Tempest

A family of choice, abandoned by their mothers, raised by devoted fathers.

Relationship between the three friends who grew up together:
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From the get go, it was easy to see that Jian Jian clearly favored Ling Xiao over He Zi Qiu. She made Zi Qiu's life quite difficult and it made me a bit worried about what kind of man Zi Qiu would grow up to be, to always have to beg for affection. But thankfully, he turned out all right. Overtime, she outgrew the little jealously she felt about him becoming her brother and Zi Qiu's mother becoming her step-mother. But we could see that she took him for granted because he agreed to everything she wanted. And maybe that allowed him to have fun along with her, be a little naughty and forget that his mother left him to a stranger who could have treated him badly. Next, we have Ling Xiao, who was treated cruelly by his own mother, then later abandoned without much care. He had to grow up too early, compared to Jian Jian and Zi Qiu who were always lost in their own mischief. He was the mother of their friend group, who had look after both of them once he decided that they were his family. It was painful to see how life split the three apart, and for a moment I wondered if they would ever be the same.

The Best Fathers :
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Li Hai Chao: The best parent I have ever seen in any stories. Just how generous can a person be? There is nothing you can hate about him. He is made of all the good stuff in the world. Seeing that he lost his wife to childbirth, he could have become just as vile as Chen Ting and mistreated his child. But he was never that kind of person, he raised a daughter who was maybe a bit mischievous but all in all had a happy soul. He took in Zi Qiu and always treated ling Xiao well. He was both a mother and father to all three children who grew up to become the decent human beings they were. It was easy to see his genuine care for the children. He just eluded warmth. I was glad we had a character like that to balanced out the selfish mothers.
Ling He Ping: I wasn't a fan of him since he was more of an absentee father. Normally, it would have been understandable as he was the primary breadwinner of the family. But his absence resulted in the psychological trauma faced by his only living son who was neglected and mistreated by his mother. For far too long, He Ping humored Chen Ting at the cost of his child's mental health. I'm usually someone who is against violence and don't even tolerate excuses for slaps. But I didn't feel sorry when Chen Ting was slapped. What a poor excuse for a mother. Once she was out of the picture, Ling He Ping was finally focused on his child and became a decent father who started looking after his son.

Mothers who abandoned their sons:
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Chen Ting: What a horrible character. I wonder where the ideas for this character came from. I do hope people who have mothers like these have grown up at least as well adjusted as Ling Xiao or are holding on and trying their best to live their life. She first mistreats her son, then abandons him without looking back, she then goes on to marry someone else and have another child (wth was going on in her mind to have another one. She is not a mother material), has an injury so now all the adults in her life don't want to take care of her so Xiao has to, when he has no obligations to do so. But he is guilt tripped into doing so. Even after he has fulfilled his duty as her "son", she then forces him to stay with them for more years. When is able to get rid of her tentacles and come back to a place where he was happy, she finds it in herself to come play with his head. She is mad at the woman he loves, hates her because that woman cared more for Xiao than her selfish ass ever did, then she tries to set her son up on a date with another woman, as if that's not enough she tries to kill herself leaving behind a letter for Xiao to find. She never had any mercy on her son. (One of the ickiest characters I have come across)

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Would have been good if not for the serious lack of communication between the leads.

I don't much like Han Che at certain times, not because of his peculiarities, that in itself I did not mind. That made him an interesting character but he often threw tantrums without even trying to talk to Nuan Nuan about it. He found out that Fang Han Chen confessed his feelings for Nuan, so he ghosted her for a while, even though Nuan clearly said that she said no to the guy. Later, the incident with the cufflinks, she had a bad day at work, so while we all understand what needs to be done logically, she just wanted some comfort, instead he just made things worse for her.

The drama lacked conflict resolution, things were often glossed over. The entire concept was so flawed, it reminds me of the show "Well-Intended Love" in which the ML was a crackpot.

In "My Love, Enlighten Me", the ML was overbearing and made decisions that were not really good for others. The FL while fun to watch, wasn't really all there. The entire setting lacked the intensity required for the script and concept. They could have focused more on the emotions to make this drama more memorable.

The second couple were also so flawed. They again refused to directly communicate and resorted to tactics like using another person to make the person you like jealous. Too childish for me, so skipped most of their scenes.

That's not to say the entire thing wasn't worth watching. The leads had some chemistry and the FL was charming enough to stay on.

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Why does there have to be that 2-3 episode arc that makes you question your judgement?

Initially I liked the ML, he was honest and an interesting character to watch. Every time he opened his mouth, it was like a accident waiting to happen. I was so fond of the character trait, that I overlooked some of the flaws that such characters bring.

When they fell in love, the ML didn't hold back and was very affectionate. The FL is also equally smitten with the ML and their interactions are just so adorable. So, what could go wrong? I have never been a fan of people who lie, in fact, I related better with the ML compared to the FL in the drama. So, even I was surprised that ML decided to dump the FL over a misunderstanding. He wouldn't hear her out, allowed her to be bullied in the office, turning a blind eye to it. The entire thing just soured my experience of this drama. But it also shed light on the ML's rigidity, which I ignored from the beginning.

As I was watching the drama, in the back of my mind, I kept having this thought. How are these two going to make it last? The ML couldn't really accept FL for who she was. She lied and had to promise him so many times that she would stop doing that. If people could change so easily, we would all be happy. The ML's love for FL was so conditional, he should have found someone else.

Even when he dumped her and let her be treated like that, the FL continued to hang around him, glutton for punishment. When they got together he gave her apology and that was that. They were back together.

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Terrific Actors. Riveting Story.

After watching this, I realized that Bai Lu is actually a good actress. I have watched her in two dramas before this and didn't really think much of her acting skills. Its not that she didn't stand out, she is terrific and charming, but the scripts just weren't right for her. Kunning palace was such a terrific script, with a lot of plot holes and missed potential, regardless it was riveting until the very end.

And after watching Zhang Ling He play the role of Xie Wei / Xie Ju'an, I have come to realize that he was made to portray historical characters. He is so unrecognizable from his modern day roles, where he reminds me of a teenager. In his historical roles, he bring us a different aura, just like he did with his role in Love Between Fairy and Devil. I'm going to check out few of his other dramas as well to see more of him. In some scenes in Kunning Palace, he kinda overdid it and we have to ask the directors what were they thinking. For example, the first scene where they introduced him, they gave us a close up of his neck. It just looked so damn funny. But apart from some of these weird instances, he did a phenomenal job with this character.

You'll Keep Guessing Who The FL ends up with until the last few episodes (Spoilers below)
Let's begin with the adorable Yan Lin, he brought light to Ning's life. While she never showed any romantic affection for him, she cherished him a lot.
With Zhang Zhe, the story was so complex that it wasn't fully explored. Even though it seemed slow paced, it felt like there were a lot of missed opportunities to make their story flow. After claiming to like him so much, Ning seem to have given up way too quickly on what could have been between them and so did he. Despite her being a stranger to him, he was attracted to her and we can see in his expression that it was not just because of her looks.
Xie Wei / Xie Ju'an, the reason I was glad that it didn't work out with Zhang Zhe. While Ning would have had a sort of peaceful life with Zhang Zhe, he would never truly have understood Ning as a person. He was a bit too rigid for her, sometimes that makes a good choice but the chemistry between Xie Wei & Ning was just too strong to notice anything else.

What really pissed me off was the story between Jiang Xuehui & Shen Jie. Shen Jie seemed like such a powerless character that it was hard not to feel sad for Jiang Xuehui and kind of curse Shen Jie for not having spine.

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The interaction between the main leads is just so adorable!

Loved all the moments between the main leads. Like the FL said many times, the ML could spout jokes with such a straight face and he was charming doing it. Chen Xiao was such a perfect choice for this character, he was a bit churlish but also sweet.

There that one time when you want to hit him on the head and tell him to go tell her the trust instead of hiding like a coward, but he just behaves like one for a long time. Thankfully, its not that long and we have a smart FL who figures it out.

All the women in this show were so powerful. It was beautiful to watch them focus on success of their businesses. They each had a dream and they found a way to achieve those despite all the obstacles standing in their ways. They even changed things for future.

The scene where the FL gets flogged is so sad, yet somehow added more more meaning to her fight.

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Chemistry between the leads is good, worth the time spent watching it!

I usually tend to avoid mini-dramas like these because they lack flow and are not very coherent. This one flowed smoothly, was easy to follow and the chemistry between the leads was so damn good. It was also the light drama that I needed to watch to get rid of the C-Trauma I watched before this.

The acting was good. The story was nice. All is on a good drama.

The only thing amiss was the ending. It is an happy ending, but it would have felt nice, if the ML would have acknowledged that he remembered the past times. But the way it ended, we aren't sure if he remembers. Other than that, this has made me want to give mini-dramas another try.

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You might want to skip the subplot and focus on the scenes with the main leads

First in Broker and now in this, Luo Yun Xi seems to be a pro at leaving the viewers heartbroken. I do not like these kinds of endings, I kept hoping that he would reappear or be reincarnated so they could actually meet again but nope. If going into the drama I had known this, I wouldn't have watched it but then I would have missed out on a decent drama with leads that share powerful chemistry.

Of course there are many scenes that were too dramatic but the show kept things interesting. However after all the suffering these two went through they deserved to be happy together.

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Somewhat Confusing Secret, But Adorable Babies & The Couples are also good

ML & FL had good chemistry, however someone said it right the ML failed to show the range of emotions that FL presented flawlessly. The two children were just adorable and it was easy to miss them when the plot focused too much on the adults.

The story itself was okay, I was hoping a bit more from it. I'm still unsure about the role FL's sister played in the entire story apart from being the mother of those children. That part was so boring I had to speed it up.

The worst part of the show was the little boy chasing the car, asking his mother to not go. Worst decision made by FL, she was too hasty and selfish. We all know how much it had to hurt knowing ML married her with ulterior motives in mind, but in that moment, she failed to protect that little boy who adores her.

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The Male Lead character looked utterly disinterested in everything

If there was an award to be given for, Bland Face, Unresponsive, and Inactive Male Lead with zero expressions it should go to the ML in this show. Even when the scene called for it, the Male lead didn't show any expression a lover would show for their partner. The FL here got the short end of the stick, and the ML lucked out.

The people around him were more caring for the FL then he ever was. He always had to be coaxed into reaching out to her, even when he had done her wrong. I wanted to like this character but he doled out affection as if it cost him his life.

The story for the ML was also not written well, although it was a 42 episode long arc, they failed to show all the good things he did for the FL, instead they kept telling us that he did it. That didn't engender me to him.

There were far too many characters to remember by name. I liked Xie Yan Ran the most, for a supporting character she is one of the best I have seen. Pretty straightforward, not blaming FL for all her problems, and a great friend to her.

Now, let's not even get started with the ending. While the lead couple gets their happy ending, the story is not clearly explained. Just a lackluster ending.

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Zhao Lu Si's Comedic Timing & Presence Made This So Much Fun To Watch

Both Zhao Lu Si & Ding Yu Xi's character looked so young. I never thought that these two would make good couple, but it was fun watching them. The chemistry while not explosive was subtle and heartwarming.

Ding Yu Xi's Han Shuo was such a green flag in the relationship (most of the relationship). In the beginning he wanted to kill the the third princess. And he was back to being his murderous self for a while because he thought the third princess betrayed him. But apart from that silly tidbit, he was kinda adorable.

They rushed the ending thought. They could have explored so much in the ending. What's more, the ending shed light on a major plot hole. When FL was transported into her story, she was quite aware that she wasn't part of it. However, ML was also transported into the story but he wasn't actually aware but went about the story as a character that FL could manipulate. When they both returned to the real word, claiming it was a dream, the ML didn't appear all that bothered but when the Fl caught on to him pretending he just gave in? That was too short of a time frame for all of this to be pulled of smoothly.

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Adorable Main Couple & No Annoying Characters

As i was watching the show, i kept waiting for any of the characters at the FL's workplace to turn into a cringy villain trying to humiliate her because I have been traumatized by those cliches. However, what i found was the colleagues the FL worked with were quite supportive and often looked out for her.

FL and ML were so adorable together. Storywise, they could have explored more of the villainous side of the ML so that the drama wouldn't have been so tame. Apart from that, it is a good watch. I'm not eager to watch it a second time but I know I didn't waste any time on this.

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Surprisingly Gentle ML

Nie Yu Sheng was an enigma here, while he may come off as a green flag for the most of the show, in the first few episodes he tried his best to hurt the FL knowing she was struggling to collect money for her child. Usually with stories' where the MLs find out that their past lover kept a child from them, they rave and rant about it. Yu Sheng, however, accepted it without holding any grudges.

The worst thing Tan Jing did was to keep it from him, the child would have lived a much better life had they sorted out their differences in the beginning.

Maybe the wouldn't have ended up together but the child would have had all medical attention he needed. As a mother, it was her responsibility at the time to find the best path for her child, but she was blinded by her father's accident and could only think how Mr Nie was culpable. She made the wrong choice, does she deserve to be hated for it? I don't think so. If she had so much pride she wouldn't have begged others for the money.

While I feel sad for is Sun Zhi Jun [Tan Jing's husband], he often wasn't there for his child, always falling for schemes and not being stable enough. He brought so much trouble for their family when he should have been a rock holding them together. He wasn't really a bad person just not stable enough.

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The premise was good, the story not so much.

The arc where Fu Ze Yi falls in love with Jing Zhi Xia was so sudden that it was unbelievable. The rich guy making the FL do chores trope is kinda icky and doesnt make for good romance.

The story could have been so much better with a little bit more flow to it. While the ML was fine at times, it was hard to envision the female actress as the character she was trying to portray. She was very out of place in the whole setting.

Korean actress Lee Da-hae did a much better job portraying her character Ah Mo-ne in Hotel King, in a role very similar to what Joey Chua had to play.

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What a great ensemble cast!

I usually like this trope where the ML or FL gets together with the other lead for revenge, however most of them fail to hold these characters accountable for the way they treated the person they supposedly loved. (Korean Drama: The Innocent man: is another example of this trope) And that is what happened with William Chan character Shi Yue as well.

The ML was in a situation where he had to be chummy with his ex who is this uber powerful older woman who doesn't really care about what the ML wants and just wants to control him. So, when this woman comes back in his life, he doesn't really put up a lot of fight in trusting his relationship with the FL and doesn't have any faith in her either. He decides to play the game with the ex and be cruel to the FL. Honestly his game had no purpose at all, in the end, he gave it up anyway.

In other situations I would have termed the FL as a doormat, but this FL was anything but that. She was just a great character to watch, she tried very hard to put faith in ML when he didn't deserve it. She is the who held on so that their relationship could work. She didn't react blindly but thought logically everytime she discovered something new.

The acting was brilliant. I wish the drama had been shorter, as it would have cut the FL's suffering in half at least.

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