I was sold on this drama the moment I eyeballed the three hot main dudes - I mean what's not to like about a light and funny drama with some serious eye candy? But somehow this morphed from just another fun and light young adult comedy into a hilarious and empowering story of friendship and the shining idealism of youth that made a deeper than expected impression on me.

Xue Wenxi disguises herself as her brother Wenbin to support her family as a talented copywriter and author of illicit romantic fiction. A chance encounter and a series of mishaps leads to her reluctant enrollment at the prestigious Yunshang Academy. There she becomes the glue that bonds the "Yunshang Four" an uncommon friendship between the scholarly and noble Feng Chengjun, the savvy Yu Lexuan and the rebellious Lei Zexin. Together they prevail over many coming of age challenges and overcome past secrets and misdeeds of the previous generation.

In a departure from the acclaimed Korean adaption (which I did not watch), this Chinese version portrays an unmistakably feminine version of Wenbin, from the casting of the very petite and lovely Ju Jingyi as Wenbin to surrounding her with uncommonly tall male leads. If you are unable to suspend disbelief that she is not busted as a girl on day one, then your time is better spent on the earlier version. If you get overly hung up on how she looks, you will not enjoy the witty script and brilliant comedic rapport between the leads nor appreciate the more important themes that this adaptation chooses to focus on instead. The casting visibly illustrates the daunting physical challenges Wenbin faces in an academy that has an equally vigorous physical curriculum. 

What I love most about this drama is that it avoids sending the message that in order succeed in a man's world, a woman must look like a man and act like one too. It points out multiple times throughout the drama that Wenbin is a beautiful and delicate gentleman. It is clearly on the edge of everyone's consciousness that he is a girl because all of the boys are drawn to her like bees to a honeypot and when her gender is revealed no one faints from shock. Indeed one of my favorite early moments is the look on Chengjun's face when he sniffs her and gets his first whiff of the scent of a woman. It is unmistakable, all of those boys sense it but no self respecting dude is going to blurt out the unthinkable and ruin the fun of having a girl on campus! Our Wenbin revels in being herself, a young girl - at times she is annoying as hell - naggy, bitchy, petty, jealous but most of the time she is mischievous, charming, sensitive and comforting. For me, it is much more fun to watch a girl having a blast just being herself at an all-boys school than watching the tired routine of a woman trying to fit in by aping a man. 

The script is very cleverly written and funny and the characters are so lovable and relateable they all give me that magical deja vu of people I know. I am floored by the seamless interactions and comedic timing between the cast as witty banter is conveyed in as much via body language and facial expressions as it is in words. The humor is just my speed - a slightly wicked roasting of all too familiar human emotions, traits and rites of passage. This is a heavily character driven drama with very satisfying character growth. The headmaster is priceless and is the show's true unsung hero. The pacing however gets hijacked by too many (albeit hilarious) comedic sketches without plot advancement to the point it drags slightly in the middle. And then everything happens a bit too quickly at the end as the romance peaks at almost at the same time the conspiracy is revealed. It could be better balanced if Wenbin's reveal happens earlier and without toying with Han Shumin's heart - it is unnecessary angst and a small stain on Chengjun's character and judgment.

Chengjun and Wenbin are smitten with each other from the beginning and their attraction and chemistry grows convincingly into something that hilariously both thrills and terrifies Chengjun. He is not my pick of the three but it is clear that his patience, wisdom and quiet indulgence is the perfect foil for the more high strung, impetuous and sometimes willful Wenbin. And her intelligence, lively and infectious sense of humor and mischief rescues him from being boring. It is a good match. Sadly my personal choice, the clever and diabolically cheeky Lexuan appears subtly more into Zexin than Wenbin. He is by far the most layered, complicated and thus interesting character. Zexin has the most character growth but would never work with Wenbin - they would just bring out the worst of their mutual immaturity, quick temper and impulsiveness. For me, their comaraderie and unflinching support for each other as they find the courage of their own convictions is far more riveting than the romance. My weary old soul is unaccountably moved by the youthful idealism and sense of justice and equality that culminates in a moving Oh Captain My Captain moment. It is also amazing that they got away with student protests, vigilante justice, and even subversive propaganda.

There is at least one hilarious laugh out loud moment in literally every episode of this drama that has men clammoring to follow the scent of a woman to the female version of Yunshang Academy! I haven't enjoyed myself so much in a long time. Sure there are flaws but think about watching this as like having a fling and not till death do us part; no need to over analyze, just go along, get along and enjoy the ride. This is overall a 9.0 for me but on just enjoyment factor alone I would call it a 9.5/10.0.