I've tried watching this twice. Despite reviewers having listed The Untamed, Guardian, and Winter Begonias as recommendations (all three that were enjoyable), this series really doesn't have the same feel at all to any of them. But I should have known to not trust recommendations when it comes to BL-related series.

There's nothing outrageously terrible about this series. Dropping it for the same reasons why I've dropped many other well-known and relatively highly reviewed ones. The dialogue and interactions between all of the characters are just unnatural and cringe. It's not necessarily an actor or plot issue, but perhaps it's just how some Chinese series are directed or maybe partially due to the dubbing. Similar to the flow of older American soap operas- it's just not believable. And while Guardian also had tinges of this flaw, the two MLs had much more chemistry and the plot moved along more smoothly.