Let's start off with the positives I feel like the trope of substitute bride was really well executed in this drama I loved the characters I was supposed to like and hated the characters I was supposed to dislike and that's a sign of basic writing abilities. I was invested in all the characters emotions and I was not bored watching the drama at all the story had me hooked from start to finish.

Now for my two main complains, yes I agree with everyone that said the ending was rushed like as I was watching the last episode all I could think was that the drama just needed one more episode and that ending would have been perfect I don't know if Chinese dramaland is very strict about the number of episodes a show must have but yes ONE MORE episode was needed, second, I HATE the love triangle trope and what I wrote in my heading is what I truly feel and I'll go in depth when I talk about the characters but there is a way to do a love triangle correctly and this was not it.

Wen Ye and Shen Ke Yi - My god this drama needs to be the blueprint for how to do age gap relationships correctly, they had excellent kissing scenes and even when they weren't kissing the way they looked at each other?!?!?! CHEMISTRY if they didn't have such amazing chemistry I promise you the drama wouldn't have been nearly as watchable and overall I loved them as characters it was well executed

side note : the half up half down hairstyle did Dylan Kuo no favors and actually aged him but when he wore the hairstyle with all his hair gathered up and the two loose pieces in the front?!?!?!? Lord he never looked better.

Zhou Yu - this character needs to be a modern day study on how a love triangle can ruin a character's chances, just take same character but instead on having him fall in love with our female lead we make him a over protective male friend like that all his scenes becomes more enjoyable and I have less of a need to punch him there is truly nothing wrong with this character it's the trope that's his been forced into that ruins him for me.

ShuangZi - I'm not going to talk about how she got the only man who truly loved her killed for a man who pays her DUST or how it lowkey feels weird that the drama made the choice to have her ROMANICALLY pursue a man she met when he was a grown man and she was child rather I'm going to talk about the route we could have taken to make her character more interesting and tragic, instead of the love triangle bs instead make her story the one of someone torn choosing the man who saved her and who she idolizes and her love for her country but in the end she can't choose and dies at the hand of the man she looks up to BOOM instantly a better story, just a waste of the good character.

Wan Shi wei and Yunying : DEVASTATION I'M NOT OKAY HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL LIKE THIS IS TWISTED AND UNFAIR

Nan Bo and Tao - This is my safe space he is character I loved from jump and she's the character who stood ten toes down for our female lead so how am I not supposed to root for them in the end like just a feel good ship.

side note : Tao's actress is the cutest lady I've ever seen how is she to pretty I hope she gets leading roles in the future.

Fu Yi - .......... I don't wanna talk about it. [ silent heartbreak ]

side note : the way some of the scenes were shot and the score choices screamed soap opera to me and I'm obsessed.