This was, all in all, a somewhat disappointing drama, and I can pinpoint the main problem easily: Bai Hao Yu. Whether Peter Sheng is lacking as an actor or not, I can't be entirely sure; I haven't seen him in anything else. Regardless, the character is stiff, cold, harsh, and unlikable for most of the show. His rudeness towards his coworkers is never fully explained or resolved. He doesn't grow much as a character, and his PTSD is conveniently written away without a believable explanation. He is just a poorly written character, and as such, it's hard to understand why the two main female characters are so interested in him. Although it does feel like a weak performance from Peter Sheng, I think most of the problem was the writing.

To make matters worse, comparisons between Bai Hao Yu and the second male lead character, Lin Yi Mu (played by Vin Zhang), are unavoidable since Yi Mu is his love rival and polar opposite. I've previously only seen Vin Zhang play intense, brooding antiheroes, so seeing this side of him was surprising and refreshing. Lin Yi Mu can be childish and annoying - however, he is also surprisingly mature, compassionate, loyal, and kind. He is a natural leader, which often makes Hao Yu's lacking leadership even more glaringly obvious. Vin Zhang is very funny, charismatic, and compelling as Yi Mu; he is easily one of the best parts of the show, and definitely the fan favorite character overall. If you are a fan of the actor, this drama is worth watching.

Dilraba Dilmurat is one of my favorite Chinese actresses, and she's the reason I decided to give this drama a try. I haven't enjoyed all of her work (looking at you, Sweet Dreams), so I was glad to find that this was actually watchable. She was perfectly cute, awkward, and sweet as the titular character, though I really don't understand the beauty standards adhered to in this show. Freckles is what makes her unattractive..? (Granted, they were poorly done freckles...) In any case, she was everything I would expect her to be, and her character development was realistic.

Hui Zhen's best friend, Xia Qiao (played by Sierra Li), is surprisingly sympathetic and three-dimensional. She isn't a perfect friend, nor is she a heartless seductress. The fallout and resolution of her deceit is pretty realistically done, in my opinion (given that her best friend is someone like Li Hui Zhen). I was really impressed by Sierra Li's acting ability and range of expressiveness. Moreover, of all the characters, I think Xia Qiao grew the most. This could have easily been a two-dimensional character, as the female lead's love rival often is - and I'm really glad this story doesn't take that route.

The supporting cast is a mixed bag. My favorites were the very flamboyant, dramatic, fashionable Editor-in-Chief, Vivian; nurturing, industrious, and soft-spoken Zhu Ying; eccentric, laidback Lin Hao; and sweet, straight-forward Lin Hu Sheng. I felt that Ya Ling, Anna, Mei Li, and Lu Lu were all too indistinguishable from one another. Even so, the Immortal team was pretty cute as a whole, especially when imitating Vivian.

In terms of relationships... the main romance is a letdown. It takes forever to develop, and by the time I got to that point, I didn't really care. Even beyond that, they usually come across as awkward and restrained together. Meanwhile, it's much more fun to watch Li Hui Zhen with her closest friends, Xia Qiao and Yi Mu. Most fans seem to yearn for Hui Zhen and Yi Mu to get together. I'd be fine with that, too - Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang really do have great chemistry together - but honestly, I was really feeling the vibe between Hui Zhen and Xia Qiao. They're so close that Xia Qiao's father (I think it was?) really believes that they might be a couple, and they often do act like one. Hui Zhen is so over-the-top in her praise of and affection towards Xia Qiao that it really does seem a bit like a one-sided crush.

(Strangely, Yi Mu and Hao Yu are also more interesting together than Hui Zhen and Hao Yu. Probably because it's fun to see Yi Mu tease Hao Yu. More than once, I found myself thinking just put the two girls together, the two guys together, make them all best friends, and we're good. While I can enjoy romance between any sex/gender generally, it's pretty rare that I would prefer this in an Asian drama over the main couple. Because usually they're able to sell me on it...)

There's also a secondary relationship between two of Hui Zhen's coworkers, which I sometimes found cute but often frustrating/annoying because the woman's primary goal is to marry a very rich husband, and the guy is so sincere. There were two other seemingly potential romances (one obvious, one more subtle in the background) that never did take off.

I don't regret watching this drama because I like watching Dilraba Dilmurat. As long as it's tolerable, I'll watch anything that she's in. "Pretty Li Hui Zhen" is very flawed. It's way too long (and thus stretched much too thin) for the story it has to tell... but it has some really great moments, both funny and sweet. Aside from Hao Yu, I felt the main characters had a great balance of strengths and flaws, and that the writers understood them well.