I was pleasantly surprised with the premise of the drama with vampires and supernatural beings set in a post Qing Dynasty time period. Gao Wei Guang comfortably embodies the older, tall, handsome, yet cold business man who harbors a unique secret. He also has a moral code that he abides by and does his best to keep by it despite constantly being pushed to the brink. He’s definitely the main draw for this drama.

Before releasing this drama, the biggest hesitancy that viewers (myself included) had was the main couple – Gao Wei Guang is 17 years older than Ou Yang Na Na. She was only 21 when she filmed this drama and the biggest question was would they have chemistry? I personally thought it was fine, nothing spectacular, although I read several other reviews who really got this pairing.  

This drama is directed by 李木戈 Li Mu Ge who’s had several hits including Rattan and Fireworks of My Heart. He’s known for his beautiful cinematography and set designs and this was no different. This drama was filmed back in October of 2021 through January 2022, which is rather important as most of the drama is set in the winter. 

This is going to be a quick drama review because the antagonists and some of the decisions from characters really turned me off. 

It’s been many years since a drama has had a vampire as a subject matter and there was decent anticipation from viewers. Which led me scratching my head as to why Tencent decided to air this drama during the peak of the Paris Olympics and then quickly finish airing the drama essentially right after the Olympics. I think this drama would have received more attention had Tencent marketed this more, but the drama aired and completed its run without much fanfare.

What I liked

• Gao Wei Guang as Shen Zhi Heng: Gao Wei Guang returns to his niche of portraying a very world weary and old man who has the ability, wealth, and power to command respect from this allies and fear from his enemies. At least in this drama, he is being viewed and treated as an adult, one who has rightfully earned his standing in society rather than inheriting it. We rarely see these types of characters in Chinese dramas anymore and I welcome his continued presence! 
• Cinematography!: The director Li Mu Ge has been known for his stellar cinematography and scene compositions and this drama is no different. The juxtapositions of white with red, especially at the Shen Manor, really make the entire shot stand out. Oftentimes, I forget what the characters are saying and just enjoy the scene on screen. Yes, they obviously filmed in Heng Dian for this drama, and yes, the snow was um, quite fake, BUT at least with drama filming in winter, the entire atmosphere of the drama still fit the overall winter vibe.
• Ou Yang Na Na’s portrayal of Mi Lan: Ou Yang Na Na pleasantly surprised me in this drama. I personally have avoided many Ou Yang Na Na dramas over the years because, well, she was just quite terrible in them. In this drama, the director cleverly hides all of her acting faults and emphasizing her strengths. For example, Ou Yang Na Na has been criticized for her blank eyes, wooden acting, and overacting. In this drama, these “faults” all fit neatly into the character of Mi Lan. Mi Lan is blind, so we don’t need that much emotion from her or her eyes. Because Mi Lan in general is a rather muted character, she can’t over act and therefore doesn’t give the audience as one who is trying to overact. 

What Could Have Been Better

• Cartoonish Protagonists: The biggest reason as to why I’ve decided to not move forward with this drama is due to the completely cartoonish and outlandish portrayal from the main antagonist (so far). Li Ying Liang sets out to murder Shen Zhi Heng for no reason rather than the fact that Shen Zhi Heng doesn’t want to pay tribute to his boss, the local military commander. Li Ying Liang then goes on completely unhinged rampages to kill Shen Zhi Heng, manipulate Mi Lan, and wrongfully arrest a bunch of people. Sure, he has a lot of pressure from his superiors, but it’s pretty eye rolling at this obsession of his. I also can’t tell if this was a director or make up artist’s choice, but the character of Li Ying Liang just has a manic look to him every time he’s on screen, almost like they’re shoving the “Look, I’m the bad guy” vibe down my throat. I then ask the question as to WHY he’s this obsessed with Shen Zhi Heng and how he even get to this position when he’s failing so often. The introduction of Mu Li Hua thankfully moves the attention away from him, but the first 9 episodes left a sour taste in my mouth. 
• Questionable choices from Shen Zhi Heng: Li Ying Liang couldn’t have had this many opportunities if he wasn’t essentially indulged by Shen Zhi Heng. Here’s a vampire with supernatural strength, intelligence, and money, but he barely uses any of that against Li Ying Liang. Shen Zhi Heng constantly finds himself in life threatening situations and I’m scratching my head because shouldn’t he have thought of some alternatives to get out of sticky situations? He’s 100 years old for pete sake! He should have an idea on how to protect himself even if he has to abide by his moral code. If he must drink blood, WHY agree to being arrested by Li Ying Liang? He nearly couldn’t make it if it wasn’t for Mi Lan. Good for both of them but um, why put himself in that position? 
• Rather flat female characters: I’m going to put Mi Lan aside for this (even though she also doesn’t get much screentime), but looking at the 2 other main female characters in the drama, they’re basically reduced to one-note caricatures. Jin Jing Xue is a wealth woman but she spends literally the entirety of her screentime chasing after Li Ying Liang or going on a random date here and there with Si Tu Wei Lian. She contributes nothing to the overall story apart from being the annoying girl pursuing Li Ying Liang. Then there’s Mi Lan’s mom who is a terrible domestic violence abuser and that’s all we get from her as a character. The introduction of Mu Li Hua finally gives us a female character with an agenda. We’re 1/3 into the drama, shouldn’t there be some additional movement on these characters?

Cathy