This drama is a glass pearl. It's almost the real thing, but not exactly. Pretty to watch and is unique in it's way, but not memorable enough. The story follows Danwu (Zhao Lusi) as she journeys through life from being a slave pearl diver to a respected and successful business women. Along her journey, Danwu meets Yan Zijing (Liu Yuning), an established merchant who mentors and paves her way into the business world.
The first few episode was great, but as the story progresses, it became a little stale. It was watchable, but not enough for me to go "oh, what's going to happen next?". Now, the story line did not grab me, but the characters as an individual did. A perfect example of great actors, but bad story writing and/or directing. Danwu is a lovely character. She is strong, willing to push through any obstacle and learns quickly to adapt to situations around her. It was not love at first sight with Yan Zijing, but he grows on me. Like most ML, he looks bad and cold on the outside but really he's a charmer after a few episodes. I especially like that he does not overshadow Danwu despite all the "power and riches" he already had. He didn't just hand them to her, she physically and mentally worked for her own. Zhang Jinran (Tang Xiaotian) was a character made to like in the very first episode to the end. He have justice, loves and care for the FL, and serves as a good love triangle. Cui Shijiu (Chole Xie) is an interesting character as a whole. I like her character set up, but her arc falls short because she never really learns from any of the tragic events that happens to her (except towards the end of the drama she finally "wakes up"). Unlike Danwu, she's hell-bent on vengeance. And unlike Yan Zijing, the writer made her vengeance scheming not so smart.
I would recommend this drama if you are a big Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning fan. I enjoyed watching every scene between Danwu and Yan Zijing, especially the sweet romantic interactions between them. However, if you're looking for good storyline to awe you, this drama will leave you luke warm. You won't necessarily dislike it, but at the same time clicking on the next episode won't be as tempting. Will I rewatch it again? Only if I want fan service of Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning in a drama, then maybe.