Story: A young and naive lady, Rong Jin Xiu went to Shanghai in pursuit of the men who murdered her family and to search for her elder sister, Ming Zhu who had left the family many years ago. Along the way, she accidentally met and rescued Shanghai's most notorious and powerful gangster leader, Zhuo Zhen, and Shanghai's richest playboy, Xian Ying Dong. She fell in love with Ying Dong but was aggressively pursued by a possessive Zhuo Zhen. Through a series of near death experiences and clearing of misunderstandings, Jin Xiu finally learned that the man who truly loves her is the rough and tough Zhuo Zhen. However, happily ever after for Jin Xiu does not come easy even after she and Zhuo Zhen realised their love for each other. There are many who are out to separate the couple. More misunderstandings ensued amidst the setup of pre-World War 2. The ambitions of the Japanese to conquer China and the world, especially the financial empire of Shanghai cannot be denied. The Japanese spy/businessman that was given the responsibility of conquering Shanghai is Maeda Ryuichi and Maeda has his own personal agenda when it comes to Rong Jin Xiu. And what of Jin Xiu's sister, Ming Zhu? She has her own sad and painful story to tell:- of love, sacrifices, death, murder, betrayal and salvation. Hers is a character that will experience, change and grow a lot through the drama. Will Ming Zhu find her happiness as well? It is for me to know and you to find out! :) The story is typical of 1930s Shanghai romance with the involvement of businessmen, gangsterism and Japanese spies. Personally, I think the entire story can be told in around 25-30 episodes. There were just too many flashbacks and insignificant scenes that distracted from the main story. The main story itself is actually not too bad. Therefore, I blame the lower rating of story and overall on the directing of this drama. If the director had cut down on the flashbacks, insignificant scenes and tightened the drama - the story of Jin Xiu and her sister Ming Zhu would have been better told and Cruel Romance 2015 would have been a better product. If you are planning to watch this, I highly recommend that you fast forward the flashbacks. It'll be less annoying this way. Acting/Cast: I give 10/10 for the actors and actresses. They all did a superb acting job. The reason for my final lower score of 9/10 is the many obvious errors in directing and editing of the drama. There are parts that seem to drag 2-3 seconds too long - the pause causing a less smooth shifting of scenes. It is not the actors' fault as it is the director and editor's job to make sure each scenes flow nicely into each other without any obvious or awkward pauses. Again, I place this blame on the doorstep of the director. Music: Nice OSTs:- sad, nostalgic and meaningful. I have them downloaded and am enjoying the OSTs now. Rewatch value: Due to its' length and the many flashbacks, it is not a good candidate for re-watching. However, there are some romantic scenes between Zhuo Zhen and Jin Xiu that may warrant some re-watching for those of you romantics at heart! Overall: Considering the directing hiccups, I give this drama 7.5/10. It is a passable drama but not great. Story-wise, it is worth your time watching but only if you are happy to be pressing the fast forward button over tonnes of flashbacks.