A painter pretends to be pregnant for her livelihood.
Chinese Title
偷心畫師
偷心畫師
A Heart Stealing Painter
[Recaps]
Cast
Crew
(Updated as of May 2022)
♠ Fresh Teacher (2017)
Scriptwriter: Liu Meng Jiao
Scriptwriter: Luo Ji
Genres
Reviews
Five (5/5)
Four (4/5)
Reviewer: FanFanX
(See in comments under Recaps&Review)
Date: Dec 2021
I honestly didn’t think I’d stick to watching this one. I mean a pregnancy lie really isn’t my favorite premise for any story. (Ha, I do have some standards…) This just became one of my favorite series to rewatch, and I just love the couple. It’s mostly because of Li Hong Bin, who just keeps trying and trying and trying until he succeeds! I agree that the story is a bit flawed. But there is something that is just so appealing about this story, the creativeness, the cinematography and this cute couple that makes me really love this story as a whole.
Li Hong Bin is attractive to me as he's mature, level-headed, smart and righteous. I like how he falls for her before she falls for him (she has too much eye candy around her, mainly Li Hong Yu lol) He initially tests her by making her fall off a rooftop. Really? If she really was pregnant, why would he take the chance? How does he believe in her crocodile tears? (Not even tears, just the wailing!) So he goes one step further and gets them engaged. He's very sweet and considerate to her. (I really like this actor's facial expressions.) I like how he doesn't like Da Ru Er - it's all over his face from her arrival. Initially, I was seriously surprised that he entered Xiong Xi Ruo's home, the brothel for her. He rescues her from the female assassin before asking her to marry him, and then he blackmails her with her Huan Xi Xian identity to force her to marry him. (Hehe, how is this any better? Beats me!) He's always rescuing her (and she stays oblivious to/won't believe him liking her - whhhhhhy, woman?) Ep13, I love how he's watching her as she's drumming. (Melted puddle over here!) When he confesses that he loves her (truth drug) but she still doesn't believe him. Ep15, When he asks her to be a real couple and she still doesn't get it that he loves her. Ep16, From the man who doesn't like to be touched by anyone, he really likes to touch her - her hand, her hair, or her face. He brings up wanting a real marriage between them, and wants her as his one and only wife. (She still doesn't get that he's serious and very genuine! Why?!) And he confesses a second (or is third now?) time, too! (I just love him, could I have him?!) Ep17, I love how hard he tries to protect her and her mother. And how he always tries to talk to her and get her to listen, especially when she’s being unreasonable. She's so stubborn about not trusting her husband. (I guess the series would've ended before this.) Ep20, I love him. He's so persistent! Hahaha, let's fix that baby lie by having a real one. xD Dai Ru Er begging him to accept her - never going to happen, and I love the couple's united front here. Ep26, When he has a nightmare about his wife, he returns home early and finds out that she's been banished. (I like how he bows to his parents while holding the doll. Several times.) He spends the night crying while having hallucinations of his wife. :( (I can’t!!) But then he finds her happily playing mahjong. LOL Ep27, He's jealous that she's surrounded by men (his brother, uncle, Amao, Ye Zhi Han) but her mother and Ning Xin are there, too. [Spoiler!!]She tells him she's pregnant and he's ecstatic.[/sp]
Xiong Xi Ruo is very silly and beyond stupid at times, sometimes clever but she's not mean or malicious. (She is terrible at escaping! lol) And he always finds her doing something she shouldn't be. She's not that smart. Sigh. But she knows how to use potions and powders. I find her less annoying than Song Qin somehow. Who fights with their eyes closed though? He asks her to do one thing since she's been there - stop trying to escape. But she keeps trying. I like that she admitted to lying to him about the pregnancy, instead of letting them get married on a total lie. Wow. One of the prettiest weddings I've seen in a while (especially with the aerial shots). It’s seriously befitting an Emperor/Empress’ wedding. Why isn't she including her husband in her activities instead of just sneaking out without any explanation? (Then again, she's so dense about him.) Why does Xiong Xi Ruo believe anything Dai Ru Er says? She'll believe anyone but the one person who loves her the most (and she doesn't believe he loves her either). Frustrating!! Ep21, That doll of her husband is adorable - could I get one (since I can’t have him)?! I do appreciate the fact that she can protect herself, especially against that rat fink Song Zhi. Two stomps to the head - and I cheered! Ah, when she finally admits her feeling for him. Although I'm not sure how I feel about that boat scene still. Haha. Ep29, When she confesses to his parents that she is Huan Xi Xian. [Spoiler!!]They're just relieved it's not another fake pregnancy. [/sp] (Her FIL is a huge fanboy. Ha!) Whew!
Li Hong Yu is very pretty, like a painting with his robes and fan (he's a piece of art to me!). Carefree and a wordsmith - a stark contrast to his older brother, who is straight laced and doesn't have a hair nor clothing out of place. Ah, his animosity for his brother stems from his one-sided love for Dai Ke Er (Dai Ru Er's deceased sister) who happened to love his brother. (So sick of this trope though.) He actually likes Xiong Xi Ruo, and they have some shared interests. Crap, and she confides in him. He's more thoughtful than I’d anticipated. (I never trust only-a-pretty-face-men.) He’s the only one who gets to disappear and reappear whenever he wants to. Putting aside his own broken heart, when he advises his brother to take care of his wife - her happiness over him keeping her by his side. Ep23, When he meets with Song Zhi and just gives him a drawing of Song Zhi in a robe with Petaled Lotus print, which makes Song Zhi want to leave. I love how a simplistic threat can send a bad guy wanting to flee. :)
Li Jing You is an immature uncle (because he really is a child). I wanted to muzzle him. LOL And if he's able to tell someone’s soul through their eyes, why is he so set against Xiong Xi Ruo? (She's not a bad person, just misguided.) He is the only one who can handle Song Qin. . And he actually likes her but won't admit it yet. When she bidongs him later, which seems about right for their relationship. I cheered when he finally agreed to marry her. (I hope he's really up to the task - she's a real headache and her family is a nightmare.)
Dai Ru Er is a cousin but they want her to marry further into the family. (I know it was acceptable for the times, but it still grosses me out every time.) I'm going to hate hearing Biao Ge for a long while! She's condescending, manipulative and dramatic. She doesn't get it that Li Hong Bin doesn't like/care about her - it's evident in every exchange. If he didn't hate her before the miscarriage drug incident, he definitely does now. The fire at Li Manor and the evidence points to Dai Ru Er, who tries to expose the fake pregnancy but Li Hong Bin tells his parents and uncle everything she's done. She's disowned and kicked out. Ep28, She sneaks back (as a maid) into Li Mansion to steal the map to Li treasures. But she's caught by Xiong Xi Ruo and Li Hong Bin. She is fearless and claims that she is Song Zhi's fiancée, and she continues insulting Xiong Xi Ruo in front of Li Hong Bin's mother. She provokes her aunt into slapping her, who is now ashamed of her. She officially cuts her out of the family and has her thrown out. [Spoiler!!]Afterwards, she goes to see Song Zhi and without the map, failing to kill Li Hong Bin and Xiong Xi Ruo, and dumps her on the streets. She finally realizes that she's been used by Song Zhi, who slept with her and made the false promise of marrying her, and is done with her. She begs him to take her with him and he ignores her. Ah, karma does exist! [/sp]
Song Qin is a very annoying, clueless and spoiled brat - another child. (I can't stand her voice.) She's also delusional about Li Hong Bin. At first, she also trusted the wrong person, Dai Ru Er. Ep17, She is so boy-crazy. Now she's infatuated with Li Hong Yu. Ep18, Song Zhi arrives to negotiate his sister's wedding to Li Hong Yu. Li Jing You is not happy about this. [Spoiler!!]Ep24, This crazy girl finally realizes that she is truly in love with Li Jing You (at least he’s already in love with her) and wants to marry only him. She pleas with her brother and he relents by agreeing to her marriage to the third Li victim, I mean, candidate. (OMG... so she's their AUNT now?!) [/sp]
Song Zhi is a pretty-boy-bad-guy. He's very rude and arrogant. (I would’ve felt sorry for Dai Ru Er but it's karma for all her vile and evil acts.) Hahaha. I love how Song Qin shows up and just beats on him and nags him, as only a sister could do that to a brother of any age. He's so cold-blooded - he just sits there and watches the assassination attempt and drinks his tea while everyone else is freaking out. Yeah, dude, that's normal...for a psychopath! He approaches Dai Ru Er to taunt her about losing Li Hong Bin. [Spoiler!!]I love how the map went up in flames and then how he was carted back to the city, tied up and on full display. [/sp]
Ah Niang (Xiong Xi Ruo's mother) deserves a mention here. She might not always have the etiquette or say the right things - but when it comes to her daughter and son-in-law, she knew he loved her daughter. She definitely saw Dai Ru Er for the snake that she was, and put her in her place while sounding very congenial. I love this actress, Cui Yi, and this is the most screen time I’ve had of her (in anything I’ve seen her in anyway).
[Spoiler!!] Ep29. The ending, with a time jump of 5 years. There's a letter for the butler and it turns out that he's the second son. (What? Why? lol) Song Qin has been married to Li Jing You for two years (that was a long engagement for those times, no?) Ye Zhi Han and Ning Xin have two sets of twins... and she's pregnant again. Hahaha. That poor man is never going to get any rest. Li Hong Yu, who looks very beautiful standing on a boat (they're killing me with him!) finally meets a woman (who won’t care about his brother? lol). Li Hong Bin and Xiong Xi Ruo's daughter is a mini Xiong Xi Ruo as she sweet talks the vendor into giving her a free bun, but gets caught by her father who pays the vendor. A happy family of three! [/Sp]
While I dislike Dai Ru Er and Song Zhi, the actors are to be commended for playing such haughty villains. Dai Ru Er (Kang Ke Ren) was especially good with her expressions (coquettish, crying, evil laughs, and her anger), and at times, her voice seriously raised my blood pressure. lol Song Zhi (Tian Shu Chen) was playful at times and seriously cold-blooded/ruthless most of the time. They're both good with acting with their eyes.
The opening song is so addicting to listen to. It's energetic, a mashup of old and new sounds and weird. (Warning: Total earworm! Haha.) The music for the rest of the series is quite beautiful as well. I hate it when the music overtakes the dialogue, and they don't allow that to happen too often. This duet, Stealing Heart is quite lovely, too.
BTS: So much laughter. I enjoy seeing the actors in their costumes but out of character.
Already seen this twice, and will probably watch it again still! I gave a higher rating because I just love the couple. Even though she was so dumb for a large chunk of it, I still love the story. Honestly, without her stubbornness, how else would we (viewers) learn to love Li Hong Bin so much?!
Three (3/5)
Flawed but its cuteness, comedy and creativity make up for it. I’ll never understand why Xiong Xi Ruo lost her brain for at least a third of the drama (Ep9-20), I was exasperated at her idiocy. I lost all hope in her. Among the dramas I’ve completed, she takes the trophy for being the dumbest of them all. I could have dropped it but I didn’t. I stuck through because I loved the humorous beginning; I loved Li Hong Bin’s unwavering love for her despite knowing how suspicious she is. Aaaand despite how much Xiong Xi Ruo angered me, I still loved her when she was smart and cute at the end. I must be the idiot.
Among this saturated genre, Oh! My Sweet Liar! has unique and creative scenes. The beginning was hilarious with the fake pregnancy antics. I enjoyed the search for Luo Han Tu (from naked men to monks). I loved that last twist with the birth origin. It ties in all the characters so wonderfully. Even the butler gets a memorable moment. A lot of the casts are lovable. The evil ones were decently fun to watch because, you know, they never get to succeed and it’s rewarding watching them get their retribution for even having an inkling of evil thoughts on our leads.
Initially, Xia Ning Jun (Li Hong Bin) was not a looker for me but he grew on me. He made me believe he really loved Xiong Xi Ruo. It was his love for her that made me plow through the parts I didn’t like to get to the cute and sweet.
Among this saturated genre, Oh! My Sweet Liar! has unique and creative scenes. The beginning was hilarious with the fake pregnancy antics. I enjoyed the search for Luo Han Tu (from naked men to monks). I loved that last twist with the birth origin. It ties in all the characters so wonderfully. Even the butler gets a memorable moment. A lot of the casts are lovable. The evil ones were decently fun to watch because, you know, they never get to succeed and it’s rewarding watching them get their retribution for even having an inkling of evil thoughts on our leads.
Initially, Xia Ning Jun (Li Hong Bin) was not a looker for me but he grew on me. He made me believe he really loved Xiong Xi Ruo. It was his love for her that made me plow through the parts I didn’t like to get to the cute and sweet.
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