There is no chemistry between the two main leads - Zhu Yan and Shi Ying. None.

I don't think that this role is perfect for Xiao Zhan. He has such an expressive personality and face; this wooden, stiff character doesn't fit him. I can name at least three actors off the top of my head who could have looked better in this role.

On the whole, I loved each actor and I loved their acting despite the fact that not everyone fitted their role perfectly. But I also think that different casting (for some characters), better editing, and more importantly - different screenwriter could have done wonders to improve the drama.

There are a lot of drawn out episodes (insanely long fights, for example) that do nothing for the story. Lots of flash-backs that are so repetitive, it's easy to get bored. Dialogs go in circles in times and that made me fast forward quite a bit.

And then - of course - the ending. I am not sure why the person in charge thought it was wise to deviate from the novel. The characters were put through hell, I think if anything they deserve a happy ending that the author thought was perfect for them.