sulkytofu

Before I watched this drama, I was a little surprised at all of the news articles around the production that mostly focused on editing scenes, delaying the airtime, etc., because of "too many kiss scenes." Not only do other Chinese dramas show more skinship, but I was kind of shocked that a fluffy romance drama would have any problems passing the official regulations and broadcast restrictions.

After the first episode, I'm pleasantly surprised and have a feeling that why it was delayed wasn't because of skinship, but more so because of some of the really interesting subversive themes. Yanghua is a super interesting character; one that feels defeat from his job and currently doesn't hold a "socially acceptable" career, instead choosing to focus on "freedom" and his own wellbeing instead. A lot of the questions he asks himself (will the "right" career, the "right" amount of money, the "right" marriage will bring us happiness?) resonates with a lot of us who are told to go to a good university, do all of the right things, and then find out that working hard doesn't necessarily translate to "success." We start to question what success is and feel that we deserve better; not to mention how layoffs, recessions, and economic issues remind us how disposable and replaceable we are as workers. Rather than supporting other workers, having health and social benefits to care for our health and wellbeing, and working for things we believe in, we end up moving to a race to the bottom with long hours and low pay.

I can see this being one of the main reasons for the edits; I'm surprised they didn't change this part of his personality and find it super refreshing that a lot of these romance dramas (often targeted at but not exclusive to women) are circulating around social issues such as labour, a good or successful life, and women in the workplace through their writing. Although I'm still very early in the drama, it's not a surprise that some of the commentary in the series is focusing on a lot of issues that are relevant to China's social conditions (i.e. gender and age gaps, the "tangping" or lying flat movement, frustrations at youth unemployment, etc.) but are also relevant around the world. Looking forward to watching the rest of the episodes and keeping my eye on how they handle these themes!

I loved this scene so much to be honest; I think it really shows how even if Zhenzhen is reserved, depressed, and anxious, her inner core and her protectiveness over her friends are a huge strength of hers. I kind of do like how this scene turned out; I didn't find it romantic at all but instead kind of a tension between both of the character's worldviews and ML's reflections of his own guilt, conscience, and anger in playing the role he does.

I recommend to keep watching because this is an important part of his characterization and the storyline; however I can only really suggest you continue giving this a try if you like the chemistry between the main characters. There are a lot of reasons and hidden secrets that are slowly being unlayered, and this is a very long journey (we won't be able to find out the reason until much later, almost near the end of the series). I agree with you 100% that in the beginning ML is extremely arrogant and abrasive; but I really liked how the drama makes you perceive him as a villain in the beginning, before flipping some of these perceptions in the show.

It's a lot more complicated than this; my general guess is that everything ML is doing is related to his work, and the title of this drama ultimately demonstrates that how he feels about the FL is unintended/not what he expected to experience. I think the drama does a great job at showing how our leads eventually get to this point; although it's a very long path and the ML definitely is very arrogant, rude, and completely disregarding of the FL's feelings in the beginning.

I totally agree! This drama got me out of my drama slump; I tried watching some of the other on-air episodes for other dramas and just couldn't finish them. So glad that someone else loves this drama as much as I do!

Fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong; I want both of them to have a happy ending together after all of the angst and pain that they've been through! Let's hope that we get a really great conclusion together!

We're almost near the last stretch, so now's a great time to watch! I still recommend to go in with lowered expectations and to know that this is a super slow drama (just in case), but I'm glad that it's on your watchlist!

I love them so much as a couple, I'm glad they are finally getting a romantic line together in this drama. This isn't usually the kind of drama I fall for (I tend to love fluffy and sweet ones), but I just love their chemistry and how loyal they are to each other.

As far as I know, I don't think this was adapted from a novel? I believe this is an original screenplay; it's written by the same screenwriter as Go Princess Go. However, The Confidence (the previous drama the two main leads worked on) was adapted from a manhua.

The romance is definitely there, don't worry at all! I actually think their relationship becomes stronger over time; although I can't promise that there will be a happy ending (I'm honestly unsure how this will conclude), I'm on Episode 29 and the romance is definitely there. The upcoming trailers also look promising, it looks as if they're not going to drag out the hidden identity part and that this becomes a minor conflict in an episode or two.

I agree so much! I also love the longing gazes they give each other; how can he be so arrogant an insolent at one point, and then completely giving up everything for the woman he loves? Their love is so sweet and bitter at the same time, I honestly think they were perfectly casted for this show!

You have an excellent eye for detail, so many of these things I actually missed because I was too busy paying attention to other things such as Gao Jun's identity. The water drinking was genius, when I first watched I didn't really notice it, but now upon reflection I realized why she was always giving water, drinking water, having water around!

Thank you so much for the kind words!

Thank you for the sweet words; for a drama as amazing as this it is an honour! Love being able to watch it with other fans who are having just as great of a time as I am!

I think the real GJ is actually evil but I could be totally wrong about that (I thought he was the one who Fang Jianshe was talking to and is "subordinate" to.) I think ML was avoiding GJ because if they were seen in the same place, his identity pretending to be GJ would be revealed.

There are scenes where he showers as if he's preparing to rest, end the day, stay in his hotel, but then the FL calls him and then he suddenly changes completely back into his suit. At first I thought he was just showering as a routine, but if you think about it from the perspective of "he's trying to pretend to be Guo Jun," then you realize why he has to change his entire outfit every time (as well as the comments from his team about how they "purchased all of the expensive suits, etc.")

Right? Peng Guanying does an amazing job showing all of the different expressions of the ML. I love how the camerawork and cinematography always show how close and yet far away our couple is, like how the FL hesitates to grab his coat, or how he wants to go closer to her yet holds himself back. The long gazes, the scenes where they are together, when they laugh and care for each other, how they remember what each other likes; it's so romantic and despite the melancholy tone of the drama it's immensely sweet at the same time.

For those who are excitedly joining us and starting this drama, welcome! This is a super slow-burn romance, which is mostly about the mystery behind the FL's deceased husband. It's not an intense thriller, there's no bloody or murderous crimes, instead the story mostly revolves around large business crimes (i.e. stock trading and manipulation).

As for the plot itself, there are definitely issues; for example if the FL did a simple search on Baidu she would probably immediately reveal a lot of the hidden identities. But this is really a story about the FL and the ML, and how they work together to discover the secrets behind her husband's death. There are some very poetic lines, beautiful scenes where you see how they care for each other, and lots of angst due to tropes such as "wanting someone you can't have," "enemies to friends to lovers," and "silent protector/fake identities." Note: This is extremely, extremely slow burn, our main characters literally don't get together until episodes in the 20's and 30's, even the main plot points don't begin coming out until then.

I'd highly recommend it for those who want a more mature, adult drama about older lead characters, those who like darker romances (i.e. a "villain" ML even though he is actually kind inside), and a very devoted ML who initially distrusts the FL and then grows to fall in love with her loyalty and kindness to the people around her. FL is also extremely reserved and introverted; she is not a happy or upbeat character, but instead is someone who has few friends and keeps to herself a lot. Both of them play very refreshing and realistic characters, and it's quite a nice breather from the recent wave of youth and college-based romances that we are seeing.

I know! I think it helped they worked in a previous drama before. I hope they get their happy ending together in this one!

No problem! I'm totally obsessed with this drama and am glad you're watching it! It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but I can't get it out of my mind and have been really enjoying it so much.