Worth your time if you get past the controversial premise

This series starts with a very controversial premise, FL got drugged by a 'friend' and was 'sold' to the ML who mistook her for a prostitute (not putting spoiler tags here as this is basically on the first 10mins of the drama). If you in any way cannot stomach this, then DO NOT CONTINUE WATCHING as this drama (similar to other lakorn) has many other questionable scenes and it will only for sure upset you and it is not fair to give it a very low rating because of this. Lakorns are their own kind and shouldn't be compared to Kdramas and real life. If you know you are being served chicken, you should not expect it to taste like pork.

If you are able to get pass Episode 1 and willing to open your mind and just be entertained then this Lakorn is WORTH YOUR TIME.
Now rating this as a lakorn, I would say I enjoyed it a lot and perhaps it is the best this year.

-it is surprisingly fast-paced with no annoying filler or secondary plot (I remember even in KluenCheewit which I like, I tend to skip scenes that are not with the maincouple as I find them tedious)

-on the first 5 episodes the ML is basically an obnoxious caveman, grabbing, force kissing, verbally abusing, literally harassing the FL. He seems non redeemable, but things actually gets better episode 6 onwards.

-this lakorn has the best second couple, usually I don't care so much about second couple but in this one I really enjoy seeing Chen and Na. Their relationship was the most natural, normal and comedic. I love this combination of the spoiled rich boy and the tomboyish no non-sense bff of the FL. Na's character is definitely one of the best, she's super chill and the voice of reason on this drama.

-the ending wasn't rushed. They took 3 episodes to start wrapping it up. Unlike other lakorns where you only get like 5 minutes of happy moments, in this drama it is satisfying to see how it ended for each character. It is also refreshing to see that the antagonist are not as evil or ridiculous as in usual Lakorn. By the end of the drama, they were able to humanize the characters.

-there are many eyerolling moments, but this is lakorn so just roll with it HAHA. It kept me watching and entertained the whole time so not much complaint there.

-The editing is also good, the story itself as mentioned is questionable at certain point, but the flow was good. I remember watching Husband in Law and the editing and cuts made by the director is so confusing.

-The script could have also been improved to justify the character's behaviors, specially on the controversial scenes mentioned. It would probably lessen the hate directed at the ML if he got a better script explaining why he did what he did.

-The actors seems to be rookies but overall okay. Kem's acting (ML) is no way near the level of Mark Prin or even Mik Thongraya but he did pretty well for a beginner. He is also handsome but I would say it's obvious he's still very young, there are angles where he looks kinda chubby with his baby cheeks. He could work out a bit to get more chiseled. Mookda (FL) is also okay, nothing spectacular but she delivered. Her makeup sometimes looks off though, the orange lips doesn't suit her and she looks prettier with her hair down. The person in charge of the clothing also seemed to think throwing in as much designer stuff into an outfit will make the characters classy, but sometimes it just looks tacky.

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THE BEST OF 2022! I WISH I COULD WATCH THIS AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME

This drama took me by surprise. It was never in my radar, neither do I know any of the actors, or novel. Therefore, rest assured this review does not contain bias.

I've been randomly seeing clips of this from Tiktok and didn't really immediately caught my attention. In fact, I dismissed it as another cringey shoujo type high school romance after seeing those clips of this seeming tsundere blonde haired boy. I was still on the process of browsing shows looking for something that my possibly top Love Between Fairy and Devil.
After dropping so many dramas (Kdrama, Cdrama, Thai) I was really bored, I gave in and and started it when there was probably like 6episodes aired.

Although first 2 episodes are intriguing and totally different from what I expected, it did not really hook me when they started the flashback scene of their college life. I was only half paying attention to it when I stream it. I think it wasn't until episode 7 or 8, AND THEN I'M HOOKED.

SOMETHING IS REALLY SPECIAL SPECIAL WITH THIS SERIES. I try to list down here the things that I like and don't like :

1) This drama is NOT cringey at all. Most modern Cdramas are either boring or super cringe. L&P is unique, the way the script was written is very realistic.

2) The chemistry between the leads is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I love them, they are so perfect for the role. Their adlibs and how they deliver their scenes is just truly perfect. I tend to cringe easily whenever couples in a series get together, I lose interest and get annoyed by their sweet scenes. But this is different, all their scenes together as a couple will give you butterflies.

3) There are no annoying second couple. This series focuses on the main couple. You will not be forced to watch filler episodes of characters you do not care much about.

4) The way the characters are written is so wonderful and matured. There is no cutesy high pitched voiced FL, but ZhuYun the FL here, is possible the best FL in dramaland. Her unwavering love and support for LiXun is truly beautiful to witness. She is neither a doormat nor a domineering FL. She is a well balanced FL, she strong and capable and yet still always emanates innocence and softness.
LiXun also is an amazing character, another complex ML that you also can't help but care more and more as the story progress. I know it looks like in the beginning of the series that he's a jerk and a red flag. But trust me, HE IS NOT A RED FLAG AT ALL. He's got some issues but he's far from toxic. They are actually wonderful and super strong when together.

5) The soundtrack is amazing!

6) The production is high quality. The set, the outfits (specially the present time ones) are really beautiful.

7) Probably the most important. The story is captivating. You will care so much and root for the characters and always makes you curious what will happen to them. I cannot go into the details of the story without spoiling. But it truly is one that will stay with you for a long time.

8) I know it may sound like the story is super serious and intense, it is indeed intense, but there is always humour within the episodes. Specially around the Feiyang company, their journey is really a feel good story.

The only thing that I didn't like about it is that it has to end. I miss this drama so badly already.

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Part 1 is a GEM!

Just finished, my honest opinion :

1) Part 1 was perfect and set the bar too high for me and Part 2 didn't live up to expectation. Still good but not on par with Part 1.

2) The story pacing in Part2 is not very well done. The flow was not natural. I know they could not show all scenes happening, but I feel a lot of times surprised with events happening out of the blue and consequently the emotional flow in between events is awkward.

3) Most of the time LBY's revenge arc is going over my head because of audience lack of connection to the Gu City/Huo Clan. Leo is such a good actor but sometimes it's hard to empathise on what he's fighting for because we were never really introduced to his family (apart from the stories relayed by the Empresses and the Emperor). After finishing the story, I finally realised it's tricky for the Director, he cannot give us a lot of scenes on LBY's backstory without spoiling the whole plot.

4) Some of the lines are way too long and cringey. It gives this theatrical play feel, when 2 characters are giving out their lines and the rest of the characters are just standing quietly in the background.

5) The ending is kinda cliche and cheesy. The villains are cartoonish, and how the solve things are too convenient for the plot it's almost embarrassing. LBY always arriving and saving the day at the most critical moments makes me giggle. It's truly cliche, but hey I'll take it.

6) If you watch the full trailer, there are a lot of 'cinematic epic scenes', however, in reality most of these where downplayed within the drama. Again I blame the editing for not building up thse scenes properly and instead they relied more on long dialogues.

I know these things sound critical but I wanted to be honest with those who will start it, I would say despite all of this it is worth your time, and if only the things I mentioned above are making you feel bored or lose interest, I still suggest to carry on and continue because in it's entirety the show is still very good.

The positives :
1) PART1 - absolutely perfect!
2) The acting is on point, Leo really does only pick good shows. And LuSi, I've always admired her from the Long Ballad, such a versatile actress.
3) The cinematography is great. The comedic aspect is also excellent, it funny in a strange subtle way. And on scenes where it makes you cry, it really does can make you cry!
4) All supporting characters are great, the Cheng Family, and the people at the palace, LBY's two sidekick.
5) it is refreshing to see such harmony in the palace with good nature and well intended royals. It's not perfect, but it is far from the miserable politically driven plots they have on other period dramas.
6) I like how they added scenes on how brutal LBY can be and how love DOESN'T IMMEDIATELY conquer all.

After P1 I expected this to be above the Long Ballad, but because of some setbacks I mentioned in P2, I would say this is on same level as Long Ballad.
Both shows are great!! It's rare for me now to find dramas which I do not drop and this is really something that I enjoyed watching.

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