This was a drama that took unexpected hold on me. I wasn't specifically attached to any of the actors in this production but I gave this a shot and it was pretty enjoyable. It's pretty logical for the most part but toward the end, it starts to get a little questionable and leaves some aspects that I wished was answered or shown, but overall, I enjoyed the characters the most and their adorable relationships. Of course, you do have to suspend your disbelief for certain things to occur, like the main female lead joining Kaifeng office despite being a woman. Maybe realistically, it wouldn't happen, but I enjoyed that she joined and everyone was pretty chill about it.

I think what makes this a good drama is the characters. Like, the serious & political plot is okay, it had a strong first arc villain, it's good enough for a 24-episode romcom detective period drama, but the characters are what makes this show worth watching. I really liked that Mo Yan's weakness isn't forgotten after one time, but consistently shows up throughout the show and becomes a reason why a later plot point happens. I LOVE that the main couple consistently talks through their issues and rarely do anything stupid that endanger their loved ones. The side couples, I enjoyed greatly too. There weren't any characters that I thought was too annoying and I was empathetic toward characters who were going through a hard time--so I think the actors did well in this aspect. I am especially proud of the second male lead who has a lot of growth and becomes very competent and reliable.

Toward the end, it did feel like the drama was stretching some of the angst while not giving us enough scenes of some characters/couples, so the show felt like it was too long and too short at the same time. There was also a plot move that I questioned and didn't like. However, I think the ending was satisfying, so I had a good time. This show helped me like Caesar Wu a lot when I previously didn't care much about him. I wished the OST was a bit stronger with more memorable choruses, but in the moment of the scene, it worked. The best track for me is the instrumental track that plays during the detective or suspenseful scenes! There were also a lot of strong cinematic scenes--such as a continuous scene that moved with the characters throughout the office--that was cool.

Overall, a solid romantic comedy detective drama. Not the greatest of all time, not the worst, with good character growth and adorable characters.