Lighter & Princess (2022)

Of piercing gazes and steadfast love.

I was hesitant to watch this drama despite the good reviews that I read as, TBH, the title was a little odd. However, now that I have watched it, the title makes perfect sense and is apt!

What I enjoyed:
- ML and FL had chemistry and they carried the drama well.
- Plot was quite intriguing on the whole. I was riveted and I kept wanting to know what would happen next. Plot moved along quite fast. Some lines of the drama were "da bomb" and meaningful.
- This was my first time watching the ML and I must say that he has charisma. He had a brooding and yet, piercing gaze. I liked his role as a super confident dude simply because he knew his own capabilities and he knew that he was remarkably talented and smart. He also had the work ethics to boot.
- I liked that the two leads only had eyes and feelings for each other. They were true to each other.
- I liked the whole bunch of people from Flying Heart Company. They were funny enough. I liked how they ended up supporting ML and FL.
- I liked the supportive female friends in the form of Ren Di and Fang Shu Miao. I liked that there was no b*tch in this drama and that Xu Li Na turned out to be endearing.
- I liked that the drama was pretty realistic on the whole. For instance, I liked how FL's parents were portrayed because it added realism.
- The starting track was dramatic and well-composed. I have been listening to it! The other songs as part of the OST were nice too. The songs fitted the different parts of the drama.
- I liked that the story had a happy enough ending and that everything wrapped up quite nicely.

What I didn't enjoy:
- Oh, I hated Gao Jian Hong and Fang Zhi Jing. They were total scumbags. I hated them to the core. I hated how they were so insecure and instead of using proper and ethical ways to better themselves, they chose to step on others to climb up.
- It was heartbreaking to see how ML lost his loved ones - parents and sister. I hated his brother-in-law.

Overall, this drama is pretty excellent and I highly recommend it! :o)
<3

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College sweethearts against the world

I had been a little nervous going into this as I very rarely enjoy dramas with two timelines — usually the huge trigger event just feels so unnecessary and avoidable with some communication, and the part that comes after is so chock full of angst and uneven knowledge.

That wasn't the case for this drama at all; of course there were things that happened but I felt like all the development was very in line with who the characters were and I especially loved the female lead, who was perfectly written as someone who grew up pretty sheltered and protected but started to come out of her bubble and have her own opinions and dreams. Even when she was left out of plans there was this element of trust and insightfulness that she had that prevented the sort of frustrating misunderstanding I usually hate seeing.

The chemistry between the leads was top-notch and was hands down one of the best part of the show; the banter was hilarious, the tension before they got together was great, and overall they were just so natural with each other they were one of the few couples that I didn't lose interest in after they got together.

The OST fits the scenes perfectly and I think this has quickly become one of my favorite dramas of 2022.

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A marking unconditional love story - You'll either like or dislike it (I LOVED it)

Let me start by saying I'm generally picky with what I watch, and I drop dramas as soon as I feel the story hasn't much going on for itself anymore. I naturally take scores and reviews into account when I'm searching for stuff to binge, lighter and princess included. All of this to say I didn't pick this up with no expectations, I wanted it to be good, and oh my god! It was!

After watching you are my glory, I was looking for another nice modern c-drama with good romance, and while a very different type of dynamics, LP didn't disappoint me on that. This drama is superb. Admittedly, it has several flaws (which some reviews already pointed out here) but I can only think of about 3 dramas with a picture perfect storyline anyway.

A few reasons why I liked this despite the bad boy/good girl trope that I often can't stand to watch :

- Li xun is cocky and rude yes, but not because he is popular, rich, spoiled or something like that. He has a heavy past which has closed him off from social relationships and his confidence comes from his exceptional skills. I'm not excusing that though! Those are FLAWS, which made me want to pull out my hair sometimes but I'd rather take that than male leads who manhandle, BULLY FL's at the beginning of some shows just because they were an "eyesore" to their distinguished sockets only to magically change because du-du-dum *LOVE*. Li xun here isn't the nicest guy, he has trouble with empathy and emotions in general, but he doesn't brag, just does things on his own and others feel bothered because of that. He won't abruptly change, yet he does show signs of wanting to improve by the end of the drama for Zhu yun. He never bullies her, they BOTH bother e/o at the beginning and if anything it feels like they're flirting and in denial the whole time.
- Zhu Yun is never helpless. It is her who comes from a rich family, who has the power. They are quarreling but it feels like she could get out of those situations at any time if she *really* wanted to (she actually did once!). Tbh their relationships of cats and dogs even start with her always coming back to interact with him despite his rudeness.
- They are complementary. The two characters have apparent flaws, especially li xun, but she brings him something just as he brings her something. They are both the person who makes the other better.

//SPOILER WARNING, this section will mainly be me discussing the main characters and the negative takes on them in detail//
Lighter and Princess is above all a captivating love story. Some said and will say that the FL runs after the ML too much and I won't argue with that. However, despite it all it is definitely one of the reasons why this drama touched me so much.
YES when they meet again, it is Zhuyun who still pursues him despite what the break-up did to her, and I can totally see how it may not please some who waited for the opposite to happen, but instead of being angry at that, I was agreably surprised.
She does not pursue Li xun because she has no respect for herself like many people say or because she is incompetent without him, she wants to help him professionally because she values his skills a lot and she herself is every bit qualified to do so. She acknowledges his pioneering dream, relates to it and want to be a part of it. She also feels the most alive and in control of her life thanks to him (his presence gives her strength to follow what she wants, as opposed to her parents who dug a path for her). As much as I love my girl bosses with their own dreams and objectives, I feel it's a bit unfair to label her as dependent just because she wants a man to be part of her projects. Li xun himself doesn't force her to do anything, if she wanted to quit working with him he'd 100% support it as he believes she can change the world (YES HE SAID THAT). Also, Zhuyun only mentions mending their relationship post-time skip when she confirms that he still thinks of her, never before that. She knows what she wants, they've already wasted a lot of time so she doesn't hesitate. She knows Li xun more than anyone, as well as his wounded past, so she sees through his indifference and hurtful words.
NOW don't misunderstand me! I was mad pissed at what he did, and I'd have slapped him across the face more than once. But everyone has different ways of internalizing things, and while I did think she should've been angrier and he more apologetic after he trampled on her feelings in the office (that scene UGH), I think it's one of the rare cases where I was convinced by the sheer determination of a character despite the criticism I might have had. I'm not ignoring the depression she went through at all but she succeeded in bouncing back, and is very resolute in pursuing what she wants. It's her choice at the end of the day so my thoughts became more of a "damn girl, you sure like your man I hope you tamed him by the time you have children" and that's all lol. He clearly starts to open up again, and you feel like she can do it! Both characters stay faithful to their personality whether it be the good or bad points and it diverges from the standard relationship development of clear cut redemption ; it was fresh in an unexpected way.
//End of the section//

The ending could've been longer (I wanted more) and the revenge aspect could indeed have been better. But hey, I came for the romance and I was completely touched by the unconditional love she has for him and vice-versa. I'm not the type of person who looks for 100% mellow, healthy and perfect relationships at all costs in tv shows (those don't pique my interest in the long-term fiction-wise actually) so I quickly accepted the lows of their relationship, which despite everything was so beautiful to me.
If you have experienced temporarily unbalanced (not related to love because he loves her just as much, it's more of a communication problem) relationships irl and can't separate it from fiction, maybe you won't like this. It's what most negative opinions of this drama are about tbh. And that's totally valid, but I don't agree at all with people who claim only teenagers will like this or that all mature people will find it tasteless. I, in fact, experienced rocky relationships but as I said, this drama is not about my life, so I had no problem enjoying the story. It all depends on what type of dynamics you like to watch.

Their chemistry was natural and pleasant to see, both actors convey their attraction through their eyes and they're pretty what can I say? (eye-candy + eye contact is THE combo). They managed not to make me cringe (quite the contrary) at interactions that would have made me roll my eyes (like that leaning in thing Li xun was obssessed with?? if not for his beguiling side-profile and charming eyes that would've been a no no) in other dramas and for that I congratulate them. I like relationships which start with bickering so I feel like I'm in the minority that didn't feel bored at all in the first episodes + it was very nice to see them gradually act like a couple before they even made things official.

Also the kisses and intimacy are GREAT yall! Thank the lord.

As for the osts, they are perfect for the drama and quite a few are in my playlist (I'm looking at you hugs in the snow). The cinematography was really good as well!
A con : the quality of the translation wasn't that good, it's a shame because knowing mandarin will make you appreciate this more.

All in all, a memorable drama with more to offer than the cute and simple high-school/uni romance, which made me pick up editing again after years of inactivity. I say if you like the enemies to lovers genre, flirting hidden by bickering, a relationship that develops seamlessly, and characters that are everything for each others, give this drama a chance !

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Obnoxious male lead beyond redemption

I really wanted to enjoy this drama, but the male lead's behaviour is soo obnoxious that I just can't go on with it anymore; he'd better be freelancing for the rest of his life because no people deserve to deal with such an asshole at work. The fact that the female lead is helplessly swayed by such an obvious walking red flag and tolerates him abusing his classmates made me lose respect for her as well. The only character I'm rooting for is Gao Jian (the SML), but I've a feeling the writers will somehow make him out to be the bad guy, so I think it's best for me to drop the drama here (after 12.5 episodes). The ML's sob story wasn't that impressive either and definitely doesn't justify him being such a bully. Everytime he opens his mouth I seriously want to punch him, I can't even enjoy the "flirting" scenes when all he does is act condescendingly towards the FL.

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oh my god

this drama is only halfway there but it literally has me giggling and kicking my feet. IT IS THAT GOOD.
the chemistry between the leads is magical and i fall for the ml more and more each minute.
i find the ml's storyline super interesting and i love how much he cares for the fl, even if he tries not to show it as much. its so nice to see how compatible they are with each other!
also it's kinda cool how they were each other's first loves and then meet again in the future once he's out of jail and FALL IN LOVE AGAIN i'm so excited for when that comes
again, chemistry is 12/10
best cdrama i've seen in a whileeee! IM IN LOVE?

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The best of Chen Fei Yu and an Amazing love story of good girl & bad guy

I previously watched Chen Fei Yu and Zhang Jing Yi in other dramas, and I have to say that I did not like the characters they acted in. Gold Panning for him and "Fall in Love" for her.

In Lighter and Princess - they both did a fantastic job, and their on-screen chemistry was so good. Chen Fei Yu acted better than Zhang Jing Yi in this drama. Still, the character she performed in this drama was far more interesting and intelligent.

I like the storyline because I can relate to it since I worked as a software engineer and had come across some raw talents.

Li Xun is one of that genius who is not only smart but also arrogant and dangerous. He meets his match in Zhu Yun, who is innocent yet fearless and challenges him. Their love for each other is genuine, and they challenge each other to be a better person, which is rare to see in Cdrama.

I enjoy this drama very much, and I would give it a 9.0 rating if it were cut short to 30 episodes instead of 36. As such, it was a bit draggy, so I am giving it an 8.5 rating. Chen Fei Yu has the potential to be a great actor in his future career, and the OST is also great.

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Best drama

It is a very interesting story that I really want to see. The first story is very beautiful. Actor and Acctress performance is also very good and makes us enjoy the story. Still I am broadcasting ep 15 and today is ep 16.
This is the first review I am writing because this story great for me to review. So go ahead and watch the story. I am very exicited to tell you to watch this story . And the story of this are really interesting and adicted so I can highly recommend this.You can watch this youtube but on today there are few ep are released but in the future I think you can watch it in youtube . And the male lead and female lead both of them are best actors and there are masterpeicing this drama , I love them both. The story can give tears and smile and laught all to you this is really great drama and this will be mn favorurite drama.. I am wating to aired this. So now I am sayng this to you again please watch this

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I gave up

They say that girls love bad boys but this was way too much - I gave up after 15th episode, tired of waiting for FL to find her spine. The writers try to sell us the story of Cinderella doing everything short of suicide for her love, but that is not my cup of tea.
The reasons for ML's presonality problems are nicely explained, however that means that ML neeeds a good psychiatrist, not a love-struck girl to feed his narcissism through obedience.
I think that such stories, without a clear stand-point that such (male or female, same thing) behavior is wrong and unacceptable, is dangerous for both girls and boys in audience.
The acting is nice but that makes my point even more important.

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The SHOW that DAMAGES you for a LONG TIME and traps you in a REWATCH cycle for its beauty

I HAVE been SMITTEN with the BRILIANCE of L&P, it's made everything else look uninteresting and pale in comparison.
I echo many of the L&P fans addiction to the show when I say "L&P has damaged me for dramas"

I have been puzzling over why for many it did not click.
- those who have dropped it inspite of being initially interested
- or those just didn't get the point of it
- couldn't tune into the 'sizzle' in the convos between the lead characters
- a reason for the many who did not enjoy and got tired, bored, dropped

It did require knowledge in Computerese (software AND hardware / Coding / Apps / Internet / Hacking / IT industry / future Tech, which played a BIG role in the "juice" and "thrill" of the show.
The entire dramatic suspense pivoted on 'understanding' even if just at basic general knowledge and current affairs level the world of computing / IT / computer hardware / game design / App and Website design / hacking / programming / viruses
There is so much 'technicalese' in the long convos amongst the characters, that would require unpacking :

- when and why Li Xun wins the Blue Crown Deal (the entire presentation for bidding)
- why it was a Herculean feat by Li Xun to have "rewritten" the bid AS WELL as the coding for the final website design
- how Zhu Yun was discovered and what was she up to at the Xiaobei computer lab
- how Xiaobei's understanding of the website design was so shallow
- why it was a genius leap to have come up with the App for Blue Crown over Website of Blue crown (Li Xun's vision for future of Smart Phone use when 4G is moving into 5G soon)
- Li Xun's ability to see the future of how Apps / Internet use can be harnessed for GREATER GOOD of humanity
- the brilliance of dreaming of a future for medical Science and reducing the rate of cancer deaths by 1% (propelled by the all consuming grief at the death of his mother) and HOW were they going to go about it; why it needed deep pockets and backers; to see in it the immensity of the idea's scope
- when and how Li Xun exposes the weakness of Fang Zhijing's Star Award winning product
- how the Invincible General Game was turned around from being a laissez faire product to a product for nerds / geeks and found its niche following
- why it was a HUGE touching moment when ZY purchases (with her own money) the HOST component and is trying to assemble (Titan) while we see LX has gone "shopping" for the same after taking the day off and not even intimating what he is up to.
- what was the Blind Box Game's allure (why it bothered ZY but all the males were cool with it, including her 'green flag' artist beau Xiu Jhu Tian) and why it would take 6 months even for any COPY to be made, unlike how easy it was for Old Gao to have copied Invincible General
- the significance of LX financing the Blind Box Game and becoming a majority shareholder at Flying Heart.

And last but not least amongst this listing is WHY it was clear that Old Gao was bright BUT mediocre, his goals materialistic ... while Li Xun was a visionary, an institution builder (are there shadows of Ayn Rand's FOUNTAINHEAD in his and Zhu Yun's character portrayal) ??)
OKAY I thought I could write several reviews the show .. But MDL does not allow that .. therefore today I posting additonal material :-D
And I can't stop sharing how the show looked from my LENS (I've been on the Discussion Thread also)

Here I copy-paste my comment, with the main intention of just freely expressing WHY L&P works for me, in an attempt to offer a 'different lens' to Li Xun's character and rescue it from the one dimensional view of him as :
- toxic
- red flag
- contemptible
- devoid of ANY redeeming features

I was JUST about to chip in with that. Li Xun can't be described as MORALLY GREY without some elaboration and examination of his behaviour and actions.
Right from the beginning we see proof that he does not choose to INTENTIONALLY betray, take advantage of, back-stab, take people for a ride - he knows what is right and what is wrong, knows what is evil and what is good. MOST IMPORTANTLY he know what it means "to break the law"(I'll get back to this with a few examples from the show).
Yes.
He definitely has a rude, impatient nature, a cut and cold way of speaking; is strongly opinionated in his own field of interest and pursuits; is single minded to a fault when it comes to chasing his ambition and dreams; is intolerant of mediocrity and isn't 'polite' about telling it as it is.

In short, he's NOT a touchy-feely guy - it very quickly becomes evident (and the evidence keeps piling up as we watch the episodes, getting to learn his backstory, watch his actions.
He was probably born with a strongly introverted personality, so when tragedy struck (father passing away when he was very young) his life script switched on a style of defence mechanism not uncommon in such personalities. And he's GIFTED, a GENIUS. He has learnt to shroud his 'sentimentality, and softer emotions' from the world.

ONLY those most intimate to him, know this side of him.
ONLY those he feels understood by, those who manage to get close enough to seep into him with their genuineness and warmth; those who can rattle him, make fun of him, (Zhu Yun / Old Gao), challenge him, question his way of thinking, threaten him, press triggers in him that elicit reactions. He's been used to for too long of being feted, due to his REMARKABLE BRILLIANCE. He is an outlier one can easily gather from how his abilities are portrayed in the show.

The most intimate to him include his sister Li Lan, his mother. Li Lan is the one we get to hear from the MOST about LX childhood, what it was like for him growing up. He without wallowing in self pity stepped up to wear the mantle of guardian to his mom and sister, selflessly working to 'make money for the family' and be as little of a burden to them as possible. He is a self-made human from a young age since his father passed away.
We see such warm touching, affectionate moments with his mother, the softness in his gaze when he looks at her, tends to her. We hear Li Lan telling ZY how deeply he cared for his mom, so much so that it led to a falling out with her also. In his teen mind drunk with grief he told her off : "if you gave up on mom, leave me alone now" - meaning "stop fussing about my health now" when she was worried and insisting on him getting a surgery.

He sank even deeper into a pit and hid after his mother's death, unable to even keep in touch with his sister over the years. Probably grew a few more prickly thorns and a harder shield.

One can only imagine what transpired for him from the moment he became an orphan, was kicked out of school, lost a school year, survived on his own, and YET came out on top as HIGHEST scorer of the batch - retaining his reputation as a GENIUS.
When Li Lan resigned to her "destiny" : "All in all this our destiny. We have to admit it."
LX was ALL determination steaming from his red eyes, swollen with grief, his face plastered with tears, he countered with: "I won't admit it" meaning he'll never allow that to become his mantra.
In an act of rebellion he declares to himself and to the world (dying his hair blond after his mom's death, knowing very well that his "uncommon look" will draw attention and might even affect his school admission: "Even if everyone in the world admits the fact, I want to be different from them. Nothing can beat me down. I won't give in. I can only depend on myself."
Pu Shu's song playing in the background - at the concert that LX has bought ticks for Li Lan and ZY - how much more of hidden knight in shining armour can you get - BEAUTIFULLY highlights the moments of this back story scene.
"Just so Young ,
Just so Crazy.."
His dorm buddy Fu Zhio instinctively knows this aspect of him, and 'likes LX' A LOT and sees through all his tough and rough and gruff, and thus is one of the RARE folks in the show that LX goes over to off load his inner disquiet (Ren Di is like his alter ego, the ONLY other person we see him seek out when his mind and emotions are in a muddle).

And then of course there is Zhu Yun.
After a bout of Zhu Yun's initial negative impression of him (which incidentally is Zhu Yun's trigger to squash him and show him his place by ridiculing him at the Fresher's Night StandUp Cross Talk; and then teaming up with Old Gao, to challenge his academic superiority during the fight for LX's Programming Base vs Old Gao's Interest Group Computer Club) she slowly starts to see that hidden side of him too.
Of course his STUNNING HANDSOME LOOKS, good enough to be a model, ;-p also plays a role (a well established TROPE in Dramaverse *chuckle*)

The side of him that is :
- humorous, (he makes that silly pig virus, alluding again to the Little Piggy joke ZY cracked on stage, as the HW she was sent to collect by Fang ShuMiao, for her to download and submit. he calls her Princess and jokingly introduces the princess he has 'especially invited' to the Base - Old Lin had a role to play in coaxing ZY to join the base ..and one suspects Old Lin might have also exchanged words on that with LX .. since he was waiting just outside his class when ZY emerges after Lin's "talk" to her )
- playful (how he teases ZY .. when she persists on getting him to do HW / attend morning study class etc; connects with her by lobbing / flicking things at her - paper pellet, keys of the roof, bread packet he's bought her as lunch that boinks her head. ..
Close friends do that .. joking and kidding around ..
- jealous, (of Volleyball School Champ - Jiang Xing Chi whose making moves on the girl who he by now clearly fancies; of artist friend of ZY - Tian Xiu Jhu when he sees him drop ZY off in a fancy car and she seems very close and friendly to him
- warm, kind, loyal, upright
- capable of self reflection (when Zhu Yun explains to LX why Gao is upset and that he should make amends .. LX meets him on the roof and tells him that he wants Gao in his team and together work on the goals)

Examples of which start to build up as the drama progresses :
~ LX even as a down and under kiddo, never takes a penny more than he needs - 1000 from his game buddy in middle school when he's trying to make extra cash for his hospitalised mom, even though he offers a LOT more;
~ 140300 from Fu Zhio for breaking into the school grades system even though he says he could get him millions for sure;
~ refuses to take Fu Zhio's money and ZY seems to KNOW there is NO WAY LX will accept Fu Zhio's hard earned savings;
~ does not throw his buddy Fu Zhio under the truck when they are found out for cheating, IN FACT it's Li Xun who GOES to the Director Liu (in the Rain dripping like a wet crow) and BEGS her to let Fu Zhio off and asks to take the full blame for it; (which self serving person would risk doing something like that!!);
~ refuses to accept Xu Lina's funding even when she is throwing herself at him, and then failing that, she disguises it under "you don't need to marry me .. just take my money as an investment" .. in his upright heart he knows it would be wrong to use XuLina's money when she is so clearly in LOVE with him .. He won't "use" her, not for this.

He steers clear of people and things he thinks is a 'waste of time" - in his opinionated world - he's a man in a hurry to get things done ..
Things IMPORTANT in his world view : building institutions and a future where tech serves the greater good .. an App that reduces the "cancer detection and cure rate by 1%" ..
That long haul project becomes his mantra! The main product of the business set up he has been planning for - probably EVER SINCE his mom died. They were not aware of this drug Levartini because of lack of info and shared knowledge in the medical world.

In its scope he has taken on a gargantuan project that will need to align with hospitals across the nation and collate millions of data points from medical diagnoses (that is what we see him preoccupied with in the second half of the back story of college .. he has even dropped out of college to fast track this business plan - it seems like he wants to prevent deaths due to lack of info as soon as he can launch this App.

He is a visionary and he's written into the character as a person whose goals are lofty .. and because his eyes look so far into the future of the IT industry and he has a sharp searing intelligence that cuts through low quality b.s. ideas (in his qualified, fine critical judgment ability), he seems unable to or even interested in slowing down.

(You know this is the reason 'gifted' children are put into separate programs to cater to their super speeds of absorption and cognitive abilities - they are often loners because they cannot understand their peers, vice versa. While emotionally these gifted kids are often lagging behind a lot .. and thus special teachers are assigned to them who understand their minds.)

Winning the Blue Crown website Bid, making the Blue Crown App for sale, is all in alignment with how step by step he is planning for the start-up venture ..
He is not one to back down even if it means killing his body and health speed coding - writing revised bid documents that run into hundreds of pages .. all the while reading up and staying abreast of current advances and needs of the industry (ZY is amazed at when did he even gets the time to find out SO MUCH about Blue Crown .. including personal info of their owner's wife ? or was it mom? being an expert in Chinese Medicine).

Using up hours and hours arguing and explaining his strategy, his design ideas (especially when he senses a 'denseness' in the questions asked) dearly tests his 'energy level'.
He is probably anyways always functioning at the edge of his exhaustion limit, with the amount of sleepless nights he spends on the roof on that rickety back ache-y seat, and at the base slouched over his laptop, setting deadlines for himself AND delegating work for the large team he is already leading.

The fact that he loses patience; and often allows his team members to learn from their mistakes, rather than stopping them; asks them directly to decide if they can take the "pressure of the work"; asks them to trust his leadership skills is quite understandable and worthy of consideration in assessing his reactions, actions, behaviour.

NO ONE understands or condones his attitude and behaviour at college (not Old Gao, not Fang Shumiao, the other kids are too in awe of his 'mind' to even consider approaching him ... NOT EVEN Old Lin .. who is a a SENIOR professor and although he holds Li Xun's abilities with tremendous respect he also chastises him for his 'arrogance' and sometimes, bullies him into participating in 'competitions' that to Li Xun is again a TOTAL waste of time, FAR BELOW his capabilities.

Li Xun already belongs in the big bad adult world of professionals and entrepreneurs competing for a foothold when his peers are simply 'students studying from books'.

The Base is his idea .. and his pitch must have been SO FANTASTIC (given he's a noob freshie at college) to the College board that they immediately constituted a "profit aspect" AND "credit aspect" to the work done there in lieu of STUDY periods .. which according to him was wasted on books .. when all the learning in Programming HAD to COME from "breaking a few keyboards" and working within the real world industry.

I am NOT sure if my long long piece explains anything about the DRAMA's build up, action and character and themes.
Whether it adds .. clears up anything about it's MUCH reviled ML - Li Xun.

Bottomline : not everyone is going to be interested in watching a SLICE OF LIFE kind of show -
~ about a character like Li Xun and Zhu Yun,
~ or a show that has Computer and IT jargon as BED ROCK of its action and dramatic tension;
~ has ML descend into the darkest pit possible in "dramaverse" (short of murder - as in Cruel City);
~ with character arc of the lead being a slow burn evolution;
~ where even in the end you JUST ABOUT BARELY start to see the flecks of sunlight flickering in his eyes .. and his body get more easygoing, his persona open up allowing the entry of many more humans (flawed and pock marked).

I could keep writing .. endless are my observations as I keep rewatching the drama for the beauty of its script, construction, cinematography, mise en scene, music which is a potent punch to the scenes unfolding); the audio track that goes pin drop silent, or listens in on the ambient sounds, or cues up music; the direction; the the acting; casting choices; set design; production quality.
The symbols that appear .. Lighter / the usage of Princess as it appears in its many connotations / ZY's many different reactions to being called by that name.
Character analysis of the MAINs other than ML and FL .. Gao / Xu Lina / Fang Zi Jing / Fang Shumiao / Ren Di / Father Zhu / Mama Liu The nature of their inter-relationships amongst each other.
Anyway I'll stop now ROFL ..

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Something new after long time in Cdrama Must watch

Felt like watching something new in C-Drama. Begins as a college romance drama but totally changed into cat and mouse revenge drama in the middle and ends on a lighter note. have some dull moments but those will be matched by romance portions.
Mostly will work for all who follow C drama. in beginning Some will hate ML's character for his ruggedness and wont care attitude but they will get to used to it in upcoming episodes. I really enjoyed 2nd half more than first half. College romance portions are bit boring compared to office romance between FL and ML

Go for it !

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Well written, Full on chemistry, Eye Candy ML, Heartache and Yes it's worth watching.

Let me start with the best part of why I loved it so much, It's the ML damn it. He is not only incredibly handsome but also portrayed with charisma that is hard to resist. Despite being initially depicted as a sociopath with arrogance due to his extraordinary genius, viewers will gradually understand the reasons behind his behavior and empathize with him. His complex emotions and intensity make him a character you can't help but root for. As a viewer, you will know why he is behaving, how he is behaving, and you will sympathize with him, not sure about everyone, but this I how I feel at least. He is the kind of person who may not give a warm vibe, not good to everyone but his feelings are so deep and intense.

Unlike many clichéd romances, the chemistry between the main leads in this drama is refreshingly realistic. There are no instant love connections or fated encounters from their childhoods. Instead, their journey towards falling in love is portrayed authentically, allowing viewers to enjoy the gradual development of their feelings. The female lead (FL) is portrayed as innocent yet level-headed, while the ML's genius and arrogance create a balanced dynamic that enhances the storytelling. Overall they complement each other so well. It may sound cliche but yeah I loved this.

Credit must be given to the writer for crafting well-rounded characters who remain consistent throughout the drama. There are no abrupt shifts in character traits or inexplicable actions. Every character's decisions and motivations are adequately explained, keeping the narrative grounded in realism. Even the portrayal of FL's parents maintains a realistic perspective, avoiding forced changes in their viewpoints.

What could be better? The second phase of the drama tends to drag, lacking the excitement and eventfulness of the initial phase. Viewers may have expected a more thrilling storyline during this part of the series, which is a minor disappointment. As a result, a slight deduction of 0.5 points is warranted. However, these issues do not overshadow the drama's overall appeal.

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