I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
Ho Won is a 23 year old university student who spots a man sitting alone at a gay bar and gets attracted to him. The man is Min U, a 33 year old who brushes Ho Won off immediately saying he's too young. Ho Won lies about his age and since he's made a bet with the bartender that he'll get this man home before the night is over, he switches tactics and eventually the two end up at Min U's place and sleep together. Despite being complete opposites in every way there's some kind of pull between them and they go on a couple of dates. But then Min U finds out about the bet. He gives Ho Won a chance to explain himself but Ho Won shuts down, admits he lied but doesn't say anything about actually liking him, mostly because he feels terrible about the whole thing. Three months pass and Min U shows up at Ho Won's university as a new professor, which is also when he finds out Ho Won's real age. This time Ho Won actually opens up and explains everything properly and the two slowly get close again and start dating. Things are good for a bit but then the professor's friends warn him that a relationship between a professor and student is going to cause real problems, so he pulls back. Ho Won still has feelings for him so he starts hanging around other guys to make him jealous. Eventually the professor can't hold it in anymore and kisses him.
The biggest problem with this show and honestly it's a dealbreaker is that these two have absolutely zero chemistry with each other. They are stiff and uncomfortable together and the kiss in the first or second episode has to be one of the worst kisses in the entire history of BL, and that is saying something. Their conversations are dull, the dialogue is completely flat and you genuinely want to shake both of them to get some life going. The show tries to sell us this whole opposites attract thing but these two don't even have that going for them because there's no spark, there's nothing, actually negative chemistry if that's even a thing. And there's never any real explanation for why the professor falls for this guy in less than 24 hours. Was it just the sex? Who knows. Things don't get any better even after they reconnect at the university. They're supposedly in love at that point but it still feels like two strangers standing next to each other. I was at least hoping the professor and student angle would give the show something interesting to work with but the ending is so anticlimactic that honestly I wasn't even surprised because nothing in this series had been even half decent at any point. Sometimes a weak script gets rescued by good acting or direction but this show has none of that. Avoid completely and don't waste your time. (2/10)
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