let's face it, every sequel gets compared to its prequel and mostly fails to deliver anything better but this was thankfully an exception. maybe because s1 set the bar so low that nothing can be worse than that (yes I personally hated it). s2 delivered everything s1 failed to. if you haven't watched the s1, you'll be missing out on something or the other but i suggest to skip that season altogether bcs they add flashbacks almost everywhere necessary that even new watchers can understand (or people like me who forgot the story can remember what had happened).

Acting:
if you've watched the S1, i think you might agree with me, the acting in S1 was almost unbearable. i was so bothered by ML's acting. i remember skipping his scenes even tho he was the main character. coming to S2, thankfully he seems to be better in here. the other actors did a great job too. special shout out to actor Cai Yi Jia who portrayed Ning Fei. his character was so much different from s1 but still he nailed it (I'll talk more about him later on).

story:
oh boy i was disappointed as hell by the s1 but this story was damn better. i do believe this season has its own pros and cons so i wanna discuss them here without giving much spoilers.

cons:
actually I would've given this a 10 (refer pros) but the reason its a 9/10 is because of the ML. not just because of his acting, but his character in the beginning was an old fashioned drama lead. the controlling, selfish, misunderstanding, "i did this for your good, so be thankful" cold CEO again. he did have a character development arc later on and change to a totally soft fluff ball but it still was annoying no matter what. when I was watching the initial 2 eps, i was wondering how he got a worse personality than s1. they actually tried to give the FL a character development to make her seem more independent. it did work, I agree but i just felt i couldn't justify some of her actions as being a "strong woman", especially when she was with her boss.

another reason is because they kinda ruined the Fei Fei couple in the beginning. a misunderstanding which could've been easily avoided. harsh fact incoming: this entire season could've been avoided. i have no idea why this sequel even happened cuz the s1 actually tied the loose ends (if there was any) and was wrapped up even tho i wasn't a fan of it. tbh i liked the S2 more (obviously cuz i rated it a 9) but it could've been better if Fei Fei couple were the lead (edit: my wish came true). back to what i was saying, they did some damage to our beloved Fei Fei couple but soon enough it went back to normal. they were the best of the show.

pros:
wow, this one took me by surprise. i initially thought not to watch this cuz i almost skipped all ML scenes in s1. I'm really glad i gave this a try tho (maybe you should too!). i really liked that Fei Fei was more matured than her past self. i don't remember how the married couple were but they were really good this season.

ladies and gentlemen, i present you the star of the show, the show stealer: Ning Fei!!! damn where do I even start, he was the only reason i even gave this show a chance lol. he was a cutie in s1 and i liked him but here oh my god we get to see a totally different Ning Fei being a hottie and flirty. we can see a totally matured Ning Fei (or Xue Ning?) i guarantee you'll 100% fall for him. we get deja vu at times during 2 Fei interactions which i thought were cool cuz it reminded me how much i adored this couple (more than the main couple lol). Ning really set the bar high for a man (♡‿♡). i hope to see them both as main couple someday (edit: happened!). their chemistry was so damn good with the tension and anticipation. i was literally watching them with hearts in my eyes.