Heartbeat (2023)

May scratch your guilty-pleasure itch for trope-filled, angsty dog's blood drama

Okay, let's first be very clear, the ML is a serious, problematic P.o.S. for the first half dozen episodes or so, and their "explanation" (that he is bi-polar and was "cured"?) is just as problematic. This is a terrible portrayal of mental illness and using it as a throw-away story-telling device (it doesn't really get mentioned again for the rest of the drama) does such a huge disservice to an important issue. (C-dramas in general have a long way to go still when it comes to attitudes towards mental illness -- even in serious, high brow, well-scripted costume dramas, it's still common to see the villain "go crazy" at the end.)

This is otherwise, your classic, trope-filled, angsty dog's blood low-budget soap; this should be very obvious from the get-go. So if you are looking for a high-quality modern romance grounded in reality, you can safely skip this with zero regrets. But if you're looking for a relatively short melodrama fix (20 episodes, 30 minutes each) with low expectations, this might satisfy that guilty-pleasure itch -- you have tortured break-ups, revenge, family drama, backstabbing, people who do terrible things for unrequited love, disapproving in-laws, an ML who really suffers and is put through the wringer when the FL finally leaves him, and an ML who changes for the better and is willing to give up everything for the FL. The only trope missing, as commenters joked, are twins. Don't expect a well-crafted script that offers character development that makes sense -- this is low-budget dramaland at its soapiest, so leave the over-thinking and expectations at the door, make a lot of assumptions, and fill in the blanks yourself. Do all that and you might find yourself not minding this ridiculous ride! And to be perfectly fair, when it comes to plot holes and making sense, there are many, many worse offenders out there.

I watched this primarily because I was curious to see He Riuxian as the FL -- she was stunning in Warm on a Cold Night and her character was pretty kick-ass from what I remember. I also liked Luo Zheng in some of his earlier supporting roles, and -- as my bio notes -- I'm a sucker for angsty journeys that end in happily-ever-afters.

A few good things I wanted to highlight:

-- Asian dramas love their over-the-top public proposals, or proposals that generally put a lot of pressure on the women to say "yes" out of obligation and guilt. So I was pleasantly surprised by a scene that calls out these types of proposals.

-- Modern C-dramas seem to love making their FL's look frumpy -- high-waisted jeans, boxy, unflattering blazers, ugly shirts, bad hairstyles, you name it -- one has to wonder, do the stylists hate them? Here, He Riuxian's character has pretty great style and clothes -- a genuinely rare sight in my viewing experience!

-- The mothers are hilarious near the end. The ML's mom starts off as your typical rich wife/disapproving mother. (It takes a very long time, but she ultimately just wants to see her son happy and comes to accept the FL, recognizing her kindness and formidable strength.) Her encounter with the equally disapproving FL's mother was fairly amusing, but the scene that had me cackling out loud may be when the ML sneaks into the FL's bed to snuggle .... only to stare right into the glaring eyes of the FL's mother, lol. Priceless.

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Not for faint heart

If you're seeking exceptional acting, a compelling plot, and well-developed characters, this show may not meet your expectations. It's important to set aside your logical thinking while watching because, within the first few minutes of Episode 1, you'll likely develop a strong dislike for the main male lead (ML). This reaction is quite natural. However, be prepared to be captivated by the female lead (FL) and her fearless, devil-may-care attitude. Brace yourself as you're thrown into a whirlwind of various clichés and tropes within the show's universe.

Throughout the series, you'll find yourself questioning everything and contemplating whether to continue watching. If you manage to endure the first 10 episodes, which make up half of the total 20-episode run, I recommend pushing through. This is the kind of show that you'll likely watch once and then forget about it. Personally, I'm only here for FL as I genuinely loved her character and her acting.

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A STRESS FUL WATCH

A GOOD WATCH

This has to be my fourth drama with Luo Zheng as lead and I was worried my boy was going to be typecasted into some CEO as always which he was but this drama a different and unique tone to it..

The story was stressful in a good way..it was a heavy watch with alot going on from schemes to emotions to heart break but it was all consistent compared to the amount of episodes.

I'd say this drama really bought out Luo zhengs acting skills, i must say this has to be my current favourite drama of his, he was given time to shine and actually grace the screen with some insane acting skills, he's emotional scenes had me tearing up too he was so good..he's character development was amazing and I loved his character a whole lot❤️

The female lead was sassy smart confident and pretty she kind of got on my nerves in some episodes but it's those flaws that made her character worth the watch?

These two had intense chemistry and sensual tension, their scenes together made me giggle and kick my feet in the air they were really cute together ❤️

The support characters did a good job iam glad we had the main couple alone to focus on and yes even the most annoying series in the series did a great job seeing how I felt like throwing my phone each time he popped up?

Either way I recommend this if you want something nice to watch.. though I would warn you it isn't a simple watch it's heavy and can get really stressful at some point but it's really addicting and that made it worth the watch❤️

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GARBAGE. FL AND SML DAMAGED ENTIRE SHOW..

O o O wait what was that?

Male lead is psychopath, okay it became trend now a days. But only till ep3. He changes later.

Wait what Female lead still loves him?
Okay may be same Stockholm syndrome . But Nope she is approached him for her ex lovers heart. So cruel fl. And ml is the one who is torn and still love her.

And what's this?
Now he suddenly changes within 10mins and pursue her ? He realises her importance as soon she left him.
Yeah may be story is fast phased , But after episode 3 he keeps on begging and caring for her.

And now what?
SML entry and ML stars doubting FL ?
Man are you insane?
Nope SML is the one who instigates but ML still believes fl only loves him. He still says sorry and stick around FL..

There is yet something?
What ML fiancee killed FL baby. Fl in hospital and still SML kisses her while our ML is watching. And ML blames that FL got abortion by her wish.
NAAAAAH SML is reason for her abortion,SML instigates fiancee to do that cause simply he wants fiancee for business. SML uses FL pregnancy.
But ML believes FL and says sorry and saves her taking knife for her yet asks her sorry.
Well this is something new. How can a male lead be this dumb. Ohhhh may be his brain clouded with victim syndrome.


Yeah yeah yeah I am still holding......

And now what??????
Everything came out and now mother of ML still support fianceee wants her back to side of ML.
It all damaged because of FL SML FIANCEE AND MOM .

I hold it until now only because of ML ,he played well. Show is bearable to watch only because of him.

Thats it. I hit it. I dropped it.but I again gave try for ml . Ok I completed it. Only for ML

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This Short OTT Angsty Trope-packed Melodrama Won't Be For Everyone

This series will absolutely stand as either a love it or hate it type series for most viewers. The synopsis is just detailed enough to entice a viewer but honestly if only going off the official synopsis you'll be blindsided by the truly toxic relationship Gu Yi (Luo Zheng) and Qiao Jing (He Rui Xian) have developed over their three year time together.

From the first episode tropes are thrown at the screen in record numbers. It would not suprise me in the slightest if the writer began this project with a sheet of paper detailing a list of tropes and put a check mark next to each one each time one was used. This makes for an over the top and highly dramatic show that has the viewer wondering if they even want any of the characters to even survive the shows ending, let alone have a Happy Ending.

Tonal shifts among episodes zigzag back and forth to the point of whiplash, especially in the first half of the series. Reality is thrown out the window as we have a front row seat to a ML who defies logic of having had a heart transplant as he eats and drinks whatever he wants and even runs miles after being hospitalized so he can see the FL. By the last four episodes though, even with the dramatic events still occurring and needing to be uncovered, the tone definitely shifts to being more easy-going and uplifting instead of leaving you with heart-pounding anxiety.

Characters:

Gu Yi - Beginning the show he starts as a stereotype of a possessive, self-entitled, mentally ill male lead and descends into stalking and emotionally blackmailing QJ to force her return to his side. He goes through several trials in his effort to redeem himself, failing in his sincerity until his ultimate fall allows him to prove he is capable of more.

Qiao Jing - This is definitely a complicated woman and if anything I wish the show could have been longer to have explored her emotional turmoil more. When she walks out on GY the first time you want to cheer after what she's gone through. When she drags her suitcase back each time something happens and she gives in it hurts. The criticism though comes from the drama being as short as it is and not allowing enough time to fully showcase her feelings of turmoil between Gu Yi/Su Juan/Bai Yun.

Bai Yun - The first third 2nd ML, BY is the foil to GY. His strength is his kindness and patience and he is willing to take a punch and go toe to toe to protect QJ from GY. Unfortunately, once he defeated as a rival he literally disappears from the drama never to be seen or mentioned again. This leads the viewer to unintentionally wonder if he will pop up again in the plot but this doesn't occur.

Bai Yan - The 2nd FL, BY is the childhood friend of GY and is a renown pianist. Returning home their families arrange the marriage of the two and she is over joyed. Her actions within the show have severe consequences and she is sent to prison just before the 2/3 mark. Both ML and FL refuse to forgive her to the very end but FL does accept her apology letter in last episode which may infuriate the viewer.

Su Juan - The catalyst for QJ seeking out GY originally is the mistaken thought he carried Su Juan's heart inside him. Overall most plot holes within the series have to due with this character. Again, more episodes could have allowed for him to develop further. He has a very minor arc with Bai Yan due to time restrictions on episode count that I wanted to see more of, especially in conflict with QJ. Because of the lack of time to develop scenes the viewer is sometimes left with doubt as to what his actual emotion is or if he is acting in a particular situation.

Fang Pei (GY mother) - Stereotyped and needed more time to truly showcase a change of heart, especially towards QJ. However, at the very least with this character the writers were able to find a way to express her true feelings during a scene with both GY and QJ mother's getting drunk together. Here we finally see that her opinions on the relationship haven't truly 100% changed, she just loves her son enough that she's given up fighting. Especially after the "other option" of BY is no longer socially or morally acceptable to her. In the penultimate scene of the series she tells her side of the events surrounding Su Juan and it will probably have you rolling your eyes in disbelief.

Zhou Yue - As a supporting character always by Gu Yi's side his relationships to and with everyone appear to almost be made deliberately vague. Bai Yan refers to him as her brother despite having differing last names and he refers to Bai mom as Auntie. His story development at the end of the last couple episodes makes for one of the least punished characters as his lawsuit had been dropped and Gu Yi is seen having a beer with him and calling him brother even as ZY is letting him know he's turning himself in. Honestly, he needed at least a minute or twos worth of time within the show to have focused more on his facial expressions. That or have switched the actor to someone more nuanced with microexpressions. Then maybe every thing would be slightly more believable from a viewers point of view.

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?

Actually I watched this drama because of Luo Zheng, he and He Rui Xian acted nice in this drama ,I just didn't like the storyline this drama has... I admit I discovered another side of Luo Zheng being a red flag, he made it.. it's very convincing that I almost hate him in this drama.
I don't like their on and off relationship status in this drama.. it stressed me out and for me it doesn't make sense that even someone has a heart of your ex lover,you would be someone's slave for it? It doesn't make sense to let someone hurt you again and again just because he has your ex lover's heart?

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Hmm...

SPOILERS!!!

So, I wanted to like the whole cast especially the female lead because I thought she was beautiful. I thought the ml was handsome but in a strange, overdone, possibly plastic way; his whole face seems exaggerated just too much of everything that should have been handsome but seemed off together. But anyways. I liked the fl at first then her personality of being against all things Gu Yi got to be too much. Like she so quickly chose everybody but him and she did it in blatant ways that screamed that she just was finding excuses to not believe him at all.
It was actually strange because in the beginning, I don't think she had a problem with being his mistress or standing on the sidelines of his life. She kept their relationship a secret, she was okay with being the one he lose his temper on and not saying anything. I think if the other woman would have left her alone she would have still worked there and she would have stayed by his side.
I don't think he ever had bipolar disorder. I think he might have had PTSD and his personality changed due to his obsession with the fl but I don't think he ever had the disorder. I think the personality he had when he later pursued her was his original personality before he had the accident. But I also think that he treated her that way because she let him for whatever reason. She really could've walked away in the beginning and their relationship would have been different.
But honestly by episode 10, I didn't like her. Excuse the fact that she only started dating him because she thought the heart he received was the man she liked. She was fake from the beginning and wanted make it seem like he couldn't be honest with her but he was the only one that was honest the whole time.
The fact that not one person except for his parents were ever in the MLs corner. His mother was so aggravating in the beginning but her character changed but the FL's mother was aggravating and nauseating all the way to the end. Didn't like that lady at all. But the little brother was so cute!
This series ran through every cliche-trope there was in B-rated Chinese dramas and tried to pull it off in 20 episodes no longer than 30 minutes each. No wonder it was so ridiculous at times.
So, you are not going to like the ML in the first couple of episodes but he will be the only reason you watch in the next 17 or so. Again, I ddn't mind the FL especially after she realized that he was not her enemy but she was irritating for too long more than half the series to be exact.

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excellent

C'est un drama vraiment intéressant, il démarre sur un patron abusif et méprisable, et puis au fil des épisodes on se rend compte que les mauvais ne sont pas forcément ceux auxquels on pense et que les bons peuvent avoir un plan caché ! Les acteurs principaux sont excellents, notamment Luo Zheng que je ne connaissais pas !
Il joue très bien les multiples facettes de son personnage.
Les caractéristiques d'un bon drama sont là : famille pourrie, amis pas forcément amis, relations amoureuses pas forcément saines etc.
En revanche on peut zapper la partie où la mère de l'actrice principale revient, c'est fatiguant.

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What was this?

This was probably the whackiest of C-Dramas I have watched until now. I have to admit I am more into K-Drama, but like the occasional C-Drama because they are so unashamedly...unashamed. Romantic, OTT, CEO's are evil and they mostly end in a wedding, which I love. Also, I am a sucker for the "bad-guy-falls-in-love-with-good-girl-and-is-less-unbearable"-Trope. I watched this because I saw a clip on Twitter and unfortunately that scene was in Episode 1. Still, it was strangely magnetic.

What I disliked:
- The make-up was so bad. ML looked like a Vampire, and he is extraordinarily handsome, so it was difficult to make him look bad. Kudos. The FL was very beautiful but in every situation perfectly made-up.
- Acting was super stiff, only the bad second SML and the Mom were credible IMO.
- Storyline was too unbelievable even for me and I liked Dramas like Crash Landing on You and several escapist dramas. ML changed from Red Flag to lightest green in 2 episodes and was too boring after that for me. And I like Green-Flag-Guys, like Ryan Gold, Ri Jong Hyeok, Jin Moo Hak and the sweet guy from Hidden love.
- Far too much into silly Making-territory.
- FL seemed to be an intelligent woman and was sold as such but behaved incredibly silly and immature in so many situations. It's a pity, she could have been a great character with better writing, IMO.

What I liked:
- ML was really good as an ass...e CEO and the Main Couple was so hot for it. Believable and really...hot.
- ML looked great, even if the acting was not to my personal taste. He ist lovely to look at, minus the Make-up and with disheveled hair. I wondered if he is short sighted, bc of his unnerving stare.
- Good kissing
- The Office Team was nice.
- FL did not speak with a squeaky Micky Mouse voice and dressed nicely.

It has very mixed reviews, so try it out, if aforementioned topics don't bug you.

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Watch if you're a diehard Luo Zheng fan, because he's good in this

Adorable romp about a mentally, emotionally and physically abusive boyfriend who sluts around with and uses other women, while she seeks to be the perfect office assistant and longsuffering girlfriend. When she finally has enough and breaks up with him, he begins stalking her with a vengeance and ramps up the abuse. After he realizes what he lost, he becomes an adorable little doormat.

But, despite how much I HATED this story, Luo Zheng delivers an amazing performance as a scary psycho narcissist changed into a remorseful man with a conscience. Luo nails the character -- esp the stalking scenes -- waaaay creepy. I've found that people either love him or hate him. In my humble opinion I think it's because he's been typecast as the stiff CEO and has been in a few BAAADDD shows. It's true he wasn't the greatest actor at the start (no formal training) and his scripts don't provide him much opportunity to do anything great. But he has grown tremendously in his acting, and there really are moments of brilliance in this show (his emotional breakdown and crying scenes. Enough about the actor, back to the show.

I was going to tank the FL actress, but then I just remember where I've seen her before: Go Ahead. She emoted beautifully there, so I can only assume the director asked her to look mournful most of the time. For me the character had little depth.

If you are a Luo Zheng fan, watch it. He's a sweet actor who becomes a scary freak. He's really good in this.
If you aren't a fan, maybe give him another chance? If you refuse to do this for me and continue to hate his acting, hate stories about abuse, the skip it.

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Story liked ups and downs

Story liked ups and downs means some episodes were good , some were ok ,some were like they were not needed and some were slow.
Starting was good as it had given the introductory parts of characters.
Male lead's characters had shown arrogant,rude and dominant type of person. He never showed his true emotions and secondly sometimes he even didn't know what he wanted ,what was important for him and what are his priorities.
When he lost her then he came to know about her importance in his life and was trying to persuade her but here i wanted that he remained in his bold attitude,his bold attitude connected me with the character . Means I didn't want to see the soft character of his . To persuade her ,his character become so soft totally change . Ok if he was not rude , arrogant liked before but he must remained in his bold attitude and she should understand him that he was trying to change and help him so slowly slowly his bold character changed to soft .
Love rivalry was there in the drama .
At some point I thought female lead's character over reacted ,he was trying though she had him in her heart but she was rude with him all the time . This part of story irritated me .
Not good not bad type of story .

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Really good actors, but a "total mess" storyline

I came to this series for Luo Zheng as ML (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

It starts with the bossy CEO trope (here, abusive) and the super competent assistant (FL) who adapts.
But then ALL the clichés follow one another: arranged marriage for the ML, break-up, 2nd ML (nice but without charisma), love linked to an organ transplant, suspicious accident which caused the death of the ex lover, the illegitimate son who returns to take revenge, ...

But what was the screenwriter thinking when writing this story????

I accept that the producer add a little angst / melodrama in the series to amplify the emotions, BUT:
### the FL still in love with a crush (which never materialized, she doesn't know if it was mutual) who has been dead for 4 years? who retraces the different places she had planned to confess? etc.
Nonsense !! The screenwriter has obviously never experienced real grief...

The 2nd narrative arc with the return of the illegitimate son / ex-crush, is a little more coherent, and the 2 mothers bring a touch of humor.

+ an excellent CL (which I would like to see again) with great chemistry,
+ very good supporting actors and endearing characters
+ nice but not memorable OSTs
+ production without downtime

### but you need to leave your brain at the door because the storyline is... a mess ¯\(©¿©) /¯

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Avec Luo Zheng en ML (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

Cela commence avec le trope CEO autoritaire (ici, abusif) et l'assistante (FL) super compétente qui s'adapte.
Mais TOUS les clichés se succèdent ensuite : mariage arrangé pour le ML, break-up, 2nd ML (gentil mais sans charisme), amour lié à une greffe d'organe, accident suspicieux qui a causé la mort de l'ex lover, le fils illégitime qui revient se venger, ...

Mais à quoi pensait le screenwriter en écrivant cette story ????

Je veux bien qu'on en rajoute un peu dans les dramas pour amplifier les émotions, MAIS :
### la FL toujours amoureuse d'un crush (qui ne s'est jamais concrétisé, dont elle ignore si c'était réciproque) mort depuis 4 ans ? qui refait le parcours qu'elle avait prévu pour se confesser ? etc.
N'importe quoi !! Le screenwriter n'a visiblement jamais vécu un vrai deuil ...

Le 2nd arc narratif avec le retour du fils illégitime / ex-crush, est un peu plus cohérent, et les 2 mères apportent une touche d'humour.

+ un excellent CL (que j'aimerai revoir) avec une belle alchimie,
+ de très bons acteurs support et des personnages attachants
+ des OST sympa mais pas mémorables
+ une réalisation sans temps mort

### mais il fallait laisser son cerveau à la porte car la storyline est ... Meh ¯\(©¿©) /¯

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