I know there are so many reviews out there already and I’m about a year late, but I still felt the need to write this review, even if nobody is going to see it. I think this will be a long review, but I hope it is worth your time.

I’ve watched so many romance dramas, and I will not lie when I say that they made me have some tad bit of hope in love. But this show hit me differently. I don’t exactly know why, but I think it is because it’s realistic and based off the author’s life experience that I’m compelled to see such beauty in it, that if such a love story exists, then there’s some hope in this world. This show didn’t only change my perspective on what romance is, but also made me appreciate the relationships with my family and friends. Without them, I think life would be much harder than it already is.

I want to bring the attention to our main couple’s relationship. Some may think it’s long and draggy and that the push and pull between the leads is frustrating, but I personally felt that it was the angst and the long period of not being able to be together that made the relationship so strong in the end. I would have have long condemned this if it were real life, I would have sniggered at someone’s inability to let go of the one they like and I would have laughed, because I would have believed it was mere foolery. Truthfully, there were only three reasons why I started on the show. One is because I am a sucker for push and pull relationships - for the right reasons, not the toxic ones. The second is because of the OST ‘我只喜欢你 (I Only Like You)’ by Hu Xia - I have been listening to it non-stop for months and even sang it at every single karaoke session I’ve gone for. The third is because I thought Zhang Yujian (Yan Mo) was cute.

But so many reasons - I don’t know where to start - made me finish the show in 3 short days. I particularly really loved our female lead Qiaoyi’s character. In her, I saw youth and naivety, but I also saw strength in forgiving and letting go. She is different from her brother Guanchao. He is a big flirt who is filled with the confidence that Qiaoyi lacks, but he also struggles with holding grudges from a traumatised childhood. While he is what she isn’t, she is also what he isn’t. Both brother and sister seek to bring out the best in each other, by being their strength in hard times. And this is something that truly touches me.

Yan Mo, our male lead, is cold, aloof, and doesn’t get along with anyone. He is independent, and has great confidence in his abilities and is strict in discipline. What I particularly liked seeing is that while Qiaoyi is the complete opposite of Yan Mo, she doesn’t exactly change his personality. Yes, he begins to become affectionate towards her, and cares for her all the time, but she doesn’t take away the traits of him that makes Yan Mo who he is. He still primarily remains strict and aloof, and I think that is what makes him charming. Qiaoyi doesn’t change Yan Mo, but she brings out the warmth in him, and becomes a beacon of support in crucial times. I hope I made sense here.

Family. Something that we have, but all too often we neglect and fail to appreciate. Qiaoyi and Guanchao’s mother and step-father are perhaps the cutest pair of parents I have ever seen. I especially loved the relationship that they had with their step-father. He is the most loving and supportive father that the twins can ever have, and he brings so much happiness to their mother. I think in that household, he is the shining light - so precious, so bright and so amazing. One of my favourite scenes was when their step-father told their mother that he wants to be the one to walk Qiaoyi down the aisle on her wedding day. Truly, it brought tears to my cold rotten self. Love that guy.

Okay I’m gonna stop here. I’m so overwhelmed writing this review. I feel like crying. Dammit just watch it. You will not regret it, I promise you.