What is this drama about?
Yun Wei Shan, a member of the mysterious Wufeng organization, sets out to spy in the disguise of a bride into the closed residence of the Gong family. She must get as much information about them as possible to survive and have a chance to gain freedom. She manages to charm young Gong Ziyu, whom the entire family considers the most spoiled and useless of the brothers. When his father, the head of the entire family, is murdered, chaos creeps into the always stable Gong family, and suspicion falls on all new arrivals.
It was a very good drama. It would have been perfect if it weren’t for the main couple, especially Esther Yu. The lead actor, Zhang Linghe, played his role as a sloppy dumpling that turns into a hard dumpling well. It was so irritating at first that it was hard to watch. There was no chemistry between him and Esther Yu, practically no spark. Their scenes were painfully boring, and her flat, emotionless face only made it worse. There is a chance that if another actress had played this role, their relationship would have improved.
There was a moment when I thought the scenario was absurd, but the closer to the end, the more it made sense. I was very happy with this plot twist, because I was afraid that the drama was going downhill. However, during the last episodes I was very tense because the action was going crazy on the screen and I was trying to understand what had just happened.
Visually, the drama is a gem. Beautiful shots, wonderful scenography and costumes. The entire mysterious and dark atmosphere of the drama captivated me from the first episode. Very good fight scenes that looked like dancing, even in Esther’s version. Their dynamics introduced a contrast to the slowly progressing story.
I like the whole idea of the plot. A well-built story, the action of which takes place mainly within the walls of the huge Gong estate. Several families lock themselves in one place to protect powerful weapon from their enemies. Rarely anyone can go outside. Their home becomes their life prison. The role of chief leader carries enormous responsibility and power, but also enormous limitations.
All the characters except the main couple were wonderful. Seriously, there’s nothing to complain about, and there really were a lot of them, especially beautiful men. In terms of acting, the drama meets the highest standards (except for Esther Yu). The second pair had such fire that they also made up for the main pair. Their story was unique, difficult and ambiguous, perfect in my opinion. The character of the older sister, Gong Zi Shang, was amazing, slightly exaggerated, but with a lot of charm. Her positively crazy personality balanced the darkness of the drama.
The relationships between the various characters are one of the best elements of this drama. The second couple (Gong Shangjue and Shangguan Qian), the brothers (Gong Shangjue and Gong Yuanzhi), Gong Zishang with Jin Fan, Gong Zishang with young Hua… I could go on and on. The main couple in their background is simply boring in its simplicity.
Unfortunately, the end of the drama leaves us unsatisfied. I have nothing against open endings, but it’s asking too much for a second season, which I don’t think we’ll get. Without these last minutes it would be perfect, but oh well. Despite its minor flaws, this drama is worth watching, especially since it only has 24 episodes.
