed by the very talented actress Xuan Lin. They are a magnetic force together and i definitely want to see more of their projects together. Until now they have co-starred in four dramas together, they seem to be close in real life as well, hmm.

If you find hard-core angsty, action packed and intense romance set in the Republic of China, add in revenge and hatred mixed with loving. This one is perfect for you. Its a classic in the genre.

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I tried but just could not

So it started good...had potential, poor intelligent boy with a chirpy happy go lucky go girl. Seemed like a safe enough story, but then it went all down.
I really tried to overlook the almost stalker tendency of the FL who went so crazy for a boy she met one summer at the age of 4-5! That's kinda creepy...but i was still willing to give this a shot.
The story just is not as engaging, you feel pity, anger, frustration...all for the wrong reasons.
I dropped this drama, just could not make myself even fast forward watch this.
Maybe this story is for some people for me it did not work.

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