How difficult it is to rate this drama ! If you are a Shawn Dou's fan (as I am) you will be magnanimous and give a 9. This love story is painful and bothering to watch. Military plots and revoltionnary goals in the chinese republican era give a very good background to this drama. Mistrust, hurting feelings and misunderstandings are maybe too much but it's something that couples have to face when one is stubborn and the other one too possessive.
At first, we have a one sided love from the ML who is a bold handsome young man (Xiao Beichen) from a very rich family who falls in love with a girl who comes to live within his family. At first, he just makes a bet with his best friends that the girl (Lin Hangjing) will fall for him just like any girl who would meet bim ! She is the kind of girl who would be discribed as the perfect girl with the best morals and heart, caring for the others. She also is an intellectual with modern points of view. At first she can't help but despise Beichen because she thinks he makes fun of her and she doesn't value someone who acts just like a spoiled boy not caring for anyone but him. Actually, he is just the opposite but he wants to enjoy life and acts frivolous. He lost her mother at a very young age (she was killed before his eyes) and he is still heartbroken. His stepmother loves him very much and understands him. She is the one who knows that Beichen and Hangjing could be a perfect match because they are basically alike.
In this drama we have Beichen who is in love with Hangjing and wants to be her hero, that's why he will be so good at the military academy and on battlefields. He speaks his heart to her but she just doesn't want to see his love even though he puts his life in danger to save her many times. She can't see his deep and sincere affection and love because in her heart there is Mu Zizheng with whom she shares the same ideas. Zizheng is in love with her. For Hangjing, he is her soulmate, she can do whatever for him. Hangjing cannot accept Beichen's love because she misunderstands him and won't trust him. They will get married but "on paper" playing wife and husband in front of others but not sleeping together. This wedding was to spare Hangjing from jail and was Beichen's idea. Beichen always hope to gain Hangjing's heart. And he will.
Events will become darker as the story goes on, Beichem will become jealous and possessive and things would be really despicable when Hangjing is pregnant. Beichem thinks that the baby isn't his.... Starting from here, sufferings will be everywhere in the drama, the japanese pression will grow, military and spy actions will be more present. I won't spoil what happens further in the drama, it will be heartbroken. As a matter of fact, love demands some sacrifices just like a country needs to sacrifice some of his chidren when it is in danger. I really liked this drama from here till the end. Shawn Dou's great acting and sincere emotions are really to be pointed out.
Love and sacrifice in war time are so well depicted, I could even give this drama a 10 ! I really liked this sentence : "choose what you like and like what you choose " (even if your choice is wrong).