Zanilia Zhao's portrayal of Shan Shan is really what makes this drama. The female cast members all do a better job in my opinion than the male cast, but Zanilia WAS Shan Shan. Anyone that has seen Zanilia's other dramas will also know that some times it's hard to believe that she's the same actress from one show to the next because she makes her characters so real. Most dramas of this type (rich guy/poor girl) focus on getting the main characters together, but this story was not just about that. It was more about Shan Shan not only meeting and getting together with Feng Teng but also how she would handle being part of his world and everything that comes with it. I think they did a very good job of expressing how a young woman like her would feel in various situations and how Shan Shan grew and matured because of it. The supporting story lines were also well done, although I think a couple of things could have been shortened. I have not read the novel this was based on so I don't know how close it was, but I'm thinking it was pretty close.