It's been a few months since I watched this, but my mom just started watching because I've been "bugging" her to and she's now a fan as well. This is easily one of my top ten c-dramas that I've ever watched. For reference, I started watching dramas last year.

Plot:
The story never dragged for me. I was invested all the way through. Yes, I occasionally wanted to slap a few characters but that's par for the course in cdramaland. There were so many twists and turns. Some predictable and some not so much. It was convoluted, but in a good way that had a mostly satisfactory ending.

Acting:
Honestly, I liked everyone and discovered several new actors to follow. They did a great job portraying their characters. No complaints.

What made it one of my top ten and so memorable?
Without giving spoilers...let me just say that the last few scenes played by Leo Luo (Rong Qi) was the most well done and heart-wrenching of it's kind. I can still see it vividly in my mind. This show put him on the map for me. I've seen some of his other work but this one...this was special. After I finished the show, it was in the way-too-early morning and I had tears streaming down my face. It was beautiful. The story, meaning, and acting...all of it.

I will definitely rewatch this in the future. ^_^