(Note: I've only completely watched the first 20 episodes and skimmed through the rest.)

Between the intriguing secret identity and opposites-attract tropes, I really wanted to like this show. Aaron Yan was charming in Just You, so I was hoping for a similar experience here, and FILWM did have a promising start with the mix of Lu Tian Xing's cocky charisma and Xiao Lu's (his alter ego) gentle sweetness. However, Tian Xing's "arrogant creep" factor eventually made me too uncomfortable to really enjoy the romance.

While I love it when the main characters start out hating or annoying each other before slowly falling for each other, alarm bells went off when Tian Xing made physical attempts to control Tao Le Si whenever she refused him, e.g., dragging her around by the arm despite her pleas to let go, forcefully kissing her though she struggled to get out of it, and one time even ordering someone to shut her in the car and block the door so she wouldn't get away. That combined with his other attempts to dictate her decisions and his manipulative behavior with the whole alter ego mess, those were some pretty clear red flags of an abusive relationship. (I'm relatively new to Asian dramas, but I've gotten enough of an idea that this kind of creepy, possessive behavior isn't all that unusual for the lead male role, which is a huge bummer. )

I stuck with it for a while longer in the hope that at least some of the behavior issues would be confronted once the truth of his identity got out, but alas, that never happened. While Tian Xing was remorseful for hurting Tao Si, I never got the sense that he regretted his actions otherwise, despite how wrong they were. It seemed like he was more sorry that he didn't get what he wanted, and his lies and manipulation were whisked away under the guise that he did it for "love" (so obviously that makes everything okay /sarcasm). I found it funny that at some point, he did admit his actions were selfish and didn't want to make Tao Si selfish along with him, but the narrative still never truly seemed to hold him accountable. I'm all for forgiveness, but it makes me wonder what would happen after their happily ever after - sure, they're cute when they get along, but would Tian Xing return to his physically aggressive, controlling ways if/when Tao Si disagrees with him again? Granted, it's fiction, but what kind of message is it sending?

There was just enough sweetness in the show to keep stringing me along till the last 10 or so episodes, and even then I had to skim the highlights to know what would happen with the two troubled lovers. There were a couple heartfelt, tear-filled scenes in the last leg of the story that managed to momentarily make me forget Tian Xing's ugly side, but those moments aren't enough to make me glad I watched the show (and I'm happy I didn't waste my time watching all of the ridiculously soapy family drama in the final third of the show). If I was still a fanfic writer, I'd be sorely tempted to do a major rewrite.

tl;dr Cute idea, poor execution.

As a side note, I didn't mind Tia Li's reserved acting. I can be a pretty outwardly expressionless person myself even when there's an emotional storm inside of me, so it was actually kind of nice/affirming to see that sort of personality... although I'm not certain it was intentional on her part.

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