“When my life was hanging by a thread… she saved me.
When I was in despair… she gave me her love.
I didn’t realise my life was worth living until I met her.
I will never betray her… not until death do us part.” – Xie Zheng to Fan Changu
The first office drama of 2026 that I watched, and back with the review. To be honest, for a long time, no drama was able to capture my attention until my entire feed was filled with this drama. And literally after watching two to three videos, I picked up this drama and finished it. We meet two characters, Xie Zheng and Fan Changu, who meet when she saves him, and their entire lives are shifted.
It’s an historical drama; however, it went so fast that I didn’t even realise. I was literally so into it that I didn’t get bored for a second. The drama focuses heavily on the plot and the female lead’s point of view. Romance is the subplot, and it’s very common in historical Chinese dramas.
Let’s start with our female lead, Fan Changu. OMG, what a lead. She is everything needed for a historical drama. Like the girl can fight and do every single thing to exist. I absolutely loved her courage and the way she would go out of her way for her loved ones. I absolutely love a strong female lead, and she did such a perfect job in portraying her character.
Then we have the male lead, Xie Zheng, and I absolutely adored him. However, I felt the story was more focused on the female lead and her fighting, so his character didn’t stand out. Definitely, his fights and all were good, but I wanted to see a more powerful aura from him. His gaze is absolutely marvellous.
Then we have the plot, so engaging and straight to the point. The plot was actually the main thing about the drama. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. I would watch in awe the village of Linan and wonder when I would get to live like this.
The fighting scenes were shot amazingly. I enjoyed each one of those.
The chemistry was chef kiss. The way both would talk with each other, understand each other, was amazing to watch, especially in the beginning episodes. And their gaze, their slow love, was just beautiful. Also, the found family of the female lead was amazing to watch.
Now, as I have watched the drama, I feel that there was so much missing. I wish it had more episodes to clear it up. Like Xie Zheng and Fan Changu needed more episodes for their growth, which we never saw in the end. The end was so abrupt that we never properly saw them as a couple.
Also, another thing is that now I am reading the book on which this drama is based. And in that, Xie Zheng, the Marquis, was seen as cold, and I wanted that throughout the drama. I felt that the male lead character was not shown as he should have been. Not brutal as in the book, but the aura I felt was missing. The drama is more focused on the female version.
Other than that, the drama is amazing. Fast-paced, engaging, strong leads and chemistry.
I highly recommend this drama.
“I’m not afraid of death. But I’m afraid Changning would be left without a sister. And I’m afraid I’d never see you again. I missed you so much. I was so scared you were dead. Come home with me, okay?” – Fan Changu to Xie Zheng
Total Episodes: 40
My Rating: 9/10
Genre: Historical, Romance, Drama, Action
Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.
A girl who likes to write 