I really didn't expect this drama to be THIS good! I'm totally amazed.

I don't even know where to start. This is the drama that actually made me sing up to MyDramalist.

I'd been postponing to watch this drama for so long, and oh I don't even know why! When I've seen clips of it before, the CGI held me back, because let's face it, none of the Chinese dramas have top-notch CGI. Although, the rating of this drama really made me think: maybe it's actually good? So, I took a deep breath, and decided to finally watch it. (And Zhang LingHe is in it anyways, so that's already a reason for me to give it a go) And oh boy, what a ride it was!!! I was literally hooked from ep 1. Yes, the CGI is not Hollywood production, but I have to say, it's better than in many of other c-dramas, and the backgrounds are really freaking beautiful at times! The world is amazing, and I loved most of the costumes, especially the ones Dong Fang Qing Cang was wearing. Now let's move to the more in-depth review.

» The Story
I wasn't expecting such a complex story at all. I don't think there were any plot holes either, which is rare. I just loved it overall, it wasn't so predictable - even if there is a tree that showed us some future events and we knew that it all should happen. But oh it did not at all happen in a way I expected to. The whole story kept me thinking and guessing all the time, it was so cleverly-written. I know it's a book adaptation, and it was so well done, that I would love to read the novel in the future if it gets translated to English, or I'll finally be able to read it in Chinese.

» The Characters & Acting
Dong Fang Qing Cang: I LOVED his character!! And Dylan Wang did an absolutely amazing job!!! This was my first time seeing him in a drama, and he did not disappoint me at all. It was like he was made for this role and he understood the character so much. AND also the way he perfectly and hilariously acted as Orchid. I am in love with his acting skills. But yeah, so back to Dong Fang Qing Cang as a character. He had such a beautiful character development. I already really liked him in the beginning and it could be clearly seen that he has a long way to go, but the development happened at a perfect pace and gradually, that it was totally believable. He made me cry and also laugh many times, and I loved him for it.

Xiao LanHua: I didn't expect to like her this much. She's kind of this carefree, cheerful girl at the beginning, and basically turns into a badass by the end and it was just amazing to see. I love that she kept up her positivity throughout the whole story and that even if she played dumb sometimes, she wasn't dumb at all! She was actually quite smart. And to be honest, I've seen some people complaining that Esther Yu wasn't the best choice to play her, and that she had no chemistry with Dylan Wang, but honestly I'm not entirely sure we were watching the same thing then. 😅 She did magnificently as Orchid, I can't even imagine someone else playing her, she portrayed her perfectly, AND their chemistry with Dylan Wang was sooo so good!!

Chang Heng: played by the one and only Zhang LingHe, who is one of my favorite actors. Before I started the series, one of my friends told me that she hated his character, so I was really nervous to see who is he, and what does he do and what's his role in the story. Then I was so relieved to see that he's such a well-mannered, beautiful man, who always wants to do what is right, and even teams up with those who he despises to DO GOOD. I loved him so much, I had second ML syndrome. He deserves the world, yet he was treated so badly throughout the whole story - he had to go through betrayal, and so many other things that break one's heart, yet he's never given into resentment and pure hatred. And on top of that, he's so handsome and his smile is everything, but I'm obviously biased because of Zhang LingHe. I've also realized that ZLH is so perfect to play these kind of prince charming roles, and I love him for that. (But having seen another one of his drama 'Maiden Holmes' I've gotta say I LOVE it when he's a cheeky prince charming, that's what he does the best!) OH and I have to mention that he literally had to play 3 roles throughout the series. One I'm not saying because that'd be a spoiler, but him as Xiao Rui, ahh, it was so delightful to watch, while it was also kind of heartbreaking at times. He played him perfectly as well.

Dan Yin: I don't want to say too much about her, but I have to mention her here. I really liked her character. She's going through quite much during the series and her character development is really good, I've grown to love her by the end!

Rong Hao and Chidi: writing about them together, because I don't want to write too much about them. Rong Hao's actor is a beautiful man, and I liked him at the beginning, BUT I definitely didn't at the and. I also didn't care much for him by the end, I just wanted to got over their scenes with Chidi. Chidi, while she was portrayed as a good person, it felt like she was just a small part of the story, even though she was literally there every episode, even if it was mostly for mentions. And honestly, I wasn't really a fan of her.

Xun Feng: Oh boy, this boy. I wasn't really fond of him at the beginning, but he's just so precious. 🥺 He had gone through so much and I loved his character development. I feel like that besides Dong Fang Qing Cang, he had the most character development of them all. And Zhang ChenXiao's portrayal - flawless.

And laaastly Shang Que and Jie Li: Ohhh, first off - the one and only Shang Que, my dear Black Dragon, 黑龙大哥, he was the biggest surprise for me in this show. Firstly, I didn't expect him to have this much screen time, but THANK GOD he did. I am in love with him, he's just so perfect, caring, loyal, cute, funny at times, handsome, and everything you can ask for. His character didn't go through a huuuuge development but I just couldn't help but love him. I had a huuuge smile on my face every single time he was included in a scene. Also, this is my first time seeing Lin BoRui in a drama, and I can't imagine anyone else playing Shang Que. He understood the assignment, he has the looks, you look at him, and he's just the perfect little Black Dragon. And now then, Jie Li. I really liked her character, and Hong Xiao did an awesome job playing her. Her character has become very interesting by the end of the drama, and I really liked the plot twist with her character.

Oh, and honorary mention - Si Ming: !!! I adoooored her! She had soo so little screen time, but I think she's such a loveable character, and the actress playing her really fits the role!

» The Music
IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I got addicted to so many of the OSTs, even before I started watching the drama because they are just so good, and the instrumental versions which we can hear playing in the background just give so insanely much depth to scenes, that it brought tears to my eyes so many times. And also, we have Liu Yuning singing one of the OSTs, and we all know he's the best, you can never go wrong with him. Music is very important to me when it comes to any kind of TV show, and this show delivered on that front. I loved it. ( Especially the piano version of "The Other Shore" lives rent free in a special place in my heart because it's just heartbreakingly beautiful)

» Overall
I truly believe that this is one of the best dramas I've ever seen, and it's gonna be hard for other dramas to surpass this. The story, the characters, the music, everything was just so good. I didn't at all feel like the ending was rushed - as I've seen many criticizing it, I'd rather say that I probably would have made a couple of scenes shorter in the last 4-5 episodes (for example... Rong Hao's scenes, I'm sorry but I really just wanted to be over that storyline). And the only reason I didn't give it 10 stars is because it's just gotten a liiiiittle too dramatic by the end for my taste, and some of the scenes felt like they are going on forever. ALTHOUGH, it's a Chinese drama, so what was I expecting tho. 😂 But yeah, that's the only reason it's not a 10/10. Otherwise, don't hesitate to watch it y'all, because it's a beautiful and surprisingly complex story, which is very cleverly-written, without plot holes, amazing characters and a satisfying ending!

» Content Warnings
I feel like many Chinese dramas have some triggering content, and it's not emphasized enough, so I decided to include a little content warning session.
This drama includes:
- A lot of deaths (but a moderate amount of blood), losing a loved one, and a couple of suicides, so BE WARNED, because it's been talked about quite much in the story, and honestly my little heart needs some processing because a lot of it is happening at the end, all at once which can be emotionally challenging to watch.
- It has a character who's getting possessed by another "character" and she acts kind of like a schizophrenic with bloodlust, who looses her mind and has little control over her actions from time to time, and it's presented in a very disturbing way - this was also a bit too much for me for example, but just keep this in mind and be wary about it, it's not like a horror movie or something, but it can be triggering.
- It also has child abuse, and toxic family relationships, manipulation and emotional abuse.
- And it overall does have a lot of emotional scenes, we can see a certain characters dealing with past traumas and trying to navigate through them, but to be fair, that is presented more like in an inspiring way, but it can still be triggering for some.
I feel like that I have to add that these content warnings, taken out of context might sound scarier than they actually are in context! So please please please, don't get discouraged by it, just simply keep these in mind! It's overall a very beautiful story which is soooo worth watching!

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