• Review 

Message : This review is extremely long compared the other synopsis found on this website because I'm now more opinionated and vocal in expressing my reviews in writing.  This observation of mine is purely based on the personal points of view and not intended to offend anyone. 

Language
Mandarin.

Verdict/My personal observation
I haven't seen Yue Ling acting for really long time and I found her still appealing here after so many years but unfortunately lacking in some aspects which I will elaborate later. 

This series as a whole suffered few ill syndromes which add pain to watch it at some part but still a moderate series to watch.

First thing first, I hated the theme song so much that I don't understand how could the producer compose such a song to go with a slow-paced and sad series.  It went against the mood set for this series.  The song opens with a very loud and disturbing music, a long trumpet blow and instantly reminds me of a funeral song.  At some dramatic parts, this song was slotted in and I found it totally annoying.  This is one of the biggest flaw to this series.  A more toned down and softer music will enhance the sentiments of the story.  They should learn from Qiong Yao and see how skillful her love series were made.  All songs in her production were able to communicate with the audiences blended with soft sweep of emotions. 

The HAIR!!  Another big blow here.  Other than the men in this series that look normal, the ladies have an awful hairdo.  The first victim is Chen Sa Li.  She was overdone with that thick makeup and coupled with that big hairband, she looks scary at some points.  Her hair was so big and doesn't she reminds you that "lo lo" in The Chinese Ghost Story starring Joey Wong and Leslie Cheung.  She look so unnatural and makes me wonder if eyeliner or even mascara exists at that era.

Yue Ling suffered the same fate.  Her bangs at the beginning of the series was so inconsistent.  At one episode her bangs was just an inch away from her eyebrow and another moment her bangs was chopped at least few inches off.  The next moment you see her, the bangs back to normal. 

I still adore her Yuan Le Mei's hairstyle in Ghost  Husband.  She always delighted me with her appearance in costume drama but here the way she was handled by the make-up artist is a total disappointment.  She has two hairstyle in this series where at a later part, she had a parted fringe and this makes her looks so haggard. The bun is so big and hard.  Again, when come to style and fashion, no one can beat the pretty ladies in all Qiong Yao's production.  This woman is so meticulous and make sure all her cast looks gorgeous at all time.

And then the costume.  The design and colour fits right into the era but I can't help but notice each cast only got 5 outfit at the most.  Why is that so? Isn't this family is so rich that they have a dozen servants and few carriages but can't afford to have more clothes?   

The sign language.  I applauded Yue Ling's great effort in mastering the sign language.  I know it's not easy.  I been on two hour lesson learning sign language.  Isn't it so not logic that everyone in the family including servants can read sign language within such a short period?  Everyone has got no problem communicating with Jing Yun and seems to understand every single thing said by her.  Amazing!

This series can easily be concluded by 20 episodes but because there were so many unnecessary scenes that are so dragging and boring like the part of Yue Ling's sister and also the sister-in law which I fast forwarded all these scene.  My choice of TV series now is Japanese drama because they are short, simple and right to the point.  Mandarin dramas need to be revolutionised and stop creating unrelated plot.

The casts here are no short of excellence.  In Taiwanese series, it's rare that you can find anyone who cannot act but often overact.  You will find a more detailed comments on the cast below. 

Summary
Basically a love story of a mute woman who is forced into a fake marriage with an ill man who has least than a year to live and how love took place.

Plot
This series is highly popular in China which is also the main reason this website is re-opened after many of the fans wrote to me.  Since most must have either seen this or heard about this one, I might as well tell you the whole story from what I could understand.

The story began with Jing Yun being arranged to marry with the an ill young man of a rich family.  It takes us on to many incidences unfolded upon her arrival with most scheme purportedly arranged by the cousin sister who suffered from heart-ache and jealousy with Jing Yun.   

She later was kicked-off the family when a theft case happened and took shelter from her friend.  As fate would have it, her sin was washed off when they discovered the missing items and later accepted back to the home.

Her husband then become more receptive to her and love blossomed between them.  He later died in her arms. Here is the main characters where you will see their connection in this drama.

Lin Jing Yun
The backbone of this series as the story are all inter-connected with her.  She was born into a very loving family until her father was murdered when she was eight and the house burnt down. She was parted with her sister during the chaos and since then, she refused to speak or can't speak at all after being traumatised by the whole incident. 

She grew up into a pretty young lady and has a pure loving heart.  Her mother was in heavy debt and hence she was married into the Chao family as a repayment mode.  She was betrothed to the second son of the Chao family but in actual fact the marriage was for the first son, Shao Bo who has a terminal disease and would not live long.

Living together with the Chao family was a young girl who had crush on the second son.  She grown bitter with Jing Yun for stealing the affectionate from the rest of the family members which previously reserved for her.

Jing Yun got into many troubles because of the cousin sister.  She also has a missing sister whom she later reunited.    

Chen Sa Li
A superstitious old lady who lives her days guided with philosophy and teaching of some lost religion. An extremely stubborn yet considerable kind woman who indirectly create a whole series of drama in her family including the expel of Jing Yun.

She is a widow with two young sons when her husband died.  She becomes over-protective with her children especially the eldest, Shao Bo.       

Chao Sao Bo
A dying young man who suffered from a strange illness.  He has least than a year to live when the story begins.  His mother wishes him to get marry and bear a child before he dies.  An awkward pale looking man with a kind heart.  He loves Jing Yun but refrain from expressing his love as he wants her to move on after he died.

He later touched by Jing Yun's sincerity and she subsequently has an offspring.

Yue Ling as Lin Jing Yun
I somehow found this is one of the least prominent role of all Yue Ling's works.  She was amazing in Green Green Grass By The River, fantastic in Ghost Husband and mature in her character of Ru Fang in For Better of Worse but this Lin Jing Yun of her just failed to charm me.

Other than crying or making up the sad face, she is unable to relate more for the audiences.  She did a great job to convince us that she is really mute and can't speak but there are lots more than this.  I wish to see her face speaking rather than crying or nodding her head.  She was brilliant in Ghost Husband where she uses her eyes to speak which makes Ghost Husband a great success.  Maybe she contracted a lot on her hand movement and therefore lost focus on her facial expression.

Xie Ju Wu as Chao Sao Bo
I never like him and I'm refraining myself from being prejudice in my comments here.  I have seen him acting once and that's in the Taiwan X-Files version where he plays the character of Mulder. That drama sucks real time with some really bad effects which puts this drama to the bottom ranking on my list.  

As many of you would have heard it, they both dated before in real-life and because his infidelity, they separated.

Well, in this series he did a great job.  Looking like a real sick person, I would rate him an A for his performance.  He also has an impaired left arm where he conveyed it perfectly.  Even the way he walked and talked, he did look like an almost dying person.  He has a good make up artist which helped him to look pale plus with the half-moon eyes.   

Verdict 
Overall, a moderate production which I failed to see why this drama was so highly successful after all.  I found it hard to complete this drama as I grew so annoyed over the story plot.  Lots of repetition and too many flashback.  This drama can easily be summed up in 20 episodes at max.  

The dialogue were wishy-washy and at times, too dramatic.. way too dramatic as if it's the world is collapsing soon.  If it's not because of Yue Ling holding the main role, I would have sent this drama straight off to second hand shop for re-sale.