What a journey! Worth a watch for the feels.....

I really enjoyed this drama, strong acting from the cast, particularly love the chemistry between the FL and ML. This drama had my emotions all over the place, one minute I was laughing out loud, the next I was bawling my eyes out, at times I felt frustrated and angry at the injustice, at the actions of the characters and the unfolding events.

The storyline was by no means logical-lots of plot holes here and there, but I didnt mind it at all. Initially, I was entertained by the comedy element of the drama, then post-second half I was emotionally invested in the FL character, and her journey and the choices she made for the person she loved.

This drama focuses quite a lot on the importance of relationships and having a strong support system-that of family, of friends, of co-workers, of belonging to a community (here being online gaming), of neighbours, and obviously, of that special someone, who forms your universe. Makes me feel more appreciative of the people in my life.

I am so glad I stuck to the end and didnt let the first few episodes put me off. It certainly had high entertainment value for me. Well, worth a watch in my book!

PS: I wouldnt really classify this as a 'happy' ending. I think it's more open-ended.

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How to destroy a drama by making a supporting character the main character

Out of all JJY's dramas, this one has the weakest storyline. This is not a story of revenge, as the original drama intended, but a story of letting jealousy rule the day, and the 3 side (behaving as main) characters not taking accountability for their own actions and their part in their own fate- always blaming others. It started off quite promising (strong and independent FL, good chemistry between leads, funny and light-hearted moments, good action sequences, problem solving in a maze setting, intrigue, political power games, family power games) and the build-up was quite good up to episode 12. Then it just came crashing down and went downhill with the FL and ML being supporting characters for the rest of the drama. In fact, the synopsis of helping the new Emperor only happened in 3 out of the 40 episodes depicted ie episodes 35, 39 and 40. The rest was monopolised by a role model for all green-tea women out there, and her two scheming partners. For all 3, as you guessed it, their actions were driven by the green-eyed monster. I dont know why they didnt just label the green-tea woman Gao Miao Rong as the MC, as she clearly was written as such in this adaptation. Her story had the full arc- background, beginning, middle, and ending, which in fact no other characters in this drama was given. There is something quite wrong when the screenwriters chose to focus on a supporting character as their leading storyline. I got bored and couldnt care less about the events as they unfolded. The only reason why I kept watching to the end was to catch the little interactions between JJY and Joseph ZSX. Their chemistry was natural and believable. Hope they have future collaborations together. I also liked Baoning's grandmother. These 3, the good action sequences, and the political game/problem solving were the saving grace of the drama for me. Also, JJY has improved greatly in her acting performance in a costume drama. I stopped noticing it's JJY and just saw her character Baoning from episode 4 onwards, so that is saying something. It's a shame it's wasted on such a lackluster storyline. Badly done screenwriters, director and production team!!! Shame on you!!!

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