After much hesitation, I dived into this drama. Yes, sort of late but I think it wasn’t too late. Considering how this was last year’s drama, NOT like I waited ten years or more to watch it, lol.
Main Cast:
- Bai Lu (白鹿) as Zheng Shu Yi (鄭書意). A financial reporter. This was the first time I watched her but liked her immediately. She was cute and charming at times yet stubborn and ambitious during others. It was a nice combination, depending on the situation. I liked that she wasn’t a doormat and wasn’t afraid to confront Xu Yu Ling at times. That was why I was frustrated when they forced her to accept Yi Yang’s presence at times. It was off for her character. Sure, she was in her most vulnerable state yet she had rejected him already and made herself known. How could the writers allow him to pester her like that and pretended they were friends or she accepted it later so it was all right? I read comments about her horrible plans with Shan Shan and the ultimate reason for hating her, etc. Well, yes, it sucked for Shi Yan and scroll down, because I gave them a lot of grief too. But it was like they didn’t want to understand where she was coming from. She was hurt after the breakup and was bitter. It was a normal reaction to want revenge and want the other to hurt as well. Was it immature? Yes. Was it senseless? Yes. Was it hurtful to involve some innocent party in that scheme? Also yes. But it wasn’t coming out of nowhere. The more involved she was, the guiltier she felt and wanted to stop. Yet, some part of her didn’t. It was hard to watch at times seeing her struggling and not willing to let go. It was also frustrating to see that she partially wanted to use his connections to get some scoops as well. Yes, that constantly annoyed me with her not knowing when to turn off her brain regarding work. Yet I stopped myself also and realized how if the roles were reversed, the other party would be forgiving because it was work and it was normal to be ambitious about one’s career. So, the annoyance appeared and disappeared for me at times. It depended on the situation. I thought Bai Lu did well in those scenes, not exaggerating her cuteness or trying to hard to appear serious. Her character exuded both professionalism and intelligence when at work, and somewhat ditzy yet cuteness off work. It made sense because we all have our blind spots in some areas.
- Dylan Wang (王鶴棣) as Shi Yan (時宴). CEO of Yun Chang. Despite all my obsession with Hello Saturday in recent months, I haven’t watched any dramas of his. Yes, shocking, this was my very first time watching him. I started watching and ended up being even more interested in him because of how people kept criticizing him for his voice and acted like he was beneath them just because. (Don’t deny it, those were really harsh comments. They were really vain too. It was literally his voice, how could he change it? I meant, sure, through coaching and hardworking, he could try to manipulate it like some actors but to pick on it because it sounds a certain way is weird. At least, I understand him–even without subtitles–and I have hearing problems. Some people just need to reflect on themselves. Yes, off-topic, but had to get it out once and for all.) As for Shi Yan, he was a mixture of coldness and humor. If that was possible. But he just acted differently depending on the person he was with. He could be so serious and stingy at times yet could be so playful and witty at others. I heard that this was somewhat a repetitive role for Dylan because he played brooding character before. However, comparing with his persona on Hello Saturday, I felt he showed great contrast and exuded great power, convincing us he was indeed a boss and had everything together. It wasn’t like there wasn’t humorous moments because there were plenty with his snarky comments and his teasing ways at times. He just didn’t exaggerate, which would have the opposite effect if he did. What I liked most about him was his protectiveness toward his family and loved ones yet he didn’t relent when it came to those who hurt them. He had to somewhat reconsidered the Yi Yang situation and tried to solve the problems between the two companies, but I felt where that subplot was concerned, most characters in here were forced to acknowledge and bow down to that person’s presence, so I won’t penalize him for it, lol.
- Miles Wei Zheng Ming (魏哲鳴) as Yu You (喻游). A professor at the local university. Also, he was invited to join Guan Enterprise. Having liked him after watching watching Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact, even though this was before, I was looking forward to this role of his. He was so cute and charming in here. There were moments were he seemed too serious (which was somewhat suitable because of his professor identity) but he also knew how to relax and have fun off work. He was polite but wasn’t a pushover. He knew when and how to draw his boundaries. He was brilliant in many areas. Possibly, that was why he gained so much attention from different parties. What was later revealed about him to be considered somewhat rebellious was how he enjoyed riding motorcycles and loved taking risks. It seemed like a normal hobby but to have a reputation of being a respectable professor, he thought it was out of line. Yet, it showed another side of him. Miles did well in bringing the various sides of his role, which was far from boring. He was different from the other two male leads in his own way.
- Shen Yu Jie (沈羽潔) as Qin Shi Yue (秦時月). Shi Yan’s niece. At first, I didn’t know what to think of her. Mostly, because of her constant pestering of Shi Yan (through different phone calls) and her stalking of Yu You initially. (Yes, I had to acknowledge that she was stalking Yu You just like how I disliked the “nice guy” in other dramas who often stalked the female leads and forced her to like him. In fact, they have one in here, scroll down.) Then I realized she wasn’t overly annoying or completely unlikable. Her annoying attitude was first seen from Shi Yan and Shu’s side (and somewhat fueled Shu Yi’s misunderstanding of who the spoiled niece was, etc). Yet she wasn’t snobby nor annoying either. She just had a different perspective than her elders (yes, even her uncle, lol). The writers did set her on a journey to learn and realize her life goals though. She was actually quite reasonable and lovable in her own way. In fact, she was well-mannered and treated others around her well. With the exception of those who wanted to bully her and pin stuff that she didn’t do on her, because how could she take such injustice? Yes, she wasn’t easy pushed around, like that one time Xu Yu Ling tried to accuse her of stuff just because she was on Shu Yi’s team. She also knew when she was wrong and wanted to amends (regarding Shu Yi not hearing her because of ear plugs and she wanted her uncle to seek justice for her). She was actually quite talented in many areas but just haven’t found the right thing to aim for yet. It could happen to anyone of us and she was just lucky she was well provided for and finally found it. Yet she wasn’t flaunting her wealth in people’s face either. It wasn’t just because her uncle forbade her to reveal her identity. She just wanted to enjoy life. Her obnoxious side was seen numerous time in here yet it also balanced out well with her kindness at times. So, it wasn’t one-layered or on one part of the spectrum.
- Liu Dong Qin (劉冬沁) as Guan Ji (關濟). Shi Yan’s good friend since childhood, CEO of Guan Enterprise. He was a player yet was a loyal friend. If that made sense. He wasn’t serious about the dating scene anyway but the majority of the people knew what they were getting into. That wasn’t an excuse for him, but it seemed to be true based upon the places they visited at times. At one point, he said to Shan Shan that people like them didn’t deserve happiness. Or some version of that. At least, he admitted it. It took a lot for him to arrive where he did in the end. I believed him when he said those words to Shan Shan and wanted a real chance at happiness. Because he was willing to step forward and break free from his broken past to create a new chapter for himself, which happened to include her as well. That was a touching speech and quite genuine. Also, I found him hilarious each time he was caught in the middle of something. His shocked expressions were hilarious. Whether it was about his own situation or when he discovered something about those around him.
- Jiang Pei Yao (姜珮瑤) as Bi Ruo Shan (畢若珊). Zheng Shu Yi’s best friend, a TV news anchor. She seemed to be really experienced in the game of love and taught Shu Yi many tricks, even if in vain at times. At times, she felt she didn’t deserve the conventional happiness everyone was going through, sort of like Guan Xi but in a different way. That was why she chose to not commit to anyone. That was until she realized she had fallen for Guan Xi. Even if she was too stubborn to admit it, but she was really jealous of Shi Yue’s relationship with Guan Xi (or so she assumed of their relations). Up until she blamed Shi Yan for blocking Shu Yi, I really liked her. Serious. I was just disappointed in her. I thought she would be brave enough to stand tall and take the blame, saying she goaded Shu Yi on in pursuing Shi Yan and going along with that outrageous plan, instead of engaging in petty snipes at Shi Yan. I didn’t care that she had a wild life. It was her choice and those involved knew the game anyway. It wasn’t like any one of them was innocent hanging around the popular scene like that. Sometimes, she was really funny too with her strange sense of humor.
Supporting:
- Nie Yuan (聶遠) as Guan Xiang Cheng (關向成). Guan Ji’s father. The day when I finally see Nie Yuan portraying an elder, lol. NOT that he’s super old. But it’s interesting to see how he used to star in a bunch of stuff I watched and now he’s portraying a main character’s parent. What about the character then? It was an interesting role and I felt he was a fun and wise elder to come for advice. Even if it was later revealed his first marriage failed and that had some effects on Guan Xi, he indeed tried to patch that relationship going forward. So, that counted more than just talks.
- Zeng Li (曾黎) as Tang Yi (唐亦). Editor of the news place Zheng Shu Yi worked at. She was involved with Guan Xiang Cheng for many years yet didn’t dare to go public with the relationship until later. She was fair for the most part. When I say that, I meant the situation regarding Xu Yu Ling. Yes, I understood she was in a hard spot and wanted to resolve the matter in a peaceful manner, not wanting to cut Xu Yu Ling’s path in the future. Yet, as typical as it was, Xu Yu Ling continued to strike because she could get away with it. It wasn’t about favoring someone if Tang Yi chose to take actions against Xu Yu Ling for Shu Yi’s sake. It just meant she took the matters seriously to protect anyone within the agency. She had always chosen the best outcome, even letting go of Shu Yi’s projects too, so her actions wouldn’t mean she favor anyone. Well, anyone being reasonable would understand. Other than that, I liked her professionalism at work and her playfulness with Guan Xiang Cheng.
- Liu Ming Hao (劉銘浩) as Chen Sheng (陳盛). Shi Yan’s special assistant. He was cute and lovable. It was so funny seeing how he often commented on stuff and then his boss would give him a hard time about them. It mostly had to do with Shu Yi. But other times, I felt really bad for him because he received backlash just because of Shi Yan’s tempers at times. It was hilarious, but still sad for him. Yet, somehow, he stayed loyal to his boss and Shu Yi’s relationship at times. So, he was subtly rooting for them at times.
- Shen Wei (沈唯) as Kong Nan (孔楠). Zheng Shu Yi’s co-worker and good friend. I liked her for the most part. The bit about her commenting how Yi Yang deserved Shu Yi more was out of line. All right, I got it, she didn’t know the situation but I thought she was different with not seeing the surface only. Considering how they worked with such a hypocrite co-worker, she wouldn’t automatically liked someone just because he was good at acting.
- An Yue Xi (安悅溪) as Xu Yu Ling (許雨靈). Zheng Shui Yi’s co-worker who was very jealous of her and would do anything to bring her down. She prided herself on her talents and techniques yet sunk low by stealing Shu Yi’s outline and took Shu Yi’s interview slot. Luckily, Shi Yan didn’t fall for it. She also didn’t care to reflect on herself yet acted like Tang Yi was playing favoritism. She didn’t care to think if Tang Yi was doing just so, would she still be there? And the last time I watched the actress was in Eternal Love, so this role wasn’t doing her any favor either. Yes, I understood the other story but it was funny how she had to play a less than likable character once again.
- Kou Zhen Hai (寇振海) as Shi Wen Guan (時文光). Shi Yan and Song Yue Lan’s father, Qin Shi Yue’s grandfather, Chairman of Ming Yu. I haven’t seen him for a while now. Mostly, it was because I just started watching Chinese dramas again recently. I took a long break, so yeah. Anyway, it was interesting to see him in this role. He was mostly in the background and pretty much in retirement by now. He only appeared because the other elders of the company wanted to tattle-tell on Shi Yan. I liked it that he took a step back for the most part and tried to mediate the situation as much as he could, not taking sides. He did urge both sides to give one another a chance, not goading them on one way or another.
- Dong Xuan (董璇) as Song Yue Lan (宋樂嵐) aka Shi Huai Man (時懷曼). Shi Wen Guan’s oldest daughter, Shi Yan’s older sister, Qin Shi Yue’s mother. I haven’t seen Dong Xuan ages now, seriously. At first, it was because I didn’t care for any of the roles she played or the productions she was involved in. Then like I said above, I took a break from Chinese dramas in general. Yet I really liked this role of hers. She got to take on the role of a singer and was actually supported by her family all around. It was somewhat refreshing because even if those elites didn’t want the women to take over the family business, they would rather she stay home and take care of family matters than allow her to venture outside of the family’s business. Not to mention taking on the form of an entertainer. Instead, she was respected by her family members and got to decide for herself. Also, bonus was hearing Dong Xuan perform some nice songs.
- Wang Yao Qing (王耀慶) as Qin Xiao Ming (秦孝明). Qin Shi Yue’s father, Song Yue Lan’s husband, the general manager of Ming Yu. He only appeared a bit from time to time and more toward the end. Yet he was an important figure of the company. He took care of Ming Yu and proved his capabilities. He became well-respected within the industry and was a family man all around. It was nice to see the family dynamic all working out, not forcing him to be the scheming son-in-law like those family dramas.
Others:
- Yang Lin (楊霖) as Chen Kang (陳康). Le An Tech’s team lead. He was an innovator and wanted to create the best technology and making a difference. Yet his lack of experience in management and his somewhat timid behavior held him back. He wanted to do go for the overall of the society and wasn’t just about ego, unlike someone.
- Lu Zhong (陸忠) as Li Xue Cai (李學材).
- Wang Ying Hui (王永輝) as Chief Li (李總).
- Fan Jing Wen (范靜雯) as Si Tu Yi (司徒怡). Zheng Shu Yi and Bi Ruo Shan’s university classmate. She mentioned Xu Yue Xing Zhou tried to court her previously when they were still in school.
- Huang Xiao (黃逍) as Qian Yu Cheng (錢宇程). A student in Yu You’s class, Qin Shi Yue’s classmate. He often saved a seat for her and shared his notes with her at times when she was absent from class. Through their interactions, he ended up liking her and confessing to her. However, he actually knew his boundaries and took the rejection quite well. He only wanted to say his piece and waited for her response. Then that was it. Possibly, his character was meant to stir the jealousy in Yu You and giving him a push to make a move. Yet I found it funny I had to look toward minor characters to understand that instead of relying on a certain nice guy.
- Yang Ming Na (楊明娜) as Wang Mei Ru (王美茹). Zheng Shu Yi’s mother. I haven’t seen her since HSDS. And was it all downhill from there? Mean, I know. But I didn’t like her character in here at all. I tried. I thought she was cute at first but I was tired of all the pushy parent roles. It was typical with how parents urged them to get married, just like Yu You’s parents did. But she took it to the next level. She didn’t care to acknowledge how hard Shu Yi was working and how important her career was to her, just urging Shu Yi to get married constantly. Not to mention how the double standard was with chiding Shu Yi for being on her phone yet didn’t do the same for Yu You. Yes, I got it he was an outsider and she wanted to be polite, etc. Yet the obvious bias because Shu Yi was a woman was there. What pushed it beyond my patience was her aid in allowing Yi Yang to gain access to their residence. Her assumptions were top-notched and a certain person sure took full advantage of it. So, yes, forgive me (or not) for not cutting her some slacks. In some ways, she did a good job of portraying her role. Yet her character just annoyed me to no end due to some circumstances.
- Sze Yu (施羽) as Zheng Su (鄭肅). Zheng Shu Yi’s father. He was less active than his wife in urging Shu Yi to get married but that didn’t mean he didn’t want that for her. He was just less nagging. So, his wife had to be the bad person, that was all. Was he proud of her daughter? Yes, but that was just trying to pave a good image of their somewhat bubbly family. It just didn’t work for me because I saw through their acts at times. (Not their faults, the writers failed them by allowing Yi Yang to enter their house, so that enraged me even more.)
- Lu Cheng Jue (呂承珏) as Yue Xing Zhou (岳星洲). Zheng Shu Yi’s ex-boyfriend. He was next level scumbag all right. It was fine that people broke up and moved on or their life goals changed. Yet what made him even more despicable was his incapable of taking responsibility for his own actions and kept blaming all the women in his life for the failures he went through. He didn’t want to be the bad person to break up with Shu Yi before moving on. Or more like he wanted it all, so he didn’t break up with Shu Yi yet later blamed her. Then when things didn’t work out, considering how he was just using his new girlfriend anyway, he criticized her and wanted to return to Shu Yi’s side. He was the definition of pathetic all right.
- Zheng Shu Huan (鄭舒環) as Qin Le Zhi (秦樂之). The third party in Shu Yi and Yue Xing Zhou’s relationship. Ended up in breakup later because Yue Xing Zhou blamed her for ruining his relationship with Shu Yi and eventually ruining his life as well. Although I hated her for the role she played yet she was right when she said Yue Xing Zhou only cared for himself. She learned that too late. Or perhaps, it wasn’t too late. Because she was still able to turn her life around–if she wanted. That didn’t mean I forgave her for all the things that she’d done. But I was just stating that, at least, she was able to see through Yue Xing Zhou’s BS later and realized it, unlike some in other stories who never realized an ounce of truth yet just continue blaming the female lead for destroying her life, etc.
- Duan Xing Yu (段星羽) as Cheng Bei Er (程蓓兒). An intern at Zheng Shu Yi’s workplace. She was assigned to Xu Yu Ling’s team at first yet wasn’t a bad person and was very timid, not daring to against Xu Yu Ling. At the end, she requested to join Zheng Shu Yi’s special team.
- Yao Yi Qi (姚一奇) as Qiu Fu (邱福). Executive Director of Ming Yu, Qin Le Zhi’s boss. I felt bad for him at times. He was indeed put in a hard spot at times. And in one of the rare circumstances, he was correct to say it was his assistant’s fault regarding the meeting with Shu Yi and not just an excuse.
- Lan Cheng (藍城) as Chief Zhang (張總).
- Ma Jun (麻駿) as Chief Tian (田總).
- Tom Price (白梓軒) as Bruce (布魯斯). I swear he was a Bruce Wayne wannabe dude to me. That was it. Not to mention how he jumped ship in the middle of the project that caused everyone a headache. Was it his right to decide? Yes. But I felt that move was so irresponsible. It was so hard to recover from, regardless of what his excuses or justifications were.
- Cheng Shi Yu (程世宇) as Yu You’s father (喻游父).
- Daniel Zhou (周柯宇) as Yi Yang (易揚). CEO of Dark Horse Tech, liked Zheng Shu Yi. He just appeared out of nowhere and ruined the plot. Yes, I said it. He was that “nice guy” that I often despise in dramas. Because he appeared to be “so nice, so charming, so handsome, so dedicated to the female lead that she must marry him or she’s the monster.” On one hand, I was really annoyed that he appeared and took the drama off its course and wasted a lot scenes, not allowing some characters to appear. On the other hand, I was glad that he appeared because the “nice guy” role wasn’t Yu You. (Yes, I just realized it while doing this review and jumping back and forth between different sections.) Sure, Yu You was nice–AND kind, but he was genuine. This guy? He was really fake that it was hard to get past. His arrogance knew no bound, which he masked it for confidence. Yet it was just arrogance and immaturity. I didn’t say that just because he wanted to rise up within the industry. That was a shared goal of the majority in here, wanting to be successful. His ultimate goal was fame, not achieving anything for the overall society. It was strange the majority were fooled by his act. The ones who saw through him were also forced to collaborate later because that was how the plot should become. When I say he was immature, I didn’t mean business-wise. Sure, he was inexperienced but everyone in here had to start somewhere at one point. The most immature part was the party they attended in which he coaxed Shu Yi into coming with him (which she could deny the invitation, I know, but she wanted to see Shi Yan so she didn’t), encouraged her to drink (which she could stop on her own but she was already so upset), and then dragged her to climb a tree afterward. What the hell was that? Alcohol and tree climbing, a great combo really. I was just surprised she didn’t fall and break her neck. Yet he wanted Shi Yan or anyone to believe he could take care of Shu Yi? Only Shu Yi’s naive mother or the fangirls would believe him. When he accused Shi Yan of taking advantage of the situation when Shu Yi bit him (Shi Yan) and then had to be coaxed to calm down, I swear he was projecting. Because if Shi Yan hadn’t arrived, what would he have done? Each of his step was so calculative that it was hard to like him even an ounce. Even when Shu Yi wanted to learn about the events of the night after she was drunk, he still bargained himself into a meetup before telling her. So, spare me the justifications for his character. (And don’t say that it was normal to try to comfort her in a time of need and allowing her to drink and get stuff out. Because one of the most hated leading guys in my book managed to do tenfold better. His name was Lai Yu Xiang and I didn’t start liking him until around episode 11. And that was a Taiwanese idol drama that people often made fun of and it wasn’t that popular yet somehow managed to pump more humanity into the writing than other so-called high production ones. Go, here, here, and here for context.) So, I found it very ironic that he dunked on Yue Xing Zhou. What right did he have? To think he thought he had some kind of higher road than the other dude. He didn’t respect Shu Yi’s boundaries, which I was severely annoyed at her at various points for not being fierce enough with him too. (But I blamed that on the writers more because she was very firm on what she wanted and had no trouble going against someone like Xu Yu Ling. Yet they wanted her to become a doormat toward this guy so he could have more scenes with her?) All in all, whatever that the writers did trying to edge him into the plot, it had the opposite effect for me. In fact, at one time, I petty searched if the actor had some pull hence edging into the scene and wanting to snatch the limelight away from some other cast members. Yes, it was that annoying for me.
- Wei Wei (魏巍) as Jiang Shao Yuan (江紹原).
- Liu Xie Ning (劉些寧) as Bei Lin (貝琳). Shi Yan’s ex-girlfriend, an actress. She only appeared in one scene although she was mentioned throughout in reference to Shi Yan’s past. There were many rumors regarding their breakup, mostly stating he was the one in the wrong. Yet, when she appeared, she asked Shi Yan for a second chance because she regretted her past choice. She left after learning that he had already moved on. I thought Shi Yan’s response made sense. Some things in the past could never be resurrected because they both changed. It wasn’t a swipe at her either. But it was reality. They just didn’t fit because the chances were no longer there.
- Kong Lian Shun (孔連順) as Fan Lei (范磊).
- Ma Li (馬麗) as Chen Jie (陳潔).
- Li Chang (李昶) as Chen Yue Ding (陳越定).
- Sun Yue (孫樾) as Gu Zi Nian (顧子年).
- Wu Lin (武麟) as Da Zhuang (大壯).
- Zhou Luo Yi (周洛伊) as Li Li (莉莉).
- Sun Ao (孫傲) as Hu Qing Hua (胡清華). A new member to the news team near the end. He liked Cheng Bei Er. I actually thought he was a spy for the people upstairs. Yes, paranoia but I was still trying to recover from some past dramas. So, I thought he was another obstacle for the team. Yet, he turned out harmless and quite genuine.
- Song Xiao Ying Zi (宋霄瑛子) as Li You Ran (李悠然).
- He Yong Sheng (何涌生) as Chief Editor (總編) of the news place Zheng Shu Yi worked at. He admired Zheng Shu Yi’s work ethics and her talent yet thought she was too young to manage the new special team. It was actually BS talk for not trusting her but was covering it up with some fancy talk. I suspected he also thought Zheng Shu Yi was successful because of her CEO boyfriend. He asked that question, so it wasn’t too much to assume.
Likes:
- The chemistry between Dylan Wang and Bai Lu. Despite the craziness with the scheme, I found them addicting to watch from the start. I was looking forward to how they would get together and overcome what was ahead. Their bicker were silly at times yet hilarious at others. When things turned serious, it was indeed heart-wrenching. I was actually invested–until a certain someone’s presence entered the scene–and waited eagerly to see when they would resolve the matter and move on with their lives. At times, like I said above, I felt it was ironic that she was more career-driven than him. I guess, he was at a stable point of his life (even though everyone around him knew he worked his ass off to get his current reputation), so he didn’t seem as aggressive to prove himself. Sure, he still cared and needed to get past the elders of the companies who kept undermining him yet he seemed so relaxed compared to Shu Yi never having a off switch, or so it seemed. He actually had a rule of not discussing business after hours. That set some boundaries and gave him some time to unwind. It was a good rule, so I seriously felt bad for him when she didn’t know when to stop when he obviously didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Yet at other times, she chided him for not understanding the situation or was too coldblooded (during the hospital scene and he overheard her comment to the nurse). It was strange. Not saying I hated her since I liked the wide range of emotions and reactions they built for her characters throughout (mostly). It just felt strange she was more of a workaholics than him. Perhaps, it was hinted that she wasn’t as serious about the whole thing as he was, so it mattered less. At least, it wasn’t until later that she fell for him for real. All in all, I felt Dylan and Bai Lu did a great job to create this cutesy chemistry for us to enjoy.
- The cuteness that became the relationship between Shi Yue and Yu You. I didn’t expect to like them and thought it might end up to be one of those forced pairings to wrap up the show. Considering how it was so one-sided with her and all. But I came to love them because of the twist. She was about to give up, with the hospital scene being the obvious one. Yet Yu You turned it around by taking actions. Well, he also hesitated because he was still processing his feelings. I felt their roles somewhat reversed during that one time when one of his students caught them together and was teasing if Shi Yue was his wife and he didn’t clarify. He even stopped her from trying to explain, telling his student to relay the message about their meeting later. It was hilarious to see how cunning he could be. But it was so cute, a change in attitude. It was like a message to her that he was bringing down the wall, allowing her in. Qian Yu Cheng’s confession to Shi Yue gave him the final push he needed. He had to react before it was too late. It was hard to blame him because of their age difference and their life experiences. That was why he hesitated and eased into it and even gave her the 411 about his life, giving her a chance to back out before he even got started with his own confession. It was worth the wait and they ended up becoming one of the cutest couples.
- The different relationship dynamics the three main couple had. I liked it that they all had their individual stories and then their relationships were different as well. It gave the story a variety and not so one-dimensional.
- The Three Musketeers aka Shi Yan, Yu You, and Guan Xi. I didn’t make it up when I declared them the main three leads. They were known as The Three Musketeers among mutual friends. Their friendship was hilarious yet much needed for the series. With Shi Yan and Guan Xi being childhood friends, it was easy for them to interact and all, even if their personality seemed to be in contrast of one another. Between the three, one would think the odd one out was Yu You yet he wasn’t a pushover either. He could fend for himself at times, even he was caught in Shi Yan’s temper at times, landing in some less than ideal situations. He just shrugged it off and moved along. He also knew how to tease the other two, so it was a very even match with them. One of the funniest scenes was how Shi Yan returned from his business trip and asked about Yu You but Guan Xi had phased out and was thinking of Shan Shan so he replied he hadn’t seen “her” for a long time, not knowing how she was doing, etc. Shi Yan thought he was responding to how he hadn’t seen Yu You for a long time, so he thought it was strange yet didn’t inquire further. What caused a moment of awkwardness was how Yu You walked in and asked about their conversation and Shi Yan recounted what Guan Xi just told him. Yu You said that he saw Guan Xi almost every day. Quan Xi finally snapped out of it and used an idiom to get out of the situation, lol. (Yeah, the TA (他/她) similarities in speech threw Guan Xi off when he wasn’t paying attention. And that was also a plus because he could edge out of it without getting exposed, lol.) Another hilarious scene was how Shi Yan’s jealousy got the better of him and he beat the guys so badly they didn’t dare to convince him otherwise regarding the invitations. When I say “beating”, I meant boxing, lol. Then there was also the scene where Shi Yan and Guan Xi caught Yu You and Shi Yue in an intimate moment and teased them. Guan Xi’s shocked expression was always the same, he was so clueless, lol. Shi Yan took full advantage of the situation and forced Yu You to call him ‘uncle’ as well, lol. Yes, his good brother was now his nephew-in-law. Overall, loved their bond and interactions throughout. Sometimes, it got a ridiculous, but they didn’t have a fallout because of some business matter or relationship feuds. So, that was a relief. They already had to deal with outer forces. They didn’t need internal drama as well.
- The wedding at the end. It was refreshing in a sense that it was for Guan Xiang Cheng and Tang Yi and not Shi Yan and Shu Yi as the main them hinted. They would eventually get married but it was different and fun to see a different wedding. That wedding bonded all parties even more with the shift.
Dislikes:
- Shan Shan’s inability to admit fault or apologize. She was a good friend to Shu Yi yet was terrible in other areas. No, I didn’t expect her to be perfect. I actually quite liked her daring character and she did as she liked with her rules, etc. It was a contrast to other characters in here. However, I found it unreasonable and uncalled for when she refused to apologize to Shi Yan and acted arrogant in front of him during the confrontation at the horse riding ranch that one time. She was upset that Shi Yan was ignoring Shu Yi, etc. Yet she also admitted later to Shu Yi that they were wrong and that Shi Yan forgave Shu Yi so easily. So, she, at least, acknowledged they were wrong to cook up such a plan. However, she just couldn’t admit wrong or apologize to him for playing a part in it and teaching Shu Yi all the tricks either. And I do get Shu Yi was her own person and could make her own decision, so Shan Shan shouldn’t take the sole blame. They were both wrong. It was just frustrating that only Shu Yi seemed to be feeling guilty and terrible about the whole thing, not Shan Shan. Even with her own situation, Shan Shan didn’t take the leap either. It was like she had to have the upper hand or something. It took Guan Xi to muster up the courage and poured out his heart and confessed to her before she could take a step. It was like she could never be vulnerable or seemed wrong. They were both players, come on, let’s not sugarcoat it. It wasn’t like anyone of them was innocent in the game. Yet somehow, he was considered the only wrong one because she misunderstood the whole situation with Guan Xi and Shi Yue. I was glad things turned out all right all around in the end. Yet felt that Shan Shan was just picking and choosing and didn’t really own up to her mistakes and all. She could choose to be the strong, independent career woman who liked to take control of her life (which she had every right to) all she wanted, but taking responsibility for her actions comes with all of that too.
- How unnecessary the character Yi Yang was to the overall plot. Yes, I said it. I had it. I know I mentioned it in his character discussion already, but I have to say it again here to emphasize my point even more. How annoying was it that I repeated it? It was as annoying as seeing his scenes. It was a wasted several episodes to focus on him and all. They could have focused on trying to redeem Shu Yi’s character and build back the foundation for her and Shi Yan once again. Those two had great chemistry so not everything was lost. But it was such a waste of time to entertain his character for so long. Not to mention how he cut into the three main couple’s time major time. Being the first leads, Dylan and Bai Lu had it better because they still appeared in business scenes or during shared scenes of others. But you could see it more obvious with the lack of scenes for Yu You and Shi You after the truth came out regarding Shu Yi’s real motive in approaching Shi Yan at first and then Shi Yue’s hospitalization, etc. The start of how anxious Yu You was when he missed Shi Yue at the hospital and how Shi Yue was giving up because her will finally crumbled. Also, Yu You’s subtle jealousy emerging during class. Yet all of those had to be pushed aside for Yi Yang’s courtship of Shu Yi and endless stalking. It was a miracle that we got to see the cute interactions between Yu You and Shi Yue at the university and their relationship finally blossoming. But it became pieces placed here and there instead of one of the highlights of the show. There was also the whole back and forth between Guan Xi and Shan Shan being on hold to make way for Yi Yang as well. If you didn’t watch in one go, you probably could have forgotten what happened because Yi Yang’s scenes were hogging too much time. He wasn’t even part of the three main couples. It was frustrating to say the least. The actor was just lucky I watched him appear on Hello Saturday first. Or I would have taken it out on him just based on frustration due to the plot details. Or was it supposed to cut Yu You’s courtship of Shu Yi short and let Yi Yang take on the less than likable role? Should we have thanked him instead? Because other than those justifications, I didn’t see even one point of his character. If one wanted to say he was relevant because of his contribution to the tech industry or the conflicts somewhat to ramp up the plot near the end before the wrap up, they had a lot of characters in the story already. They (the writers) could have introduce those issues through those characters.
Discussions:
- The background story was suspiciously familiar to “We Live Together” (我们住在一起) by Hong Jiue (红九). I know that have its own adaptation called Love Has Fireworks (爱情有烟火), which would be airing soon. Not sure how soon, but I’m waiting out of curiosity. Funniest thing is I didn’t want to read the novel of this one but ended up reading the other one before diving into watch this series, lol. So yeah. The similar parts were how both female leads worked for a financial related company and gotten cheated on by their boyfriends. The boyfriends also later wanted to get back together with them. The other dude was tenfold more despicable (if possible) by manipulating her circle of friends. But I found the similarities creepy. Or perhaps, the stalking/ tagging had already been transferred to Yi Yang so they didn’t need to drag it out for the ex-boyfriend in this one.
- The inconsistency of when and how Shu Yi found out Shi Yue was Shi Yan’s niece. I swear it threw me off. There was one point where it veered off course that got me scratching my head and then just dismissed it completely as an inconsistency later on. It was the part where Shi Yan and Shu Yi went on a business trip together. Shi Yue was upset that her uncle didn’t come to her rescue and she had to fend for herself, etc. Shu Yi showed support by scolding Shi Yue’s uncle by saying this and that. It was an indication she didn’t know Shi Yue was talking about her, etc. Yet in the next sentences or so, it was like she knew and was uncomfortable that Shi Yue was being so harsh with her criticisms. I thought I’d mistaken and even rewinded to listen again and read the subtitles more carefully. Shu Yi said “your uncle” and it elaborated to how she thought of Shi Yan as all knowing, etc. So, yeah, that was strange. Because she didn’t find out until the part where Shi Yan came up to her to confront her about the messages Shi Yue sent to him and that was when Shi Yue called out to him thus revealing the truth about their relations.
- Xu Yu Ling showed genuine concern for Shu Yi when Shu Yi broke down at the company near the end. This scene was a shocker for me. Considering how she attacked Shu Yi relentlessly and looked down on Shu Yi because of her own assumptions. She kept asking if Shu Yi was all right when Shu Yi didn’t answer and kept crying. Kong Nan found them and asked what was going on and if Xu Yu Ling was bullying Shu Yi again. Xu Yu Ling was actually calmed and explained that she just bumped into Shu Yi by accident and didn’t know why Shu Yi kept crying. Sure, she might be concerned that Shu Yi would use that to get her in trouble. Yet that part was so genuine that it seemed inconsistent to her past behaviors and then her upcoming actions that led to her leaving the company. So, I thought that was strange.
- How easy Shi Yan forgave Shu Yi. Yes, Shan Shan actually said this during one of her phone conversations with Shu Yi. It was indeed very strange and people who were sort of in the know were bracing themselves too. Even Shu Yi herself was wondering when Shi Yan would strike. Yet it turned out he did it because he loved her. He didn’t even hold it over her head. I was surprised too because dramas loved to make it super dramatic and making the cold lead guy on the border of cruelty just because. Shi Yan sure restored my views on the softhearted main guy who seemed cold up front.
- The naming convention at times. I knew it was done purpose, especially regarding some characters. The SY initials were on purpose to mislead Shu Yi that one time when she thought Shi Yan actually accepted her already or tried to add her hence confirming. The misunderstanding was hilarious in a way because she was dreaming of a sweet date with Shi Yan yet ended up with Shi Yue instead, lol. Luckily, she recovered in time and they had fun watching the performance together. The even more obvious similarities was all three (Shi Yan, Shu Yee, and Shi Yue) had similar initials. What kind of irked me was the Yi Yang replication of Yu You. It was like the writers were trying to edge Yu You out of the scene or something. And it was like it backfired and wasn’t going well, so they had to finally reduce the other guy’s scenes to restore Yu You back to his original place.
Recommended? I think you have to like the main couple to enjoy it. And the fact that this was actually a really silly idol drama with its concept of the schemes, etc. Because I saw some reviews that weren’t so forgiving regarding the women’s schemes at first to get close to Shi Yan, etc. Not saying there weren’t more serious moments worth considering but at its core, it was still an idol drama. And I know it did really well but some people didn’t get it. (And some, it was up to preference.) This was just one of the rare popular ones I liked. Yes, despite all my rants, I really enjoyed it. I was just upset that a certain character had ruined some episodes for me. This could have been 30 or 32 episodes without him.