IT IS NOT A FLUFFY ROM-COM - hence the bad ratings of viewers who picked the drama for the wrong reasons. If you want a no-brainer, no-depth, unrealistic rom-com: watch « a business proposal », exact opposite of this one.
It is a PSYCHOLOGICAL drama, a very interestingly written adult (romance) drama, abt people, their values & moral compass, behaviours & what motivates them, office politics & greed, compromise or stay true to oneself & principles, what they do of their failures, success, how they heal & move on, or stagnate in past grievances & jealousy, what is love & marriage, first love and « white » lies, regrets & clean breaks, about trustworthiness & doing what is right, about taking one’s’ responsibilities, having faith & trusting, genuinely caring & supporting. Marriage out of love or reason… 2nd chances

There is Such a psychological depth in the characters, their behaviours and motivations are clear, consistant, endearing,. Their backgrounds, psychologies & development arcs are greatly defined & gripping. The storyline is smart, well paced, meaningful, gripping, with really cute & funny situations.

So It is not a simple romcom with contract marriage, but a psychological & HEALING DRAMA. And a wonderful one.

Some regret that they broke up, in the last few episodes, before reuniting. Or that these last 4 episodes are poorly written or the ending is rushed.
Or say he went back to his girlfriend.
What a total nonsense…
Sorry to say, but those viewers didn’t pay attention or simply understand at all what was going on…
The 4 last ep are not poorly written but awesome: you don’t feel that they break up and you know that it is just a question of time before they reunite. It is explained to us by the 2 of them to their friends, over and over. during the break, XK and YM keep their wedding rings & expressing their feeling for each other, even if to 3rd parties, so this is not stressful at all. The break only serve at confirming and reinforcing their feelings for each other. Never 1mn did they consider reuniting with their exes…Xk broke & worked in the background to help her achieve her business goal, that was hindering her, so that she has the time to reflect on what she wants, and comes to him willingly out of love.
If it takes time, it is because he helps her without her knowledge, and she wrongly was led to think she has missed him and has gone to his ex…
But this time and space is needed for her to come clear with what she truly wants and has never taken the time to reflect on, because her career goal was her priority.

Note that the drama is written by the same author as The Psychologist and He Dun’s happiness.

Xu Kai and Yang mi perfectly portray their characters. And the Lyrics of the OST are perfect to underline the purpose of the drama.

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Spoilers to better understand.

In the first 3 ep., we are given key elements explaining XK & YM personalities.

1. the AGE GAP between the main leads is nothing: XK is almost 30 (28 as told in ep 7) / YM is 32 (ep2), so this is not a Noona story.

2. Living a simple life is his choice. He’s out of the rat race to success & appearances. He’s not interested in fake things. Only meaningful & genuine.

3. He’s TRADING STOCK from home, not to become rich but for his simple needs and living expenses, refusing to give up what he believes to be his acquired freedom & peace of mind for a meaningless career. He has left his job due to unfair circumstances, and hasn’t yet healed and forgiven, after 4 years.

4. he’s far from being immature or a loser. Cf. ep.2 : he was SUCCESSFUL in his former job & owns half of the beautiful house he’s currently living in with his parents). he is very insightful & smart (IQ of 148): he’s able to tell YM what she does wrong in her job when she doesn’t see it, advise her either from a relationship or financial analysis & advisory standpoint. He supports & complements her work-wise, she secretly admires him, like he does admire her assertiveness & professional qualities.

5.,They have perfect UNDERSTANDING of each other, even w/o exchanging.
At the beginning of ep3, we learn why she chose him to impersonate her fake husband, w/o knowing him. It was not random. Before they actually met by chance, she was moved by the things he wrote on Weibo several years ago. Even if he has deleted it, she can still quote some of his writing. She found herself in his sensitivity. that’s the reason why despite learning that he’s used to impersonate her husband, after being mad at her, he agrees to go along with her for a given time. Not just because he needs his mother to stop pressuring him, but because he found s.o. who truly understands how he feels & thinks.

Numerous situations in the drama show their mutual understanding, respect & appreciation, from the start.

What brings them together is a similar sensitivity, moral compass and values. They are both INTROVERTS who have been hurt by life,….NOT POLAR OPPOSITES. They just chose 2 different roads.
Their main DIFFERENCE is their ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE. When they meet, He is not interested in making a lot of money any longer, he just wants to live a peaceful & burden free life, while she’s career driven, with no wish to have a love life whatsoever.
His story with Ym will however enable him to male peace with his past and move on, and find a position aligned with his outstanding capabilities. But YM knows his worth and never expected that from him.
She always admired his brain and heart, and never considered him for a mere housewife.
He is the Perfect husband because he is understanding and supportive in all the right ways. The perfect reliance as he said.

The way they fall in love is a treat to watch.

6. It perfectly makes sense that they divorce. In ep.36, bc of what he heard, he asks her if she loves him, and she’s unable to confess her feelings… he asks her to clearly think abt what this marriage means to her. He has understood that he is her shield from life, and not her partner, her reliance as he’s says.so he believes it is indeed a fake marriage for her, that she’s not mentally ready yet (confirmed ep39)
She regrets agreeing to the divorce, but says to her friend that she agreed bc « it was indeed a fake marriage: if they have a future together, it cannot grow on lies. So they have to terminate the lie before they can begin a new life together» And sometimes, only time and distance can help you see.
The drama is about that: Building relationships on sound foundations.
An awesome and epic drama.
How lucky she is to indeed have found the perfect husband

And I Wish I had been younger when this drama was released… ;) it is a lesson for life.