If someone told me before this drama aired that my favorite man in the drama would be Yan Lin, I would have thought they consumed some serious shrooms but here we are. I don't ship him with the FL because that's not what she wants but he is so my favorite. If Xie Wei is her mirror, Zhang Zhe is her aspiration, Yan Lin is her childhood and her innocence and her chance to make amends.
The more we see him, the more I get why she's so desperate to save him not from death (he did not die in life 1), but from becoming the monster he became in life 1 because this Yan Lin is so full of sunshine and warmth and life.
The bit where she visits him in jail, sees him beat all to hell and he issues this wry shrug as if laughing at himself and this situation "what did you expect" and there is no anger in him.
And her indignation
And the fact that he ping-pongs with her, still just happy to see her. Irrepressible is the word that comes to mind.
And he tries to minimize it, for her sake...
I love them so much!
I think what I like about Yan Lin in life 2 so much is that he's just such a very alive person. I don't know how to phrase it - XW is intense, ZZ has his integrity etc, but Yan Lin feels like the one who lives his life to the most full out of the three.
And I loved this convo, where he finally talks with her head on about the fact that she is his friend but does not see him as a romantic prospect. I love that he knows, not deluded, and just asks, genuinely wanting to know - not bitter, or angry or anything, just wanting to know.
I love that her explanation makes it clear that it's not his lack somehow (and I equally love that he listens to her when she says she's a bad person, does not believe it, but instead of denying it, just asks her why she thinks that - he genuinely listens.) If you think her explanation doesn't really rationally make sense to a non-reincarnator but YL is the kind of guy who takes "in the dream I did awful things and you did them back" explanation with acceptance and even wry amusement (how are you the one who's bad, clearly I was the bad one) and it's that ease in letting go because he knows she's telling the truth and that's all he wanted. Logical or not, these are her true reasons and feelings, and one cannot argue with them.
Those two kill me together; I don't ship them romantically, but their relationship is just the BEST!!!
“I’ve raised you for so long. I’ve covered the fact that you lost your mask as well. Now is the time for you to repay me.”
“Vice Palace Lord, I’ll risk my life for you.”
“You don’t need to risk your life. You’re friends with Chu Xuanji and her friends, right? Continue to befriend them.”
Comparable to: Healing Food, Healing Love (cdrama)
It’s a cute fluffy that turned later half into a semi dramatic cdrama that dealt nicely with the mental health issues. First half for me was super cute with the light heartedness of it with the dash of extra cheese to it. I must add that the smexy kisses/chemistry brought the extra spice to it as well. Oof wast expecting some of them. It’s drama is also relatively short with sixteen episodes of being thirty minutes a piece which makes it one of those fun quick watches. Love those where you either can’t fine nothing to watch or have way too many and can’t decide which one. I’m always in the later category. Overall this is definitely a nice quick much watch for those romcom fans.
I wish I understood how to gif, because I'm OVER THE MOON that Detective College is back, and not only that, but Tang Jiuzhou has returned! Huo Shu is present in photos and video so far, but I miss Shao Mingming and Zhou Junwei. I assume Junwei's increasing success with acting roles may be his priority. 😢 I'm happy for him but sad if he's done with these shows.
And I'm getting super excited for the next season of Great Escape likely to air soon.
The only thing that would make me even happier is English subtitles... 😭😝
Seriously, I love how this is a break up (can you break up a potential of a relationship?) but it's so soft and accepting on both sides, such a contrast from life 1, keeping up with the theme that even if events stay the same, when emotional underpinnings and relationships change it makes all the difference.
I love that YL noticed the way JXN likes ZZ (and analogized it with his own feelings) and just sounds matter of fact.
AAAA this is the BEST!!!!
I can't with them, I can't!!!
The fact that her telling him she will marry someone else is such a soft and loving moment between them...
I love that while this relationship was never destined to be romantic, this time around she's kept a friend.
Jiang Xue Ning has chemistry with all of them, including the girls! 1 vs 3? More like 1 vs 5. There's one that likes her, the one she likes, the one she's afraid of, the one that dotes on her and the one that's loyal. I keep switching lanes whenever any of them has screentime with our female lead.
The duality of the main leads! They can be cute 🥺, they can be toxic 🚩. I just want to replay their scenes.
Acting
Best acting I've seen from both Bai Lu and Zhang Linghe. These complex characters were well portrayed by both of them. The rest of the cast also did a good job at being lovable.
Family
There were touching moments between family members that made me cry.
The Plot
I'm not one who enjoys politics but the politics in this one are interesting and witty. I love how the main leads discuss and strategize with each other.
Funny and Cute Moments
From funny side characters to Xue Ning's whining, it's entertaining to watch.
Character Developments
There were parallels of the past life and their current life and the decisions they make that showcases their growth.
Satisfying End for Villains
I liked that the villains get what they deserved and in a satisfying way.
The Best Ending Ever
Happy Ending ✅️ Eating with friends ✅️ Cute lil moments ✅️ Marriage ✅️ Kids and a Pet ✅️
The Bad:
An Unnecessary Death
The reason and the way that character died was unnecessary. Couldn't they make it a near death instead?
Need More of Secondary Couple
I wanted to see more of them, about how they handled their situation and how he makes up for it.
Overall, this drama is now my #1 cdrama, it's good from start to finish and has a very satisfying ending unlike most cdramas I've seen.