Ah, where do I start? Like strong and charming female leads? Like respectful, consistent male leads? Like a bickering couple with good communication and comprehension skills? Well, then you're going to love this one. I haven't watched a 10/10 C-drama in a hot minute, and I am truly delighted that I watched this one.

I had my doubts when I first saw the poster. Being very honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of Luo YunXi. He certainly did not make me fawn in Ashes of love, and I hadn't seen him in anything else. I have watched Bai Lu have palpable chemistry with Xu Kai, so naturally, I was a bit dubious. Rookie mistake. This man is an absolute charmer, with perfect comedic timing, a gorgeous smile and sizzling chemistry to boot. As per usual, I drooled over Bai Lu throughout the show.

The first point to make is that I absolutely adored the female lead. She was fiery, stubborn and independent. I loved that despite Yuan Shai's protests, she fought her way into the company and proved her mettle to him. Even in a relationship, she does not lose her head and remains grounded and true to herself. Seeing her become a career woman by her own capability was refreshing to see, as opposed to the usual trope of the male leads, helping female leads achieve their dreams. Even when Yuan Shai did her wrong, she wouldn't forgive him easily, stood her ground and made her points, ensuring he understood what he did wrong. I do, however, think that her tear allergy could've been used to move the story more. In the beginning, I thought her allergy would build the crux of the story, but I was completely wrong. I'm not mad though because it became just a part of her character as opposed her entire character. Despite her potentially life-threatening allergy to tears, I'm pleased that they didn't write her to be completely cold and emotionless.

At the beginning, I wasn't fond of Yuan Shai. He tended to think that he knew the female lead just because they were childhood friends, a personality she completely outgrew. Along with the usual "I know what's best for you because you're too stupid to think for yourself so I have to make decisions for you," he also did, "I'm hurting you to protect you, but you don't need to know why so I'd rather you just hate me." As much as I loved Yuan Shai, I'd be a pathological liar if I claimed this didn't turn me off. But thankfully, Jiang Jun sets him straight. And thankfully, he redeems himself. The highlight of this show is undoubtedly the palpable chemistry between the leads. Dare I say; I enjoyed them more than Bai Lu and Xu Kai (I bring this up because this seems widely discussed among the audience.) I enjoyed their banter, but I enjoyed their dynamics even more. Yuan Shai being her boss, one would expect him to be more dominant in the relationship, but surprisingly it's her. It was also refreshing how Jiang Jun wasn't shy or timid when it came to skinship. Their kisses were phenomenal!! Not a single fish kiss in sight! I like the nonchalant manner in which they portrayed sex. Unpretentious and natural.

If not for the adorable main couple, there were several reasons to have docked points.

1. Du lei is far too unpredictable and far too frivolous. For a fraction of an episode, I imagined that I found catch second lead syndrome. He put aside his bitterness towards Yuan Shai and worked together with him for the sake of Jiang Jun. But then he takes such a 180 after the time skip, to the point of becoming unrecognizable. And just like that, the minuscule amount of affection I had for him evaporated. He becomes creepy and delusional, still pining after a woman long gone. If anything, I think he received way little resentment from Jiang Jun for the part he played in her father's death.

2. The second couple was not nearly as interesting as the first. Nuff said. I found myself skipping their scenes. Not even my irrational crush on Riley could save their love story. I respect that Xu Li was brave enough to give up her career and youth for Xiao Chuan. Couldn't be me, but I respect it. There's often some scorn towards women wanting to settle down quickly, and start a family, when there shouldn't be. I enjoyed that this show portrayed the female leads as on two ends of the spectrum but equally happy.

3. Some might argue that the 6 episodes after the villain was defeated was unnecessary, draggy and pointless, but I beg to differ. It establishes Jiang Jun's growth as a person and as a career woman and establishes the growth in their relationship. It asks several important questions about the profound sexism in the corporate industry, with women often having to choose between their careers and their relationship, due to societal expectations of "stability" being defined by the marital status of a woman. I would gladly have watched 30 more episodes of this. However, I see where they're coming from, and I see why one would think that those 6 episodes were unnecessary. I DO, however, agree with those who felt like the first 30 episodes and the last 6 were written by two different people. In fact, it was. And it's very evident.

BUT I enjoyed the main couple too much to dock points. I, personally, did not find the show draggy. I felt that most, if not all, the characters were well written, with their own variety of issues. I, unexpectedly, found myself enjoying the relationship between Qiao and Yuan Ji. This is definitely a show to rewatch.