This drama is very faithful to the Pillow Book, from the characters and the story. Dont refer to TMOPB because they didn't have the pillow book copyright so they had to alter Dong Hua & Feng Jiu love story but they end up ruining it. Vengo Gao's acting as Dong Hua in TMOPB was a little bit over the top because he frowned a lot like he easily get annoyed by every little things and I think Dong Hua was supposed to be an ice face & bored because he had everything figured out. Even so, I still like DH&FJ couple a lot more than than the main couple in TMOPB.

In ELOD, his acting is on point. You really need to pay attention to some of his scenes to notice his subtle change of expressions. So rewatching it is very recommended.

Storywise, ELOD is a bittersweet love story. Bitter at the start, sweet at the end. No plot twist but there are a lot of sweet & funny moments between the couple. It will cure your broken heart caused by TMOPB.