Michelle Topham

Yep, and yours is a great attitude to have. Never base your likes/dislikes on what other people say about a drama. And definitely NEVER on MDL ratings :) I never do either.

And btw, I rate as I go along, but then change the rating as a drama improves/fails -- that way I remember my particular feelings as new episodes drop. So, what I'm rating it a few episodes in is, very often but not always, a completely different rating from how I ultimately end.

I watched a drama recently (Love and Sword), and really found it draggy/uninteresting through the latter half of the series. But it's last couple of episodes, and in particular the final one, made the whole drama much better as it pulled everything together so well. So... my initial rating of 7 throughout almost all of it ended up as a 9 by the time I'd finished :)

I also never care what other people rate dramas compared to my rating. If I personally love a drama, I give it a 10, even if 99% of others think it's only worth a 7 or 8. I don't care. I liked it. So it gets my high rating :)

And yep, never understand the hater ratings. Especially people who "hate" specific actors. If you don't like an actor, move on to a drama starring an actor you do like, instead of deliberately downrating a drama you didn't even watch because of one person in it. Very immature behavior, IMO.

I saw you ended up dropping it. Actually not that surprised.

I'm on Ep 9 and still not finding the FL remotely "better". Sooooo close to dropping it, and just holding on hoping she will eventually grow an improved personality :)

I do think Wang Xing Yue's performance is superb in this though, so different than Unveil: Jadewind (which I did end up dropping as the plot was so bland), which proves what a phenomenal actor he is, especially for his ridiculously young age, as he seems to be able to play just about any type of character. And I don't find him subdued in this at all. He's very subdued in Unveil, to the point of his character being completely uninteresting, which was a big reason I dropped it.

You really should. I also dropped it after Episode 1 after she kept dying and then had about 976 people on MDL tell me "No, no, no, you MUST pick it back up again". So, I did, figuring I may have been missing something and, yep, it ended up being one of my Top 3 dramas of 2025. And one of the very very very few C-dramas I have on my list to watch again.

Primarily because the characters really are amazing, I ended up loving every one of them, even a couple I could have happily murdered through most of the drama :) (one in particular has such a wonderful redemption arc), the performances are superb right down to the smallest bit part actors, and the writing is very very clever. So much so, I have a feeling I missed a lot of the twists/turns/ hints in it, and want to do a rewatch to see if I can spot them.

If you ever have time, I recommend you try again and, you may be surprised, and end up like me. Obsessed :)

I think the rating is low because the FL is absolutely insufferable, and hard to watch. Ratings HAVE gone up since it premiered to lower ratings, primarily due to the FL at that point as well. Even so, I'm still a couple of episodes away from dropping it (I just started Episode 9) if she doesn't improve as I despise everything about her. (The character, not Julia Xiang, although I don't think she's doing a particularly good job here -- much better in Love of the Divine Tree -- liked her in that).

A pity, as the rest of it is excellent.

You shouldn't worry too much about the MDL rating, though, as it's earning a low 6.4 on Douban with over 35,000 ratings, which means it's "Mediocre or/Below Average" so, apparently, the Chinese weren't that impressed either.

EDIT: I've just started Episode 15 and am here to tell anyone thinking of dropping it the drama and the FL get MARKEDLY better after Episode 8. Sure, I'm only five episodes passed that, but I'm enjoying it quite a lot now when, for the first eight episodes, I really wasn't.

Oh, so sorry to hear your parents passed away. And I have a feeling mine will be the same (they're 87 and 88 now), as they're joined at the hip so, when one eventually passes on, I highly suspect the other won't be too far behind.

Rare nowadays to have such strong marriages though as our parents obviously did/do, as so many people don't. (All my family do -- all 3 uncles and their wives are the same -- think it's that generation!). Grew up poor or working class and so are more interested in the important things in life (being financially stable, having a strong family) than in petty quarrels.

1,000% agree with you. And what an interesting story about your mother. Good for her!!! (And my mother is the same in connection to looking up at my dad (she doesn't!) -- she doesn't let him get away with ANY bad behavior - hence why they've been happily married for 65 years :)

I think there's one good thing that's come out of today's disappointing episodes = more people talking about the drama on MDL, and having some pretty respectful conversations overall. Big thumbs up for that. :)

And I think most of us who are annoyed with today's episodes haven't given up on the show just yet. We're just hoping we'll start to see the two things that are taking forever finally move in the right direction a little faster -- Miyu's people pleasing being done with completely, and the ML and FL stopping pussy footing around each other when it comes to their feelings. If these start moving in the right direction soon, I'm still happy with the drama :)

Oh I don't think that's true (her needing to remain single), as Ji Feng has made it pretty obvious right from the beginning that he dislikes that "people pleaser" side of her.

Being in a relationship with him is her best possible choice, as at least he doesn't let her kisser-up tendencies slide :) He's been calling her out every time he sees her do it. So it's not like he wants a subservient partner like her detestable ex-husband did.

What you say about KPI, though definitely true, still doesn't detract from the reality that K-drama IS still outpacing C-drama by massive numbers though on international streaming platforms, and it's pretty obvious, whether KPI from domestic viewership is enough for their investments, or not, the production companies STILL want their dramas to become international hits.

If they didn't, they wouldn't be selling them to platforms like Netflix and Disney, or opening up their own platforms (YOUKU, Tencent (WeTV), iQIYI etc) to international subscribers, or uploading them to YouTube for non-Chinese audiences (which is currently giving them hundreds of millions of views per month across all C-drama channels - big thumbs up from me :)

Personally, though, I think they HAVE made a smart decision by limiting many of their dramas to their own platforms, or their own YouTube channels, as that keeps THEM in control.

Something K-dramas and anime should have done years ago, IMO as, without that, they are constantly under pressure from western companies/fans/media etc to censor or conform what they create to so-called " western values". Something the Chinese will never do, and rightfully so.

Now if they would just promote those platforms more, they could see views skyrocket as there are still many viewers who enjoy Asian dramas that don't even know WeTV/YOUKU etc exist (spoke to a Thai friend recently who watches solely K and J-dramas, and she had NO idea WeTV existed, or that C-dramas are so good, and her ethnicity is Thai Chinese!!! - And yep, she's now a WeTV subscriber :)

Agree with you on the subs though. Abysmal that some Chinese companies are so bad at this, but... I will add, WeTV has been offering AI-translated subs to some of their dramas lately and, for the most part, I have been pleasantly impressed. Hopefully, companies like Mango TV will eventually follow suit, as some subs they add are barely understandable.

Oh and thanks for your correction of my 38 episodes comment. I couldn't remember when I typed that if that was the correct number :) And yep, I think you're correct that most production companies won't go the 40-plus episode route as Chinese drama fans have been complaining about "too many episodes dragging out the plot" for eons.

And, if they do, we will likely get 2 seasons instead of one (and I don't mind that if the drama is engrossing).

Did read the Reddit convo a while ago, btw. Others should read it if they haven't. Much of it is speculation, but still interesting. Thanks for the link :)

I'm still stuck mid-way thru Ep 24 - can't seem to muster the enthusiasm to finish it :) (about to make a cup of coffee and plonk my bum on the chair and force it to sit there until it's ended - LOL).

Hahahaha, I need some support as I'm about to put my fist through my laptop screen if this goes on much longer :)

Yep. And that's, unfortunately, the problem with a huge percentage of C-dramas, and one of the reasons why K-dramas are still outpacing them in the international market, IMO. They are too damned LONG. (And the Chinese authorities stopped that, capping them at 38 episodes for a few years, but have recently removed that cap, so expect some of the new ones to go back to 45 to 65 episodes (ridiculous!).

Most stories peter out after 30 episodes (max) and, IMO, most do better at around 25-28 episodes or even below. Anything above that, unless the story is very well-written and the characters are incredibly interesting becomes draggy.

(I classify The Outsider in that, as it's 38 episodes and it kept my attention like nothing else as its characters and ensemble cast are SO good, and the writing is excellent -- watched all 38 episodes last week in 2 1/2 days. Brilliant).

With 28-30 episodes of Miyu, and the writer could have scrapped some of the unnecessary bullying, as well as some of the idiocy around the FL and ML's relationship.

Instead, with not much else to the story, they've had to stretch it and stretch it until it's like seaside taffy that's about to break. Annoying.

EDIT: For you non-Americans -- seaside taffy :) -- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mhnTn13m4d8

You'll hate Ep 23 then - LOL.

Yep. Especially because Ji Feng has told her again and again and again to stand up for herself. To which she nods and smiles and then, apparently, his words go in one ear and out the other because...

Every time a new person steps on her (or a person who's done it before) she just gets this sickly sweet blank look on her face and then walks away. I would have been fired by now/arrested for smacking at least 5 of these people into the middle of next week (my parents didn't raise someone wiling to put up with bullsh*t - ROTFL).

I have a feeling she will eventually blow and all hell will break loose but, Ye Gods, why are we on Episode 24 with the same events as Episode 1?

Mid-way thru Ep 24 and, believe me, nothing has changed. Problem is neither the FL or the ML has a backbone. They're both such insipid people and, unless things drastically change, I don't see them becoming much else other than that. Teaser for Ep 25 also looks like more of the same. I'm a hair's breadth from dropping it at this point and so disappointed.

The first 15 episodes are superb, but we now seem to be stuck in the quagmire of stepped-on Miyu and Mr. Milk Toast Ji Feng being sucked down and down and down.

I think I'll give it a couple more episodes and, if Miyu being trodden on again and again and again and again, and these two pussy-footing around their feelings continues, it will be "Thanks but moving on" from me. Hopefully not.

And I think the problem with this is like with many C-dramas -- waaaaaaay too many episodes for such a simple story, so every annoyance gets dragged out x 10 until you're just so sick of all of it.

Yikes, getting pretty close to a drop at this point as I'm watching at 2x speed, and still bored rigid. (And I drop VERY few dramas, btw).

Episode 23 and Miyu is still being walked all over. This time by a front desk receptionist, and Miyu says NOTHING, just does the job herself that she asked the receptionist to do instead. We're more than TWO THIRDS the way through and this narrative is getting old.

Now beginning of Ep 24 and still being walked on by both the receptionist and the Duan a-hole. Tired of this. It's becoming so badly written.

Unwatchable. Most idiotic, immature FL I've seen in a long while. Like nails scraping slowly down a blackboard watching a woman who's a lawyer act and sound like she's a 10 yr old child. Horrible. Easiest drop in ages.

It's actually a very good drama (an excellent cast), just frustrating how slowly the relationship between the ML and FL develops, and how the eternal bullying the FL is the victim of by various people (not the ML) seems to be never ending.

I think, if the writer manages to properly pull it all together by the end though, AND have the FL become the person she has the potential to become, it will end up as a VERY good drama. Hang out then and see how the comments go :)

I have a feeling she turned him down as he tried to kiss her, as he did apologize in another trailer, and she accepted his apology.

And yep on the SMLs. Always annoying.

And I have NO idea why C-dramas are always shoving a love triangle in and, in this one, it looks like we've got TWO of the damn things :) -- one with the slow-as-a-snail ML and one with the FL -- ROTFL.

IMO, a large percentage of people that use MDL are either very young or very inexperienced. They must be. As, in just about NO world is it wrong for a woman to kiss a man if she is NOT in a relationship with another man and has NO kind of commitment from another man.

I always think it's bizarre the comments people leave on MDL about relationships though. It's as if most of them are from countries still living in the 15th century (and we all know the world does have those), or people who are so young they've never really dated anyone properly.

Otherwise, very few adults would think it was wrong to kiss someone when they have NO commitment/relationship with anyone else.

And if the ML doesn't like it, then he needs to step up his game, doesn't he, before Miyu gets taken by somebody else :)