I was drawn to this drama mostly because of the cast and I was curious how the romance would unfold, since the protagonists have such different personalities and they clash from the very beginning. The military plot was not particularly interesting to me, but I stayed for the relationships and characters' development. The Chinese opera elements were also a highlight throughout the story.

The romance is complicated, fraught with lack of trust and communication, lots of misunderstandings, jealousy - overall not a pretty picture. ML's feelings bordered on obsession and controlling the woman he desperately loved. The FL fell in love with him at some point, but it was not shown how her feelings changed from reluctant acceptance of their marriage.

Shawn Dou was very charismatic in his role and the life long friendship between the 3 ''brothers'' was well portrayed. The acting in general was pleasant and immersive. I found the plot more engaging in the second half, after both leads experienced life changing events and substantial growth. I had also hoped for a clearer happy ending, but it was at least a tentative and hopeful one.