Once the story moved to Beijing, it lost a fundamental part of it so much so it became predictable. Episodes one through twenty-two were built slowly until the plot crescendoed on a path that I assumed the writers would build on. Instead, the story pivoted to a less cerebral and more violent arc which, IMO, was a clear departure from the formula that had us glued to our laptops from episode one. In terms of acting, the ML, Chen Xing Xu, gave an outstanding performance not only because his character was well-written but he perfectly conveyed the nuances of a downtrodden rebel who walked a thin line between staying alive or being outmaneuvered by his many enemies all whilst building a relationship with our female lead. He nailed it. Still, even he couldn't stop this drama from devolving into all the C-drama tropes that I've come to hate. They even threw in a late surprise that had our protagonists drifting away from each other, a trope that, funnily, I'd just watched (and hated) in A Dream of Splendor.

Lastly, the last fourteen episodes were predominantly fillers and should have been condensed into four or max five. In addition, the wait for the trial in Beijing dragged on for far too long not to mention the death of some pivotal characters to whom I'd grown attached. I dislike when writers discard characters with such callousness especially when it wasn't really necessary.

I'd recommend watching episodes one through twenty-two and calling it a day.