Surprisingly good
I caught some of these short vertical dramas and most of the modern contemporary stories are very uninspiring. This one is surprisingly good for several reasons.Overall, this drama moves fast and has all the tropes (boss-employee, childhood connection, nasty half-sister, greedy mother, no-good stepfather) so there are really no surprises. But you aren't watching this for a surprise. You want hot kiss scenes (you get a shower, under the bedsheets while listening to coworkers discuss you, and some bedroom scenes) and this show delivers this with a likeable hero who defends his lady and gets jealous when required, as well as a capable career woman female lead.
While there is some aggressive boyfriend maneuvers (lots of wrist grabbing, shoving her against a wall) since the female lead comes across as capable (and the end twist makes it okay), I didn't find it irritating or morally gray. Only hot. LOL. A hero who looks hot with glasses? Yes. This guy is really a cinnamon roll and despite the wrist grabs, he does think he might be scaring her so backs off (slightly).
The two leads have good chemistry and I found the acting pretty good. Even the villain came across as someone you might know (though her insistence that the ML was going to marry her got old, but she's an idiot so what can you expect?). I really liked the dynamic of the main couple relationship which was him respecting her intelligence, and her leaning on him for emotional support.
The producer/director made some smart moves here which elevates this drama:
1.) The sets. The backdrop is a hotel so while there are myriad scenes it all stays in one general location which actually had furniture, frames on the wall, coffee tables, couches, chairs, computers, carpet etc... which gave this little drama a good amount of realness. Most of these modern vertical dramas seem to be taking place in an empty gray room without any set design at all so using a hotel was a smart choice.
2.) Costumes. Because of the hotel set up the women were all styled in the traditional black jacket and skirt. This probably helped a lot with the budget for costumes and it made them all look well-groomed and professional. This is a big improvement over most of these vertical modern-set dramas where the clothes looked like they were bought at the local cheap off-the-rack department store.
The dresses by the half-sister and the female lead during the gala event were all very nice. Even the mom with the blouse that had a big rose on the shoulder looked well-dressed when she was holding her purse in front of her face to block the female lead from filming her.
3.) Story flow and continuity. I REALLY appreciate that when it flipped to the next app, it picked up straight from the end of the previous episode. This maintained story continuity and there weren't any odd jumps in the story like you find with these other vertical shows. If you pay attention to the framing, this was a very well thought out show for a vertical format. Everyone is in frame, the actors are balanced in their positions, and the close-up and cuts all flow seamlessly. Well done!
4.) Female empowerment. Our female lead, and the others she knows (the actress, and the hotel fixer) are all women and professional. You won't find the poor-Cinderella trope here. Thank goodness!
This would be a rewatch for me. It was fun, they had chemistry, good acting, good sets and costumes, and the dialogue, and while not breaking the mold, it was a solid show that made sense and was visually appealing (and hot!).
I found it on IQ but only through the app (look at the tab for vertical shorts). If you try to find it via your TV it doesn't show up on search.
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Republican drama with a great FL character
Reincarnated multiple times, our FL shaman is one tough and enigmatic cookie. I love her! Cool as a cucumber she is an exceptional foil for the ML, who is more on the passionate side. Although a marriage has been arranged, our FL finds a way to stall while she saves the family business. And of course, her fated death is right around the corner--.She has a big job cleaning up the family (she is suddenly a part of) as she has returned as the "rightful daughter" who supposedly grew up in a brothel. One thing I did enjoy is that she helps her brother and sister grow into better people. They start out as brats, but instead of watching a show where they continue their stupid thinking, they finally start listening to her wisdom. I appreciate that a lot considering how these short dramas usually play out with family.
ML is also in the Fiery Young Marshal (this one is hot!); and Spring Night's Fiery Kisses (Bad boy, mob boss type). In the few I've seen with him, he 1.) knows how to kiss (no mouth closes, face presses here); and 2.) he seems to have a lot of chemistry with his female leads. I suspect he knows how to put them at ease when they are doing these scenes because the intimacy scenes are generally very good with him.
Costumes, sets, and filmography are well done. The FL's dresses are really exceptional. The dark red dress with the black shawl; and the black dress with the flowers are wow. BTW that striped dress she wears? A master made that as you can tell where the seam is the lines have been carefully worked to match.
This show seemed to have a lot of extras in it and they didn't look like they were taken off a bus somewhere and stuck in suits that don't fit. So that also gets a plus.
The reason for the score is due to the spoiler below...
SPOILER BELOW
The ending is bittersweet. She meets her end. There is a fast forward to a current reincarnated life where she meets her soul mate but their ages are at odds and its unclear if one or both remember anything. So not happy with that and why I would probably not rewatch.
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Adorable fun ride with chemistry
Great chemistry between the leads in this vertical drama about a FL who, after losing her memories, develops alter egos which she acts out with the ML supporting her all the way (even when she goes off the rails imagining the strangest scenarios).ML is a walking green flag as he will do anything to protect the FL but also help her live out her strange fantasies (in this one, believing she is an assassin). What makes this entire show hilarious is the FL is SO SHORT, and her hair is a very cute fashion statement (I don't know what the style is called but the two bear-like buns on the head), that when she thinks she is a deadly killer you just think "what a cute kitten!" She is also a very incompetent assassin.
This is a quick and easy watch, the plot does not lang and it has continuity from ep to ep. I do think the costumes needed an upgrade. I don't really score the music as I'm not a big music-follower on Cdramas so can't speak of it.
I was surprised to see on the ML's bio that he primarily does vertical dramas because his acting is really good. I've since seen the FL in other shows (Mr. Xiao's Lovely Maid) and she is a great comedian with impeccable timing. Find both of them in My Unconventional Wife and Love of a Thousand Years. Definitely I will put both down as actors to watch.
You know what's cute? That the ML and FL are engaged to be married IRL!
NOTE: While the FL and ML are obviously going to stay together, the FL's condition is not resolved at the end so the scenario of her believing she is someone else will repeat. I would have preferred the doctor giving the ML some hope that one day her brain would have healed... (that's the scenario I'm going with).
Find at IQ under "This Killer is a Bit Cute."
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Hilarious Body Swap that has a message
This body swap drama about a mediocre actress and a troubled CEO not only is fun, but it also shows character development (something seldom seen in a vertical drama, or any drama IMO).After the FL receives a Razzy award equivalent for her bad acting, she has an encounter with the ML which ends up with an accidental kiss and body swap. Because of their predicament the two must work together, helping each other through their new careers until a second body swap can be done to resolve their problem. Obviously feelings grow between them (complicated by loving their own body) as they learn the challenges and strengths of the other.
Depressed CEO learns to be more resilient, to open up his emotions, and rely upon someone else as the FL shows him to keep getting back up after being punched down. It wasn't shown as well, but I do feel the FL lead probably learned more about acting from living in a body and life situation she had never experienced before.
Wang Nan really steals the show as he leans into his feminine side. One of the scenes that made me laugh outloud was when the ML in the FL's body comes out of the shower with the towel wrapped only around the waist and bumps into the FL's manager. LOL. The photo session when FL in the ML's body has to coach the ML in the FL body on how to do sexy poses is just side splitting.
But on the more real side, the FL in the ML's body makes sure the ML' s mom really understands the dark place the ML has been experiencing mentally.
This little drama has a lot of heart. The ending confessionals are very sweet and the drama ends on a lovely note.
If you are a fan of the Korean drama Kill Me, Heal Me or It's Okay Not to be Okay, I think you'd enjoy this vertical. It will definitely be on my rewatch list.
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The cheesiness might make you sick
BC of a review here I thought I'd check this out. The only place I could find it with English Subs was on YT and the subs were terrible! Really, really bad. But I thought what the heck, I'll power through as it certainly doesn't take much of a brain to understand what was happening.1.) Lots of aggressive lovemaking, boss-employee stuff. So if that is hot for you, you'll like this.
2.) Lots of violence against women. Fathers slapping daughters; men slapping women; a SA; two kidnappings; and in the end the hero kicks a woman in her stomach (that left a bad taste in my mouth).
3.) The sets look like some high school production done by high schoolers.
4.) The costumes are off the rack stuff (though watching the ML get into his pink shirt is definitely worth a rewind).
The only thing that really saves this shlop is the ML and the FL are really hot together.
This show is like a checklist of wish fulfillment. Do you want a guy who will be your white knight against your greedy family? Take out the gossipy co-workers? Fire your power hungry boss that wants to throw you under the bus? You'll give a cheer when our ML swoops in for the rescue and makes all the FL's worries go away with his money.
Very tropey, very cheesy, quick watch, but you have to just roll your eyes through most of it and scan through to the hot parts.
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What a trainwreck!
If you like gothic-horror where people in a house with seemingly no outside contact die off one-by-one this one might be for you! For me, it was a train wreck of a show I couldn't look away from. Even so about episode 15, I was getting a bit bored, and skimmed through the last four episodes as I had figured out the killer by ep 5 or so.The ML is given nothing to do. The FL seems to be clever, and I liked that but the plot started to fragment halfway through with dad waking up from the coma and being able to walk around, and evil step-mom going crazy, and the mysterious poison being given to everyone (why wasn't it given to FL right off the bat? That would resolve the reason the killer was doing all of this).
Every episode has a dozen tropes squeezed into it, but it goes off the rails into scary-town and everyone is dark and tragic. The motivations behind some characters are head-scratching, and in the long run, the plot makes no sense. There is a separation and time jump that is stupid as it resolves nothing, but the leads do get together at the end (by that time I just didn't care).
Not a rewatch for me, and personally, I can't really recommend it. It's just a weird little show.
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Plenty of fun w a blunt talking FL & sexy ML
When it comes to rating a drama if it makes me laugh it gets a minimum of four stars; if the leads are good, another star; and if the story brings something new to the tropes, yet another star. This one gets a high score from me for fulfilling those three areas.Li Zi Jie and Xu Zhen have some great chemistry here. Even when the story goes off the rails, these two will keep you interested. The FL is brash and straightforward. She defends the hero and his family, and is not a shrinking violet by any means, and this leads to some very funny scenes in the first half of the drama and at the end.
The Fl actually develops a relationship with the ML's mom which I also enjoyed considering how rare it is in these dramas. Her foster brother, while an idiot, has his heart in the right place and in the end, causes a funny misunderstanding.
Some notable scenes for me:
When the FL is brought in front of his female clan to explain the marriage and the totally ludicrous story she comes up with about their first meeting.
When the FL defends ML's mom and ends up punching out his cousin (?)
The ending is feel-good hilarious.
What I didn't like, and what caused me to skip some of the later episodes:
the connection between the FL and her BFF who is ML's arranged marriage intended.
the break up between the FL and ML that drags on too long.
the CEO aspect of the FL's real life - she's a doctor! Isn't that enough?!
Overall, this is a fun ride. Just agree to the ridiculousness and you'll enjoy. Both of the lead actors are very good (and certainly the ML is very easy on the eyes).
Find on IQ under "Only Wild for You."
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Trigger Warning Abuse
This show probably has a high rating from others due to the acting of the ML and FL which is both well above average for these short vertical shows. But the never-ending stream of abuse, morally gray FL, and how long it dragged the story out makes it lose a lot of stars for me. The whole point of the vertical shows is to be short and snappy so if I'm getting bored with it that really doesn't speak well to the show's overall quality.For some reason the heroine's predicament reminded me of My Happy Marriage. There is no magic or alternate world, but there is a heroine who takes a lot of physical abuse from family members. I mean this goes on and on and on. It truly is horrifying and serves as part of her Tragic Backstory. If you are into the abuse p/0rn trope I guess this will please you?
But where I have an issue with this story is that at two separate times her cousin is dragged off by her uncle and beaten off screen. Beaten so badly that next time we see her, her face is covered with bruises. We are supposed to be OK with that because the cousin joined in tormenting the FL (but let's remember who ruined whose wedding, please), but let's face it - it is the UNCLE who has made all of their lives a living hell that really should have been the FL's focus for revenge from the start. His kids and wife are also collateral damage.
The FL also has the asymmetrical hairstyle of the FL in My Happy Marriage. After all that, nothing is the same. FL is not some shrinking violet saying sorry all the time. She has an alternate plan on how to destroy her cruel relations.
The story is the strongest when predator uncle is being creepy. It gives a real sense of danger to the FL's predicament and they could have cut 20 eps and really focused on him. Especially when she tells ML why she picked him as a partner. Wow. She knew what uncle was about to do.
Stray jumps, missing information (might have been due to translation?), and the melodramatic Granny storyline are the weakest points of the story. Resolution is dragged out too long. ML saving brother and then sitting around talking in the same area as the fire made me laugh.
What was interesting was the scene where the ML finds out the true state of the FLs mental and physical state from having to deal with a decade of abuse. None of that is sugarcoated and we do get a montage showing him helping her regain her strength and fortitude. More of that please (and forgo all the flashbacks).
Overall, not something I would watch again and I sped through much of it to watch the ML FL interaction.
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More nuance, great addition
Overall, a great addition and viewpoint of this revenge story where a woman goes back in time in order to re-write a fatal destiny with her boyfriend/husband and best friend from school.Some thoughts on this version vs the Korean version.
Japanese version:
The emphasis here on the FL is more introspective, and the flow of the story is slower as it unwinds. This is more about a woman's journey and does a better job showing a meek submissive girl growing into a confident (but not abrasive) woman. I do think the way the FL died in her original timeline was more interesting.
How the ML fits into the FL's story is also more mysterious until finally revealed. I thought the ending was far more dramatic and the scenery spectacular. The ML seems more tortured here vs the K-drama he just comes across as sad.
Here the best friend BF gives more of a "I'll wear your skin and take your life!" vibe. The parents being affair partners doesn't happen (which is something a bit too coincidental in the K-drama version).
On the down side of the J-drama the background sets were ho-hum. There is a lot of standing or sitting around talking without much action. The K-drama was more dynamic in terms of staging the actors and the backgrounds were more vibrant (although the J-drama ending was better imo).
Korean version:
Most of the action happens in the office environment and the heroine comes across as confrontational very quickly. The romance happens faster and there is more of it. I also though the financial manipulation that the FL did with the stocks was explained better and fitted into a returned to the past story. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of your prior knowledge!
The FL and ML plot together midway through and while I liked the beginning, the FL's ruthless attitude about making her former husband and friend suffer started to sour me on her. She didn't give them a chance to change. The FL and best friend relationship gave off a bit of girl love vibe as I definitely could see the BF thinking "I'll have her or no one will."
Overall, if this storyline intrigues you, watch them both! Together they act as bookends to a great storyline, providing different angles to the characters.
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Entertaining romp about a modern girl with modern morals
Set up the typical tale of a general with a marriage of convenience who comes back from the border with a new wife. The scheming concubine, the interfering empress, the doting dad with (another) scheming wife and spoiled daughter, the prince who wants to usurp the throne, along with some sort of weird parasite that needs blood and you probably have a typical C-drama.BUT now add in a thoroughly modern girl who continues being modern throughout and you have a lot of hilarity and some steamy scenes. Steam is pretty steamy between our emperor and modern girl who end up breaking a bathtub! For that alone its worth a re-watch.
Threatened by the emperor she bends the knee and begs but with a wink of "well, I've done this before at my PR job so one more time won't hurt." The thing is the emperor plays it all with straight which makes their scenes even more funny. Like when she sets off the signal flare and the entire army mobilizes (ROFLMAO).
Does she care her husband brought in a new wife? That's a big nope. She'd much rather have the new wife become star wife so she can get her divorce. If the new wife had just played along with her, everyone would have a happy ending but schemers must scheme.
Most of the costumes are ridiculous. The FL's headgear is almost as tall as the Pope's LOL and I swear it gets bigger each time I see it. It's like a cake topper of a Bridezilla's wedding cake! With the guy's outfits you know the costumer said they all needed MORE BRAID!!
Sets are limited. Music almost non-existent. The eps are very short and chopped up so continuity sometimes suffers. The plot hole that he has other wives and concubines is never really dealt with.
Shout out to the Emperor's eunuch who plays matchmaker and enjoys seeing his master happy.
The only place I found it was on YT on Daily Motion and even then you have to keep searching to find the subtitles. And the English subs are BAD! Like you'll grimace reading how bad the translations are.
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Fun light drama for in-between serious ones
This is a bit of fluff which was a pleasant watch mostly because it dealt with 1.) Merchant class (not royal politics); 2.) a different type of character for the male lead (not a general/warrior who is abusive/cruel); and 3.) wasn't exceptionally silly which some of these can get into and hence why I stop watching them.The ML (Zhao Yi Qin) is a quiet and thoughtful, but rather suppressed young man managing a merchant household that deals with perfumes. Because he supplies the royal household he needs to be married and hence why he and the FL lead get together in a contract marriage. The FL (Li Jia Qi ) is a goodhearted and rather naive person herself. The two dance around with silly antics. The ML falls first while the FL is rather oblivious.
What redeems this one for me is the side characters and some themes you don't see in other dramas. There is a great relationship between the ML and his servant who seems to know far more than his master about women; they have a bantering relationship that I liked.
The FL enemies-to-friends relationship with the girl who originally wanted to marry the hero eventually leads to a friendship that is hilarious. Their antics in Ep 5 are especially funny.
There is also a scene when FL and ML go to her home to have dinner with her father and stepmother. How her parents treat her is an eye-opener to the ML and I thought this was a well written, yet gentle scene where we got insight into the FL, and the ML was able to show his care for her. It is also nice to see our FL gain a supportive parent figure with her MIL.
I was less invested in the 2nd storyline with Ping'er.
The costumes, jewelry, and set are rather lackluster due to the budget (it reads like a US TV daytime drama in terms of that). One big problem for me is the music is too LOUD! You can barely hear the actors over it. I also think the show would been better if shorter with a tighter plot, but it is a nice breather between serious dramas. Don't take this one too seriously and it is enjoyable to dip in and out of.
female empowerment, woman owned business, contract marriage, kind hero, nice MIL, servant in disguise, cutthroat merchant business antics, master and servant dynamics, enemies to friend sisterhood
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Female centric, revenge tale
In this short drama of 18 episodes the plot stays at a good pace throughout. I found the beginning a little confusing until I got about 1/3rd through and the full backstory was explained through flashbacks.The actress (Christy Guo) playing Mo Qingchuan has a beautiful face that the camera obviously loves. She is a stronger actor than her ML, Zhou Zhan, but since the role calls for him to be rather naive and innocent, he was able to pull it off.
Yang Fu Yu plays the female disciple of Qingchuan. This role seems a bit off to me in contrast with the others but she does add a little lighter relief to a story that can grow dark especially at the end.
Female centric, female empowerment, revenge, wronged woman seeking revenge, justice for wrongs.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, the fight scenes, and the FL's arc. It would be a re-watch for me.
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One of my favorite shorts
For viewers who like slower stories, with emotionally reserved characters who simmer, and Green Flag boyfriends, this is your drama! Personally, it is one of my favorites, and I've rewatched it at least three times.MILD SPOILERS
Typical trope of babies switched at birth who have now been returned to their biological families. How the switch happened is never explained, but because of this, the arranged alliance marriages also get swapped, with the FL lead agreeing to marrying the ML. Even though she and the original fiancé knew each other from childhood, we learn later in a conversation with her brother that she didn't like him. I think this could have been a plot point further explored. It was probably the reason she was agreeable to the fiancé switch up.
The bio brother behaves like a jerk throughout it all. He obviously has some sort of fixation on the sister (non bio) he was raised with which gave me some creepy vibes. The 2FL who is of course the troublemaker continually whines and attacks the FL. What's interesting is that they two women are supposedly the same age, but the 2FL dresses in a childish way and acts like a spoiled brat throughout.
Why this drama appeals to so many is the open communication between the two leads. No misunderstandings or mainipulation. I also like that they address intimacy early on. Yes, its an arranged marriage, but these two are sharing a bed and expect to have relations. The coyness that I find in so many other dramas about this issue, grates on my nerves.
A few of my favorite scenes. When the 2FL tries to convince the ML that FL is having an affair and he basically tells her she is full of it; how the ML addresses his wife's bio brother in a one-on-one conversation; and another scene where he informs the 2FL that she is no longer welcome to visit her first (non-bio) family because she is doing nothing but upsetting them.
There is gentle teasing, some hot kissing, and lots of smirks between our couple. When the brother shows up near the end and the hero has to prove himself leads also to some funny situations.
Probably one reason this is my favorite is because I like strong, silent, confident guys and the ML is certainly that. Xia Ning Jun has the looks I like so rewatching is definitely easy on my eyes. I also like the female actress for I feel she has an unusual look that isn't cookie cutter. But both of these characters act with micro-expressions so don't expect emotional blow outs.
The FL comes across as very reserved, even cold, and it is not until near the end that you find out the reason for this is because of being raised by a neglectful and abusive mother. For me the trope of the ML falling first and having to win an emotionally distant FL is up my alley.
I'm told there is another version of this story with different actors; I'll probably go look for it, but I suspect this will remain my fav due to the main 2 actors.
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Smart vertical drama w outstanding M/F leads
Wow! Loved this transmigration novel (into a game-like setting of a real world) which upends some tropes, with witty repartee between the leads, and an interesting world. The Female and Male lead actors are highly skilled so this makes this drama a cut above most verticals. The intriguing storyline and world concept, as well as the acting, makes the overall quality high, almost as good as a regular drama.FL has a mission to make 2nd ML fall in love with her. After repeated mission attempts lead to failure (the 5th one resulting in her unaliving herself) she requests a change in the target. The new target though is having none of her nonsense! This results in several funny encounters where she tries all the drama tropes (FL "I was drugged! Help me!" ML "That isn't real" LOL). The teasing and much of the dialogue is very clever and enjoyable, unlike many verticals which seem to work from the same script (evil mom, evil stepsister, disengaged dad, CEO BF who is disguising his wealth).
This is a drama you need to let unfold. You can't rush it so just enjoy the M/F leads as they dance around, getting to know each other and become a couple (at the very end of the show). The ending (happy) is very sweet and makes you misty-eyed.
All the background and explanations are not told until the last couple of episodes which I think has lead to some being confused and abandoning the drama. So I marked this as a mild spoiler on how the world works.
From my understanding there is some entity (unknown) which reaches out to select people and lets them become strategists/players. These people are given a mission, and once completed will get a wish granted by the entity. While conducting the mission, if they die, they can reset, and return with a new identity. The regular people will not recognize them (think face blindness).
Our heroine wants to return to high school on a day that her mother was hit by a car (not killed, but severely injured, which puts her life into a downward spiral).
If you are willing to be drawn in to a more mature drama in both acting and plot, give this one a try!
I found it on IQ but only through the app (look at the tab for vertical shorts). If you try to find it via your TV it doesn't show up on search.
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Not much plot but super hot & steamy
The plot is thin as paper, but you aren't watching for that. You want to see the ML relentlessly pursue our FL by stealing kisses behind screens, in corners, and wherever else he can proposition her. Bonus: a man in uniform.Why does this pursuit work when so many of these short vertical dramas do not with the same theme? Because while the show presents the FL as hesitant bc she thinks she is in love with her foster brother (out of gratitude), you can tell she wants it. LOL If this had been played by any other actress, it might have veered into SA and be icky, but our FL's acting gives our naive girl enough humor and exasperation that you quickly see she wants him to devour her.
Both of these main actors are so very good! Both are so talented, and I've loved a lot of what they've been in. Chen Si has a scene where he is asked to kneel to appease the guy who has the girl, and the acting there is Aplus. Wow! Top tier.
JMO but I really like Chen Si in this one because his face is real. Not sure how to write about that but I like the more mature look on a guy and this is a very good foil for the FL's very young baby face. Bonus? He's a hot-hot-hot kisser.
Really great speech at the end when the FL explains to the 2ML why she knows its love with the ML. It shows she's really thought about the difference between a crush vs longlasting love.
HOWEVER, there is a very problematic scene in the beginning that I really did NOT like as it was gratitious and unnecessary. Early on the FL visits the ML and he has someone under questioning (why didn't his guard stop her? hello??). The idea that a ML has to prove how ruthless he is by torturing someone is (for some reason) a key in these Chinese dramas. Me no like it.
Add in that the ML just shoots the guy in front of her so his blood splatter gets all over face!!?? She would have some SERIOUS PTSD.
Another scene is the Russian roulette thing at the party. Really? Any real man would say "how dumb are you?"
Overall, watch it for the hot scenes and there are plenty of those!
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