Worth watching if you're here for nice, cosy, slow-paced drama about love

A non-trivial love story about bossy FL and cute ML who also is much younger than the leading girl. The story is wrapped around the corporate business of a car company and their business. It explores social issues such as - sexism in the workplace, pressure on "leftover women" from their parents, pressure on young married couples to have kids from their parents, and of course, pressure on couples where the guy is much younger than a girl. Although there is a lot of just everyday work-related stuff happening in this drama, it is nevertheless very interesting . I watched it from beginning to end without the desire to skip or to switch to another drama. At the same time, almost no cliffhangers (for me it's a plus, you won't spend sleepless nights binge-watching if you don't want to) and the development of the feelings of the characters is really smooth and nice. Also very realistic (no hate-to-love staff etc.)
FL s personal story is also the one I liked. She's the kind of person who is reserved and would analyse everything and it's not easy for her to give in to feelings. Therefore we find her in her 30+ alone. Luckily the guy whose character is quite opposite - cute, sensational and outgoing finds her and tries to win her heart.
There have also been quite a few funny moments and several dramatic moments (not the kind you'll be crying over but the kind you'll feel the strong feelings heroes had at that moment.
The actor's play is great, especially I did like Dylan Wang, he really has a character. Side couples and other actors are not always so great but hey, they didn't occupy too much time anyway ( I kind of thought the best ML friend and his girlfriend are kind of silly and didn't like them personally, but everyone to his taste) ///

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Very Nostalgic drama especially if you're the 90-s kid ))

What I liked most in this drama - is how it portraits the unbelivably fast development of Chinese economy in the 90s-00s. Taking a story of Xu Banxia and her fellow businessmen, who have been able to grow from nothing to a huge enterprise - due to some reforms and changes that China have been going through and sometimes, perhaps due to the "wild west" in the legislations and ways of doing business at that time.
Althou we all kind of know that this rapid development have been taking place, when you see it in this drama - and imagine how life was for people at that time is quite eye opening)) Besides this drama made me reflect on my past as well - on the past of my country, how was it for us in the 90-00s ( it was wild-west as well although no such fast development). I looked back and saw that we have been through a lot of changes as well - that have went through unnoticed - but if compare 90-s and now - are drastic )) So I found this drama really nostalgic. It creates that mood.
As for the plot - the first half of the plot was on point. Somwhere in the middle - I got irritated by the main Charachter - Xu Banxia . How at times she seemed irrational and selfish ( risking lives and livelihood of others to gain her profit), lacking a emotional Q, filled with double standards and hypocrite ( she will behave all nice when she is nobody but as soon as she gained some wealth and success she turns a hateful face to her friends) But this is just personal preference - yes, I didn't like her, her character was not "nice" but, the character was right ( not fake ) - I guess to get a susess in a business environment - only this kind of person can do it. So I forgive that ))
By end of the drama when all the conflicts got resolved in their different ways - it was really good. Pieacefull ending, that shows that Xu Banxia has gown as a person, as have all other characters. And very nostalgic again - making us remember all the hardships and happy times the characters have been through....
I like it and recommend. Not your ordinary drama.

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Only worth watching if you're fan of W Yi Bo or Zhao Li Ying

The play of main actors if nice and after a while you'll start liking their characters. The chemistry between FL and ML is also very nice to follow. There are also a two side-couples that are both funny in their own way. So the love part in those series is quite nicely done. BUT, otherwise the whole story is difficult to bear.
At the beginning the story is really messy. It is hard to follow - who went where and for what purpose. Not only this is because there are often several separate story lines going at the same time but also because antagonists goals as well as main heroes goals keep changing quickly without much connection or clear logic. Some parts of the drama are clearly cut out, loosing some plot to the point I had to rewatch one of the series twise to understand why did this shit happened....
By the middle of the drama - the logic starts to be clear - no matter what happens, and how sometimes childish or stupid main charachters behave - our heroes will win the battle and bad guys will be punished time after time ))) At this point you just stop believing in the story, because you know real people would never act like that and you know there will be some miraculous saving of their lives, and you stop taking shit seriously and worrieing for ML and FL for reals and then just all the fun of watching is gone .....))) I would say the story is a bit too fary-tale like and childish. By around 30th episode I started thinking of dropping it.... But I did finish - otherwise, how would I be eligible to write this review )))
On another hand, I f you just want an easy drama, which won't leave much heavy feelings on you, wouldn't get you glued to the screen and mesmerised by the beauty, unwilling to let any detail to slip. And you just want something to watch on your way to work ( or school) this just might be it...)
Thanks!

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Nice, lighthearted and at times funny drama to watch.

If you're looking for a fluffy romantic lovestory without too many complications and dramatic moments ( to cry). And instead you just want to relax a bit after rough day at work, that's the series for you! I have read some reviewers saying - it started promising but ended up real mess. Well I disagree. It started as lighthearted intertainment drama without too much realism, or too deep story and it continued as such. Half fary-tale love story, half comedy in a contemporary setting )) I even watched it until the very end without the urge to quit!! ( which is something quite rare nowadays) Only last two-three episodes have been somehow weirdly done - as if the story have been changed suddenly to add more dramatism or whatever.
Actors - yes at the beginning I thought - well, why do they play so weirdly and unrealisticly?? - then I got it - it is just the style of the drama. You know "grand Budapesht " movie also has weirdly-playing characters and fary-tale like environment, but it is nearly a masterpiece.
If you won't watch this though, you havent missed anything important ))

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Good story of personal growth

ABOUT THE STORY
Fascinating story - 10 years of the life of a simple village girl who came to Shanghai to realise her dreams. It was really entertaining to watch how LiuWenjings (FL) life has progressed and how she has changed and grown up. As a sideline, there is also a love story between FL and one of her friends. The story although has some far-fetched ridiculous coincidences (as a lot of Chinese dramas usually have) in general is quite realistic. The life of the main characters is full of ups and downs, twists and turns. Although I have noticed, that while in the beginning series side stories of FL's friends have been nicely detailed. But by the end of the drama, some of her friends have been barely shown and the development of their stories becomes a little messy...
The main story is about how life paths can really go in predictable ways. Also about how one can change his/her life if they work hard and stood up for their principles. About how lack of communication can lead to misunderstandings in relationships, and how small lies can ruin someone's life. Another thing that I like - is the representation of time passing by. The story encompasses 10 years, and if you watch it one series a day - and not binge-watch, then by the last half of the drama you really have this feeling of things having happened a long time ago.
(SPOILER ALERT)
On the YouTube, where I was watching it, a lot of people in the comments have been complaining that "ML is actually not with FL until the end" and " we came here to watch ML+FL chemistry, where is it?" seem to misunderstand what the drama is about ))) I didn't feel cheated, because I have been expecting nothing more than what the story the director wanted to tell

ABOUT THE CHARACTERS
Many people in the comments have been complaining -"Why Professor couldn't confess to her, why Hua-Hua is so mean etc." But actually, when you look at the characters a little closer, all of their behaviour starts to make sense. Professor - such a passive in love guy - he would not have the guts to confess or say NO to someone he doesn't love. In reality, this kind of guy ends up in a relationship with a proactive girl that he doesn't like, just goes by the way of least resistance. FL (Wenjing) - is this kind of self-sacrificing girl, she would do anything for her family, allow friends to walk over her and always feel that it's her fault, not theirs. Hua-Hua is a typical toxic friend.
Although the characters were well written, ML and FL s chemistry was .... bad. It was difficult to understand their feelings for each other, especially Professor's feelings for FL from the beginning till the end. By the end of the drama when they are finally together, their interactions look outright fake. It could be either bad work of an ML actor or director. FL chemistry with 2ML was quite nice though.

CONCLUSION
All in all, it was nice for me to watch this drama because of the storyline. But regarding expressing feelings, ML FL interaction, actors play, well there are better dramas out there.

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warm kind-hearted drama that you can finish without binge-watching

What I really liked about this drama is that there have not been those addictive cliffhangers and plot twists, that make you binge watch for nights in a row. (Which makes it so much healthier to watch). At the same time, you won't get bored watching it either. I've been looking for this kind of drama for quite some time... because usually, it's either just mission impossible to watch less than 5 episodes in a row or just plain boring... Here we have the golden middle plus the value of the drama is not in sudden unexpected twists but in a quality story and quality atmosphere.

It opens up the world of show biz in China in a cute, warm-hearted and entertaining manner. ( I personally found out a lot of things I had no idea about before. ) It has some sad and funny moments, and a lot of real issues covered. This drama left me with warm and comfy feelings every time I watched it.

The main story of an unrecognised struggling artist, who find a way to develop himself, his art and become the "brightest star" was developed really well. As well as the main love story of an "unimportant" ordinary but caring girl with an arrogant "star" guy. The chemistry between both characters is so good, that you'd want to watch this drama just to see/ feel that chemistry again and again in each episode. To tell the honest truth, I didn't expect Z Tao to be a good actor, but surprisingly he is. ( And to my taste much better actor than a singer, sorry fans) About Zhanice Wu, well you either get annoyed with her or love her. If you usually love her then you're lucky this time as well. Me, personally, she always annoys a bit(( but here her character is quite bearable, and all in all combined with well thought-out plot, good chemistry btw main characters and good work of other actors, you don't pay attention to her annoyance that much.

To sum up, I would recommend this drama that is pleasant to watch in a healthy way (without binge-watching)

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Really promising in the beggining, dragging at the end...

This drama has started all that promising - wartime Shanghai, spies and agents and special secret tasks. But got boring by the second half of the drama and failed to fulfil its potential.((

In the beginning, It was full of style - smart ML, unexpected turns, suspension moments when you really get anxious about the main heroes, and really want to know how on earth could they get out of that difficult situation that they got dragged into. There also have been quite an interesting love triangle situation developing. From the beginning of the drama, I have really been anticipating the moment when ML (Chen Shan) will become a double agent, thinking of the intricate mind games that he would play with the antagonist - Japanese special service agents. But, I was disappointed (((

The second half of the drama, when he actually became a double agent, has became not more entertaining and smart, but actually lost a lot of sense. No mind games between Chen Shan and Main Antagonist - Araki. Actually, the ways in which Chen Shan have been triking Araki have become really stupid, and for Araki to actually trust Chen Shan in those cases - just right away non-believable...

By the 35th series, the story became a little too boring and, like they're dragging it along with not much to say. I feel this is a problem of many Chinese dramas, they just don't feel when it's time to wrap up the story. So until some moment around 2/3ds, the drama is fine but then at around 30-35th episode, it becomes unbearable to watch at the same time you want to know how things will end. So you're just watching and thinking WHEN will this finally END...

The good points though are - beautiful and stylish costumes especially could be appreciated if you're a retro-lover. The actor's play was good as well, the characters are realistic and a bit more complicated - not just two dimensional beings. Zhang Ruo Yun is always good in every movie he plays, so he made his character interesting and someone to feell for. I also really liked the character of Adi Kan (Yu Xiao Wan) she's sassy but kind-hearted, brave and naive but smart.

Since I didn't finish it and dropped at the 35th series, am I really qualified to make conclusions?
All in all, it was interesting to watch until around the 30th series but did not worth the time after that.

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