HOP2020

This show was a really great surprise. I picked it up randomly as I waited for new of Pursuit of Jade, and then I got blown away by how good it was.

Funny thing is that I can’t even describe (even now after finishing it) what makes it so good. I just kept coming back to watch new episodes and hooked to the story. It superseded other similar shows (even with more prominent actors ) that I was watching simultaneously with it.

I definitely wouldn’t mind a season 2 to see how the couple live their new found lives in the present reality.

Just also found out the FL, is also the FL for the Female General C-Drama. Honestly, I love her here. Detested the way they wrote her character in the General’s drama and dropped the drama.

Kudos to all the casts and crew members of this series. You delivered a gem.

I need to hunt for my next C-drama now. Current airing costume dramas are not my cup of tea.

Agree 💯

Having watched and finished the drama, I understand you perfectly now. The show is trash!

They didn’t go further to actually explore the topic and just seemed to have just slapped it on.
Also, I didn’t even know the rich guy even has a family of his own already. They introduced as some older single guy. Meanwhile, he is a married man with a family. Disgusting plot that was just added for the sake of it. They didn’t add anything extra to it by the way.

This show really disappointed me. I had great hope for it. But then it seems the screenwriter, producers, and directors are schizophrenic, because why did the last 10 episodes turn into a completely different drama. Jeez! 🙄

It fell off badly and unnecessary plots were added (plots that were supposed to be used to flesh out what they already had).

Time wasted!

Ah! This show! I was giving it the benefit of doubt, but the last last 10 episodes or so feel like I’m watching a completely different drama. It seems the drama showed the casts entered into the year 2000 and became completely different human beings, and the worse part, no explanation or foundation was provided for this travesty.
The show went from youths pursuing their dreams before year 2000 to business drama and suspense, LOL 🙄. Also, C-dramas need to seriously stop introducing new plot lines in the last/last 2 episodes before a drama actually ends. That’s terrible production work, jeeezzzzz!

Also, they magically did away with the pregnancy plot and not even telling us what happened to the so called pregnancy and why they moved to France. You then wonder why they even wrote such a lot line in the first place. Contributed nothing and was just stupid writing.

But this is actually reality. People trade things to get even a blick of chance. Just look at the Weinstein and Epstein situations in the US. That tells you just how much people get taken advantage of and some even willingly offer themselves for this type of opportunities. The casting couch is a famous phrase in the U.S and applied to both men and women. Even Justin Bieber had such stories following him. Let’s not pretend. Very few people in the entertainment world these days make it without sponsorship or trading something.

Yep, he’s is just the right amount of cruel for a wealthy tycoon. Just like the FL mentioned to his father on why he gave Du Zhaohui the 5% shares, DU’s brother has no line he won’t cross just to win unlike Du Zhaohui.

The time she could have noticed him was when she was bullied by some girls in school and a boy helped her pick up her books and told her something like “if you’ve already felt the pain then it doesn’t matter anymore “ something like that. They didn’t mention the boy’s name but I guess it was the young Zhou Cheng since the show made it a duty to point to him.

In 2025, I saw this show trending all over SM, I didn’t want to join the hype (thought it was another tropy love story).
Also, I have moved to watch almost exclusively C-Dramas and sparingly watch K-dramas.

I finally bit the bullet and watched it. OMG! I balled my eyes out in the last two episodes. The emotions were overwhelming.

The love story was definitely told from a very different perspective. Couple’s love, parent’s love, children’s love, family love, all of it. Made me think so much of my own parents and acknowledge that I am being too hard on them without even knowing that. And how hurtful it actually is.

Or even relationship with kids, and viewing things from the kids point of view.

There are some parts in the middle I did find a bit too long and over drawn. But all in all, a good drama.

We have to see. I do think the SML was terrible in pushing her away. If he had just confessed his feelings and confirmed their relationship, she would not have gone to the older guy. But each time to moves close to him, he pushes her away because he feels he is too poor for her and does it want to hold her back from her dreams.

Yeah. It’s implied in that scene. After he confesses he likes her and then drinking a lot. She left him a note which he saw when he woke up. He also woke up looking around for her then saw the note.

It is! But I do understand. This show is some people’s reality. And some never make it at the end of the day.

Now I can understand the comments here. This show is just going in circles. I mean I understand trying to show how hard it is to achieve one’s dreams. Especially in Arts/Entertainment Industries where the competition is fierce and usually not clear cut, but mehn, over 25 episodes and this show keeps showing only the heartbreak.
Yeah, real life isn’t pretty at all ☹️

Obviously. I guess she wanted to pay him for all the favours she’s received/the compensation he will pay for her abandoning the project, so she can move on freely and not owe him.
I do understand her though, when someone dangles in front of you the dream you’ve aspired to all your life, plus having the most selfish and user mum there is, it can put you under immense fire.

To be honest, many people trying to get into the entertainment field around the world face this kind of pressure/harassment and unfortunately many fall for it for the fame and money.

Thanks for the explanation. Gives me a better understanding of their dynamics.

Exactly 🤭

This show is uniquely interesting. I can’t even seem to point out what makes it interesting. The story just flows.

Yep. At this point the show runners have to make her act stupid and take stupid decisions (for someone constantly called a genius and with her experience with extreme betrayal so far) so the show can keep going.

I see MDL has corrected it. At the start it was listed as 40 episodes. Even 30 episodes is too much for such a narrow story.

This show goes between logical writing and terrible writing. I thought with all the toes she's stepped up and knowing the type of person Jiang Dongcheng is, the FL will leave the company after the takeover battle. So stupid and illogical to have her return there working and acting like all is normal. Even though Jiang Dongcheng is in charge there.

Like I said earlier, making the show 40 episodes was the biggest red flag to begin with. Now, the show runners have to constantly pull things out of their ass to be able to keep the story running. Phew! 😮‍💨. I am afraid it will only get worse from here. They need filler stories until the very end to ties up the story.

I can't wait too.