BLISS Rating: ★★★★+
“Love awakens something deep inside you, like possessiveness and the desire to control. It’s because of these imperfect things that we learn to cherish the beautiful moments we now have.” – Quote from Feel What You Feel
This story covers familiar territory, but I still found it tantalizing. It captured me from the beginning to the end. It is mainly due to the mesmerizing impersonations from the actors and actresses, in particular the main protagonists. They kept the ‘slow-burn’ of their relationship just at the simmer stage with it never boiling over – until it was time for it to do so. I just loved the way they kept us entertained and engrossed until we were able to find out who they were. The build-up was such that we really did want to know about them.
The story begins in the early 2000s, which otherwise I am not sure the story would have worked so well. The hesitancy and uncertain behaviors, I think (or at least I hope), have diminished since then.
Retrogressively, we understand the slow-burn this story needs to take. Although both our protagonists are attending law school, they are polar opposites of one another. Yu Lei (Sun Cai Zhen) is gregarious, loud, bold, the center of attention, and loves playing soccer. Meanwhile, Chen Ke (Liang Bei Yi) is reserved, quiet, tends to keep to himself. He, too, likes to play soccer as well. Sometimes appearing to be a bit stand-offish, it is mainly because of his shyness. Almost immediately, Yu Lei is smitten with Chen Ke and cannot seem to stay away from him. As unrestrained as he is, Yu Lei is unable to fully express his intrinsic feelings for Chen Ke until it nearly becomes too late. About the closest he could intimate is to call him ‘brother’, which can be interpreted in many ways.
Meanwhile, Yu Lei operates at a more calculated and methodical pace and is much more measured. While his feelings for Yu Lei are no less intense, they remain hidden as that is his nature to be more deliberate. Chen Ke is unsure of how deeply Yu Lei feels about him. Although the two are inseparable and cannot be far from one another, their union never crosses the line into a clear path of a romantic interest in either one.
Of course, there are jealousies abound in this series. One comes from Yu Lei’s own cousin Zhang Han (Zhou Qian Xiao). She initially was interested in Chen Ke but realizes very quickly that Yu Lei’s overprotectiveness of him and guarding him is more than just concerns for a fellow classmate. She realizes that he is falling in love with him and also realizes that Chen Ke cannot stop talking about Yu Lei in return. It becomes fairly evident that the two of them are on a path to developing a romantic relationship.
The other jealousy entity is Yu Lei’s childhood friend and constant companion, Ouyang Han (Cheng Hao) who has an infectious personality.
He tries earnestly to step in between Yu Lei and Chen Ke but is unsuccessful. When finally, he confesses that he likes him, Yu Lei simply but clearly states that he has and will only see him as a friend and a brother. While crushed by this, Ouyang begins to foster an unorthodox friendship with a constant irritating individual who is a friend to both named Li Ming (Huang Huai Ting).
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? There is some fine acting throughout this series. And I know the secondary love connections are usually not meant to be strong in their presentation but the initiation and development of the connection between Ouyang and Li Ming is simply fun to watch. And admittedly, erotic, as I do think these two young men are strong contenders for the handsomest men in a BL series. They are simply drop-dead gorgeous and their bantering and vampish interactions made them all the more charming and entertaining to watch. Huang Huai Ting as Li Ming and Cheng Hao as Ouyang have this earthy tension between them that is both sexual and mischievous. Giving off the notion that they hate or dislike each other, simply draws them closer together. Both play this game effectively and so masterfully that I believed they were indeed forming a relationship. What is funny is that they are not going to change the dynamics of their connection even after they are a couple. They will continue to ‘banter’ and snicker with and about each other for as long as they are together. How long will that be? Either 2 weeks or 2 lifetimes. I am not sure. It all depends upon whether they can continue to renew their relationship by their constant discourses with one another. That is their fuel. These two actors made this completely work. I loved watching them.
The overall splendor of this series is its consistency. It never wavered from its intent. Sure, it takes a long time for their relationship to develop but because these guys seem to make it feel fast, it was. And, given the time frame they were in, we understood their hesitancy. They were just on the cusp of developing a strong relationship when the series threw in a gut punch that I did not think it needed to. Slow-burn series will work if you have the right actors and a great screen chemistry and good dialogue. And this had all three. There was no real need for that traumatic and awkward attempted murder scene. While the story did telegraph something was going to happen as that character was displaying vibes of not being quite all there. There was also a set up that envisions a feeling he would ultimately explode at some point. If they had re-written his character, he could have been a more sympathetic character. In a sense, I felt sorry for him because he was always just outside the group and never could seem to break into the group’s acceptance range. There are other ways to explore these types of characters that would actually enhance the story, without having them resort to extreme measures. These types of forced conclusions only cheapen the ending and cliché it even more.
These two couples have great screen chemistry and presence. It would behoove you to watch this series. It is an easy view and one you might find yourself becoming surprisingly vested in.
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