THE SHORT VERDICT:

On the upside, Liu Yi Fei makes for a very charismatic and compelling protagonist; I was very much absorbed by this story, and willing to be a fly on her wall.

On the not-so-upside, our story moves fast and has many arcs to it, so much so that it can actually feel like a bit much, sometimes, being a fly on said wall. 😅

Show also makes some narrative decisions that I personally didn’t prefer, which did add a bit, to my sense of fatigue.

All that said, I thought this one was very solid and worthwhile, and would recommend it.

THE LONG VERDICT:

I feel like if you’re a fan of Liu Yi Fei, then this drama is basically a must-see, for you.

After all, she is our titular Rose, and this story really is all about Rose (well, Yimei), and showcases her  beauty, charm, and her strength, even in the midst of her faults and foibles.

If you’re not already a fan of Liu Yi Fei, then it’s possible that this show might turn you into one?

Provided you like a brisk blend of family drama and a story of personal journey, that is, because this is, in my view, what Show is.

I went into this not truly knowing what to expect, and got sucked in within minutes – and then proceeded to stay sucked in for many episodes afterwards. 😁

I did get a little fatigued in our final stretch, but I’ll talk more about that later, and also, I suggest how you can avoid getting fatigued like I did.

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s the OST album, in case you’d like to listen to it while you read the review.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the music in this show; I thought that it was all very well-chosen and applied. In particular, I liked when the music was melodious and poignant, because I felt that that worked very well with the general mood in our drama world.

However, I must say that the track that stood out to me the most, is Track 2, Shine Brighter, which lands as a powerful anthem for Yimei’s life, where she needs to pick herself up and stand strong, after each setback or disappointment.

If you’d prefer to listen to that on repeat instead, here it is on its own as well, just right-click on the video and select “Loop.”

HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about what I liked and liked less, covering the more macro aspects of Show, and then I give the selective spotlight to characters and relationships, in a separate section.

Finally, I also spend some time talking about my thoughts on our finale episodes.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are a few things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. Think personal journey, not romance

Just based on the casting alone, we can see from the fact that there are three male leads, who each play a significant part in Yimei’s life, that it’s unlikely that we’re getting a romantic happy-ever-after in the way we tend get, in traditional romantic stories.

Instead, the romance here is in Yimei’s life; she is the reason we’re here, and this story is named after her. This is her story, with all the good, the bad and the ugly, and she alone makes this worthwhile.

Keeping that in mind, helps.

2. Breaks can be helpful

What I mean is, Show moves from arc to arc (and therefore, male lead to male lead) in pretty quick succession.

It makes story sense, in that there are usually time skips involved between arcs, but in the viewing experience, it can get tiring adjusting to a new arc and new male lead, so soon after putting the previous arc and male lead to bed.

If you feel that sense of fatigue, I’d suggest taking a break between arcs, so that the moving on feels more organic to you as a viewer.

Letting some time pass in real time for you, would likely help make the story progression feel more organic to you.

STUFF I LIKED

Show is quite prettily filmed

From the moment I set my eyes on the opening credits, I was spellbound, you guys.

I found the opening credits (above) so beautiful and mesmerizing, that I find myself staring, a little bit, every time I watch them.

Show is a little less pretty than that, generally speaking, but I still found it all very easy on the eyes.

Show is absorbing

I watched this show in batches of 4 episodes, with week-long gaps between each viewing, and I have to say, each time I sat down to watch a new batch of episodes, I got very quickly and fully absorbed into this drama and its story world, every time.

I think that says a lot about how absorbing I found this show.

It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, certainly, because there were some portions that I found hard to watch, because of what was going on with our characters, so much so that I actually took breaks at points.

That’s not a poor reflection on Show’s quality; in fact, I’d say that it’s testament to Show’s quality, because I only took those breaks because I cared about our characters so much.

I very much enjoyed being a fly on Yimei’s wall, and that’s including all the hard to watch scenes; I just wanted to be there for Yimei, y’know? 🥲

How Show moves quickly

One of the things I liked about this story, is that it tends to move quite quickly.

There’s very little room to get bored, because stuff is trotting along so briskly, and also, any arc that you might find difficult to watch, really doesn’t last too long.

I counted that as a good thing.

The storytelling is efficient

This is related to my previous point, but isn’t quite the same thing.

I honestly enjoyed how efficient out storytelling was, because often, Show was able to give us a good sense of a character, just from a single mini arc.

Here’s an early example of how I felt Show did a really nice job of giving us a sense for Yimei as a character.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-4. That opening arc, where she obliviously shakes up Shihui’s life so much, that he’d break off his wedding for her sake, tells us everything about how naturally charming Yimei is.

Could she have done more to establish some boundaries with Shihui?

Yes, but she was so young, with so little life experience, and only an intern, while Shihui was her supervising manager, that I can completely understand how she ended up just going with the flow, mostly.

And, to her credit, when Shihui does confess his feelings and gives her that necklace, she declines the gift, while reminding Shihui that he’s engaged to be married.

After that, the thing that really sealed the deal, for me, with Yimei, is how she’s this curious but wonderful mix of bold but kind, during the fallout.

She doesn’t hesitate to show up at the office, in the aftermath, even though everyone’s staring and talking, and when she hears that Shihui’s ex-fiancée Zhizhi is in the office with her brother Zhenhua (Tong Da Wei), she doesn’t hesitate to face Zhizhi.

I love that she even wrist-grabs Zhizhi – and then takes her to a nearby cafe, where she asks Zhizhi, with sincerity, why someone as great as her, would want Shihui back, after what he’d done to her.

I love even more, that Yimei goes all gentle-cheeky with Zhizhi, and offers her cake – because it calories consumed when you’re sad don’t count.

I just LOVE that visual, of the two of them sitting calmly together, sharing that slice of cake, when not so long ago, Zhizhi had been ready to tear out Yimei’s hair.

Isn’t Yimei just fabulous? And effortlessly so? 🤩

It’s little wonder that she has suitors lining up to make an impression on her, and is used to receiving flowers for no reason at all. It’s also little wonder that her default mode is to decline all the attention.

[END SPOILER]

Show’s realistic portrayal of relationships

Aside from some missteps which I’ll talk about later, I really liked that by and large, Show presents relationships in a very realistic manner.

Instead of being sanitized and packaged with neat bows, the relationships in this story world tend to have their ups and downs, and their messy sides as well, and these relationships often might not have a clear beginning or end.

It’s not neat, yes, but that makes these relationships feel complex and real, in all of their messy glory.

How Show offers moments of character analysis

It didn’t take me very long to realize that Show tends to do this thing, where it has a character analyze another character – and that ends up framing the character quite nicely, for us, as an audience.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E17-20. For example, these episodes, we’ve got Susu (Wan Qian) explaining to Tina that Yimei comes from a scholarly family, and has had things come quite easily to her, and that’s why she can afford to make reckless decisions.

And we also have Susu telling Yimei why Yimei feels that Susu and Xiewen (Lin Geng Xin) are alike; because they’re both insecure and fearful, but that they both respond differently to that insecurity.

Where Susu puts up a wall and distances herself from people, Xiewen works harder to please.

[END SPOILER]

Maybe some people might not like it that Show has these moments of exposition for us, instead of letting us discover these things about our characters ourselves.

I personally found these expository spiels quite helpful in understanding our characters, particularly with our story having the tendency to move quickly.

STUFF THAT WAS OK

The cycle of Yimei falling in love

I know it comes with the territory, coz it’s right there in the cast list, that Yimei has several different male leads.

I was in-principle ok with this, because this story is about Yimei’s life after all, and it’s perfectly normal for someone to have several love interests over the course of their life, right?

However, because of the way our story moves quickly, like I mentioned earlier, I did eventually run into a sense of fatigue.

Show does save it for me, though, by framing it for me, that Yimei reinvents herself and grows stronger, with each relationship that she experiences.

This definitely helped me to accept what feels like a never-ending cycle of Yimei falling in love, and then having that relationship end, for various reasons. 😅

STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH

Some of Show’s narrative decisions

Even though I did enjoy Show overall, it makes a number of narrative decisions that I didn’t prefer, which was a big damper, for me.

I share a whole bunch in the next section that’s related to Yimei’s one true love, but here’s one other example that’s not related to Yimei.

[SPOILER ALERT]

In episode 32, Show indicates that there is a possibility that Zhenhua had fathered Xiaohe’s baby.

I was VERY UPSET about this, and had many words to say about this, when I talked about it on Patreon.

Thankfully, Show fixes it before long, but that doesn’t take away the sense of betrayal that I’d felt, when this was floated.

To be clear, that sense of betrayal had nothing to do with Zhenhua as a character; it was all about Show pulling out what felt like a dirty trick, from what felt like nowhere. 😒

[END SPOILER]

When Show attempts to portray “special, true soulmate love”

As good as Show is, at portraying a passionate first love, and a dubious marriage, I thought it really struggled, when it came to portraying a soulmate kind of love.

Overall, I’d say that I liked this better in concept than in execution – by far. 😅

Mainly, I felt like Show gets into a very try-hard sort of space, when it comes to establishing the idea that Yimei and Jiaming (Wallace Huo) are soulmates.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E29-32. I was ok with Jiaming solving the riddle during the exhibition, but low-key didn’t like his presumptuousness in installing the speakers and music without permission (he doesn’t even work there, y’know?), and then I cringed somewhat, when Yimei danced to the music like she couldn’t help herself.

That landed as try-hard, for me personally.

After that, because of my delicate vertigo sensibilities, I hated all the flashing light scenes at the nightclub.

Well, that’s not the only reason I disliked those scenes, but that was an unfortunate contributing factor.

I very much found the nightclub scenes try-hard, first when Yimei goes there to meet Jiaming for the first time, and then later on, when Yimei brings Taichu there, which I’ll talk more about later.

I was ok with Yimei agreeing to stay for noodles and then jumping to conclusions about Jiaming’s intentions, when she sees him taking Viagra.

But then, I didn’t like the execution so much, when it came to Show establishing that Jiaming is Not Like Eric, in that he’s able to connect with Taichu, when Eric (Peng Guan Ying) can’t.

Again, I found it on the try-hard side of things, and also, a bit on the less believable side of things, because if Jiaming is the kind of person who’ll bluntly tell a 5-year-old that her rabbit’s dead, would he really be so easily able to get on her wavelength, and find a way to connect with her? I don’t know if I believe that.

But, I was still willing to just roll with that.

The scene that made me cringe THE most, was the one where Jiaming gets Taichu up on stage and they perform the song that they’d written together.

I’m fine with that in concept, but I really, really didn’t enjoy the execution of that idea.

In my opinion, it was quite badly done, and felt VERY try-hard. 🙈

The flashing lights (which I still hated) were one thing, but the complete breakdown of simple logic, like Taichu’s voice being heard loud and clear, even when she steps away from the microphone, and isn’t wearing any sort of clip-on mic, and Yimei being able to jam with the band on a whim, and have everything be so polished and in sync, was just rather too much for me.

I am not exaggerating when I say that I cringed through the entire scene, and then sighed in relief when it was over. 😅

Again, I get the idea that Show’s going for – that Jiaming and Yimei are made for each other – but I just really don’t jive with the execution.

[END SPOILER]

SPOTLIGHT ON CHARACTERS / RELATIONSHIPS

Liu Yi Fei as Yimei

I really enjoyed Liu Yi Fei in this role, I felt that she effortlessly lights up the screen as Yimei.

Literally, every time she walked onto my screen, I marveled at just how beautiful and graceful she is, and how she makes everyone else look like mere mortals, next to her.

That beauty and that grace, coupled with Yimei’s free-spirited nature, with a added streak of stubborn independence, made her a compelling protagonist indeed.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-4. I like that Yimei decides to assert herself when it comes to her career direction, even though it means going against her parents’ wishes for her to do her postgraduate studies.

In the process of her getting the job, I like how we see that she’s bold yet guileless, at the same time.

Doesn’t she have chutzpa, applying for a job when she doesn’t have the experience, and then asking to borrow that scarf off a stranger – who turns out to be the hiring manager?

And yet, when she answers that out-of-left-field question about the scarf during the interview, she demonstrates intelligence, wit and an ability to think fast on her feet.

And then, when it comes to dealing with her new boss Tina, Yimei is observant of her new boss’s moods and quirks, and quick to adapt.

Like that whole thing about the lucky color, and how Yimei switches out the corn for sliced red apple in the salad, because red is Tina’s lucky color that day.

And how about the way Yimei finds a way to sneak into that private event, in order to secure a meeting with that private collector, Mr. Teng, whom Tina really wants to meet?

SO BOLD. And boy, does she look gorgeous while pulling of her little heist.

The stars in my eyes for Yimei just continue to multiply, y’know? 🤩🤩

E5-8. I’m really pleased to see Yimei being such a natural, when it comes to the curating work that she and Susu (I like her nickname for Gengsheng, so I think I’m gonna stick with it) do in Shanghai.

YES. Our Yimei isn’t just a pretty face, she’s also a capable and sharp young woman, who’s worthy of the promotion that Tina gives her.

I am also impressed at the way Yimei graciously declines, when Tina insists that she ask Eric to help them out, with Mr. Teng’s next visit.

I mean, Yimei’s freshly promoted, and owes it all to Tina, who’d hired her in the first place, plus it’s unheard of for a subordinate to refuse a request from Tina, so I do have a good amount of admiration for Yimei, for saying no, and maintaining her grace and composure, while doing so.

Plus, she’s also an advocate for equal rights and equal opportunity, like when Zhenhua gets upset at the idea that Eric may have taken advantage of Yimei (the phrase she uses implies that it’s in the sense of physical intimacy, tho it’s not clear in the subs), Yimei gets all huffy and states that women can take advantage of men too.

E13-16. I’m glad to see that Yimei continues to follow her heart, even as she makes a decision not to dabble in romantic relationships for the foreseeable future.

It’s another bold step, for her to quit her job and pursue a degree in Psychology, because of how inspired she is, by special needs children, and their inner worlds, which she hopes to understand better.

This isn’t part of some 5-year plan or anything; she doesn’t seem to have a clear idea of what she’ll do with this degree, once she’s gotten it.

She’s just convinced that this is what she needs to be doing, in this season, and that’s enough for her, to move as many mountains as is necessary, in order to make it happen.

It’s quite something, and like Susu says, it really is a gift that Yimei has, to be able to follow her heart so fully.

At the same time, I do think that Zhenhua is right in observing that Yimei has changed.

When I’m watching her on my screen, to me, she’s still very much Yimei, so it was really only when Zhenhua articulate it, that it really clicked in my head, that Yimei is coming across much more subdued than at first.

To which I have two reactions:

1, Liu Yifei really is doing a great job of giving us a very different facet of Yimei, while retaining Yimei’s core essence, and

2, This really does show how much her relationship and breakup with Eric has impacted her.

It hasn’t changed the essence of who she is, but it is definitely helping to shape her, and I think that’s so true of all the key relationships that we have in life.

Things may not have worked out with Eric, but this relationship will still leave its mark on her life, and this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Yes, Yimei is more reserved now, but she is also more thoughtful, and more careful, and more studious and doesn’t even drink anymore, and none of these are bad things, right?

E17-20. These episodes, it was good to see Yimei gain clarity on what she felt connected to – and what she felt disconnected to.

It felt like a growth moment, that she would realize that she was no longer the Yimei who actually got excited to talk shop with strangers at a networking event, and actually tell Tina so, with grace and honesty.

E25-28. I’m glad that Yimei ends up working with Tina again, this time on her new art gallery.

This definitely feels like something she would excel in with her natural talents, and I’m pleased to see her showing more of that creative, capable self that we saw, when she’d first joined Cyan.

Given how regretful Eric’s been at losing Yimei all these years, I’m honestly not too surprised that he shows up and asks Yimei to give him another chance to court her.

It’s honestly so wise of Yimei not to reason with him, but allow him to see for himself, that he’s not in a place where he can fit into her life, by getting him to spend a day with her and Taichu.

He tries, but it’s painfully obvious that Eric’s not good with kids, and is awkward around Taichu, and basically doesn’t know what to do with her.

I appreciate how he tells Yimei that he’ll learn how to take care of kids, and that he doesn’t want to lose her again.

I like how Yimei tells him gently, that he’s been doing just fine without her, and that not all regrets need to be made up for, and that she just wants to look forward.

I don’t know if that will be enough to convince Eric to finally put this part of his life to rest, but I do think that Yimei’s made her stance clear.

[END SPOILER]

Zhenhua and Yimei

One of the relationships I enjoyed nicely, is the relationship between Yimei and her brother Zhenhua.

The bickery sibling dynamic is very believable, and yet, they help each other and depend on each other, on a regular basis.

I like that they understand each other so well, and care about each other so deeply, even though they grumble about each other on a regular basis. 🥲

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-4. I like how Zhenhua shows up to pick up Yimei after the ball, when she’s stranded with no money with which to go home.

And in return, Yimei helps Zhenhua with nudging his blind date towards meeting up in person, which he’d been angsting about, on his own.

I thought that was pretty great.

I thought it was pretty great, that Zhenhua comes to the rescue with advice on how to successfully flirt with someone, to gain their interest. I found it amusing, that he would remark that someone as beautiful as Yimei has no game, because she’s never had to have any. So true. 🤭

E13-16. I love that the sibling relationship between Zhenhua and Yimei doesn’t lose a beat, even with her being in Shanghai.

I think it’s really caring of him to make that detour to Paris, just to talk to Eric for a bit, to see if there really isn’t a chance that Eric and Yimei could reconcile.

Aw. That’s really loving of him, isn’t it? 🥲 Zhenhua’s a really good big bro.

And then, I love that when Zhenhua stops by Shanghai to see Yimei, they fall right into their easy bickering ways like not a day has passed. I love that.

I also love that Zhenhua’s so open to the idea of discussing his feelings for Susu, with Yimei.

Plus, he clearly trusts Yimei’s judgment, since he doesn’t even try to deny it, when Yimei pronounces, from listening to him talk about Susu, that he likes Susu, and he even asks Yimei to analyze for him, whether he truly likes Susu, or is just curious about her.

I love that too. I love this idea that Yimei is a confidant to Zhenhua, the way he’s also a confidant to her.

[END SPOILER]

Wan Qian as Su Gengsheng / Susu

I’m very pleasantly surprised by how much I grew to enjoy Susu as a character, particularly given how reserved and distant she appears to be at first.

I love how she and Yimei become friends (more on that later), and I’m also glad that Show gives Susu’s own story the spotlight that it deserves, and treats her pain with respect and dignity.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E17-20. One of the things I’m growing to love about Susu, is her ability to articulate things, not just in terms of understanding someone else an what makes them tick, but also, in terms of understanding herself and why she might feel a certain way.

The way she apologizes to Yimei for how she’d been too quick to judge, is a great example of that; she’s so steady and unflinching, even when she’s having to face a difficult conversation with difficult emotions.

She’s like this too, just with an extra layer of gentleness, when she returns to Beijing from Shanghai, and makes peace with Zhenhua, by giving him that set of pajamas, and telling him that she does see him in her future.

And then she’s like this again, when Zhenhua comes clean about how he’d met up with Xiaohe, and I just find myself melting in the face of her brave honesty. Gosh, I love her. 🥲

E21-24. I’m glad for Susu, that she gets promoted to Tina’s position when Tina leaves for personal reasons; it feels like it’s a recognition of her skills and talent.

I honestly admire Susu for being her own person as she takes up the role, and being bold to do things in ways that work for her, instead of just sticking to how things were done, when Tina had been in charge.

E33-36. There’s also the thing where Susu’s stepfather is accused of molesting the little girl who lives across the road from him, and this turned into a very gripping arc, as far as I was concerned.

It definitely brings Susu’s past wounds back to the surface, but ultimately, I found this arc very cathartic, for Susu.

Her decision, to help the victim’s family to bring her stepfather to justice, is a pivotal one that I feel ended up bringing relief and healing, not just to the victim and her family, but to herself and to her own brother too.

Finally, her experience is being used as evidence against her stepfather, and is serving to lengthen his sentence, despite the fact that the statue of limitations in her own case is over.

And finally, her brother, who’s been traumatized by guilt all these years, can let go of that guilt, by testifying to what he’d seen his father do to Susu, and thus move on with his life.

That scene where he sobs and apologizes to Susu for keeping silent all these years, is so raw and gutting; I can totally sympathize with his struggle, as a little boy who was scared and didn’t know what to do. 🥹

In the end, it feels fitting, that this arc closes with Susu telling her mother that she would continue to send Mom money and let her stay in that house, provided she didn’t try to control Little Bro anymore.

This feels like a suitable punishment for all the times that Mom had been complicit in Stepdad’s crimes against minors, and I also appreciate that this punishment ensures Little Bro’s freedom from the emotional chains that have bound him, all these years.

[END SPOILER]

Yimei and Susu

From fairly early in our story, we see a bond starting to grow between Yimei and Susu, even though Susu’s clearly reluctant about it.

But Yimei just has this charming way of ingratiating herself with Susu, and not taking no for an answer, that just keeps growing the strength of their connection, and I honestly love that they become friends, because of that. 🥰

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-8. I like the way Yimei just gently bulldozes her way through Susu’s protests, so that Susu wouldn’t be crying alone, but would at least have someone to eat with.

And, Yimei is wise to pretend that she hadn’t heard anything of Susu’s outburst over the phone, and then astutely stick with that pretense.

I feel like I can see Susu’s trust in Yimei growing, because of this.

Basically, it feels to me like Susu and Yimei keep sharing various secrets, as they go, which makes them inch closer to each other, in spite of themselves.

There’s this thing with Yimei knowing about Susu’s outburst, and there’s also the way Susu gets drawn into covering for Yimei more than once, when it comes to her relationship with Eric.

Of course, there’s also the way Yimei steals Tina’s liquor for their coffee, which makes Susu a bit of a hapless co-conspirator.

E13-16. I loving the friendship that’s grown between Yimei and Susu, where Susu’s become her confidant, with whom she shares things that she might not tell anyone else.

I love that.

I love it even more, remembering how stiff and distant Susu had tried to be with Yimei, all of which had failed to deter Yimei from making Susu her friend. 🥰

It’s so great that their friendship has grown so strong, that it continues to flourish, even with Yimei in Shanghai.

[END SPOILER]

Zhenhua and Susu [SPOILER ALERT]

In Show’s second quarter, it starts to tease a potential loveline between Zhenhua and Susu, and I found myself hugely amused by this.

On paper, they are such an odd couple, but honestly, they really work quite wonderfully together, as a couple, and I found myself rooting for them from start to finish. 🥲

[SPOILER ALERT]

E9-12. It’s a comedy of unfortunate errors that gets Zhenhua and Susu to spend time together, from Zhenhua dropping those dumbbells on his foot, to getting scalded on the very same foot.

But Zhenhua’s very correct about Susu, that she may look cold on the surface, but she is actually very caring, when push comes to shove.

If Show is making this an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers sort of deal between them, I am in full support; I think they make a cute pair!

And, for some reason, Zhenhua seems to be able to tease a smile from Susu, even when it’s at his own expense, like when he tells her that his feet are the nicest looking part of him, and she offers to give him a discount on all the nail polish that she doesn’t want anymore – so that he can make his feet look prettier.

Hahaha! I got a kick outta that. 😁

ALSO. I love the fact that Susu is more than capable of handling all of Zhenhua’s nonsense, like when he tried to blame her for his foot injury. She’s completely unfazed, and then overturns his flawed logic with actual logic, and it’s just great. 🤩

I’m also getting a kick out of the fact that Susu’s much fitter and stronger than Eric, and I love how he’s come around to it, and is even consulting her about fitness now.

Importantly, it’s great to see Susu getting more comfortable with Zhenhua, like when she gets that upsetting phone call, and opts to have dinner and drinks with Zhenhua, instead of dealing with her bad feelings on her own.

That definitely tells us that Zhenhua’s becoming more and more of a friend in her eyes, and I like that a lot.

It’s so cute that she becomes his personal coach, and I love that the personal coaching even gives way to candid conversations where Susu analyzes how Zhenhua really feels about Xiaohe.

I’m also quite stoked that when Yimei gets all drunk after breaking up with Eric, they both go to get her, and bring her back to Zhenhua’s apartment together – and then end up drinking wine on the couch and falling asleep together. Oooh!

Every step they take to getting closer, I cheer on the inside, coz I really really want them to form a meaningful connection, and possibly a loveline. 🤩

E13-16. Even though neither of them wants to admit it at first, it’s clear to see that Zhenhua and Susu grown very comfortable with each other, and I really like that they have conversations while they work out together.

The way they talk about Yimei, and whether it’s necessary to worry about her, is also very heartwarming; it feels like they’re Yimei’s guardian angels, somehow. 🥰

And how about that moment when Zhenhua asks Susu when he’ll be able to achieve that classic V-shaped torso, and she deadpans, “Soon. Tomorrow.”

Hahaha, that is so cute; I love that she’s joking with him now. 🤩

I like that Zhenhua’s in touch with his feelings enough, to go to Susu’s hometown, because he’s worried about her, and because he wants to be there for her.

I think it says something, that Susu would even show up at his hotel room, drunk, and ready to jump into bed with him.

Even though she runs away first thing in the morning and tells him to forget that anything ever happened between them, I believe that if she didn’t have a basic level of trust and comfort with Zhenhua, she never would have gone to see him, no matter how drunk she was.

In fact, it was probably liquor-fueled honesty, that brought her to Zhenhua’s hotel room, yes?

Where, in her lowest moment, the idea of being with him, actually brought her comfort? 🥲

I can understand why Susu would avoid Zhenhua after sleeping with him, so I’m actually glad for Tina, who gives Susu the nudge that she needs, to be brave about her emotions.

I admire her for telling Zhenhua the full truth about her backstory, that she’d been sexually assaulted by her own stepfather, because that must be really hard to talk about, even with some liquid courage to help her along.

And, I can understand how this would flummox Zhenhua and paralyze him, for a while; it really is quite a bombshell, with many implications about the potential challenges ahead of them, if they were to start a relationship.

I love though, that he eventually comes to the conclusion that he still likes Susu, no matter what.

Isn’t that the most beautiful thing? That he now knows about Susu’s deepest, darkest secret – and he’s ready to love her anyway. 🥲

I can understand Susu’s struggle, where she doesn’t feel worthy, so I’m so glad that she manages to push past her struggle, to give Zhenhua a chance.

That scene in the restaurant, where she gives Zhenhua another chance to confess his feelings for her, was so cute, with him picking up that table centerpiece in lieu of a bouquet of roses, and ask for the chance to apply to be her boyfriend.

SHO CUTE!!! 😂🤩😍

I love that they’re dating now. 🥰🥰🥰

And I love that Susu tells Yimei in her email, that this was a carefully thought-out decision, and not one that she made because she was lonely – like someone who goes grocery shopping when they’re hungry.

Aw. I have a good feeling about these two; that they’ll be able to make it for the long haul, together. 🥰

But really, how dorky is it, that Zhenhua insists that dumbbells are the perfect birthday gift for Susu, because that’s how they’d met? 😂

E17-20. Zhenhua’s expectations are clearly very different from Susu’s, so when she puts a downpayment on an apartment without first discussing it with him, I can understand that he would feel put out, and like Susu hadn’t factored his presence into her future.

On Susu’s part, I can understand how it might be difficult for her to include Zhenhua in decisions and processes like these, since she’s been so independent for so long.

Plus, given her painful history, I can see why she would keep people at a distance. Much as she likes Zhenhua, and has therefore agreed to date him, I can understand why she would only let him in so far, as well.

Still, it was really hard for me to watch, as Susu went off to Shanghai on her own, with Zhenhua back in Beijing, low-key flirting with Xiaohe and leading her on, in a manner of speaking.

I’m relieved, though, that Zhenhua’s stressed about it too, and seeks Yimei’s advice, who calls him out on his poor choices, and gives him the ultimatum that he needs.

And then, as I braced myself for storms of fury, the moment Susu heard the truth from Zhenhua, I was.. pleasantly blown away, by just how steady and understanding Susu is, of the whole thing.

I love how she puts things in perspective and doesn’t give Zhenhua a hard time about the thing with Xiaohe, and instead tells him that she realizes that she doesn’t want to break up with him.

She’s so grounded, mature and gracious, it’s hard not to love her. ❤️

E21-24. It’s really nice to see Zhenhua be so happy for Susu as well. Seeing them celebrate  her promotion together so happily, made me smile. 🥰

It’s great to see Zhenhua be so present and so supportive as well, when Susu gets the keys to the apartment.

He seems so genuinely happy to be doing the renovations for her, and it’s great that she trusts him so much, that she would even get to the point where she left decisions up to him, even though it is technically her apartment.

It’s just really unfortunate, that Zhenhua gets that bathtub fitted, when she’d said that she didn’t want a bathtub.

It looks like a petty squabble on the surface, but it’s so much more than that; bathtubs are clearly a trauma trigger for Susu, from when she’d been sexually assaulted by her stepfather.

It’s really too bad that she didn’t tell Zhenhua this, when she’d said that she didn’t want a bathtub, but I can also understand that this isn’t something that Susu wants to talk about.

The wound is still very painful, for her, and I can understand that she would avoid talking about it as much as possible, so as not to stir up horrific memories, but Zhenhua, straightforward man that he is, totally misses the significance of Susu’s preference.

Ouch. It was hard to watch them fall out over this, because while I understood Zhenhua’s confusion and hurt feelings, because he felt that Susu didn’t trust him and didn’t discuss the removal of the bathtub with him, I felt so bad for Susu, for having her wounds being dug into again.

I’m glad that they eventually make up, and I can’t help noticing that both time they quarrel, it’s Susu who first offers the olive branch.

There’s something very gracious about Susu that I really admire and appreciate. 😍

And, I also admire her for being understanding and encouraging, when Zhenhua asks for her opinion about the opportunity that involves Xiaohe’s father. I am sure that not all girlfriends would have been this understanding.

E25-28. I love that Susu’s so grounded around Zhenhua.

When he’s all grumpy and acting out because he’s holding that grudge against Xiewen, she takes it all in stride.

She doesn’t do a whole lot right away, besides shush him, but later on, when they’re alone, she explains to him, one by one, why it’s unrealistic to want to rent a different place for Yimei to live in, until her new home is ready, and that provoking Xiewen does Yimei no good whatsoever.

Reframing it for Zhenhua, to think of giving Xiewen face, for Yimei’s sake, does help, I think.

It’s so cute, honestly, how she calls him a stubborn donkey that no one can rein in – but then in the next breath calls him a reasonable donkey who’ll listen to advice once he’s thought things through.

I found this super endearing, and very sweet.

She sees him, in all of his bumbling flaws, and treats him with affection, even when he’s still kind of being a stubborn donkey. I love her. 😍

And then how sweet is it, that while Zhenhua’s still barely out of the stubborn donkey stage, she tells him that she’s bought all those Shanghai specialties for his parents – and that there’s one bag that she will give to them personally.

Ahhh!! I’m with Zhenhua in his discombobulated shock, because this is a Big Deal.

This basically means that Susu’s ready to be serious about their relationship; that she’s ready to marry him.

Up to this point, she’s been saying that there’s no need for her to meet his parents, but now, with her saying that she’s going to meet them, I’m as over the moon as Zhenhua, over this thought that she’s thinking family now. 🥲

I love that Susu’s visit to see Mom and Dad goes so well, and I just want to say, the more I see Mom and Dad, the more I like them.

They are so kind and welcoming of Susu, and never made her feel uncomfortable for taking so long to come visit them, when she’s been dating Zhenhua for a fair while.

It made me happy to hear Susu tell Zhenhua afterwards, that she’s envious of Yimei and Zhenhua, for having such nice parents, and I love that Zhenhua tells her that she can treat them like her own, and be as willful or needy around them as she’d like.

That’s really sweet, isn’t it? 🥲🥲

Even sweeter, is that, not too long after this visit, Susu acknowledges that she’s not averse to the idea of starting a family, if it’s with Zhenhua.

Awww. I would love to see these two as parents. 🥰🥰

I can already see it now; Zhenhua would be the doting dad with the rollercoaster emotions, while Susu would be the rock of wisdom, grace and reason. 😁

I do love how understanding and loyal Zhenhua is, towards Susu.

When she asks when he’ll tell his parents about her past, he’s all ready to defer to her, even if it means never telling them, ever – because this is her privacy.

Awww. Such a sweet stubborn donkey. 😁

[END SPOILER]

Yimei and Eric [SPOILER ALERT]

Eric is Yimei’s first love, and I have to confess that among the various lovelines that we get in this story, this was the loveline that caught my attention the most.

From the initial hyper-awareness and subtle push-pull between them which quickly started to feel like simmering fireworks, to the passionate way they eventually fall into a relationship, it’s all quite mesmerizing.

It’s like they’re caught up in a thick cloud of emotion, and we’re caught in that cloud along with them.

The lightning speed with which their relationship progresses would likely seem reckless to the neutral observer, but it’s clear to see that they are both following their hearts with abandon, and there’s something quite compelling about that.

Ultimately, it’s Eric’s unwillingness to compromise his career ambition for the sake of their relationship, that breaks them apart.

What strikes me about this, is how both Eric and Yimei grieve the relationship for an extended period of time.

It literally takes Yimei two full years, before she feels ready to delete his contact details; something which I took as a sign that she’s finally prepared to move on.

And yet, she still sheds tears at deleting his contact details, and this tells me that the feelings that she’d invested into this relationship were real, deep and true, even if the relationship itself was volatile and lacking in foundation, and both parties were immature and self-focused.

I would say the same for Eric, that he had invested real feelings into this relationship.

I think it says a lot that Eric is still single, two years after the breakup with Yimei, especially since he’s known for being a bit of a player.

Yes, he’s too self-focused and career-focused to consider the possibility of going back to Beijing for Yimei’s sake, but I do think that that doesn’t mean that his feelings for Yimei weren’t sincere.

He was sincere too, in his limited, flawed way. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

Yimei and Xiewen [SPOILER ALERT]

Xiewen is the man whom Yimei marries, and I have to confess that I was never into this loveline, from the very beginning.

He just had “red flag” written all over him, from the very moment he decided to court Yimei.

All the lies that he told, in order to put himself in her orbit, were outrageous, and I found it very creepy, the way he was lying to Yimei in such a systematic manner. 🙈

The thing that really touched Yimei, I think, is the fact that he would turn down a job offer in another province, because he wanted to be with her.

This was the opposite of Eric, who couldn’t bring himself to derail his career in any way, for the sake of their relationship.

Basically, the key things that Eric had been unable to do for her, Xiewen demonstrates that he’s willing to do for her, and I could see how that would be very persuasive, to Yimei.

Unfortunately, Xiewen’s insecurity when comparing himself to Eric eats into their relationship in a big way, and it’s tragic and horrible, how he eventually starts to treat Yimei like a caged bird, particularly once she gets pregnant.

Insisting that Yimei stay in the hospital to rest, and then insisting that she take time off work, is one thing.

Submitting her resignation for her without her knowledge is a whole other level of controlling behavior, and I was flabbergasted that he would do that – and then act all self-righteous about it, and even play the maligned victim, in front of her parents.

He keeps claiming that it was all to protect her health, but on a more insidious level, it really feels like he’s taking the chance to put her in a cage, so that he can control her and monitor her as he pleases.

His entire approach is to act first and justify later, and I believe that this is all because he doesn’t want to risk Yimei disagreeing with any of his decisions.

To go with the whole package, is Xiewen’s new thing, where he basically gaslights Yimei every time she tries to protest about any of his decisions.

Like the way he tells her that her hormones are making her emotionally unstable, when she gets angry with him for quitting her job for her. UGH. That made me so mad. 😤

It really annoys me to see Xiewen systematically deny Yimei the things that she wants, whether it’s to have Mom come stay with them for a while, or her going back to Beijing for a while.

Yes, it’s true that Xiewen fears that he will lose her, if he lets her go to Beijing without him.

But I am certain that it’s also true that he doesn’t trust her, due to his own insecurity, and that’s why he can’t stand the thought of her being in a different place, without supervision.

I was honestly shocked and impressed at how long Yimei stayed in this marriage, given how controlling Xiewen was.

I could hardly believe that Xiewen didn’t just quit that job for her, but also turned down a job offer for her, when she’d been keen to return to work, after some years had passed.

I was so relieved when Yimei finally asked for a divorce, and then I was so impressed with Yimei, for treating Xiewen with gentleness and grace, after everything that he’d done.

[END SPOILER]

Yimei and Jiaming [SPOILER ALERT]

Jiaming is Yimei’s soulmate, and like I mentioned earlier, I liked this in concept way more than in execution.

It also didn’t sit super well with me that Yimei falls so hard and fast for Jiaming, not long after coming out of an unhappy marriage.

After being in such an unhappy situation with Xiewen, who’d appeared super nice to start with, I’d expected Yimei to be a little more cautious with her feelings, especially this soon after the divorce.

I think the idea here, is that when you meet The One, you just know, and nothing else matters, or at least, that’s how I tried to rationalize it. 😅

Unfortunately, things become very sad very fast, in Yimei and Jiaming’s relationship, and understandably so, once they learn that Jiaming has very limited time to live, thanks to his heart condition.

But.. can I risk sounding like a heartless monster, and say that I actually prefer this part of their story, than when Show was trying so hard to prove that Jiaming was Yimei’s soulmate? 🙈😅

In this space, that try-hard effort is no more, and we’re focusing on Jiaming’s choices around how he would like to live his last days, and Yimei’s very emotional experience of struggling with her grief, while wanting to do her best to support him, so that he doesn’t die with any regrets.

It’s a very real and poignant dilemma, with Jiaming wanting Yimei to look ahead and forget about him, saying that she has lots more life to live, and will love again, and maybe even marry again, and Yimei decidedly not in the mind or heart space to think about things like that.

From the moment that Yimei decides to help Jiaming fulfill his life’s wish of hiking up a mountain, I knew in my gut that he would likely die on top of that mountain – in a drama, that’s practically the only way this could go, yes?

It was sweet that Jiaming got to have that camping experience too, with Jiamin and his wife preparing the mini campsite with tents and food and a campfire, so that Jiaming and Yimei could split their ascent into two days.

And, I’m glad that even though Jiamin got all worked up at Jiaming’s announcement that he’d signed up to be an organ donor, that they have a make up moment, before Jiaming goes back to his hike – because that really does turn out to be the last time the brothers see each other.

I really didn’t like that, after it starts to rain, Yimei starts to have a meltdown about not fulfilling her promise to Jiaming, and they actually part ways on the mountain.

My brain was all, “Ok, he’s going to die, coz he’s only got medication with him, but all the other supplies are with Yimei.” 😬

Honestly, I was not feeling too kindly towards Yimei, who decides to continue with her ascent, even though it looks like Jiaming had headed down the mountain. In my head, I was like, “Are you trying to kill him??” 😱

But of course, in true drama fashion, when she gets to the peak, it isn’t long before Jiaming shows up, looking very much the worse for wear, and they reunite tearfully at the peak, before sitting down to watch the sunset together.

..Which is when it’s heavily implied that Jiaming then breathes his last, while leaning on Yimei’s shoulder.

It’s all very poignant and sad, and even though I haven’t been the biggest fan of this arc, I did feel the pathos in all of this.

I do think that it’s significant that we see Yimei mourning and processing, via expressing herself through paint, which is something that we’d last seen her do, when things had gone south with Eric.

In this way, it does feel like Yimei has kind of come back to her core self, via this relationship with Jiaming.

And, it is also quite meaningful, to see that she’s taken on traits that honor Jiaming’s memory, like the way she’s now a biker girl, riding Jiaming’s motorcycle around, just like he had done. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

E37-38. Honestly, I’d dragged my feet a little, coming to this finale, not for any other reason, but that I’d felt quite fatigued by the time we put the third loveline to rest.

And then, when Show introduced He Xi (Lin Yi) as Yimei’s flight instructor, and low-key hinted that he would become Yimei’s next love interest, I felt even more fatigued at the thought of it, and promptly took some time to gather enough fortitude and interest to get to the finish line.

In the end, though, I needn’t have worried, heh.

Because, in the end, Show uses He Xi’s character differently than I’d expected; he doesn’t quite become Yimei’s love interest, though we can see that there is an appreciation there that is mutual, and a connection that feels genuine.

I actually like how this unfolded, much more than the version that I’d had in my head, when I’d taken that short break from this show. 😅

Mainly, I like that Yimei and He Xi connect in a way that feels natural, and grow to get to know each other, in the course of their conversations.

It feels organic to me, that they would each open up bit by bit, as they had those conversations, and I like how Yimei is gracious and generous, but also respectful, in the way she offers life advice to He Xi, who’s 16 years younger than her, at age 24.

I found it believable, that it’s only as they get to know each other better, that this mutual respect and appreciation grows. And honestly, it is quite nice to see them enjoy little things like texting a bit of banter back and forth, or a bit of ribbing, when Yimei comes in for her flight lessons.

Of course, trust ex-husband Xiewen to be all suspicious and jealous, even though he has no right to be, and start to ask Yimei about whether she and He Xi are dating.

I appreciate the function this plot point serves in our story though, which is for Yimei to state (with her signature calm and grace) that she appreciates He Xi’s qualities, but that He Xi hasn’t expressed how he feels, and so she doesn’t know if he likes her, but if and when love happens and she decides to date someone, it’s all good – and will have nothing to do with Xiewen.

Like I said, she’s gentle about it, but I just love the fact that she manages to be gentle yet firm, in reminding Xiewen of his place.

It doesn’t surprise me that Xiewen tries for a reconciliation with Yimei, and it doesn’t surprise me that Yimei says no.

What I like about it is, that they’ve come to a place where they’re able to co-exist as co-parents to Taichu, and be cordial to each other, and have these kinds of conversations, without the emotional baggage that had previously weighed them down.

As for He Xi, I like that Yimei encourages him to go after his flying dreams, and then, as he starts to say, at the airport, that he’d like to be with her after he comes back in a year, she tells him not to promise the future.

I do like the gift that he gives her though; that steel rose that he’d made out of spare parts, is a great representation of Yimei herself.

She’s picked up the broken pieces of her life, and made herself stronger, thus becoming a steel rose in the process. It’s quite perfect, in that, it’s not pretty, but it’s meaningful. 🥲

I like the open-ended way in which we end our story, where it remains to be seen whether He Xi and Yimei are meant to have a love story in the future.

It feels sufficient and quite pitch perfect to know that they are each flying where they need to fly, in this moment, and trusting in the process, that what needs to be, will be, in the end.

In the meantime, I do really like Yimei’s final voiceover, as we watch her ride her motorbike into the scenic mountains, which is an excerpt from “Song of the Open Road” by Walt Whitman:

“Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me. The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth, I ask not good fortune, I myself am good fortune. Whatever I shall meet on the road I shall like. None but are accepted.

From this hour, I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines. Going where I list, my own master, total and absolute.”

An aptly empowering and liberating note on which to send Yimei off on the remainder of her journey.

We don’t know what that journey will bring her, but we can rest assured that whatever life brings her way, she will meet it with strength and heart, and live it to the fullest. 🥲

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Very solid, a few missteps notwithstanding.

FINAL GRADE: B++

TRAILER:

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama I’m covering on Patreon, in place of  The Tale of Rose, is Love Next Door [Korea].

You can check out my episode 1-2 notes on Love Next Door on Patreon here.

Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!

Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment Drop (Sundays) + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)

Early Access (US$5): +Serendipity’s Embrace [Korea]

Early Access Plus (US$10): +Love Next Door [Korea]

VIP (US$15): +Your Honor [Korea]