September seems to be a very busy month for all platforms despite airing mid-to-low-budget dramas. Youku also aired two dramas simultaneously which are In Between and Hero Is Back. It was quite a difficult choice, but I ended up skipping Hero is Back in favor of In Between. Of course, months before the airing, I had completed the novel though I skipped most of the second couple's scenes. I do admit that only insane people will watch this kind of drama because it's not your typical fluffy sugary drama such as Amidst a Snowstorm of Love or perhaps the recently completed You Are My Lover Friend. Okay, I'm not going to dilly dally anymore and let's get going into the review.

The best aspect for In Between must be the amazing production - every prop detail is shown meticulously, and the breathtaking cinematography is just... captivating (and don't get me started at the enamoring cities - I've got tons of praises for them lol). Aside from that, I also feel that the story is very realistic and stems away from your usual old-school-trope (you know what I mean). As you can see, we get a darker and moodier romance while also exploring the complex emotions of humans when they're experiencing love, self-discovery, growth, break up, cheating and so on. Well, sometimes you'd want to punch them on their faces when they're making dumb decisions for themselves especially the women (not of Han Su though, at least she still knows her bottom line), while the scumbag men are taking advantages of their indecisiveness.

Now, I'm going to explain the intricate relationship chart and see if you can understand it...

1) He Zhinan - Qu Yipeng
Zhinan and Yipeng accidentally encountered each other as they worked in the same building despite being in different departments. Yipeng thought that Zhinan was a rich girl and kept pursuing her and even had intimacy with her. However, after learning from Sister J that Zhinan's family condition was just average, Yipeng immediately left from her world and ran away to Tahiti to search for Zhinan's former colleague, whom Sister J claimed to be the rich one (Yipeng is an absolutely gold digger man that everyone needs to avoid, but still... Zhinan becomes the hunt of his prey).

2) He Zhinan - Gao Peng
Actually, Zhinan had a seven-year relationship with Gao Peng since their college years. Later, Gao Peng studied abroad in the UK and lost touch with Zhinan. After they met again in Hong Kong where Gao Peng had become a CEO for his company, Zhinan felt that he had changed a lot over the past few years and didn't seem to care her very much (you'll notice this when Gao Peng squandered his money to buy Zhinan tons of unnecessary gifts). In the end, they broke up peacefully and became normal friends... just normal friends.

3) He Zhinan - Wang Zilu
Zhinan and Zilu once encountered each other in an online platform, but it didn't leave a good impression on Zhinan. Hence, when she met him again, she decided to make his life more difficult. However, as they spent more time together, Zhinan found Zilu redeeming qualities, and she began to have feelings for her, even willing to invest in his doll universe when he even couldn't pay a large debt. I can't say their relationship is official for sure, but they still maintain a good relationship in the final episode.

4) Sun Hanhan - Zhou Bin
Nah, this is your typical older man-younger woman romance. Not much to expect about them, but I really dislike Zhou Bin and his abusive behaviors towards Hanhan. Hanhan is also a naive girl and lets herself being manipulated over and over again. But, in the end, she still gets her own freedom while Zhou Bin's career is shattered after Hanhan and Zeng Cheng team up in the law court (nice one, Hanhan).

5) Zeng Cheng - Zhou Bin
They were a married couple for 10 years before Zhou Bin knew the existence of Hanhan. But it was not a happy marriage though. Zhou Bin relied on Zeng Cheng's vast connection to build his career mainly took advantage of Zeng Cheng's position. Later, Zeng Cheng knew that her husband was cheating and had a cold war with Hanhan to extent of sacking Hanhan from the advertising company. However, Hanhan wasn't discouraged and attempted to explain herself to Zeng Cheng until she was convinced that Zhou Bin was actually a cruel jerk.

6) Han Su - Qu Yipeng
They were college sweethearts and as usual, Yipeng also took advantage of Han Su. After knowing that Han Su wasn't really serious in their relationship plus her insistence on moving to Hong Kong, Yipeng immediately broke up with her. Thank goodness Han Su could see through Yipeng's ulterior motives.

7) Han Su - Luo Ma
Both of them accidentally met each other in a bar and Han Su approached him because of playing truth or dare with Zhinan and Hanhan. At first, they thought it was a pure coincidence, but it turned out to be fate when Luo Ma moved to Han Su's law firm. However, Han Su didn't want to fall in love anymore and that was her reason of rejecting Luo Ma repeatedly.

8) Han Su - Gao Peng
Not long after he broke up with Zhinan, he was attracted by Han Su and pursued her nonstop despite her wariness. Han Su knew that Gao Peng wasn't her type of man and immediately rejected him too (still a peaceful break up though).

Kudos to every member of the casts for creating such an engaging masterpiece. Their micro expressions and the scenes when they're crying... it's just so natural and convincing. Anyway, they're too good in portraying cheating men and women lol...

OSTs and BGMs are pleasant to hear and don't sound distorted and I find myself keep humming to the song lol.

Overall, a ten out of ten. Give this a shot if you're not bothered with cheating/infidelity because this is such a rare masterpiece. As for rewatch, I may have to reconsider given that this drama only airs in China through Linmon channel which really exasperates me (same goes with A Journey to Love). Good luck in finding your true way and happy watching!!

P.S.
Don't imitate their actions or you're going to be a cheater FOR REALL!!!