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This drama got me hooked from beginning to end.I binged watch the first ten episodes in just one day. I commend them for their acting especially the male lead.Zhang zhe han never failed to surprise me. He can portray characters who looks really cold and tough.I remember him as Prince Qin in his previous drama and it was good to see him back in a modern drama .He looks dashing with his new hair. His eyes are very expressive.
I loved how adorable the Lou Xi is.I became her fan the moment I saw her onscreen. She has a natural charm and no doubt she will land in more bigger roles.
But damn I had no idea Riley speaks English well and being raised in Canada he speaks smoothly. Not really a fan of him but he can really act. The only character that annoys me was Wena and i think she was so good playing the spoiled rich princess.
Tao Lun and Wena are supporting characters but their characters exist for a reason and they are part of the main conflict of the story.
Though Zhang Min replaced Tao Lun and perform his duties as a son but his father never treated him well. I feel sorry for him because he was living a dual life and was deprived of his right to live as Zhang Chi.
Family problems really gets complicated and as you grow older you are left with no choice but to protect the ones you loved.
He had to protect his mother at the same time lived as someone else's son.
Tao lun was still very fortunate because he had foster parents who really loved him.
But when you think of it Zhang Min and his mother suffered for losing Tao lun.
The ones greatly affected are the children.
I strongly recommend this drama and I am loving the natural chemistry of the leads. The way he stares at her makes me melt. Where could I find a boyfriend who looks at me the way he looks at Lou Xi.
The plot seems cliche but the pacing and storyline is good. Just the right amount of sweetness and angst.I'm gonna miss this drama.
So if you ever watched a melodrama and wants to brighten up your mood you should check this out.
The ending was a bit rushed and the real culprit apologized for his mistake in just one episode and it was over.They could have done a lot in a 36 episode drama.It gets draggy the moment they found out the real Zhang Min.
I want a better ending but I am more than happy to see the leads ending up together.
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Started off as. a potential 8.5 ... slowly went to 8.0... and then to 7.0The basic backstory of this drama is that the female lead is into taking and restoring plants
The male lead is a ceo of a hotel/ corporation that also has a garden kind of thing., due one to the male lead's grandpa passing he meets the female lead. The male lead often gets headaches and the female lead is the only one that can make him feel better. The female lead ends up working as his hotel.. The second female is kinda annoying, making it hard for the female lead to do what she really wants which is gardening and taking care of plants.
The drama focused mainly on the backstory/ identity of the male lead and the second male lead. ( don't want to spoil it too much)
The production focused too much on the identity part which felt really draggy after a while. I thought it was going to end around 30... , but in total there are 36 chapters.
I skipped majority of all the planning/scheme/identity /backstory ... >_<
The biggest a**hole in the story is the dad......
I however really liked the chemistry between the two leads, wish there could of been more sweet scene
.
Mainly watched it because I like the male lead Zhang zhe han :)
I definitely would not rewatch
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many plot holes
Zhang Zhe Han of course the reason I've watch this drama. But many plot holes this drama has make me have to lower their star...the plot holes:
1. One thing almost every director never really consider when making drama. VISAAAAA. Luo Xi (LX) want to go to America, where one of the hardest country to get visa, only plan in 2 days period.... Hello is that easy to get that visa...? For Tao Lun (TL) maybe he is America citizen still makes sense to go there just in 2 days. But LX no way that easy. And Zhang Min (ZM) also... He wants to catch LX by suddenly buy ticket at the airport. Hey where is your passport....??? Can you buy abroad ticket without passport...? I don't think so...
2. No bodyguards that stupid. When Wen Na (WN) go to America she is protected by bodyguard, but that bodyguard that easily get distracted by Tao Lun. No actual professional bodyguards that stupid to be that easily get distracted.
3. The announcement at the fashion show. I don't know where the messed up. Maybe this is the work of really one bad cut-edit. I think when they shoot the scene supposed to be longer where they explain about the fact that ZM is Zhang Jing Zhong's (JZ) son. But the one come out just the recording of ZM's mom scream histerically about she is the ZM's mom & that JZ wants to harm them (mother & son) nothing about JZ being ZM's dad so how everyone in the end still know the fact that ZM is JZ's son....
The bad:
- The rush ending again I guess... The very last few episode is so weird & fast going. Like they want to wrap the drama and in the end make Wu Tian Wei (TW) so easy to regret what his wrong doing in the end.
- The way they put the role of TW feel like half baked. Like is he the bad guy...? Everything he did just feel half-hearted. He want to harm ZM but he is still the uncle. He want to do harm to TL but he is also afraid of him... Hah.... Don't know what to say... Maybe the writer just too focus on ZM-LX-TL story until they forget to build persona for TW as the bad guy.
- Wu Tian Hua never wake up... :(. Will gonna be much better if in the end the mom wake up from her comma & see TL.
What I like:
+ WN is very berry strong girl. She never really depressed or plan to revenge after every heart break. She always get back on her feet. Even I also kinda pitty her for falling again into the same pit but with diff man (ZM & TL). I really like how the writer not put her into one crazy love rival mode.
+ The acting of Tu Ling Aka Shen Xiu Zhi or ZM's mom is very good. We can really feel she is one troubled woman.
I don't know to put it in the good or bad:
The relationship between ZM & LX is mature but some aspect really weird. Like lack of romance maybe... There were some scene where if that another drama I think they'll gonna put kissing or hugging but this drama not. I don't too like too much show off love but the way they do make it feel empty in some sort of way... I don't know how to describe it. The chemistry between Zhang Zhe Han & Zhang Ruo Nan quite ok.
Overall this just another drama to spend ur time...
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I didn't really want to watch this at first based on the synopsis. I decided to anyways because I liked all the main actors.The main leads, are both great in the drama, although I agree with some reviewers the FL doesn't have the biggest character development. But that's probably because she's a fairly happy person in the story despite, being an orphan. She would need more tragedy and frankly this story has enough, to add more to the FL would be excessive. The relationship with the ML is complicated, but very sweet.
The stereotype Executive in drama is all there at first: cold, ruthless, weird, but naturally (because this is a drama) it's all a facade. The ML storyline is very tragic, it's the first time I've watch such a pathetic ML in asian drama. It reminded me of Reek in Game of thrones, except character wise they are not a like. There are times in this drama when I wished the ML stood up for himself more, pushed back more, but in the end he was a very kind person, and a victim of his family..
His family SUCKS! Full stop, he might as well have been an orphan frankly. The violent and psychological abuse they do on this young man is horrifying. Even the nicest parent (his stepmom) can't help but morn her lost child making the ML feel like he will never be important, or loved by a parent.
The second couple, or the I can't take no for answer couple: their acting is great, their characters are frustrating.
Wen Na is very selfish, and a bit one dimensional. She keeps saying she's in love, but her lack of listening, or sympathy clearly shows she obsessed. Still role makes sense as the spurned fiancé. I will say I really liked her dad. He was the best parent on the show: Fair, loving and supportive.
Tao Lun spends 80% of the drama with a healthy mature attitude, and then suddenly turns into an irrational, and vengeful. I guess he only had compassion so long as he wasn't a victim. You know if he had never gone missing, my guess is he still will have grown up in a loving and warm environment. He was always the lucky one, whereas his brother, was always at a disadvantage.
It is a good melodrama. The main couple, are the best couple, their trials are logical, and their commitment to one another sweet. Yes there is some misunderstandings. Are they necessary, probably not, but I've seen worse. An episode and a half for a misunderstanding that quickly gets explained is really not that bad.
The reason to watch this drama is the ML. His acting and character, is complex, well acted and well developed. I rooted for him the whole time.
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This is a romance drama mixed with the usual problems of large corporate governance, birth secret, revenge, betrayal, and misunderstandings. Although the drama is supposed to be a romantic comedy, the funny moments are mostly provided by the hostel extravagant trio and Dough, the little girl. There is an intended love triangle that is more cumbersome than romantic involving two infatuated individuals that end up getting romantically entangled too fast and with a lack proper romantic development. The leading couple’s story starts nice and strong but it loses excitement as the drama progresses and their romantic scenes are insipid. The leading male does a good job conveying his emotions but the lead female shows contradictory facial expressions while trying to convey feelings. Two of the most disturbing aspects of this drama are Tao Lun’s rapid changed in character and emotions and the fast and absurd drastic change of Zhang Jing Zhong [Chairman and Zhang Min's father]. Also, the rushed ending and forgiveness resolution shown on this drama underestimates the graveness of the parents, and other adult’s, decisions when the main characters were children. Was this review helpful to you?
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STORY: It is a story of a young girl who was an orphan and she has been taken care a grandpa in France who died and she clashes with the guy who inherits his Vineyard and property. They find an agreement, separate and then meet again in China. Starting from there they get involved in a plot of rightful heir vs. fake heir of the Group they work for and how the situation is resolved. The drama is good and bad. I would say the Romances were well done. The main couple was great. There is a very nice chemistry between the two of them. Not only they look good together but also their interactions from the beginning to the end show that they really care for each other and they evolve in the way they see each other, fall for each other and fight to be together. I thought their romance was well described with nice moments. I wish they had more moments together in the last part of the drama when they were roughly challenged. The second couple's story was fun to watch also. From allies fighting a same cause to friends and then not lovers but something almost like it. Their personalities made a good pair too: She is a spoiled playful kid and he is a quiet orphan who becomes a rich heir like her.
The bad part: the main plot around the exchange of heirs. Full of holes and inconsistencies. In the beginning, the nanny said she did something to the real heir (as a kid). Means the real heir met the grandfather so why the grandfather did not made the difference when he saw the fake kid? Weird. I think the worst thing about the plot is how cliché the villains are (the father, real mother... ). I cannot fathom how the father can be a Chairman with this kind of personality and behavior. It was grotesque. The real mother the way she treated her son was too unrealistic. And the last evil guy ... He confessed like there was not enough money for more episodes.
ACTORS / CHARACTERS: I thought Zhang Zhe Han was good. He has charisma and he did well portraying Zhang Min. An guy abused who hardly can fight back and must cope with the craziness of his parents. He looked honest and sensitive when building his story with the main girl vs. adversities and caring about people. But in another hand, one thing which really impaired the quality of this drama was his personal character. I never felt any admiration or sympathy for him and never cheered for him. He was completely lacking strength and courage and ability to have a general view to take decisions and solve his biggest problems. Almost everything that happens to him from start to end is the result of the decision/action of other persons. He does nothing in connection with the plot. He is one of the weakest male lead I have seen since a long time.
Zhang Ruo Nan was ok. She was good as Luo Xi. She is courageous and supportive and I liked how unwavering and honest she was when facing the confessions of her childhood friend. She is bit bland and has little character's evolution. Too bad. Other actors did pretty well. Riley Wang was convincing as a good friend, patient lover or angry heir. Anna Hollen was bit behind in term of acting as sometimes I thought she was doing too much but ok, her character was interesting nonetheless. Other actors: Liu Zhe Er as the secretary was excellent. Loved the way he treated his boss. The little girl was fun but the uncles are useless and sometimes even annoying.
MUSIC: Nothing special
REWATCH: Definitively not.
OVERALL: I do not recommend this drama unless you are crazy about romances and you like so much to see cute couples finding each other that you can pardon a lousy plot full of clichés. Apart from the romances, I thought it was really not good.
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It's like fast food: Unhealthy but Addicting
I finished watching this 36-episode drama within two days, one day I was staying up until five to binge, and that's telling you how much I was into this drama, but it's like the title suggests: to me, it's addicting, but it's not good. The plot is tiring and full of tropes that only serve to anger you; the character writing, with the exception to the male lead and female lead, is highly inconsistent; the supporting characters range from mildly annoying to 'I hope you rot in jail'. I skipped most of the political/corporation plot and still understood everything just fine, and I suggest you do the same for your sanity.What I love about this drama though is the chemistry between the two leads, and 80% of this chemistry is thanks to Zhang Zhe Han's superb ability to initiate intimate actions and flirting, and 20% to Zhang Ruo Nan who was natural in her acting and went along with the acting partner's lead. I wish they could have focused more on the relationship and just let the two go on and have fun together and give us some simple and peaceful romantic time rather than adding all types of telenovela plot points.
Despite my love for ZZH and his acting, I harbored intense hatred for Zhang Min for around 10 episodes where he was an absolute jerk for not being able to break it off with Wenna while still trying to keep Luo Xi in his life. You made a decision to get married and keep yourself in power, now stick with it and let go of Luo Xi. He hurt all of them in the process because he's someone who can't choose what he wanted.
I had more empathy for Luo Xi and Wenna, who were both caught in this mess because they fell in love with a man who didn't treat neither of them right. Luo Xi fell in love deep and hard, and as she struggled to get out of it, Zhang Min kept pulling her right back in. The strongest example of this is when Luo Xi went on a blind date and got the help of that IT guy, Zhang Min confronted her for "being with another man" and kissed her, but as soon as he woke up, he told her to leave and kept Wenna on his side. That was messed up!! Make up your mind and don't look to see where the other path leads!!
I see a lot of people here hate Wenna and I really don't get it; you all seem to just hate her because she's "getting in between" your couple. Wenna may be somewhat obsessive, but this arranged marriage is from both side. Zhang Min can pull out of it anytime if he wants to -- and the drama does prove that he Can pull out whenever he wants to -- but he didn't do it because he wanted to keep his power, yet turned around and tried to make Her to pull out of it instead. She protected him and his reputation when he was caught cheating, and even until the last moment when he decided to break off with her on the engagement day and made her deal with the embarrassment and loneliness of being abandoned, Wenna still protected him and stated it was her idea that they broke off. What more do you need from her?? The writer did her dirty by writing her so two dimensionally at the beginning like she's a dumb obsessive girl, but deep down you could see how insecure she was that the man who promised to marry her kept on having a relationship with another woman. Just imagine yourself for a moment how you would feel if your fiancee continued to have an ambiguous relationship with their ex and have some more compassion for Wenna, because she acted very reasonably for someone in that position.
I didn't include Tao Lun in this triangle because he really wasn't a part of it; Luo Xi never acknowledged him as a potential lover, he just tried to wedge in in a strange way. I wish they didn't drag his plot out so much and just let him give up and move on and be a friend, a brother to Luo Xi who supported her instead of this strange obsessive person who kept on chasing after her and acted like she was his belonging even when Luo Xi and Zhang Min were already in a relationship. Then there's also the inconsistency in his writing towards the end where he overreacted for the "drama" of it all. That's why we should have just cut these dramatic moments short and replace it with fluffy romance moments from both couples.
All in all, will I rewatch this drama? Probably, given that ZZH dubbed himself in here and his performance was top notch as well the chemistry between him and ZRN was off the roof, but I'm highly aware what I'm doing when I do rewatch: that is, eating fast food to satisfy that guilty craving even if it's poison to the body.
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Decent, but not great.
First and foremost: I am biased when it comes to dramas. I usually watch costume dramas and these modern dramas aren't really my thing. However i wanted to give this one a try for Zhang Zhe Han. I have to say, it wasn't the worst i ever watched, but i also know i probably won't be watching it again. That to the side:The story in itself has a good plot and set up: but is poorly executed. It drags on too much and what has been taking up 36 episodes could have been done in 20 or less with the same effect.
What really annoyed me was the Chairman's acting, who -to my opinion- didn't rely enough on his expression but too much on his head movements. Which made me think i was watching a bobble-head. The chemistry between the two leads also wasn't all there. Zhang Zhe Han did his best with this one i'm sure, but it's not his most impressive work.
Next to that, the guy who played Tao Lun also didn't really convince me with his acting and the 180 degree turn of his character's personality in later episodes really irked me.
The soundtrack made it better because there are some good songs in there. But it didn't make up for the agonizing slow pace of plot and character development. Neither for the lack of convincing romance or character personalities. All in all i think they did good with what they had, but they could have done better. 6/10
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great chemstry
I must say that i'm quite picky on romance drama, but this one surprisingly got me addicted. (I binged watching this in 4 days). I was scrolling through the app and fascinated by how Ruonan looks like a mix between Nayeon and Joy lol. So, I accidentally watch this drama, and was blown away on the beginning, where the scene took place in France. The plot of the leads meeting in France was nice, that moment was very attractive for me.Later on, I feel like the plot was quite predictable. It is not hard to guess what will happen next ( i bet everyone knows what kind of problems usually occur in romance melo), but on the other hand it's not boring. There a lot of emotions, you can felt the sadness, annoyed, or even the love sparks between the leads. I really immersed by the chemistry between Zhehan and Ruonan. They were having such a lovely scene and i couldn't help smiling through it. I know a lot of people love zhehan in his previous historical drama, but i would like to recommend this. Also kuddos to secretary Xiao, his character stood out the most tbh i can't-- ckckcck i never saw a secretary like that in a drama.
The disappointing part was the ending seems to be rushed. I feel like there are some unfinished story- some were still a questions to me. I feel like they could have add one or two more episode to make it clear. It's really annoying because they were trying to divide the scene portion, but we cannot see more developments from the leads. But overall this is worth watching.
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Excellent Cast with a Makjang Style Plot.
I might be the one of the very few people who began this drama for Zhang Zhe Han and its not even his most popular work. But, iQiyi might have some of the most unique, lesser knwon dramas out there that can really showcase the talent of an actor from my previous experience. (I liked Gong Jun's performance in Flavour It's Yours and was suprised that many viewers did not think he could act well until Word of Honor.) Anyways... here are my scattered thoughts.I'm not kidding with the title. It gave me the same vibes that Korean Makjangs do. Even one of the characters, Liu Wenna, told the very same thing. It was different, yet really familiar at the same time. Maybe there are other dramas that fall into the same category as this that I haven't come across.
Honestly, this drama is a mixture of drama+romance+comedy+tragedy. The Male lead, Zhang Min would be in a pretty bad mood and this really hilarious scene would be happening at the very same time. He and his Secretary Xiao were one of the highlights of the show - both of them use 100% of their brain when it comes to business but has absolutely little sense when it comes to live human beings. Their banter and dumbness were some of the lighter parts of the show. We see this right from the beginning till the very end and it was really enjoyable to watch.
The company atmosphere was particularly stiffling and the plot is pretty ruthless to both Zhang Min and the female lead Luo Xi. Every episode, I would be prepared for either of them to get duck pressed. And the show did it really well so much that I began to fast forward those bad stuff by episode 30.
The plot revolves around power play and money in general: Zhang Min is set to be the next Chairman of Sihai Group after his father marries him off to Liu Wenna, a childish spoilt girl, for the sake of securing the support of her father's BK Group to solve their funding issues. (Much to Zhang Min's displeasure since he never really loved the girl nor is he interested in being a puppet for his father.) His chance encounter with Luo Xi while on an errand for his father changes his life as she is a breath of fresh air to him. We see him slowly warming upto her and this was pretty funny , but sometimes pressurizing to watch as something terrible would soon follow. Luo Xi was a really understanding female lead. There were times I thought she couldn't handle Zhang Min's troubles, but she would open up and be more understanding to his situations. Her friendship with her brothers and even Tao Lun was heartwarming. Dough, the little girl, might be the most mature one out of all the characters.
The Cast was actually good. Characters were not one-dimensional and changed as time went by. But, I'm not particularly happy with the way things wrapped up in the final two episodes. I guess they ran out of time and rushed it. Zhang Zhe Han was excellent as Zhang Min. He is "cold", but we see him become someone different to characters like Secretary Xiao, Luo Xi and his mother. Honestly, I think he portrayed every emotion from comedy to tragedy in this one. If someone had told me that this person would be called as Nation's Wife in 2021, I wouldn't have believed it.
Riley Wang was rather surprising, but for some reason, I couldn't continuously connect to his "anger" induced movements, particularly when he was against a more experienced cast in the same shot. I hope he gets more diverse roles in the future to try out.
Zhang Ruonan played the sensible Luo Xi quite convincingly. Her character was more calm and composed and less angsty than the rest.
Liu Wenna was really petty and spoilt, but the drama covered those points later. I particularly didn't hate her, but she was a comic relief from the pressure cooker plot.
I have to say, the drama is unique in its own way. I knocked off a few stars as the plot moved waayy too fast towards the end and I felt that some people didn't exactly get what they deserved. The OST was really different from the regular stuff I keep hearing in modern dramas and I had to slowly warm upto it. Overall, its really enjoyable to watch. I binged it in three days and although its not perfect, it did not disappoint.
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But I like most about the series was the family dynamic of the individuals living in the hospital. I like how they took their background and created something more for other people like themselves. That to me was pretty genuine and sweet.
What I did not like about the series is the apparent repetition of the male and female going back-and-forth and then the not so clever decisions. I found many aspects of the series unrealistic. For example I honestly don’t believe that a humble and sweet person would continuously be around someone that is already somewhat attached.
In all honesty, this series is my least favorite theme. I do not watch series that have the plot or foundation based on a lie or series that have these mystery birth secrets and hidden children. Once you’re ware of it, I can no longer fully enjoy the series because I know that everything I’m watching is going to fall apart or is the info is one sided. It’s like watching people make mistakes over and over based on lack of info or a lie. I sit and watch and wait for the whole thing to fall apart for the writers to quickly try and make everything OK again which is what they did. Our male lead held onto a secret for over 20 episodes, yes that long. He is also a person that the writers portrayed as good guy. So his behavior and character were conflicting for me.
If they actually kept to the vibe of episode one it would’ve probably been amazing but it took took a completely different turn and it was no longer fun to watch. I gave it a seven out of eight stars because I believe that the acting was good, the overall family dynamics of the series was pretty decent, there is a significant level of chemistry and strength within it. I took off three stars simply because it was too drawn out. The series itself wasn’t extremely long however I do believe that keeping a secret for over 20 episodes is extremely long and I feel that the ending was not as gratifying As it could have been.
Our female lead initially was kind, educated and also strong and confident. Her character changed into someone that just seemed easily swayed. It’s almost as if she had no backbone.
Our second meal lead was definitely a cute one and also caring and kind. His character maintain consistent to see throughout the series however the writer soffit to change him into an idiot later on as well.
I couldn’t power through without skipping.
No real karma
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story is pretty interesting!!
Overall, this drama is definitely worthy of your time. Although I skipped some irrelevant parts in the middle. The cast is amazing! Pretty funny parts. I liked the relationship between the FL and the ML but I couldn't really tell when the FL fell for the ML but they were a cute couple, no toxic-ness. At first I hated the SFL because she was a bit overwhelming and annoying desperately trying to get the ML to like her but towards the end I started to like her character when she became more mature and a better person in general as she tried helping the SML. TBH, I really like Riley Wang but his character (2nd half of the plot) didn't really suit him although he did a really good job! I just prefer him as a cute & non-evil thinking guy (personal preference only). The supporting characters are very cute, especially xiao mantou (the oldest brother's daughter) I thought that her character was pretty cute and funny and sassy for her age and her taking care of her 2 uncles who were not the maturest. I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone who wants to watch a drama with a little bit of suspense and cute but not over the top cringey romance!-SPOILERS AHEAD-
I would have preferred the middle part to be shorter and the ending to be longer. To be more precise, I wished to know more about the ending as I felt that it was a little bit not here yet not there. Firstly, I wished to have seen the hostel succeed under the hands of the FL, ML and the FL's family (although boring it would have been a good wrap to their hard work and fight). I was very satisfied with the ending of the second eldest brother, finally being able to chase his dreams as a singer! As for the FL and ML, I wished to see them more in the final episode, maybe a reunion with the chateau's carers or wedding at the chateau where they met. I also wished for Wu Tian Hua to wake up from her coma and actually keen to see her reaction to everything that happened (although it can go many ways) but I wished that she accepted the wrongdoings and they could live as a happy family of 5 with the ML and SML making up and being 'bros'. As for Yang Lin, there was character development in the beginning but towards the end her character felt dispensable. So, I wished that she could've either become xiao man tou's mother and provided her a full family and prevented her birth mother from snatching custody of xiao man tou. I also wished that the SFL and SML could've had a better relationship growth towards the end instead of them just video calling when he said he would chase her to the end of the world but he didn't. I also wished for the SML to have a reunion with his mother when she woke up so it is a little bit of a pity that they didn't get to be a family as he spent a lot of time searching for his birth parents.
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