The plot was interesting. It might not have been something completely new, but it had some interesting plot twists that I did not expect. The first 8-9 episodes are happening in the past, before we jump into the present for the remaining few episodes. I like the fact that the distinction between past and present is very clear. There is also a very clear reason why the jump happens, and it’s not just there.

The story did seem rushed at times. There were a lot of unrealistic scenes. I know a lot of it was done to add dramatics to the plot, but it just made me cringe. Like one of the first scenes is Fan Ze Rui blackmailing Bai Zong Yi to take care of him otherwise he will frame him for murder. No respecting court will convict someone by only what Fan Ze Rui had on Bai Zong Yi. Not to mention he could have easily gone to the police and told them about the crazy man who is blackmailing him.

The OST was nice and catchy. I think the cinematography was okay, but I was bothered by how bright some scenes were. They almost blurred details and edges of the faces with the brightness. Some cuts between the scenes were not the best either.

Fan Ze Rui & Bai Zong Yi: the two of them are an interesting pairing. Bai Zong Yi is very hardworking, a good student and brother, he is someone you can rely on. And Fan Ze Rui appears to be quite similar to him in those aspects as well. The two of them do come from very different backgrounds, but that doesn’t seem to cause any problems between the two. If anything, it almost seems like Fan Ze Rui is used to taking care of himself on his own. They truly loved each other. Bai Zong Yi lost a lot in order to be able to have a relationship with Fan Ze Rui. He lost it not even being certain that the relationship would ever be possible. And Fan Ze Rui got off too easy. After everything that has happened and knowing that he kept a certain lie up for who knows how long doesn’t sit right with me. Yes, Bai Zong Yi made the decision to sacrifice so much for Fan Ze Rui because he loved him. But I also think there was more Fan Ze Rui could have done once things improved. There should have been more begging once we get to the present. The actors had great chemistry and were very expressive with their eyes. And I really liked that.

To address the elephant in the room, Fan Ze Rui is five(?) years older that Bai Zong Yi. When the two first get involved with each other, the latter is 17 years old, still underaged. I am usually not a fan of such age gaps as such relationships are not something we should promote in real life. There is also often no reason why the younger person couldn’t be a few years older. However, there was a very good reason as to why Bai Zong Yi had to be underaged. It played a big role in the plot and in how things turned out. I still think there are certain thigs that should have been avoided, like Fan Ze Rui working as Bai Zong Yi’s teacher for some time. And I also didn’t like the few non-consensual scenes between the two. I liked even less the way those were handled. So it’s not the age gap that is bothering me, but how they went about it.

Chen Yi & Ai Di: Ai Di is a cutie with deadly intentions. He might be my favorite character. Whenever he was in the scene, all the attention was on him. And the blond looks so good on him. He is fierce, loyal and reliable, but also slightly guarded. He has loved Chen Yi for years. He has been hurt many times, pushed to the side by the man that was his everything. Chen Yi is someone who seems to be set in his ways and unwilling to change unless he really gets shaken up. At least that’s how I saw his obsession with being in love with the boss and seeing Ai Di only as a friend, even when he was acting like a jealous and possessive boyfriend. It wasn’t until certain things happened that he opened his eyes to what was right in front of him. The two actors had amazing chemistry. I also really liked their height difference. It made them look cuter together, especially with Ai Di being such a little spitfire and Chen Yi just putting up with it.

I liked some other side characters, but I don’t think we really got to see that much of them. Chen Yi’s helper was fun, I liked how he was trying to teach his boss how to win over his crush. Bai Zong Yi’s father and sister were nice too, I liked that they supported him no matter what.

I didn’t really like how cartoonish the villain was. If he’s some sort of gang leader, at least make him slightly scary and not kindergartener safe. The lollipops were just too ridiculous for me to take the man seriously.