Moonly

Lighter and princess (03.06.2026)
It is such a shame I finished this drama. I find myself stupid for not watching it earlier but at the same time I felt sad as I watched episodes after episodes. I have seen so many videos, spoilers and unsure if I should give it a try. People called Male lead a red flag so I was about to give up. Watched an episode and abandoned. That was until recently that I finished it. This ruined me, should have expected that (of course in a good way but also I was really emotional). Don’t let the title fool you like crazy. Thankfully I knew the brief summary of the plot so I was prepared to be emotionally tortured. I can only imagine I would go crazy not knowing all of the stuff going to happen. I seriously feel bad for people who came here for cute moments because it tears your heart to pieces like the picture Zhu Yun tore after the break up (or even worse)

Rate of survival: very high if you have already spoiled yourself or if you are as good at hiding your emotions as Li Xun. Very low if you surprise watched or you are an emotional one

I think I should start the reviews with saying how much I appreciate the characters. They are not cardboard cutout characters. When I watch the drama I think to myself “Oh right, he/she is not that kind of person she would never do that” or “That’s so him/her”. Their personality stands out; they don’t do something for the sake of plot but it is because who they are. In my view, they all represent different kinds of people. For example: Zhu Yun – looks fragile and even softhearted but she is deep down very strong, Li Xun seems cold and distant even arrogant but he cares and loves profoundly.

When I write reviews I lose track very often but it is because I’m too excited to write out my thoughts. My thoughts are quicker than my hands. Drama reviews usually help me move on from after-drama sadness. This one is harder to move on from, I think. It just overwhelmed me with wave of emotions (again in a good way). I enjoy dramas that make me “feel” feel.

Short summary:
Typical bad boy and a good girl trope until it is not. Li Xun and Zhu Yun are collage students that happen to have a rivalry between them but we gotta follow the trope. The “bad boy” is annoying at first then starts to tease the FL, teasing turns to flirting until he realizes he is completely head over heels. The story doesn’t end here because us viewers weren’t tortured enough so we welcome the 2nd chance at love trope thanks to the main lead being imprisoned.

I think this drama has lots of psychological sides and so many life teaching. Also it teacher consequences of your actions. Let’s take Li Xun he is very closed off and aloof but if you pay attention to his past, you can clearly see why he is like that. He simply has no time to waste but at the same time he cares for everyone even if it appears like he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to be burden to anyone because he learned to be that way when his father passed away early, his mother got sick and his sister, as a brother or a son he felt the responsibility. I really admire his character. One moment you think he doesn’t care but it always turns out he has found a solution for your trouble. He also appears very mature compared to his peers also due to his past. He was forced to be mature. He seemingly appears to have solution for everything but when Zhu Yun appears in his life, he sees her as light of his life (aka Princess). He only tries to treat her like a princess. I can imagine the first time he saw her in her birthday party, he knew she was fragile and grew up in a loving family without a trouble so he always wanted to give her that environment and not let her suffer. As he also mentions that she does the worrying and he will solve it for her. He loves her enough to let her go. He knew he gonna get in trouble and I know he didn’t make the decision of hurting a person on impulse. He already made up his mind and planned to break up with her where there are no ties left. If he hadn’t done that, he wouldn’t get justice for his sister but if he does, his princess has to stay safe and have no ties to a “criminal.”. How he does, yes, hurts the female lead but after some thinking you will understand he left a bad impression on her parents, pretended to cheat on purpose. That way Zhu Yun wouldn’t come back after a break compared to a regular break up. I can’t totally justify what he did as he is bit of a jerk after coming out of prison. In short he just wanted to treat her like a princess (as cheesy as it sounds). That was who he saw her for the first time ever. He knew how much things would hurt her so he wanted her to stay away from ruining her future. I also feel bad for him because when they were in a base, he wanted to help everyone out but everyone just turned away. The only 2 people he trusted his plans with, one betrayed him.

Zhu Yun is the most likable character. It is true that she is gentle, fragile and soft hearted but behind this image is a Zhu Yun who is capable of standing up for herself and others. Where there is injustice, she fights. In their college and office era she was a heart of the group. She wouldn’t let people misunderstand each other , keeping them in harmony. I really love her character so much. She can be delicate but also strong in a time of difficulty. She is also very admirable. She works hard to achieve her goals and end what she started. I especially admire her part in reviving the relationship. She always understood Li Xun even if he kept most things to himself. She wanted to know more. Even when he was betrayed, she stood by him because she understood he had his reasons. He appeared unreasonable to everyone but she knew things weren’t like that. She was against her family for him, dropped her career for him because she believed in him so much. She was the most important person in his life as I said a light in his life. Li Xun at the end of the episodes imagines what life would be like if time stopped when they first met and says that all people close to him are here thanks to her. She opened him up because of that he was no longer alone. She dealt with depression while still putting on a smile. Zhu Yun the woman you are! I don’t think not many can be as strong or as faithful as her. When she said she would never betray him, she wasn’t lying. She kept that promise for lifetime

Li Xun and Zhu Yun complement each other so much. She was very much lost about what she should do and was being indecisive and Li Xun taught her to be brave and “bold” and to take things seriously when they were in a base. Zhu Yun truly understood him and knew what he needed. In a way, they both grew together because they are only right for each other
I talked so much about their romance but it wasn’t for the sake of romance, they are admirable and realistic couple. They give you a sense of safety. They teach not be afraid of making mistakes and to keep learning. This drama motivates me so much. I also really like that people can’t escape consequences of their actions. Li Xun was imprisoned and he doesn’t get a pass because he is the male lead. Fang Zhijing gets arrested for things he has done though I find that Li Xun was the one who got justice and gave a proper punishment for his heinous actions. Gao Jian Hong, dare I say he is the biggest asshole? Even worse than Fang in every aspect because he caused Li Xun’s sister’s death, wasn’t a good husband (beating her wife and even using her and saying she has to get close to a man she used to like? Pathetic). Was a terrible friend. His pride couldn’t handle. He always thought they were trying to one up him when they were reaching out their hands to help. He was blinded and took everything for competition even when they were the same group. It just doesn’t make sense how he tries to compete his own team. That said Fang caused 2 people’s death, that was his worst aspect but Gao checked every single possible asshole behavior. The time when he faced Li Xun to say he was the one who told his sister’s location, the one who took the company too. I think after all that he still got happy ending but he wasn’t very worthy. He is the character that makes me think of “what if” questions. What if he never betrayed him? Would he be enjoying success with Li Xun? Would Li Xun not be in prison? Maybe the trio (Zhu Yun, Gao and Li Xun) would be as strong as it was in the past. However I also think that the events that happened taught him something important which is jealousy ruins the person who is jealous not the person you are jealous of and that competition is not worth it, everyone has their own way.

After so much depressing topics I would like to discuss the romance (I admit I was here for romance but got something so much deeper instead). I kind of did that in the heading above discussing the dynamic between Li Xun and Zhu Yun. I very much appreciate the eye contact. You can see love pouring from their eyes (that wasn’t the best way to describe it). You can see they care for one another even when they are concealing their feelings sometimes. The small things they did for each other (like giving umbrella, caring for him when he is sick, putting on a coat when they are sleeping). Best doggy and piggy couple. There is one line in the OST “My princess will not be sad anymore” I can’t express how much I love this line as well. The time when she repaired his lighter, the time when she gave piggy USB flash drive (so cute!!) The scene right after they broke up broke me too. When she was on the rooftop crying while he was watching her cry. You can see in his face how much he wants go to her, hug her, comfort her but he is restrained. It was so hurtful in that scene. Poor couple suffer too much. At last Zhu Yun’s dream of marrying her first love comes true

I have so much to complain or talk about but I don’t think I can write this long. There are many other characters I wanted to talk about but I just decided to take two best character and two worst characters in one place.
I regret starting this drama because it led me to finish it. I would love to watch it and still have the “first time watch” feelings, so upsetting this won’t happen . (This review was kind of all over the place but it was also first time I expressed myself more clearly and with a bit of humor)