I was in a C-Drama slump for a while but was recommended this drama by a friend and C-Ent. News sites so decided to give it a shot.

First off, this drama started off very strong and promising. I binged the first 12 episodes within 24hrs. But then it slowly started to fall apart. The plot seemed to drag around the middle. For example, the school competition and the categories they were competing in seemed silly. I then found out the producers changed the competition from the novel. I found myself FF through most of the middle until the trial for the FL’s father. After that the politics and plot became repetitive again. Biggest let down had to be the ending. I went on the hunt for the novel ending just to get closure because WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?! And WHY was it necessary?! Even ep. 40.5 couldn’t quell my displeasure.

Now for the pros, the slow burn romance was enjoyable. I did like that it was made clear the romance would be secondary to the plot. The main lead’s mutual respect for one another and their mutual level of intellect made me root for them. I also enjoyed the women empowerment message of this drama. Especially Jiang Li’s conversation with Ruoyao. Even the stepmother’s relationship with her sister (Consort Li) was touching. I felt the women and their relationship with each other were all written very well.

Would I watch this again, probably not but I’m glad I checked it out. The drama made me want to real novel it is based on.