*There are minor spoilers when discussing the tropes in this drama.*

I really wanted to like this, and even after it became difficult watch at around episode 16, I still continued for three more episodes. There are just too many frustrating storylines and a bunch of tropes that I don't care for.

I loved Xin Yun Lai in the movie Cry Me a Sad River and last year's drama Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty. Here he plays Fang Zhi You, the CEO of a small architecture company who hates lying. There's nothing wrong with refusing to lie, but Fang Zhi You is really direct to the point of being condescending and disregarding the feelings of others. I mean, you can be honest without sharing your every opinion, right? Meanwhile, Xu Yi Ren, played by Liang Jie, is the opposite, always resorting to little white lies - sometimes it's understandable, especially in business situations where you need to maintain good relationships, but sometimes her small lies cause more trouble than they're worth. It feels unrealistic how unprofessional their boss-assistant relationship is, but even after they become romantically involved, their "cute" interactions feel over-the-top. I mean, I felt like the dinosaur onesies scene came out of nowhere???

Anyhow, onto the tropes:
1. The supported-him-for-years second female lead. I get it, in an alternate universe, He Yu Wen could've gotten a friends-to-lovers result that she wanted. But in this universe, she becomes angry and spiteful, which is unfortunate because she seemed like a smart and charming person initially.

2. A revenge subplot. Li Zhe (played by Liu Hai Kuan, who The Untamed fans will recognize!) has a vendetta against his childhood best friend Fang Zhi You. However, it feels like a stretch to blame it all on Fang Zhi You, and Li Zhe using Xu Yi Ren as part of his revenge plans is off-putting.

3. Xu Yi Ren's awful aunt and cousin!!! These two are hands down the most intolerable characters in this show and I wanted to throw things every time they appeared on screen. I understand that Xu Yi Ren is grateful that they took her in as a child, but they're rude and demanding. The cousin is manipulative and a worse liar than Xu Yi Ren ever was and I really hope Xu Yi Ren doesn't passively go along with it.

4. The whole 'searching for person I shared a meaningful moment with' plot and repeated flashbacks to said moment. This isn't the worst trope in this drama but I just feel like I keep seeing it constantly and I'm tired of it. It's really adding to the drama here though so I guess if you like a complicated mess of feelings/somewhat of a love triangle then please enjoy!

5. Moving in together for reasons that don't make sense. I have nothing against dramas with cohabitation plots, but an assistant moving in with her boss (before they have a romantic relationship)??? It's not your responsibility as someone's boss to house your employee, especially for a prolonged time. It would've been more believable if she'd moved in after becoming his girlfriend, but maybe she'll move out after the point at which I dropped this drama in some kind of dramatic breakup storyline.

Also, I love Xia Di, the strong-willed, energetic best friend but wasn't invested in her relationship with Gu Bo, but maybe I should blame it on the similar older-woman-younger-man best friend storyline I just watched in Love Designer, which was really frustrating and drawn-out.

I hope in the episodes I didn't watch that Xu Yi Ren pursues her own dream and finally tells off her aunt and cousin, Fang Zhi You and Li Zhe finally talk out the issues between them, and He Yu Wen lets go and finds her own happiness.