What an absolute thrill ride. I went into this expecting a fun, romantic romp disguised under the thin veneer of an action thriller and boy oh boy did I get more than I bargained for. What should, by all accounts, have been a slightly over-the-top, fanfiction-esque (which is not a bad thing, by the by, just a comment on the suspension of disbelief needed to enjoy certain types of stories) plot, somehow evolved into a fairly grounded and serious exploration of familial bonds and how they influence our lives, the concepts of forgiveness and betrayal, and the quiet deceptiveness of unsolicited acts of love. All this without ever losing its charm and comedy or its heartfelt, upbeat core message.
And now off we go into the (mild) spoiler territory.

Some personal highlights (aka Things I Loved):
- The relationship between Shao Fei and Tang Yi. This may seem like an obvious one, wow you watched a romance show and liked the two main leads, what a hot take. But what makes these two so compelling and sympathetic to me and what makes their dynamic stick out against many other pairings in romances, is how honest and direct these two are with each other.
From the beginning there is respect and fondness between them, buried under a healthy amount of animosity though it may be. That fondness and respect grows and evolves as the show goes on, developing at first into unconventional but genuine friendship and then into a mature and, dare I say it, healthy relationship. As soon as Shao Fei realises his feelings he is upfront with Tang Yi, pursues him openly while still respecting his boundaries and giving him time to reciprocate or pull away. There is no dramatic jealousy, no endless waffling about, no will-they-won't-they. These are two people who decide to love each other and support each other and damn everyone who tells them they shouldn't, destiny is what you make it and problems are best tackled together rather than apart and I am so on board with it.
- Jack and Zhao Li An. While I do have some personal gripes with Jack (such as wanting to come after his kneecaps with a baseball bat for the way he sometimes acts but we're letting that go for now) I do find him a very interesting and compelling character (morally grey, true neutral bastard my beloved) and I absolutely adore his relationship with Zhao Li An. Their dynamic is funny, charming, and their connection seems genuine. I do wish we had seen a bit more of their character growth during the last episodes but I still feel the two have been set up for a happy future in which they can grow together.
- The ending. A happy ending that feels truly earned and makes a point about the importance of facing up to past mistakes and choosing to move forward together with your partner. That is pretty much all I have to say about that.
- Tang Yi's relationship with his fathers. I can't go into detail at all here or I'd end up spoiling big parts of the show, but whoo boy was that whole plot fascinating and the way it all wraps up gave me goosebumps with how serious and just plain good it is.
- Zuo Hong Ye. An interesting female character with a rich and complex inner life who is absolutely badass but is still allowed to be a real human being, warts and all, in my gay romcom?! It's more likely than you think.

Some personal lowlights (aka Things I Didn't Like):
- Gu Dao Yi and his whole plotline. To be fair this isn't so much a "thing I didn't like" and more of a "thing I liked sometimes and then disliked sometimes and felt neutral towards on the whole". I appreciate the important part he plays in driving the plot forward and enabling Tang Yi to have some character growth but something in me just does not like this man.
- Some of the more explicit scenes are a bit gratuitous and unneeded in my opinion, but for what it's worth these two do have great chemistry and the intimacy between them feels both touching and real.

In conclusion: If you are looking for an intelligent drama that explores some interesting and somewhat dark themes but won't drag you into any pits of despair and tragedy and will even make you laugh sometimes then you should definitely give this one a go.