kittenmother

Sweet and corporate

This series is right up my alley. Calm but not cold characters with very strong personalities, no age or wealth gap, and a comforting story that is not too sweet. The average age being thirty makes the story less dramatic; instead, we get great personal development while striving for success. Both leads are independent, so the slight social inequality doesn't really matter. There are a LOT of clichés, some are done better than others. As much as I loved Ji Yuheng's family struggles plotline, their constant misunderstandings and cold wars at the beginning were out of place. It felt like Tu Xiaoning was non-stop mad about something that he didn't even do, but she won't ask him. And both Tang Yuhui's plotline and keeping Ji Yuheng's feelings a secret gag were just unnecessary.

However, I must disagree with some other reviewers who described the plot as unreasonable and too unrealistic. I think if the secret made sense. There would be serious consequences if it were made public at the wrong time. And what's so unrealistic about a man that tries his best (even if I think he was a bit too much at times)? The bar is in hell.

When it comes to other couples, I have vastly different opinions. Rao Jing and Zhao Fanggang were just phenomenal. It felt very natural for them to get together. The way they overcame their differences and tried their best to change themselves for the better? Pure cinema. Chemistry? Through the roof. Also, they are just very fun characters. On the other hand, I hated every last bit of Ling Weiyi and Qi Yu's relationship. Their scenes felt stiff and awkward, not to mention how childish and tiring their constant arguments were. It is very subjective because I'm not a fan of this kind of story. I also couldn't understand why they couldn't come to an agreement. I get why it was a problem, but if they had such a long and strong relationship. Good as individual characters, boring as a couple.

I don't have much of an opinion on artistic aspects. Good acting, good music, good sets, good production. Nothing bad to pinpoint nor anything particularly outstanding. Balance between their love and work life is perfect, as well as pacing of the story.

Overall, I recommend the series if you like similar stories to the kind that I do. I think you can skip over it if you don't like one of the couples; their stories don't overlap too much, and you'll get the sense of what happened from their conversations.

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A story that is both interesting and disturbing

I started watching this series encouraged by many phenomenal reviews. I was horrified when I saw the amount of abuse, especially sexual abuse. The ML constantly forces other MLs into uncomfortable situations, ignoring clear rejections and no's. Thankfully it fades out through the story. But I think people should still acknowledge just how evil the ML is, even compared to the real villains of the story. Overall the series is very enjoyable, refreshing and has an actual plot. All the characters are fun and have distinctive personalities. Acting is phenomenal; you can FEEL the emotions. So I would recommend it if you can pretend a few things happened differently and not glamorize abusers.

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Sweet and short

This is the show that I have been looking for this whole time. It has everything: a strong female lead with a soul, a supportive and warm male lead, humor, and cute scenes. You won't find any cringy or iffy moments.

CHARACTERS
All the characters are very realistic and diverse. Some might say that a few of them are over the top, but in my opinion, keep it in the believable zone. I especially enjoyed the backstories. They're a bit cliché; however, they make so much sense. Moreover, they're not just told to be told; they help the plot progress. We can see characters grow and bloom. What helps this development is communication. Something unheard of in most dramas. All characters act consistently and logically.

PLOT
Their love story is cute and mature. I loved every moment, even the clichés. The warmth it gives off, mixed with a bit of sadness and resolution to overcome all the problems, is just addictive. The biggest strength of this plot is how realistic it is. It's a story that might've happened. I didn't catch any plot holes nor see major problems in characters behavior that weren't pointed out in the show (eg. mental abuse). Every conflict and misunderstanding presented made sense. Not to mention the ending was pure perfection.

I don't have much to say about the technical side, as I never gave it much thought. So I'll keep it simple: great acting, enjoyable music, and pretty sets/shots.
I highly recommend it to every person that likes mature and romantic dramas.
My favorites for reference: Because This Is My First Life, When The Weather Is Fine, A Tale Of Thousand Stars.
Dislikes: Lovely Runner, Uncontrollably Fond, Fish Upon The Sky

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