I started reading ongoing English translations of the novel on which this drama is based on before the broadcast and was equally waiting for it to be broadcast, especially when I found out that Shane Xiao, whom I enjoyed watching in the Little Nonya will be the FL. But onto episode 4, I am banging my head on the wall - even a scriptwriter with mediocre talent could do a better job - he or she only need to lift the dialogue and plot from the book to write an engaging script. All the elements are there from Chapter 1 when we met the stingy Long Yue who does not like to loose money. Miffed when he was tricked by our blind FL, Ju Mu Er into building awnings over his shops to provide shelter from sun and rain for her flower seller friend, he started on a childish campaign to seek revenge. Follow the story when his harmless pranks (stealing her cane and scaring her in the woods) turned into unwilling attraction, from compassion when she was nearly killed when she walked into a midst of a murder to admiration. Book was written mainly from the point of his inner thoughts, and you can tell from their interactions, he was slowly and reluctantly falling in love so much so his initial rejection of her marriage proposal quickly turned into agreement when he realized that if she marry someone else, he can no longer bicker with her. Some of the scenes in the book are killer romantic, for instance when she was unconsciously moving her fingers over his hand while talking about teaching qin, he spread his hands to increase the surface area for her to touch and how quick he was to explain his presence in the brothel when she remarked she could tell which brothel he was in earlier from the scent of the ladies that lingered on his body. And the comedy....Ju Mu Er's father was so comically dense when Long Yue came to visit her, only to find FL's ex fiancée just left with gifts that demonstrated that he and Ju Mu Er were old friends and soulmate. Not only was he frustrated that FL was sleeping when he arrived, his future FIL was going on and on about the relationship of these two couples oblivious to the winking of Long Yue's bodyguard to stop, even remarking that the latter needs to see an eye specialist as he seems to have a tick in his eyes. Kudos to the translator for translating this scene from chinese to english so vividly I laughed out loud when I read that part.
But I digress. Back to the show which for some inexplicable reasons, the producer threw away all the delightful elements of the book to introduce a new character, Ju Mu Er's teacher and reduced the sexual tension between the couple to childish bickering . The intelligent Ju Mu Er who need to rely on her sense of touch and smell to compensate for her lack of sight became this wu xia maiden who fell again and again for ML's so obvious tricks. Chemistry between the OTP played by Shane Xiao and Xing Zhao Lin is almost non existent, the makeup garish transforming the delicate Shane Xiao into an over painted shrew and the lighting just flooding the whole set with bright light and colors. I can't bear to watch this drama - its too painful and have gone back to patiently waiting for the translated chapters to be slooowly uploaded.